Trailer Thursday (32)

Today I'm bringing you a trailer for the fourth book in the Lorien Legacies, The Fall of Five.  I love this series; I think it's an excellent action/sci-fi adventure that appeals to both boys and girls.  I would definitely check it out if you're looking for a new series to dive into.

The Fall of Five

by Pitticus Lore

Published Date: August 27, 2013

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New to My Shelves (8)

Instead of In My Mailbox, I've decided to do New to My Shelves.  I don't always have enough books to do weekly book hauls; this gives me the opportunity to save them up and do them more periodically, so for me, this makes much more sense!

Check out my Back to School YA Book Blowout Giveaway!

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Waiting on Wednesday (77)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we seriously can’t wait for.

Here's my pick for the week, that I seriously can't wait for:

The Geography of You and Me

by Jennifer E. Smith

Publication Date: April 15, 2014

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Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith's new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a place. It can be a person, too.

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So let's look at what we got here: a boy and a girl trapped in an elevator, a date on the streets of Manhattan, separation by miles of land and ocean, and then finally a meetup back where they first met.  Uh, could you want anything else in a love story? As long as Jennifer's name is attached I am reading it!  So looking forward to another fantastic, heartbreaking, hilarious, sweet, and epic love story.

What book are you waiting for?

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Teaser Tuesday (67)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following!

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
• Share a few teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.
• MAKE SURE NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (you don't want to give too much away and ruin the book for other readers)

Share the title and author too, so that other readers can add your book to their TBR list if they like your teaser!

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Exposure

Kim Askew and Amy Helmes

January 18, 2013

          Part of me always knew that first summer with Craig was too good to be true, and of course, I was right.  Beth Morgan sunk her talons into him on the second day of school sophomore year, and there was no turning back.  My dream scenario of being Craig's reason for living vanished overnight, I got demoted to the gawky "kid sis" while the marauding Miss Morgan was granted saliva-swapping privileges.

(pg. 15)

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With my English Education background, I'm always on the look out for books that can be used in a classroom curriculum.  Books that take classic stories and remix them are great examples, and the Bard's works are always abounding throughout the YA collection.  Exposure is no exception, re-imaging Macbeth in a modern day.  This is The 2nd book in the series, Twisted Lit Novels by Merit Press; Book 1 is Twisted, a new take on The Tempest.  Check them both out!

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Nook Bargins (14)

I have a nook color, which I love!  But whenever I see e-books on sale, they're always for the Kindle. 

So I thought I might start my own round-up of sales on e-books that are for the nook to help my fellow nookers (yes I've just made that word up).

The catch is that some of these books are on-sale for a limited time, so get 'em while they're hot!

Click on the book titles to go to the Barnes & Noble Nook Book Page.  (These are NOT affiliated links)

$0.99

What Really Happened in Peru by Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan










$1.99

Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

Diva by Alex Flinn

Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Just For Now  by Abbi Glines

The Transfer (A Divergent Story) by Veronica Roth

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Top Ten Tuesday (36)

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because they are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. They'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week they will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of their bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on their post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share.  If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.

The topic this week is: 

Top Ten Things That Make Your Life As A Reader/Book Blogger Easier

1. Scheduling posts! Being able to schedule my posts is a lifesaver, especially if I'm busy. I can write up posts weeks in advance and set them to automatically post. A blogger's best tool.
2. Paying a Hosting Fee! While many people have a problem with Blogger, that's the platform I use. I pay $10 a year to keep my domain name my own, and they forward any body who have my old name to the new one. Easy as pie. So no matter what platform you use, paying a hosting fee or domain fee is worth it.
3. Netvibes! This is the blog feed I use to keep track of all the blogs, book and other alike, that I read. It works as a really excellent feedreader, as you can make different pages to separate the blogs from one another. I have always used this over Google Reader, and when they shut that down, I didn't have any issues adding those few blogs I did follow over to Netvibes.
4. Goodreads! What would I do without Goodreads? It's probably a bad idea to be so reliant on a website, but alas I wouldn't have half the book info I do without this amazing resource.
5. Connecting my Social Networks! Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr are my best friends, and I cross-post most of the time. They also are good outlets to post smaller points of interest, or get info out to my followers quickly!
6. Youtube! Not only do I blog, I vlog (or create "content" as the fancy term is). I love Youtube for the visual aspects of the book blogging world. I'm an extrovert, so being able to connect to my followers more "in person" is so awesome. And sometimes it's just more fun to show off your books in your own hands.
7. My Fellow Bloggers! The ladies and gentlemen of the book blogging world are all fantastic, enthusiastic people! We all love the same thing and the passion that pours out of the writing just makes it so fun to be a part of the community. I've had some favorite bloggers over the years, and there are always newbies popping up. Camaraderie at its finest!
8. Professional Organizations! I am a member of both ALA, YALSA, and NCTE. I love all of them, and they connect me with professionals (librarians and English teachers) across the country. I also get to meet so many authors at all the annual conferences, as well as gain some kick butt book savvy to utilize in my future profession. Go librarians!!
9. Using a Book Lamp! This is probably a no brainer, but I think people forget how very handy book lights are. They don't have to be used just to read books, and boy are they nice on those long car rides when you can't just flip the car light on. I horde mine, and the one I have can run on batteries or can be charged. Convenience!
10. Keeping a Book Journal! This is a tool I use to keep track of the books I've bought/read/reviewed for my blog. This helps me do New to My shelves, Genre Favorites, Book Reviews, etc. If I didn't keep lists I would be totally lost!

What are some of your reader/blogger tools? Leave me a comment below!

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Past. Present. Future. (29)

There are a a lot of these "What're you reading?" features around, so I figured, hey why not start one too? Basically, here's where I highlight the books I've read, the books I'm reading, and the books I'm going to read. Fun, right? Please join in if you want!

PAST:

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo - Loved, loved, loved this book!  It was so different, and there were times when I sympathized with each character (Yes even the Darkling), and then I'd do a 180 and be disgusted with some of the choices made.  Argh, it's the best book when it's like that!  The mythology of this series (yep it's a series!) is amazing and sucks you right in.  Pick it up if you haven't already!





PRESENT:

Transparent by Natalie Whipple - Just started this book Sunday, and I'm halfway done with it!  It is SO good.  Full of action and an interesting mix of crime and sci-fi.  Fiona, the protagonist, is the invisible girl, the only one of her kind.  It is interesting to read how Whipple develops a character who can never be seen and can't see her own face. Can't wait to finish, and you all should add it to your TBR list!





FUTURE:

The Elite by Kiera Cass - Got to read this book.  I really liked the first book, The Selection, and it left off on such a cliffhanger.  This is one of my picks for cheesy, easy reads.  A popcorn book if you will.  Try the series for a fun last summer read!

If any of you've read any of these books, let me know what you thought (but NO spoilers) down below in the comments!

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Back to School YA Book Blowout Giveaway!

Hello Happy Readers!  I am back, and to celebrate I am bringing you a giveaway!  School is just around the corner for many people (myself included), and I thought getting a present would make the switch from summer vacation a little bit more tolerable.

This is a BIG giveaway; 17 books with a mix of signed copies, finished copies, and ARCs!  Some are older books, other are newer books, but each one is a favorite of mine.

Yes, each of the above books are included.  If you read the prize list on the rafflecopter you can see which books are signed, hardcover, paperback, or ARC.  This giveaway is going to be only eligible for people living the in U.S. as I have to mail the books out myself, and that is a lot of books!

Check out the rafflecopter below in order to enter, and make sure to read the terms and conditions before entering!  I hope everyone has had an excellent summer and good luck!

Giveaway Rules:

Please read my general terms and conditions first.

- Must be 13 years old to enter.

- Must have a U.S. shipping address.

- No P.O. Boxes allowed.

- No International entries.

- ONE winner will win ALL 17 books.

- Winner will be contacted by email.

- Winner has 48 hours to respond w/address

or a new winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thoughts From an Acute Triangle: Getting Over the Blogging Blues

Thoughts from an Acute Triangle is a feature where I discuss things related to books, authors, reading, or just me.  This is a place for me to be a little brainy or a little silly.  The conversation is always open for comments and if there is ever a topic you want me to discuss, please leave a comment!

I've been in a slump lately. For a couple months now in fact. I've been in a blogging slump. I haven't really posted consistently, or really commented on anyone else's posts. I've been feeling apathetic and drained. This has made me sad, which in turn made me even less likely to post. But at the same time I have loved this time. A time where I didn't feel obligated or trapped. I could read whatever I wanted and really enjoy reading agin. But it became a vicious cycle, and I've been slowly trying to rally. I love book blogging, even if it's only for myself. I want to continue doing it.

Writing this post is helping.  Just writing something about books, even if it never makes it on the blog, has been helping.  I posted my first Waiting on Wednesday in over 3 months yesterday (click the link to see it!).  Before that I had sporadic posts: a new bookshelf tour, asking for help with book reviews for The Florida English Journal, and three Blog Tour Stops.  But, hopefully, moving forward I ca get back in the swing of things.

So to gather some techniques, I went to that all-encompassing, vast repository of knowledge: Google.  And I googled "How to get out of a blogging rut".  Here's some helpful sites I found.

• The SITSgirls offer these 5 gems to help you out.
• Tiny Buddha offers wise words for all you rut needs.
• A Quirky Girl offers these quirky tips
• Brand Camp offers some building blocks to dig you out of the rut.

And as I've come through the other side with some bright eyes and bushy tails, I offer this nugget: It is okay to be selfish. It is okay to take a break. It is okay to stop doing something. It is okay to start again. It is okay to still love patiently. And it is okay if you're a little scared. Take a step in a direction and commit.

So I'm committing again.  I took a break, which turned into a three month long selfish claiming of time.  But I've taken a step back and realized that I love this, and I'm going to keep doing it.  Even if I'm a little scared that I'm going to fail again.  But nothing tried, is nothing gained.

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Waiting on Wednesday (76)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we seriously can’t wait for.

 Here's my pick for the week, that I seriously can't wait for:

The Impossible Knife of Memory

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Publication Date: January 07, 2014

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For the past five years, Hayley Kincaid and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.

Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over? The Impossible Knife of Memory is Laurie Halse Anderson at her finest: compelling, surprising, and impossible to put down.

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Laurie Halse Anderson is my hero.  Seriously.  Look it's me with her: 

She's an amazing, poignant, intense writer, and her books make me ache with emotion each time I crack open a spine. This book is going to hit especially close to home because I have had to deal with being a military child most of my life and there are many difficulties when one has a parent who has gone through war. I can't wait to get my hands on this! I AM SO EXCITED!!

What book are you waiting for?

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New Bookshelf Tour!

Hey everyone!  Sorry for the hiatus, but I'm back!  I have a new bookshelf tour to share as I have moved house and alphabetize my books.  It took forever, but it is awesome, and will hopefully help me learn authors names better.

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FTC Disclaimer:
All the items shown I have either bought, gotten as a gift, or won in a giveaway. None of the publishers/authors of the books mentioned are paying me for this video or even know their items may be shown. All opinions are my own and this is a 100% non-sponsored video.

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