Totally Postal Thursday 12/30/2010

Happy Totally Postal Thursday everyone. Totally Postal Thursday is a meme that I began to list all the books I receive each week. Now that the holiday is over and we are 2 days away from a new year, I'm excited to see what everyone else have bought/won/borrowed/received since last week. I didn't receive any books for Christmas but I did pick up a few free books and one for $0.99 at Barnes and Noble for my Nook.

• The Ritual Bath (Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus Series #1 by Faye Kellerman
• Two Bedroom Cottage For Rent by Raymond Towers
• House of Dark Shadows (Dreamhouse Kings Series #1) by Robert Liparulo
• Danger in the Shadows (O'Malley Series) by Dee Henderson

So what made you totally postal this week? You can make a post on your own blog, list all the books you’ve received since last Friday and then tell us how you got them and where on your TBR list they will be and then link up (direct URL, please) here:

Tempted by Fate (The Guardians of Destiny) by Kate Perry

About the Book: Willow Tarata is a Guardian who trusts no one. She hunts those who prey on the vulnerable. And she's driven by a vengeful goal-find the man who murdered her mother. Yet suddenly Willow's quarry now has her on the run . . . straight into the sights of San Francisco's most dangerous detective.
Three bizarre murders have Inspector Rick Ramirez baffled-and determined to uncover the truth. But to catch the real killer, he needs the help of his prime suspect, Willow Tarata, even though this fierce and sexy blonde is challenging his professional cool. And now, unless they believe in each other and trust their deepest instincts, a relentless evil will end both Willow's and Rick's life-and claim this Guardian's extraordinary powers forever . . .
About the Author:As a little girl, Kate dreamt of many things. Like becoming a ninja. Dressing up in black and carrying a big sword? Seemed like a no brainer.
However, Fate had other plans for her, and she studied Kung Fu San Soo instead. A Kung Fu Master, Kate now has more weapons than she ever imagined-including several swords.
She lives in San Francisco. Voted by her friends as the woman they'd most want to stroll with down a dark alley, Kate's as likely to be spotted at the opera as she is doing tai chi in Golden Gate Park. Usually wearing black-in both cases.
For more info on Kate, check out http://www.kateperry.com.
My Thoughts: When I received this book, I did not realize it was a part of a series, let alone the third in the series. Even though it is the third book in the series, I did not feel like I was missing anything about the story. The author gave great detail that allowed me to piece things together and not feel like I was missing anything. 


The story begins where Willow, the now Guardian of Wood, has been handed over the task of protecting the scroll, The Book of Wood and was also witness to her mother being murdered by "The Bad Man". Twenty years later, Willow is drawn to San Francisco where a slew of strange murders are happening. However, all evidence is pointing to her and this is where we meet the handsome but tightly wound homicide detective Rick Ramirez. Although all the evidence points to Willow, Rick realizes that she may be the help he needs to solve them.


Tempted by Fate begins strong and continues that way throughout the story. The story flows nicely and the characters are well built with the storyline. If you like paranormal stories and romance, this is a great book to read. I believe I will be adding the first two in the series to my TBR list in 2011.

I GIVE THIS BOOK

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I received from Anna Balasi with Hatchette Group. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and hope it brings great joy. Have fun with family and friends and remember why we celebrate.

Totally Postal Thursday 12/23/2010

Happy Totally Postal Thursday everyone. Can you all believe we are only a few days away from Christmas and only a week and a half until a new year. I think this year has flown by too quickly. This week I only got one book for my Totally Postal Thursday post. This is a book I got for review and I'm excited to read it.

• Delirious - Daniel Palmer

So what made you totally postal this week? You can make a post on your own blog, list all the books you’ve received since last Friday and then tell us how you got them and where on your TBR list they will be and then link up (direct URL, please) here:

CSN Giveaway Winner

Thank you all for entering my CSN Giveaway. It has been a great two weeks reading what everyone would use the certificate for if they won. At some points I was a little jealous I couldn't enter my own giveaway...LOL. There were some great ideas from you all. This giveaway is also right in time for the holiday.

The winner was picked by random.org and without further ado,

 The lucky winner of the giveaway is...
Melissapont
The winner will have 48 hours to return my email or a new winner will be picked.


Thank you all again for entering

2011 YA Reading Challenge

I am signing up for another challenge...LOL. I hope I will be able to keep up with them. The Young Adult Reading Challenge is hosted by JamieLovesYA. I'm going to begin with the minimum level and try to read 12 YA novels. I may be ambitious by the middle of the year and move up to the next level but I'm going to start small for now.

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Here are the rules:

1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.  Create a post about the challenge and link your challenge post up in the linky below.

--Non-Bloggers: Post your list of books in the comment section of the wrap-up post.

2. There are four levels:

--The Mini YA Reading Challenge – Read 12 Young Adult novels.

--The "Fun Size" YA Reading Challenge – Read 20 Young Adult novels.

--The Jumbo Size YA Reading Challenge – Read 40 Young Adult novels.

--The Mega size YA Reading Challenge – Read 50+ Young Adult novels.

3. Audio, eBooks, paper, re-reads all count.

4. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.

5. The Challenge starts on January 1, 2011 and goes until December 31, 2011.

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I'm going to start my list with just the first book I know I will be reading in January

1. Maze Runner - James Dashner
2. Matched - Ally Condie
3. City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
4. Thirteenth Chime - Emma Michaels
5. Cloud Nine - Melissa Smith
6. Rot & Ruin - Jonathan Maberry
7. Uglies - Scott Westerfield
8. Pretties - Scott Westerfield
9. Specials - Scott Westerfield
10. Dash and Lily's Book of Dares - Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
11. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
12. Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead

Totally Postal Thursday 12/16/10

Totally Postal Thursday is a Meme where you share all the books you got in the last week. They can be e-Books, or printed, borrowed, won or bought.
Here are my Totally Postal Thursday books

• The Thirteen Chime - Emma Michaels
• Code Blue - Richard Mabry, MD

So what made you totally postal this week? You can make a post on your own blog, list all the books you’ve received since last Friday and then tell us how you got them and where on your TBR list they will be and then link up (direct URL, please) here:

2011 E-Book Reading Challenge

I promise I am not crazy but yes I'm signing up for my second challenge for 2011 so far. This one I don't think will be difficult simply because most of my reading is done on my eReader. Here are the rules of the challenge:

Hosted by: LadyBug Reads

Challenge Guidelines:
1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.

--Non-bloggers: Include your information in the comment section.

2. There are four levels:

-- Curious – Read 3 e-books.

-- Fascinated – Read 6 e-books.

-- Addicted – Read 12 e-books.

-- Obsessed – Read 20 e-books.

3. Any genre counts.

4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.

5. Challenge begins January 1, 2011 and lasts until December 31, 2011.

I'm going to be ambitious and sign up for Obsessed and really anyone who knows me well and knows how I am with my reader will know I'm probably a bit more than obsessed :-). I will list my books as I go along.

1. Matched - Ally Condie
2. Maze Runner - James Dashner
3. Said the Spider - Earl Van Gilder
4. City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
5. Twenty-five Years Ago Today - Stacy Juba
6. Don't Go There - Rob Logger
7. Strangers on a Bus - Robblogger
8. Unsavory Delicacies - Russell Brooks
9. Lover Unleashed - JR Ward
10. The Thirteenth Chime - Emma Michaels
11. The Help - Kathryn Stockett
12. Revenge Served Cold - Jackie Fullerton
13. Lethal People (A Donovan Creed Novel) - John Locke
14. Cloud Nine - Melissa Smith
15. Rot & Ruin - Jonathan Maberry
16. The Assassin's Village - Helen Mortimer
17. Uglies #1 - Scott Westerfield
18. Pretties - Scott Westerfield
19. Specials - Scott Westerfield
20. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares - Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Peas and Bananas

About the Book: The first book of the Peas and Bananas series. Peas and Bananas Outside with Lil Boo is an illustrated children’s book based on the creative events experienced through the eyes of Lil Boo. The events in the first story of a series are based on exploring an array of outdoor adventures from the eyes of a toddler. Follow Lil Boo and his imaginary friend Onote from the letters A to Z in a fascinating rhyming adventure outside.
About the Author:  Daddy Bookins is the pen name of Cameron Davison, formally the daddy blogger of Peas and Bananas. Teamed up with the Mrs. and an IV of espresso, together the duo have been learning and living life through the trials and tribulations of raising a toddler – better known as Lil Boo. For more on life as a daddy visit www.peasandbananas.com.
My Thoughts: Peas and Bananas, Outside with Lil Boo is about the adventures of a little boy and his curiosity with the outside world. Peas and Bananas also goes through the alphabet in a rhythmic pattern that I found myself almost singing from time to time. I loved this book and having a four year old myself I can relate to the curiosity of a little one. When I first received the book my four year old flipped through the pages saying he was reading it to himself and he asked about every picture. I then read it to him, twice, because he enjoyed it so much. Well, of course he did, he's as curious as Lil Boo is. I also liked the illustration in the book. They were simple and the colors seemed 'natural'.

I GIVE THIS BOOK

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I received from the author himself, Daddy Bookins

2011 Book Blogger Recommendation

After many hours of reasoning whyI should or shouldn't sign up for a challenge in 2011, I decided to bite the bullet and sign up. I only did one challenge in 2010 but I may go for more than one in 2011. However, I'm only posting the 2011 Book Blogger Recommendation hosted by  Reading With Tequila. I'm going to try for Level II but hope to reach Level III. Here are the books I chose from the 2010 Book Blogger Recommendation list. Some are alternatives just in case I can't get through one of the 10.

1. City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
2. The Host - Stephenie Meyer
3. Rot and Ruin - Jonathan Maberry
4. Paranormalcy - Kiersten White
5. Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare
6. Blood Oath - Christopher Farnsworth
7. Fallen - Lauren Kate
8. Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick
9. Poison Study - Maria V. Snyder
10. Beautiful Lies - Lisa Unger
11. Delirium - Lauren Oliver
12. An Echo in the Bone - Diana Gabaldon
13. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
14. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
15. Graceling - Kristin Cashore

Paranormal Stories of the Other Side - Book 1 by Daryl Sedore

About the Book: Paranormal Stories of the Other Side Book 1 is filled with stories of people in everyday situations trying to deal with something extraordinary.

In Second Chances we meet Perry Strall. A man who has been married over forty years without any violence, but last night he hit his wife and today his wife can’t see him.

In Near Death Experience a woman dies before her man gets to meet her and then she shows up with knowledge from the Other Side.

In A Time of Love a woman keeps seeing her husband on downtown streets. When she runs over to him he is no longer there yet his presence changes her life; if she can stay alive long enough.

About the Author: Daryl Sedore was born in southern Ontario in 1969. By the age of ten he was already writing short stories. Throughout High School various teachers encouraged him to choose writing as a career, but Daryl decided to invest in the stock market (TSE) in grade 11 and start his first company at the age of seventeen. He built numerous companies and became semi-retired at thirty years of age. During the 1990's he still wrote short stories, but it wasn't until the year 2000, that he started writing novels. Daryl has written four novels and over 50 short stories, plus a work of non-fiction called "Publishing Exposed: The Sedore Report" which will be published in November 2010. Six of his short stories have won awards, including, "The Newspaper" which won 6th place out of thousands of entires in the 75th Annual Writer's Digest Short Story Contest.
"Paranormal Precognitions" has been released as an e-book. The second of the trilogy is due out in early 2011. In November, "The Sedore Report" is due, along with four different volumes of his collected short stories featuring all the award winners. His novel "Bad Vibes" will be released in the fall of 2011.


My Thoughts: I don't often read short stories or anthologies but when I signed up for this giveaway I thought it would be interesting. The funny thing is, I didn't really realize when it said from the other side it was from the 'other side'. I read Paranormal stories and said I wanted to win this book. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised.


After reading this book, I found myself thinking if things like these stories really happen or can happen. You hear about mediums or clairvoyants who can speak to people from the other side and although some of them may truly have that power, there are a lot of fake ones out there.

The stories in this book are short and well written. They are stories about people who have had some kind of experience with some kind of paranormal activity but not the kind we see in the movies as evil. These paranormal activities are of the 'happy' kind and seem to give the protagonist a sense of closure, pleasure or even safety.
The stories are light and easy to read. For anyone interested in reading paranormal stories, this is a good book to start with.

I GIVE THIS BOOK

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I won on Library Thing.

Resurrection - Sara Reinke

About the Book: Jay Frances has always found his ability to raise the dead more of a curse than a gift until he finds Jo Montgomery brutally murdered. Jo is the first person he's able to restore body, mind and soul, and as a mutual attraction grows between them, so, too, does someone else's interest. Jo's killer is following them now, a psychotic sadist who wants to see Jay resurrect the dead again. And again.

My Thoughts: I learned about Resurrection through Barnes and Noble's Nook boards. It was being offered as a free eBook and I thought what the heck, why not try it. If I don't like it...it was free. Well, I'm glad I downloaded.


Resurrection begins with Jay walking back to his car from shopping for his daughter's birthday present and feeling a tingling in his hand. In Jay's mind, as much as he tried to ignore the tingle and avoid what comes next, the power that he has controls him more than he would like it to. Jay's power is to raise the dead, however, he's never been able to raise one fully with mind, body and soul. They've always been better off dead. Until of course, this day in the parking garage stairwell where he sees a woman who was brutally murdered and the tingling in his hands would not allow him to turn away.


From begin to end, the story moves quickly and grabs you. There were times I found myself thinking, is that him, is that the killer. There were a few gasps and a few times I screamed in my head 'no, no , no...that can't happen.' I felt 100% captivated by the story and I'm glad to say there is a follow up to this story that was also being offered free that I downloaded. Other than a few grammar and spelling issues, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I GIVE THIS BOOK:

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I purchased on my own.

Totally Postal Thursday

Happy Totally Postal Thursday...LOL. I actually did not think I would have anything today and as I was getting ready to write this post I got an email in my inbox for a code to get a book that I won. I won the book on Library Thing and honestly I didn't even remember that I had signed up for a giveaway on there. I also won two books from NetGalley. So I guess all in all I did pretty well this week. I am also still on a high since the end of my giveaway :-). Here are my Totally Postal Thursday books

• Pale Demon - Kim Harrison
• Overdue for Pleasure - Shelley Aikens
• Paranormal - Stories fromt he Other Side - Daryl Sedore

So what made you totally postal this week? You can make a post on your own blog, list all the books you’ve received since last Friday and then tell us how you got them and where on your TBR list they will be and then link up (direct URL, please) here:

Giveaway: CSNStores.com $35 Gift Certificate

CSN stores has a over 200 stores within one website! This is a great chance to get something special just for you - after all you have been slaving away through this holiday season trying to make is special for everyone else! Or maybe you want to get something on your Christmas shopping and order just the perfect something for that special someone? Have you seen their awesome selection of leather messenger bags, which by the way make great book bags for real readers, who have more than one book to read at at time!

Maybe something like this super cute Aerosoles Egg Role Pump in Grey Leather

Or maybe something practical like the Winsome Basics Foldable Shelf

Perhaps you want to get something for your best book buddy like the Verilux Natural Spectrum® PageLight

Whatever you are in need or want of you will most likely be able to find something in one of the hundreds of CSNstores! I think you are more likely having trouble narrowing it down to just a few things!!

Win It: The good people at CSNstores.com have agreed to give one lucky winner their very own $35 gift certificate.

All entries must be posted by 11:59pm PST on December 20, 2010 to be counted. The winner will be announced by Noon on the next day! (don't worry they have super fast shipping, you should get it in a few days)

So here is what you have to do to get an entry:

MANDATORY ENTRY:

Go to CSNstores.com and tell me what you would pick with your Gift Certificate.


(Remember to include you email address so you can be contacted if you win! Anti-spam version is fine: yourname[at]yourserver[dot]com) If you do not do this entry all of your other entries will be deleted!

Get more Entries:

(you must leave a separate comment for each and every entry). You can do all or none or some =) (If you have already done any of these you can just leave a comment saying so)

Use Google Friend Connect to Follow One Page at A Time (see sidebar)
Follow me on Twitter: @SapphireReads
Make a comment on another post (a relevant comment, please, not just "Nice Review")

Grab my button and add it to your blog - (see sidebar)

Contest open to US and Canadian residents!(however Canadian residents will incur additional international shipping charges which will not be covered by the gift certificate) 

GOOD LUCK!

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated to publish this post.

YOU ARE A WINNER

I would like to thank everyone who participated and also advertised my giveaway. This has been a great two weeks and I honestly didn't think my follower list would have tripled but it did and I'm so excited. Hopefully I will be able to keep you all entertained with my reviews and my random thoughts :-).

Giveaways are awesome aren't they? The winner was chosen randomly through random.org. Without further ado, the winner is...

#80 Anna Galanos

You have 48 hours to contact me and let me know which gift card you would like. If I haven't heard from you in 48 hours I will be forced to pick a new winner


Thank you everyone for entering.

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

About the Book: 
First there are nightmares.

Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.
Then come the memories.

When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie's power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie's memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream.

Now she must hunt.

Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in order to survive the dangerous and ancient battle of the angels and the Fallen, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember.

About the Author: Courtney Allison Moulton lives in Michigan, where she is a photographer and spends all her free time riding and showing horses. She has always loved reading about ancient mythologies, studying dead languages, and telling scary, romantic stories. Angelfire is her debut novel.


My Thoughts: Angelfire is filled with action, suspense, intrigue and a little bit of romance. When Ellie begins to have her dreams right before her 17th birthday and the handsome Will shows up wherever she is and tells her that they've known each other for over 500 years and he has been waiting for her rebirth, Ellie thinks he is not only weird but on something. Once the attacks and fights against her begins, her memory begins to return and we find out that not only is Ellie more than human and super strong, she has been selected as the one person to fight along her Guardian to protect humankind from evil. 
Angelfire is a mix of supernatural and magic with a female as heroine. Although there is some romance in the book, there isn't a lot of girl meets boy, girl instantly falls in love with boy and they live happily ever after. There is one part that was left unresolved in my opinion and it was Ellie's father. He became more and more hateful throughout the book and at one point Will mentioned that he smelled of blood. If Angelfire is the first of a series, I hope her father's behavior is addressed in the future. 

I GIVE THIS:

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I from Harper Collins/HarperTeen through NetGalley.

Totally Postal Thursday

This is my favorite time of year, besides my birthday. I LOVE the Christmas holiday season. I have been listening to Christmas songs since Monday morning and for once since I left the East Coast, I am in the spirit early. I think that also includes the spirit of gifting, except I'm gifting my Nook :-). I thought I was going to be good this week and technically I was. I only bought one book so that I could let my dear friend read it but then of course I found a slew of freebies on the Barnes and Noble site.

• Tempted - P.C Cast

So what made you totally postal this week? You can make a post on your own blog, list all the books you’ve received since last Friday and then tell us how you got them and where on your TBR list they will be and then link up (direct URL, please) here:

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

About the Book: Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High-from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Then she gets a second chance.

Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death-and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

About the Author: Lauren Oliver is the author of Before I Fall, which ALA Booklist called a "compelling book with a powerful message [that] should not be missed." A graduate of the University of Chicago and the MFA program at New York University, Lauren is now a full-time writer and lives in Brooklyn, New York. Delirium is her second novel.

My Thoughts:  Initially I found pieces of Before I Fall to be a little bit unrealistic. The behaviors of the teenagers weren't what I found unrealistic but the fact that it seemed like the parents were never around and all the kids did was get drunk. Then I thought back to when I was in high school and realized that I did go to high school with a lot of people like that. After that realization, it was easier for me to get through the book.
Throughout the book, I kept thinking that I would never want to relive the same day over again seven times. I liked that the author didn't have Sam automatically become this nice person on day one of her recurring days. Sam had to go through a number of days going through different emotions and realizing different things, even at the risk of losing her best friends. 
Before I Fall was very well written and I think each and everyone of us can relate to what went on in the halls of Thomas Jefferson High School in some way shape or form. I was hoping that it would have ended differently and that be the only thing that I didn't really like about the book.  It wasn't a bad ending but I wanted it to be different :-)

I GIVE THIS BOOK:

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I purchased on my own.

Random Thought

I hope everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving had a wonderful day. This is my favorite time of year besides summer. Although I hate the commercialization of Christmas, I love the holiday. I like the smell of Christmas trees, I love holiday music and I love to look at the lights and decorations on people's houses. I also like that it's a low period at work for me...LOL


Anyway, the point of this post is to find out how often people go through dry spells in reading. When they do go through one, what do they do to get back in the swing of things? I think I may be going through a dry spell. Everything I've tried to read in the last two weeks have been nothing but the sound of Charlie Brown's teacher in my head. The bad part about it is that these books have gotten great reviews and under normal circumstances would catch my interest. I'm not sure what's wrong. I thought that once I was done with school I would have so much more time to read and would be able to put a dent in my TBR pile. Anyone have any advice?

Totally Postal Thursday

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Well, this week was once again a fantastic week. I did not spend any money on books this week. Some great things happened this week though. Barnes and Noble started shipping their Nook color, no I didn't get one but I'm such a gadget freak I feel like I WANT one. I've been good though. My giveaway seems to be going well so far...thanks everyone who have entered so far. This is a short week for work and even though Thanksgiving isn't technically a holiday I grew up with, I'm happy to celebrate and give thanks. Oh, and I almost forgot, Barnes and Noble provided us with an upgrade to our Nooks that I think is a pretty neat upgrade. 

• Three Seconds - Anders Roslund (B&N First Look book club ARC)
• Skinny Cocktails - Free Friday Nook Book

So what made you totally postal this week? You can make a post on your own blog, list all the books you’ve received since last Friday and then tell us how you got them and where on your TBR list they will be and then link up (direct URL, please) here: