Books Read Update 1: Tiny Review & Rating

In the two almost three months since I've reviewed a book on the blog, I've read 12 others since then and some pretty great ones too! This post is dedicated to those books with some brief adjectives and thoughts of mine on each book and my rating. Without further ado the books and ebooks I've read lately:

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (Hardback)

5 stars: amazing, sad moments, tad slow at times, 
same loved characters, great end to the series

Heartless: Pretty Little Liars Book 7 by Sara Shepard (Paperback)

4 stars: addicting, fun, shocking, many twists and turns

The Ex Games by Jennifer Echols (eBook)

4 stars: cute, fast read, funny, lovable characters

Major Crush by Jennifer Echols (eBook)

4 stars: adorable, emotional romantic read, 
fast paced, perfect ending

The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book 1 
by Rick Riordan (Paperback)

5 stars: epic adventure, kick ass characters, fun to read, 
great first book of the series, I'm hooked!

 Fixing Deliah by Sarah Ockler (ARC)

5 stars: another amazing book by Ockler, powerful, 
strong female characters, lovable friends, sweet romance

 The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder (Netgalley eBook)

4 stars: fun high school story, sweet revenge, 
funny characters, entertaining plot

The Lying Game by Sarah Shepard (Netgalley eBook)

5 stars: overall amazing start to a new series by Shepard, crazy storyline, 
twins separated from birth, very shocking characters and events

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder (Paperback)

5 stars: fantastic dystopian story, hard not to love characters, 
fast read, can't wait to read the sequel!

Wanted: Pretty Little Liars Book 8 by Sara Shepard (Hardback)

5 stars: best book of the series, all is finally revealed, 
truly shocking turn of events, loved the crazy, hilarious ending!

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles (Hardback)

5 stars: loved loved loved it, read it in a night, sweetest story and ending, 

extremely lovable characters including Alex from the first book, I seriously 

love the Fuentes brothers, can't wait for the next brother's falling in love story!

Waiting for You by Susane Colasanti (Hardback)

4 stars: another great story by Colasanti, interesting and great characters, 

story of love and friendship for a girl dealing with depression, perfect ending

And that is it for the books I've read in the last couple months.

Blog and Life Update... Finally!

Hey everyone... it has been so long since I've blogged, but I have been reading! Since school has started, I just haven't been in the mood to blog, but I had the urge tonight. I've updated the header again with my wintery snowflake header and went with a blue background for some change from all the purple. Some good life news is I've been accepted to my first choice college to major in English Literary Studies! I am very excited and happy to go there next fall : ) Swim season is starting soon in a little over a week, so I wouldn't be posting very frequently but hopefully at least once a week. I still have hundreds of books I need to catch up on and am craving to do so. In that case, I'll probably spend most of my weekend doing some well-earned reading time!

I'm also very sorry to the authors and publishers who sent me books for review months ago, and I haven't read or reviewed them yet. I truly hope to catch up on them soon. Shortly, I will be posting the books I've read lately with tiny mini reviews of them and my rating for each. Oh and on a side note: I am in love with reading books on my Kindle and Netgally is my best friend for ebooks.

Thanks for sticking with me despite my recent inactivity!

IMM (50): Kindle Edition!!!

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren. IMM is a meme in which I post the books and/or swag I won, received, for review, bought, borrowed, or etc. over the course of each week! 

This post includes the little amount but the amazing book-related stuff I received over the course of three weeks!

BOUGHT FROM AMAZON:
Wi-Fi 6" Kindle (Graphite) + Hot Pink Leather Case
and tons of eBooks!

BOUGHT FROM WALDENBOOKS: 

Ruined: Books 1-3 by Simone Elkeles (Only in Borders Stores Paperback for $9.99!!)

 BOUGHT FROM 123 PRINT: 

100 An Addicted Book Reader Blog Cards!

Sorry for My Absence + Blog News

Hey everyone, it's been a little too long since I've blogged or even commented on anyone's blog...I'm very sorry :' (  I just started school again (blah!) this month and all my academic classes (British Literature, Probability and Statistics, Problems and Issues, and Speech) are this semester and keeping me pretty busy with homework. Also, I just got hired as a cashier at Wal-Mart where I work 20 hours a week, so life will be very busy with school, work, SATs practice, college apps, and more. I hope to schedule my posts on the weekends since the weekdays consist of school then work right after. I'm not going to promise constant activity until next year after swim team and when I have all my easy electives.

Oh and I am excited to announce that I now have business cards for my blog, so if anyone wants one just shoot me an email so I can send you one. Also, I will be doing an IMM this Sunday which will include my Kindle which I received a couple of weeks go...it is soo amazing, I just love it to death! Be on lookout for a couple reviews soon and my Kindle Edition IMM this Sunday : )

August Celebration Giveaway Winners!

Hey everyone, I hope you all have a great holiday weekend : ) I randomly picked the three winners by random.org and out of 102 people and 428 entries, these are the lucky winners!

Winner One ~ who won Grace and Jane plus a couple of bookmarks:

                          Lindsey S. of Linz Reads                         

Winner Two ~ who won The Naughty List and The DUFF plus a couple of bookmarks:

   Maddie McPhail of Confessions of a Teen Bookaholic   

Winner Three ~ who won Butterfly and The Midnight Charter plus a couple of bookmarks:

             Steph of The Thoughts of a Book Junky**            

**I tried to email you but you're email address isn't working. Please email me your mailing address to my email anaddictedbookreader at gmail dot com within 72 hours!

Congrats to the winners...I'll be emailing you three shortly! Please respond back quickly, so I send them out after the holiday weekend.

P.S. I'm very happy by how many people entered and this was definitely the biggest contest I've ever held and so many people entered! Also, I loved how well the book selections worked out because each winner will get two books that they picked and wanted : )

Waiting on Wednesday (49) + August Celebration Giveaway Reminder!

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly awaiting. This week I can't wait for Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers which is the next novel by the wonderful Summers whose books are just beyond amazing. And also wow the cover and summary are so intriguing and interesting, I can't wait to get a copy when it comes out this winter on December 21, 2010! The cover and summary below are from Goodreads.

When Eddie Reeves’s father commits suicide her life is consumed by the nagging question of why? Why when he was a legendary photographer and a brilliant teacher? Why when he had a daughter who loved him more than anyone else in the world? When she meets Culler Evans, a former student of her father’s and a photographer himself, an instant and dangerous attraction begins. He seems to know more about her father than she does and could possibly hold the key to the mystery surrounding his death. But Eddie’s vulnerability has weakened her and Culler Evans is getting too close. Her need for the truth keeps her hanging on… but some questions should be left unanswered.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My August Celebration Giveaway with 3 winners and 6 books ends today September 1st! I will select and post the winners late on Friday night, so I count your entries if you're sure to get your entries in before then. I'll select the three winners by random.org and then send each winner an email with the books they won. If you haven't entered already and want to enter, then go HERE and fill out the form HERE!

IMM (49): The Hunger Games & Amazing Amazon Birthday Edition

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren. IMM is a meme in which I post the books and/or swag I won, received, for review, bought, borrowed, or ect. over the course of each week!

 
AMAZON BIRTHDAY GIFTS!:
(my choices on my birthday wish list from my dad!!!) 
Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles (Hardback)
The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June by Robin Benway (Hardback)
Wanted by Sara Shepard (Hardback)
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (Hardback)
Plus by Veronica Chambers (Paperback)
The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran (Paperback)
The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti (Paperback)
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (Paperback)
The Queen of Everything by Deb Caletti (Paperback)
Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder (Paperback) 
+ 2 DS games

 

BOUGHT FROM WALDENBOOKS: 
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Paperback only $6 with coupon) 
Hunger Games Mockingjay Keychain! ($4 with purchase of a HG book)

 

FOR REVIEW: 

Fixing Delilah Hannaford by Sarah Ockler (Paperback from Hip Scouts) 

Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love edited by Trisha Telep

(Paperback from Running Press Book Publishers)

Have you read any of these? What did you get this week?

Endless Summer: The Boys Next Door; Endless Summer Review

Title: Endless Summer: The Boys Next Door; 
Endless Summer

Author: Jennifer Echols

Number of Pages: 624
Genre: Romantic Comedy
 Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: May 25, 2010

My Edition: Signed Paperback

Reading Level: Young Adult

Received From: Jennifer Echols
Author's Website: jenniferechols.com 

Summary from Amazon:
Two irresistible boys. One unforgettable summer.

Lori can’t wait for her summer at the lake. She loves wakeboarding and hanging with her friends--including the two hotties next door. With the Vader brothers, she's always been just one of the guys. Now that she’s turning sixteen, she wants to be seen as one of the girls, especially in the eyes of Sean, the older brother. But that’s not going to happen--not if the younger brother, Adam, can help it.

Lori plans to make Sean jealous by spending time with Adam. Adam has plans of his own for Lori. As the air heats up, so does this love triangle. Will Lori’s romantic summer melt into one hot mess? 

Review: 
The Boys Next Door and Endless Summer were the perfect light summer, beachy reads, so I speed through them very quickly. I started and read about 20 pages when I had a couple free minutes to read, but after that I laid down and didn't stop reading until five hours later when I'd finished reading the entire two books. I don't know if I was just in a really good reading mood or if the books were just that amazing, either way they were highly enjoyable, fun reads! The main character Lori and the Vader boys were highly entertaining and very funny but could be very annoying at times because of their love triangle plus many dumb misunderstandings. Thank goodness the second book was already there in my hands after I finished the first, so I didn't even have to stop to get the other book or have to wait at all for it. 

The Boys Next Door was for sure my favorite of the two because I loved the chase between Lori and the boys in their multiple fake, jealous "relationships", how sweet Adam was, and how it ended. I definitely liked Endless Summer also but just not as much as the first though. The plot of the first book was a lot more fun and charming than the second though because I didn't like that Lori and Adam couldn't be together in Endless Summer causing lots of tension which wasn't the funniest to read about. I really liked that in the second book how every other chapter switched by going back and forth between Lori and Adam's perspectives. At first though, I didn't realize it was Adam's point-of-view, so I was pretty confused until I realized the POV switch. It was pretty interesting knowing Adam's thoughts for a change instead of just a  girl's, but of course he starts be a tad jealous and not trusting when Lori and him are forbidden from seeing each other making his thoughts a little irritating.

Overall, I loved the romance and comedy elements in the books and loved the wonderful characters even more! I was just totally engrossed in their story the entire time and felt like I was really in the book with them experiencing it all as it happened. I recommend these books to any girl or even guy who is in the mood for a fun, summer read with lots of romance, fun, love, and wakeboarding! So far I have really enjoyed every book I've read by Jennifer Echols, so I can't wait to read more books by her! I just purchased The Ex Games by Echols for my Kindle, so I just have to wait for my Kindle to arrive to read it...

Rating:

Unraveled The Hunt: Decipher the Code and Win $100!

Gena Showalter’s YA series, Intertwined, about sixteen-year-old Aden Stone, a paranormal magnet who has, well had, four souls trapped in his head, continues this fall with the release of UNRAVELED (Harlequin, September 2010). Now, Aden is down to three souls bossing him around, but along the way he’s picked up the title of Vampire King to add to his ever-growing list of worries (which includes a prophecy that says he’ll bite the dust after a knife through the heart). To celebrate UNRAVELED’s release, Gena and her YA buds are hosting a scavenger hunt on their blogs.

The all-star lineup of hunt participants includes authors Rachel Caine, PC Cast, Marley Gibson, Rosemary Clement-Moore and Tina Ferraro, as well as Gena, natch, and The Knight Agency blog. Three grand prize winners will each win a $100 Visa gift card, plus Gena's giving away signed copies of UNRAVELED to five lucky runner-ups. All you have to do is find all eight letters, unscramble them and email the word to Contests(AT)KnightAgency.net. To find out where the letters are hiding in the great internet universe, click here for a contest road map and rules.

This contest runs from Monday, August 30^th to Thursday, September 2^nd. All entries must be received by Monday, September 6^th at midnight ET.

Waiting on Wednesday (48): Hush by Eishes Chayil

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly awaiting. This week I can't wait for Hush by Eishes Chayil! The summary sounds very different and intriguing plus the cover is pretty neat looking. Looking forward to reading it this September 14, 2010! The summary and cover below is from Amazon!

Inside the closed community of Borough Park, where most Chassidim live, the rules of life are very clear, determined by an ancient script written thousands of years before down to the last detail—and abuse has never been a part of it. But when thirteen-year-old Gittel learns of the abuse her best friend has suffered at the hands of her own family member, the adults in her community try to persuade Gittel, and themselves, that nothing happened. Forced to remain silent, Gittel begins to question everything she was raised to believe.

A richly detailed and nuanced book, one of both humor and depth, understanding and horror, this story explains a complex world that remains an echo of its past, and illuminates the conflict between yesterday's traditions and today's reality.

Cracked Up to Be Review

Title: Cracked Up to Be

Author: Courtney Summers

Number of Pages: 224
Genre: Contemporary
 Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Publication Date: December 23, 2008

My Edition: Bargain Book Paperback

Reading Level: YA, Ages 14+

Bought From: Amazon
Author's Website: courtneysummers.ca

Summary from Goodreads: 
This year, Essie Green’s life is going to be different. She’s made the cheerleading squad and caught the eye of the captain of the football team
...more What's the worst thing you've ever done? When "Perfect" Parker Fadley starts drinking at school and failing her classes, all of St. Peter's High goes on alert. How has the cheerleading captain, girlfriend of the most popular guy in school, consummate teacher's pet, and future valedictorian fallen so far from grace?

Parker doesn't want to talk about it. She'd just like to be left alone, to disappear, to be ignored. But her parents have placed her on suicide watch and her counselors are demanding the truth. Worse, there's a nice guy falling in love with her and he's making her feel things again when she'd really rather not be feeling anything at all.

Nobody would have guessed she'd turn out like this. But nobody knows the truth. Something horrible has happened, and it just might be her fault.
A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers.
When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year,...more  
Review: 
Cracked Up to Be was an amazingly witty, thought-provoking, and funny novel about a girl who's determined to shut everyone out and to let her her life spiral out of control because of the events of one drunken night. The book is relatively short, so I read it all in just a couple of hours because I just could not stop reading. After finding on Amazon that Cracked Up to Be was selling a really cheap Bargain Book version, I knew I had to buy it because of all the great things that I've heard about it and the author. Because of that, I did have a high expectation going in, so fortunately the story was so much better than I could have ever imagined.

The story definitely addressed many tough high school situations and problems along with a brutally, honest female main character. Parker is one of those unforgettable characters whose story will keep you thinking about it long after finishing and also a story you will never forget about. She was so easy to hate because of her brutal personality but also so hard not to love and to relate to her. If I ever meet a girl like her, I have no idea how I react to her personality and behavior. I truly fell in love with the sweet and forgiving new kid's character Jake. He never gave up on trying to befriend and be around Parker even though she could be a real bitch most of the time. Parker's exboyfriend Chris was also pretty lovable since he couldn't stop loving and protecting Parker.

At one point, I even cried because of an emotional part in the middle of the book. I really enjoyed the fast-paced plot and also trying to figure out what made Parker crack and to decide she wanted to lose everything she worked so hard to get. By the end, you will definitely feel so much emotion for her as you find out what actually happened that night to her best friend. I have no complaints or anything that I didn't like about the book because it was just that great!

Overall, Cracked Up to Be was an amazing story with several unique and great characters that will have you wondering all along what really happened that night that caused Parker's breakdown. I highly, highly recommend picking up a copy immediately if you haven't read it yet. I'm really looking forward to read Some Girls Are and then her new book coming out this winter!

Rating:

IMM (48)

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren. IMM is a meme in which I post the books and/or swag I won, received for review, bought, borrowed, or ect. over the course of each week!

FOR REVIEW:

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent (Paperback from Harlequin Teen Panel)  
BIRTHDAY GIFTS!: 

Avatar 2011 Calendar (has the most gorgeous pics from the movie!)
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Magnets
Harry Potter Wand and Sticker set
Animated dolphin bookmark
Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood (Paperback) 
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Paperback Boxed Set: Books 1-3 by Rick Riordan
 + some clothes & other stuff

It's My Birthday, Vampires Suck Movie Trailer, and New Kindle Wi-Fi!

Hey guys, today is my 17th birthday...yay!! Unfortunately, I do have to work even though I requested off but oh well I should get used to it : ) Anyways, I'm going to see Vampires Suck after work with my BFF and out to dinner then presents and cake! I'll post my presents on my 'in my mailbox' post this Sunday. 

Here's the trailer for the hilarious Vampire Sucks movie:

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My present from my mom is......the new Kindle Wi-Fi in graphite!!! I'm so excited to get it, but I have to wait to get it until at least August 27th which is the release date plus more since it's sold out. I probably wouldn't be getting until sometime in September. I also ordered the Amazon pink case, but it will be sad when that arrives and I wouldn't have my Kindle to put it in. I absolutely can't wait to start reading ebooks on my Kindle! Does anyone have any ebook suggestions for me?

Waiting on Wednesday (47): Wish by Joseph Monninger

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that I'm eagerly awaiting. This week I can't wait for Wish by Joseph Monninger! The summary sounds unique and intriguing plus I love to swim and be in the water, so it sounds like a perfect read. Also, the cover is really cute and fun! Can't wait to read it this fall on November 9, 2010! The summary and cover below is from Goodreads.

Bee’s brother, Tommy, knows everything there is to know about sharks. He also knows that his life will be cut short by cystic fibrosis. And so does Bee.

That’s why she wants to make his wish-foundation-sponsored trip to swim with a great white shark an unforgettable memory.

But wishes don’t always come true. At least, not as expected. Only when Bee takes Tommy to meet a famous shark attack survivor and hard-core surfer does Tommy have the chance to live one day to the fullest.

And in the sun-kissed ocean off a California beach, Bee discovers that she has a few secret wishes of her own. . . .

Swoon Review

Title: Swoon

Author: Nina Malkin

Pages: 425
 Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication Date: May 4, 2010

My Edition: ARC Paperback

Reading Level: Young Adult

Recieved From: Nina Malkin
Author's Website: ninamalkin.com

Summary from Goodreads: 
This year, Essie Green’s life is going to be different. She’s made the cheerleading squad and caught the eye of the captain of the football team
...more Torn from her native New York City and dumped in the land of cookie-cutter preps, Candice is resigned to accept her posh, dull fate. Nothing ever happens in Swoon, Connecticut...until Dice's perfect, privileged cousin Penelope nearly dies in a fall from an old tree, and her spirit intertwines with that of a ghost. His name? Sinclair Youngblood Powers. His mission? Revenge. And while Pen is oblivious to the possession, Dice is all too aware of Sin. She's intensely drawn to him -- but not at all crazy about the havoc he's wreaking. Determined to exorcise the demon, Dice accidentally sets Sin loose, gives him flesh, makes him formidable. Now she must destroy an even more potent -- and irresistible -- adversary, before the whole town succumbs to Sin's will. Only trouble is, she's in love with him. What do you do when the boy of your dreams is too bad to be true?
A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers.
When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year,...more  
Review: 
Throughout Swoon, Nina Malkin described and wrote an interesting and a definite swoon-worthy paranormal story with many colorful and enjoyable characters. Right from the start, I was engaged in the story and then became instantly hooked because of the unique beginning. However after reading the first 200 pages or so, I suddenly became a tad bored and thought it just kept dragging on and on which explains why it took me about a week to finish. Despite the dragging, I highly enjoyed the story and the paranormal romance aspects. By the end, it did speed up and did wrap everything up which is why I finished the end pretty quickly.

Candice aka Dice and the girls of Swoon with their single syllable nicknames surely made the story of the town of Swoon highly amusing and intriguing. After moving from her hometown New York, Dice is accepted only because of her über popular cousin Pen because she isn't a perfect blond like all the other Swoon girls. When Pen falls from a tree causing a vengeful spirit from over 200 hundred years ago to possess and take over her mind and body, the whole town starts to dramatically change. Dice finds herself instantly falling for the spirit, Sin, after she realizes what he is and that he's in her cousin. Sin's spirit is then released after a failed exorcism and begins to wreck havoc on Swoon for revenge of the death of his former love on the family members of those responsible for his death. The story continues through the very complicated back story of Sin and the messy relationship between Dice, Pen, and of course Sin.

I thought the girls' single syllabled nicknames were pretty funny and cute and also loved the name Sin as the definition pretty much describes his character completely. The town name, cover, and tagline were all just perfect! I also loved Dice and Sin's relationship but wish Dice could have had the perfect relationship with Sin in the end because I really liked her character. The ending wrapped up the confusion of Sin's past and even resulted in the conclusion of his unrest over his death and the unsolved murder. The ending was definitely much faster paced and had some very surprising moments.

Overall, Swoon was a great story but could have been a little better if it wasn't as long and had moved along a little faster. If you want to swoon like me and the rest of the girls from Swoon, then I would pick up a copy of Swoon today!

Rating:

IMM (47)

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren. IMM is where I post the books and/or swag I won, received for review, bought, borrowed, or ect.  

FOR REVIEW:

Werelove: Dusk Conspiracy Book 1 by Lakisha Spletzer (Paperback from author) 
Lockdown: Escape from Furnace Book 1 by Alexander Gordon Smith (Paperback from HH InGroup) 

WON: 

the cutest metal string bookmark with charms won from Nikola's Book Blog 
and made by Lark's Country Heart