Name That Book, Episode 20

 Name that Book is a biweekly game where you get to guess a book title from the photo clues.  Occasionally I offer prizes for those who guess right!It's a spooky edition of Name That Book, so put on your scary glasses and guess what frightening books these puzzles represent. Leave your guesses in the comments and have a fabulous Halloween!Book 1: Book 2:If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percent...

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Posted in name that book , not a review

Book Review: All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle ZevinPublisher: Macmillan Children's Publication date: September 2011ISBN: 9780374302108Source: ARC provided by publicist Anya Balanchine is no stranger to crime.  She's grown up the daughter of the head of an illegal chocolate empire.  But when her dad was murdered, she was left to care for her brother, sister, and sick grandmother.  At least she's kept them out of the business.  Until the new head of the DA comes to town, bringing his cute son with him, and Anya learns you can never escape from your family.Things I Liked: I was sucked into this book right away, and it wasn't necessarily...

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Posted in 4 stars , dystopian , review copy , Young Adult

I'm a Fantasy Kind of Gal...I Think

So, I've not done any kind of discussion post in...let me check...two months.  I'm not good at them and I'm not ashamed to admit it.  I like lists and reviews - I'm comfortable with them.  Discussions?  Not so much.  Plus, my brain is so fried sometimes at the end of a work day I honestly don't know if I could come up with relatively new and interesting ideas that often.  Even so, here's what I've been thinking.I decided to do a little stats analyzing (oh, my inner nerd) to see if those genres I tend to like get more 5 star reviews than genres I don't normally like.  And, of course, if the...

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Posted in a bit of me , bookish topics , not a review

Book Review: She's So Dead To Us by Kieran Scott

She's So Dead to Us by Kieran ScottPublisher: Simon & SchusterPublication date: May 2010ISBN: 9781416999522 Source: ARC sent by publisher When Ally Ryan returns to her old town and her old school, she wants to come back to her old friends.  But things will never be the same between them, thanks to what her father did.  She faces the snobbish and nasty things those she was once friends with do to her, while trying to find a place for herself.  It doesn't help that the hot boy now living in her house is being so nice, but also not wanting to step on his friends' toes. Things are so much more complicated than she ever...

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Posted in 3 stars , he's so/she's so , realistic fiction , review copy , Young Adult

Book Review: Can You Survive: Jack London's Call of the Wild adapted by Ryan Jacobson + Giveaway

Posted as part of Tween Tuesday, hosted by GreenBeanTeenQueen.Can You Survive: Jack London's Call of the Wild adapted by Ryan JacobsonPublisher: Lake 7 CreativePublication date: October 2011ISBN: 9780977412235 Source: ARC provided by author In this choose your path story, you become Buck, a dog about to set out on a perilous journey.  Throughout his travels and becoming a sled dog, the reader is given options to choose just what they would do and then see where they end up.  Things I Liked: This was a fast and fun read.  I'm going to admit that I think I've read maybe one other choose-your-story type of book and...

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Posted in 3 stars , adventure , giveaway , middle grade , review copy , tween tuesday

Post Read-a-Thon Recovery

Sorry all, I'm still recovering from the read-a-thon.  In lieu of my usual Name That Book episode, I will direct you to the Book Puzzle mini-challenge I hosted on Saturday.  55 people participated and made puzzles, quite a few of which I could not figure out.  So, if you're in the mood for a puzzle today, head there.  Happy Monday!If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percent...

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Posted in name that book , not a review , read-a-thon

Let the Reading Begin! (Read-a-Thon Updates)

Hello my crazy 24-hour readin' friends!  I am glad to be doing another read-a-thon, even if I should probably be cleaning my house or doing laundry instead.  Meh.I'm also hosting the Book Puzzle mini-challenge from hour 3 to the end of hour 6, so be sure to check it out!Here are my status updates and such like, for those who care:Hour 20 update: And I'm off to bed after this!Title of book(s) currently reading: Still going at The Fox Inheritance by Mary Pearson with All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin, handy as wellNumber of books completed since I started:  2 (Can You Survive: Jack London's Call of the Wild adapted...

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Posted in not a review , read-a-thon

Read-a-Thon Mini-Challenges

Read-a-thon has ended for the year, so here's my end of event mini-challenge:Which hour was most daunting for you?Actually, the morning hours were the hardest for me!  No catching up on sleep like I normally do.Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?I was really loving The Fox Inheritance by Mary Pearson and Wonderstruck by Brian SelznickDo you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?I like to know what mini-challenges will posted when, so I can be sure to check in those hours.What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?I loved the...

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Posted in challenges , not a review , read-a-thon

Read-a-Thon Mini-Challenge: Book Puzzle

Mini-challenge closed and winner chosen! Thanks for playing! Welcome reader-a-thon-ers!  I'm super excited to be hosting this mini-challenge again.  Hopefully this will be a fun break from your reading that will let you exercise other parts of your brain!  For this challenge, you will be creating a Book Puzzle.  Essentially, this is a series of pictures, graphics, or photos that you put together that will describe a book title.  I have been doing a biweekly game called Name That Book where I create book puzzles and let people guess the titles.  Here's an example from that first one:This series of pictures...

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Posted in challenges , giveaway , not a review , read-a-thon

Retro Friday Review & Classics Circuit Tour: The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe

Doing double duty today with the Classics Circuit Tour of Gothic Lit and a Retro Friday review:Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Angie of Angieville and "focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc."The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann RadcliffePublisher: VariousPublication date: 1794ISBN: VariousSource: LibraryEmily has lived an ideal life with her loving parents, until sorrow is thrust upon her when first one and then the other parent dies. Left alone in the care of an unfeeling aunt, she soon finds herself...

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Posted in 3 stars , classics , mystery , retro friday

Book Review: Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison

Sing Me to Sleep by Angela MorrisonPublisher: RazorbillPublication date: March 2010ISBN: 9781595142757Source: Library Beth the Beast has spent her entire high school career keeping her head down and listening to endless taunts about her ugliness.  But with the voice of an angel, she scores the solo for choir and suddenly finds herself being made over to a beauty by her choir-mates.  When they go on tour in Switzerland, she meets Derek a pale, gorgeous, troubled musician.  They fall into a whirlwind romance that seems headed only for disaster when he keeps a horrible secret from her.  Can their relationship survive the tumult...

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Posted in 3 stars , 4 stars , realistic fiction , Young Adult

I Actually NEED It 11

I Actually NEED It is an extremely irregular feature where I express my desire, or rather need, for certain books that haven't come out or aren't available at my library yet.  To learn about the reason behind the name, check out my inaugural I Actually NEED It post.I haven't done one of these since June!  And it is way overdue.  I've included a couple of books already out (or about to come out) that I haven't gotten my hands on yet. How to Save a Life by Sara ZarrI really loved Zarr's last book, Once Was Lost and I have been anxiously listening to the many (many!) adoring comments people have made about this one. ...

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Posted in i actually need it , lists , not a review