WWW Wednesday - 6/29

This Wednesday feature is hosted by Should Be Reading. To play along, just answer the following three questions… What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? Click the titles to see them on Goodreads or to see my review for the finished ones. Enjoy!

• What are you currently reading?

1. Cynthia Hand - Unearthly
   STILL! I know.. I might have to start this over at this point.
   
2. Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games
   Read along!! Not caught up though.
   
3. Kathryn Stockett - The Help
   Read along!!
   
4. Stephenie Meyer - Twilight
   Read along!!
   

• What did you recently finish reading?

1. Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale
2. Janet Evanovich - Smokin' Seventeen
3. Lisa Schroeder - The Day Before
4. Cara Lynn Shultz - Spellbound
5. Jessi Kirby - Moonglass
   

• What do you think you’ll read next?

1. Talia Jager - If I Die Young
   For review!
   
2. Karsten Knight - Wildefire
3. Lauren Barnholdt - Sometimes It Happens
4. Kieran Scott - He's So Not Worth It
5. Elana Johnson - Possession
6. Nova Ren Suma - Imaginary Girls
7. Maureen Johnson - The Last Little Blue Envelope

OHHH man, I know I said that I was going to use pictures this time, but of course I JUST realized this!!!! Wahhh, sorry! Next week. I'm not redoing this post. I have wayyy too much reading to do! :o)

"Waiting on " Wednesday - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Hosted by Breaking The Spine, this section will feature future upcoming releases that I personally am excited about. These will generally be coming up later in the year. Let me know what you're looking forward to, or even what you're writing, and maybe I'll feature it here as well.

Michelle Hodkin - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

• Pub. Date: September 27, 2011
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
• Format: Hardcover 464pp
• Age Range: Young Adult

Goodreads description:

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

Five reasons why I cannot wait for this to come out:

1. This has SO much buzz going on in the blogger world and on Twitter.
2. Not just buzz, but WTF type buzz. I have to know!!
3. It's a debut novel.
4. It's the beginning of hopefully a great series.
5. It's coming out right after my birthday.. HINT HINT :o)

All the WTFs and WOWs.. I have to know what this one is about! And I know that a billion people have probably used this as their WoW already, I need to document that I too am looking forward to this. Wahoo! :o) So let me know what your WoW pick is! Leave me a link and I'll visit. Thanks for stopping by!

ARC Review: Cara Lynn Shultz - Spellbound

Cara Lynn Shultz - Spellbound

• Pub. Date: June 28, 2011
• Publisher: Harlequin
• Format: Paperback 352pp
• Age Range: Young Adult


Emma Connor is new at Vincent Academy, and she has her share of secrets. Living with her aunt isn't so much a choice as it is necessity at this point. The kids at the new school aren't making it easy on her, except for her younger cousin who just wants to help. Things take a turn for the interesting when she lays eyes on Brendan Salinger. Emma can't figure out why she feels so drawn to him until she befriends Angelique. They work together to figure it out, all while dealing with high school drama and then some.

This novel was a quick, enjoyable read! I really liked the mystery behind this story, and I haven't laughed this much while reading a book in a while! Oh my goodness, the humor in this book makes it worth reading, if you only need one reason. But I have more reasons than that!

Emma and Brendan are Bella-and-Edward-worthy. Emma needs protecting, and Brendan acts similar to Edward in a way. I hate to compare it to Twilight, but Spellbound honestly made me think of it multiple times - always in a good way, though! I reveled in the newness of their relationship. Those are always the best feelings! I felt like I was in the story some of the time. And the suspense was really suspenseful!! However.. the ending just seemed too good to be true. If there is going to be another one, I can see it taking a horrible turn.

What I liked:

• The humor! I can't say enough about how funny this book is. Emma is full of spunk and embarrassment for herself, and she's just hysterical. Even when she doesn't mean to be, she's super funny. I laughed out loud so many times!!
• The romance. I felt like I was in a brand new relationship, feeling the butterflies and all that again while reading this book. *swoons*
  
• The cover. It's gorgeous!! And the chapter headings also have the same font. I love that!
  

What I didn't like:

• Hopefully it is just the ARC but there were quite a few commas that didn't need to be there. We all know that I'm a stickler!
• The end just seems too good to be true, and that always makes me nervous!
• Anthony is such a craphead. UGH.

Bottom Line: Definitely a fantastic, entertaining YA read!

Rating:
4/5 book sharks

Thanks to NetGalley for the early copy, and thanks to Cara Lynn Shultz for the awesome book! Much appreciated, and I look forward to more :o)

Teaser Tuesday (3)

Hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading, Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme. 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!

"Do you really think my brother is warning me?" I whispered, feeling that familiar, dull ache of loss in my chest. His concern for me was enough for him to read across spiritual planes? I ran my fingers across the face of my medallion, a few tears spilling out no matter how hard I tried to blink them back. - page 156

PS - My review is coming!! Great book, wonderful author. :o)
Happy Tuesday!!

Top Ten Tuesday - Bookish Websites/Organizations/Apps

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, this feature includes random weekly top tens. This week's list is - Top Ten Bookish Websites/Organizations/Apps/Etc. I absolutely love my resources, and I would love to share them with you! Here's my list (in no particular order):

1. Goodreads - This one is fairly obvious, or at least it will be a popular choice. It's a great resource to find new books to read, keep track of what you've read/want to read, and trade recommendations with friends. I adore Goodreads big time. Thank goodness there's an Android app now!
   
2. NetGalley - This is a fantastic place to find free ARCs to read in exchange for reviews. Honest ones, obviously. They're based on approval, but as long as you're a blogger with a following and meet requirements, you should get them!
3. Galley Grab - Simon & Schuster's Galley Grab is similar to NetGalley, but it's emailed to you. As long as they haven't already been published, they should be available to you. Love this one too!
4. Barnes and Noble - I use this website a lot when gathering my information of publication dates, number of pages, age range, etc. I also buy from them because I get money back for my student loans.
5. BookReporter - This is fabulous website for book clubs, book reviews, and info on movies made from books, among other things. They have giveaways and contests too. LOTS of bookish info.
6. Free Book Friday - Sign up every week for a chance to win one of four free books: fiction, teen, romance, or indie.
   
7. Local Libraries - Goodness, I don't know what I would do without my public libraries. I'm lucky to have two library districts close to home and work, with a total of over 20 libraries included in them. I also have a third library district with three more libraries. LOVE them!!
8. Overdrive - This is usually accessed through your library, but it's digital access to ebooks and downloadable audio books. Good stuff!
9. Springpad - This is not really book-related, but it is an app I use to keep my notes and reminders for posts, reviews, and such. The best part: it syncs with your phone if you have the app on there too.
10. Book bloggers - They are absolutely my favorite organization in the world. I love this community. They're friendly, helpful, and made of awesome. <3