In My Mailbox

WOW!! This week has been crazy! But crazy good. Work, Thanksgiving, books, reading, cooking and cleaning all came together to round out my wonderful week. It has also been a good week for reading. I powered through I bunch of good books this week (all of the vampire genre) which means a lot of good reviews coming soon! I also received a lot of books in the mail. I recently joined paperbackswap.com which allows its members to post books to switch with each other and all you have to pay for is shipping. It’s a really cool book club and I have quickly become a huge fan.

Through paperbackswap, I received:



Wicked: Witch and Curse by Nancy Holder

Holly Cathers's world shatters when her parents are killed in a terrible accident. Wrenched from her home in San Francisco, she is sent to Seattle to live with her relatives, Aunt Marie-Claire and her twin cousins, Amanda and Nicole.
In her new home, Holly's sorrow and grief soon give way to bewilderment at the strange incidents going on around her. Such as how any wish she whispers to her cat seems to come true. Or the way a friend is injured after a freak attack from a vicious falcon. And there's the undeniable, magnetic attraction to a boy Holly barely knows.
Holly, Amanda, and Nicole are about to be launced into a dark legacy of witches, secrets, and alliances, where ancient magics yield dangerous results. The girls will assume their roles in an intergenerational feud beyond their wildest imaginations...and in doing so, will attempt to fulfill their shared destiny.



The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards

Kim Edwards’s stunning family drama evokes the spirit of Sue Miller and Alice Sebold, articulating every mother’s silent fear: what would happen if you lost your child and she grew up without you? In 1964, when a blizzard forces Dr. David Henry to deliver his own twins, he immediately recognizes that one of them has Down Syndrome and makes a split-second decision that will haunt all their lives forever. He asks his nurse to take the baby away to an institution and to keep her birth a secret. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child as her own. Compulsively readable and deeply moving, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter is an astonishing tale of redemptive love.






These books I bought used through Amazon:


Moonlight by Rachel Hawthorne

I see him and know what this turmoil inside of me means: He's the one. My forever.

kayla is the nature lover, the all-American beauty who can't understand why she's so drawn to distant, brooding Lucas. Adopted as a young child, she has no way of knowing that she's inherited a terrifying—and thrilling—gene that will change her life forever.

Lucas is dangerous, gorgeous . . . and a werewolf. As leader of the Dark Guardians, shape-shifters who gather deep within the state park, he has sworn to protect his pack. But when Lucas finds his true soul mate, his love could put them all in harm's way.

As Lucas and Kayla struggle with their feelings for each other, a greater danger lurks: Humans have discovered the Dark Guardians and are planning their destruction. Kayla must choose between the life she knows and the love she feels certain is her destiny.

Why I let My Hair Grow Out by Maryrose Wood

Being sent to your room is one thing. But being sent to another country? Morgan's boyfriend dumped her on the last day of school-it seemed the only thing to do was to hack off her hair and dye the stubble orange. Unfortunately, Morgan's parents freaked and decided a change of scenery would do her good. So they're sending her off on a bike tour of Ireland. But Morgan gets more than she bargained for on the Emerald Isle-including a strange journey into some crazy, once upon a time corner of the past. There, she meets fairies, weefolk, and a hunky warrior-dude named Fergus, and figures out that she's got some growing to do-and she doesn't just mean her hair.






The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again.
All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don't even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost—and the ghost saw me.
Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won't leave me alone. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a "special home" for troubled teens. Yet the home isn't what it seems. Don't tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? It's up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House . . . before its skeletons come back to haunt me.



Through InterLibrary Loan, I received:

Need by Carrie Jones

Zara collects phobias the way other high school girls collect lipsticks. Little wonder, since life’s been pretty rough so far. Her father left, her stepfather just died, and her mother’s pretty much checked out. Now Zara’s living with her grandmother in sleepy, cold Maine so that she stays “safe.” Zara doesn’t think she’s in danger; she thinks her mother can’t deal. Wrong. Turns out that guy she sees everywhere, the one leaving trails of gold glitter, isn’t a figment of her imagination. He’s a pixie—and not the cute, lovable kind with wings. He’s the kind who has dreadful, uncontrollable needs. And he’s trailing Zara. With suspense, romance, and paranormal themes, this exciting breakout novel has all the elements to keep teens rapidly turning the pages.





Looks like a have a long and exciting reading week a head of me. I can't wait to dive in and lose myself in these stories!
In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren.

Other than books- Mr. Quincy!

A good friend of mine and I were out one day for a run around her neighborhood in June. Just as we had turned around to head back to the house, this tiny little kitten ran up to us, wanting some attention. I picked him up and asked a neighbor, who was walking by, if the kitten belonged to him. He told us he belonged somewhere at the end of the block so we walked him over there, dropped him off and hoped he would stay. We walked away and whenever we turned around to see if he stayed, he kept following us, quickly running to hide underneath the cars. We were practically at the house and he had followed us all the way home, so we though, “forget it, we’re going to keep him”.








We took him to the vet the next day and she said that there was no way he belonged to anyone because he had ticks, ear mites and an upper respiratory infection. He was only about 10 weeks old and had spent most of that time on the streets. We got him some medicine and he started feeling better instantly. His fur is white and long, which makes him look a little feminine so we had to find a name that was gentlemanly. It looks us a while, but we finally landed on Quincy. But it still didn't sound right, so we added the Mr. And Mr. Quincy is ours. Now, 5 months later he is healthy, playful and bad, just like a kitten his age should be! And he is so cute.

Book Review- Glass Houses

From the author of the popular Weather Warden series. Welcome to Morganville, Texas.
Just don't stay out after dark.
College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation, where the popular girls never let her forget just where she ranks in the school's social scene: somewhere less than zero.
When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life. But they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood.


My thoughts:

So I just finished reading Rachel Caine’s first in the Moraganville Vampire series, Glass House, and what can I say but wow. It’s everything I expected a vampire book of this genre would be. Most vampire books that I come across, portray the vampire characters as the heroes or the good guys. But in this book, the vampires are actually bloodsucking monsters who control the town’s population. They use the humans as blood banks and force them to donate a certain amount of blood a month. It’s great. Not only are the vampires fighting a kind of “war” with humans, but they are fighting a war within their own kind. It’s full of action, ghosts, romance and surprise that never leave a dull moment. And the ending was great; an amazing cliffhanger that further develops the story and leaves me pining for the next book.

thanksgiving: YAY!

Oh Thanksgiving! Such a great holiday when we can appreciate what we are thankful for (and eat a lot of food). Although I was unable to spend the holiday with my family in California, I spent it with great friends who have become as close as family. My friends and I made a plethora of great food and pies, all of which now sit happily in my tummy. I took a few pictures in order to share in the greatness that is Thanksgiving day food!

Even though there was lots of food to be made, I still made time to read some. Currently, I am reading Rachel Caine's first in the Morganville Vampire series Glass House. I am really enjoying it and I like the fact that the vampires are evil creatures in this book. Lately a lot of vampire books portray them as characterized to be sypathized with instead of feared. I like the plot line and I hope to finish it soon.

Book Review- Evernight by Claudia Gray

Description provided by Goodreads:

Bianca wants to escape.

She's been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in.

Then she meets Lucas. He's not the "Evernight type" either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and warns Bianca to be careful—even when it comes to caring about him.

"I couldn't stand it if they took it out on you," he tells Bianca, "and eventually they would."
But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can't be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart . . . and to make Bianca question everything she's ever believed.

My thoughts:

I love this book! It was exactly up my alley and read it as fast as I could so I could find out how it ended. It’s written to the point and flowed so smoothly I could barely put it down. It was fast paced and consisted of the most perfect elements: romance, mystery, surprise and paranormal history.

When I first picked up the book and read the description of the back, I bought it because it seemed like a book that differed from the usual genre I read. I started reading it and thought it was just about a girl who went to a boarding school with preppy, rich snobs. About halfway through the book, something so surprising happened, I actually down the book and just started at my roommate. I reread the back of the book, read the description on the back to my roommate and asked her what she thought it was about. Then I told her what happened in the book and asked her if she thought it was a paranormal type of book and she seemed just as surprised as I was. But don’t worry, it’s a good surprise; the kind that makes you want to read more and more so you can know what happens.

The purpose behind the Evernight boarding school is very interesting. I love the history that Gray puts in the book; it gives it a foundation and substance. Bianca also develops into a more mature vampire that eventually has to question what she has been taught.

Overall, the book was 100 percent worth reading and worth buying. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of paranormal romance or vampire books. I hope my parents pre-order it for me for Christmas, even though I won't get it until February :(,so I can find out what happens between Bianca and Lucas!

"Waiting On" Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Last week I went searching for some Young Adult books that are going to be release next year. Here is one that I found and I can't wait for it to be released.

This week's selection is Folly by Marthe Jocelyn:


Three fates intertwine in this moving and passionate love story set in Victorian London.

Mary Finn: country girl, maid to a lord in LondonCaden

Tucker: liar, scoundrel, and heart's delight

James Nelligan: age six, tossed into a herd of boys

When Mary Finn falls into the arms of handsome Caden Tucker, their frolic changes the course of her life. What possesses her? She's been a girl of common sense until now. Mary's tale alternates with that of young James Nelligan, a new boy in an enormous foundling home.In Folly, Marthe Jocelyn's breathtaking command of language, detail, and character brings Victorian London to life on every page, while the deep emotions that illuminate this fascinating novel about life-changing moments are as current as today's news.

First of all, I love reading books that are set in a period like the 17th or 18th century (probably because I have a BA in History). I also love a book that has a couple different story lines but they all become intertwined by the end. Some of my favorite movies are make like that (21 Grams). I hope it turns out as good as I am anticipating!!

What are you reading on Monday?

This is a weekly Meme run by J. Kaye's Book Blog. Post the books completed last week, the books you are currently reading, and the books you hope to finish this week.

Last week I finished reading:

Splendor by Anna Godbersen
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Right now I'm currently reading:

Evernight by Claudia Gray

This week I hope to finish:

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith
The Morganville Vampires (Books 1&2) by Rachel Caine

Wow I set my sights high this week but I have a little more time with Thanksgiving and all. I have full confidence that I will read all these books (that's my mantra....haha).

Book vs. Movie- The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger is one of my most favorite books ever. I don’t read adult fiction very much but I was glad I decided to pick this one up. I devoured it, cried through it and loved it. Then the movie came out! Not only was I super excited with the mere fact that it was adapted to a movie, but the stars are Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana; a couple of great actors.

Although the movie was released quite a while ago, I’ve only seen it just recently. It’s not very difficult to explain in a book that the main character travels through time without being able to control when it happens and the movie does an excellent job of this. I also love how the movie introduces Clair and her serious role in Henry’s life. The movie highlights all the important aspects of the story but I would have liked to see more of the dynamic between Henry and Gomez, who helps Henry through a lot of rough times. In the movie, Clair sees Henry for the last time in the meadow (though that’s not how in went in the book) and it is the most moving scene (I don’t want to say why or I will spoil it).

The book was more detailed when it came to Henry’s character and how his time traveling affects other aspects of his life. There are a few other things the movie changes but again I don’t want to spoil the movie for anyone who has not seen it. Overall, the movie followed the book pretty closely and was able to convey the great love story of Henry and Claire DeTamble.

I recommend reading the book and watching the movie afterwards.

In My Mailbox

This week has been pretty slow. Not only in life but also with my books. First of all, I only recieved one Inter Library Loan and I only read two books this week! I have been reading so slow; maybe my mood has changed. Maybe I need to practice my speed reading skills again.

Anyway, In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Since my mailbox was a little empty, I purchased a few books this week.

Through Inter Library Loan I got:



This dark romance is told in alternating chapters from the perspectives of 17-year-old Miranda and her guardian angel, Zachary, in an alternate America in which vampires and werewolves exist. Early in the novel, Zachary falls from grace as punishment for materializing in his full radiance in a failed attempt to save Miranda from being bitten by a vampire. The tale resumes a year later with the now-vampire Miranda a revered princess living among vampire royalty and feasting regularly on humans. Zachary, meanwhile, has sunk into a life of aimless debauchery and is resigned to never regaining his wings when an archangel suddenly gives him the opportunity to become Miranda's personal assistant. Determined to save his former ward, with whom he has fallen in love, Zachary takes the job. Miranda finds herself drawn to him, and the murders she has carelessly committed begin to weigh on her conscience. With his help, she is determined to find a way to redeem herself and help him return to grace.

Books I bought:

Morganville is a small college town in the heart of Texas—not a place that exactly screams “hotbed of creatures of the night.” But college freshman Claire Danvers is about to discover why, in Morganville, you should never, ever stay out after dark… Glass HousesCollege freshman Claire Danvers moves off campus and into an old house in the small town of Morganville. Her new roommates have her back when the town’s deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood… The Dead Girls’ DanceClaire may have a great roommate and a new boyfriend, but when she’s invited to the Dead Girls’ Dance all hell breaks loose—literally. Because this time, the living and the dead are ready to tear up the night…




Bianca has been uprooted from her happy, uneventful life to start anew at an elite boarding school where her parents will now be professors. Even though Bianca doesn't feel that she is the Evernight type—rich, beautiful, or gifted—she knows that her parents feel this is best for her. She and Lucas Ross share a special connection from the moment they meet and he, like Bianca and a few others, is an outsider. He is a rebel who is on a mission to discover the secret behind Evernight Academy. As the weeks progress, their relationship heats up. What they don't realize, however, is that they each harbor a great secret that could divide them forever. Can their love survive the truth?









Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.

In Secret Vampire, Poppy thought the summer would last forever. Then she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now Poppy's only hope for survival is James, her friend and secret love. A vampire in the Night World, James can make Poppy immortal. But first they both must risk everything to go against the laws of Night World.

Fugitives from Night World, three vampire sisters leave their isolated home to live among humans in Daughters of Darkness. Their brother, Ash, is sent to bring the girls back, but he falls in love with their beautiful friend.

Two witch cousins fight over their high school crush. It's a battle between black magic and white magic in Spellbinder.


Book descriptions are courtesy of Amazon.

I hope that I can get through these books this next week because only one of my books (Love, Stargirl) is going to carry over from last week's In My Mailbox.

Book Review- Splendor: A Luxe Novel

Title: Splendor: A Luxe Novel

Author: Ana Godbersen

Publisher: Harper Collins

Pages: 400 in hardcover

Description provided by Amazon:

New beginnings.

Shocking revelations.

Unexpected endings.

A spring turns into summer, Elizabeth relishes her new role as a young wife, while her sister, Diana, searches for adventure abroad. But when a surprising clue about their father's death comes to light, the Holland girls wonder at what cost a life of splendor comes.

Carolina Broad, society's newest darling, fans a flame from her past, oblivious to how it might burn her future. Penelope Schoonmaker is finally Manhattan royalty—but when a real prince visits the city, she covets a title that comes with a crown. Her husband, Henry, bravely went to war, only to discover that his father's rule extends well beyond New York's shores and that fighting for love may prove a losing battle.

In the dramatic conclusion to the bestselling Luxe series, New York's most dazzling socialites chase dreams, cling to promises, and tempt fate. As society watches what will become of the city's oldest families and newest fortunes, one question remains: Will its stars fade away or will they shine ever brighter?

My Thoughts:

I am a big fan of Ana Godberesen and the Luxe Series. I have often thought about what it would be like to live in a time when women were expected to throw glorious parties, dress in huge fabulous gowns and marry into wealthy families. The series is full of high society and scandal. I absolutely love these books.

She writes with such poise and grace, 19th to 20th century, period novels fit her writing style perfectly. Her incredibly detailed description of the beautiful houses and dresses makes me wonder if she has them sketched out somewhere. She includes almost every spectrum of high society; the maid that comes into a great deal of money; the wealthy girl from a family of new money; the wealthy sisters of an old family that seem to have fallen on hard times and society’s most eligible bachelor whose sole concern is parties and his next conquest.

Her characters grow with every novel as they explore the world and discover themselves. Her accurate historic details allows one to wonder if these people actually existed, living in a time when what other’s could see was pretty much all that mattered.

Godbersen’s conclusion to the Luxe series is satisfying, the characters all getting what they deserved in the end. My favorite was Diana’s ending, bittersweet and emotional; she finally breaks free from the prison of high society and is able to discover her full potential. My only negative feelings go out to Elizabeth’s story. I felt there could be more to the story of her father’s death and Snowden’s involvement and the land that was purchased in California. I felt it was just brushed over and forgotten about. The book was already long so I could understand why importance and detail was given elsewhere.

This series is one of the must reads for Young Adult books.

New Moon review

New Moon was finally premiered last night and the turnout was absolutely amazing. The theater I went to packed out 12 theater rooms for the midnight showing and they even offered more showings at 3 am! Twilight and Stephanie Myer really has some hardcore fans.

Before seeing the movie, the only expectation I had was that I hoped it was not going to be as cheesy as twilight. I also hoped the dialogue was not going to be overshadowed by all the screaming and giggling middle school girls. I do have to say that New Moon definitely exceeded most all of my expectations. Keeping in mind that they are mostly made for their fan base, they do a pretty good job of making the story line understandable to those who have not read the books.

I was really worried that the computer generated images of the wolves would look completely terrible, but I have to say they were my favorite parts. The pack looked so good when they shape shifted and my favorite scene was when Jacob jumped off the edge of the balcony and turned into a wolf. Since I am totally, 100 percent team Jacob, I loved that the whole movie was practically about Jacob and that his character was able to be developed into Bella’s kind, warm and caring best friend (should be boyfriend but that’s a different subject). I would have liked to see more family scenes with the Cullens because I like to be able to see their family dynamic. The action scenes were amazing and Jane (Dakota Fanning) was better than I could have expected. She was enticing yet terrifying all at the same time. The Volturi just blew my mind. I can’t wait ‘til they depict Imprinting on the big screen.

Overall, New Moon was so much better than Twilight (minus Edward and Bella frolicking in the forest in farmer clothes) and I hope they can keep up the good work for the next movies.

New Moon

Tonight is finally the night!!! It's the movie we've all been excitedly waiting for since we saw the first preview for it. And now it's just a matter of hours.

I will be there, in line, at midnight for the first showing of New Moon with my roommate who is also crazy about the series. Although I am not a huge Kristen Stewart and Rob Pattinson fan (I could care less if they are dating or where they ate dinner last night), I am interested to see how the other characters are developed on the big screen. I also hope that Taylor Lautner has improved his acting since Twilight.

I am also excited for the brand new episode of the Vampire Diaries tonight. I have not read the book series, but they have made the show great for people of all audiences. It's corny or cheesy in any way and I continue to watch it every week.

I have just finished reading Splendor and I will be posting a book review of it as soon as I can. In the meantime, I am going to post a book vs. movie of New Moon (hopefully no spoilers will be involved) and I am just hoping that it is 10 times better than Twilight.

I am currently reading Wicked Lovely which is my first Melissa Marr book. It started out a little slow because I was not familar to her writing style, but as I get further and further into it, it keeps getting better and better.

Well, until next time, I hope as many of you as possible can get out there tonight and watch New Moon.

In My Mailbox

Dear readers-

It has been such a long week! It took me forever to get through Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, the first adult fiction book I have read in a long time. Now I remember why I enjoy reading young adult books; if it takes me longer than 2 days to read a book, I lose interest pretty quickly. I also had a little bit of car trouble this week which was another reason why I only read 2 books. I am carrying over a few books from last week's In My Mailbox because I didn't get very many in.

**As always, these books were found at my local library or through the InterLibrary Loan System through the university I attend. None of these books were given to me for free.**

Here is what I will hopefully read this week:

Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries. Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty-especially if they learn of her Sight-and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens. Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries. Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer. Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention. But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King, who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. His is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost-regardless of her plans or desires. Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; everything. Faery intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning twenty-first-century faery tale.

These were also in my mailbox but I have finished or mostly finished:


I read Thomas Randall's Dream of the Dead this week but it was not as good as I had expected it to be. I really enjoyed the element of the ancient Japanese legend and that it was set in Japan. But the book was kind of repetitive and almost a little cheesy. Because of its Japanese setting, I expected it to be a little more scary, closer to the movies The Grudge or The Ring. I liked all the Japanese phrases and the background history that was provided by the author e.g. the student's sense of propriety and politeness and the wearing of "slippers" in buildings.



New beginnings.
Shocking revelations.
Unexpected endings.
A spring turns into summer, Elizabeth relishes her new role as a young wife, while her sister, Diana, searches for adventure abroad. But when a surprising clue about their father's death comes to light, the Holland girls wonder at what cost a life of splendor comes.
Carolina Broad, society's newest darling, fans a flame from her past, oblivious to how it might burn her future. Penelope Schoonmaker is finally Manhattan royalty—but when a real prince visits the city, she covets a title that comes with a crown. Her husband, Henry, bravely went to war, only to discover that his father's rule extends well beyond New York's shores and that fighting for love may prove a losing battle.
In the dramatic conclusion to the bestselling Luxe series, New York's most dazzling socialites chase dreams, cling to promises, and tempt fate. As society watches what will become of the city's oldest families and newest fortunes, one question remains: Will its stars fade away or will they shine ever brighter?



This book is the much anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling book, Stargirl and centers around "the world's longest letter" in diary form. It picks up where the previous novel left off after Stargirl left Mica High and describes her bittersweet memories in the town of Mica, Arizona along with the involvements of new people in her life. In Love, Stargirl, we hear the voice of Stargirl as she reflects on time, life, Leo, and - of course - love







In My Mailbox is a weekly meme brought to us by Kristi @ The Story Siren.

Friday Finds

Friday Finds is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading where we can share with our friends which new book we came across this week.

Here is what I found this week!!



Beastly by Alex Flinn











Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott














Ruined by Paula Morris








What great books did you discover over the past week?

Other than Books- Love/Hate

As much as I love to read, I also am interested in things other than books. That is why I have created a weekly post called Other than Books. This is a time when I can blog about other things such as my current favorite band, all-natural flu remedies, my love of chocolate, a great movie that I saw or maybe a stressful day at work. Feel free to grab my idea and have a day when you blog about something other than books; just remember to post a link to my blog, too!


We are quickly approaching the most wonderful time of the year. Cold weather, snow, hot chocolate, Christmas parties, and celebrating New Year’s in Las Vegas (for me at least). But with the love of these great seasons also comes the hateful, the most dreaded flu season. YUCK!!! Being sick sucks!! Especially now that the swine flu is being talked about on the news every night. I have already know two people who have come down it; luckily it was not serious. FACT: two-thirds of the swine flu’s fatal victims (those that died) were young adults between the ages of 24 to 60. I don’t know about you, but I know a lot of people that fall into that range, including myself! In order to protect myself from any kind of cold or flu, I use these all-natural precautions.





Vitamin C: I take a daily dose of 1000mg of Vitamin C a day! Its nature’s all natural way of helping support a healthy immune system whose sole job is to fight off the foreign germs and viruses that get into our bodies every day! Just like we eat fruits and vegetables to keep our bodies health, Vitamin C keeps the immune system healthy.




Emergen-C: Whenever I come into contact with a sick person (which is quite often since I work with children), I take an emergency dose of Emergen-C. Jam packed with 24 nutrients with antioxidants, electrolytes and 7 different types of B vitamins, this little pack of Vitamin C comes in a variety of tasty flavors.




Neti Pot: Sometimes I get a little sinus pressure in my nose and face even if I don’t have a cold or the flu. For an instant, all-natural cleanse of my sinus cavity, I use a Neti pot, also known as a nose bidet. Simply dissolve a packet of the pre-mixed gentle cleansing saline ingredients in the Neti pot and gently wash your nasal passages. Although it can feel weird at first, it leaves your sinus cavity feeling clean and clear with just one use.

These are just a few of the many all-natural flu and cold remedies out there. Since I love reading blogs and I would hate to see any bloggers come down with the Swine Flu, I recommend these precautions for a safe and healthy winter ahead!

"Waiting On" Wednesday- Incarceron

"Waiting on" Wednesday is hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. This is a time when bloggers can share which YA books they cannot wait to be released!




Incarceron -- a futuristic prison, sealed from view, where the descendants of the original prisoners live in a dark world torn by rivalry and savagery. It is a terrifying mix of high technology -- a living building which pervades the novel as an ever-watchful, ever-vengeful character, and a typical medieval torture chamber -- chains, great halls, dungeons. A young prisoner, Finn, has haunting visions of an earlier life, and cannot believe he was born here and has always been here. In the outer world, Claudia, daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, is trapped in her own form of prison -- a futuristic world constructed beautifully to look like a past era, an imminent marriage she dreads. She knows nothing of Incarceron, except that it exists. But there comes a moment when Finn, inside Incarceron, and Claudia, outside, simultaneously find a device -- a crystal key, through which they can talk to each other. And so the plan for Finn's escape is born ...



This book is set to be released around February of 2010!

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should be Reading

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

**Grab your current read
**Open to a random page
**Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
**Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

"Expansive, he was, and expensive, a Hogarth cartoon of a man, enormous of girth, many-chinned and broad-stomached. He was over sixty; his hair was gray and silver, and it was cut too long in the back, because it made people uncomfortable that his hair was too long, and Mr. Stockton liked making people uncomfortable."

pg. 172 Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

In My Mailbox

The weekly edition of In My Mailbox is hosted by the Story Siren.

***Due to the controversy of the postings of In My Mailbox, I thought it important that I make this statement. All books that I have received for this post, I checked out at the library. As I am a university student, my school participates in what is known as the Inter Library Loan system. Most of these books I found through World Cat, which finds a school library that participates in the loaning system. The library loans and mails the book to my school library and my school library loans the book to me. Because I read so many books, it would be too expensive to buy them. ***

Here is what I am hoping to read within the next week.



Richard Mayhew is a young man with a good heart and an ordinarylife, which is changed forever when he stops to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London sidewalk. His small act of kindness propels him into a world he never dreamed existed. There are people who fall through the cracks, and Richard has become one of them. And he must learn to survive in this city of shadows and darkness, monsters and saints, murderers and angels, if he is ever to return to the London that he knew.

This book is the much anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling book, Stargirl and centers around "the world's longest letter" in diary form. It picks up where the previous novel left off after Stargirl left Mica High and describes her bittersweet memories in the town of Mica, Arizona along with the involvements of new people in her life. In Love, Stargirl, we hear the voice of Stargirl as she reflects on time, life, Leo, and - of course - love.









Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries. Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty-especially if they learn of her Sight-and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens. Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries. Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer. Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention. But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King, who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. His is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost-regardless of her plans or desires. Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; everything. Faery intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning twenty-first-century faery tale.




Half-human, half-angel, Meridian Sozu has a dark responsibility. Sixteen-year-old Meridian has been surrounded by death ever since she can remember. As a child, insects, mice, and salamanders would burrow into her bedclothes and die. At her elementary school, she was blamed for a classmate’s tragic accident. And on her sixteenth birthday, a car crashes in front of her family home—and Meridian’s body explodes in pain. Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she’s a danger to her family and hustled off to her great-aunt’s house in Revelation, Colorado. It’s there that she learns that she is a Fenestra—the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead. But Meridian and her sworn protector and love, Tens, face great danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos.

Review: The Dark Hills Divide

Title: The Dark Hills Divide- Land of Elyon Book 1

Author: Patrick Carman

Released: 2005

Published by: Thorndike Press

Description courtesy of Amazon:

Elyon is a land of dark hills, enchanted forests, and great walls that connect and encircle the cities of Lathbury, Turlock, Lunenburg, and Bridewell like spokes in a wagon wheel. On her annual summer trips to Bridewell with her father, the mayor of Lathbury, Alexa Daley spends much of her time dreaming of escape. Having lived within the walls all of her 12 years, she wants nothing more than to explore the uncharted wilderness beyond. But, the walls are heavily guarded, and frightening legends suggest that forests and hills are no place for a child--especially a young girl. When a mysterious conversation and an unfortunate accident put Alexa within reach of a way outside the wall, she must decide--heed the warnings of her elders, or satisfy her curiosity and unravel the mysteries of Elyon.

I very much enjoyed reading this book. Although it was a very quick read, there was adventure around every corner. The main character, Alexa, was very smart and cunning for being only twelve years old. She was also extremely trusting of people and taking animals (I don’t care what story you’re in, talking animals are pretty crazy). Towards the end I was actually on the edge of my seat, wondering who the secret evil character was and the author was pretty good at dropping hints making me suspicious of the good characters. As much as I liked the adventure in the book, there was no romance (the main character is only 12 years old) because I picked up the book from the Juvenile fiction section.

My rating for this book is: A

Happy reading and blogging!!!

"Waiting on" Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

On this week’s edition of Waiting on Wednesday is the very exciting third installment of The Immortal Series, Shadowland!! The great this about this book is that we only have to wait about 3 three more weeks before we can started reading it. It’s going to be released in hard cover on November 17!

From Goodreads-

At the start of this breathtaking novel, Damen and Ever travel to Summerland in search of an antidote to reverse a powerful poison. But instead of the cure they seek, they find something far more sinister: the truth about their existence and the fate lying in wait of an immortal’s soul. Now, with Damen fighting to save them from the Shadowland, Ever turns to magick, hoping to break Damen’s curse. Along the way Ever encounters the mysterious Jude, finding herself drawn to him in a way that will test her love for Damen like never before . . .

So excited...I can't wait!!!

New Moon Comic Strip

This month (November) is the highly anticipated release of the second intallment of the Twilight Saga: New Moon. Just for a laugh I found the funniest little comic strip hosted by Pure Imagination and her guest host Smexy Books. If you are a fan of the Twilight Saga then I know you will appreciate this blog. To find it follow the link provided above. It really is the funniest thing I have read in a long time. I hope you enjoy!
Just to get into the swing of things, sometime this week I will be doing a comparison of Twilight the book vs. Twilight the movie. I know the movie came out about a year ago, but since I'm new to the whole blogging thing, it would probably be good to get a few postingings under my belt and what's a better time than the month that New Moon will be released. It will be a nice refresher for the upcoming sequel!

The Immortal Series

When I initially picked up the first book in the Immortal Series, Evermore, it sounded a little corny to me. Another book with another girl with some kind of abnormal talent (reading minds or psychic ability) who meets a boy that makes everything better with some sort of evil that they overcome together. I put off reading it for months and months, thinking that it’s not anything special. But then I started it and my whole thinking changed. It’s dark and mysterious with hints of comedy and deep characters. I couldn’t put it down. When I was not reading it, I was thinking about reading it. And when I finished it, I rushed out to get the next book which was equally as intriguing. The newest book in the series, Shadowland, comes out in only a few short weeks and it’s only a matter of time before I get my hands on a copy.

Just a side note, I was listening to NPR this afternoon and they were interviewing Audrey Niffenegger, the author of the Time Traveler's Wife (one of my all-time favorite book). Unfortunately I had to go to work and was unable to listen to the show in its entirety. I went on the website to find it because I wanted to post a blog about it becasue she was talking about her new novel but I couldn't find it. Hopefully they will post the show sometime this week and there will be a new posting here about it!

Last week I read:

Evermore and Blue Moon by Alyson Noel

Reading right now:

The Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman

Reading this week:

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Chosen by Ted Dekker

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld