I'm Back!!

Hello Everyone!! I know I've been gone for a long long time, but hopefully I'm back for good. This past year was a rough one, and I needed some time to collect myself.

In April, I suffered a miscarriage which was completely devestating.  We have such a hard time getting pregnant, and then to be so close was heartbreaking.  I pushed myself into different things to distract myself and found myself constantly working in the garden, spray painting stuff for the house, and cleaning.  I even got the basement cleaned and finally put together and now we have a family room and play room down there.  It was pretty productive summer. 

In August, I again miscarried.  This was the second of the year, and my third overall, and I was beginning to think we'd never be able to have anymore children.  Then, surprise, I found out in October I was pregnant again, and I'm due June 8th.  I went to the Dr. on Friday and everything is looking great, and besides some horrendous morning sickness, this has been a pretty low key pregnancy.  I'm currently 16 weeks and holding strong!  We're thrilled, and I am so looking forward to giving Anthony a little brother or sister.  We find out February 1st what we're having, but in all honesty,  all I want is a healthy little baby.  I'd be just as happy with a little boy, as I would a little girl.

I'm really looking forward to getting back to reviewing what I've read, and tracking all my reading adventures.  I've missed the blogging world, but I'm also glad I took the break.  With everything else, it just wasn't fun anymore and I felt like it was something I "had" to do rather than something I wanted to do.

I'm going to sign up for some reading challenges this year, probably way too many, and enjoy some reading this year!!

Review: Uncommon Criminals

Title: Uncommon Criminals
Author: Ally Carter
Pages: 298
Rating: 5/5

Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life life. Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners.

There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long, and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous and that is simply… the emerald is cursed.

Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all she has her best friend—the gorgeous Hale—and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses, realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.

Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules (www.goodreads.com).

I ignored this series for a long time because of the covers. I thought they looked "fake" and boring and made the story appear as though it wouldn't have any depth. Then last year, I was browsing the libraries audio, I picked up Heist Society and through it in my book cart. I started it at work a few days later and was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. The characters were wonderful, especially our main character Katarina. I soon fell in love with her and her witty band of followers. I was hooked. I couldn't wait to get my hands on Uncommon Criminals and was disappointed.

In Uncommon Criminals, Kat is back after pulling off one of the biggest heists in the society of criminals. Suddenly she's known everywhere as the girl who did the impossible. And now she's been asked to the impossible again. Find the Cleopatra Emerald and steal it for it's rightful owner. The problem - the Emerald is said to be cursed - and it is the unspoken rule in Kat's family that they will NEVER go after this jewel.

Ignoring the warnings, Kat and her team seem to pull off the impossible, but soon things begin to unravel and it is here that the story because absolutely, 100% un - put - downable!!

Uncommon Criminals held all the same magic that I experienced with Heist Society. It was quirky, and mysterious. It kept me on my toys. I certainly couldn't predict what was goign to happen next. Ally Carter has created an irresistable series that I cannot wait to continue to read.

Speaking of irresistableness, W W Hale is back with a vengenance and more intriguing then ever. I absolutely adore the budding romance between him and Kat and love that Carter is keeping us on our toes. It's as unpredictable as the jobs at hand, which I think, makes it all the better!

Review: The Pregnancy Project

Title: The Pregnancy Project A Memoir
Author: Gaby Rodriguez
Pages: 216
Rating: 3/5

Growing up, Gaby Rodriguez was often told she would end up a teen mom. After all, her mother and her older sisters had gotten pregnant as teenagers; from an outsider’s perspective, it was practically a family tradition. Gaby had ambitions that didn’t include teen motherhood. But she wondered: how would she be treated if she “lived down” to others' expectations? Would everyone ignore the years she put into being a good student and see her as just another pregnant teen statistic with no future? These questions sparked Gaby’s school project: faking her own pregnancy as a high school senior to see how her family, friends, and community would react. What she learned changed her life forever, and made international headlines in the process.

In The Pregnancy Project, Gaby details how she was able to fake her own pregnancy—hiding the truth from even her siblings and boyfriend’s parents—and reveals all that she learned from the experience. But more than that, Gaby’s story is about fighting stereotypes, and how one girl found the strength to come out from the shadow of low expectations to forge a bright future for herself (www.goodreads.com).

Memoirs come and go for me.  Sometimes I found them to really interesting and enjoyable, other times I’m bored with the story being presented to me.  It really depends on two things for me – my connection with the narrator, and the quality of writing.  Both of these things are so important, especially in a memoir because you don’t normally have the same conflict/resolution/happy ending as you would in a work of fiction.

I was first introduced to Gaby’s story through the Lifetime movie (there is really nothing I enjoy more than sitting with my feet up on a Saturday watching Lifetime movies for hours on end…).  I really enjoyed the movie and I was taken with the premise of the project, but I wanted to know more.  I was hoping that Gaby’s memoir would answer my questions.  The next day, I headed to the library, and placed the book on hold.  The minute it came in, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.  I was really interested in the bravery of this young girl.

That night I started reading, I began to learn Gaby’s background story…by page 60 (in a book that is only 216 pages) I was still learning it.  I was quickly becoming bored with the story.  I wanted to know about the project!  Finally, we see where Gaby makes the decision for her project, and the reactions of those around her and she works for approval of her idea.  I liked reading about what the principle and teachers thought of Gaby’s project, and it was interesting to read about her mother’s reaction also.  However, I felt like the book was lacking any real emotion.  I just didn’t see the push and drive that was behind the project.  I read the words on the pages, but I didn’t feel for Gaby. 

As the story progresses, we learn more about the reactions of Gaby’s classmates, but to be honest, I almost feel like the movie gave me a better idea of how her classmates and teachers acted.  I almost feel like the actual part of the book about the project was rushed.  I don’t feel like it was given the time that it needed in such a short book.  I would have rather learned less about Gaby’s background and that of her brothers and sisters, and more of the affects of the project on those around Gaby.  I just never felt like I got a real sense of how her brothers and sisters felt, how her boyfriend was handling the pressure, and how his family was reacting.  I just felt it was a bit glossed over.

Now, I still do think that Gaby’s project was amazing.  And I do see the impact that it had on not only her community but hopefully of the nation.  I just think that this book was almost rushed out and it didn’t get the full time and attention that it deserved.  I just don’t know if Gaby was truly able to really “tell her story.” 

Review: Anna Dressed in Blood

Title: Anna Dressed in Blood
Author: Kendare Blake
Pages: 316
Rating: 5/5

Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story. . .

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life (www.goodreads.com)

A few years back, I discovered the show "Supernatural" which I watched religiously until this last season (I'm pretty sure the new writer/producer/whatever ruined the show...just sayin').  Anyway, I loved Supernatural for several reasons, but the biggest was that it was something different - these guys were ghost hunters...they lived on the edge...they were hot in that bad boy ghost hunter way.  When I started Anna Dressed in Blood, I got those same warm creepy feelings I had while watching Supernatural.  I was hooked from page one.

This is probably one of the best debuts I have read in a long time and 'm on pins and needles waiting for the sequel.  It needs to be out NOW!!

But on to the review...let's start with Anna.  Anna has to be one of the most terrifying characters I have ever encountered in YA lit.  When Cas first lays eyes on Anna, she is a force to be reckon with - her black eyes, writhing hair and simple white dress dripping in blood along with the strength to rip grown men in half with one hand would definitely make me take a step back.  Her rage is uncontrollable - yet she spares Cas' life.  And try as he might, Cas cannot bring himself to kill her.  And so the story goes...with each turn of the page the suspense builds.  My heart broke when I learned of Anna's past, and my blood turned cold, as I became privy to the biggest twist I've read in a long time.

Blake's writing is really top notch.  The cast of characters she brings to the table are unforgettable.  Not only is Anna amazing, so is Cas, our troubled ghost hunter.  Reading through the pages, I came to feel Cas' pain, his confusion, and his anger.  I also loved seeing his friendship bloom with Thomas and Carmel.  Every character in this book had a purpose.  There wasn't one character that was there just because.  To me, that is what makes a book really good...knowing that every thing that is done, every character introduced, is done so with purpose. 

All in all, Anna Dressed in Blood is a real page turner and will probably be one of the best books I read this year!!

What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading this week? is a weekly event now hosted by One Persons Journey Through a World Of Books. It's helpful way to take a look at what you have read and what you want to read!

Hi Everyone!!  I've been gone for a while.  Time is quickly getting away from me.  I took a new promotion at work and the job, while great, is a lot more tiring and stressful than what I was used to.  But it took us one step closer to getting everything paid off and the chance to some day be a stay at home mom.  Anthony also turned one...at the same time he had four teeth come in, developed a nasty ear infection, and his father came down with pneumonia.  It has been an eventful few weeks here in this household.  On top of all that, we are again going through the process of trying to have another baby.  Many of you may not know, but I suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and becoming pregant is a difficult thing for me.  Currently, I'm on multiple hormone injections, which is always fun, and hubby and I are waiting for the green light to do our part...lol.  This was the same process we used when we had Anthony, however, this time around I'm not responding to the shots as well and we've had to increase the dosage.  To make matters even worse, insurance has stopped covering the ultrasounds for treatment along with the drugs.  This will be the only month we will be able to afford to try.  It all has me a bit frazzled, but I'm trying to stay calm and relaxed :)  But anyways, on to the more bookish things.

Over the past few weeks, I've finished five books, all of which were very good.  I should have some reviews up this week:

This coming week, I'm hoping to finish up the following:

We'll see how that goes!!  Hope everyone has a wonderful reading week!!

It's Monday...What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading this week? is a weekly event now hosted by One Persons Journey Through a World Of Books. It's helpful way to take a look at what you have read and what you want to read!

The first week of the year was a great one for me reading wise.  I finished three books and I'm halfway finished with two others.  Here's what I read this week (click covers for reviews):

I'm looking to finish Wither and Dark Lover here in the next day or two.  Here's what I have lined up for this coming week:

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door (goodreads.com)

Megan Berry - Zombie Settler extraordinaire - just wants Pom Squad to trounce Cheer Team in this freakishly funny follow-up to You Are So Undead to Me. But someone's turning coma victims into settler-resistant ber-zombies - and everyone thinks it's Megan's fault! Well, except for super-creepy male cheerleader Aaron. (Ew!)

Meg's also being stalked by a hot - albeit undead - seer named Cliff. Can Cliff's premonitions help Megan stop a zombies-on-ice deathscapade and discover who's really behind the coma-killer crusade before an entire army of undead rise up? And when Megan's boyfriend Ethan grows jealous of Cliff, will it end their intra-settler romance?

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war raging between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret bound of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Possessed by a deadly beast Rhage is the most dangerous of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He's the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover-for inside him burns ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Owned by this dark side, Rhage fears the time when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him.

Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant to Rhage's protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. She lost her faith in miracles years ago. But when Rhage's intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves...

Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.

“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls.
“Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Lia's mother is busy saving other people's lives. Her father is away on business. Her step-mother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia's head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less. If she keeps on going this way—thin, thinner, thinnest—maybe she'll disappear altogether.



That's my list for the week. What are you reading this week?

Review: You Are So Undead to Me

Title: You Are So Undead to Me
Author: Stacey Jay
Pages: 263
Rating: 4/5

Fifteen-year-old Megan Berry is a Zombie Settler by birth, which means she's part-time shrink to a bunch of dead people with a whole lot of issues.

All Megan wants is to be normal and go to homecoming, of course. Unfortunately, it's a little difficult when your dates keep getting interrupted by a bunch of slobbering Undead.

Things are about to get even more complicated for Megan. Someone in school is using black magic to turn average, angsty Undead into flesh-eating Zombies, and it's looking like homecoming will turn out to be a very different kind of party the bloody kind.

Megan must stop the Zombie apocalypse descending on Carol, Arkansas. Her life and more importantly, homecoming depends on it (goodreads.com).

You Are So Undead to Me is Stacey Jay's debut novel and I loved it!!  The main character Megan Berry was so much fun and I couldn't wait to see what happened to her next.  She was a zombie fighter with heart!

Jay's novel follows the life of Megan as she settles back into her life as a Zombie Settler, a group of people who act as shrinks for the dead.  Megan had all but lost her powers at a young age due to a horrific attack and she's not too happy to have them back.  Now Zombies are ruining her dates, and someone is summoning the evil undead to kill Megan.

Jay's writing was spot on.  Never once did I feel that the book was lagging, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.  The plot was well written and developed and I enjoyed every minute of it.  The character development was spot on and I truly connected with Megan and Ethan.  I really felt that I was part of the story and that's when I know that I truly love a book.  I was sad when I turned the last page and I'm so happy to know that there is a sequel!

I certainly won't be waiting long to read Undead Much?  I'm already upset I waited as long as I did to read You Are So Undead to Me.  I'm also going to be checking to see what other books Stacey Jay has out there and can't wait to get my hands on them too!!

Review: The Hollowland

Title: Hollowland
Author: Amanda Hocking
Pages: 312
Rating: 2/5

"This is the way the world ends - not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door."

Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way - not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies (goodreads.com).

I found Hollowland late one night when I was cruising around Amazon trying to find things to download onto my new Kindle Fire. I always check out the free books because free is free right? Hollowland was listed among them, and after reading the blurb about the plot I promptly hit the download button. Then a few days later when looking for challenges in 2012 I came across the Zombie Reading Challenge. "Score" I thought! "I can use Hollowland to help complete this challenge." And that is how I came to read this particular book...

I'm not really sure what was worse on this one. The character development and plot, or the writing itself. The writing was so choppy at times, I found myself re-reading sentences three times before if finally dawned on me what the author was trying to say. And the typos! I hate typos. I know everyone makes them including myself, and this book was self published...and free, but still a little extra proofreading probably wouldn't hurt.

Hollowland was like one bad rollercoaster ride. This book is non-stop. It seemed like something was happening around every turn. This would have been amazing had there been some character development to back it up but the book was completely void of this detail. There was absolutely no real emotion in this book. Our main character Remy is like a robot. She's killing zombies with the kind of attitude I take towards cooking dinner...yeah it sucks but it's got to be done. I wanted to feel some real fear. I do think some of the plot devices that were used were there to serve a purpose. Remy must leave a friend behind in the desert because she may have been infected with the zombie virus. I think this was there to show that Remy was a strong, focused leader...but actually just made her look like she really didn't give a crap about anyone. And then there was the lion...I mean really...a lion. I'm not sure what the author was trying to establish with a lion unless she thought it would be really cool, but to me it was just weird.

From the lion, things went downhill fast. Remy and her small group of followers ended up spending the night with a cult leader named Koresh and his band of merry followers. Koresh hopes to cleanse Remy's friend Lazlo, a rockstar before the zombies came and took over the world, so they try to escape but are held up when Remy, of course because this makes sense, tries to find her lion...do I really need to say more?

The sad thing about this book is it started off really good. Zombies had envaded a secure government facility. We see that the zombies are beginning to develop a higher since of intelligence. They're working together to destroy the world rather than running amuck. We get a glimpse at the life that Remy was leading...secure but no where near perfect. It was a great setup. Had the author not choosen to go down the road of a B grade horror film, I probably would have given this book a lot higher rating. But instead I was left exhausted and drained and not in a good way.

Save your self the trouble of reading this book. Go out and rent Shaun of the Dead instead...

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

(Click on picture to go to Goodreads description)

I loved Rampant by Diana Peterfreund and have Ascendant downloaded on my Kindle to read.  I can't wait to read this dystopian retelling of Persuasion by Jane Austen!!

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  Each Tuesday is a new topic.  Head on over and check it out!!

 This weeks topic is:

Top Ten Books That I Can't Wait to Read in 2012

I have so many books that I'm planning on reading in 2012 that have been sitting on my shelf for way too long.  Here's the rundown:

1.  The Hunger Games: Suzanne Collins - I'm pretty sure I am the last person on earth who hasn't yet read this book or the two follow ups.  If I don't read anything else this year, I AM READING THIS BOOK!!

2.  The Book Thief: Marcus Zusak - Again, I'm pretty sure I'm the last person on earth to have not read this one too.  I've heard amazing things about it and I'm really looking forward to it!

3.  The Help: Kathryn Stockett - My best friend finished this one in two days and she isn't even a reader...I can't wait to sit down with this one and lose myself for a few hours. 

4.  My Life Next Door: Huntley Fitzpatrick - One, I love the cover of this one.  Two, the premise sounds amazing.  And three, I don't read enough YA contemporary so this one definitely fits the bill!

5.  Sweet Evil: Wendy Higgins - Amazing Cover...good description too..lol

6.  The Girl in the Park: Mariah Fredericks - I love the premise of this one.  Mystery and intrigue.  Plus it takes place in New York which is one place I someday hope to visit.

7.  Outlander: Diane Gabaldon - I have wanted to read this one for years and years, but the size is intimidating.  I am making it my personal goal to read this in 2012!

8.  Shine: Lauren Myracle - I have a signed copy of this one that I received at a book signing last year that I have never gotten around to reading.  I really, really want to read this one too so I'm hoping to get it accomplished in 2012.

9.  Sapphire Blue: Kerstin Geir - I have been waiting on pins and needles for this one to get translated and released in the US.  According to Amazon, it should be here in October of 2012.  I cannot wait!! Ruby Red was amazing!!

10.  Bewitching: Alex Flinn - I love, love, love Flinn's books and this is a spin off of my all time favorite Beastly.  Really looking forward to this one!

Review: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler

Title: From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler
Author: E.L. Konigsburg
Pages: 162
Rating: 5/5

When suburban Claudia Kincaid decides to run away, she knows she doesn’t just want to run from somewhere, she wants to run to somewhere — to a place that is comfortable, beautiful, and, preferably, elegant. She chooses the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Knowing her younger brother Jamie has money and thus can help her with a serious cash-flow problem, she invites him along.

Once settled into the museum, Claudia and Jamie find themselves caught up in the mystery of an angel statue that the museum purchased at auction for a bargain price of $225. The statue is possibly an early work of the Renaissance master, Michelangelo, and therefore worth millions. Is it? Or isn’t it?

Claudia is determined to find out. Her quest leads her to Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, the remarkable old woman who sold the statue, and to some equally remarkable discoveries about herself

I joined the challenge to read Newbery Medal and Honor winners this year. From the Mixed Up Files was my first read from the lists this year. I believe I may have read this book back in elementary school but definitely did not remember much about it. I am so glad I chose to revisit it.

Claudia is tired of being Claudia. She wants to be different. She wants to feel important. Because of this, she devises a plan to runaway. Claudia doesn't want to runaway to any old place. She wants to go someplace important, so she chooses The Metropolitan Museum of Art. And it is there, with her younger brother Jamie she hides for a week.

I can definitely see why this book won the Newbery Award and how it has sustained its popularity since its original publication in 1972. From the Mixed Up Files is quirky and entertaining. The main characters are great. Claudia and her brother Jamie make a wonderful team. Claudia is smart and inquisitive and comes up with a great plan. Jamie is good with the money and helps to keep Claudia from putting them directly in the poorhouse.

Konigsberg is a fabulous author. Even at thirty years old, I adored the story she wove between the covers of this book. I wanted to visit the museum, sleep in a 400 year old bed, and hide in the bathroom stall until the guards had gone home for the night. This is definitely one I will be keeping on my shelves for years to come and will hopefully share one day with my own son.

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading this week? is a weekly event now hosted by One Persons Journey Through a World Of Books. It's helpful way to take a look at what you have read and what you want to read!

It has been forever since I've done a It's Monday, What Are You Reading Post?  Life really got in the way towards the end of 2011, and I had a hard time getting back on track.  But its a new year, and I'm starting fresh!

This past week I only read and reviewed one book, but it was a good one:

(Clicking above photo will take you to review)

This coming week I have quite a few good ones lined up that I'm really looking forward too:

Hollowland - Amanda Hocking

"This is the way the world ends - not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door." Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way - not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies.

Dark Lover - J.R. Ward

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.

The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams

You Are So Undead to Me - Stacey Jay

Fifteen-year-old Megan Berry is a Zombie Settler by birth, which means she's part-time shrink to a bunch of dead people with a whole lot of issues.

All Megan wants is to be normal and go to homecoming, of course. Unfortunately, it's a little difficult when your dates keep getting interrupted by a bunch of slobbering Undead.

Things are about to get even more complicated for Megan. Someone in school is using black magic to turn average, angsty Undead into flesh-eating Zombies, and it's looking like homecoming will turn out to be a very different kind of party the bloody kind.

Megan must stop the Zombie apocalypse descending on Carol, Arkansas. Her life and more importantly, homecoming depends on it

Wither - Lauren Destefano

What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she trusts, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler - E. L. Kongisburg

When suburban Claudia Kincaid decides to run away, she knows she doesn’t just want to run from somewhere, she wants to run to somewhere — to a place that is comfortable, beautiful, and, preferably, elegant. She chooses the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Knowing her younger brother Jamie has money and thus can help her with a serious cash-flow problem, she invites him along.

Once settled into the museum, Claudia and Jamie find themselves caught up in the mystery of an angel statue that the museum purchased at auction for a bargain price of $225. The statue is possibly an early work of the Renaissance master, Michelangelo, and therefore worth millions. Is it? Or isn’t it?

Claudia is determined to find out. Her quest leads her to Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, the remarkable old woman who sold the statue, and to some equally remarkable discoveries about herself

Review: Catching Jordan

Title: Catching Jordan
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Pages: 288
Rating: 5/5

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though- she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.

But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line (cover blurb)?

I always like to start the New Year off with either a book I've been wanting to read for a long time, or one that I've been hearing a lot of chatter about in the blogosphere.  In the past few months, I have read tons and tons of positive reviews for Catching Jordan, but still I was hesitant.  One of my favorite books (and series) is Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.  I was nervous that Catching Jordan would fall short, and I would spend the entire time comparing Jordan to DJ Schwenk.  Once I started reading I quickly learned two things:  Catching Jordan was addictive in its own way, and two - Jordan Woods could definitely hold her own (DJ who???).

I started this book last night, as the ball was dropping, and finished it early this afternoon.  I only put it down to eat, go to the bathroom, and play with Anthony for a bit.  Sometimes I'm so thankful that he's a great napper...lol!!

So what made this book so good?  Well for one, the characters were fabulous.  Jordan is quarterback and captain of her football team.  She's a girl swimming in a male world, and that's perfectly fine with her.  She shuts down a lot of her feelings to be a leader, and doesn't want to show weakness among her teammates.  Kenneally developed Jordan in such a way, I'm pretty sure for a few short hours I was a high school quarterback, surrounded by a team that loved and respected me.  I agonized over every misstep and decision.  I felt the hurt and the pain.  I felt the joy and the happiness.  I wish there were always characters like Jordan around.  I'd never read a bad book.

And let's not forget about Jordan's teammates and love interests.  Of course, my favorite, was Sam Henry.  He has to be one of my new favorite male leads today in YA literature.  He was so darn cute and sweet...and also very, very frustrating.  There were times that I really wished I could crawl in among the pages and smack him right up alongside his head.  Along with Sam, we had Ty, who was just smokin' hot...lol.  I loved how he felt about Jordan and how their relationship grew and changed. 

Over all, this was an amazing read, and a great addition to current YA Contemporary Lit.  I look forward to reading more from this author!

Here's to my first book of 2012!!!

Happy 2012!!

It's hard to believe that it is already 2012.  Anthony will turn a year old in two weeks.  Hubby will be at his new job almost a year.  Time certainly has flown.

2011 was a year of changes and adjustments for me.  I had to adjust to a new baby, new responsibilities and a lot less time.  In 2010, I read 59 books.  With all the changes, I only read 29 books in 2011 and didn't review five of them.

That being said I read some amazing books in 2011 including: The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian, The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom, and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. 

I also had signed up for several challenges and completed four.  Not horribly shabby.

For 2012, I want to make things different!  I want to read more, review more, do different blog posts.  I want to involve what I'm reading to Anthony, keep up on weekly meme's, branch out to other bloggers.  I feel I make these same goals every year and fail miserably after the first month or two, but this year, I'm ready!! 

That being said, I've already completed my first book of 2012 and I can't wait to get the review posted for you soon!!