Follow My Book Blog Friday (Nov. 25th)

Q: It’s Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. so we want to know what you are Thankful for – blogging related of course! Who has helped you out along the way? What books are you thankful for reading?

This is a little awkward for me, since my six month blogversary is coming up on the 8th of December and I intended to do a post of this nature then. Oh well, though. :) Here we go. I'm narrowing this down into books and people, although I must admit that the two tend to tie together anyway, so it's almost a top ten. *shrug* I have a lot to be thankful for. 

Five People I'm Thankful For:

1. Giselle from Xpresso Reads

Why?: Not only is Giselle's blog beautifully designed and well organized, she is also one of the most consistent visitors -- and commentors -- that visit me here. She's also one of the people I chat with on Twitter and someone whose opinions on books that I value because we often seem to have similar taste.

2. Bonnie from A Backwards Story

Why?: Bonnie and I were guest post partners for Just Contemporary. We discovered we had similar reading backgrounds, which made our posts pretty interesting in their similarities and differences. Bonnie is another person that I tend to talk with via twitter and is also someone who is going to be reading Moon Dance when I'm ready for crit partners. (I can hear Jay breathing a sigh of relief here.) 

3. Rachel from Parajunkee's View

Why?: Someone who helped me a lot and who might not even know. I've read pretty much every Book Blogging 101 article she has written. I got my scrolling events, friends and giveaway marquees by using code I found on her site, and I have my (gorgeous!) quotes because of one of her articles. Knowledge is power, and someone being willing to part with it so freely is blessed with a generous spirit.

Darkfallen & Greta from Paranormal Wastelands

Why?: These two are talented bloggers and they are also absolutely hilarious. I've done several things with them now -- I took part in Zompacolypse, they were my first Saturday Spotlight guests and now I'm involved in Bloggerhood of the Traveling Book -- and these guys are some of the most naturally friendly people to work with in the world.

Marie from Ramblings of a Daydreamer

Why?: Marie is an incredibly nice person who runs a well written and pretty blog. She has become a good friend and is one of the other blogging friends that I share an interest in writing with, too. Marie is another person that I can count on hearing from often, which is always appreciated. 

Books I'm Thankful For: 

Summer on Fire

by Kevin Craig

This is the book that made me decide to start book blogging. I really loved Summer on Fire and had a good time writing the review and realizing that people actually cared about what I had to say. If I hadn't read this book, there is no certainty that my blog would have taken the path that it did. I won this book from Kevin in a giveaway that he did on Absolute Write. 

Graffiti Moon

by Cath Crowley

Not only is this an absolutely beautiful book, full of gorgeous writing, a gripping plot and memorable characters, it is also the first book that I was approved for via NetGalley. I signed up for NetGalley specifically hoping to read this but had no idea whether I would get to. I am extremely thankful to the people at Random House for the opportunity and I hope that they enjoyed my review. 

My First Physical Copy ARCs:

I won copies of Grave Mercy and The Fine Art of Truth or Dare in a giveaway over at The Party Pony. I haven't read these yet, since they are not releasing until February and March next year, but I am very excited to. 

Mortal Obligation

by Nichole Chase

This is an absolutely awesome book that I had a lot of fun reading. It was also the book that the first blog tour I ever took part in was for. I had a really good time visiting each site and seeing what everyone else thought of the book. I also had a lot of fun interviewing Nichole and talking with her via Twitter. Many thanks to Bree from The Magic Attic for having me along. :)

The Sky Is Everywhere

by Jandy Nelson

Did you really think I'd skip posting this? This is my favorite book, a story that I likely would never have read had people over at Absolute Write not pointed me in it's direction. This was one of the first contemporary YA books that I read and one of my earlier reviews. It is also the book that inspired me to create The Kat's Meow Award for Amazing Storytelling. 

Thanks so much for dropping by to see which bloggers and books I'm thankful for. What made your list? I'd love to know so feel free to leave a link. :) 

Follow My Book Blog Friday (Nov. 18th)

Q: What books do you hope Santa will bring?

I can hear a few of you groaning already. I posted my complete Christmas Wish List a couple weeks ago. If you want to see that, feel free to click here.

This isn't the first wishlist post I've done and it won't be the last, either. (Top Ten Tuesday has one coming up, too.) But I totally can't resist. I love the holidays! Anyway, I'm not giving you my super huge wishlist here. I'm just highlighting four books from it that I want for various reasons.

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour
by Morgan Matson

Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew—just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn’t seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she’s coming to terms with her father’s death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road—diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards—this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

This book was recommended by Marie from Ramblings of a Daydreamer when she was a guest for Saturday Spotlight. It sounds extremely interesting and I've wanted to read it ever since, but I haven't gotten around to ordering it because I have a huge TBR pile and adding even more books to it doesn't seem like the best idea. Still... At the same time I know that I don't need to read books I buy in the order I bought them, so if Santa wants to bring this (or any of the other books I list here) he can feel free.

Obsidian

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don’t kill him first, that is.

I heard about this one from Giselle over at Xpresso Reads and I've been dying to get my hands on itever since. I love the idea behind this book and I am really curious to see how it will all play out. Truth be told, this is a book that Santa might not get a chance to bring me. I'm really tempted to grab this the day that it releases. 

Tiger's Curse

by Colleen Houck

The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she’d be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world.

But that’s exactly what happened.

Face-to-face with dark forces, spell- binding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.

Tiger’s Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

This book is the first in a series recommended to me by Joanne over at The Fairytale Nerd. We're hoping to discuss it once I've read it (I still need to get to the rest of the Iron Fey books, too.) This looks very unique and interesting and I am looking forward to getting started on it. Even if I can hear my TBR pile over on the bookshelf going "Oh no, not another series!". 

The Mephisto Covenant

by Trinity Faegen

Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger—Sasha is Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx’s biggest threat.

A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant—God’s promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he’s finally found the girl he’s been searching for: Sasha.

With the threat of Eryx looming, Jax has to keep Sasha safe and win her over. But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?

I've been dying to read this since I first heard about it. It sounds like my kind of book. As with Amy and Roger's Epic Detour, the only reason I haven't grabbed it yet is because I am so backed up on reviews and overwhelmed with my current TBR. Of course, in this case I also don't trust myself to finish the books I need to read rather then jumping straight into this. (Seriously, I just had a copy of Die For Me by Amy Plum arrive in the mail and it's taking every ounce of stubbornness I possess not to drop everything and read it.) But I *will* get to this soon, I am sure. :) 

And now for something completely random...

Jay sent me this picture the other day via MSN and I found it totally adorable. I hope that you have enjoyed this totally random moment of cuteness as much as I did. I had to share them with you. :)

Thanks so much for dropping by! So, what books do you hope Santa will bring you this year? Have you read the books I've listed? I'd love to see your lists and hear your thoughts so please feel free to leave a comment. :) 

Wonderfully Wicked Read-A-Thon: Day #1 (Friday)

So I completely forgot I signed up for this. Yeah, that was smooth! :p But here I am. It's Friday morning and I am doing my opening post, so I suppose there is no harm done. :)

Why Did I Decide To Take Part?

I've never done a read-a-thon before, so I figured I might as well give it a go. I Write, I Read, I Review is a book blog. And while I don't know if I'm going to do a full blown NaNoWriMo next month or not, this will make a good mental equivalent to doing some stretches before a long run if I do decide to. Besides, with prizes, challenges, other people being involved, etc. this should be really fun. Plus I have some absolutely fabulous books that I hope to read. :)

Hey Kat, What Are You Reading? 

Yes, Mortal Obligation still has priority one. Fortunately, I am about 70% done, so this should be cake. I do need to pause and finalize the questions that I want to ask Nichole Chase and that will eat a bit of my reading time, but I've been thinking about them and jotting them down as I go along, so it shouldn't take too much up. :) This is really important, so I need to make sure it gets done and that I do a good job with the questions.

After that, I will likely move on to Dearly Departed by Lia Habel. Everybody who visits I Write, I Read, I Review surely knows how bad I have wanted to read this and I am really excited to sit down with it and see what I think of it. As it stands I think this book has a fabulous set of ideas and I am extremely curious to see how they will all come together. I am a fan of zombie love stories (Hello, Generation Dead!) so this one should be a lot of fun.

Didn't think it could get any better? I didn't forget that I signed up for this when I went shopping on Chapters. Odds are I ordered this in right after I did that. :) So yes, I am sitting here with a copy of Julie Kagawa's The Iron Daughter. Yes, it's been here for over a week. And yes, I have somehow managed not to devour it. But you can bet I'll be sinking my teeth into it sometime between now and Sunday. :D

And if I end up totally devouring The Iron Daughter, I have The Iron Queen waiting right in the wings so that I can keep going. I would really like to finish these two books, but I might deliberately take a pause between them since I will have to wait a day or two for Amazon to send me The Iron Knight and from what I have heard I will want to read it and The Iron Queen back-to-back.

And just in case I decide that I want to change gears a little, I also have Remembrance by Michelle Madow sitting on my Kindle and waiting not so patiently for me to get to it. :) I've been looking forward to reading this one and it is actually one of the books that made me decide to get a Kindle, so I have high hopes that it will be good. I've heard lots of great things from friends and the plot summary looks great. (Oh, and the cover looks beautiful, but I try not to judge a book on that.) We shall see, but I have a good feeling about Remembrance.

Anyway, that's it for me. At least for right now. If I do need any more books for some totally insane reason, I do have some other awesome reads sitting here and waiting to be dove into. But I would rather not list a ton of books so that I don't get discouraged if I come nowhere close to reading them all.

Anyway, thanks so much for dropping by my opening post. I will be adding updates here throughout the day about my progress, random thoughts on what I'm reading, etc. I should also be active on Twitter. (For anyone who didn't know, the Wonderfully Wicked hashtag is #WWReadathon). I hope that you enjoy what you are reading as much as I hope to enjoy the books that are in store for me!

Day One Updates:

My Entry for the "Creep Me Out" Challenge: "The Mirror's Eyes"

Imagine moving to an old creaky house decorated in antique furniture. In the room where you are going to sleep there is a fancy old dresser with carvings around it that make the top place around the mirror look like it has eyes, a nose and feathered detailing. As you lay in bed that first night, you hear a low humming sound. Glancing around to see what is causing it, you notice an eerie red light coming from where the "eyes" in the mirror frame are.

The next day you go downstairs and talk to your family. No one believes what you are saying. They laugh it off, telling you that you must have ate something weird before bed. You reason with yourself that it had to be a trick of the light and decide to go to sleep again the next night. Yet once again, that low humming sound wakes you. But this time, you are not alone. A specter wearing a mask that looks like the carvings in the mirror frame hovers in the air beside your bed.

With no further warning it grabs you and places the mask on your face. As you look in the mirror behind you, you see that it is now you who has the glowing red eyes. And you see that the specter has taken on your appearance. You feel a sudden pull and your body is pulled toward the mirror. You scream for help. At first, no one listens. Then, someone down the hall tells you to shut up; they're trying to sleep. As you feel your body beginning to slip through the glass as if it is water you cry out in one last desperate plea for aid, but it is too late. You find yourself fully through the glass and you are now looking out through the eyes of the mirror.

As you watch, the door to your room opens and one of your parents walks in. They turn to the specter, which now looks like you, and ask what all of the screaming is for. The specter turns to your parent and smiles reassuringly. "Sorry. Guess I had a bad dream." Your parent leaves and the specter snuggles down beneath the covers of your bed. "Ah! This is the life." It says. And it is the life. Your life. And now it's gone. Neither living nor dead, you are destined to remain trapped inside of the ancient mirror until another unsuspecting victim buys the old rickety house ... And the cycle of terror begins anew... through you.

(Note: I have a very creepy looking mirror in my room that I've had since I was a child. When I was little I would literally get a towel from the bathroom to cover over the mirror and the detailing around it at night because I was afraid there was some kind of monster or evil spirit in there. By this point I'm pretty use to it, but if I look at the thing the wrong way, it can still make me jump every now and then. Strangely enough, I think that's why I keep it.)

What would you do if they were watching you?

*+*+*+*

My title sentences for the Title Sentence Challenge:

"Once a witch Saw The Iron Queen Captivate Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Beneath a Mountain Moon."

Once a Witch by Carolyn McCullough
Saw by Steve Katz
The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
Captivate by Carrie Jones
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Beneath a Mountain Moon by Silver Ravenwolf

Or Perhaps...

"Dracula, in love, Prized The Near Witch With A Need So Beautiful; A Hunger Like No Other."

Dracula In Love by Karen Essex
Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien
The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
With by Donald Harington
A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young
A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole

*+*+*+*

So, it's finally bed time. What did I complete today?

I finished reading Mortal Obligation by Nichole Chase. While I would love to tell you all what I thought of it, you'll have to bare with me. I'm not suppose to give a review until the tour next month. I will say this, though: I finished it. I don't finish books that I despise and odds are I wouldn't be cruel enough to bring an author here if I hated their book. That's just not me.

I started Remembrance by Michelle Madow and I am roughly 15% of the way through it, according to my Kindle. In comparison to Mortal Obligation, Remembrance is light and fluffy and is more of a "fun" read. (The world is not in jeopardy of being taken over by dark Gods from another world, etc...) It's still too early to give any real impressions yet, but I am having a good time with it.

*+*+*+*

Haven't signed up for the Wonderfully Wicked Read-A-Thon? Don't despair! Sign-ups are still open over at My Shelf Confessions. :)

Five Friday Favorites (Oct. 21st)

Five Friday Favorites is something that was started by Kati over at Romancing Rakes. The question is simple: what are you loving this week? What books, movies, music or products are making you smile? For my part, I'm adding events and nice things that people have done for me. I was actually about to start a feature along these lines anyway, so I am really glad that I noticed this and saw the encouragement to take part. Plus, look at how cute the button for it is? :D

Anyway, here's my list:

1. I Was Approved To Read Dearly, Departed

How much have you guys heard me go on about wanting to read Dearly Departed by Lia Habel? A lot, right? Well, when I woke up on Tuesday my original plan was to rush straight to Amazon and buy it for my new Kindle.

Good thing I waited! I checked my e-mail first, just to see if anyone had written anything about some of the events and projects I have going. And what did I find? The lovely people at Random House once again approved one of my review requests. Now, I was totally floored when they approved me for Graffiti Moon (which, by the way, I loved. My review will be up in November.) But to be approved to read Dearly Departed the day that it released is something I never saw coming.

I can tell you one thing: If I love the book as much as I'm hoping I will, I will be buying a physical copy of it. it's the kind of book cover that deserves to be on a shelf, viewed and enjoyed long after the last page.

2. I Was Approved To Read Between the Sea and Sky

Dearly Departed is not the only NetGalley love that I've received this week, though. The fine folks over at Bloomsbury Children's Books have approved my request to read Between the Sea and Sky, which looks like it should be totally fabulous.

Summary from GoodReads:

For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren--the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Dosinia runs away to the mainland, Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn't seen since childhood--a dashing young man named Alandare, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alandare band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great, it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air.

How could I possibly resist wanting to read that? I absolutely cannot wait! 

3. I Get to be Part of the Mortal Obligation Tour

I know, I know! I've mentioned this a couple times in the past few days. But I am extremely excited to be taking part. Not only did I get to read a new book. (I'd tell you what I think of it, but then I'd have to kill you. Come back on November 10th and my lips will magically un-seal.) but I also get to do my first author interview, and Nichole is being so nice as to have a giveaway on my blog of her book! You absolutely won't want to miss out on this! (Okay, okay... Enough with the promo stuff. I'm getting off topic.) 

But seriously, I am always humbled when my blog takes another step down the path of sharing my love of books with others. I never imagined that I would be involved in a book tour at this point (or that I'd be getting to review books that haven't released yet, either, for that matter.) and I sincerely hope that I never become disenchanted with this kind of stuff.

4. We Finally Figured Out Where To Buy My Favorite Garlic Toast

Yes, hello there randomsauce. How nice of you to drop in. :D This is one of my favorite non-book-related indulgences, and I couldn't resist sharing... 

My favorite breakfast is pictured to the left. Yes, that is garlic toast and hot chocolate. Yes, I am a very strange individual. The type of Garlic Toast that I buy (I cannot think of the brand name... I just spent ten minutes trying to find an image.) is as easy as making Pop Tarts. You stick in in the toaster for two minutes or so, take it out, and enjoy. (It's pre-buttered). As for hot chocolate, my recommendations are either President's Choice from No Frills, or the new Cadburry cocoas made to taste like various chocolate bars. (The Rollo ones are particularly divine.) But yes... Garlic toast, hot chocolate and a good book tend to make a very happy Kat. :)

Oookay, why do I feel like I just did the blogger equivalent a Kanye West tweet? (Okay, now I have to link a video or the reference probably won't make any sense... And while we're listing favorite 'things', this also has to do with Josh Groban, but I'm not counting it since he is a person.)

5. I'm Taking Part in the Wonderfully Wicked Read-A-Thon!

I'll be doing a far more detailed opening post for this in a few minutes, but I may as well make it my fifth thing since I am very excited to be taking part. I have some totally fabulous books picked out. I wonder how many of them will get read? And I do mean fab-u-lous books, people. Wait til you see... (Check for "Wonderfully Wicked 2011: Day #1 in a few minutes...)

If you are taking part feel free to drop by and say hi. I'd love to know what you're reading and how you're enjoying it! 

If you're interested in taking part, it's not too late. Drop by My Shelf Confessions and sign up on the linky!

Well that's it for me. So, how did you enjoy my first go at 5 Friday Favorites? I'd love to know, so feel free to leave a comment.

Follow My Book Blog Friday (Oct. 21st)

Q.What superhero is your alter-ego?

What a fun question! I couldn't narrow it down to just one, so I'll list my three favorites who immediately came to mind:

Adora from She-Ra

Why She Rocks:

Even before Adora gains her powers as She-Ra, she is already a really strong character. She was separated from her family by Hordak, who kidnapped her and raised her to be a Force Captain for the Horde on Eitheria. Adora's strength isn't necessarily as physical as She-Ra's, but she has incredible internal fortitude, a solid code of justice and honor (Fitting, since her transformation phrase is "For the honor of grayskull!") Adora, not She-Ra, leads the rebellion with Glimmer and Bow. Plus, it's Adora who dates Seahawk, too. Further, while the character is more motherly as She-Ra, I always found Adora more real and relatable.

Jean Gray from X-Men

Why She Rocks:

Jean, how I love thee. Let me count the ways: I love the fact that she is so powerful that her powers actually needed to be hidden from her. She is not as certain or confident as some of the other X-Men because of this. It's not that she is timid or incapable, but rather that her situation makes her more vulnerable as a character. Which turns around in a complete 180 when Phoenix gets added to the equation (and don't get me wrong, I love Phoenix, too.) But she is also, essentially, the voice for the X-Men. She is incredibly smart both as a member of the team and in ways that are valuable outside of it. (She is a doctor, she speaks out about mutant registration, etc.) Lastly, she's with Scott (Cyclops), who was one of the heroes I was obsessed with as a kid. (Sorry Logan (Wolverine) fans, but I am totally Jean + Scott all the way.) 

But if I have to choose someone that I want to be, I think I can narrow it down to...

Lita (Sailor Jupiter) from Sailor Moon

Why She Rocks:

What I love about Lita is that she is the balancing force of the Sailor Scouts. (The same could be said, to some extent, of Mina / Sailor Venus, but it takes forever for her to show up..) While Amy is knee deep in the (scholarly) books and Rai is dead serious about everything and helping grandpa at the temple, Lita often hangs out with Serena. But unlike Serena, Lita can go from being totally fun-loving and cheerful to being ready to kick butt in roughly ten seconds.

On top of this, there is the fact that Lita can be a very complicated character. Prior to joining the Sailor Scouts she had a rep for getting into fights. That temper can serve her very well when fighting the Negaverse and other baddies that the scouts deal with, but it keeps her character in check, preventing it from being perfect. Other fun facts include that she loves to cook, she is an amazing ice skater and she is totally, ridiculously 100% boy crazy (which my 14 or 15 year old self though was "so cool" at the time.) 

It also doesn't hurt that her powers look totally awesome:

Tell me you wouldn't love having that at your disposal if you were in danger? Sign me up! (While we're on the topic and since Halloween is almost here, I actually *did* go as Lita when I was in the 8th grade.) 

So, who did you pick as your super-hero alter-ego? I'd love to know, so feel free to leave a comment! 

Follow My Book Blog Friday (Oct. 14th)

Q.If you could have characters from a particular book meet and form an epic storyline with characters from a particular TV series, which would you choose and why?

I wonder what would happen if we put this...

... Together with this:

Oh, the possibilities! 

Would Four be trying to figure out how to work Moya?

Would Aeryn and Tris get along? Would Christina's honesty get her in trouble or help her out?

What would Eric think of D'Argo? I bet that could be one hell of a fight, considering D'Argo's temper and Eric's tendency to be a jerk.

Would Chianna be trying to break up the factions because she felt they were too rigid and reminded her too much of Nabari Prime? 

Would Rygel try to take advantage of the politicians from Abnegation?

Would Scorpius attempt to entice the members of the Erudite faction to find a better way to cool his brain? 

These are just a few of the things that I came up with. I guess that's what happens when you take a great TV show and a great book and mix them together. :)

So what was your pick? I'd love to know, so feel free to leave a comment. 

Follow My Blog Friday (Sept. 30th)

Q. What book that hasn't been turned into a movie (yet) would you most like to see make it to the big screen, and who would you like cast as your favorite character?

Oh, no contest here! 

Divergent

by Veronica Roth

Tell me this wouldn't be totally awesome as a movie? Divergent has such a great combination of action, memorable scenes, fantastic characters and a fascinating world... It's exciting, it has a great romance (You thought I wasn't going to say that?) and Tris is a totally kick-ass heroine. 

I have to be honest: I'm not really a huge movie person and I don't really follow actors and actresses individually. I either like a movie or I don't and that's pretty much the end of it. But with The Hunger Games being turned into a film and Divergent being the utterly brilliant book that it is, I have two words about whether or not it should be turned into a movie: Why Not? 

So, what book do you think would be fabulous as a film? I'd love to know so please feel free to share in the comments or link me to your post for FF. Thanks! 

P.S. Make sure you enter my Giveaways! They can be found on the sidebar, just below the book of the month!

P.S.S. Please take the time to nominate your favorite books and characters for The Bleeding Hearts Awards! Not only will this make the upcoming polls far more exciting, it will also earn you +1 toward BOTH of my Halloween giveaways at the end of October! 

Thanks for dropping by my blog. Have a great day! 

Follow My Blog Friday (Sept. 23rd)

Q. Do you have a favorite series that you read over and over again? Tell us a bit about it and why you keep on revisiting it?

Marked (House of Night book #1)

by P.C. and Kristen Cast

I saw this book on a shelf at No Frills (our local grocery store) last spring (2010) and decided that the back blurb looked interesting. I'd been reading a bit of YA already -- Vampire Academy, Blue Bloods... You get the idea. But something about this book drew me in. Maybe it was the fact that it was paperback and "marked" 30% off. 

Bottom line is that I bought it and I devoured it. There are lots of things that I liked. Zoey starting at a new school and making new friends. Needing to find out where she fit in her new life. Having to deal with the way her various family members reacted to her becoming a vampire. 

Marked began my love of the House of Night series, but it is also the book that cemented my love of YA and which made YA the primary type of books that I now read. Here are my top five reasons for loving the House of Night books as a whole. Look for my review of Destined when it releases near the end of October, because I know I'll be reading it. (I'm counting down the days.)

1. Tightly knit timeline and pacing:

There are a lot of people who complain that a House of Night book can span three days. That Zoey has only been a vampire for a few months over the course of the series. But this is something I love and is something, in my opinion, that makes the series and the characters and the events going on feel more real. We really get to feel that we are living with Zoey and her friends, like we are taking this journey with them. And to me, taking a journey is a good reason for reading a book.

2. Multiple points of view:

I know that it is strange that the Casts decided to switch how they were writing the books in the sixth installment. It might have been an easier transition for readers if they had done this much sooner. But as someone who came to YA from a paranormal romance background, third person writing with more then one point of view is the norm and it did not bother me. Zoey is *not* my favorite character in House of Night, so getting to be inside the heads of characters other then her is a welcome change.

3. The magic system:

I have grown up with games and books using the elements to control magic, so it's something that generally does not require a lot of explanation for me to "get it". What makes Cast's books fascinating, though, is that the magic system is actually a bit of a fantasized version of modern paganism, complete with circles, calling elements, lighting candles and seeking help from nature. I haven't seen anyone else mix this with vampire lore and it was one of the original things that hooked me on these books. (I studied Wicca for several years in my teens.)

4. Neferet and Nyx

What I love about Neferet is that she does not *start* out as the villain and that her actions as a villain progress over time. We actually get to see her grow in her own twisted way. Part of me wants to see her be redeemed and become the person she was when we met her. Part of me says "Screw that! She's going down!"

As for Nyx, the vampires' Goddess, I find it interesting how she leaves things up to the people who follow her rather then intervening time and again. I'm pretty sure that she could squash Neferet and Kalona with a giant fly swatter of doom if she wanted to, but she refuses to let their actions affect or sway her own integrity. She gives advice and takes action when she feels she must, but she seems determined that the vampires should have free will.

5. Stevie Rae and Rephaim: 

While Zoey is running around juggling lord knows how many guys, Stevie Rae has fallen for Rephaim, who is a Raven Mocker and her sworn enemy. Watching the two of them become closer and have to fight to be together has actually become my favorite part of the entire series. They are the characters I buy these books for and the reason that I keep reading. I must know what will happen to them. They fascinate me. 

So, what series did you pick? What are your thoughts on the House of Night books? (Relax. I know a lot of people *hate* them. :p ) 

Last: I need your help. I am picking my books to review for October. If there are YA Books about Witches, Faeries, Werewolves, Shifters, Vampires or Zombies that you would like to see reviewed, please leave me suggestions. :D I am going shopping on Saturday for this and I would love to grab *some* books that people want reviews for. Thanks!