tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24292515609808801482024-03-05T11:53:15.883-08:00Reader, Writer, CriticBrianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.comBlogger247125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-23219988514095235902015-01-31T14:24:00.000-08:002015-01-31T14:24:51.643-08:00On the MoveSo you might have heard on Twitter or Facebook that I've been working on moving over to Wordpress! I am still tweaking a few little things, and I am sure I will be for a while because I'm a perfectionist like that. But for the most part it's all ready for you guys to move on over! Check it out <a href="https://readerwritercritic.wordpress.com/">here</a>! I've managed to move some followers over and am trying to move over more, I don't know if I can move all of you guys over, but my bloglovin' should move and RSS followers at the least. So make sure that you are still listed as a follower, and if not besure to re-follow! Sorry for any inconvenience! My relationship with technology is not the best ever, but I do try. Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-62467388534138037892015-01-16T21:27:00.000-08:002015-01-16T21:30:38.427-08:0020 Briana Facts<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Vollkorn; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">1. How tall are you?</b><br />
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5'6" Although, most doubt the accuracy of that statement. The doctor told me I was 5'6" so that is what I'm going with. I guess I slouch.<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Vollkorn; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">2. Do you have a hidden talent? If so, what?</b><br />
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Oh, my NO. I was just having a discussion with some friends about this. I am perfectly average or mediocre at <i>everything</i>. Granted, I do TERRIBLY at certain things, but I never really excel at anything more than any other person or have any interesting talents or abilities.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Vollkorn; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"> </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Vollkorn; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">3. What is your biggest blog-related pet peeve?</b><br />
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I don't really have any major ones that I can think of right now. When I see one though, oh boy, suddenly I am reminded of all kinds of related pet peeves I have.<br />
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I guess it would be really REALLY poor design. (It's the only one I can think of at the moment) I mean design isn't really my thing, but when the font is wild, and the color is impossible to read, and the background is crazy too, it gets to the point where it is such a distraction and such a pain to read it that I don't want to read it.<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Vollkorn; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">4. What's your biggest non-blog-related pet peeve?</b><br />
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As mentioned above, it is hard to think of them now, but when something happens I am reminded of how much I hate when it happens.<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Vollkorn; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">5. What is your favorite song?</b><br />
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Oh come on! This is just as bad as picking a favorite book! I am just going to list favorite artists and a few songs that I enjoy.<br />
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Mouthwash by Kate Nash<br />
Riptide by Vance Joy<br />
Budapest by George Ezra<br />
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Regina Spektor<br />
Hozier<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Vollkorn; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">6. What is your favorite Etsy shop that isn't yours?</b><br />
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I don't use Etsy that much unless I am looking for a specific type thing as a gift. Although, I must say <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/AMPjournaldesigns">Amanda Pate</a> has a FABULOUS shop! ;)<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2675785862152144030" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: right; color: #7f7372; float: right; font-family: Vollkorn; line-height: 21.5599994659424px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration: none;"></a><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Vollkorn; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">7. What is your favorite way to spend free time when you're not alone?</b><br />
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Free time when I am not alone? What?<br />
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Ok, in all seriousness, I feel like when I am with people we are going somewhere to do something specific. I guess I enjoy watching a movie, baking, talking, I don't know! I prefer to just hang out and do as we fancy when the mood strikes us. Spontaneous.<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Vollkorn; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">8. What is your favorite junk food?</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Vollkorn;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">Again with the picking just one. *tsk tsk*</span></span><br />
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All the ice cream.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Vollkorn;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">Seriously. Ice cream. Specifically cookie dough in combination with mint chocolate chip, spumoni, and Tilamook's marionberry pie ice cream. Although, I am still open to all flavors. </span></span></span><br />
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<b>9. Do you have a pet or pets? If so, what kind, and what are their names?</b></div>
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I currently have two dogs. An aussie who drops fur balls the size of her entire body, named Lucy, and a lab/aussie/husky/? that enjoys keeping at least one cheek puffed out at all times, his name is Mario.</div>
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<b>10. What are your number one favorite nonfiction and fiction books?</b></div>
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Ok this picking favorites thing is really just getting to be too much. I don't really like non-fiction. Like at all. Unless I need to learn about a specific thing. </div>
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Fiction, my top picks are: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19063.The_Book_Thief?from_search=true">The Book Thief</a> by Markus Zusak, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2657.To_Kill_a_Mockingbird?from_search=true">To Kill a Mockingbird</a> by Harper Lee, and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20958632-the-darkest-part-of-the-forest?from_search=true">The Darkest Part of The Forest</a> by Holly Black. </div>
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<b>11. What is your favorite beauty product?</b></div>
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I don't wear too much make up but I enjoy playing around with it. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Vollkorn;"><span style="line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">This is one thing however that I have a definite favorite for. Posie. Tint. I get it from Sephora and it is so perfect. Blush and lip tint that looks more natural, is faster, easier, and less messy, than any blush I've ever used before. It is perfect for my </span></span><span style="font-family: Vollkorn;"><span style="line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"><i>porcelain </i>skin as well. </span></span></div>
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<b>12. When were you last embarrassed? What happened?</b></div>
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Today. Not majorly though. My teacher was passing forms out to a select few who didn't already get one. She wasn't really clear about the process and changed it up when she got to me, deciding to pass a stack back to one girl to pass to two of us in the back, I didn't realize there was more than one, so I started walking down (it is a choir room so there are little mini stairs and kind of a curved orchestral lay out) and then people were all like "ohp! She's got one for you!" So then everyone was looking at me. It was really not <i>that </i> bad but it was not fun. </div>
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<b>13. If you could only drink one beverage (besides water) what would it be?</b></div>
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Tea. All the kinds of teas. I don't really like drinking anything that much, but I really enjoy tea. Iced tea, green tea, chai tea, the list goes on!<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Vollkorn; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">14. What's your favorite movie?</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /><span style="font-family: Vollkorn;"><span style="line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">I enjoy movies, but none seem to ever </span></span><i style="font-family: Vollkorn; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">really </i><span style="font-family: Vollkorn;"><span style="line-height: 21.5599994659424px;">stick with me. My default answer tends to be Pitch Perfect. But I also really love Hitch (because earlier years Will Smith). Also, although I don't feel that it is the same quality as Hitch and Pitch Perfect, I have a weird and newly discovered obsession with Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. I don't know why but if I am board or sick, that is just what I want to watch. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Vollkorn; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"></span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Vollkorn; line-height: 21.5599994659424px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">15. </span></b><strong style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Vollkorn; font-style: inherit; line-height: 21.5599994659424px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What were you in high school: prom queen, nerd, cheerleader, jock, valedictorian, band geek, loner, artist, prep?</span></strong><br />
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<span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am in my second year of highschool right now, and honestly I don't know. We have a few jocks, some geeks, some band geeks, and some stoners, but everyone else just kind of floats uncategorized. I am a floater, I guess. </span></span></div>
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<b>16. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?</b></div>
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Ireland. Ireland for life. Ever since I visited, I have sincerely missed it, I frequently get "homesick" for it. Weird I know, but true. </div>
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<b>17. PC or Mac?</b></div>
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I am only really familiar with PC and I see benefits to both and I try to remain neutral. </div>
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<b>18. Last romantic gesture from a crush, date, boy/girlfriend, spouse?</b></div>
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*snort* Well, I guess guys have like complimented me before when they liked me, but other than that. Wait, actually when my crush and I liked each other (a long time ago) we sent each other songs and awkwardly swayed danced once...</div>
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<b>19. Favorite celebrity?</b></div>
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I actually don't really like or understand the whole celebrity obsession is, I don't follow celebrities at all. But I enjoy Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone. </div>
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<b>20. What blogger friends do you secretly want to be best friends with?</b></div>
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Oh goodness. I kind of want to be besties with everyone but at the same time I don't. (don't take that the wrong way folks. That's just what I am like.)</div>
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Skylar from <a href="http://randomofalife.blogspot.com/">Life of a Random</a> (you lovely nominator you!) and I have become pretty good friends which is super awesome. Not to mention Catherine over at <a href="http://strayimaginations.blogspot.com/">Stray Imaginations</a> is my absolute bestie in real life and blogging. <3 nbsp="" p=""><br /></3></div>
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I feel like I am vaguely friends with <a href="http://www.ofspectaclesandbooks.com/">Amanda Pate</a>, <a href="http://spraypaintedtunnels.blogspot.com/">Aneta</a>, and <a href="http://foreverliterary.blogspot.com/">Emily</a>, but would find it fun to be better friends.</div>
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I would love to besties with <a href="http://paperfury.com/">Cait </a>because she is hilarious. Also, <a href="http://ravens-and-writingdesks.blogspot.com/">Sophia </a>seems like my kind of girl. </div>
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<b>Tag you're it!</b></div>
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Catherine @<a href="http://strayimaginations.blogspot.com/"> Stray Imaginations </a><br />
Tansie @<a href="http://totallytansie.blogspot.com/"> Totally Tansie</a><br />
Amanda @ <a href="http://www.ofspectaclesandbooks.com/">Spectacles and Books </a><br />
Emily @ <a href="http://foreverliterary.blogspot.com/">Forever Literary </a><br />
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Also anyone else who wants to join!</div>
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Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-71765222865087293582015-01-10T00:00:00.000-08:002015-01-21T17:44:00.946-08:00The Book that Made Briana Flail<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjrVGTNdwJk5P8r6ZNWIIpxDtm9RcWDb4kMp4YsBhtV8-tb38J66J6tkxvzLOJfyRJvxHvkEknuk8HYM3plje1zDKgPeLHyXYYb-QfM5fCS37cyReWj5Hqa7EEahn7dg6OTIMu9hdHDYT/s1600/Iremeberyou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjrVGTNdwJk5P8r6ZNWIIpxDtm9RcWDb4kMp4YsBhtV8-tb38J66J6tkxvzLOJfyRJvxHvkEknuk8HYM3plje1zDKgPeLHyXYYb-QfM5fCS37cyReWj5Hqa7EEahn7dg6OTIMu9hdHDYT/s1600/Iremeberyou.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>I Remember You</u></span></div>
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by Cathleen Davitt Bell</h4>
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<b>Expected Publication Date: </b>February 10th, 2015</div>
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<b>Source: </b><a href="http://www.libertybaybooks.com/">Liberty Bay Books</a></div>
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<b>Form/Edition: </b>Paperback ARC</div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><i>Lucas and Juliet couldn’t be more different from each other. But from the moment Lucas sees Juliet, he swears he remembers their first kiss. Their first dance. Their first fight. He even knows what’s going to happen between them—not because he can predict the future, but because he claims to have already lived it.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Juliet doesn’t know whether to be afraid for herself or for Lucas. As Lucas’s memories occur more frequently, they also grow more ominous. All Juliet wants is to keep Lucas safe with her. But how do you hold on to someone you love in the present when </span></span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">they've</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> begun slipping away from you in the future?</span></span></i></span></span><br />
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The romance of this book is just like it looks on the cover. It is dramatic and sweet and practically made me ache with the rawness of it. I was so excited because there were actual relationship problems that the couples had to work through, and for once a YA book showed relationships not working. They were crazy and dysfunctional and that just made them so much more stunning.<br />
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Then the romance is combined with the rest of the almost inception-esque storyline. It was nothing like I've ever read before and I still am not sure I really know what happened. I mean I understood what happened but I am not totally sure what caused it, or what <i>really </i>happened in reality. I understand what happened, but I don't. That was confusing, I'm sorry. The book isn't confusing but I was left with some questions, much like inception, was the end in reality or in a dream? What is reality anymore? It made me question my existence, just a smidge.<br />
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The plot was so <i>painful! </i>In the best possible way! It will tear. You. Apart. Slowly. It is like you get punched in the face my an event then once you start to recover, something else happens and a knife stabs through your leg, and then you are getting over that and the ending comes and it is just like:<br />
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And yet I loved every second of it. It was absolutely stunning and so raw and dramatic. Also, the plot leading up to it and the way it was written just really built up to it. The entire time there is just this immense shadow, this gut feeling, that it is all going to fall apart. It kept me on the edge of my seat waiting for that explosive moment, and even though I knew it was coming, it was still shocking! Speaking of shocking, THAT ENDING! *screams hysterically and runs about while flailing* <br />
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Note: I almost cried, I made it through though. Honestly, I loved this and it provoked so much more emotion than TIFIOS did for me, even though I sobbed my way through that one. Unbridled.<br />
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I don't even feel like I need to talk about the writing. I feel like I have said all I need to say so...peace out! *sassy snaps*<br />
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<b>Last Words: </b>Go. Go read it. Now. Have tissues and chocolate ready. Also, clear your schedule. This is a one sitting read that needs your full attention.<br />
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Oh right, a star rating 4.75... I guess I'll make it a 5.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22291640-i-remember-you?from_search=true">Goodreads </a>and <a href="https://www.libertybaybooks.com/aff/Reader_Writer_Critic/book/v/9780385754552">Liberty Bay Books</a>!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23271178-dust?from_search=true">Dust</a></u></span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">by Sarah Daltry</span></h3>
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<b>Source: </b>Publisher</div>
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<b>Format: </b>ARC PDF</div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><i>Who makes YOUR choices?</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><i>"I was once the type of person who was impressed by starlight; the type of person who would dance beneath glass ceilings and let the world swim in its loveliness. The sky reminds me of the parties we used to throw - parties like the one last night. The memories bring back the trill of harps and endless ripples of satisfied laughter. Now, though, when I try to recall what I felt, all I hear is screaming."</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><i>In a world ravaged by war and oppressive forces of evil, a princess must fight to claim her bloodright and save her people.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><i>When the princess, Alondra, falls for the beautiful, blue eyes of a hooded stranger, it awakens in her a taste for freedom and an escape from her duty.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><i>But her parents have other plans; they have a kingdom to protect and Alondra must marry to ensure the peace between nations. Only what happens when your parents choose a cold-hearted assassin as your betrothed? </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><i>As lies, illusions, and long hidden vendettas surface, the princess has to confront a very secret history. One that makes her realize that she not only risks losing her liberty, but also everything she has known and loved.</i></span></span></div>
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<u>Issues:</u></div>
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-<b>Alondra</b>. As a character she was kind of a juxtaposition. She was originally portrayed one way, but then acted quite the opposite for the rest of the story. </div>
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-<b>The romance. </b>The pacing of the romance made it a bit unbelievable, and everything escalated quickly.<br />
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Also, the original situation with the blue eyed stranger felt a <i>bit </i>ridiculous.<br />
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-<b>The plot.</b> It was strangely paced. The action got started really early on (which is fine, I like that.), but then it was like it hit this point where all that was happening was action and honestly I got a little bit bored.<br />
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-<b>The action. </b>The action got to be a bit excessive and monotonous for my taste.<br />
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-<b>The flashbacks. </b>Sections flipped back and forth from "now" and "then" I found it to be unnecessary for the most part and a bit confusing at times.<br />
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-<b>The world building. </b>I was really confused a lot of the time and couldn't figure out what the world was supposed to be like or how parts of it worked.</div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><u>Pros:</u></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">-</span><b style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Alondra. </b><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I liked the personality she had for the majority of the time. She was kind but fiery upon occasion. Unfortunately the original portrayal of her was a bit more spoiled brat. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">-<b>Romance. </b>It was cute, if unrealistic. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><u>Last Thoughts:</u></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Honestly, I was not a fan. It was an interesting concept but it fell short for me. There was way too much going on and I couldn't find any reason to care about any of it. I give it a weak one star out of five and sadly, wouldn't recommend it. </span></span></span></div>
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<u>Gif. Consensus: </u></div>
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Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-63338760642386081402014-12-22T23:01:00.000-08:002014-12-30T14:30:38.446-08:00A Month of Giving: Week Four <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNmkQkjAR9TJ39EJdIJdjQkE-HYSAL_AAlce5cxoS-8DjOuin2w1EZcgkHyD_qNCbGuAu-_e_YHfRldZ4wzNhAhIRypVSZb6qRbgVIftAUQMLn3Eaj0qeCWCTCQaegXVDxsEvCFyY0wcR/s1600/amonthofgiving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNmkQkjAR9TJ39EJdIJdjQkE-HYSAL_AAlce5cxoS-8DjOuin2w1EZcgkHyD_qNCbGuAu-_e_YHfRldZ4wzNhAhIRypVSZb6qRbgVIftAUQMLn3Eaj0qeCWCTCQaegXVDxsEvCFyY0wcR/s1600/amonthofgiving.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Oh my! We are already in the end of December! Shocking isn't it? If you remember from my first <a href="http://readerwritercritic.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-month-of-giving-week-one.html">post </a> I mentioned that this week's would be special. Part of the reason is that I am doing my first international giveaway! The other part is that there are some twists to the US giveaway but I'll talk about those down below.<br />
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<b>So here's what you need to know:</b><br />
- I will be giving away two books a week every week in December.<br />
-The books being given away are lightly used and well taken care of ARCs, some of which have come out/been published already, while others have yet to be released/published.<br />
-These weekly giveaways only run for one week. So enter ASAP.<br />
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(NOTE: since this is my first international giveaway, please enter it only if you are NOT a US resident so that international readers get a chance to enter and win. US residents can enter the specifically US giveaways. Also I am not responsible for anything after the prizes leave my hands!)<br />
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<b>International Giveaway:</b><br />
<b><br />
</b> So I have to be kind of stingy here, so I am only giving away ONE book (via <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/">the book depository</a>), but I promise that I'll try to do a few more giveaways like this throughout the year instead of doing one big giveaway for you guys, I hope that is ok.<br />
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Sometimes I don't get around to reviewing books or my review doesn't show how much I really <i>adored </i>the read. So I am letting you guys pick <i>one </i>from a selection of my favorite books (most of which I never reviewed) from the past few years.<br />
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<u>Options:</u><br />
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1) <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11387458-dragonswood?from_search=true">Dragonswood</a>: </i>This is a super fun read I read all the way back in 2012! I must have really enjoyed it because it has stuck with me, and I still remember it quite fondly. It had a lot going on, but it never felt like there was an overwhelming amount of things happening at once.<br />
<br />
2) <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10841336-darker-still">Darker Still:</a> </i>I love Leanna Renee Hieber and I love this series. It is just stunning! Magical, twisted, and totally swoon worthy. You can see my review with here <a href="http://readerwritercritic.blogspot.com/2012/08/interview-with-author-leanna-renne.html">here</a>. And my review from 2012 is over <a href="http://readerwritercritic.blogspot.com/2012/08/darker-still.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
3)<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7507908-the-replacement?from_search=true"> </a><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7507908-the-replacement?from_search=true">The Replacement:</a> </i>This is a really special book. It is unlike anything I've read before and is dark, but not at the same time. It is indescribably unique and quite the trip.<br />
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4) <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13414835-shadows">Shadows:</a> </i>I actually have reviewed this one, along with the second book you can see those reviews <a href="http://readerwritercritic.blogspot.com/2014/08/review-double-trouble-style.html">here</a>. It is one of the best angel/nephilim books I've read in a while!<br />
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So, pick one, and if you win I'll have the book depository send one your way!<br />
<br />
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="6982bb9b14" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6982bb9b14/" id="rcwidget_91tx5izj" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
<br />
<b>US Giveaway:</b><br />
<u><b><br />
</b> Giveaway one:</u><br />
<br />
-One ARC copy of <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18053060-dorothy-must-die?from_search=true">Dorothy Must Die</a> </i>by Danielle Paige. (I had a fun time reading this one a while back, you can see my mini review <a href="http://readerwritercritic.blogspot.com/2014/06/short-and-sweet.html">here</a>.)<br />
-One ARC copy of <i>Please Excuse This Poem: 100 New Poets for the Next Generation </i>by Brett Fletcher Lauer, and Lynn Melnick, forward by Carolyn Forche<br />
-One rainbow candy cane that is cherry flavored<br />
<br />
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="6982bb9b16" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6982bb9b16/" id="rcwidget_d6xbr0uj" rel="nofollow">Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
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<br />
<u>Give away two:</u><br />
<br />
-One ARC copy of <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17566814-midnight-thief">Midnight Thief </a> </i>by Livia Blackburne<br />
-One ARC copy of <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16035147-silent-alarm?from_search=true">Silent Alarm </a> </i>by Jennifer Banash<br />
-One rainbow candy cane that is cherry flavored<br />
<br />
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="6982bb9b15" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6982bb9b15/" id="rcwidget_imtf3h44" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-91391089444327830652014-12-15T20:28:00.001-08:002014-12-15T20:28:41.880-08:00A Month of Giving: Week Three<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDb6pwORFa5iE2G0Tu_hyphenhyphenBrwqmvxh-J6JC43el9eKuYdMB4CUvlCoKiLie-pKx0iJxzw6EKbPADl86PNP9FBzO2Qqsf-2-Zs0x4bia1yjbhsq7BxBt_2QbyS28DM6ZtaxRm73vJ6DCal3p/s1600/amonthofgiving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDb6pwORFa5iE2G0Tu_hyphenhyphenBrwqmvxh-J6JC43el9eKuYdMB4CUvlCoKiLie-pKx0iJxzw6EKbPADl86PNP9FBzO2Qqsf-2-Zs0x4bia1yjbhsq7BxBt_2QbyS28DM6ZtaxRm73vJ6DCal3p/s1600/amonthofgiving.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's the third week in a whole month of giving! See my first <a href="http://readerwritercritic.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-month-of-giving-week-one.html">post </a>for more detail and specifics, but the list below will tell you what are the real necessities.<br />
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One change/note: I won't be able to send out the prize from this giveaway for at least a week after the winner is announced.<br />
<br />
<b>So here's what you need to know:</b><br />
- I will be giving away two books a week every week in December.<br />
-The books being given away are lightly used and well taken care of ARCs, some of which have come out/been published already, while others have yet to be released/published.<br />
-The weekly giveaways only run for one week. So enter ASAP.<br />
-Said weekly giveaways are only open to US residents. (Yes, yes, international readers I hear you just hold on and keep reading.)<br />
- There will be special giveaway the week of the 21st.<br />
* This same week, there will be a giveaway (using the book depository) for INTERNATIONAL Readers only! (I'm finally doing it for you guys!)<br />
<br />
<b>This week's prize is...</b><br />
<b><br />
</b> An ARC copy of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20911450-seeker?from_search=true">Seeker </a>by Arwen Elys Dayton. It has an expected publication date of February 10th 2015. I have really enjoyed it and it is undeniably unique. It is interesting and something that will intrigue Sci-Fi lovers everywhere.<br />
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And an ARC copy of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18309634-now-that-you-re-here?from_search=true">Now That You're Here</a> by Amy K. Nichols! This one came out the beginning of this month and it was one of my favorite books in the past few months. It was really cool and you can read my deeper thoughts in my review <a href="http://readerwritercritic.blogspot.com/2014/11/now-that-youre-here.html">here</a>. <br />
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="6982bb9b13" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6982bb9b13/" id="rcwidget_lnetss6x" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-72986090020294026042014-12-13T10:46:00.000-08:002014-12-14T20:26:50.347-08:00The Darkest Part of The Forest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QWK8q4hdTAT5jirGae9k7_9AcuYxytf9vy9WLcz1EuSkm53IvXv0cdZ9o2ap4Rx7Zrs6bxpr-IYcylJH3WWRO7KNuAWKdVdYhi1bZGFY3lAe4EBqeGdReKOyvEQk7Q49saUTCntIYxF0/s1600/thedarkestpart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QWK8q4hdTAT5jirGae9k7_9AcuYxytf9vy9WLcz1EuSkm53IvXv0cdZ9o2ap4Rx7Zrs6bxpr-IYcylJH3WWRO7KNuAWKdVdYhi1bZGFY3lAe4EBqeGdReKOyvEQk7Q49saUTCntIYxF0/s1600/thedarkestpart.jpg" height="320" width="214" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>The Darkest Part of the Forest</u></span></div>
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by Holly Black</h4>
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<b>Date of Expected Publication: </b>January 13th, 2015</div>
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<b>Source: </b><a href="http://www.libertybaybooks.com/">Liberty Bay Books</a></div>
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<b>Format: </b>Paperback ARC</div>
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<i>Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.</i></div>
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<i>Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.</i></div>
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<i>At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.</i></div>
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<i>Until one day, he does…</i></div>
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<i>As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough? </i></div>
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At first all I wanted to do was spill my guts out about this book as soon as I finished the last word. Actually, I was dying to blog about it after the <i>first </i>word, but I've been putting it off for a while now because now that I sit to write a review for it, I have absolutely no clue where to start, or what to say. I have never been at as much a loss for words as I am right now. This book gave me an unsatisfiable book hangover for a full week and still haunts me. As soon as I finished it I wanted to read it over again. I didn't really want a sequel or a series, one book summed everything up perfectly, but I loved the story so much that I wanted to read it over and over again until my eyeballs fell out. I couldn't read anything else for a really long time because it wasn't as good, and I just wasn't in the mood for any other type of book. I just wanted <i>The Darkest Part of The Forest</i> again. Thankfully, I am back on track now, but I must say, this book destroyed me like no other.<br />
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<b>When I finished the book:</b><br />
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<b>Me:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwYfTO_wLzrj3D886C-JFlPAOPB_G3WZPDZTdHKcroXrpHTbDrr7ieV0sDXEYqWB41zgnStEdxZkbK-wi3vk7cN4JEd7zZ_x5y16H4xWAZpXkvam_nKu8inoc-io-PLrKygYtGcdWzmW2/s1600/tumblr_inline_ncz8clogN51ryl9gy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwYfTO_wLzrj3D886C-JFlPAOPB_G3WZPDZTdHKcroXrpHTbDrr7ieV0sDXEYqWB41zgnStEdxZkbK-wi3vk7cN4JEd7zZ_x5y16H4xWAZpXkvam_nKu8inoc-io-PLrKygYtGcdWzmW2/s1600/tumblr_inline_ncz8clogN51ryl9gy.gif" /></a>Everyone:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTgLeAnWqN1NLyNajCL_OG0zZdcvNysO6nsJlXW5f6ygvJCxL9bXwzmEbcVZVwMzusUwKdc3Y70lDMvfHxLJ2Z9BKikcvm6Y-bu8o7VVcST972a5QNLf_B0FmANVC_91NmPFvxS988ySJ/s1600/realityis.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTgLeAnWqN1NLyNajCL_OG0zZdcvNysO6nsJlXW5f6ygvJCxL9bXwzmEbcVZVwMzusUwKdc3Y70lDMvfHxLJ2Z9BKikcvm6Y-bu8o7VVcST972a5QNLf_B0FmANVC_91NmPFvxS988ySJ/s1600/realityis.gif" /></a></b></div>
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As soon as I read the first word, I knew I wasn't going to be able to put it down and I was right. The way Holly Black wrote and the style she used couldn't have been more perfect for the type of story it was, It was thoroughly enchanting. Holly Black's writing is bewitching.<br />
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The <b>plot</b> was the perfect pace and kept me on my toes the entire time and I was able to follow it all without any horrible info dumping or anything because the <b>world building</b> was <i>flawless</i>.<br />
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There is nothing I can say to fully explain and sum up my complete obsession with both the<b><i> </i>characters</b> and the <b>concept</b>. Really just the whole book. Anyways, I didn't have any problems with any of the characters. Sure Hazel and Ben had kind of strange and absent parents, but that was part of their character and it was recognized that their family was kind of an anomaly so I was ok with it, and there were moments of involvement. Jack's parents played a surprisingly large role and it worked with everything else very nicely.<br />
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All of these <b>characters </b>were unique and a bit weird, but without being horribly quirky. Holly Black does an amazing job of making her characters some of the realist feeling that I've read.<i> </i>They all have this inexplicable tangibility. I don't want to say too much about Hazel or the <b>romances </b>because I want to talk about them in a later post. However, I will say that I <i>loved</i> Hazel's romance and will sing it high praises into eternity. Ben's on the other hand was abrupt and felt more logical and less real on an emotional level. It was like a lightning strike, there was a bit of thunder before but that was your only warning, there was no development, or gradual progression to it. So I couldn't ship it quite like I wanted to.<br />
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The <b>concept </b>was to <i>die </i>for! A true fairy tale like no other. It was a mix of so many classic elements, knights and fair folk, and all the superstitions that come with it all. It was a really interesting and fun blend that felt oddly natural and wonderfully fresh. <br />
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I also really enjoyed that she incorporated and addressed real and difficult <b>issues </b>that people face and are especially prominent in teen lives. There are mini existential crises, struggles to define who they are, mistakes, betrayals, and general struggling with a bit of learning how to be a human, and it is great. <br />
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<b>Last Thoughts: </b><br />
It's like I keep saying, it is indescribable, words don't do it justice. This book is bewitching and will probably eat your soul (in a good way, I promise). I just...I don't even know what to say. It took my breath away. It was love at first word. I give it the ultimate five out of five stars and my highest recommendation. Read it. Read it now. No regrets.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20958632-the-darkest-part-of-the-forest?ac=1" target="_blank">Goodreads </a>and <a href="https://www.libertybaybooks.com/aff/Reader_Writer_Critic/book/v/9780316213073">Liberty Bay Books</a>!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGH6lUUh9pMABsYaRHJ1P79cFjA2mCynZx6CsDRoRtCVz5Tt6mCdKXKlHVooWwGx_7i1p-StL2KXDN2rxE_aYLF_rg8oLnS5lPpAhjs99bQ65In-AG0n3rPMt8DTzqzPrD9o0shi-RJ52/s1600/Five+Stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizGH6lUUh9pMABsYaRHJ1P79cFjA2mCynZx6CsDRoRtCVz5Tt6mCdKXKlHVooWwGx_7i1p-StL2KXDN2rxE_aYLF_rg8oLnS5lPpAhjs99bQ65In-AG0n3rPMt8DTzqzPrD9o0shi-RJ52/s1600/Five+Stars.jpg" height="64" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>General Gif Consensus:</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpdobFgtig49x5dfOop2hzI-LzEZlDswTNAP5Ypc1doo5BnsBknFJypl8dwIsC43n3GGScDR-5vMOgJyWJWgX6aHBJZv7q4AMu6TCv50K-VNQFV-EZhMkGP07NUiVyddM5w5iZvfIGezH/s1600/neah.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpdobFgtig49x5dfOop2hzI-LzEZlDswTNAP5Ypc1doo5BnsBknFJypl8dwIsC43n3GGScDR-5vMOgJyWJWgX6aHBJZv7q4AMu6TCv50K-VNQFV-EZhMkGP07NUiVyddM5w5iZvfIGezH/s1600/neah.gif" /></a></div>
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Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-21614696354947906452014-12-08T00:00:00.000-08:002014-12-08T00:00:07.050-08:00A Second Week of Giving<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDb6pwORFa5iE2G0Tu_hyphenhyphenBrwqmvxh-J6JC43el9eKuYdMB4CUvlCoKiLie-pKx0iJxzw6EKbPADl86PNP9FBzO2Qqsf-2-Zs0x4bia1yjbhsq7BxBt_2QbyS28DM6ZtaxRm73vJ6DCal3p/s1600/amonthofgiving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDb6pwORFa5iE2G0Tu_hyphenhyphenBrwqmvxh-J6JC43el9eKuYdMB4CUvlCoKiLie-pKx0iJxzw6EKbPADl86PNP9FBzO2Qqsf-2-Zs0x4bia1yjbhsq7BxBt_2QbyS28DM6ZtaxRm73vJ6DCal3p/s1600/amonthofgiving.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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If you read the <a href="http://readerwritercritic.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-month-of-giving-week-one.html">post </a>last week, you already know how this all works, but here is a little reminder just incase!<br />
<br />
<b>So here's what you need to know:</b><br />
- I will be giving away two books a week every week in December.<br />
-The books being given away are lightly used and well taken care of ARCs, some of which have come out/been published already, while others have yet to be released/published.<br />
-The weekly giveaways only run for one week. So enter ASAP.<br />
-Said weekly giveaways are only open to US residents. (Yes, yes, international readers I hear you just hold on and keep reading.)<br />
- There will be special giveaway the week of the 21st.<br />
* This same week, there will be a giveaway (using the book depository) for INTERNATIONAL Readers only! (I'm finally doing it for you guys!)<br />
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<b>This week's prize..,</b></div>
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An ARC copy of <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20517739-far-from-you?from_search=true">Far From You</a> </i>by Tess Sharpe! This one already "came out" but I really enjoyed it and you can check out my review <a href="http://readerwritercritic.blogspot.com/2014/11/far-from-you.html">here</a>!</div>
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AND an ARC copy of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20821306-zodiac">Zodiac </a>by Romina Russell. I haven't gotten to write a review of it yet and I may never, but it was quite enjoyable! It "comes out" December 9th 2014!<br />
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<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script><br />
<br />
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="6982bb9b12" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6982bb9b12/" id="rcwidget_lf2vf7wy" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-8051488411521809932014-12-06T00:00:00.000-08:002014-12-07T19:39:30.906-08:00The Book that Broke Briana<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE42Ir7PbppOmk6_iem42U8A0_lETEIs0ECA4mv2EL8hvogEbf-pjjs1zgfUvgn6mGTm3LyiTI5AGHAZQGHg4LCBI3G7a35gkWXj_mhPsV25xzgWHgr68uQT9IJcK6gyJgWNJH6mBXyAkC/s1600/ensnared.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE42Ir7PbppOmk6_iem42U8A0_lETEIs0ECA4mv2EL8hvogEbf-pjjs1zgfUvgn6mGTm3LyiTI5AGHAZQGHg4LCBI3G7a35gkWXj_mhPsV25xzgWHgr68uQT9IJcK6gyJgWNJH6mBXyAkC/s1600/ensnared.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: large;">Ensnared </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(aka the book that broke Briana)</span></u></div>
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by A.G. Howard</h4>
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<b>Expected Publication Date: </b>January 6th 2015</div>
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<b>Source: </b><a href="http://www.libertybaybooks.com/">Liberty Bay Books</a></div>
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<b>Version: </b>Paper Back ARC</div>
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<b>Disclaimer: </b>I am trying to keep this general, but I wouldn't recommend reading this review at all if you haven't read at <i>least</i> the first book, <i>Splintered</i>. There are some details that may hint at certain outcomes or spoilers. Spoilers or large hints to spoilers are "gray-ed" out and you can highlight them to read at your own risk!<br />
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<b>Request: </b>If you do highlight and read the spoilers please do not discuss specifics in the comments or elsewhere because that would spoil it to those that chose not to read the spoilers, and wait for the book.</div>
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<i>After surviving a disastrous battle at prom, Alyssa has embraced her madness and gained perspective. She's determined to rescue her two worlds and the people and netherlings she loves. Even if it means challenging Queen Red to a final battle of wills and wiles . . . and even if the only way to Wonderland, now that the rabbit hole is closed, is through the looking-glass world--a parallel dimension filled with mutated and violent netherling outcasts. In the final installment of the wildly popular Splintered trilogy, Alyssa and her dad journey into the heart of magic and mayhem in search of her mom and to set right all that's gone wrong. Together with Jeb and Morpheus, they must salvage Wonderland from the decay and destruction that has ensnared it. But if they succeed and come out alive, can everyone truly have their happily ever after?</i></div>
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First off, I want to squeal and give a HUGE shout out to Liberty Bay Books for the ARC. (I died a little inside when I found it.) Also, A.G. Howard TWEETED ME BACK! It was so cool to have an author actually respond to tweets about their book! (I don't dislike it when authors do not do this because that is asking a lot, but I just thought it was cool that she took the time to reply to every single one!)<br />
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Let's kick it off with the one issue I had. The romance. You may remember from my <a href="http://readerwritercritic.blogspot.com/2014/08/unhinged.html">review </a>of <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17449197-unhinged?from_search=true">Unhinged </a></i>that I became hardcore team Morpheus during that book. So naturally I was rooting for him, but I did like Jeb for a while, so I didn't really feel like there was anyway I could be too horribly disappointed by the outcome of the triangle. I was mistaken. I hated how the triangle was resolved.(SPOILER) <span style="background-color: #666666;"><span style="color: #666666;">A choice never really had to be made, and</span> </span>personally I found the resolution a little weak and lack luster. I can't say more without spoiling it. Go read it then come back and we can discuss it.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">(SPOILER) </span><span style="background-color: #666666; color: #666666;">Also, everyone had such a happy ending.</span> Everything was just wrapped up in a little bow with no loose ends and that kind of frustrated me. Life doesn't happen like that so why do stories?<br />
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However, <i>Ensnared</i> maintained all the other things I loved from <i>Splintered</i>, and <i>Unhinged.</i> The characters were still their brilliant selves (well mostly *wink wink*), however I wished there had been a little bit more development evident as it was happening. Characters changed, and it was obvious at the end, and it was explicitly showed in a few moments along the way. I was impressed by the amount of character development that it had though.<br />
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The plot was still cool and on point. It kept me wanting more, although I may have liked the plot of the others, a <i>smidge </i>better.<br />
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Again, the writing and voice were super fun and really worked well with everything else.<br />
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<b>Last Thoughts: </b>Despite a few minor qualms, I devoured this book and it devoured me. It was super fun and I was entertained through every second of it. The concept of the entire series is stellar. Howard crafts a unique series like no other, with an ultimately satisfying ending. I have to give it four to four and one half stars out of five because the few problems I had with it were too large to ignore.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20702029-ensnared">Goodreads </a>and <a href="https://www.libertybaybooks.com/aff/Reader_Writer_Critic/book/v/9781419712296">Liberty Bay Books!</a><br />
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<b>General Gif Consensus: </b><br />
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Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-20397199715128251172014-12-01T00:00:00.000-08:002014-12-01T17:56:08.003-08:00A Month of Giving: Week One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am so immensely thankful for Liberty Bay Books. It has only been a bit over a year of working with them and still, it is already hard to remember what it was like before. They have made a huge difference in how I blog and because of their support I am able to do some really awesome things!<br />
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Suzanne came to me with yet another brilliant idea/offer. She suggested doing, "a month of giving" to give away more ARCs! Well you don't have to ask me twice! Of course I said yes! So now I'm here to kick it off. I am <i>beyond</i> thrilled to be able to share so many great books with you guys! I would not be able to do this without Liberty Bay Books, Suzanne, and all her amazing employees!<br />
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<b>So here's what you need to know:</b><br />
- I will be giving away two books a week every week in December.<br />
-The books being given away are <i>lightly</i> used and well taken care of ARCs, some of which have come out/been published already, while others have yet to be released/published.<br />
-The weekly giveaways only run for one week. So enter ASAP.<br />
-Said weekly giveaways are only open to US residents. (Yes, yes, international readers I hear you just hold on and keep reading.)<br />
- There will be special giveaway the week of the 21st.<br />
* This same week, there will be a giveaway (using the book depository) for INTERNATIONAL Readers only! (I'm finally doing it for you guys!)<br />
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<b>Week One: "Holly Black: New and Old"</b><br />
Again you only have 7 days to enter and you have to be a US resident.<br />
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This week's prize is two Holly Black ARCs...</div>
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12813630-the-coldest-girl-in-coldtown?from_search=true" target="_blank">The Coldest Girl in Coldtown </a></i>received a grand review and rating from me which you can see <a href="http://readerwritercritic.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-coldest-girl-in-cold-town.html" target="_blank">here</a>, but be warned it was from my earlier days and may be a bit wild. (This one has been "out" for a while.) </div>
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20958632-the-darkest-part-of-the-forest?from_search=true" target="_blank">The Darkest Part of the Forest</a></i> almost didn't make it into the giveaway pile because I loved it so much that I wanted to keep it forever and ever. That review is still to come because the book won't be "released" until January 13th 2015. </div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="6982bb9b11" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/6982bb9b11/" id="rcwidget_io7io0sr" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-64110377266292734562014-11-30T22:27:00.002-08:002015-01-27T19:13:23.988-08:00Throne of Glass<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Throne of Glass</u></span></div>
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by Sarah J. Maas</h4>
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<i>In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien. </i></div>
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<i>The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.</i><br />
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</i> I caved. I finally read <i>Throne of Glass.</i> I did it for you guys, and boy am I glad I did. I <i>devoured</i> this book. Sure it had some issues, but hey what book doesn't?<br />
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Let's talk about <b>Celaena. </b>She is one of those strong characters people either love or hate. She is a bit of an unreliable narrator and certainly has some big character flaws. She is self centered, and vain and lacks compassion, not to mention her arrogance. But for some reason I enjoyed her anyways, I think it was the hints of something better hidden beneath it all. I didn't find it weird when she was preening or noticing her outfits, or indulging because that really fit the established personality and it seemed logical because she had been deprived of: nice clothes, good food, and other nice things that we take for granted, for so long! Her sassy comments were quite humorous and as I said before her redeeming qualities offset all the flaws. Her loyalty and curiosity were admirable and her strength was astounding both physically and emotionally she was not all about her and she was not all bad, despite how it may have seemed.<br />
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Side note about <b>her back story</b>, I thought this was so well woven in! There wasn't a huge info dump, and it was parceled out throughout the story keeping some mystery in it too. Maas only gives you what you need to know for the story and nothing extra, fitting with Celaena's personality and making the story so much better to read.<br />
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For the most part, <i> </i>I was happy with the <b>plot</b>. I got pretty caught up in it. There were small lumps of info upon occasion and little lulls, but as a whole I really, really enjoyed it.<br />
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I was pretty darn happy with the <b>writing </b>too. It was a bit repetitive when it came to things like descriptions, but other than that I wasn't really upset with any of it.<br />
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Honestly though, I was so caught up in the <b>concept</b> and the other characters that I wasn't paying too much attention to the technical stuff. I should be upset with myself for not paying closer attention or I should assume there were things I didn't see, but really, it gets <i>more</i> points in my book if it was so good that I didn't even notice!<br />
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<b>Last Thoughts: </b>This review is so late that I don't have much left to say about it other than that I <i>really</i> loved it! It was super entertaining and I can't wait to continue the series and see what happens! I give it five out of five stars.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7896527-throne-of-glass?from_search=true">Goodreads </a>and <a href="https://www.libertybaybooks.com/aff/Reader_Writer_Critic/book/v/9781599906959">Liberty Bay Books!</a><br />
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<b>General Gif Consensus: </b></div>
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Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-88100255310124574512014-11-20T05:30:00.000-08:002014-11-20T05:30:03.306-08:00Far From You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Far From You</u></span></div>
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by Tess Sharpe</h4>
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<b>Source: </b><a href="http://www.libertybaybooks.com/">Liberty Bay Books</a></div>
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<b>Format: </b>Physical ARC</div>
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<i>Nine months. Two weeks. Six days.</i></div>
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<i>That's how long recovering addict Sophie's been drug-free. Four months ago her best friend, Mina, died in what everyone believes was a drug deal gone wrong - a deal they think Sophie set up. Only Sophie knows the truth. She and Mina shared a secret, but there was no drug deal. Mina was deliberately murdered.</i></div>
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<i>Forced into rehab for an addiction she'd already beaten, Sophie's finally out and on the trail of the killer - but can she track them down before they come for her?</i></div>
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I wasn't sure if I'd like this one when I started out. Infact, I wasn't sure if I even wanted to pick it up, but I fell in love within the first pages. Every second I spent reading it was well worth it.</div>
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This is one of those raw books that just tears at you inside as it progressive. It was so real and emotional, with intense mystery. It was amazing and the <b>plot</b> was masterfully spun. I was reeling with every turn and it was perfectly paced. I had my suspicions, but I was still surprised when all the pieces fell together at the end. The end was just as intense as the beginning and every second in between, it was utterly satisfying. </div>
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Sharpe kept the <b>writing </b>perfectly simple, letting the story speak for itself rather than overwhelm it with fancy words. There was detail where it was needed and tasteful, but really Sharpe let the emotions shine through, and the story take over, and it was brilliant.<br />
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<b>Characters.</b> Ah Sophie. Sophie is possibly my favorite flawed character ever. She has so much going on and there are so many reasons she should be a totally unreliable character and far too flawed to be a good balanced character, but it didn't come out that way. I loved every single part of her, and especially her flaws. She was stunning and amazingly real. She also <b>developed </b>beautifully, the pace of the development was really great, and the progression/development ran so deep<br />
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All the other characters were brilliant even in their pain, misfortune, and fear. I feel like Sharpe really realized that if she was going to write such a dark story with so many negatives and flaws, then there needed to be some bright spots to help readers get through it and she did a great job of bringing those out and balancing the dark and the light. One of the ways she did it was through supporting characters, Sophie's friend and Aunt were so fun and positive and even though I didn't get to know them very well, or for very long, but it seemed I knew them the instant they were introduced, and they were spectacularly loveable, and surprisingly prominent for their roles.<br />
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Sophie's parents were actually involved and it was so cool to be able to see both sides of parent child conflict. Her dad was the sweetest thing and their relationship was so touching. Then you have Sophie's mom where the emotions are even more complicated, but still realistic and raw and just really added another dimension to the tale.<br />
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<b>Last Thoughts: </b>Overall, I ended up completely enamoured by this book, so much so that I couldn't see flaws. it is a truly heart wrenching, yet surprisingly empowering read that is sure to fascinate and ensnare. It will have readers holding their breath until the last page.<br />
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Note: This book deals with multiple powerful and tough issues and I would recommend that only readers that are about Sophomore age (or possibly Freshmen, depending on maturity) and up read it.<br />
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Although, my love for this one runs deep, I feel that four out of five stars or four and a half stars out of five is an apt rating.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20517739-far-from-you?from_search=true">Goodreads </a>and <a href="https://www.libertybaybooks.com/aff/Reader_Writer_Critic/book/v/9781423184621">Liberty Bay Books!</a><br />
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</b> <b>General Gif. Consensus: </b><br />
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Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-71972288494917661822014-11-19T20:22:00.000-08:002014-11-19T20:22:28.329-08:00Now That You're Here<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Now That You're Here</u></span><br />
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by Amy K. Nichols</h4>
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<b>Expected Publication Date: </b>December 9th, 2014</div>
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<b>Source: </b><a href="http://www.libertybaybooks.com/">Liberty Bay Books</a></div>
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<b>Form: </b>Physical ARC</div>
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<i>In a parallel universe, the classic bad boy falls for the class science geek.</i></div>
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<i>One minute Danny was running from the cops, and the next, he jolted awake in an unfamiliar body--his own, but different. Somehow, he's crossed into a parallel universe. Now his friends are his enemies, his parents are long dead, and studious Eevee is not the mysterious femme fatale he once kissed back home. Then again, this Eevee--a girl who'd rather land an internship at NASA than a date to the prom--may be his only hope of getting home.</i></div>
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<i>Eevee tells herself she's only helping him in the name of quantum physics, but there's something undeniably fascinating about this boy from another dimension . . . a boy who makes her question who she is, and who she might be in another place and time.</i></div>
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I am not hugely into sci-fi, but this one was great and sure to please both sci-fi followers, and romance lovers alike. It bridges the to genre's beautifully. There were a <i>few</i> times there was a bit too much math and science that was quite a bit over my head, but thankfully I didn't need to have a firm grasp on every math and science-y thing in the book, and when I did, it was broken down enough that even I could follow it. </div>
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The <b>concept </b>with parallel universes was super cool, and something I hadn't really read before. Nichols did an amazing job and really embraced to concept. I felt like the sci-fi spin really took the romance to the next level as well. As I said above, the two elements were blended <i>seamlessly</i>.</div>
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The <b>plot </b>was done pretty darn well, it was a little slow at moments, but never painfully so. Sadly the ending didn't quite live up to my hopes and I felt like a lot happened kind of all of the sudden in the last little section. However, it kept me on my toes, and made me hunger for more, so in my opinion, mission accomplished. </div>
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The <b>writing </b>was good, but honestly, I was so into the story, I didn't look too closely at it. </div>
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I loved all of the <b>characters</b> they were so different. The parent situation, was strange, and her parents were even stranger, but I kind of loved the strangeness of it. Parallel universe Danny, Eevee and their friends were pretty quirky, but oh so sweet. Danny melted my heart, and honestly I didn't see him as a classic bad boy at all. Eevee was someone I could relate too, even though we are like two different halves of a brain. She was just as sweet as Danny, a bit quiet and awkward at times, but above all, a typical teenage geek. Her relationship with her parents was prominent and they were very involved, despite the highly atypical parental situation. (You'll see what I mean by that, when you read the book. ;)) </div>
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<b>Last Thought:</b> This book swept me off my feet. It was intense, interesting, mysterious, and utterly sweet. Like nothing I've ever read, <i>Now That You're Here</i> took my by surprise, and left my dying to read the next book. I give it a strong four and one half stars out of five, and recommend it to lovers or sci-fi, romance, and anything inbetween. This is one read you won't regret.</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18309634-now-that-you-re-here?from_search=true">Goodreads </a>and <a href="https://www.libertybaybooks.com/aff/Reader_Writer_Critic/book/v/9780385753890">Liberty Bay Books!</a><br />
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<b>General Gif. Consensus: </b></div>
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Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-67787597843989059802014-11-03T17:20:00.000-08:002014-11-03T17:20:23.939-08:00Short and Sweet Reviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have a review list a mile long (aka 10 books and growing) and while I'm dying to give them all a fill review and spill all my thoughts to you guys, I will burnout if I try to do that much, so I am going to do a few of them as Short and Sweet reviews. </div>
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Many thanks to <a href="http://www.libertybaybooks.com/">Liberty Bay Books </a>for the ARC copies of these books. </div>
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<u><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16238648-forevermore?from_search=true">Forevermore</a></u></div>
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<b>by Cindy Miles</b><br />
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So it was kind of cheesy and a little bit predictable at times, but it was still good! It was fun and a quick read. Everything about it was super cute and surprisingly creepy. It felt a little bit like it would have been a better fit for someone a bit younger (11 or 12ish?), but I still had a blast reading it and I really liked the characters.<br />
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2.5 or 3 out of 5 stars<br />
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<u><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12483970-dark-metropolis?from_search=true">Dark Metropolis</a></u></div>
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<b>by Jaclyn Dolamore</b></div>
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This one took a sharp turn into crazy town, but I still loved it. I was not prepared for where it went and I didn't really know what it was going to be like so it was a bit shocking and the concept is really weird. It is still a very cute story with strong themes and pretty fun characters. I had quite a few minor issues with it, but they weren't things that stuck or bothered me when I was reading, so I didn't feel like they really mattered. </div>
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2.5 or 3 out of 5 stars.</div>
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<u><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17285326-suspicion?ac=1">Suspicion</a></u></div>
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<b>by Alexandra Monir</b></div>
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Expected Publication: December 9th 2014</div>
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I haven't read <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17899948.Rebecca">Rebecca</a> which this is supposedly based off of, so I don't have much to say on that front. I never really, really, connected with any of the characters and the plot was a bit wild and unwieldy at times, but it was really entertaining and intriguing. It was something unlike what I've read before with different mythology. There were almost two different plots going, the paranormal one and the regular life one, so that made it really interesting and thankfully I was never confused. </div>
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3 stars out of 5.</div>
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Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-6363904641538663672014-11-03T16:50:00.000-08:002014-11-03T17:23:09.095-08:00The Girl From The Well<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>The Girl From The Well</u></span></div>
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by Rin Chupeco</h4>
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<i>You may think me biased, being murdered myself. But my state of being has nothing to do with the curiosity toward my own species, if we can be called such. We do not go gentle, as your poet encourages, into that good night. </i></div>
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<i>A dead girl walks the streets.</i></div>
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<i>She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago.</i></div>
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<i>And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.</i></div>
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<i>Because the boy has a terrifying secret - one that would just kill to get out. </i></div>
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I really, <i>really </i> love horror type books. I haven't read many, but I must say every one of the ones I've tried has been totally worth it. <i>The Girl From The Well</i> was no exception, and worth every penny.<br />
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I thought it was going to be ALL about Okiku. Thankfully it wasn't. It was also largely Tark's story. I honestly don't think it would have worked as well if it had been all about Okiku 24/7. There was a good balance that really helped take the book to the next level.<br />
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I loved every. Single. <b>Character</b>. Ok, that's not entirely true, I wasn't a huge fan of Tark's <b>dad</b>. He wasn't really there, he cared, but it didn't really seem like he did. His actions felt conflicted. (I also wasn't a fan of the lack of parents all around.)<br />
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<b>Tark </b>was adorable. I felt for him. I didn't feel super-duper connected to him or anything, but I really did sympathize with him and I really enjoyed him.<br />
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<b>Okiku </b>was definitely my favorite, but I feel like that was because I got to know her best out of all of them. I loved how she was used as an unreliable narrator and the way she is so conflicted. Her struggle is so beautiful and she just makes you feel all the feels.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqc8EOEZWKmv-1BhISLZhyphenhypheneD-iJGRGYW8vtBleMkfM3Y1AROWaZe4LZ2mnNfCh_yzfhYSz2GmpCubwUbcO5wsGW_7JXTJ8xTfiBXB2XvNKxOmOw8X_824u3A5N0bpyi5u0VE4zzJxgRYW/s1600/feeling.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqc8EOEZWKmv-1BhISLZhyphenhypheneD-iJGRGYW8vtBleMkfM3Y1AROWaZe4LZ2mnNfCh_yzfhYSz2GmpCubwUbcO5wsGW_7JXTJ8xTfiBXB2XvNKxOmOw8X_824u3A5N0bpyi5u0VE4zzJxgRYW/s1600/feeling.gif" height="166" width="320" /></a></div>
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</b> <b>Callie</b> was a really cool character she was kind, strong, and independent, and really a great role model. However, she wasn't setting standards insanely high. She was very normal and expressed human emotions and reactions to the situation like not trusting the creepy, murdering, ghost girl. Common sense folks, this girl had it. After a while I was kind of annoyed with her distrust though. <span style="background-color: #666666;">Okiku had already proved she was trying to do the right thing. She'd always come through for Tark and Callie and their loved ones, she was helping souls, and the only people she hurt kind of deserved it. Yet Callie still won't trust or believe that Okiku won't do something crazy like posess them or murder her and Tark in their sleep. I get that she does some bad stuff but by the end we've pretty much established that she won't ever hurt them.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> However, that may just be because I am biased and love Okiku. I do <i>understand</i> Callie's distrust, I just was pretty much over it by the end, and I wanted her to be over it too. </span><br />
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<b><br />
</b> <b>Miscellaneous things I loved:</b><br />
<b><br />
</b> <b>-Plot. </b>It was very suspenseful and mysterious. This one is a page turner. It was a bit heavy, but I still wanted to devour it.<br />
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-<b>Revealing.</b> The mystery was unparalleled. Chupeco did <i>such</i> an amazing job of dropping little hints and giving just enough information that it wasn't confusing, but you still didn't really know the whole picture. She didn't reveal it all so slowly that it was painful, and it never all came out in a big section of word vomit and info dumping.<br />
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-<b>Writing/Style. </b>The feeling of the writing and just everything about it from the perspective to the style was cool and creepy and intense. Not many books are written like this one let alone achieve that same chilling and suspenseful feel.<br />
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<b>One last issue:</b><br />
<br />
-<b>The ending.</b> I was so ready for a killer ending. I wanted it to be resolved but I wanted my heart to still be racing by the end. I wanted to be holding my breath and to have my heart twisted. None of that happened. It was resolved, but maybe a little too much so. It was like everyone, or almost everyone rode off into the Disney sunset and all was right with the world again. It wasn't a bad ending, I just wanted it to be a bit more gritty, and more bittersweet after all I went through to get there. There was such build up then it just ended.<br />
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<b>Last Thoughts:</b> This book may or may not have claimed my soul. It was one of the creepiest and most successfully suspenseful and mysterious books I've read. Tastefully freaky, it will get under your skin and once it does, there is no stopping until you've read every word.<br />
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Four and a half or five stars, I can't decide. Either way it receives my highest recommendation and my utmost devotion. ;)<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18509623-the-girl-from-the-well?from_search=true">Goodreads </a>and <a href="https://www.libertybaybooks.com/aff/Reader_Writer_Critic/book/v/9781402292187">Liberty Bay Books.</a><br />
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<b>Gif. Consensus: </b><br />
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Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-16438389202121708412014-11-02T20:38:00.000-08:002014-11-02T20:41:45.062-08:00Sunday Swoons<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttNF2Q9mudJIn2GyBHId7MG9mlqihMKoYrKu9rW4kAGfrx579O-6wrm24CLvnynSQRhPZVI0r6LFS6r_rLCzNRNiL2KAFfocceJcHp5TPTWR-aBFXD8o1veRetW01nCEM9w7hXSJoBS1j/s1600/SundaySwoonsNew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttNF2Q9mudJIn2GyBHId7MG9mlqihMKoYrKu9rW4kAGfrx579O-6wrm24CLvnynSQRhPZVI0r6LFS6r_rLCzNRNiL2KAFfocceJcHp5TPTWR-aBFXD8o1veRetW01nCEM9w7hXSJoBS1j/s1600/SundaySwoonsNew.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Skylar Finn!</td></tr>
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<div>
If you don't know what Sunday Swoons is, it's a weekly feature where Skylar @ Life of a Random and I (and anyone who links up) chat about all things swoon worthy every spectacular Sunday!</div>
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<div>
<b>Rules:</b></div>
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1. You're welcome to use the button Skylar designed as long as you cite her as the source/give her all the loving credit she deserves!</div>
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2. You can post in whatever style you would like: list, discussion, etc. as long as what you are talking about goes with the topic for the week.</div>
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3. You either must follow the topic given OR you can do a post on the opposite of the topic we give. (Example: Our topic-- Top 5 Favorite Couples, Your topic-- Top 5 Least Favorite Couples.)</div>
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4. Your posts don't have to have anything to do with books you are reading right now. If you reference specific books, they can be past or older reads. (It's nice if you put in the Goodreads link to the book, or another site that will take readers to the book's synopsis, cover, and other information.)</div>
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5. Please remember to link back to us in your post, giving us credit for the feature! Also, you can add your link to the link-up tool at either of our posts ( it may only work on mine the first time because we are still working that part out.).</div>
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<b>This week's topic is: </b>Creepy Couples</div>
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I'm keeping it short today and just listing my favorite couples from creepy, horror, thriller, and ghostly books. </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12507214-girl-of-nightmares?from_search=true" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGWndPh8q5gzNXvuUD0UJb-GPGve0ldPVuXJe4mbz5vsBa9vnfTQfLa5bD0CoXiYabl4P4dwmklmwjjF4iZpcfqVS4qdgOqe3IkE7fuHdEgVa8CtOjTqXh6OJ4cejF0aM9qfmrmP4NUP3/s1600/girlofnightmares.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Anna and Cas</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span> They have to be my all time favorite (not like I've read that many in this genre that involve romance...) "creepy couple." Their romance is just so unique and heartbreaking and just adorable. Of course it's a bit creepy too but they are both so strange and creepy that it works together!<br />
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I loved them just as much, In book one as in book two!<br />
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I feel like there were times when they both felt like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxrQlNn_JxN1NLLlu0t_7_dE13e_8E-RHruheAGvMr7UjyVotVc8agl9R_TPUrbw0KFpicOPKd9tOejgI3jToMsG6Wq_4iE8V3lcMWwxUocXEMIsYlSjzoHrTIAaM3kvZWh0DFjfMKU59/s1600/anna.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxrQlNn_JxN1NLLlu0t_7_dE13e_8E-RHruheAGvMr7UjyVotVc8agl9R_TPUrbw0KFpicOPKd9tOejgI3jToMsG6Wq_4iE8V3lcMWwxUocXEMIsYlSjzoHrTIAaM3kvZWh0DFjfMKU59/s1600/anna.gif" height="200" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12930909-between-the-devil-and-the-deep-blue-sea?from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmNjNutoBSlg7T7nK-IdlnG06xXnaH3Z8k7j9yaaWrV5uzxAuCmIo6m53fiZ0mbIof_HuM5dNNcwYbXWgOowKV5ZE9k_3taQzalctq4mXln-Ucp48iYTKi8rdWBTwO5y9gDrPKzVjt_QI/s1600/betweenthedevilandthedeepbluesea.jpg" height="320" width="215" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Violet and River</b></span><br />
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Ahhh Violet and River! There are no words for how much I love this book, Violet, River and their romance. It could very well rival Anna and Cas. They are so tastefully quirky and sweet. I've never read a romance quite like theirs. I loved every min. of it!<br />
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The romance of the second book was pretty painful for me (and the last part of BtDatDBS) but I was still happy with the book overall and everything else about it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkLVuBTI4cW38vhGoiQ7pMtsajIdXHkEMiM-aAC8-hMUGHrGS5M1GjfVU0RXmLxHqBI3hDPFXMz94fQ9KvtjmsWflaGIUm7wrIZtzorwr4Swbv5jd5izl3qwXCpIBuiCHuX1u6AnM5mUa/s1600/findback.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkLVuBTI4cW38vhGoiQ7pMtsajIdXHkEMiM-aAC8-hMUGHrGS5M1GjfVU0RXmLxHqBI3hDPFXMz94fQ9KvtjmsWflaGIUm7wrIZtzorwr4Swbv5jd5izl3qwXCpIBuiCHuX1u6AnM5mUa/s1600/findback.gif" height="160" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18404448-oblivion?from_search=true" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqiLKHdOxOyxEKwFB4CMuvovM7Nxp1Di5Nw6NWCKKi89R9M1yFaHd6N3XplusjJKeneexniRD28hvKLhS4pc_Q-ssw0A2eBLl0D8E-DLbfuD_Pze1k3-x5i4ZRkZJQocc8egn0ucW9qgW/s1600/oblivion.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Callie and That one Kid</b></span><br />
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</b></span> I didn't like Callie and Oh-golly-gee-I-don't-remember-his-name as much as Viole/River and Anna/Cas, but the love triangle was handled pretty darn well. Also, they were a cute couple. They supported each other and were really there for eachother when it counted.<br />
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(By the way I am talking about the second guy introduced, the one from her school. The one that was kinda preppy, not sketchy.)<br />
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<br />Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-49179469782608661652014-10-20T21:32:00.001-07:002014-11-02T18:38:45.836-08:00Sunday Swoons<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAPL1UYmsU1oJQi-c6E5Ke8sefz5snBDOKh3WBcyhrHjv4DE2ARd-W-AZp6rWTQnPIwvLUtwkVtZ05L2QpJOeQvGFebJr5Wh8YYVAn5wG4zgI8pUKlVhdhzaA8KXzyN1tlk8oQnk3mnoa/s1600/sundayswoons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxAPL1UYmsU1oJQi-c6E5Ke8sefz5snBDOKh3WBcyhrHjv4DE2ARd-W-AZp6rWTQnPIwvLUtwkVtZ05L2QpJOeQvGFebJr5Wh8YYVAn5wG4zgI8pUKlVhdhzaA8KXzyN1tlk8oQnk3mnoa/s1600/sundayswoons.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Skylar!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
If you don't know what Sunday Swoons is, it's a weekly feature where Skylar @<a href="http://randomofalife.blogspot.com/"> Life of a Random </a>and I (and anyone who links up) chat about all things swoon worthy every spectacular Sunday!<br />
<br />
Rules:<br />
1. You're welcome to use the button Skylar designed as long as you cite her as the source/give her all the loving credit she deserves!<br />
<br />
2. You can post in whatever style you would like: list, discussion, etc. as long as what you are talking about goes with the topic for the week.<br />
<br />
3. You either must follow the topic given OR you can do a post on the opposite of the topic we give. (Example: Our topic-- Top 5 Favorite Couples, Your topic-- Top 5 Least Favorite Couples.)<br />
<br />
4. Your posts don't have to have anything to do with books you are reading right now. If you reference specific books, they can be past or older reads. (It's nice if you put in the Goodreads link to the book, or another site that will take readers to the book's synopsis, cover, and other information.)<br />
<br />
5. Please remember to link back to us in your post, giving us credit for the feature! Also, you can add your link to the link-up tool at either of our posts ( it may only work on mine the first time because we are still working that part out.).<br />
<br />
<b>This week's topic is: </b>The Everybody Loves Me Syndrome<br />
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You'd think I was going to talk about love triangles with a topic name like that right? Well I'm going to be funky and tackle this one from a different angle. I've mentioned this before in previous Sunday Swoons posts but it is something that has always really bothered me so here we are talking about it again.<br />
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I'm talking about that classic best friend (typically a girl) that both <i>goes </i>for all the guys, and <i>gets </i>all the guys (or girls, I said guys because I have seen it most frequently with a girl friend hunting guys). They are fabulous and they know it, They flaunt it, they own it, they work it.<br />
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That's all fine and good. I think it is GREAT that they have that confidence! However, sometimes it goes to their head a bit and they get cocky. The worst thing is when they decide that it is impossible for someone to not be interested in them let alone interested in someone else or their best friend. </div>
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<b><i>How do you guys feel about these confident besties? Are some of them too full of it? Does their ego get in the way sometimes? What characters have you recently read that sound like this? Do you write characters like this?</i></b></div>
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Next week's topic: HELP! We need you guys to help us come up with some ideas! Pretty please with a cherry on top?</div>
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-70142887581541887172014-10-16T20:51:00.000-07:002014-10-16T20:51:43.234-07:00The Sound of Letting Go<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>The Sound of Letting Go</u></span><br />
<h4>
by Stasia Ward Kehoe</h4>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">For sixteen years, Daisy has been good. A good daughter, helping out with her autistic younger brother uncomplainingly. A good friend, even when her best friend makes her feel like a third wheel. When her parents announce they’re sending her brother to an institution—without consulting her—Daisy’s furious, and decides the best way to be a good sister is to start being bad. She quits jazz band and orchestra, slacks in school, and falls for bad-boy Dave. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">But one person won’t let Daisy forget who she used to be: Irish exchange student and brilliant musician Cal. Does she want the bad boy or the prodigy? Should she side with her parents or protect her brother? How can she know when to hold on and when—and how—to let go?</span></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I don't typically pick up books like this, but Suzanne and <a href="http://www.libertybaybooks.com/">Liberty Bay Books</a> asked me to read it and gave it their highest recommendations. Also, the author is semi-local and I don't read many books by local authors. It's not like I avoid them, I just don't come into contact with them very much and when I do I don't typically notice because I don't really read author bios or look to see where authors are from. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><b>The synopsis</b> makes it sound like the book is romance with a little struggle on the side. Really, the book is nothing like the synopsis makes it sound. It is a mixture of struggle, rebellion, romance, family, and all the other things the synopsis brings to mind. It is a perfect mixture. Kehoe did an AMAZING job of balancing all the different factors so that none of the pieces overrode or overpowered the other pieces. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">It was </span><b style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">written in prose</b><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">. I know this is a bit controversial for people. Some people hate it, some people love it. I feel fairly neutrally about it. I don't dislike it when it is done well, but I'm not like going out of my way to find and read books in prose. I like that it goes quickly, and the way that Kehoe wrote it, it was light, yet heavy with emotion at the same time. It was utterly perfect for this story and simply decadent. For the first few chapters it felt a little...odd to read. It felt like reading poetry, but then after the first ten chapters or so, I realized that it didn't feel that way anymore it just felt like reading. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><b style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Daisy </b><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">was lovely. She didn't know exactly who she was yet, her interests weren't set in stone, she had identity crises and tried different styles and things, exactly like every normal teenager. She was quite possibly the most realistic, normal and most understandable/relateable character's I've read in a <i>long</i> time. m</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><b>Cal</b> was not a huge part of the story. The second paragraph of the synopsis makes it sound like he is part of this intense love triangle and that he changes the course of the story and that we get to know him super well. All of that couldn't be farther from the truth. He doesn't come up a lot <i>a lot, </i>I mean he matters sure, but we don't see a whole lot of him or really get to know him. There isn't really a love triangle either, I mean Daisy has thoughts about Cal, but there isn't much of a contest. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><b style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Dave and Daisy</b><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">. I wanted to ship this so SO bad. Childhood friends reunited, childish love rekindled! However it didn't feel like love. It kind of felt like Daisy was using him and he was </span><i style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">maybe</i><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> using her a </span><i style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">tiny tiny</i><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> bit, but not really and it felt like a lot more lust than love. Which I get that some relationships are like that and all that jazz, but when their relationship was supposed to be more real, lovey and serious, I struggled to believe it because there was nothing before that to indicate they really felt that way at all. It was not my favorite, I don't know. I got it but I didn't <i>love </i>it. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><b>The story line and plot</b> was really nice. The pacing was good and all of that was well done. It was raw, poignant, and something that every teen can relate to despite the extreme and rare circumstances. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> <b>Last thoughts:</b> Overall it was b-e-a-utiful and I would highly, highly recommend it. Even if this isn't usually what you enjoy reading, I encourage you to give it a try. I had a few minor issues with it so I'm giving it a four our of five stars. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17987215-the-sound-of-letting-go">Goodreads </a>and <a href="http://www.libertybaybooks.com/">Liberty Bay Books. </a></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">General Gif Consensus: </span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5XBt_VogQzXXg_NH4e4qZT7qIk2qowPcUeobdviFycoHI37pXfV0wXZ3eY2Ib25vfg32aa-4c29ZM2z-Z5mV3P04i7fk1a7FIIfTcqZfeyHQAUuE1Tr7kPOBfWthwoN9heFnMdRqmPna/s1600/I-acknowledge-your-pain1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5XBt_VogQzXXg_NH4e4qZT7qIk2qowPcUeobdviFycoHI37pXfV0wXZ3eY2Ib25vfg32aa-4c29ZM2z-Z5mV3P04i7fk1a7FIIfTcqZfeyHQAUuE1Tr7kPOBfWthwoN9heFnMdRqmPna/s1600/I-acknowledge-your-pain1.gif" height="179" width="320" /></a></b></span></span></div>
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Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-90759716582228221472014-10-12T20:50:00.000-07:002014-10-13T07:45:53.491-07:00Sunday Swoons <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttNF2Q9mudJIn2GyBHId7MG9mlqihMKoYrKu9rW4kAGfrx579O-6wrm24CLvnynSQRhPZVI0r6LFS6r_rLCzNRNiL2KAFfocceJcHp5TPTWR-aBFXD8o1veRetW01nCEM9w7hXSJoBS1j/s1600/SundaySwoonsNew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttNF2Q9mudJIn2GyBHId7MG9mlqihMKoYrKu9rW4kAGfrx579O-6wrm24CLvnynSQRhPZVI0r6LFS6r_rLCzNRNiL2KAFfocceJcHp5TPTWR-aBFXD8o1veRetW01nCEM9w7hXSJoBS1j/s1600/SundaySwoonsNew.jpg" height="211" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Skylar Finn</td></tr>
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If you don't know what Sunday Swoons is, it's a weekly feature where Skylar @ <a href="http://randomofalife.blogspot.com/">Life of a Random</a> and I (and anyone who links up) chat about all things swoon worthy every spectacular Sunday!<br>
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Rules:<br>
1. You're welcome to use the button Skylar designed as long as you cite her as the source/give her all the loving credit she deserves!<br>
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2. You can post in whatever style you would like: list, discussion, etc. as long as what you are talking about goes with the topic for the week.<br>
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3. You either must follow the topic given OR you can do a post on the opposite of the topic we give. (Example: Our topic-- Top 5 Favorite Couples, Your topic-- Top 5 Least Favorite Couples.)<br>
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4. Your posts don't have to have anything to do with books you are reading right now. If you reference specific books, they can be past or older reads. (It's nice if you put in the Goodreads link to the book, or another site that will take readers to the book's synopsis, cover, and other information.)<br>
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5. Please remember to link back to us in your post, giving us credit for the feature! Also, you can add your link to the link-up tool at either of our posts ( it may only work on mine the first time because we are still working that part out.).<br>
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<b>This week's topic is:</b> Romantic Writings! (AKA let's chat about all the relationships we've written!)<br>
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I am going to talk about/ list all the different types of relationships I have written and which one I am the happiest with. Brace yourselves. As you all know by now, I have written A LOT but never finished or stuck with anything for any long period of time. As mentioned in <a href="http://readerwritercritic.blogspot.com/2014/09/figments-friday-throwback-addition.html">this </a>throwback Figments Friday post, I have started to write <i>roughly </i>18 pieces (now about 19-20 at the least) I won't talk for ever and a day about all of them, and some might not even be mentioned so don't worry that this post will go on for all eternity.<br>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Un-named and Inspired by Sinister Kid by the Black Keys: </span></div>
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<b>The situation:</b> Popular and typical teen girl falls for a "bad" guy who is really not so bad and sticks with and truly falls for him when the whole town decides he murdered someone.</div>
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<b>My thoughts (now):</b> What was I thinking? Can you say cookie cutter? Stereotypes!?! No. Although I did write a really great party scene to set it all up....</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Daemon Blood: </span><br>
<b>The situation:</b> Daemon hunter/nephilim boy is supposed to kill a girl that is part daemon but then decides not to because she doesn't seem to know about daemons and they fall in love. Immediately.<br>
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<b>My thoughts (now):</b> Again, what the heck did you think you were doing Briana? INSTA-LOVE REALLY?! Not just any insta-love, one with a cheesy over done background and one that couldn't have happened more instantaneously if you'd tried?!<br>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Island Killer: </span><br>
<b>The situation: </b>A boy moves to a small island and a local girl is forced to show him around. She doesn't really like him. It's nothing personal, she just doesn't really do the whole people and social interaction thing. But hey feelings change sometimes? <br>
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<b>My thoughts (now): </b>I tried not to give away the entire plot because I am actually really happy with this one right now and plan on continuing it. I love the book and their relationship right now. I want it to be reasonably paced, realistic and awkward, but I am worried that I am getting so excited about it that I am making it happen a bit too fast. Hopefully I will finish and then I can just go back and fix the pacing of their relationship. Wish me luck.<br>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Working Title of Dreams of Death:</span><br>
<b>The situation:</b> A girl has lots of nightmares. Her family takes in this boy who just got orphaned because her parents were good friends of his. He finds out about her nightmares because he hears her crying out from down the hall,<strike> comforts </strike>wakes her up (even thought she'd like to push him off a cliff and he feels similarly. So he really does it mostly just to get her to shut up.) and eventually they happen to always have to be there for each other and love blooms.<br>
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<b>My thoughts (now): </b>I don't have much to say because I only wrote like one page. (Surprise, surprise!) However, I feel like although the full plot was really weird, and that their relationship was slightly cliche, it would have been better than the first one mentioned, <i>Daemon</i> <i>Blood,</i> and 98% of all the other things I have written.<br>
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<span style="font-size: large;">WIP 2 (current):</span><br>
<b>The situation: </b>A girl is in a very dark place after loosing her best friend to suicide and begins to find her way back to normal with the help of a boy. (NOTE: he doesn't save her! He opens her eyes and supports her as she saves herself!)<br>
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<b>My thoughts (now): </b>I am starting all over on this one so we'll so where it goes (if anywhere) I liked him and I liked their relationship, it is just that the rest of the story was all wrong.<br>
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<b>Next week's topic: Everyone Loves Me Syndrome </b><br>
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-35048159665725746292014-10-05T22:16:00.001-07:002014-10-05T22:16:37.679-07:00Winners are Announced!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9Ay9WciRooxB1eOwoFD-tWQQv-j2fhwMg5BBkh9qbuQXmjYAWV_C3heaN32k2xcqZ_Bx8RkasdQtvUba1UbRT0tzLiiRGKHgn0zTKAMhN8uvhgS1E7NoKUniXhK-tQqyGmBGUSPsjynX/s1600/lovestacks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9Ay9WciRooxB1eOwoFD-tWQQv-j2fhwMg5BBkh9qbuQXmjYAWV_C3heaN32k2xcqZ_Bx8RkasdQtvUba1UbRT0tzLiiRGKHgn0zTKAMhN8uvhgS1E7NoKUniXhK-tQqyGmBGUSPsjynX/s1600/lovestacks.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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First off, I want to thank everyone who entered for entering and another huge thank you thank you to <a href="http://www.libertybaybooks.com/">Liberty Bay Books </a> for supplying the books! Now here are the winners!</div>
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<b>Stack of Adventures:</b></div>
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Alisha S.</div>
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<b>Guilty Pleasures Stack:</b></div>
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Kara M. </div>
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If I do not hear back from the winners within 48 hours I will pick new winners. Thanks for participating! The next love stacks Giveaway will hopefully be next month but may not be until the month after that.Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-85624022319516183382014-10-05T21:55:00.000-07:002014-10-05T21:55:11.665-07:00Sunday Swoons!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttNF2Q9mudJIn2GyBHId7MG9mlqihMKoYrKu9rW4kAGfrx579O-6wrm24CLvnynSQRhPZVI0r6LFS6r_rLCzNRNiL2KAFfocceJcHp5TPTWR-aBFXD8o1veRetW01nCEM9w7hXSJoBS1j/s1600/SundaySwoonsNew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttNF2Q9mudJIn2GyBHId7MG9mlqihMKoYrKu9rW4kAGfrx579O-6wrm24CLvnynSQRhPZVI0r6LFS6r_rLCzNRNiL2KAFfocceJcHp5TPTWR-aBFXD8o1veRetW01nCEM9w7hXSJoBS1j/s1600/SundaySwoonsNew.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Skylar</td></tr>
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If you don't know what Sunday Swoons is, it's a weekly feature where Skylar @<a href="http://randomofalife.blogspot.com/"> Life of a Random </a>and I (and anyone who links up) chat about all things swoon worthy every spectacular Sunday!<br />
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Rules:<br />
1. You're welcome to use the button Skylar designed as long as you cite her as the source/give her all the loving credit she deserves!<br />
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2. You can post in whatever style you would like: list, discussion, etc. as long as what you are talking about goes with the topic for the week.<br />
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3. You either must follow the topic given OR you can do a post on the opposite of the topic we give. (Example: Our topic-- Top 5 Favorite Couples, Your topic-- Top 5 Least Favorite Couples.)<br />
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4. Your posts don't have to have anything to do with books you are reading right now. If you reference specific books, they can be past or older reads. (It's nice if you put in the Goodreads link to the book, or another site that will take readers to the book's synopsis, cover, and other information.)<br />
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5. Please remember to link back to us in your post, giving us credit for the feature! Also, you can add your link to the link-up tool at either of our posts ( it may only work on mine the first time because we are still working that part out.).<br />
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<b>This week's topic is: </b>Diversity in Relationships<br />
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I got really excited when Skylar came up with the idea to talk about race in relationships, and then it sparked a different idea for me. What about religion in relationships? (We decided on just Diversity so that people could come at it from any angle they'd like.) That's always been something I hear a lot about because I am a Roman Catholic Christian and grow up in a family that is (almost all) super religious. and same with my community. A big "rule" or part of that is that you are supposed marry and date people of the same religion as you.<br />
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I understand why. There are lots of good reasons. It makes it so that you can support each other on a faith and spiritual basis, you don't have as many religion or spiritual belief conflicts, if you have kids together you won't have arguments about their religious upbringing, ect. However, I have never ever "discounted" a guy because of his religion. (sorry family) By that I mean that I don't really care what a guys religion is. It's nice if we share the same religion, but as long as he respects my beliefs and we can calmly work out any religion based differences I don't mind him not sharing all my religious beliefs.<br />
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So now that we have talked about me, let's connect this to literature. I don't read super religious literature most of the time, but still, religion never really comes up. I'm ok with this, but I think it is interesting that when that message is pushed so hard in reality that it never seems to come up in our most popular novels.<br />
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Also, I've never read a book where the culture or race of the two people in the couple has played a significant role, clashed, or even been brought up. That's not a <i>bad </i>thing per say, but I feel like we need more diversity in our modern and popular literature. It is a real and prominent issue in life today and it doesn't get very much recognition in books today (at least the ones I read).<br />
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<b><i>What do you guys think about mixing religions, races and cultures in real life relationships? What diverse relationships have you read and what have you thought about them? Do you feel like we need to address differences in literary relationships and have our characters work out intense and deep differences/disagreements?</i></b><br />
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Next week's topic is based on: Couples we've Created<br />
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-92123890653227968672014-10-04T20:30:00.000-07:002014-10-04T20:30:13.307-07:00Stacking The Shelves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGINnfsea1drbYryXR3nFXnqyMUdXdq3wvNuDiyxBJExyiuz7zotNxygW7P4elm-6eoP9IS-IlOhsY5dkugpkSO5Iv6Oj43WdWm_H7pSixQpipPupD3Y4G4j1XVJcYHH7GOTkA7vklBMGu/s1600/stackingtheshelvesnew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGINnfsea1drbYryXR3nFXnqyMUdXdq3wvNuDiyxBJExyiuz7zotNxygW7P4elm-6eoP9IS-IlOhsY5dkugpkSO5Iv6Oj43WdWm_H7pSixQpipPupD3Y4G4j1XVJcYHH7GOTkA7vklBMGu/s1600/stackingtheshelvesnew.jpg" height="318" width="320" /></a></div>
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I haven't had time recently to get, let alone read new books. So I haven't really racked up the books in the past few weeks of my absence, however, I have a super-duper awesomesauce older sister and she sent me a bunch of her old books! Here they are, and don't forget to share your haul and link up with Tynga @ <a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/">Tynga's Reveiws </a>!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKqlztyIgyucQEbiiBanj3xbPmQsChXg7CQbBUGP9OCnV8PZY52uFQV9n3ExrCYZWISmeLOTqi2rxTdz216nl_3H_gG8DuRZuZJYydvc7Qeig2a1C2ytLiBMbR75iKkACJ1l9yIv42dae/s1600/0919141538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKqlztyIgyucQEbiiBanj3xbPmQsChXg7CQbBUGP9OCnV8PZY52uFQV9n3ExrCYZWISmeLOTqi2rxTdz216nl_3H_gG8DuRZuZJYydvc7Qeig2a1C2ytLiBMbR75iKkACJ1l9yIv42dae/s1600/0919141538.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/93436.The_End_of_Mr_Y?ac=1"><i>The End of Mr. Y</i> </a>: All of these books are a bit outside my usual, but I'm excited to try them! Mystery has always interested me so despite the chunky size of this one.</div>
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6202342-her-fearful-symmetry?from_search=true">Her Fearful Symmetry</a>: </i>This one seems like it could end up being really weird in either a bad or a good way, so we shall see!</div>
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13486632-the-hundred-year-old-man-who-climbed-out-of-the-window-and-disappeared?from_search=true">The 100-Year-Old-Man:</a> </i>This is a huge step outside my comfort zone, almost more than any of the others, but I thought I should give it a try and hope that it surprises me.</div>
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6631792-the-book-of-tomorrow?from_search=true">The Book of Tomorrow</a>:</i> I picked this one mostly because it sounded like buckets of fun.</div>
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<i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7057039-fifth-avenue-5-a-m?from_search=true">Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.:</a> </i>I'm typically not into non-fiction or biographies but I love Breakfast at Tiffany's and Audrey Hepburn so I thought I'd give it a try. </div>
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Thanks again sissy!<br />
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<b><i>What did you guys add to your shelves? </i></b>Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-5431542209106570192014-10-02T15:57:00.001-07:002014-10-02T15:57:38.761-07:00Quotation Nation<div class="stray-imaginations-button" style="margin: 0 auto; width: 500px;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">created by Catherine </td></tr>
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My bestie Catherine over at <a href="http://strayimaginations.blogspot.com/">Stray Imaginations </a> just started this totally awesomesauce link up so naturally I'm joining in! I can't promise that I'll get one of these posts up every time, but I will try my best to participate as much as possible!<br />
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I don't know if you know this about me but I collect quotes. I love them to pieces and I put them on everything I can find and I bring them up all the time and I memorize them and love them and am always looking for more of them. So of course I am uncontrollably excited about this feature! Let's get this party started!<br />
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<u><span style="font-size: large;">Guidelines:</span></u><br />
1)<b> Feel free to get creative!</b> Share a passage from a book, a verse of a song, or even one of those artistic quotes abundant on Pinterest.<br />
2) If you do a Quotation Nation post of your own, please <b>link back</b> to me (and don't forget to add you link to the widget below!)<br />
3) <b>Have fun!</b> (Cheesy, I know, but what's a good list with only two rules?)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Quotes:</u></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKlC9C6BBEec3QjX7Lt8QOUsNiG53YLAn0mEFQzsNt_aiHw7rKCm3Ue4WrxIiqlnk3UuPyaCA1fhoR2I_PozqvcG26U6KBWxlODnVslLaaWNe6prJVyC7MHEaotzyIN9crZitrBLOPVBjc/s1600/iam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKlC9C6BBEec3QjX7Lt8QOUsNiG53YLAn0mEFQzsNt_aiHw7rKCm3Ue4WrxIiqlnk3UuPyaCA1fhoR2I_PozqvcG26U6KBWxlODnVslLaaWNe6prJVyC7MHEaotzyIN9crZitrBLOPVBjc/s1600/iam.jpg" height="400" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/517702919638232907/">Pinterest</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkXgz6maLzDz1lSOsLb8lTS8uBYozCFxstr7a_jjCa4XomBHxNHhp-V3gmkle0oZm9AVMi0l2InBwGWF9Jjdw5ZXJt72x9ILaLMVw9U0Au4KmPejldN6S1jdQGUdQAQVMbvvgQ8O875vgS/s1600/lewis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkXgz6maLzDz1lSOsLb8lTS8uBYozCFxstr7a_jjCa4XomBHxNHhp-V3gmkle0oZm9AVMi0l2InBwGWF9Jjdw5ZXJt72x9ILaLMVw9U0Au4KmPejldN6S1jdQGUdQAQVMbvvgQ8O875vgS/s1600/lewis.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/517702919638236335/">Pinterest</a>/ <a href="http://azevedosreviews.tumblr.com/post/59209481055/since-it-is-so-likely-that-children-will-meet">Azevedo's Reviews</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMaS6eKdlpMM7eBE5WpkkL-rVFXjJOdoHZTg88de2dTZ291QSGFKktxmdu-ZAMC6Q97yuifxyI-hYoA6YJoH0che5Syv4eo4tSS6xWK2M5V0AxO9c40W_SCRv2ng8nvHDqqGvWP_LYeLw/s1600/need.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMaS6eKdlpMM7eBE5WpkkL-rVFXjJOdoHZTg88de2dTZ291QSGFKktxmdu-ZAMC6Q97yuifxyI-hYoA6YJoH0che5Syv4eo4tSS6xWK2M5V0AxO9c40W_SCRv2ng8nvHDqqGvWP_LYeLw/s1600/need.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Briana's Image</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG1lIoUcTHsDJBlkblUagMOfJwYnSoqOwiSOfvra_HQkibvnmkRtGVEHOwoxxdHZyYAFXaQCnKSl0yXUaikbIh4xdF2oL-A-L2sk-PDYOtRlMl3XkLwJ2pitLvdjv2872bQkfImzaibL5y/s1600/grim+grotto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG1lIoUcTHsDJBlkblUagMOfJwYnSoqOwiSOfvra_HQkibvnmkRtGVEHOwoxxdHZyYAFXaQCnKSl0yXUaikbIh4xdF2oL-A-L2sk-PDYOtRlMl3XkLwJ2pitLvdjv2872bQkfImzaibL5y/s1600/grim+grotto.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Briana's Image</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2uNpNdCwDiqV1KrkVdjVybg1I3vj8M5Pe0BEmaMMUdew1ulrRTcFUdWA28Wnszvd7sQDmRNHHO5A1qYjZIp-VRNa3hfAcG04_-GyhQq7MFHzjmvUeiF25ESseMC8SJuwSlUCZv89H6x2/s1600/crown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2uNpNdCwDiqV1KrkVdjVybg1I3vj8M5Pe0BEmaMMUdew1ulrRTcFUdWA28Wnszvd7sQDmRNHHO5A1qYjZIp-VRNa3hfAcG04_-GyhQq7MFHzjmvUeiF25ESseMC8SJuwSlUCZv89H6x2/s1600/crown.jpg" height="400" width="375" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/517702919638998750/">Pinterest </a>Artist Unknown</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFAO6vmKEifTQRX5MV3FYhtgoTadSiYSUnVeehki1BGwSt0QU3hTFbNuO7ksY1WOEwazbVBdVuN0RkfEmKXaRYZf2IbGkE3dzwnVsSqbsXTBeRx1hzHVYRWXbEoxL5cttSqgbY3NGY3Ig5/s1600/story.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFAO6vmKEifTQRX5MV3FYhtgoTadSiYSUnVeehki1BGwSt0QU3hTFbNuO7ksY1WOEwazbVBdVuN0RkfEmKXaRYZf2IbGkE3dzwnVsSqbsXTBeRx1hzHVYRWXbEoxL5cttSqgbY3NGY3Ig5/s1600/story.jpg" height="320" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/517702919636236154/">Pinterest</a></td></tr>
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Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-87232684669977018282014-09-30T16:51:00.001-07:002014-09-30T16:51:30.779-07:00Tag I'm it! Are you next?<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><u><span style="font-size: large;">Book Gif Tag</span></u></b></div>
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I try to use gifs to express my feelings and break up all those words, as well as just keep life interesting. I got tagged for the book gif tag 8 days ago by Ella from <a href="http://onceuponabookishtime.blogspot.com/">Once Upon A Bookish Time</a> and I am just now getting around to doing it! I'm sorry Ella! It's nothing personal and I know I've been a terrible slacker lately but grades and my future have to come first. :( Anyways, I still wanted to do the tag even though I'm way late. <br />
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Rules: The person who tags you gives you 10 books for you to post a gif reaction to. After you do that, you tag people that you want to see do it and give them 10 books to post their reaction too!<br />
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The books on Ella's list that I haven't read yet will be in <span style="color: blue;">BLUE </span>and I will base reactions off of word of mouth and the synopsis. (Just for the TBR ones)<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Alice in Wonderland</span><br />
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I have yet to read the actual book by Lewis Carroll, but I love the idea of it and all the movie versions and some of the great retellings of it (AKA Splintered by AG Howard)!<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Twilight</span><br />
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I'm not even going to talk about this one. I haven't read it for very VERY obvious reasons and I will go to my grave proudly having never even touched a copy of the series. </div>
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I hadn't heard of this one and there wasn't an author specified so I guessed that Ella meant the one by Ellie Marney? I don't know if that is what she really wanted but that is what I looked at on Goodreads. It sounds interesting!</div>
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This one is actually on my TBR list and has been for a long time because I can't decide if it sounds horrible or great. I feel like it is one of those books that could go one of those two ways and I'm just not brave enough to try.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Clockwork Angel </span></div>
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I read this one a long time ago (pre Reader Writer Critic era) but at the time I remember loving it to pieces (even more than Mortal Instruments)! I never finished the series though because I got distracted, but I'd love to re -read it all! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Selection</span></div>
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Oh the shame! I really liked this series when it came out! Not loved but I thought it was pretty great I re-read parts last night and I hated EVERY word. There was nothing good. I didn't like the writing, or the characters, or the romance. Nothing was enjoyable for me.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Graceling</span></div>
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I LOVED this book when I first read it (again I am pretty sure this was pre RWC era), I hope I'd still love it now. (Now that you've got me thinking about it I may re-read it!) It was just beautiful and creative and just *sighs* ahhh....</div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Skulduggery Pleasant</span></div>
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I know, I know! I commented on Cait's Goodreads about this book when she was reading it and how this was like every kid's childhood at my elementary school, and that is true! It just wasn't <i>my </i>childhood. I never read it and I probably would have liked it if I had read it back then, but now...eh...not so much.</div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">The Distance Between Us</span></div>
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Pure romance and contemporaries aren't my thing. At all. However this one sounds super duper flippin' adorable and I may just have to read it! I feel that if I were to love a romance contemporary book this one might be the one.</div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Poison Study</span></div>
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I basically feel exactly like I did about <i>Grave Mercy, </i>and just like <i>Grave Mercy </i>it has been on my TBR for years and has gone unread. It sounded to die for when I added it and then when I looked back I was kind of more like "nawww...." </div>
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I feel so horrible! I've only read three out of those ten! Ahhh! For my list of books I am going to TRY to do as many well read/ known ones as possible, but there will always be ones that people haven't read so you can either do those the way I did them OR exchange them for one of the most recent books you've read. </div>
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<u>Books:</u></div>
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1. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin</div>
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2. Allegient by Veronica Roth</div>
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3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee</div>
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4. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell </div>
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5. Splintered by AG Howard </div>
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6. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater </div>
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7. These Broken Stars by Meagen Spooner and Amie Kaufman</div>
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8. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor</div>
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9. The Book Thief Markus Zusak </div>
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10. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick </div>
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<u>Tag you're it!</u></div>
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(Be fearless! No shame! Tag yourself! Just comment below! I will probably end up nominating a lot of people that have already done it because this tag has been around the block a few times by now, so sorry! And no worries if you don't want to do it a second time! I <i>tried</i> to do <i>mostly</i> people that haven't been tagged yet. ) </div>
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<b>Amanda and Addison @ <a href="http://www.ofspectaclesandbooks.com/">Of Spectacles and Books!</a></b></div>
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<b>Emily @ <a href="http://foreverliterary.blogspot.com/">Forever Literary!</a></b></div>
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<b>Catherine @<a href="http://strayimaginations.blogspot.com/"> Stray Imaginations!</a></b></div>
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I would love to see Skylar @<a href="http://randomofalife.blogspot.com/"> Life of a Random,</a> Tansie @ <a href="http://totallytansie.blogspot.com/">Totally Tansie</a>, Zoe @ <a href="http://zoereads.org/">The Infinite To-Read Shelf</a>, Aneta @ <a href="http://spraypaintedtunnels.blogspot.com/">The Graffiti on The Wall </a>, Cait @ <a href="http://www.notebooksisters.com/">The Notebook Sisters</a>, and Emily @ <a href="http://theloonyteenwriter.wordpress.com/">The Loony Teen Writer </a> do the tag but all of them have already done this post or have been tagged already! You should check out their Book Gif Tag posts because they are really awesomesauce!</div>
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Brianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050915043784628163noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2429251560980880148.post-78811014824680259102014-09-28T21:02:00.000-07:002014-09-28T21:02:55.154-07:00Sunday Swoons <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttNF2Q9mudJIn2GyBHId7MG9mlqihMKoYrKu9rW4kAGfrx579O-6wrm24CLvnynSQRhPZVI0r6LFS6r_rLCzNRNiL2KAFfocceJcHp5TPTWR-aBFXD8o1veRetW01nCEM9w7hXSJoBS1j/s1600/SundaySwoonsNew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttNF2Q9mudJIn2GyBHId7MG9mlqihMKoYrKu9rW4kAGfrx579O-6wrm24CLvnynSQRhPZVI0r6LFS6r_rLCzNRNiL2KAFfocceJcHp5TPTWR-aBFXD8o1veRetW01nCEM9w7hXSJoBS1j/s1600/SundaySwoonsNew.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Skylar Finn</td></tr>
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We love having you guys involved! If you don't know what this feature is about here is the deal, Sunday Swoons is an original feature hosted by myself and the spectacular Skylar Finn from <a href="http://randomofalife.blogspot.com/">Life of A Random. </a>Every Sunday we bust out a different swoon worthy topic and discuss it, swoon about it, and chat it up!<br />
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<b>Rules:</b><br />
1. You're welcome to use the button Skylar designed as long as you cite her as the source/give her all the loving credit she deserves!<br />
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2. You can post in whatever style you would like: list, discussion, etc. as long as what you are talking about goes with the topic for the week.<br />
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3. You either must follow the topic given OR you can do a post on the opposite of the topic we give. (Example: Our topic-- Top 5 Favorite Couples, Your topic-- Top 5 Least Favorite Couples.)<br />
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4. Your posts don't have to have anything to do with books you are reading right now. If you reference specific books, they can be past or older reads. (It's nice if you put in the Goodreads link to the book, or another site that will take readers to the book's synopsis, cover, and other information.)<br />
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5. Please remember to link back to us in your post, giving us credit for the feature! Also, you can add your link to the link-up tool at either of our posts ( it may only work on mine the first time because we are still working that part out.).<br />
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<b>This Week's Topic Is: </b>Sassy Spoofs<br />
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You have the option to make a spooftastic new title for a book (We aren't trying to steal your idea Cait. Your Honest YAs are awesome and we love them! Ya'll should check <a href="http://www.notebooksisters.com/search/label/honest%20YA">them </a>out!) and/or re-write the first sentence of the blurb. (write a first sentence that is as sarcastic as it gets, or brutally honest, or horribly humorous, or whatever you want.) Have fun with it!<br />
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(I only had time to do covers for two sorry!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2X4CqbQk8pTNW_9P6seUI2RQSP3QIIMgc4zXWCJJQ4XjYfC8MaklzJ4pZjJnQEAHZO-wbm0Vvnf7HqBwgQCqKeFwSqX_oxp9s3XtUqmlfM4ayGfD6o93YpUbvRcGC7GkI9nwO5Hoeh5c4/s1600/maradyer3mine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2X4CqbQk8pTNW_9P6seUI2RQSP3QIIMgc4zXWCJJQ4XjYfC8MaklzJ4pZjJnQEAHZO-wbm0Vvnf7HqBwgQCqKeFwSqX_oxp9s3XtUqmlfM4ayGfD6o93YpUbvRcGC7GkI9nwO5Hoeh5c4/s1600/maradyer3mine.jpg" height="320" width="278" /></a></div>
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(The Redemption of Mara Dyer by </div>
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Michelle Hodkin)</div>
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Life and Death, Love and War, Yin and Yang, these things all go together, but at what price?</div>
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(Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott)</div>
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Emma is angry and her mother is dead, but the love of a hot bad boy might just make being angry ok, because love and misery and physical attraction solves all problems.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Insanity Games</b></span></div>
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(White Space by Ilsa Bick)</div>
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In the Insanity Games, anything goes. Will you survive your worst fears, or will the people you thought you knew take you down first? Can you survive the insanity of humanity?</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Survivor In Space</b></span></div>
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(These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner) </div>
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For this season of Survivor, two unsuspecting participants will "accidentally" get dumped out into space, left to love, hate, and survivor all on their own. It's Martians vs Man this season.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Hungry Hungry House</b></span></div>
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(Amity by Micol Ostow)</div>
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Amity is one hungry, hungry house. It's been quite a few years since her last all you can eat buffet, and she is starving, and oh so glad you could join her for one meal you won't ever forget. She finds you to be utterly delicious, mind, body and soul. CRUNCH!</div>
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I had been trying to do romance books but two of them aren't because I got off track. (Oops!)<br />
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There you have it folks! I can't wait to see what you guys come up with! Sorry it has been so chaotic and late these few weeks, I'm still working everything out so bear with me! One of these days I'll get a schedule figured out. </div>
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