tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58418890266583064282024-03-18T23:15:28.457-04:00Mimi ValentineA YA book-loving teenager with a shelf piled miles high.Mimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.comBlogger337125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-63183153960039792582012-07-26T09:03:00.000-04:002014-12-03T04:04:55.230-05:00Mimi's Mini Goodbye!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Hi guys, <br />
<br />
I'm so sorry that I've been AWOL the past few days! Something really big came up recently — something that resulted in craziness and sadness and many complications — and we've been dealing with it ever since. I haven't had much time to blog in the past few days, and there's so much going on that I don't think I'll be able to blog in the next few days either.<br />
<br />
But I didn't want to leave you guys without an explanation, so for now, I'm going to put my blog on a mini Mimi hiatus — just for a few weeks or so, give or take.<br />
<br />
I don't like leaving my blog empty for long (it's like leaving your baby alone in a way!), but blogging takes A LOT of time. And right now with everything going on, I don't have that time to spare anymore. I'll be trying my best to stop by your blogs as often as I can and I'll definitely be around to chat on <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6110599-mimi-valentine"><b>Goodreads</b></a>. But I won't have much time to update my own blog. <br />
<br />
I hope you'll understand.<br />
<br />
Thank you SO MUCH for everything! <span class="st">I kind of, sort of, ABSOLUTELY love you guys, you know that? Blogging has been an adventure! I've had so much fun, met so many AMAZING people, found out about so many great books </span>— and <span class="st">I can't wait to be back so I can do it all over again. </span><span class="st">♥</span><br />
<br />
<span class="st">See you in a few weeks! I'm sure I'll have a ton to tell you by then. :)</span><br />
<br />
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<span class="st"> This isn't goodbye.</span></div>
<br />
-MimiMimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com188tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-39614714373321643652012-07-20T00:10:00.000-04:002012-07-20T00:10:00.244-04:00Book Talk 101: Post Planning?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Hey, everybody! :)<br />
<br />
It's been a while since I did a <u><b>Book Talk 101</b></u> post, but I was inspired recently by one of my biggest dilemmas as a blogger, and I thought the best way to rant about it while not feeling like I'm ranting is to post it as a discussion! ;) So today's topic is...<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #0b5394; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u><b>Do you plan your posts ahead of time? </b></u></span></div>
<br />
<b>Mimi's answer: </b>Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha you're funny! :')<br />
<br />
No, I don't plan my posts ahead of time! I almost always write up my reviews and such the night before I post them. I know it's probably so much better to plan ahead (like maybe create a calendar where I can plan which review will be posted when or etcetera), but I never manage to know WHAT I want to post more than twenty-four hours before it goes live. <b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>PROS of the Mimi Procrastination Method: </b>It makes me feel very spontaneous! And I find that my mind usually works so much better when I don't have time to second guess myself. I just write up my review, proofread it a bit, then usually post it up at midnight before I go to sleep. (In the morning before work/school, I reply to all comments then do the same thing randomly after.) <b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>CONS of the Mimi Procrastination Method: </b>It makes me feel very <i>unorganized</i>! If I'm ever out late the night before, I often don't have enough time to write up a post for the next day and it could go blank. Also, what if I don't have any inspiration to write a post in that short amount of time? It's always be a problem when I can't get my feelings into words! (That happens A LOT when I really love a book/really hate a book/just can't agree with my brain at the moment!)<br />
<br />
But the thing is, this night-before-planning-and-spontaneous-ideas-thing really works for me! I'm almost always able to prepare a post daily (except random days in between when I KNOW I'm going to be gone all day, or Saturdays a.k.a. Family Days). And I find I write a whole lot more efficiently when I don't have a chance to second guess myself.<br />
<br />
Don't listen to me though! I might be the only person who does things this way <i><span id="freeText5436515823824552500">—</span></i> and some people may be shaking their heads at me now, wondering, "How do you MANAGE, Mimi?!" :') And that's okay because everyone blogs differently, and it's only a matter of finding out what works best for YOU. <span class="st">♥</span> <br />
<br />
<div style="color: #0b5394; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Soooooo....</b></span></div>
<br />
How do you plan your posts? Are you as disorganized, spontaneous, and last minute as I am? Or do you write up your posts beforehand and have them ready to go way before? (I ADMIRE YOU PEOPLE.) Maybe you have another method? Which do you think is best and which method do you prefer? :)<br />
<br />
-MimiMimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-33195066539334046782012-07-18T00:04:00.001-04:002012-07-18T00:04:42.955-04:00Waiting on Wednesday: Snow White Sorrow<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
Time for another amazing Wednesday! <span class="st">♥ </span>:)<br />
<br />
<b>Waiting On Wednesday</b> is a weekly event, hosted by the awesome Jill at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/"><b>Breaking the Spine</b></a>, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating! This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:<span id="freeText1195229297813409635"><b><i style="color: #45818e;"> </i></b></span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13557166-snow-white-sorrow">Snow White Sorrow</a></span></i></b> <span style="color: #0b5394;">by Cameron Jace</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Release Date: </b>October 30, 2012</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Series: </b>The Grimm Diaries #1</span><br />
<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Links:</span> </b><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13557166-snow-white-sorrow">Goodreads</a></b><b></b><br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid rgb(102, 102, 102); padding: 10px;">
What if all you knew about fairy tales was wrong?<br />
<br />
Sixteen year old Loki Blackstar is no Prince Charming. His mother is a ghost. His only friend is a red Cadillac that talks to him through the radio. He looks like an Angel but acts like jerk. No wonder he has been banned from Heaven, which is the least of his troubles. Loki needs a job to pay for school and support himself.<br />
<br />
Still, Loki has a rare gift: He is a Dreamhunter. One of the few in the world who can hunt and kill immortal demons in their dreams so they never wake up again.<br />
<br />
When Loki is sent to kill a sixteen-year-old vampire girl the locals call Snow White Sorrow, he is pulled into a magical but dangerous world. The locals believe the monster to be Snow White.<br />
<br />
The real Snow White... living in the ruins of an ancient castle in a small town. She is described as horribly beautiful, terrifyingly enchanting, and wickedly lovely.<br />
<br />
What he finds instead is a beautiful monster girl filled with rage and hurt, who has an epic untold story to tell of things such like why the Brothers Grimm altered the fairy tale, who the Evil Queen really is, where the mirror came from, and who possessed it.<br />
<br />
Snow White has killed every person who has dared come near the castle where she once lived with the queen. Mysteriously, she lets Loki live.
<br />
<br />
(summary taken from <b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13557166-snow-white-sorrow">Goodreads</a></b>)</blockquote>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Why do I want this book?</span></b><br />
<ol>
<li>I love fairytales and fairytale re-tellings! And one where Snow White is the evil killing machine instead of a damsel in distress? I don't know how anything could sound better than that! x)
♥</li>
<li>It sounds like <b><i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9378297-anna-dressed-in-blood">Anna Dressed in Blood</a></i></b>, which I really loved! I mean, awesome male protagonist and killer crazy yet beautiful monster girl... Doesn't it to you?</li>
<li>THAT COVER. I would pay big bucks to have this gorgeous cover on my shelf! </li>
<li>After reading Amanda Hocking's<b><i> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/48928-trylle-trilogy">Trylle Trilogy</a></i></b>, I'm kind of in love with the name Loki. :')</li>
</ol>
<div>
I could probably come up with a list of a million reasons, but that's all for now! ;) </div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">WHAT BOOK ARE YOU WAITING FOR? </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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-Mimi</div>Mimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com64tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-67328818348251216932012-07-17T00:01:00.000-04:002014-12-03T05:28:33.760-05:00Review: A Monster Calls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Book: </b>A Monster Calls<br />
<b>Author: </b>Patrick Ness<br />
<b>Series:</b> N/A<br />
<b>Release Date:</b> September 27, 2011<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Walker Books<br />
<b>Pages: </b>215<br />
<b>Source: </b>bookstore<br />
<b>Links: </b><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8621462-a-monster-calls">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1406311529?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1406311529&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1406311529?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1406311529&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon CA</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Monster-Calls-Siobhan-Dowd/9781406311525">The Book Depository</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Monster-Calls-Inspired-Idea-Siobhan-Patrick-Ness-Jim-Kay/9780763655594-item.html?ikwid=a+monster+calls&ikwsec=Books">Chapters</a></b><br />
<b>Stars:</b> 5/5 (PERFECTION <span class="st">♥</span>) <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span id="freeText6878334920425593226">The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.<br /><br />But
it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the
one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his
mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind
and the screaming...<br /><br />This monster is something different, though.
Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous
thing of all from Conor.<br /><br />It wants the truth.</span></i><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText6878334920425593226">(summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8621462-a-monster-calls"><b>Goodreads</b></a>) </span></blockquote>
<b><span id="freeText6878334920425593226">MY THOUGHTS: </span></b><span id="freeText6878334920425593226"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText6878334920425593226">I never thought a picture book would make it onto my favourites list... but I was proved wrong a million times over by this story!</span><span id="freeText6878334920425593226"><i><b> </b></i></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText6878334920425593226"><i><b>A Monster Calls</b></i> is brilliant to say the <i>least</i>. As much as I claim to be an avid reader, I don't think a book has ever affected me as much as this one did. It stole my heart, broke it, and mended it all in the span of 215 beautiful pages. It's one of those books that change you deep inside and make you <i>realize </i>things that make you <i>see </i>things that make you...<i>cry</i>. </span><span id="freeText6878334920425593226"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText6878334920425593226">My heart breaks for Conor. His mother is dying and he's being picked on at school. But he's probably the strongest, most brilliantly honest character ever. I cried for him just as much as I cried for everyone else who has to go through what he does. </span><br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
<i>“Stories don't always have happy endings."</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>This stopped him.
Because they didn't, did they? That's one thing the monster had
definitely taught him. </i></blockquote>
<span id="freeText6878334920425593226">This book deals with cancer in its truest form. I couldn't help but be amazed at how perfectly, flawlessly, and beautifully Patrick Ness handled everything. From the way everyone treated Conor differently even though he just wished they'd stop with the pity, to the way it's impossible to know how to feel when someone you love it dying... It was truly genius.</span><span id="freeText6878334920425593226"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText6878334920425593226">I cried SO MUCH when I read this book for the first time; I still cry whenever I read it again. And I'll re-read this when the best person I know dies and I'm sure I'll be bawling after that as well. <i><b>A Monster Calls</b></i> may be about cancer, but it's also about love, and loss, and grief, and pain. It's about nightmares trying to tell you something other than to be afraid.</span><span id="freeText6878334920425593226"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText6878334920425593226">With a heartwrenchingly true storyline, darkly beautiful illustrations, and prose that tops even the best of writers, <i><b>A Monster Calls</b></i> is honestly perfection in its purest form. It's one of the most touching and heartbreaking books I've ever read, and I'd recommend it to absolutely everyone </span>—<span id="freeText6878334920425593226"> especially if you know someone with cancer like I do.</span><span id="freeText6878334920425593226"><b> </b></span><span class="st">♥</span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText6878334920425593226"><b>BUY or BORROW?: </b>Please, please, PLEASE skip the borrow and go straight for the buy with this book! And don't buy the e-book because then you don't get to see all the beautiful illustrations. The gorgeous hardback is the only way to go! </span><span id="freeText6878334920425593226"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText6878334920425593226">-Mimi </span><br />
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Mimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-89992061346452475812012-07-16T00:04:00.000-04:002012-07-16T00:09:50.957-04:00Review: Unspoken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Book: </b>Unspoken<br />
<b>Author: </b>Sarah Rees Brennan<br />
<b>Series:</b> The Lynburn Legacy #1<br />
<b>Release Date:</b> September 11, 2012<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Random House Books<br />
<b>Pages: </b>370<br />
<b>Source: </b>publisher<br />
<b>Links: </b><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10866624-unspoken">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375870415?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0375870415&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0375870415?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0375870415&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon CA</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Unspoken-Sarah-Rees-Brennan/9780375870415">The Book Depository</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/item/0375870415-item.html?s_campaign=aff-001-1944216-Goodreads%2C+Inc-ProductCatalog-10408997-2227948">Chapters</a></b><br />
<b>Stars:</b> 4/5<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span id="freeText7509049286444383142">Kami Glass loves someone
she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she
was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her
childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town
of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not
fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is
only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just
the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.<br /><br />But all that changes when the Lynburns return.<br /><br />The
Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that
overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters
who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with
their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to
Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s
determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is
suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths
of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary
friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate
him? Can she trust him?</span></i><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText7509049286444383142">(summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10866624-unspoken"><b>Goodreads</b></a>)</span></blockquote>
<b><span id="freeText7509049286444383142">MY THOUGHTS: </span></b><span id="freeText7509049286444383142"></span><span id="freeText7509049286444383142"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText7509049286444383142">There's "bizarre" and "different," and then there's this book... which is probably the best of both! I loooooooooooooooooooooved it so much!</span><span id="freeText7509049286444383142"><i><b> </b></i></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText7509049286444383142"><i><b>Unspoken </b></i>is one of those books that make you slap your forehead and wonder why you hadn't read it earlier. I couldn't stop grinning, yet at the same time, I couldn't breathe when it got intense. It </span><span id="freeText7509049286444383142">kind of has the feel to it of <i><b>Beautiful Creatures</b></i> </span>— <span id="freeText7509049286444383142">small town, fantastic cast, feared magical family, and rich gothic mystery </span>—<span id="freeText7509049286444383142"> except I liked this much, much more!</span><span id="freeText7509049286444383142"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText7509049286444383142">Kami and Jared make up a totally unorthodox pair that I seriously LOVE! </span><span class="st">♥</span><span id="freeText7509049286444383142"> They've never met before (they used to believe that the other was imaginary), but they've been able to talk into each other's minds since birth. People look at them strangely for stopping randomly to laugh at inner conversations, but Kami and Jared don't care. They've been best friends since forever, and they're like two halves of the same whole. </span><span id="freeText7509049286444383142"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText7509049286444383142">And when they <i>do </i>finally meet, it's so realistic! They don't know what to be at first (Friends? Girlfriend/boyfriend? Enemies?), but I promise your heart will go for a wild ride. </span><span id="freeText7509049286444383142"></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText7509049286444383142">It's not just the romance that's so different from what I'm used to, but the characters themselves. Kami (witty teenage journalist extraordinaire) is strange and she knows it. But there's no angsty outcast drama here! She still has wonderful friends and a wonderful family despite her strangeness. And Jared... Jared is a leather-jacket-wearing bad boy who'd move heaven and Earth for Kami. My heart broke for him, ached for him, shone for him.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText7509049286444383142">The wit is off the charts! Kami has such a smart mouth and the kind of reckless brain all reporters are born with; the banter had me cracking up constantly. Sarah Rees Brennan is a mastermind at creating a dynamic story filled with wonderfully unique characters, NONE of that hair-pulling cliche drama, and ALL of the intenseness of a great mystery. </span><span id="freeText7509049286444383142"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText7509049286444383142">Brilliantly witty and fantastically strange, <i><b>Unspoken </b></i>is an amazing novel that brings everything we've been looking for in YA without even knowing it! With a hilarious cast, smile-inducing dialogue, and a mystery that turns pages on its own, this book is sure to be a stunner! :) </span><span id="freeText7509049286444383142"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText7509049286444383142"><b>BUY or BORROW?: </b>This book was buy-worthy the moment Kami cracked her first joke! I want to own this for all of its hilarious one-liners and originality, and you should too!</span><span id="freeText7509049286444383142"> ;)</span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText7509049286444383142">-Mimi</span>Mimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-26884595676850850832012-07-13T00:02:00.000-04:002012-07-13T16:49:11.289-04:00Interview + Giveaway: From What I Remember!Hi, everybody! :) <br />
<br />
Last week, I was lucky enough to recieve a copy of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11263180-from-what-i-remember"><i><b>From What I Remember</b></i></a> by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas... and I loved it so much that I wrote a review for it ASAP! (You can read my review <a href="http://diminutivemimi.blogspot.ca/2012/07/review-from-what-i-remember.html"><b>HERE</b></a>.) It was fun, and hilarious, and sweet, and everything you could ever want in a contemporary book. I would recommend it in a heartbeat!<br />
<br />
So I'm really ecstatic that the two amazing, sweet, quirky, and brilliant authors are offering up two SIGNED copies of <i><b>From What I Remember</b></i> for you guys! It's international, so anyone can enter. :) And Stacy also agreed to play a last minute game of THIS or THAT with me!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
______</div>
<br />
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1334883999l/11263180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1334883999l/11263180.jpg" width="210" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>From What I Remember</b></i></span><br />
By Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas<br />
<b>Links:</b> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11263180-from-what-i-remember"><b>Goodreads</b></a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1423155084?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1423155084&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2"><b>Amazon</b></a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/From-What-I-Remember-Stacy-Kramer/9781423155089"><b>The Book Depository</b></a><br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
KYLIE: MEXICO WHAT? I
should be putting the finishing touches on my valedictorian speech.
Graduation is TODAY, and is this a wedding band on my finger??<br />
<br />
MAX:
It all started with Kylie's laptop and a truck full of stolen
electronics. Okay, it was kind of hot, the way she broke us out like
some chick in an action movie. But now we're stranded in Tijuana. With
less than twenty-four hours before graduation. Awesome. <br />
<br />
WILL:
Saving Kylie Flores from herself is kind of a full-time occupation.
Luckily, I, Will Bixby, was born for the job. And when I found out she
was stuck in Mexico with dreamy Max Langston, sure, I agreed to bring
their passports across the border -- but there's no reason to rush back
home right away. This party is just getting started. <br />
<br />
LILY: I
just walked in on my boyfriend, Max Langston, canoodling with Kylie
Flores, freak of the century. Still, I can't completely hold it against
him. He NEEDS me. It's even clearer now. And I'm not giving him up
without a fight.</blockquote>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
______</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #0b5394; text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THIS or THAT interview with Stacy Kramer</b></span></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="ecxapple-style-span">Chocolate or vanilla? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="ecxapple-style-span">Chocolate all the way. Not a vanilla girl, I'm just not drawn that
way.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="ecxapple-style-span"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="ecxapple-style-span">Paperbacks or ebooks? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="ecxapple-style-span">Ebooks.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<b><span class="ecxapple-style-span">Summer
or winter? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="ecxapple-style-span">Summer.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<b><span class="ecxapple-style-span">School
or work? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="ecxapple-style-span">Work.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="ecxapple-style-span"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="ecxapple-style-span">Good boys or bad boys?</span><span class="ecxapple-converted-space"> </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space">I married the good boy. I dated the bad
boys.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="ecxapple-style-span"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="ecxapple-style-span">Books or movies? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="ecxapple-style-span">Hmmm. I really can't choose here. I write movies and books. It's
like asking me my left arm or my right. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<b><span class="ecxapple-style-span">Paranormal
or contemporary? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="ecxapple-style-span">Contemporary. The awful truth is i really don't get
paranormal. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="ecxapple-style-span"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="ecxapple-style-span">Best friend or soul mate?</span><span class="ecxapple-converted-space"> </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space">Soul mate.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<b><span class="ecxapple-style-span">Spaghetti
or lasagna? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="ecxapple-style-span">Neither. Sorry, I'm going to have to bail on this one too. I'm not a
pasta girl. I'll take a good loaf of bread and a hunk of cheese over pasta any
day.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<b><span class="ecxapple-style-span">Going
to graduation or being kidnapped to Mexico? ;)</span></b><span class="ecxapple-converted-space"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space">Kidnapped to Mexico. You never know what
will happen. ;)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space">______</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="color: #0b5394; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u><b><span class="ecxapple-converted-space">Giveaway</span></b></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space">Now it's time for the giveaway! Two people can win a SIGNED copy of <i><b>From What I Remember</b></i>. And because they're even more awesome, they're willing to ship <b>internationally</b>! (I would beam if one of the winners lived in Mexico LOL </span><span class="st">♥)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space">If you haven't read this book before, then why wouldn't you enter?? This book is <i>absolutely </i>worth having on your shelf </span>—<span class="ecxapple-converted-space"> I'm SO happy to have this book on my shelf! And if you've already read it... why wouldn't you want to own a beautiful signed copy? :')</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space">Just fill out the form below: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space"><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3607ff7/" id="rc-3607ff7" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br /><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js">
</script></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space">______</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space">And that's everything! A million thanks to Stacy Kramer for taking the time to answer my (very random) questions and for the lovely giveaway. And thanks to Valerie Thomas for co-writing the book with Stacy as well </span>—<span class="ecxapple-converted-space">they both rock so much! :) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space">Have an amazing weekend, guys! I hope you don't get kidnapped by random thugs and get taken over to Mexico without your passport like Kylie and Max did... yet at the same time, wouldn't that be SO COOL?? :') </span><span class="st">♥</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span class="ecxapple-converted-space">-Mimi</span></div>Mimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-79437189446959315672012-07-12T00:10:00.001-04:002012-07-12T08:33:17.832-04:00Review: My Life Next Door<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1319595972l/12294652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1319595972l/12294652.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<b>Book: </b>My Life Next Door<br />
<b>Author: </b>Huntley Fitzpatrick<br />
<b>Series:</b> N/A<br />
<b>Release Date:</b> June 12, 2012<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>June 14, 2012<br />
<b>Pages: </b>395<br />
<b>Source: </b>bookstore<br />
<b>Links: </b><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12294652-my-life-next-door">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0803736991?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0803736991&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0803736991?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0803736991&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon CA</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/My-Life-Next-Door-Huntley-Fitzpatrick/9780803736993">The Book Depository</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/item/0803736991-item.html?s_campaign=aff-001-1944216-Goodreads%2C+Inc-ProductCatalog-10408997-2227948">Chapters</a></b><br />
<b>Stars:</b> 4.95/5<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span id="freeText146707229698443949"><i>A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another.</i><br /><br />“One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”<br /><i><br />The
Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy,
affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old
Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening,
Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall
fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then
in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly
faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her?
Or is it time she saved herself?<br /><br />A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over.</i></span><br />
<br />
(summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12294652-my-life-next-door"><b>Goodreads</b></a>) </blockquote>
<b>MY THOUGHTS: </b><br />
<br />
<u>FACT #1:</u> I'm not a contemporary girl. I love paranormal books way more than my realistic ones; worlds that don't really exist enthrall me way more than real ones do. Because those supernatural books are usually more badass, intense, and fun than everyday romances. <br />
<br />
<u>FACT #2:</u> <i><b>My Life Next Door</b></i> totally voids the first fact!! <br />
<br />
Where can I even start with how much I loved this book? How much it took me surprise, grabbed my heart, and wouldn't let go? This is NOTHING like your average contemporary read! It's still sweet and romantic and funny and brilliant. But I thought I had a good guess to what the huge plot twist would be, and boy was I wrong! I didn't expect it <i>at all</i>, which doesn't happen with me and contemporaries very often. <br />
<br />
And the cast — I loved <i>every single character</i>! They were all so perfectly, brilliantly, wonderfully written. There's Sam, who I ached for, because she grows up with the pressure to be perfect from a mother who doesn't know the definition of fun. Then there's Jase, and God, I loved him so much! <span class="st">♥</span> He wears a leather jacket, drives a motorcycle, and is the boy next door... but he is undoubtedly the SWEETEST book boy I've ever met. <i>Ever</i>. I'm not even kidding! <br />
<br />
(I already have our wedding colours picked out. He's seriously WONDERFUL!)<br />
<br />
But I can't forget mentioning the entire Garrett family! Made up of eight totally individual children and two adoring parents, the Garretts are my dream family. Loud, fun, hilarious, loving. Obviously Jase is my favourite, but George — Jase's adorable 4-year-old brother who watches too much Discovery Channel for his own good — was a close favourite! :')<br />
<br />
The humor! The wit! The complexity! This book was funny like I didn't expect, and heartwarming in ways I never imagined. The only reason (and I mean ONLY) that this book gets a 4.95 instead of a full 5 stars is because I felt like the ending didn't wrap up enough. <br />
<br />
With one of the funnest contemporary casts of all time, an extremely sweet and beautiful romance, and a twist that will be a surprise, <i><b>My Life Next Door</b></i> is undoubtedly one of the best contemporaries of all time — and one of my all-time favourites as well! <br />
<br />
<b>BUY or BORROW?:</b> Why are you even thinking about this question?? I bought this book on a whim and it became a favourite. Start saving up your change because this is WAY worth the buy — I'm actually a little tempted to buy two copies! <br />
<br />
-Mimi<br />
<br />
<b>P.S. </b>My older sister read this book in two days... and she hasn't read a novel in six months! Now try and TELL ME that the amazingness of this book is just in my head! x)Mimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-52230589708671180322012-07-10T00:22:00.000-04:002012-07-12T00:11:20.721-04:00Review: The Sweetest Dark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1335980437l/13257637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1335980437l/13257637.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<b>Book: </b>The Sweetest Dark<br />
<b>Author: </b>Shana Abe<br />
<b>Series:</b> N/A<br />
<b>Release Date:</b> August 21, 2012<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Random House Publishing Group<br />
<b>Pages: </b>352<br />
<b>Source: </b>the wonderful <a href="http://www.candacesbookblog.com/"><b>Candace</b></a> <i>(Thank you so much!</i><i> </i><span class="st">♥</span><span id="freeText4348796746715857919"></span><i>)</i><br />
<b>Links: </b><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13257637-the-sweetest-dark">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345531701?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0345531701&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0345531701?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0345531701&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon CA</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Sweetest-Dark-Shana-Abe/9780345531704">The Book Depository</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/item/0345531701-item.html?s_campaign=aff-001-1944216-Goodreads%2C+Inc-ProductCatalog-10408997-2227948">Chapters</a></b><br />
<b>Stars:</b> 4/5<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>“With every fiber of
my being, I yearned to be normal. To glide through my days at Iverson
without incident. But I’d have to face the fact that my life was about
to unfold in a very, very different way than I’d ever envisioned. </b></i><b>Normal</b><i><b> would become forever out of reach.”</b></i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Lora
Jones has always known that she’s different. On the outside, she
appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora’s been keeping
a heartful of secrets: She hears songs that no one else can hear,
dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice
inside her that insists she’s far more than what she seems.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>England,
1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly
learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to
her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an
elite boarding school on England’s southern coast. Iverson’s eerie,
gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she
meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Jesse
is the school’s groundskeeper—a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for
who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant
aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both
hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both
will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must
harness the powers she’s only just begun to understand, or else lose
everything she dearly loves.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Filled with lush atmosphere, thrilling romance, and ancient magic, </i>The Sweetest Dark <i>brilliantly captures a rich historical era while unfolding an enchanting love story that defies time.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span id="freeText8573558183773481013">(summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13257637-the-sweetest-dark"><b>Goodreads</b></a>) </span></blockquote>
<b><span id="freeText8573558183773481013">MY THOUGHTS: </span></b><span id="freeText8573558183773481013"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText8573558183773481013">In my thesaurus for this book, <i><b>The Sweetest Dark</b></i> is synonymous to <i>beautiful</i>. <i>Ordinary </i>is <i>not-a-fat-chance</i>. And Shana Abe is something of a <i>genius </i>for creating a story so lush, so beautiful, and so <i>different </i>from your classic paranormal book! I just <i>have </i>to break it down! :')</span><span id="freeText8573558183773481013"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText8573558183773481013"><b>The world:</b> Taking place in England during World War I, <i><b>The Sweetest Dark</b></i> is also set in the world of Shana Abe's adult Drakon series. Even though it may not be a big secret, I don't want to give away the type of creature that lurks around in this enchantingly bleak world (like Lora). But I can tell you that this isn't a vamp/were/witch/fey story! </span><span id="freeText8573558183773481013"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText8573558183773481013"><b>The heroine: </b>At first, Lora comes off distant. She's hardened by her awful past, slow to trust and quick to reply with snark. But beneath her hard shell is a fragile girl made of so many layers, and I loved that part of her. I ended up loving ALL of her. She has a silent strength that's unmistakable, and my heart clicked with hers like <i>that</i>. </span><span id="freeText8573558183773481013"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText8573558183773481013"><b>The boys:</b> Don't worry; you'll find that this isn't your traditional love triangle! Jesse a musical genius who doesn't care what other people think of him. Many think he's mute because he refuses to speak </span>—<span id="freeText4348796746715857919"></span><span id="freeText8573558183773481013"> except to Lora, and it's SO sweet when he does. </span><span class="st">♥</span><span id="freeText4348796746715857919"></span><span id="freeText8573558183773481013"> Then there's Armand, the arrogant aristocrat who Lora distrusts immediately. Both boys play a huge part in Lora discovering her heritage</span>, and both unravel in different ways. <br />
<br />
<span id="freeText8573558183773481013"><b>The awesome: </b>I spent much of this book in a daze, confused almost, but the last fraction completely blew me away! I cried like a <i>baby</i>. To be honest, even though there are still so many things I don't understand (so many things I hope will be explored in a sequel *hint hint*), this is simply one of the most beautiful books I've ever read and it gets my heart for that! </span><span id="freeText8573558183773481013"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText8573558183773481013"><b>The epic conclusion:</b> Written with some of the most gorgeous prose I've ever read and told with the essence of a heartbreaking Grimm fairytale, <i><b>The Sweetest Dark</b></i> is a captivatingly original story that takes the phrase "hauntingly beautiful" to extremes. My chest is still aching!</span><span id="freeText8573558183773481013"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText8573558183773481013"><b>BUY or BORROW?: </b>I'm borrowing this ARC from </span><a href="http://www.candacesbookblog.com/"><b>Candace</b></a><span id="freeText8573558183773481013"> [insert showering of hearts!!], so of course I need to get a gorgeous finished copy for my shelf! :') </span><span id="freeText8573558183773481013"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText8573558183773481013">-Mimi</span>Mimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-83278055853980742072012-07-09T00:01:00.000-04:002012-07-09T00:02:02.153-04:00Review: From What I Remember<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1334883999l/11263180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1334883999l/11263180.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<b>Book: </b>From What I Remember<br />
<b>Author: </b>Stacy Kramer & Valerie Thomas<br />
<b>Series:</b> N/A<br />
<b>Release Date:</b> May 15, 2012<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Hyperion<br />
<b>Pages: </b>462<br />
<b>Source: </b>Hachette Book Group Canada <i>(Thank you so much!</i><i>!)</i><br />
<b>Links: </b><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11263180-from-what-i-remember">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1423155084?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1423155084&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1423155084?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1423155084&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon CA</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/From-What-I-Remember-Stacy-Kramer/9781423155089">The Book Depository</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/item/1423155084-item.html?s_campaign=aff-001-1944216-Goodreads%2C+Inc-ProductCatalog-10408997-2227948">Chapters</a></b><br />
<b>Stars:</b> 4.5/5<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span id="freeText4348796746715857919">KYLIE: MEXICO WHAT? I
should be putting the finishing touches on my valedictorian speech.
Graduation is TODAY, and is this a wedding band on my finger??<br /><br />MAX:
It all started with Kylie's laptop and a truck full of stolen
electronics. Okay, it was kind of hot, the way she broke us out like
some chick in an action movie. But now we're stranded in Tijuana. With
less than twenty-four hours before graduation. Awesome. <br /><br />WILL:
Saving Kylie Flores from herself is kind of a full-time occupation.
Luckily, I, Will Bixby, was born for the job. And when I found out she
was stuck in Mexico with dreamy Max Langston, sure, I agreed to bring
their passports across the border -- but there's no reason to rush back
home right away. This party is just getting started. <br /><br />LILY: I
just walked in on my boyfriend, Max Langston, canoodling with Kylie
Flores, freak of the century. Still, I can't completely hold it against
him. He NEEDS me. It's even clearer now. And I'm not giving him up
without a fight.</span></i><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText4348796746715857919">(summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11263180-from-what-i-remember"><b>Goodreads</b></a>) </span></blockquote>
<b><span id="freeText4348796746715857919">MY THOUGHTS: </span></b><span id="freeText4348796746715857919"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText4348796746715857919">Oh wow, I have a HUGE and absolute crush on this book! It had me smiling and aching and wishing it could be turned into a movie. I just couldn't get enough! </span><span id="freeText4348796746715857919"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText4348796746715857919">Mostly taking place over the span of three days, <i><b>From What I Remember</b></i> is told through 5 different POVs </span>—<span id="freeText4348796746715857919"> which normally wouldn't be my cup of tea, but totally <i>works </i>here! Each of the characters are distinctive and fun and have their own personalities that make it so easy to tell them apart and even easier to connect with them. </span><span id="freeText4348796746715857919"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText4348796746715857919">The romance between Kylie and Max starts out rocky but progresses beautifully through whacky events like being kidnapped and taken to Mexico. It's more than your average serious-smart girl and heartthrob jock love story. They compliment and bring out the best in each other, and everything was realistic and sweet and SO genuine!</span><span id="freeText4348796746715857919"> </span><span class="st">♥</span><span id="freeText4348796746715857919"> The pacing </span>—<span id="freeText4348796746715857919"> both with their relationship and the storyline </span>—<span id="freeText4348796746715857919"> was perfect, and I was never, ever bored! </span><span id="freeText4348796746715857919"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText4348796746715857919">But the rest of the characters also stand out and make <i><b>From What I Remember</b></i> even stronger than it already is! There's Will, the gay best friend who is literally the funniest guy ever. His love for Kylie and their habit of quoting movie lines to each other made me smile. Somehow I even found myself empathizing with Lily, the resident mean girl.</span><span id="freeText4348796746715857919"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText4348796746715857919">Another thing I loved was the amount of self-discovery and growing up in this book. So close to graduation, each of them go through their own epiphanies and growth. I think that this would be the perfect book to read especially if you're a teen who doesn't know where you're going. I was inspired by these characters and I feel everyone will be too! </span><span id="freeText4348796746715857919">:)</span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText4348796746715857919">With an amazing cast, a perfect pace, and an absolutely sweet romance, <i><b>From What I Remember</b></i> was an entertaining story about self-discovery and unexpected romance. I was captivated for all near-500 pages and I almost wished I could've had more!</span><span id="freeText4348796746715857919"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText4348796746715857919"><b>BUY or BORROW?:</b> I love owning this book not just for the big amazing things, but the little amazing things too </span>— <span id="freeText4348796746715857919">like the fact that each chapter starts with a quote from a well-known movie. Buy buy BUY! :)</span><span id="freeText4348796746715857919"></span><span id="freeText4348796746715857919"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText4348796746715857919"></span><span id="freeText4348796746715857919">-Mimi</span>Mimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com65tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-35103456355237717862012-07-06T00:05:00.003-04:002012-07-09T00:01:55.944-04:00Review: Before I Wake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Book: </b>Before I Wake<br />
<b>Author: </b>Rachel Vincent<br />
<b>Series:</b> Soul Screamers #6<br />
<b>Release Date:</b> June 26, 2012<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Harlequin Teen<br />
<b>Pages: </b>339<br />
<b>Source: </b>publisher <i>(Thank you so much!</i><i>!!!)</i><br />
<b>Links: </b><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11418574-before-i-wake">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0373210612?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0373210612&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0373210612?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0373210612&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon CA</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Before-I-Wake-Rachel-Vincent/9780373210619">The Book Depository</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/item/0373210612-item.html?s_campaign=aff-001-1944216-Goodreads%2C+Inc-ProductCatalog-10408997-2227948">Chapters</a></b><br />
<b>Stars:</b> 5/5<br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #faafbe; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
<i><b>I died on a
Thursday — killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul.<br /><br />
The good news?
He didn't get it.<br /><br />
The bad news? Turns out not even death will get you
out of high school...</b></i><br />
<br />
<div style="color: black;">
<i>
Covering up her own murder was one thing, but
faking life is much harder than Kaylee Cavanaugh expected. After weeks
spent "recovering," she's back in school, fighting to stay visible to
the human world, struggling to fit in with her friends and planning time
alone with her new reaper boyfriend.
<br /><br />But to earn her keep in the human
world, Kaylee must reclaim stolen souls, and when her first assignment
brings her face-to-face with an old foe, she knows the game has changed.
Her immortal status won't keep her safe. And this time Kaylee isn't
just gambling with her own life....</i>
<br />
<br />
(summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11418574-before-i-wake"><b>Goodreads</b></a><span style="color: black;">) </span></div>
</blockquote>
<b>MY THOUGHTS: </b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: large;"><b>5 Ways You Can Tell You're Reading a <i>Soul Screamers</i> Book: </b></span></u></div>
<ol>
<li><b>It's about<i> bean sidhes</i> (pronounced banshees).</b> I mean, what other series can use girls screaming for death in the most amazing way possible? Not one that I know!</li>
<li><b>You want to scream, and cry, and hug the book AND Rachel Vincent for writing it!</b> Reading this series is like going on a never-ending emotional roller coaster — and I mean that in the BEST possible way!</li>
<li><b>The author isn't afraid to put her characters through hell and back. </b>I'm absolutely serious! These characters go through SO MUCH that I wonder how they could possibly still be sane... and I also wonder if Rachel Vincent may be an evil genius!</li>
<li><b>You never, ever, EVER expect what's going to happen next.</b> Maybe the first few books, you could guess a bit. But by this time around, there are so many twists and turns and surprises that break my heart, and I can never guess a single one!</li>
<li><b>TOD HUDSON. <span class="st">♥</span></b><span id="freeText13317568442784776371"> </span>Hilarious reaper, snarky bad boy, totally adorable, and probably one of my favourite book boys of all time. Need I say more?? :')</li>
</ol>
<b>Warning: May contain spoilers from previous books. </b><br />
<br />
I think it's safe to say that the <i><b>Soul Screamers</b></i> series is one of my all-time favourites, and I don't think there's anything Rachel Vincent could do to change that! <br />
<br />
In the previous book, Kaylee died. But now she's brought back to life and given immortality at age sixteen —<span id="freeText13317568442784776371"></span><span id="freeText1820468672031084730"> </span>not as a reaper like her undead boyfriend and snarky sweetheart Tod, but as a collector who's job is to reclaim stolen souls from hellions and rogue reapers.<br />
<br />
I admire/love/look-up-to Kaylee more than you could imagine! She's selfless, caring, and has a huge hero complex, but she's also snarky, strong, and badass when she needs to be. And Rachel Vincent doesn't just <i>say </i>it — she shows it through countless obstacles and situations. Especially in this book, where Kaylee has to cope with death, her strength just <i>shines</i>. <br />
<br />
And it's not just Kaylee who's amazing. There's Tod (OMG, he's the main reason why I love snarky boys <span class="st">♥</span><span id="freeText1820468672031084730">)</span>, and the rest of the cast is honest-to-God perfection too! Then there's the story, which also blows my mind, and I've always loved the <i><b>Soul Screamers</b></i> world. <i>Bean sidhes</i>, reapers, hellions, necromancers, and more! <br />
<br />
Each book just gets better and better! You can never expect what's going to happen next and your heart <i>always </i>ends up crumpled by the end of the book. But the heartache is SO worth it. This series makes me want to be a better person, just because Kaylee's actions inspire me. (I mean, she still goes to school even though she's undead, just to protect her friends and classmates. Who else can say they would do that??)<br />
<br />
AMAZING is an understatement and ORIGINAL just isn't a strong enough word to describe this. <i><b>Before I Wake</b></i> was an amazing installment to a series that doesn't know the meaning of <i>predictable</i>. An absolute and definite recommendation! <br />
<br />
<b>BUY <strike>or BORROW?</strike>: </b>The only reason you'd consider this question is if you haven't read the previous books yet... in which I say you need to BUY THIS ENTIRE SERIES! The first few books are available in the <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11569419-soul-screamers-vol-1"><b>first omnibus</b></a> already, which should give you a good jump start, and the <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13581370-soul-screamers-vol-2"><b>second omnibus</b></a> should be in stores soon too! :)<br />
<br />
-Mimi<br />
<ol>
</ol>Mimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-59655725031743021272012-07-05T00:01:00.000-04:002012-07-05T00:22:53.586-04:00Cover Reveal and Giveaway: ReAwakened by Ada Adams!HI EVERYONE :) <span class="st">♥</span><br />
<br />
If you've read <a href="http://diminutivemimi.blogspot.ca/2012/04/review-revamped.html"><b>my review</b></a> of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13495219-revamped"><i><b>ReVamped</b></i></a>, you'll have to know how much I loved it and Ada Adams! She's honestly one of the sweetest girls/authors/actresses who has a black belt in karate (cool, right?) that I've ever talked to. (She's also Canadian, which only makes her exponentially more awesome!)<br />
<br />
That's why I'm so honoured to be able to take part in the cover reveal for the second book in the <i><b>Angel Creek</b></i> series, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15731772-reawakened"><i><b>ReAwakened</b></i></a>! <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
______</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1329878888l/13495219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1329878888l/13495219.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>ReVamped</b></i></span> <i>(Angel Creek #1) </i><br />
By Ada Adams<br />
<b>Release Date: </b>February 20, 2012 <br />
<b>Links: </b><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13495219-revamped">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1470068982?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1470068982&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/35/search/?sc=Ada+Adams&sf=Author">Chapters</a></b> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/revamped-ada-adams/1109594714?ean=9781620953105"><b>B&N</b></a> | <b><a href="http://diminutivemimi.blogspot.ca/2012/04/review-revamped.html">Mimi's Review</a></b><br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #faafbe; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
A simple mission turned deadly.<br />
<br />
Nineteen-year-old
vampire Dawn has led a sheltered life within the confines of her
father’s presidential headquarters. Upon being sent on a mission to
revamp four goofy misfits into guardians of a peaceful little town of
Angel Creek, Dawn believes that all her dreams have finally come true.
What starts off as a simple task, turns into something unexpected,
changing Dawn’s life forever and leading the action-loving,
thrill-seeking vampire teen on a path of mystery, danger and intrigue.<br />
<br />
When
a human girl is kidnapped by a group of rogue vamps, Dawn discovers
that there is more going on in Angel Creek than meets the eye. And it
all connects to Ethan, the cute newcomer who seems too perfect to be
true, Sebastian, the mysterious vampire with a turbulent past, and even
Dawn herself. Dawn must not only succeed in revamping the troubled
recruits, but must also prevent the vampire race from being overtaken by
a malevolent villain who has a strange and obsessive fascination with
her. As threat escalates, romance blooms, and ghosts from her past begin
to surface, Dawn is sure of only one thing: her life will never be the
same.</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span id="freeText6777357153507742303">Here's a snippet from <a href="http://diminutivemimi.blogspot.ca/2012/04/review-revamped.html"><b>my review</b></a> to remind you of the awesome: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span id="freeText11494262482016207375">With a fantastic cast of characters, a fun yet mysterious storyline, and vampires you'll wish lived in your world, <b>ReVamped</b> is a refreshing new take on the supernatural creatures we all know and love! </span><span id="freeText11494262482016207375">I
could never stop smiling at the vampire lore Ada Adams created. It was
creative, fun, original, AWESOME. Definitely a novel you'll finish in
one sitting!</span><span id="freeText11494262482016207375"><b> </b></span></i><span id="freeText6777357153507742303"><i> </i></span></div>
<br />
<span id="freeText6777357153507742303"> </span><span id="freeText6777357153507742303">______ </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6777357153507742303"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText6777357153507742303"><i>And to reveal the gorgeous cover for the second book... </i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXxSEj3CT66GGzLgiJf3ler3IIY6_XRJX9ig1nA4qeNqLqyuGYW7XtGbH1_cI7kw0LwDRy8YLVrFyPeeVphOeVCK6LQcBCdtq9Pc3N_FGk3hxG9px1G0SNl0etNmQcXKsizk-KUOHm24/s1600/ReAwakened+-+Ada+Adams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXxSEj3CT66GGzLgiJf3ler3IIY6_XRJX9ig1nA4qeNqLqyuGYW7XtGbH1_cI7kw0LwDRy8YLVrFyPeeVphOeVCK6LQcBCdtq9Pc3N_FGk3hxG9px1G0SNl0etNmQcXKsizk-KUOHm24/s400/ReAwakened+-+Ada+Adams.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
<span id="freeText6777357153507742303"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>ReAwakened</b></i></span> <i>(Angel Creek #2) </i></span><br />
<span id="freeText6777357153507742303">By Ada Adams</span><br />
<span id="freeText6777357153507742303"><b>Release Date: </b>Fall 2012 </span><br />
<b>Links: </b><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15731772-reawakened">Goodreads</a> </b><br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #faafbe; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
No summary available yet. </blockquote>
<b>MY THOUGHTS: </b>I'm soooooooooooooo super-duper excited for this!!! I know that the first book was a fun and fantastic take on vampires, but Ada promised us that this one is darker, sexier, bloodier, and a whole lot more serious... which sounds great to me! <br />
<br />
<b>And this cover.... I LOVE IT! Don't you? </b>The theme is blood, as you can probably tell by the colour choice! ;)<br />
<br />
Plus, Ada has been sharing a bunch of teasers on her website about ReAwakened, and apparently there's an appearance by a whole new guy! I just wanted to share this one snippet with you in case you haven't seen it yet, and boy did I swoon :')<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
______ </div>
<br />
<div style="color: red; text-align: center;">
<b><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">Teaser:</span></u></b></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> “You finally understand what I’m saying, right? Or should I demonstrate the <i>no clothes</i> part for you?” he asked mischievously. My pulse quickened under his intense gaze.</i><br />
<i> “No demonstrations,” I ordered, looking around the car for an escape route.<i> “</i>I’d rather jump out of a moving vehicle than see you naked.”</i><br />
<i> “Don’t lie to yourself, Dawn. I know for a fact that you’ve enjoyed
the show at the pool. And I was only shirtless. Can you imagine—”</i><br />
<i> “No. I can’t. Nor do I want to,” I snapped, trying to keep my
thoughts from drifting to the memory of that night. “Anyway, you don’t
have to worry about Sebastian and me. There will be no nudity on either
of our parts.”</i><br />
<i> “You say that now, but you won’t be able to resist your carnal urges.”</i><br />
<i> “I’m not getting any urges. Trust me.”</i><br />
<i> “Hmm…Is it because you’d rather get carnal with someone else?” He winked, smiling impishly.</i><br />
<i> I groaned, partly annoyed by XXX’s cockiness, partly worried about
the possibility of “getting carnal” in general. “Why don’t you pull over
and let me out of the car. I’ll run the rest of the way home.”</i><br />
<i> “Are you sure?”</i><br />
<i> “I’m sure. I need to let off some steam.”</i><br />
<i> “I bet you do,” XXX smirked. “Meet us at the house. Feel free to take
a shower when you get in. I’d advise that it be a cold one.”</i></blockquote>
Oh my goodness!! *fans self* Apparently revealing his name is a spoiler, so Ada just calls him XXX for now. Are you as excited to figure out who this XXX guy is as I am?? <br />
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<br />
<div style="color: red; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u><b>Giveaway:</b></u></span></div>
<br />
Because Ada is awesome, she's offering one ARC of <i><b>ReAwakened</b></i> for a random person who comments on a cover reveal post! So if you leave your thoughts, you're automatically entered into the draw. And as a girl who loved the first book, I really think you're going to want to get this sequel in advance! ;)<br />
<br />
For those of you who don't win the ARC, I think <i><b>ReAwakened</b></i> will be available on Netgalley in September if you're interested. So look out for that! :)<br />
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<div style="color: red; text-align: center;">
<b><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">About the Author:</span></u></b></div>
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<br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #faafbe; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
Ada Adams - <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5757476.Ada_Adams"><b>Goodreads</b></a> | <a href="http://www.revampedbook.com/"><b>Website</b></a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/Ada_Adams"><b>Twitter </b></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>“Many people sing in the shower. I write scenes in my head and act them out.”</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
At the age of five, Ada read her first chapter book—<b>Pippi</b><b> </b><b>Longstocking</b>
by Astrid Lindgren. Ever since that moment, she developed an intense
passion for stories and characters found within the pages of literature.<br />
<br />
In her career as an actress and a writer,
Ada currently spends most of her days immersed in imaginary worlds.
Much like the characters she enjoys playing and writing about, Ada is a
martial artist with a Black Belt in Shotokan Karate. She is also a big
proponent of lifelong learning, and has attained a Bachelor of Arts in
Psychology (it aids in creating characters with unique quirks!) as well
as a Master’s of Science in Education.<br />
<br />
Ada strives to bring a fresh voice and
perspective to fiction. She has been writing creatively for many years,
and is an editor of a global fashion/literary magazine called VEUX. <b>ReVamped</b> is her debut novel.
<br />
<br />
She lives in Toronto, Canada, and enjoys adventurous nature hikes with her adorable puppies Cara and Oreo.
</blockquote>
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<br />
And that's all! Ada is also doing an hour-long Tweet-chat about everything related to her writing, Angel Creek, characters, non-spoilery parts, and etcetera on July 5th (today!!) at 5 p.m. EST. So it would be awesome if you dropped by and said <i>hello </i>(or <i>hi</i>, since I've always thought <i>hello </i>was a little too formal for me!) ;)<br />
<br />
I hope that all my <i><b>Angel Creek</b></i> gushing is convincing you guys to start this series if you haven't already!<br />
<br />
Have a wonderful day, you guys! <span class="st">♥</span><br />
<br />
-MimiMimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com58tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-31701198428919125162012-07-03T00:03:00.000-04:002012-07-05T12:58:31.017-04:00Review: Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Book: </b>Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink<br />
<b>Author: </b>Stephanie Kate Strohm<br />
<b>Series:</b> Pilgrims #1<br />
<b>Release Date:</b> May 8, 2012<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Houghton Mifflin Harcourt<br />
<b>Pages: </b>204<br />
<b>Source: </b>Thomas Allen & Son <i>(Thank you so much!</i><i>)</i><br />
<b>Links: </b><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12176957-pilgrims-don-t-wear-pink">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0547564597?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0547564597&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0547564597?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0547564597&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon CA</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Pilgrims-Dont-Wear-Pink-Stephanie-Kate-Strohm/9780547564593">The Book Depository</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/item/0547564597-item.html?s_campaign=aff-001-1944216-Goodreads%2C+Inc-ProductCatalog-10408997-2227948">Chapters</a></b><br />
<b>Stars:</b> 4/5<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span id="freeText1820468672031084730">A story of crushes, corsets, and conspiracy<br /><br />Libby
Kelting had always felt herself born out of time. No wonder the
historical romance-reading, Jane Austen-adaptation-watching, all-around
history nerd jumped at the chance to intern at Camden Harbor, Maine’s
Oldest Living History Museum. </span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span id="freeText1820468672031084730">But at Camden Harbor, Libby’s just plain
out of place, no matter how cute she looks in a corset. Her cat-loving
coworker wants her dead, the too-smart-for-his-own-good local reporter
keeps pushing her buttons, her gorgeous sailor may be more shipwreck
than dreamboat — plus Camden Harbor’s haunted. Over the course of one
unforgettable summer, Libby learns that boys, like ghosts, aren’t always
what they seem.</span></i><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText1820468672031084730">(summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12176957-pilgrims-don-t-wear-pink"><b>Goodreads</b></a>)</span></blockquote>
<b><span id="freeText1820468672031084730">MY THOUGHTS: </span></b><span id="freeText1820468672031084730"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText1820468672031084730">I've read a lot of cute, smile-inducing, and totally fun books in my time </span>—<span id="freeText13317568442784776371"></span><span id="freeText1820468672031084730"> but <i><b>Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink</b></i> is undoubtedly one of the CUTEST on my list! </span><span id="freeText1820468672031084730"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText1820468672031084730">I have this epic love for Libby. She's a hopeless romantic, a lover of fictional characters, a super-fashionable teenager, and a total history girl... In short, she's a whole lot like most of us! </span><span id="freeText1820468672031084730">She's bubbly and sweet and ridiculous and fun. </span><span id="freeText1820468672031084730">Some of the things she says and does are so adorable that you just want to jump in the book and hug her! </span><span id="freeText1820468672031084730"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText1820468672031084730">But where Libby is a genius with historical facts and working with kids, she's <i>clueless </i>when it comes to boys and that's what makes this story so giggle-worthy! </span><span class="st">♥</span><span id="freeText1820468672031084730"> Cam seems like the perfect prince charming who can recite Shakespeare and looks extra hunky to boot; Garrett seems like the jerky reporter who is nothing more than the boy that lives on the same boat as her. But they're both more than their first impressions let on. </span><span id="freeText1820468672031084730"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText1820468672031084730">What I love about <i><b>Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink</b></i> is that, even though it may be a little predictable, the romance is sweet and realistic in its own way. There's no eternal devotion, no <i>I'll-die-if-I'm-not-with-you</i>, and definitely no insta-love. It's very straightforward yet engaging, and I couldn't help but smile with the way the author tied everything together nicely (so it can be a stand-alone) yet made me glad that I'll be able to meet Libby again soon! </span><span id="freeText1820468672031084730"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText1820468672031084730">Fun, adorable, and absolutely smile-inducing, <i><b>Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink</b></i> is the perfect romance with a hint of a ghostly mystery to read when you're seeking an escape from all the doom-and-gloom in YA! I can't wait to read more of Libby's misadventures. :) </span><span id="freeText1820468672031084730"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText1820468672031084730"><b>BUY or BORROW?: </b>Do I love having this adorable book (inside and out) on my bookshelf? Umm, YES! When I'm looking for something quick and light, this is the book I'll be turning to! ;) </span><span id="freeText1820468672031084730"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText1820468672031084730">-Mimi</span>Mimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-17189846718649670932012-07-02T07:46:00.001-04:002012-07-02T07:46:23.301-04:00Let's Celebrate Canada -- With Books!Hi, everyone! :)<br />
<br />
I'm sorry if I've been AWOL this weekend! Most of you probably know it was Canada Day yesterday (July 1st), and I think I was indoors for all of sixteen hours in total — mostly just to sleep. x) There were fireworks, and barbeques, and campfires, and marshmallows galore! <br />
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<br />
That means I have a lot of commenting and such to catch up on because of my very outdoorsy weekend. But I'm still in a very patriotic mood so I thought I'd post about some books by Canadian authors that I love! :)<br />
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<u style="color: red;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>Books By Canadian Authors I Love</b></span></u></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Hemlock</b></span></i> <i>(Hemlock #1)</i><br />
By Kathleen Peacock<br />
Release Date: May 8, 2012<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12985143-hemlock"><b>Goodreads</b></a><br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.<br />
<br />
Since
then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by
Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come
to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white
werewolf.<br />
<br />
Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on
the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their
symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.<br />
<br />
Wanting
desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate
Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of
Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and
especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of
violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.<br />
<br />
Kathleen
Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a
spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions
about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.</blockquote>
<b>MY THOUGHTS:</b> This was one of my top books of the year because it has two things I love in one: An original werewolf world and an awesome murder mystery! And then it has two more amazing things (in the form of two very amazing guys), but you have to read to find out about them! ;) <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>This is Not a Test</b></i></span><br />
By Courtney Summers<br />
Release Date: June 12, 2012<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12043771-this-is-not-a-test"><b>Goodreads</b></a><br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
It’s the end of the
world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is
little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors.
One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a
monstrous version of their former self.<br />
<br />
To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, <i>her</i>
world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep
going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly
waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse
through the eyes of five people who actually <i>want</i> to live.<br />
<br />
But
as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling
ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s
happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent
bids for life—<i>and</i> death—inside. <br />
<br />
When everything is gone, what do <i>you</i> hold on to?</blockquote>
<b>MY THOUGHTS: </b>I was BLOWN AWAY by this book. The way Courtney Summers wrote her zombie apocalypse was harsh and true and realistic and SO heartbreakingly brilliant. She made me fall for every single character, and the only reason it was a 4.5 and not a 5 in <a href="http://diminutivemimi.blogspot.ca/2012/06/review-this-is-not-test.html"><b>my review</b></a> is because of that abrupt ending! Otherwise: A definite must-read! :) <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Dark Kiss</b></i></span> <i>(Nightwatchers #1)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
By Michelle Rowen</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Release Date: May 29, 2012</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13060609-dark-kiss"><b>Goodreads</b></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
I don't do dangerous.
Smart, über-careful, ordinary Samantha — that's me. But I just couldn't
pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush. A kiss
that did something to me...something strange. Now I feel hungry all the
time, but not for food. It's like part of me is missing-and I don't know
if I can get it back.<br />
<br />
Then there's Bishop. At first I thought
he was just a street kid, but the secrets he's keeping are as intense as
his unearthly blue eyes. If he's what I think he is, he may be the only
one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the
one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever
wanted and embracing the darkness inside me....</blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>MY THOUGHTS: </b>I adored this book the first time around (as you can tell from <a href="http://diminutivemimi.blogspot.ca/2012/05/review-dark-kiss.html"><b>my review</b></a>), but I loved it even more after I had the chance to meet both of the boys in this <a href="http://diminutivemimi.blogspot.ca/2012/06/dark-kiss-blog-tour-character-interview.html"><b>very epic, very swoon-worthy character interview</b></a> (in which Kraven may or may not hit on me)! If that's not enough to sell you, I don't know what else I can say! Maybe that it's an awesome original take on angel lore? :)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Darkest Powers Trilogy</b></i></span> <i>(Darkest Powers #1-3)</i><br />
By Kelley Armstrong<br />
Release Date: November 2, 2012<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8269450-darkest-powers-trilogy"><b>Goodreads</b></a><br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
><b>The Summoning<br />The Darkest Powers Series, Book I</b><br />
<br />
After
years of frequent moves following her mother’s death, Chloe Saunders’s
life is finally settling down. She is attending art school, pursuing her
dreams of becoming a director, making friends, meeting boys. Her
biggest concern is that she’s not developing as fast as her friends are.
But when puberty does hit, it brings more than hormone surges. Chloe
starts seeing ghosts–everywhere, demanding her attention. After she
suffers a breakdown, her devoted aunt Lauren gets her into a highly
recommended group home. <br />
<br />
At first, Lyle House seems a pretty okay
place, except for Chloe’s small problem of fearing she might be facing a
lifetime of mental illness. But as she gradually gets to know the other
kids at the home–charming Simon and his ominous, unsmiling brother
Derek, obnoxious Tori, and Rae, who has a “thing” for fire–Chloe begins
to realize that there is something that binds them all together, and it
isn’t your usual “problem kid” behaviour. And together they discover
that Lyle House is not your usual group home either…<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The Awakening<br />The Darkest Powers Trilogy, Book II</b><br />
Book
II in the Darkest Powers trilogy takes us deeper into a world where the
supernatural intrudes on the everyday with riveting effect.<br />
<br />
If
you had met me a few weeks ago, you probably would have described me as
an average teenage girl – someone normal. Now my life has changed
forever and I’m as far away from normal as it gets. A living science
experiment – not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by
a group of people who call themselves The Edison Group. What does that
mean? For starters, I’m a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of
control: I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a
power you want to have. Ever. <br />
<br />
I’m running for my life with three
of my supernatural friends – a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf,
and a disgruntled witch – and we have to find someone who can help us
gain our freedom back before The Edison Group finds us first. Or die
trying.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The Reckoning<br />The Darkest Powers Trilogy, Book III</b><br />
<br />
Only
two weeks ago, life was all too predictable. But that was before I saw
my first ghost. Now along with my supernatural friends Tori, Derek, and
Simon, I'm on the run from the Edison Group, which genetically altered
us as part of their sinister experiment. We're hiding in a safe house
that might not be as safe as it seems. We'll be gone soon anyway, back
to rescue those we'd left behind and take out the Edison Group . . . or
so we hope.</blockquote>
<b>MY THOUGHTS:</b> I read this last year and had noooooo idea that Kelley Armstrong was a Canadian author until recently! But she is and I love her books so I couldn't be more proud :) I like<i><b> The Darkest Powers</b></i> series more than her <i><b>Darkness Rising</b></i> series, but I know that she also writes a lot of really good adult books too, if you recognize her more for that. <br />
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<br />
That's kind of all I can remember right now, but I'm sure there are SO many more amazing books written Canadian authors. Are there any more that I'm missing? And how was YOUR weekend? Did you spend the entire time outside like my family or read to make a dent in your TBR piles like I'm going to now? ;)<br />
<br />
I hope your Canada Day weekend was a blast whether you're Canadian or not! :) <span class="st">♥</span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #0b5394; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE CANADIAN BOOK? </b></span></div>
<br />
-MimiMimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-29964531058410382782012-06-29T00:02:00.000-04:002012-06-29T00:02:48.329-04:00Cover Reveal x 8 : Ohmygoodness Edition!!I have a gazillion covers I recently stumbled upon and this is what my face looks like right now:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>O_O</b></span></div>
<br />
How about you? :')<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihiL_tA-THrT7gl7zguRPeYzMnhEK6E4oJtacBIWcCkdwVBdGiAAEE1BhMwNe3OLpCcQsyp1fQakKebaUwD2_JiEWYBaZelyZ7xmV_WNWvnXhhIqdBrK6hCsCa9C50084lB-2vxBcOTK5K/s1600/securedownload.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihiL_tA-THrT7gl7zguRPeYzMnhEK6E4oJtacBIWcCkdwVBdGiAAEE1BhMwNe3OLpCcQsyp1fQakKebaUwD2_JiEWYBaZelyZ7xmV_WNWvnXhhIqdBrK6hCsCa9C50084lB-2vxBcOTK5K/s320/securedownload.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Sever</b></i></span> <i>(The Chemical Garden #3)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
By Lauren DeStefano</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Release Date: February 12, 2013</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12383869-sever" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b><i> </i></div>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
<i>What if you knew exactly when
you would die? In the not-too-distant future, genetic engineering has
turned every newborn into a ticking time bomb — males only live to age
25 and females only live to age 20.</i>
<i><br /><br />In this bleak landscape, young
girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the
population from dying out. When 16-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by
"the Gatherers" to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and
privilege. Rhine has only one purpose after she has been married to her
new husband, Linden: to escape and find her twin brother.</i>><i><br /><br />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 to
whom she is dangerously attracted, Rhine is desperate to learn the truth
and protect those closest to her. But, as her sister wife Cecily keeps
insisting, her role may be much bigger than that.</i><i><br /><br />In the first two
books of the Chemical Garden trilogy, Wither and Fever, Rhine struggles
to escape the mansion and then to navigate the brutal world outside. Now
in Sever, the third and final book, Rhine uncovers some shattering
truths about the past that her parents never had the chance to tell her
and the alarming implications regarding her own genes. She may be the
one who can save the human race.</i></blockquote>
<b>MY THOUGHTS: </b>The first cover will always be my favourite, but that doesn't stop my excitement for this one! I love how the cover model looks so much... <i>happier </i>and <i>healthier </i>more <i>confident </i>than the first two. She looks like she's glowing, and I hope that reflects how Rhine will feel in this book! *prays for HEA* :) <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfi3J2ubRbpMp1Aw1cBVmcekO47k3hyphenhyphen-WeJmXLAC6qslMx-UYNG7An4xXK-x7oLxUTlp-hpN2CfZGtmPciYOisUJQqrKeHQgWGEs2xNSQPGfo4_2sh91SVftRolzvLqCoBk0iEBf0Ngls/s1600/fasdfas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfi3J2ubRbpMp1Aw1cBVmcekO47k3hyphenhyphen-WeJmXLAC6qslMx-UYNG7An4xXK-x7oLxUTlp-hpN2CfZGtmPciYOisUJQqrKeHQgWGEs2xNSQPGfo4_2sh91SVftRolzvLqCoBk0iEBf0Ngls/s320/fasdfas.jpg" width="212" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Perfect Scoundrels</b></i></span><i> (Heist Society #3)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
By Ally Carter</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Due Date: February 5, 2013</div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13580928-perfect-scoundrels" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b></div>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
<i>Kat is a girl who is
used to getting—or stealing—everything she wants. But telling the truth
to the boy she likes? Now that's a cat of a different color.<br /><br />When
Kat's on-again off-again boyfriend, Hale, suddenly inherits his
family's billion dollar company, Kat gets a tip-off that the will is a
fake. Trapped between a rock and a hard place, how can she tell Hale
that he might be living a lie?<br /><br />Critics and fans alike have fallen
for Heist Society (no conning necessary). With more mystery, non-stop
action, romance and humor, this third novel in the hit series is just as
irresistible.</i></blockquote>
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<b>MY THOUGHTS:</b> I have this epic love for everything that Ally Carter writes (since her <i><b>Gallagher Girls </b></i>series was probably one of the first that made me love reading in sixth grade), and this is just making me giddy with excitement! Who <i>doesn't</i> want more W.W. Hale the Fifth? :')<br />
<br />
Plus: He's on the cover!!!! <br />
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1340208015l/13115995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1340208015l/13115995.jpg" width="229" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Everbound</b></i></span> <i>(Everneath #2)</i><br />
By Brodi Ashton<br />
Release Date: January 22, 2012<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13115995-everbound"><b>Goodreads</b></a><br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
<i>Two months ago, the
Tunnels of the underworld came for Nikki Beckett. That night, Nikki's
boyfriend, Jack, made the ultimate sacrifice. All Nikki wants is to save
Jack before it's too late. All Cole wants is to find his queen - and he
thinks Nikki is the one. Both determined, both desperate, Nikki and
Cole form a tense alliance, leading them on a dangerous journey to The
Heart of The Everneath.</i></blockquote>
<span id="freeText12718792311624508332"><b>MY THOUGHTS: </b> Everneath was one of my fave reads of the entire year (Jack Caputooooooo </span><span class="st">♥</span><span id="freeText13317568442784776371">)</span>, and after being completely crushed by the ending, I'm definitely going to be first in line to buy this book! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKL4EVN6cuGSIzuiGpkx80WWnJQ7JKxRAepTdwC422jddtJPvCALPNs31wYgrKoFJBpUEF0gSO_AIfhPawCQxwlp69N2IYheBbZg4sBtfQ_4VIrRsMtDI6vJ2bokKsYwKisM3pt1bIJnw/s1600/dsafads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKL4EVN6cuGSIzuiGpkx80WWnJQ7JKxRAepTdwC422jddtJPvCALPNs31wYgrKoFJBpUEF0gSO_AIfhPawCQxwlp69N2IYheBbZg4sBtfQ_4VIrRsMtDI6vJ2bokKsYwKisM3pt1bIJnw/s200/dsafads.jpg" width="131" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>The Indigo Spell </b></i></span><i>(Bloodlines #3)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
By Richelle Mead</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Release Date: February 12, 2013</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8709526-the-indigo-spell" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b> </div>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
No summary available.</blockquote>
<b>MY THOUGHTS: </b>I
don't know about you, but the ending of <i><b>The Golden Lily</b></i> was absolute
TORTURE for me! I was so upset for Adrian because I think he deserves a HEA more than anyone else after what he's been through. :(<br />
<br />
This cover is pretty cool, although I'm wondering where
Sydney's golden lily is LOL... x)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKPL_a7t1fKPSvMKhA-nNajEE09UHezaSABx5G0wNHShv8vOrK-gQUd3Z-gQyRLsDbPMFuEiUOgntXpZQRGA6brDv-pGhgJDsWHo-Wcf1R3GxyBPDyQGI9nPpf8ER9xTFXnsUY3Bw8DYu/s1600/603476_392360794161231_1530631202_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKPL_a7t1fKPSvMKhA-nNajEE09UHezaSABx5G0wNHShv8vOrK-gQUd3Z-gQyRLsDbPMFuEiUOgntXpZQRGA6brDv-pGhgJDsWHo-Wcf1R3GxyBPDyQGI9nPpf8ER9xTFXnsUY3Bw8DYu/s200/603476_392360794161231_1530631202_n.jpg" width="130" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Through the Ever Night</b></i></span> <i>(Under the Never Sky #2)</i><br />
By Veronica Rossi<br />
Release Date: January 3, 2012<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13253276-through-the-ever-night"><b>Goodreads</b></a><br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
No summary available.</blockquote>
<b>MY THOUGHTS:</b> Rooooooooooooooooar! Is that not reason enough to want to read this book? I loved Aria and I loved Perry, but Roar will always be my favourite. And Veronica Rossi will always be epic at creating originality! :)<br />
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1339687493l/11796338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1339687493l/11796338.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Lullaby</b></i></span> <i>(Watersong #2)</i><br />
By Amanda Hocking<br />
Release Date: November 27, 2012<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11796338-lullaby"><b>Goodreads</b></a><br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
No summary available.</blockquote>
<b>MY THOUGHTS:</b> I just read and reviewed Wake (you can find my review HERE), and it was such a sweet take on the siren lore. Plus, I'm a pretty big Amanda Hocking fan, so I'm sure I'll read anything she writes!<br />
<br />
And don't you think that she always has the prettiest covers? Go St. Martin's Press! <br />
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1340379791l/13049981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1340379791l/13049981.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Boundless</b></i></span> <i>(Unearthly #3) </i><br />
By Cynthia Hand<br />
Release Date: January 22, 2013<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13049981-boundless"><b>Goodreads</b></a><br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
No summary available.</blockquote>
<b>MY THOUGHTS: </b>Tucker Avery + Christian Prescott = Team Tucktian!!! The romance in this series has been dubbed one of the best love triangles in history, and I have to agree! I was all for Tucker in the first book, but in the second book, Christian stole my heart. I'm just rooting for Clara's HEA in this final one and hoping I don't cry too much! :')<br />
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1339826154l/13188615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1339826154l/13188615.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Breaking Point</b></i></span> <i>(Article 5 #2)</i><br />
By Kristen Simmons<br />
Release Date: February 5, 2013<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13188615-breaking-point"><b>Goodreads</b></a><br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
No summary available.</blockquote>
<b>MY THOUGHTS: </b>Oh my gooooooooooooooooooooooooooodness. How can you possibly look at that cover and not thing "epic"?? I loved <i><b>Article 5</b></i> and I'm almost a hundred percent sure that I'll be loving this one too! :)<br />
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If there isn't a single book in that entire list of epicness that you want to read, then I need to do some serious re-adjusting to your TBR pile! I think that these are ALL automatic buys for me, and I don't do that very often! ;)<br />
<br />
ALSO: <b>Canada Day</b> is this Sunday (July 1st)! That means fireworks and barbeque and swimming and a tradition of staying under the sun for as much of the day as possible. No matter where you are in the world, I hope you guys have a wonderful Canada Day! :) <span class="st">♥</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #0b5394;">What book are you looking forward to most? </b></span></div>
<br />
-MimiMimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-17715095810113868902012-06-28T00:03:00.000-04:002012-07-05T12:57:48.227-04:00Review: Tiger Lily<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1335241920l/12924326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1335241920l/12924326.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<b>Book: </b>Tiger Lily<br />
<b>Author: </b>Jodi Lynn Anderson<br />
<b>Series:</b> N/A<br />
<b>Release Date:</b> July 3, 2012<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>HarperTeen<br />
<b>Pages: </b>292<br />
<b>Source: <a href="http://www.harpercollins.ca/books/Tiger-Lily-Jodi-Lynn-Anderson?isbn=9780062003256&HCHP=TB_Tiger+Lily">HarperCollins Canada</a></b> <i>(Thank you so much!</i><i>)</i><br />
<b>Links: </b><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12924326-tiger-lily">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062003259?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0062003259&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0062003259?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0062003259&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon CA</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Tiger-Lily-Jodi-Lynn-Anderson/9780062003256">The Book Depository</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/item/0062003259-item.html?s_campaign=aff-001-1944216-Goodreads%2C+Inc-ProductCatalog-10408997-2227948">Chapters</a></b><br />
<b>Stars:</b> 4/5<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span id="freeText13317568442784776371">Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .<br /><br />Fifteen-year-old
Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she
meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland
and immediately falls under his spell.<br /><br />Peter is unlike anyone
she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her.
As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's
inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is
risking everything--her family, her future--to be with him. When she is
faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose
between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain
future with Peter.<br /><br />With enemies threatening to tear them apart,
the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an
English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily
to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the
most loyal and loving heart.<br /><br />From the "New York Times"
bestselling author of "Peaches" comes a magical and bewitching story of
the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up.</span></i><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText13317568442784776371">(summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12924326-tiger-lily"><b>Goodreads</b></a>)</span></blockquote>
<b><span id="freeText13317568442784776371">MY THOUGHTS: </span></b><br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #c6deff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
<i>"Let me tell you something straight off. This is a love story, but not like any you've heard. The boy and girl are far from innocent. Dear lives are lost. And good doesn't win. In some places, there is something ultimately good about endings. In Neverland, that is not the case..."</i> -Tinker Bell</blockquote>
<span id="freeText13317568442784776371">I grew up loving Disney's version of <b>Peter Pan</b>, wishing I could move to Neverland and never grow old. But this book only makes me love it infinitely MORE! </span><span id="freeText13317568442784776371"> </span><span id="freeText13317568442784776371"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText13317568442784776371">This book is told, not from Tiger Lily's point of view, but Tinker Bell's which is actually SO brilliant! Not only is the empathic little faerie able to know Tiger Lily's thoughts, but she gets a glimpse into other people's too. We get to share Tinker Bell's admiration for Tiger Lily's undeniable courage. And we also get to know her motives, the reasons for little Tink's actions and jealousy, and suddenly everything makes so much more sense. </span><span id="freeText13317568442784776371"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText13317568442784776371">Going into this book, I didn't care much for Tiger Lily. I knew her as the girl who loved Peter and nothing more. But Jodi Lynn Anderson made me <i>care </i>and <i>ache </i>and want to know <i>more </i>about this crow-feathered girl! By the end, I wanted to cry when it was over. I <i>did </i>cry </span>—<span id="freeText13317568442784776371"> so much! </span>As much as I love Wendy, part of me wished she wouldn't show up so Peter and Tiger Lily could get a HEA. But my powers of compulsion can only go so far. :')<br />
<br />
<span id="freeText13317568442784776371">Behind the scenes, Tiger Lily has a <i>horrible </i>life. She's arranged to marry the awful Giant and everyone is scared of her. That's why she craves those nightly escapades with Peter, who is wonderful and sweet in every way. With him, there's adventure and life and promise. He's so <i>different </i>from the boy I thought I knew </span>— <span id="freeText13317568442784776371">Less innocent? More fierce? </span>—<span id="freeText13317568442784776371"> but this side of him is just as beautiful. </span><span class="st">♥</span><span id="freeText13317568442784776371"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText13317568442784776371">My only complaint is that this book starts off slow and carries a similar pace throughout. Until Tiger Lily meets Peter, I was never completely pulled under and even then some parts felt dragged on. But the ending, the beauty, and the heartache makes up for it! </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText13317568442784776371"><i><b>Tiger Lily</b></i> is raw and beautiful and heartbreaking and
sad. It took my heart, squeezed it into a tiny little ball, then let it
fly. Because if you've seen Peter's story, then you know how Tiger
Lily's end </span>—<span id="freeText13317568442784776371"> and it doesn't end well. But I promise that her story is well worth the read!</span><span id="freeText13317568442784776371"><b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText13317568442784776371"><b>BUY or BORROW?:</b> If you want to pledge your love to Peter Pan or are even just a little bit curious about the girl with the crow feather in her hair, then you have to buy this book! :)</span><span id="freeText13317568442784776371"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText13317568442784776371">-Mimi </span>Mimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-62917043644134492782012-06-27T09:08:00.001-04:002012-06-29T00:03:57.466-04:00School's Out Giveaway!!<br />
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Hi, everyone! <br />
<br />
I can't believe it's summer break already, but I CAN believe how relieved I am! No more early mornings, no more homework, and definitely no more exams... Even though I still have so much planned for the summer — including a job, trips to the cottage, and many different friends' sweet sixteen parties — I think I'll still have more time to blog than during the school year! :)<br />
<br />
So, to celebrate, I decided to post a <b>School's Out Giveaway</b>! <br />
<br />
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
<b>The Rules: </b></div>
<ol>
<li>There will be one winner. </li>
<li>Giveaway ends on July 20, 2012 @ 12:01 a.m.</li>
<li>Be a follower (through GFC or RSS).</li>
<li>Be 13 or older. </li>
<li>Live anywhere that <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/"><b>The Book Depository</b></a> ships to (which is basically everywhere!) </li>
<li>Fill out the Rafflecopter form.</li>
</ol>
<div style="color: #3d85c6;">
<b>The Prize: </b></div>
<br />
One winner will get to choose any one book of his/her choice from the list of
anticipated summer releases below. And trust me, there are A LOT of amazing books coming out this summer! But if you would like another
book that releases around this time instead, I could definitely
substitute that in as long as it's under $20 (USD). :)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
(Covers link to Goodreads.) </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12924326-tiger-lily"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1335241920l/12924326.jpg" width="132" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12989112-such-a-rush"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327958923l/12989112.jpg" width="128" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9064899-endlessly"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320349604l/9064899.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12849229-cold-fury"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327173303l/12849229.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10586539-wake"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320388139l/10586539.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10194514-pushing-the-limits"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1322770025l/10194514.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12410324-losing-lila"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1334998655l/12410324.jpg" width="132" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7896527-throne-of-glass"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1335819760l/7896527.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11362198-auracle"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1330992053l/11362198.jpg" width="136" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13047090-onyx"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1329408511l/13047090.jpg" width="128" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11410430-defiance"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1330016648l/11410430.jpg" width="132" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12977172-spark"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1329524396l/12977172.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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<b>OR: </b>Any other summer release book of your choice under $20 (USD).<br />
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Just enter through the Rafflecopter widget below: <br />
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/" id="rc-3607ff6">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js">
</script><br />
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And that's everything! I'm so excited to be able to have the summer off. If you're school-free like me, I can't wait to see what you're up to next with your new free time! But if you're working through the summer anyways (also like me), I'm still hoping to see a ton of you while I cheer from the sidelines ;) <br />
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Enjoy the beautiful beach weather, guys! <span class="st">♥ (And to those of you on the other side of the hemisphere </span>—<span class="st"> because I won't forget my lovable Aussies and such ever again </span>—<span class="st"> have a <i>brrrrrrr</i>illiant winter!)</span><br />
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<center>
<a href="http://chibird.tumblr.com/post/8147551692"><img alt="I’m hoping someone understands what I mean. ^u^; The picture is like a tiny calendar.
…but a part isn’t truthful- I actually can’t dive for my life, but drawing the tiny diver is so fun. ;o;" src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lp0mwh4utz1qc4uvwo1_500.jpg" /></a>
</center><br />
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These adorable pictures are courtesy of <a href="http://chibird.tumblr.com/"><b>chibird</b></a>! TYSM, Jackie :)</div>
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-MimiMimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-59894209025257491162012-06-26T06:42:00.000-04:002012-06-29T00:03:43.098-04:00Review: Wake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320388139l/10586539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320388139l/10586539.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<b>Book: </b>Wake<br />
<b>Author: </b>Amanda Hocking<br />
<b>Series:</b> Watersong #1<br />
<b>Release Date:</b> August 7, 2012<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>St. Martin's Press<br />
<b>Pages: </b>320<br />
<b>Source: </b>Raincoast Books <i>(Thank you so much!</i><i>)</i><br />
<b>Links: </b><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10586539-wake">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wake-Watersong-Amanda-Hocking/dp/1250008123/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1340670480&sr=8-2&keywords=Wake">Amazon</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Wake-Amanda-Hocking/dp/1250008123/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1340670486&sr=8-5">Amazon CA</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Wake-Amanda-Hocking/9781250008121">The Book Depository</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Wake-Amanda-Hocking/9781250008121-item.html?ikwid=wake&ikwsec=Books">Chapters</a></b><br />
<b>Stars:</b> 3.5/5<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span id="freeText15948967347251014198">Gorgeous. Fearless.
Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you
want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi and Thea have
caught everyone's attention—but it’s Gemma who’s attracted theirs.
She’s the one they’ve chosen to be part of their group.</span></i><br />
<i><span id="freeText15948967347251014198"><br />Gemma seems
to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex,
the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer
they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no
going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever.
She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi
and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the
next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing
something is different. </span></i><br />
<i><span id="freeText15948967347251014198"><br />Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more
beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price.
And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying
with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers
and unimaginable secrets.</span></i><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15948967347251014198">(summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10586539-wake"><b>Goodreads</b></a>)</span></blockquote>
<b><span id="freeText15948967347251014198">MY THOUGHTS:</span></b><span id="freeText15948967347251014198"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15948967347251014198">I've only read two-thirds of the <i><b>Trylle Trilogy</b></i> so far, but that has already been enough to make me fall in love with Amanda Hocking's books! Her creatures? They're always beautifully captivating, and that's no different in this first book for her brand new <i><b>Watersong </b></i>series! </span><span id="freeText15948967347251014198"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15948967347251014198">Right off the bat, my favourite thing about this book is the sister relationship between Gemma and Harper. As a girl with her own adoring big sis, I couldn't help but smile at the accuracy </span>—<span id="freeText15948967347251014198"> especially about how <i>different </i>they are! Harper is practical, straightforward, and a little overprotective of her little sister; Gemma is carefree, openhearted, and in love with swimming. They're polar opposites, yet their perspectives create a fun dynamic that really works.</span><span id="freeText15948967347251014198"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15948967347251014198">There are two sets of romances in this book </span>—<span id="freeText15948967347251014198"> one for each sister </span>—<span id="freeText15948967347251014198"> and both are love-triangle-free and undeniably sweet! </span><span class="st" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">♥</span><span id="freeText15948967347251014198"> But while Gemma's relationship with the boy next door, Alex, is too adorable for words, my favourite is of Harper and Daniel's. They meet on hilariously embarrassing terms and continue on a little tense, until Daniel manages to break the safe-playing girl out of her shell. I kept giggling into my hand, it was that fun! </span><span id="freeText15948967347251014198"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15948967347251014198">But as adorable as this book is, I kept feeling like it was <i>missing </i>something. The characters are sweet but lack a little depth; the siren lore is cool but nothing mind-blowingly original; and it's <i>very </i>predictable. I never had any problem setting it down before finishing, which is trouble for a girl who's used to one-sit reads! </span><span id="freeText15948967347251014198"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15948967347251014198">With a sweet factor that breaks the scale and a sisterly bond that will warm your heart, <i><b>Wake </b></i>is a fantastic start to a bound-to-be great series! I wasn't as captivated with it was I was with her other books, but Amanda Hocking is still an author to watch out for. :) </span><span id="freeText15948967347251014198"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span id="freeText15948967347251014198"><b>BUY or BORROW?:</b> Flaws aside, I still think this book is definitely worth picking up (and certainly buy-worthy enough with that cover)! </span><span id="freeText15948967347251014198"> </span><br />
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<span id="freeText15948967347251014198">-Mimi</span>Mimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-34088902754446514902012-06-24T09:14:00.002-04:002012-06-24T09:16:16.957-04:00Showcase Sunday #4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbMqCH3EM9e2zRioMGqpirkpLaIqb1TMvBkbkJIknDiNLx-GkESUu7XyZ8gfXgSw-RSzNA9EfIwOvF5Kk5vvsKvOtxG9D73zvC30plrN1Lwo7WXhUv-lGELKAANlc-Cn-ih-1Rnzt7Vo/s1600/Sunday+Showcase.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbMqCH3EM9e2zRioMGqpirkpLaIqb1TMvBkbkJIknDiNLx-GkESUu7XyZ8gfXgSw-RSzNA9EfIwOvF5Kk5vvsKvOtxG9D73zvC30plrN1Lwo7WXhUv-lGELKAANlc-Cn-ih-1Rnzt7Vo/s400/Sunday+Showcase.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<u><b>Sunday Showcase</b></u> is a cool new meme created by Vicky @ <a href="http://www.booksbiscuitsandtea.co.uk/"><b>Book, Biscuits, and Tea</b></a>! It's a great new way f<span id="goog_1105988962"></span><span id="goog_1105988963"></span>or bloggers to showcase the books they've gotten in the past week, and I'm excited to take part. :)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>FOR REVIEW: </b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5VZ6yuY4_wfw20TGxFoLs1z0W1sbrH0bcx8goM0Ofw3JNndCw5M6uurxDishX0wcGk4wyGAflXamyuOlmD2EdxyJizakhbv1MMm5n1zA0hpYHC-4xh8AHK4mCe8hxc9seuXXWlaooDNM/s1600/photo+1%252815%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5VZ6yuY4_wfw20TGxFoLs1z0W1sbrH0bcx8goM0Ofw3JNndCw5M6uurxDishX0wcGk4wyGAflXamyuOlmD2EdxyJizakhbv1MMm5n1zA0hpYHC-4xh8AHK4mCe8hxc9seuXXWlaooDNM/s400/photo+1%252815%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11418574-before-i-wake"><i><b>Before I Wake</b></i></a> by Rachel Vincent</div>
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Read this. Loved this. And holy wow, I never stop getting awed about how Rachel Vincent is a genius!! If you missed my interview with Tod and Nash on Friday, you can find that <a href="http://diminutivemimi.blogspot.ca/2012/06/before-i-wake-blog-tour-character.html"><b>HERE</b></a>. I just love this series SO much, and wowie zowie... Please buy this book! :') </div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11300302-alice-in-zombieland"><i><b>Alice in Zombieland</b></i></a> by Gena Showalter</div>
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Squeeeeeeeeeee! You don't know how excited I am to have managed to get my hands on a copy of this! Not only is the cover gorgeous, but Alice + zombies - the "wonder" in "wonderland" = absolutely awesome! Will be starting this one after my final exams!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnA7jmUaaiwSKGqYIft3AGpriCd3gEGAUJBfUnRbMSedCdqDqQZY1Yv4-14kqUgZeKa5TthUTtEY152FE6jjCURYO7WXRqaOOVzhkzkOManNhuyeuu81DhwXy7BRMngzNfHDE0C91SJPw/s1600/photo+2%252814%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnA7jmUaaiwSKGqYIft3AGpriCd3gEGAUJBfUnRbMSedCdqDqQZY1Yv4-14kqUgZeKa5TthUTtEY152FE6jjCURYO7WXRqaOOVzhkzkOManNhuyeuu81DhwXy7BRMngzNfHDE0C91SJPw/s400/photo+2%252814%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13455513-dark-star"><i><b>Dark Star </b></i></a>by Bethany Frenette</div>
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I wanted to read this book ever since I heard it was about superheroes (and I watched The Avengers movie), so to have this gorgeous copy in my hands is like a dream come true! :)</div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12819342-what-happens-next"><i><b>What Happens Next</b></i></a> by Colleen Clayton</div>
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I've heard this one is really sweet for a contemporary, so I couldn't help but be curious! It's about a girl who has one of those blacked out nights that I'm pretty sure a lot of people are familiar with. And I really like the cover! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>BORROWED: </b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiFzF0A2DbK8RE92fWsROBo6on6eJyp1Gs3zoFj5av5ZGlBeLZsn2MjGMPrkGuP0TwfNuySaU6slmW6wUnIO1DJ6jqNRb9uheokqUN6s97j36oXxNs6UDAvdMy3-g2SOL7GBV0YQnV2E/s1600/photo+3%252812%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiFzF0A2DbK8RE92fWsROBo6on6eJyp1Gs3zoFj5av5ZGlBeLZsn2MjGMPrkGuP0TwfNuySaU6slmW6wUnIO1DJ6jqNRb9uheokqUN6s97j36oXxNs6UDAvdMy3-g2SOL7GBV0YQnV2E/s400/photo+3%252812%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12637490-goddess-interrupted"><i><b>Goddess Interrupted</b></i></a> by Aimee Carter</div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12922364-social-suicide"><i><b>Social Suicide</b></i></a> by Gemma Halliday</div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13060734-unbreak-my-heart"><i><b>Unbreak My Heart</b></i></a> by Melissa Walker</div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10507293-the-selection"><i><b>The Selection</b></i></a> by Keira Cass</div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11765920-the-calling"><i><b>The Calling</b></i></a> by Kelley Armstrong</div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10429015-cold-kiss"><i><b>Cold Kiss</b></i></a> by Amy Garvey</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>WON: </b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KKM4_P6wBFhshYFWpwnKRfcaU_6KQXmjDQCj5kKSseVmCAhZ9AWbjHL5csoIR6y5Pjv4p0y5-VZ_alFZkYhIBZkGPcmIWvzaahzDGcTuNotSe3nuICwoEDANdM_9iodR08mbtP9eevk/s1600/photo+3%252813%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KKM4_P6wBFhshYFWpwnKRfcaU_6KQXmjDQCj5kKSseVmCAhZ9AWbjHL5csoIR6y5Pjv4p0y5-VZ_alFZkYhIBZkGPcmIWvzaahzDGcTuNotSe3nuICwoEDANdM_9iodR08mbtP9eevk/s400/photo+3%252813%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12022733-wrecked"><i><b>Wrecked</b></i></a> by Anna Davies</div>
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I won this from the AMAZING girls over at <a href="http://www.bewitchedbookworms.com/"><b>Bewitched Bookworms</b></a>! I love their blog so much — you must, must, <i>must </i>go follow them if you aren't already! The book came with a waterproof e-reader case, which I thought was kinda funny since I don't have an e-reader LOL. But I'm passing it off to my cousin, who does, so she can read at the beach :) </div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>BOUGHT: </b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIp_1e7-ygdeLF69fRlxreq0W4wy8DY2ih2tE3mtglm3QZjE6dubzWGU3L7tV84rdBDQ5ewqPgDm9paXDVMddTTg4-Ek3dnl-auSpnltxl9jPVf6aB9J5jW5o7Dw18KftZmWO_HVul5iI/s1600/photo+5%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIp_1e7-ygdeLF69fRlxreq0W4wy8DY2ih2tE3mtglm3QZjE6dubzWGU3L7tV84rdBDQ5ewqPgDm9paXDVMddTTg4-Ek3dnl-auSpnltxl9jPVf6aB9J5jW5o7Dw18KftZmWO_HVul5iI/s400/photo+5%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12294652-my-life-next-door"><i><b>My Life Next Door</b></i></a> by Huntley Fitzpatrick</div>
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I finished this one a few days ago and loved it like crazy! It's definitely one of my favourite contemporaries of all time and an absolute must read! It's not a review book, but I'm going to desperately try to fit it into my review schedule for this month anyways :) </div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8709523-the-golden-lily"><i><b>The Golden Lily</b></i></a> by Richelle Mead </div>
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ADRIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN. That is all I have to say. :') </div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12985143-hemlock"><i><b>Hemlock</b></i></a> by Kathleen Peacock </div>
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This is one of my fave books of the year and my absolute fave werewolf book of all time. I would recommend it to anyone who likes werewolves, mysteries, awesomeness, or reading! ;) </div>
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And that's all I got for this week! Thanks so much to Harlequin Canada, Hachette Book Group Canada, and <a href="http://www.bewitchedbookworms.com/"><b>Bewitched Bookworms</b></a> for the wonderful books! <br />
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I've been trying to hold back on requests and buying for the past few weeks since I have exams right now, but after two more on Monday and an interview on Tuesday, I'm home free for the summer!! *cheers* Then I'll be able to blog without worrying about homework and tests and getting up early in the morning. :')<br />
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I'm sorry about the whacky exam schedule, but everything will hopefully be back to normal after Tuesday! :) Thanks so much for putting up with me (and my constant reminders LOL — you're probably sick of hearing about them)! <span class="st" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">♥</span><br />
<span class="st" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span><span id="freeText16770463780632713640"> </span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>WHAT BOOKS DID YOU GET THIS WEEK? </b></span></div>
<br />
-MimiMimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-48767747218853946802012-06-22T00:12:00.000-04:002012-06-23T11:10:16.266-04:00Before I Wake Blog Tour: Character Interview + Giveaways!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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HELLO, ALL OF YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE! :) <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="st">♥</span></span><br />
<br />
I don't think I can even tell you how <i>excited </i>I am to be a part of the blog tour for <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11418574-before-i-wake"><i><b>Before I Wake</b></i></a> by Rachel Vincent, hosted by the amazing <a href="http://www.kismetbt.com/"><b>Kismet Book Tours</b></a>! The <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/46781-soul-screamers"><i><b>Soul Screamers</b></i></a> series is one of my all-time favourites (a lot because I'm in love with sarcastic reaper-boy Tod, but also because Rachel knows how to write an amazing world), and this book? SO. DARN. EXCITED!<br />
<br />
Soooo, without further ado... I would like to introduce you to two of the most realistically well-written brothers around: Tod and Nash Hudson! One is a bean sidhe and the other is an undead reaper. Great mix, huh? ;)<br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>(May contain minor spoilers from previous books.)</i><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
______</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: magenta; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meet the Brothers, Tod and Nash</span></u></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mimi</b>: Hi, guys! I
seriously can't be any more excited to be able to have you here today!! Because
everyone deserves to know how awesome you are, can you introduce yourselves? :)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nash</b>: I'm Nash.
This is my brother, Tod. He’s dead, but that doesn't stop him from taking
whatever he wants, whenever he wants it, even though he shouldn't still be <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">in the world</i>. Also, he kills people for
a living. Make of that what you will.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tod</b>: I don't
murder people. I'm a grim reaper, not an assassin. I reap the souls of those
scheduled to die. And I stick to that schedule, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">vast</i> majority of the time. My record is practically spotless.
Practically. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mimi</b>: *whispers to audience*<i> </i>Nash is kind of harboring a grudge at his brother right now, if you can't tell... *back to the boys* Would you
be embarrassed to admit to your human friends that you're <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bean</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sidhes</i> (banshees)?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nash</b>: Everyone
who matters already knows.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tod</b>: I'm never
embarrassed. But most people have no idea I exist, so that question doesn't
really apply to me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mimi</b>: I guess that's true! <i>(Does that mean all of us readers matter, since we know?? Yay! I mean, focus, Mimi. Next question.)</i> How would
you describe Kaylee? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nash</b>: Ex. Lost.
Liar. Pain.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tod</b>: Kaylee is everything
that matters most. *turns to Nash* It’s not fair to blame her for what
happened.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nash</b>: Totally
fair to blame you, though, right?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tod</b>: Oh. You
meant… *frowns* I thought you were talking about that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">other</i> thing that happened… I was going to blame fate and the forces
of evil, but whatever.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mimi</b>: *to audience again* Correction: Nash is harboring a grudge on <i>everyone </i>right now <i><span id="freeText5436515823824552500">—</span></i> but it's totally justified, and I love him anyways! *back to the boys again* Just wondering: If you
figured out you had only one day left to live, what would you spend it doing?
(You know, assuming you were still alive, Tod. :P) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nash</b>: Making
amends.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tod</b>: Changing
fate.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mimi</b>: I'd eat cookies, but I like your ideas better. :') Do you have
anything you've always wanted to confess to each other? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nash</b>: I'm sorry I
couldn't save our dad. I tried. If you'd been there, I'm sure you could have
made Mom cooperate. Also, since we’re opening up, I feel like I should confess
that you're a huge pain in the ass. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tod</b>: I have a
couple of things I should tell Nash, but none anyone else needs to hear. Except
that he's a huge pain in the ass. Must run in the family.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mimi</b>: I totally beg to differ! (But maybe that's just because I have a major crush on you both, so let's skim over that haha...) Tod, do you
like your job as a reaper? What are some pros, cons, or random quirks you think we should know?
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tod</b>: You already
know more about me than you should. However, in the spirit of this deep
personal invasion... I hate my job, but I've recently come to love the spare
time it gives me. Now that I have use for spare time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Nash:</b> *growls*</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mimi</b>: Kaylee is so lucky!! *blushes wildly* If it's any compensation, Tod's also a pizza delivery guy on top of reaping souls so I think that counts for something. ;) But Nash, what
would you say to being a reaper like your brother?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nash</b>: No. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hell</i> no. Not for anything the world.
When my time to die comes, I won’t hang around just to make everyone else
miserable.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tod</b>: *looks away*</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mimi</b>: Aww. *heart breaks* So much of
what you guys have been through happened after you met Kaylee. Do you ever
regret meeting her? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nash</b>: Never.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tod</b>: Never.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mimi</b>: I'm glad. :) If you
could go on a dream vacation anywhere in the world with any one person you
know, where would it be, who would it be with, and why? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nash</b>: I hear Betty
Ford has nice beds. It’s Sabine’s turn to visit me in an institution…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tod</b>: I’d go with
Kaylee. The place doesn’t matter. No one would see us anyway.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mimi</b>: Is there
anything you'd want to change about being a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bean
sidhe</i>? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nash</b>: Everything.
Being a male <i>bean sidhe</i> sucks. You can make people do whatever you want them to
do, but then people hate you for it and you wind up hating yourself even more. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tod</b>: But you can
save people’s lives.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nash</b>: Not without
ending someone else’s. Whose bright idea was it to put that kind of decision in
the hands of a teenager? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tod</b>: *thinks*
He’s right. That sucks.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Mimi:</b> Let's say that your awesome lives are (finally) being
turned into a movie! Which actor/model/random guy off the street would you
choose to play you? :)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nash</b>: I don’t
care. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tod</b>: It doesn’t
seem fair to saddle some poor guy with that kind of responsibility. I mean,
imagine the blow to his ego when he fails to capture all of this on screen?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mimi</b>: Agreed, Tod! That's a lot of pressure on the pour guy. My friends are pining for Max Irons as Nash, but we've all agreed that it's impossible to cast <i>you</i>. x) Pretending
that some brilliant author is documenting your crazy life adventures in a
7-book series, what would your pitch be to convince people to read it? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nash</b>: The first
four books are awesome. After that, the story changes direction and it goes
down hill.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tod</b>: Kaylee’s in
it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Mimi:</b> Did I mention that there's a small grudge between brothers? :') </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>AND SOME THIS OR THAT QUESTIONS: </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mimi</b>: Summer or
winter? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nash</b>: Summer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tod</b>: Spring.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mimi</b>: Blue eyes
or brown eyes? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nash</b>: Blue.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tod</b>: Blue.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mimi</b>: Books or
movies? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nash</b>: Movies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tod</b>: Both.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mimi</b>: Bean sidhe
or reaper? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nash</b>: Human.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tod</b>: Both.</div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
______</div>
<br />
Even when one brother is not-so-happy with the other at the moment, I really, truly, and honestly have given my heart to these boys from book one! <span class="st">♥ </span>Everything that Rachel Vincent has put them through just breaks my heart. You will love them too, guaranteed! :) <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
______</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: magenta; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Giveaways</span></u></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
There are <u><b>two</b></u><b> </b>giveaways for today! The first giveaway is a daily one for the chance to win a copy of <b><i>Before I Wake</i></b> (in all its gorgeous pink glory). To enter, all you have to do is fill out the rafflecopter form below. It's open to <b>US/Canadian</b> residents only. (Sorry, international followers!) You can see the full contest rules <a href="http://www.kismetbt.com/contest-rules-and-legal-disclaimer"><b>here</b></a>. </div>
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<span style="font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="ecxApple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"></span></span><br />
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<span class="ecxApple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><a class="rafl" href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=" http:="" id="rc-207d1c92" target="_blank" www.rafflecopter.com"="">http://www.rafflecopter.com</a>">a Rafflecopter giveaway</span></div>
<div>
<span class="ecxApple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js">
</script></span></div>
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<br />
<div style="color: magenta; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Grand Prize</b></span></div>
<br />
The second giveaway is for a grand prize of a GORGEOUS pink iPod nano engraved with "<i>Soul Screamers</i>"! The Grand Prize winner is chosen from all of the daily entries, so you can enter at all of the other tour stops as well for more chances to win! :) <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
______</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: magenta; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">About</span></u></span></div>
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<blockquote style="background-color: #faafbe; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
<div style="color: black;">
About <i><b>Before I Wake</b></i> by Rachel Vincent:</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11418574-before-i-wake" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Goodreads</span></span></b></a><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">,<b> </b></span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Before-I-Wake-Harlequin-Teen/dp/0373210612/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338313822&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Amazon</span></span></b></a><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">,<b> </b></span></span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/before-i-wake-rachel-vincent/1108038531" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">B&N</span></span></b></a><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">,<b> </b></span></span><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780373210619" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Indiebound</span></span></b></a></div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
<i>I died on a
Thursday — killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul.</i></div>
<div style="color: black;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="color: black;">
<i>The good news?
He didn't get it.</i></div>
<div style="color: black;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="color: black;">
<i>The bad news? Turns out not even death will get you
out of high school...</i></div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
Covering up her own murder was one thing, but
faking life is much harder than Kaylee Cavanaugh expected. After weeks
spent "recovering," she's back in school, fighting to stay visible to
the human world, struggling to fit in with her friends and planning time
alone with her new reaper boyfriend. But to earn her keep in the human
world, Kaylee must reclaim stolen souls, and when her first assignment
brings her face-to-face with an old foe, she knows the game has changed.
Her immortal status won't keep her safe. And this time Kaylee isn't
just gambling with her own life....</div>
</blockquote>
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<blockquote style="background-color: #faafbe; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
<div style="color: black;">
<b>About Rachel Vincent</b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://rkvincent.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Website</span></span></b></a><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">,<b> </b></span></span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/rachelkvincent" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></span></b></a><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">,<b> </b></span></span><a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/rachelkvincent" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></span></b></a><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">,<b> </b></span></span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/415967.Rachel_Vincent" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Goodreads</span></span></b></a><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">,<b> </b></span></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/rachelkvincent" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">YouTube</span></span></b></a><br />
<br />
A resident of San Antonio, Rachel Vincent has a BA in English and an overactive imagination, and consistently finds the latter to be more practical. She shares her workspace with two black cats (Kaci and Nyx) and her # 1 fan. Rachel is older than she looks-seriously-and younger than she feels, but remains convinced that for every day she spends writing, one more day will be added to her lifespan.</div>
</blockquote>
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______</div>
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You can follow the rest of the tour below or on the <a href="http://www.kismetbt.com/upcoming-tour/before-i-wake-by-rachel-vincent-book-6-in-the-soulscreamer-series"><b>Kismet Book Touring Website</b></a>: </div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Monday, June 11th- <a href="http://www.fiktshun.com/" target="_blank">Fiktshun</a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Wednesday, June 13th - <a href="http://paranormalromanceblog.com/">Harlequin Paranormal Blog</a> </div>
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Friday, June 15th- <a href="http://allthingsurbanfantasy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">All Things Urban Fantasy</a> </div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Monday, June 18th - <a href="http://www.sithereandread.com/" target="_blank">I'm Just Sitting Here and Read</a> </div>
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Tuesday, June 19th Book Birthday - <a href="http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Book Soulmates</a> </div>
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Wednesday, June 20th - <a href="http://www.latebloomeronline.com/" target="_blank">Late Bloomer Online</a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Friday, June 22nd - <a href="http://diminutivemimi.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mimi Valentine</a> (YOU ARE HERE </b><b><span class="st">♥</span></b><b>)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Monday, June 25th - <a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/" target="_blank">Tynga's Reviews</a> </div>
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Wednesday, June 27th - <a href="http://www.pageturnersblog.com/#axzz1tNAFrTUV" target="_blank">The Page Turners</a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Friday, June 29th- <a href="http://www.mochalattereads.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">A Cupcake and A Latte</a></div>
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______</div>
<br />
TA DA! *jazz hands* Are you not as crazy excited to read <i><b>Before I Wake</b></i> as I am?? (If your answer is no, then that must only mean that you haven't started this series yet, in which I have to ask: Why not? Here's a link to the full series <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/46781-soul-screamers"><b>HERE</b></a>.) If it's anything like the previous book, <i><b>If I Die</b></i> (which is my favourite) then we're all in for a major ride!<br />
<br />
(I love Rachel's books for the pure reason that she's <i>never </i>afraid to put her characters through hell and back. It makes me grow so much closer to them! <span class="st">♥</span>) <br />
<br />
So what do you think: Would you rather be a <i>bean sidhe</i> or a reaper? :) <br />
<br />
-MimiMimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com104tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-61840152768234925662012-06-20T07:43:00.001-04:002012-06-23T11:11:12.462-04:00Waiting on Wednesday: Such a Rush<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVZ_RjjZlXB4rB4aNKKwhhRc_TYyCzXDzOLPcYbdFJiUxoUpoe6yKzgGq-pCkPzv48GXCIq9rqWGvsvL3-2fH4kg_T1D0Fj9Z96Q5AVMY3ZyZZVUX73BtzVzAN_C6vGqUm6Ve-73IjTc/s1600/New+WoW.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVZ_RjjZlXB4rB4aNKKwhhRc_TYyCzXDzOLPcYbdFJiUxoUpoe6yKzgGq-pCkPzv48GXCIq9rqWGvsvL3-2fH4kg_T1D0Fj9Z96Q5AVMY3ZyZZVUX73BtzVzAN_C6vGqUm6Ve-73IjTc/s200/New+WoW.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Time for another amazing Wednesday! <span class="st">♥ </span>:)<br /><br /><b>Waiting On Wednesday</b></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"> is a weekly event, hosted by the awesome Jill at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/"><b>Breaking the Spine</b></a>,
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly
anticipating! This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read"
selection is:<span id="freeText1195229297813409635"><b><i style="color: #45818e;"> </i></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327958923l/12989112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327958923l/12989112.jpg" width="204" /></a><span id="freeText1195229297813409635"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12989112-such-a-rush"><b><i>Such a Rush</i></b></a></span><span style="color: #45818e;"> by Jennifer Echols</span></span><br />
<span id="freeText1195229297813409635"><span style="color: #45818e;"><b>Release Date: </b>July 10, 2012</span></span><br />
<span id="freeText1195229297813409635"><span style="color: #45818e;"><b>Series: </b>N/A</span></span><br />
<b><span style="color: #45818e;">Links:</span> </b><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12989112-such-a-rush">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/145165801X?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=145165801X&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/145165801X?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=145165801X&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon CA</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Such-Rush-Jennifer-Echols/9781451658019">The Book Depository</a></b><span id="freeText1195229297813409635"><span style="color: #45818e;"><br /></span></span></div>
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid rgb(102, 102, 102); padding: 10px;">
<span id="freeText2121314684142839961">A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers.<br /><br />High
school senior Leah Jones loves nothing more than flying. While she’s in
the air, it’s easy to forget life with her absentee mother at the
low-rent end of a South Carolina beach town. When her flight instructor,
Mr. Hall, hires her to fly for his banner advertising business, she
sees it as her ticket out of the trailer park. And when he dies
suddenly, she’s afraid her flying career is gone forever. <br /><br />But
Mr. Hall’s teenage sons, golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson,
are determined to keep the banner planes flying. Though Leah has
crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what
now seems like a doomed business — until Grayson betrays her by digging
up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to
fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah
finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers — and the
consequences could be deadly.</span><br />
<br />
(summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12989112-such-a-rush"><b>Goodreads</b></a>)</blockquote>
<b>Three of Mimi's Deep Dark Secrets: </b><br />
<ol>
<li>Mimi loves books about brothers. It's probably not healthy to love them both and it's probably not good, but she can't help but be attracted to boys with the same last name! <span class="st">♥</span></li>
<li>Mimi has always wanted to fly like a bird! She used to be terrified of airplane rides, but now she really likes them. And the food. And the strange pillows. And the roller coaster sensation. And the excuse to chew gum like a madman. </li>
<li>Mimi succumbs to peer pressure easily. With all of her friends gushing about this book like CRAZY, how could she be able to resist??? </li>
</ol>
And those are three reasons why I really, <i>really </i>want to read <i><b>Such a Rush</b></i>!! ;)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span id="freeText1195229297813409635"><b style="color: #45818e;">WHAT BOOK ARE YOU WAITING FOR?</b></span><span id="freeText1195229297813409635"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<span id="freeText1195229297813409635">-Mimi</span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText1195229297813409635"><b>P.S.</b> My first exam is tomorrow (!!!) and I'm so nervous! Hopefully it will be okay? :') </span>Mimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-75376403116559511632012-06-19T06:32:00.000-04:002012-06-23T11:11:00.452-04:00Epic Review: Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1326506608l/12680998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1326506608l/12680998.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<b>Book: </b>Kill Me Softly<br />
<b>Author: </b>Sarah Cross<br />
<b>Series:</b> N/A <i>(Mimi is working to change this!!)</i><br />
<b>Release Date:</b> May 8, 2012<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>EgmontUSA<br />
<b>Pages: </b>331<br />
<b>Source: <a href="http://www.harpercollins.ca/books/Until-I-Die-Amy-Plum?isbn=9780062004048&HCHP=TB_Until+I+Die"><span id="goog_135631883"></span></a></b>bookstore<br />
<b>Links: </b><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12680998-kill-me-softly">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1606843230?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1606843230&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1606843230?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1606843230&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon CA</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Kill-Me-Softly-Sarah-Cross/9781606843239">The Book Depository</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/item/1606843230-item.html?s_campaign=aff-001-1944216-Goodreads%2C+Inc-ProductCatalog-10408997-2227948">Chapters</a></b><br />
<b>Stars:</b> 5 (million kajillion billion trillion!)/5<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span id="freeText16770463780632713640">Mirabelle's past is
shrouded in secrecy, from her parents' tragic deaths to her guardians'
half-truths about why she can't return to her birthplace, Beau Rivage.
Desperate to see the town, Mira runs away a week before her sixteenth
birthday—and discovers a world she never could have imagined.<br /><br />In
Beau Rivage, nothing is what it seems—the strangely pale girl with a
morbid interest in apples, the obnoxious playboy who's a beast to
everyone he meets, and the chivalrous guy who has a thing for damsels in
distress. Here, fairy tales come to life, curses are awakened, and
ancient stories are played out again and again.<br /><br />But fairy tales
aren't pretty things, and they don't always end in happily ever after.
Mira has a role to play, a fairy tale destiny to embrace or resist. As
she struggles to take control of her fate, Mira is drawn into the lives
of two brothers with fairy tale curses of their own... brothers who
share a dark secret. And she'll find that love, just like fairy tales,
can have sharp edges and hidden thorns.</span></i><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">(summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12680998-kill-me-softly"><b>Goodreads</b></a>)</span></blockquote>
<b><span id="freeText16770463780632713640">MY THOUGHTS:</span></b><br />
<b><span id="freeText16770463780632713640"> </span><span id="freeText16770463780632713640"> </span></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText16770463780632713640">**MY FAVOURITE BOOK OF 2012!**</span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Warning:</span> </b>This will not be your average review. I loved it too much for that.</span></div>
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640"><i><b>Kill Me Softly</b></i> is Brilliant with a capital B, Adorable with a capital A, and PERFECTION in all caps! It's easily my favourite book of the entire year. I loved it so much that, when I went back to skim a few passages to write this review, I ended up re-reading the entire book! Let me just show you what my copy looks like right now: </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEakbABRdFRyTJf_UWQz6s6DW4OHQguxfdiQMH0CQB5PH5935sWp9CL3Oe2heOfCy5Rh85BLbWPsRLsqkwNWNZR14Xm4g6-e9DjWyVmTgstBqTp8cvA8IGYkO2UgeBjqFn9MYSllnK3Lg/s1600/photo+1%2812%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEakbABRdFRyTJf_UWQz6s6DW4OHQguxfdiQMH0CQB5PH5935sWp9CL3Oe2heOfCy5Rh85BLbWPsRLsqkwNWNZR14Xm4g6-e9DjWyVmTgstBqTp8cvA8IGYkO2UgeBjqFn9MYSllnK3Lg/s400/photo+1%2812%29.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I never, <i>ever </i>put sticky notes in a book — I just never have the time! (Being a blogger and all.) <span id="freeText16770463780632713640">That's how you know that I have to love a book to EPIC proportions to want to take the time to go back, re-read it, and mark up my copy like this. </span><span class="st">♥</span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">So instead of attempting to be professional about this (in which I would fail), I'm going to list <b><u>Five Epic Reasons</u></b> why <i><b>Kill Me Softly</b></i> deserves to be read by everyone! :)</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText16770463780632713640">1. The World</span></b></span></div>
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">This is not your average fairytale re-telling, and it doesn't deal with your average Disney fairytales either. It's based on the original Grimm fairytales, where Cinderella's stepsisters cut off parts of their feet to fit into the glass slipper, and happily ever afters are uncommon things. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">In Beau Rivage, the people are <i>cursed </i>with a fairytale. They <i>know </i>their fate before it happens. Some are meant to fall into an enchanted sleep; some are cursed to cough up jewels; others are forced to do unspeakable fairytale things. It's addicting and enchanting and utterly <i>enthralling</i>. It's the most original portrayal of fairytales that this fairytale-loving girl has read in a long time! :) </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText16770463780632713640">2. The Breathtaking Storyline</span></b></span></div>
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640"><i><b>Kill Me Softly</b></i> starts with Mira running away from the home of her godmothers to find her parents's grave in Beau Rivage. All on her own, she meets two brothers: One snarky bad boy who all but harasses her into leaving (Blue), and one kind and sweet boy who offers her a place to stay (Felix). Of course she's going to trust the nicer one. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">But first impressions mean nothing in Beau Rivage. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">Everything is unbelievable and
believable at the exact same time. Unbelievable because some things are
so bizarre, so out-of-this-world, so how-did-she-come-up-with-this
worthy that it blows your mind... yet <i>believable </i>because Sarah
Cross writes it in a way that makes you think, "Oh yeah. Having a kiss
that kills? It happens every day in Beau Rivage!" </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">There are so many things I didn't expect... and so many things to love! </span><span class="st" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">♥</span><span id="freeText16770463780632713640"> </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText16770463780632713640">3. Mirabelle Lively & Co.</span></b></span></div>
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">Mirabelle </span><i><span id="freeText5436515823824552500">—</span></i><span id="freeText16770463780632713640"> also known as Mira and fantastic girl extraordinaire </span><i><span id="freeText5436515823824552500">—</span></i><span id="freeText16770463780632713640"> is not your average fairytale heroine. She's stubborn and determined and can hold her own in a game of knee-slapping snark. Mira brought smiles to my face and an ache to my heart. I loved her so much! </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">I know some people were having problems with some decisions she makes, but I thought it was all in her character that made her <i>real</i>. </span><span id="freeText16770463780632713640">With all the circumstances surrounding her sheltered past and everyone around her unable to tell her what was going on, her frustration was completely justified and her aching was palpable. </span><br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
<i>"At home," she began haltingly, "when my godmothers were gone, I used to pretend that my parents were there. I'd imagine them doing normal things, like cooking, or watching old movies with me, or asking what I did at school. I guess because... I felt less lonely that way. I could pretend there wasn't a hole in me. But when I'm with you, I don't need them. I want what's real."</i> (page 143)</blockquote>
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">And I love love LOVED all of the other cursed characters too! They argue like crazy, but their banter is hilarious and their friendship is genuine. Freddie was a personal favourite. Even though his fairytale role was to be Mira's awakening prince, he was never really a love interest. But he was too adorable and sweet and innocent to not be loved! Birds followed him around for a reason, you know. ;) </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText16770463780632713640">4. The Writing</span></b></span></div>
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">Reading Sarah Cross's writing is like a dream. It's beautiful; it's fluent; it's picturesque; it's, quite honestly, like finding my home all over again! Just when I thought that first person narratives were starting to become my favourite, she pulls me back with this gorgeous third person prose that steals my breath away. I've never read a book with so many quote-worthy passages in my life.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">Beautiful P-E-R-F-E-C-T-I-O-N, that's what it is!</span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #0b5394; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText16770463780632713640">5. Blue Valentine </span></b></span><span class="st">♥</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span id="freeText16770463780632713640">Yes, Blue deserves his own whole point!</span></i></div>
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">My mom thinks I'm crazy for wanting a house with a blue garage and purple shingles, so I can't imagine what she'd say if I wanted to marry a boy with blue HAIR. (But I do, I absolutely <i>do</i>!) </span><span id="freeText16770463780632713640"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">Cursed with a horrible fate, Blue Valentine uses his snarkiness and attitude to keep people at an arm's length. He seems like your average I'm-a-jackass-to-protect-you sort of guy, but he's not. He's so much MORE, and there are certain times when you see how vulnerable he is, how much he loves Mira, how much his curse is killing him, and it just about rips your heart out. </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">He has so many hilarious one-liners or quotes that show off how sweet a bad boy he is, but I want to show you a quote that reveals his other side, his <i>heartbreaking </i>side: </span><br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
<i> "You know, I don't usually know the girls he likes. Not like this. I look the other way most of the time. But I met you first. I knew you first. I wanted you first."</i> (Blue to Mira about his brother Felix, page 208)</blockquote>
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">With <i><b>Kill Me Softly</b></i> being my favourite book of the year, Blue is easily my favourite book boy! </span><span class="st">♥</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="freeText16770463780632713640">In Conclusion...</span></b></span></div>
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">Maybe this is my weakness for fairytales talking; maybe it's my soft spot for gorgeous writing, brilliant ideas, breathtaking romances, and boys who rip my heart out. Or maybe this is Sarah Cross's brilliance shoving itself in my face that makes me declare this one of my <i>favourite </i>books of all time! </span><span id="freeText16770463780632713640"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">Read-worthy, buy-worthy, and totally swoon-worthy, <i><b>Kill Me Softly</b></i> is a bundle of creativity that surpasses authors like Cassandra Clare for me! </span><span id="freeText16770463780632713640">It's hilarious, and brilliant, and adorable, and heartbreaking, and totally and completely <i>beautiful </i>in a way that hardly exists in YA. It's exactly the kind of book I've been looking for my whole life!</span><span id="freeText16770463780632713640"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">In case you can't tell, I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH </span><i><span id="freeText5436515823824552500">—</span></i><span id="freeText16770463780632713640"> and until Sarah Cross writes a sequel, I don't think another book will be topping it anytime soon!</span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>BUY <strike>or BORROW?</strike>:</b></span> This entire review was basically an answer to this question: BUY THIS BOOK. It's not breaking my semi-coherent-book-review streak for nothing! ;) </span><span id="freeText16770463780632713640"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText16770463780632713640">-Mimi</span>Mimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com80tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-72586312579324189282012-06-18T06:23:00.001-04:002012-06-18T22:34:46.939-04:00Review: Spark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1335804294l/12882328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1335804294l/12882328.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<b>Book: </b>Spark<br />
<b>Author: </b>Amy Kathleen Ryan<br />
<b>Series:</b> Sky Chasers #2<br />
<b>Release Date:</b> July 17, 2012<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>St. Martin's Griffin<br />
<b>Pages: </b>309<br />
<b>Source: </b>Raincoast Books <i>(Thank you so much!</i><i>)</i><br />
<b>Links: </b><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12882328-spark">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Spark-A-Sky-Chasers-Novel/dp/0312621353/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339951230&sr=8-1&keywords=amy+kathleen+ryan">Amazon</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Spark-Chasers-Amy-Kathleen-Ryan/dp/0312621353/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339951270&sr=8-1">Amazon CA</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Spark-Amy-Kathleen-Ryan/9780312621353">The Book Depository</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Spark-A-Sky-Chasers-Novel-Amy-Kathleen-Ryan/9780312621353-item.html?ikwid=amy+kathleen+ryan&ikwsec=Books">Chapters</a></b><br />
<b>Stars:</b> 4.5/5<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span id="freeText15126082140532461097">Waverly and Kieran are
finally reunited on the Empyrean. Kieran has led the boys safely up to
this point, and now that the girls are back, their mission seems
slightly less impossible: to chase down the New Horizon, and save their
parents from the enemy ship. But nothing is truly as it seems…Kieran’s
leadership methods have raised Seth’s hackles— and Waverly’s suspicions.
Is this really her fiancé? The handsome, loving boy she was torn from
just a short time before? More and more, she finds her thoughts aligned
with Seth’s. But if Seth is Kieran’s Enemy No. 1, what does that make
her? <br /><br />In one night, a strange explosion rocks the
Empyrean—shooting them off course and delaying their pursuit of the New
Horizon—and Seth is mysteriously released from the brig. Seth is the
most obvious suspect for the explosion, and Waverly the most obvious
suspect for releasing him. As the tension reaches a boiling point, will
Seth be able to find the true culprit before Kieran locks them both
away—or worse? Will Waverly follow her heart, even if it puts lives at
risk? With the balance of power precarious and the clock ticking, every
decision counts… every step brings them closer to a new beginning, or a
sudden end...</span></i><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15126082140532461097">(summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12882328-spark"><b>Goodreads</b></a>)</span></blockquote>
<b><span id="freeText15126082140532461097">MY THOUGHTS: </span></b><span id="freeText15126082140532461097"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15126082140532461097">After not really loving <i><b>Glow </b></i>earlier this year, I went into the sequel with zero expectations. I started it thinking I'd be able to fit in a few chapters here and there, that I could put it down if I wanted to. But I was <i>completely </i>wrong! </span><span id="freeText15126082140532461097"><i><b> </b></i></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15126082140532461097"><i><b>Spark </b></i>was amazing from beginning to heart-stopping end! It picks up right where <i><b>Glow </b></i>left off, with all of the kids stuck on the spaceship alone, trying to reunite with their parents who were captive on another ship.There's a little bit of deception, a lot of secrets, and enough mistrust to last a lifetime. It all makes everything on the Empyrean even more intense. </span><span id="freeText15126082140532461097"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15126082140532461097">I was so invested in this story that I found myself yelling out loud. When bad things happened, I curled up in a ball and prayed for the best. And when Kieran did something ridiculous, I imagined hitting him over the head with a stick. Repeatedly. </span><span id="freeText15126082140532461097"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15126082140532461097">(Seth was my favourite character, so everything Kieran did to him just made me so angry!) </span><span id="freeText15126082140532461097"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15126082140532461097">My heart ached for Waverly. Everyone wrongly blamed her for abandoning their parents, even though none of them would've made it out alive if she hadn't done what she did. She had to live with everyone's hatred and guilt everyday, but she still stayed strong and more clear-minded.. She was fifteen like I am, but I could never imagine being as strong as her! </span><span id="freeText15126082140532461097"> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15126082140532461097">Actually, the<i> whole cast </i>continued to blow my mind. Over and over again, I reminded myself that they were just kids </span>—<span id="freeText15126082140532461097"> that the oldest on the space ship was sixteen years old, and yet somehow they were surviving. They were intelligent and sneaky when they need to be, yet despite their brilliance, it was easy to see how real they were as kids. It was all believable. </span><br />
<br />
With an intensely unpredictable storyline and characters I couldn't stop rooting for, <i><b>Spark </b></i>was an amazing installment to the series that sure sets the bar high for the next! :)<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>BUY or BORROW?: </b>I would recommend this book whether you liked <i><b>Glow </b></i>or not! It was absolutely worth the sleepless night I got from wrongly believing it wouldn't be that addicting! ;)<br />
<br />
-MimiMimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-5245083930684802392012-06-15T06:24:00.001-04:002012-06-23T11:11:31.860-04:00My Top Six Books of 2012 (so far)!Hi, everyone! :)<br />
<br />
I know it's not the end of the year yet, but I just wanted to show you my Top Six Books of 2012 <i>so far </i>because I know that it's going to be <b>impossible </b>to choose a bare minimum by the end of the entire year! (Have you noticed how many amazing books have been coming out? I had a hard time narrowing it down, and we're only halfway done!) So here they are:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u><b style="color: #0b5394;">My Top Six Books of 2012 (so far) </b></u></span></div>
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(Click on titles for links to Goodreads.)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>1. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12680998-kill-me-softly"><i>Kill Me Softly</i></a> by Sarah Cross</b></span><br />
<br />
<b>Mini-summary:</b> (fairytale re-telling) <i>Mirabelle Lively runs away from her godmothers' home to her birthplace to discover her secret past. But in Beau Rivage, curses are real and magic is dangerous, and Mira is about to discover that everyone living there is not what they seem...</i><br />
<br />
<b>Why I love it: </b>This is my absolute FAVOURITE book of <b>all time</b> (just like Blue is my favourite book boy of all time)! And I mean that it used always to be <i>so </i>hard for me to choose one, but reading this book made it easy because it tops everything else. I know that a lot of people have mixed feelings about it, but it's just so creative and beautiful and heartbreaking and brilliant that I can't help but think of it every time I close my eyes. If you haven't read <i><b>Kill Me Softly</b></i> yet, please do! :)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12985143-hemlock"><i>Hemlock</i></a> by Kathleen Peacock</b></span><br />
<br />
<b>Mini-summary:</b> (werewolf paranormal romance/mystery) <i>Lupine syndrome is on the rise across the country. When Mackenzie's best friend Amy is murdered by a werewolf, a mystery unravels that shows her a side of the story that's more complicated and amazing than Mac ever could've imagined. </i><br />
<br />
<b>Why I love it:</b> Werewolves + mystery + awesome main character + a swoon-tastic romance = one amazing worthy-of-being-on-this-list read! This book was addictive to the Nancy Drew wannabe in me, but it will also appeal to anyone who loves werewolves or at least knows how to admire a heroine who can tell it like it is. And Kathleen's also a Canadian author, which is like the icing on the cake! ;) <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10194157-shadow-and-bone">Shadow and Bone</a></i> by Leigh Bardugo</b></span><br />
<br />
<b>Mini-summary:</b> (high fantasy) <i>The once-great nation of Ravka is torn in two by a mysterious Shadow Fold that harbors flesh-eating monsters and an impenetrable darkness. But Alina Starkov might be the key to ending that, if only she can figure out who to trust and what to believe in a world that strives on secrets. </i><br />
<br />
<b>Why I love it: </b>I'm sure you guys have at least heard of this once book before (if not, you can read my 5-star review <a href="http://diminutivemimi.blogspot.ca/2012/05/review-shadow-and-bone.html"><b>HERE</b></a>), and I promise that every bit of praise about it is absolutely true because this is my favourite high fantasy book to date... and it's overall one of the <i>best </i>books of the entire year! The world, the characters, the secrets, the romance... *fans self* So good!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>4. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9413044-everneath"><i>Everneath</i></a> by Brodi Ashton</b></span><br />
<br />
<b>Mini-summary:</b> (Greek mythology re-telling) <i><span id="freeText5709119431325444792">Last spring, Nikki
Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath,
where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's
returned </span>—<span id="freeText5709119431325444792"> to her old life, her family, her friends </span>—<span id="freeText5709119431325444792"> before being
banished back to the underworld... this time forever. </span></i><br />
<br />
<b>Why I love it:</b> For one thing, Greek mythology re-tellings are almost always made of awesome and this book is no exception! And for another thing, this book just broke my heart over and over again. Nikki is one of those characters you want to wrap up in a blanket and cry with, and Jack and Cole... *seals heart in an envelope and sends it off to them* Two of my favourite book boys ever! <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>5. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11563110-hallowed"><i>Hallowed</i></a> by Cynthia Hand</b></span><br />
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<b>Mini-summary: </b>(angel book) <i>Clara Gardner is part angel, part wholly confused teenage girl with a purpose </i><i>—<span id="freeText5709119431325444792"> </span>which she as an angel was put on Earth to accomplish </i><i>—<span id="freeText5709119431325444792"></span> she can't understand. But as Clara begins to learn more about a growing battle between White Wings and Dark Wings, she must face the terrifying visions that foresee the death of someone she loves. </i><br />
<br />
<b>Why I love it:</b> I cried like a baby while I read this book. I was a blubbering mess, clinging to tissues, wondering how one author could create a cast and a story so heartbreakingly beautiful that it could affect me that much. It's by far the best angel book I've ever read, and while it may not have been the most fast-paced, it certainly sets up the stage nicely for the final installment in the trilogy! :)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>6. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11647944-destiny-s-fire"><i>Destiny's Fire</i></a> by Trisha Wolfe</b></span><br />
<br />
<b>Mini-summary: </b>(paranormal romance/steampunk/totally awesome)<i> <span id="freeText5438868976679440308">It’s the year 2040, and
sixteen-year-old Dez Harkly is one of the last of her kind — part of a
nearly extinct race of shape-shifters descended from guardians to the
Egyptian pharaohs. As the enemies start to invade Haven Falls, Dez's world crumbles when she discovers secrets that will change the way she sees things and the way her friends will see her. </span></i><span id="freeText5438868976679440308"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span id="freeText5438868976679440308"><b>Why I love it: </b>Gosh, this is just one of those books you don't expect to be anything more than average but end up being SO SO GOOD. This is one of the most original, bad-ass, perfectly fast-paced without skimming over the epic world-building, and completely addicting books I've ever read! I loved Dez as a kick-butt heroine, and I loved the originality and awesomeness of the world. More books should be like this one! Please take notes, other authors ;)</span><br />
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<br />
And these are 6 of my personal favourites of the year! Each and every single one of them is a book I finished in one sitting, became completely addicted to, and developed that bookish syndrome for where my fingers itch to pick it up again every time I pass it on my bookshelf. In short: They're AMAZING and ADDICTIVE and kind of PERFECT. Buy-worthy? Absolutely!<br />
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My list is probably so different from most of yours since I realize I picked a bunch of underdog-ish books, But I recommend them all wholeheartedly! I own a copy of every single one of my shelf, and just talking about them to you makes me want to re-read them all over again. <br />
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Since there are still months to go, here are some future releases that I anticipate will be added to my favourites list when I get the chance to read them, or <u><b>future favourites</b></u> as I like to call them! :) <br />
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(Click on covers for links to Goodreads.) </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1325193206l/11418574.jpg"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1325193206l/11418574.jpg" width="123" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8709523-the-golden-lily"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1338529022l/8709523.jpg" width="132" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12294652-my-life-next-door"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1319595972l/12294652.jpg" width="132" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12410324-losing-lila"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1334998655l/12410324.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13047090-onyx"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1329408511l/13047090.jpg" width="128" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11300302-alice-in-zombieland"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1333628241l/11300302.jpg" width="135" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13316241-scorch"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1330621068l/13316241.jpg" width="135" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13455513-dark-star"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1335210276l/13455513.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>What are some of YOUR current or future favourites? :)</b></span></div>
<br />
-MimiMimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-72786955550272888602012-06-14T06:28:00.000-04:002012-06-18T22:35:45.228-04:00Review: Enshadowed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Book: </b>Enshadowed<br />
<b>Author: </b>Kelly Creagh<br />
<b>Series:</b> Nevermore #2<br />
<b>Release Date:</b> August 28, 2012<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Atheneum<br />
<b>Pages: </b>429<br />
<b>Source: </b>publisher <i>(Thank you so much!</i><i>)</i><br />
<b>Links: </b><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9239571-enshadowed">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Surrender-Elana-Johnson/dp/1442445688/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1338807575&sr=8-3">Amazon</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Enshadowed-Kelly-Creagh/dp/1442402040/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339298573&sr=8-1">Amazon CA</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Enshadowed-Kelly-Creagh/9781442402041">The Book Depository</a></b><b> | <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Enshadowed-Kelly-Creagh/9781442402041-item.html?ikwid=enshadowed&ikwsec=Books">Chapters</a></b><br />
<b>Stars:</b> 5/5<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span id="freeText11196445341094381608">Varen Nethers is
trapped in a perilous dream world -- a treacherous and desolate realm
where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life. Isobel
Lanley, plagued by strange visions and haunted by the nightmares of
Varen's creation, is the only one who can save him.</span></i><br />
<i><span id="freeText11196445341094381608"><br />Isobel knows that
her only hope lies within a Baltimore cemetery. There, in the early
morning hours of Edgar Allan Poe's birthday, a mysterious stranger known
as the "Poe Toaster" will make his annual homage at the legendary
poet's grave.</span></i><br />
<i><span id="freeText11196445341094381608"><br />Only the Poe Toaster holds the key to the way between
worlds. But even greater dangers lie ahead for Isobel. An ancient evil,
draped in veils of white, is watching, challenging her for Varen's
affections. When Isobel finally finds Varen, he is no longer the quiet
and brooding boy who once captivated her, but a dark force, powerful and
malevolent.</span></i><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText11196445341094381608">(summary taken from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9239571-enshadowed"><b>Goodreads</b></a>)</span></blockquote>
<b><span id="freeText11196445341094381608">MY THOUGHTS:</span></b><br />
<br />
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<i>"Absence makes the heart grow fonder." </i></div>
<br />
Maybe it's a little early to post my review for this, but I couldn't help it
because this kind of love <i>needs </i>to be shared! <i><b>Enshadowed </b></i>isn't just about Varen
and Isobel being together; it's about them being apart and fighting all the
shadows — <i>literally </i>— to reunite. It's less about school life, more about the
haunting dreamworld we only got a glimpse of in book one. In short: I loved
<i><b>Nevermore</b></i>, but this installment just<i> blew me away</i>! <br />
<br />
Some people may not be satisfied since Varen is mostly stuck in his dreamworld, struggling to return to Isobel, but I thought it was PERFECT. It shows,
rather than tells, how much Isobel is willing to go through for him. The things
she endures — like being tormented by dream monsters as well as real ones —
all broke my heart like a recorded accident replaying over and over again on
the news. <br />
<br />
Isobel is my HERO. I love her so much! She's more than the beautiful blond
cheerleader stereotype she was growing out of in <i><b>Nevermore</b></i>. She's sent tumbling
into Varen's literal nightmare head first — with its horrifying shadows and
monsters — but she still manages to right herself before she hits that harsh
impact of a climax. Isobel is strong and determined and brave and so, so
brilliantly written. Aching for her is mandatory, not an option! <br />
<br />
But even though Varen isn't as present in Isobel's real life, he's still in her
mind, her heart, her dreams, and her mirrors. They still make up one of my
all-time favourite couples — not just because they trump the whole
cheerleader-and-goth stereotype, but because their heart-wrenching and twisted
journey proves how much they belong together.<br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
Unable to resist, Isobel hugged the jacket close, rewarded with a scent that seized her heart like a clenched fist.<br />
It smelled like him. God. It <i>still </i>smelled like him. (page 319 in the ARC)</blockquote>
Izzy's hilarious friend Gwen is back with all of her gothic quirkiness. And her
dad also plays an important role in this book, as do her mother and adorable
little brother Danny. You can see how much her family cares about her, and
that's what makes watching Isobel claw through shadows so much harder. <br />
<br />
With the beautifully dark storyline and Kelly Creagh's hauntingly dream-like
writing, <i><b>Enshadowed </b></i>makes my favourites shelf right next to <i><b>Nevermore</b></i>! The
ending just about broke me, unhinged me, and waiting for the next one is going
to be torture — but I've already decided that waiting for anything that Kelly
Creagh writes is well darn worth it! <br />
<br />
<b>BUY or BORROW</b><b>?:</b> Sometimes I wonder why I even ask this question. Buy for sure, please! ;)<br />
<br />
-Mimi<br />
<br />
So you can witness firsthand how beautiful the writing is, here's one of my favourite quotes! :)<br />
<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
"Is — is any of this real?" she asked. "Are <i>you </i>real?"<br />
He lifted a hand to her cheek, his fingers brushing her jaw.<br />
"Even if this is a dream," he whispered, "I'm not."<br />
Isobel's eyes widened, recognizing those words as her own, the same ones she had once uttered to him. She reached for him, her arms twining around his neck, drawing him closer so his scent poured over her, that combination of incense, citrus, and dried leaves overriding the funeral funeral smell of the crowding flowers. <br />
"Don't leave," she breathed. <br />
"I'm here," he whispered. "Right here. Waiting." (page 16 in the ARC) </blockquote>
</div>Mimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5841889026658306428.post-30844302761779075632012-06-12T06:35:00.001-04:002012-06-18T22:36:24.739-04:00Summer Essentials Blog Tour: Guest Posts + Giveaways!Don't you just love blog tours? I think that they're so much fun! :) You get to learn a bit more about books that are coming out or have just released, and there are usually super-cool giveaways too. So I'm excited to be apart of<b> The Summer Essentials Blog Tour</b> today! <br />
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First, here's the most adorably fun guest post ever by Stacey Graham, author of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12877178-the-girls-ghost-hunting-guide"><i><b>The Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide</b></i></a>! I've looked through my ARC of it, and the tips and quizzes and tidbits of information are so fun that I know it's going to be a blast to read. I'll be trying out a few of the recipes next week so I can write a proper review of it! :)<br />
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And this fun little package that Stacey created is super sweet too! Want to read it (and I'm sure that you do)? Click on the link below: <br />
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<a href="http://www.sourcebooks.com/images/stories/docs/PDFS/GhostHunting-Activities.pdf"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>THE PHANTOM PARTY PACKET & EVENT GUIDE</b></span></a></div>
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<span id="freeText7719211943440669973"><i><b>The Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide</b></i> by Stacey Graham <br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12877178-the-girls-ghost-hunting-guide"><b>Goodreads</b></a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/140226612X?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=140226612X&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2"><b>Amazon</b></a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Girls-Ghost-Hunting-Guide-Stacey-Graham/9781402266126"><b>The Book Depository</b></a></span><br />
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<span id="freeText7719211943440669973">What was that noise? The cat? The wind? <br />Little brother stealing a peek at your diary?<br />Or is it a ghost?</span><br />
<span id="freeText7719211943440669973"><br />The
Girls' Ghost Hunting Guide will help you identify the creepy crawlers
from the spooky spirits, the howling winds fromt he haunting phantoms.
And with this guide you can learn from real experts how to investigate
and contact your very own ghosts!</span><br />
<span id="freeText7719211943440669973"><br />Everything a girl needs for a night full of fun, including:<br />• Spooky urban legends to set the mood<br />• Must-have stuff for your ghost hunting kit<br />• Pointers for leading the best-ever ghost hunt<br />• Tips for writing your own ghost<br />• With fun quizzes, games, recipes, and more!</span><br />
<span id="freeText7719211943440669973"><br />So gather your friends if they are brave enough, grab a flashlight, and go investigate!</span></blockquote>
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<u><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-CA">Top Five Summer Splashin’ Activities</span></b></span></u><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-size: small;">By<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></b></span><b><span lang="EN-CA">Hélène Boudreau</span></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA">Discover
Hélène’s favorite summer activities – all involving water of course. Make sure
to get your swimsuit ready!</span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">I grew up on a small island surrounded by
the Atlantic Ocean so splishy-splashy summer activities are some of my
favourite things to do. Here are my top five
summer splashin’ activities!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_FpdLzyJkVamfmCzqXY6tG5IwlOlkUs3GVxQQnk5FquYHNkwYUa5eSuja1gn0HgRefsv44hzVM5dtDswpqC_woi_FtryhGUgMeawpNf3qz0HptAsiupSI4lxRlcKrtMuccAGqyr8VKoU/s1600/Helene+-+surfing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_FpdLzyJkVamfmCzqXY6tG5IwlOlkUs3GVxQQnk5FquYHNkwYUa5eSuja1gn0HgRefsv44hzVM5dtDswpqC_woi_FtryhGUgMeawpNf3qz0HptAsiupSI4lxRlcKrtMuccAGqyr8VKoU/s200/Helene+-+surfing.JPG" width="185" /></a><b><span lang="EN-CA">1. SURFING </span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">I am <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">so</i>
bad at surfing and have only ever managed to stand on my board about three
times in my life but it is so much fun to get out there and catch a few waves
even if you’re like me and all you can manage is getting up on your knees. This
day, it was only 13 C/ 55 F and the water was even chillier. Thank goodness for
wet suits!</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA"><surfing image=""></surfing></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7TXCvwcyls7AsZU7NOB7tIo-mvxmKA5V6eGN6idlIxTwwCGsOcteYAlNGxvn5ZTvvcD2P6eZC2T35f__TiAZ92A_6kOWlvAUmBdBcicr_vrNSVpw1jTVra3C9tYOBpVWzrXd5nQlzOw/s1600/Helene+-+mermaid.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7TXCvwcyls7AsZU7NOB7tIo-mvxmKA5V6eGN6idlIxTwwCGsOcteYAlNGxvn5ZTvvcD2P6eZC2T35f__TiAZ92A_6kOWlvAUmBdBcicr_vrNSVpw1jTVra3C9tYOBpVWzrXd5nQlzOw/s200/Helene+-+mermaid.JPG" width="150" /></a><b><span lang="EN-CA">2. SAND CASTLE BUILDING</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">My family and I stay at an ocean side
cottage every summer and try to schedule our stay during the annual Sandcastle
Building Competition. We came in FIRST last year and plan on defending our
title again this summer. Jade the mermaid has even been known to make an
appearance!</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA"><sand image="" mermaid=""></sand></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfpBJcFTQgPITVsUlmxP6yCyHT8pV9RzFuRB-rkFCKfhKwcl21gDV_6Y1VuKRqMJOono0nqe6_DdcW8fKKF_f5vKpJ2lhZKOm0YLjvfiQTsShAtaFdwVTLFJr5B5dmNPWlN4MAq-CdSM/s1600/Helene+-+whales.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLfpBJcFTQgPITVsUlmxP6yCyHT8pV9RzFuRB-rkFCKfhKwcl21gDV_6Y1VuKRqMJOono0nqe6_DdcW8fKKF_f5vKpJ2lhZKOm0YLjvfiQTsShAtaFdwVTLFJr5B5dmNPWlN4MAq-CdSM/s200/Helene+-+whales.bmp" width="200" /></a><b><span lang="EN-CA">3. WHALE WATCHING</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">Creatures of the sea have always amazed me
(obviously!) so if you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ever</i> get the
chance—don’t pass up an opportunity to go whale watching. It’s so magical! </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-CA"><whale image="" watching=""></whale></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMSG5WkeK0EbRk0eN_e95cyx80_GfNkJBA-rMnZw9MiPGjBe9RExu2z7z_RjzSAh-PXg_5TP23JKe4NgnW6BhREi8A_u5oqC9yxIFPuBJt6B4j6lhi03JVGx8GnHas0WX1DTPdpylJ-uQ/s1600/Helene+-+cave.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMSG5WkeK0EbRk0eN_e95cyx80_GfNkJBA-rMnZw9MiPGjBe9RExu2z7z_RjzSAh-PXg_5TP23JKe4NgnW6BhREi8A_u5oqC9yxIFPuBJt6B4j6lhi03JVGx8GnHas0WX1DTPdpylJ-uQ/s200/Helene+-+cave.JPG" width="200" /></a><span lang="EN-CA">Last time, we even discovered a sea cave. I
wonder what’s hiding in there…</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2ZYuNevH-wQbpf_DKZEWCFMPQ-l-DY-pjvLdLPSrvY8gxvdp0_Q_OUu0M3oWZqFWQLPGk1gJJv_wo9bSECD2cc7NIkcbLdsX8NE8YCoUSfoBPdUHYbiqsBrA20gr-YFIhd8w5ZE17GM/s1600/Helene+-+swimming.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2ZYuNevH-wQbpf_DKZEWCFMPQ-l-DY-pjvLdLPSrvY8gxvdp0_Q_OUu0M3oWZqFWQLPGk1gJJv_wo9bSECD2cc7NIkcbLdsX8NE8YCoUSfoBPdUHYbiqsBrA20gr-YFIhd8w5ZE17GM/s200/Helene+-+swimming.bmp" width="150" /></a><b><span lang="EN-CA">4. RACE!</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">I joke that I once came in 141<sup>st</sup>
in a race with 140 competitors and that’s not very far from the truth. I am
slow. VERY slow. But I love competing in races at least once a summer. These
days I usually do walking half marathons (my best time is 3:01 hrs—a glacial
pace) but I’ve also been known to do short triathlons. Swimming is probably my
worst leg of the race but it’s a great way to cool down for the biking and
running part. This is my ‘I’m so glad THAT’S over’ face.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6D4YWjOmUyryMsqLns3xsqHjs3IJDWJ7S9rFFJ43wYExdr149fXbpcGlsWCK27xq9ctr99U62EYpAZ8QxumvtGefUUYZWwU6q5yaAfb7FraOrneyn_jA3f8fYmbNRTKshL6BaZY1Zt8/s1600/Helene+-+snowball.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6D4YWjOmUyryMsqLns3xsqHjs3IJDWJ7S9rFFJ43wYExdr149fXbpcGlsWCK27xq9ctr99U62EYpAZ8QxumvtGefUUYZWwU6q5yaAfb7FraOrneyn_jA3f8fYmbNRTKshL6BaZY1Zt8/s200/Helene+-+snowball.bmp" width="187" /></a></div>
<b><span lang="EN-CA">5. SNOWBALL FIGHTS</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">Yup, you read that correctly. When you live
within driving distance of a dozen hockey arenas like I do, there’s nothing
like loading up the back of the truck with Zamboni snow and dumping it in your front
yard for an instant pile of chilly summer fun. Snowball fight!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><b>ADDITIONAL INFO:</b><br />
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You can find Hélène on <a href="http://twitter.com/heleneboudreau"><span style="color: blue;">Twitter</span>,</a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Helene-Boudreau/8591876811"><span style="color: blue;">Facebook</span> </a>and on her <a href="http://www.heleneboudreau.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Website</span>.</a></span></div>
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<blockquote style="background-color: #ccccff; border: 1px solid #666; padding: 10px;">
<span id="freeText13273835646897645254"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11421556-real-mermaids-don-t-hold-their-breath"><i><b>Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath</b></i></a> by </span><span lang="EN-CA">Hélène</span><span id="freeText13273835646897645254"> Boudreau<br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11421556-real-mermaids-don-t-hold-their-breath"><b>Goodreads</b></a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Real-Mermaids-Dont-Their-Breath/dp/1402264461/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339303083&sr=1-1"><b>Amazon</b></a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Real-Mermaids-Dont-Hold-Their-Breath-Helene-Boudreau/9781402264467"><b>The Book Depository</b></a><br /><br />Jade begins her summer
confused. Yes, there's that whole "will this be a leg-day or a tail-day"
kind of confusion, but Jade's got even bigger problems: It's been three
weeks since Mom returned to the ocean with no news of her whereabouts.
Plus, it's been twenty-one days since Jade first kissed her mer-boy Luke
and now-nothing.</span><br />
<span id="freeText13273835646897645254"><br />Will Mom find the enchanted tidal pool that will allow her to become human? And why is Luke acting so weird? </span><br />
<span id="freeText13273835646897645254"><br />The
SEAquel to </span><span lang="EN-CA">Hélène</span><span id="freeText13273835646897645254"> Boudreau's critically acclaimed <i><b>Real Mermaids Don't
Wear Toe Rings </b></i>is as energetic and fresh as a salty sea breeze.</span></blockquote>
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<b><u><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Giveaways</span></u></b></div>
<br />
The awesome people at Sourcebooks are giving one lucky person a chance win a copy of both <i><b>The Ghost Girls' Hunting Guide</b></i> and <i><b>Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath</b></i>! It's only open to people who live in the US or Canada. (So sorry, international followers! Next time it will be international for sure!)<br />
<br />
Just fill out the form below:<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="610" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dDM4TUlxdmttRTY3Q0FWeW9CYzN2U3c6MQ" width="600">&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;</iframe><br />
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And that's all for today! I usually don't read middle grade books, but you have to admit that these ones sound super-fun!<br />
<br />
Stacey shared her sleepover tips and Hélène shared her summer activities. What do YOU guys like to do at sleepovers or during the summer? :) ♥<br />
<br />
-Mimi</div>Mimi Valentinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04241457025232914551noreply@blogger.com35