Maria V. Snyder

Hey guys!

I don't often find much in the way of YA on this awesome website called Bitten by Books.. but... this week the site is featuring Maria V. Snyder, one of my favorite authors.

You guys should check it out! Ask her questions and you may win a copy of her latest book, Sea Glass.

Just click on this link: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=10436
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September Comment Contest + August Winners

Hello fellow readers/bloggers!

So, my comment contest was a success! Not counting any other contest comments, I had 2103 entries!

That's just crazy. I mean, I do post a lot.. but wow.

So, I pulled some random numbers from random.org and got - 2043, 496, 422 (in that order, weird eh?).

Now, what do these numbers mean? *sigh* well, alone in the August Comment Contest post I had a total of 444 entries (yes, crazy, i know). Then I added all the other comments up and wah-la. So I had to do some back tracking, adding up, etc.

So, let's start with 3rd place, which was the easiest for me to figure out.

#422 The Book Pixie!

In 2nd place:

#496 Tynga!

In 1st place:

#2043 Katie!

I've notified Katie as to what she can choose from. I read 9 physical books and then added in two e-books I plan on reading.

Here's the list:
T'Aragam
Fade to Blue
Heartsinger
Candor
Dancing With Ana
Violet Wings
Crash Into Me
The Family Bones
Dragon Spear
Rampant (E-book)
The Everafter (E-book)

I'll email Tynga with what's left and then Briana. :)

So, I failed a little bit, but I will do better this month!


Onto the September Comment Contest. Slight change of rules - only one comment per post will count. I actually meant the 2 comment to be a cushion for those who forgot something they wanted to say.. but it turned into a bit of a monster...

But, here's the whole spiel again, for those that are new. :)

Why am I holding a comment contest? Glad, you asked...

1. I'm moving in November and need to get rid of some of my books!
2. I have over 100 books from ALA that I need to READ
   

So here are the rules:

Rules!

• 1 comment = 1 entry
  
• Every comment counts EXCEPT on other contests I'll be running this month.
• No more than one comment per post will count.
• Comments should be more than just two or three words. Sentences are nice. :)
  
• Comments start with this post!
• You get +5 for spreading the word about this contest on your blog/twitter/etc. (leave me a link with your comment) No link = no extra points. I'd prefer you to post the links in the comments section of this post. Thanks.
  
• Open to EVERYONE!
• Ends Wednesday, September 30th at 7 pm CST. (due to needing sleep)
  

Now, what are you going to win?

Since I'm not sure how many books I will finish (that aren't already planned contest items), I'm breaking it down like this. There will be 3 winners no matter what.

If I read 10 books:
1st place winner gets 5 books
2nd place winner gets 3 books
3rd place winner gets 1 book

If I read at least 15 books:
1st place winner gets 7 books
2nd place winner gets 4 books
3rd place winner gets 2 books

If I read at least 20 books:
1st place winner gets 10 books
2nd place winner gets 5 books
3rd place winner gets 3 books

Now, every time I post a review, I will let you know if that book is in for the contest or not (I do have one or two library books I may be reading).

But, here is a potential list of books in the pot for the contest:
Benny & Shrimp
The Cave
How to Say Goodbye in Robot (ARC)
Hazel (ARC)
Mirrorscape (ARC)
The Magician of Hoad (ARC)
Girl Overboard (signed)
Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies) (signed)
The Ever Breath (ARC)
Bran Hambric (ARC)
Tricks (ARC)
Break (ARC)
Hidden Talents (ARC)
The Maze Runner (ARC)
War Games (ARC)
Murder at Midnight (ARC)
Troubadour (ARC)
Lockdown (ARC)
Watersmeet (signed ARC)

There's a ton more possibilities too. Let's hope I hit 20 this time. *crosses fingers*

Alright, I'm off to READ!
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Zombie infection and videos

Want to know how long it would take for YOU to become infected? Check it out here.

Created by The Oatmeal

Need a few good zombie books to read?

Here's a few:

My Rotten Life by David Lubar (middle grades)

My Rotten Life David Lubar Book Trailer @ Yahoo! Video

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (young adult)




Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (adult)


Read more...

Teaser Tuesday - Rampant

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of
Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's teaser is from Rampant by Diane Peterfreund.

And then I saw it. In her hand, Dorcas clutched a pitiful little pocketknife, barely two inches long.
- p. 238

Are you teased? :-D
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Zombie Interview - with Emma from Booking Through 365

Today, I have with me my good friend Emma, who runs a blog called Booking Through 365.

Emma has graciously decided to answer a few questions about zombies. She is answering honestly, so please do not make fun of her. All of this is REAL. (heheheheh - yes real! *cough*)

Kristen: If you saw a zombie, what would your reaction be?
Emma: I'd probably stare and attempt to form words but fail.
Kristen: Would you expect that zombie to be fast or slow?
Emma: Slow. It's more scary that way.
Kristen: Let's say the zombie sees you, is headed right for you. What do you do?
Emma: Stay where I am and stammer Z-zom-zom-zom.
Kristen: If you had a weapon near you, what would you prefer it to be in the case of needing to attack a zombie?
Emma: How are you supposed to kill a zombie? Probably a knife so I could behead it. Not sure if that would work, though.
Kristen: Let's say this zombie is the HOTTEST zombie you've ever laid eyes on.. would you hesitate to behead it?
Emma: Probably, but only so I can stare at it a bit longer.
Kristen: And what would you do if that HOT zombie laid a nice juicy wet kiss on your lips? (or rather dry and moldy...)
Emma: Accept the kiss and then stab it in the back. Literally.
Kristen: Since we all know stabbing zombies in the back won't kill it... what would you do next.. since he's still quite attached to your lips?
Emma: Separate lips and behead. If that works. Or I'll do whatever works.
Kristen: Alright, zombie dead. You look up and well, there's a dozen more zombies closing in. What's your first instinct?
Emma: Slap myself and scream WAKE UP.
Kristen: And if that doesn't make them go away?
Emma: Drop to floor and go to fetal position.

There's sounds of drooling grunts, a scream or two and then suddenly nothing.

Kristen: *gulps* So, now, you're a zombie. What are you thinking?
Emma: Awesome. I get to eat brains.
Kristen: What's your favorite kind of brains?
Emma: The massive kind. Yummyyyy.
Kristen: Alright, now how many brains does it take to get to the center of a lolipop... I mean ... until you're satiated?
Emma: Depends on how long I've gone without feeding. Three on a good day, seven average, twelve when ravenous.
Kristen: Alright, you've spotted a small human and a big human walking together, still live. What do you do?
Emma: Start with the big ones brains. Then fight off the small human.
Kristen: Now, tough question here. Would you EVER slow dance with a human?
Emma: I wouldn't as a human, and I wouldn't as a zombie. Unless I was ravenous and slow dancing would distract it.
Kristen: Brilliant of you. Thanks for those answers! *walks slowly away, throwing some sort of dead meat at the Emma zombie to distract her*

And there you go people, some zombies do retain some sort of basic human speech.. at least.. for the first few minutes.

*looks over her shoulder* Yeah, um.. gotta go peeps. *Runs as fast as she can from the horde of zombies*
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It's Monday, What are you reading?

J.Kaye hosts this wonderful meme.

Click on titles for my reviews or more info on the book.

Only three read this week - a bit disappointed in myself.. but hopefully I'll hit 4 or 5 next week!

Read this past week:
Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden (audio)
Dragon Spear by Jessica Day George
Assiniboin Girl by Kathi Wallace

Currently Reading:
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Frogs & French Kisses by Sara Mlynowski
Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

Upcoming:
Break by Hannah Moskowitz
Troubadour by Mary Hoffman
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress by Tina Ferraro
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson (audio)

Updates:

• Hey! Teenager of the Year posted a cool interview of me.
• Lost in Books had me featured on her 20 Questions Feature.
• I am officially starting to teach kids in tech classes this week - woot!
  
• My wedding invitations are about to go out!
  

My poll results are in for What books would you like me to contest off in single book contests?

1. Beautiful Creatures - 52 votes
2. Shiver - 36 votes
3. Meridian - 24 votes
4. Give up the Ghost - 22 votes
5. Once a Witch - 22 votes
6. North of Beautiful - 22 votes
7. Hate List - 21 votes

A few of those I threw into my latest contest - but you'll probably see #3-6 on their own contests next month or in October.

I've got a new poll up for you to vote on. So, go, check it out. I am totally in love with polls right now.
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Assiniboin Girl

Assiniboin Girl
by Kathi Wallace

From the author's website:

Mary Two Dogs is lost. She grew up in New York the only child of musician parents, but when they die in a car accident coming back from a gig, she’s shipped off to live with her Aunt Janet in Georgia. The South is a strange new world to her, and she becomes the target of racist attacks from some of the other girls. Her Aunt Janet, an undercover FBI agent can’t move, but to keep Mary safe, she sends her to the Assiniboin reservation in Montana.

There Mary has to learn to deal with a whole new world, a completely different set of expectations. Pitied for her lack of understanding of her people, she must learn what it means to be Assiniboin and who she is. To do that, she must find her true name.

I've found that I'm not as great about reading Ebooks, but I swear to get better! I received a copy of this awhile back and slowly read some here, forgot about it, and then read some more. Yeah, I'm bad...

So, today, I said "Kristen, this is ridiculous, just bloody well finish it!". And I did!

Now, what did I think?

I was a bit critical at first of the shortness of the book, especially towards the end, but I found that Kathi wrapped it up quite well.

There was a lot more drama in it than I expected. I really fell in love with the split point of views, where Mary's visions would take over and the readers were blasted into the past. It was really enjoyable and true to the prejudices that still exist today in some parts of America.

4/5 Roses

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Dragon Spear

Dragon Spear
By Jessica Day George

From the author's website:

The exciting conclusion to the Dragon Slippers trilogy.

As far as Creel is concerned, all is finally right with the world. The dragon king, Shardas, and his queen, Velika, have made a comfortable home on the Far Islands. And with a tentative peace declared between dragons and humans, it seems the perfect time for Creel and Prince Luka to plan their wedding...or maybe not. Because when Velika gets kidnapped, Creel and Luka will join their dragon friends on their most dangerous adventure yet--only to discover that the real enemy may be one of their own. And if dangerous new foes and volcanic eruptions weren't enough to throw off the wedding, add in a bushel of unwanted relations and a little accident involving not one but two wedding gowns, and Creel's dream wedding might be turning into a nightmare.

Filled with humor, heart, and feats of derring-do, this newest novel from Jessica Day George will delight both returning fans and new readers alike.

My thoughts:
I really loved the first two in this series and this book did not disappoint. The dragons have been banned and are now at home in Far Islands. But, there is another group of dragons that steal Velika, the queen to become their own.

As always, there is a lot of adventure, ruined dresses, and bravery. I wouldn't be surprised if Jessica decided to do a spin-off series with Creel's brother Hagen or possibly some of the other characters.

Overall, the book was a great fantasy adventure that could appeal to both middle grade readers and young adults.

5/5 Roses

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300 Followers Contest!

Alright guys, this is just crazy. 300 followers! And here's something you might not have known - I'm just coming up on my 3 month mark of blogging! That's just crazy.. 300 followers in less than three months.

Wow. I'm so astonished that I've decided to give away 6 books and some possible gift cards to three different winners!

The books below are actually double copies that I have, so you may have a chance later on to win one of these titles in my comment contest(s).

So here is how it breaks down:

1st winner chooses 3 books from this pile:
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (ARC)
Soulstice by Simon Hold (ARC)
How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford (ARC)
Break by Hannah Moskowitz (ARC)
Hate List by Jennifer Brown (ARC)
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (ARC)

2nd winner will choose:
the THREE remaining books OR
TWO of the remaining books and a $10 Borders gift card

3rd winner will get:
The remaining book (if it's in the pot) OR
$10 Borders gift card

The Rules:
1. Open to US and Canada (sorry! I'm poor for a while here).
2. Please include your email address with your comment(s).
3. Contest ends Saturday, September 12th at Noon CST
4. How to get points:

Answer one of these two questions:

How did you find out about my blog?

or

What do you like about my blog? (one thing, two things, general...)

+1 for answering one of the questions above (+2 if you answer both).
+2 for following my blog (whether it's through google connect, email, or RSS)
+1 for following me on Twitter (@bookgoil) - Please leave your @name
+2 for every time you advertise this contest - You MUST leave a link
+2 for commenting on any of these book reviews (if I review them before the contest ends), just add a #extra in your comment for it to count.


Thanks for following me and being awesome! :-D
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Sunday Spotlight - Wicked Good Books

Welcome one and all to another glorious Sunday Spotlight. I decided to tone down the colors after yesterday! Today we have another fun new blogger who wants you to start checking out her blog.

Name: Bianca
Blog name: Wicked Good Books
Blog URL: http://wickedgoodbooks.blogspot.com

About me: I always have a horrible time writing about myself, but I'll try my best. I'm a 15 year old sophomore. I am on the cross-country, swim and soccer team. I am involved in theatre (techies rock!) and Broadway is my addiction. I love playing Tetris online. OH and I freakin' love the Red Sox!

When and why did you start your blog?: I started my book blog in early July, but have been blogging for years. I decided that I wanted to have a book blog since I love reading and thought it would be cool to interact with other book lovers.

What is your blog all about? Any cool features you want to share?: Well, I usually read YA books and I'll post my reviews up. I can't think of any cool features to share right now. I hope I'll be able to host interviews, contests and other cool features soon, though!

Do you have a review system? If you do, would you like to explain it for us?:
Characters: x/10pts
Originality: x/10pts
Ending: x/10pts
Writing: x/10pts
Plot: x/10pts
Total score: x/50
I use something like this. And then I'll give you my favorite character and rate the cover and some other little fun things.

Any tips or advice for those starting or thinking about starting a blog?: I say, Just go for it! Don't worry about what others think, just do it for yourself. I have a personal blog and I don't do it for others, I do it for myself.

What are some of your favorite genres and/or books currently?: I love YA, I usually read romance, but lately I've been getting into fantasy!

Contest Alert
Bianca be hosting a contest, starting September 4, where 2 lucky winners will win 8 James Patterson books! So be on the lookout for that this coming weekend.

Thank you Bianca for sparing some time to share a bit about your blog with us today! Please head over and check her blog out, if you haven't yet! Leave the girl some love in comment-form while you're at it ;).

Are you a new blogger too? Or just getting back into the swing of blogging? Do you want to be featured on my blog? Shoot me an email at bittahsweetharmony@yahoo.com.

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IMM Vlog (2)

Hey guys! I decided to do another Vlog for my IMM post.

In My Mailbox is hosted by the wonderful Kristi at The Story Siren.








People/Blogs/etc. mentioned in the vlog:
Read for a Writer
Gothic Film Club
Catt from The Dreamer Reader
Bri from What Bri Reads
Cynthea Liu
Julie Berry

Books mentioned in this blog:
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
Everything Sucks by Hannah Friedman
Anastasia's Secret by Susanne Dunlap

Bookish goodies from awesome books:
The Hollow by Jessica Verday
Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog
Paris Pan Takes the Dare by Cynthia Liu
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon
Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith
My Big Nose and other natural disasters by Sydney Salter
The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk
The Mark by Jen Nadol

Can't wait to see what you guys got this week!
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Saturday Spotlight - Reading In Color

Hey guys! Welcome to another Saturday Spotlight, where I'm shining a light on a new blog that deserves some attention. Today we have a great blog that is all about multicultural YA fiction. And so as to be thematic, I've brightened up the interview with different colors. :)

Name: Ariana
Nickname: Ari/MissAttitude
Blog Name: Reading in Color
Blog URL: http://blackteensread2.blogspot.com/



Tell me a bit about yourself.
I'm a half Black, half Latina sarcastic sophomore in high school who (besides loving to read) loves dancing, listening to music, politics, hanging with friends and just having fun.

When and why did you start your blog?
I started this blog on the 4th of July (totally unintentional really, I just had nothing to do that day). I started Reading in Color to review YA multicultural fiction. I saw a serious lack of book blog reviews featuring poc (people of color) for teens and I wanted to change that. I wanted to read books about people who looked like me (AAs, Latinas) as well as spotlight books by people who were different from me and seriously underrepresented in the teen book blogging world (Asians, Native Americans).

What is your blog all about? Any cool features you want to share?
My blog is all about reviewing books about Asians, Latinos, Native Americans, African Americans, girls, guys, LGBT teens. Fiction that isn't always spotlighted.
What you won't see on my blog: an excess amount of reviews of books with white main characters (maybe a few), there's enough of those blogs out there. A cool feature I have is Male Monday. I started Male Monday because I realized that I don't really read many books about guys so I wanted to make a more deliberate effort to change that. Male Monday is when I review books about guys of color.

What are some of your favorite genres and/or books currently?
My favorite genres are historical and realistic fiction. Currently, some of my favorite books are Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith, Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher, the Hoopster by Alan Lawrence Sitomer and Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos.

Do you have a review system? If you do, would you like to explain it for us?
I don't really have a review system. Just a 1-5 rating scale. In a good book I always look for no spelling/grammatical errors, good plot and setting, good characters and character development and a good beginning and ending. Humor and sarcasm always helps. :)

Any tips or advice for those starting or thinking about starting a blog?
Something I would advise new bloggers (even though my blog is barely 1 month old) is to network. Email fellow YA book bloggers or leave comments on their blogs. All the people I reached out to had very useful tips and advice. Some even added me to their blogrolls which helped me get more viewers. Best of luck to all new bloggers!

I just really, really want to stress that it's important to read books about people other than yourselves. if you don't feel comfortable reading about a book about someone totally different from yourself, start small. for example,if you're a gay Native American teen try reading about a gay Latino teen I love my fellow YA book bloggers, but I would really like to see more diversity in the books they read and review. There are some great challenges and websites out there to help get you started (Color Online, worducopia). Also if you want suggestions feel free to email me willbprez@aol.com or leave a comment on my blog.

Contest Alert!
Ari is going to be holding some fabulous contests starting today, so make sure to keep an eye out for that post on her blog!


Thank you Ari for donating some time to answer these questions! Please check out Ari's blog and leave her a comment (or 10!).

Are you a new blogger too? Or just getting back into the swing of blogging? Do you want to be featured on my blog? Shoot me an email at bittahsweetharmony@yahoo.com.

The Neverending Shelf is doing a similar type of spiel over at her website. So check it out to find out about a different blogger!
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Show Me 5 Saturday

That's A Novel Idea just started this fun new meme!

Here are the rules:
Each Saturday You will post the answer to these questions. The number indicates the number of answers you will provide.

1 Book you read and/or reviewed this week
2 Words that describe the book
3 Settings where it took place or characters you met
4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it
5 Stars or less for your rating?

This week, I'm using this meme to get out of a review. :-D

Here are mine:
1 Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden (audio)
2 Suspenseful, dramatic
3 Ellie, Lee, Homer
4 Liked: pace, the action, and the actress who read the book. Disliked: unanswered questions at the end of the book (but it's a series...so I forgive the author).
5 Stars :-D

This book is being made into a movie, so you guys should check it out! I read most of the series in middle school but never finished it.

Basic synopsis:
Ellie and her friends go bush - camping out in the wilderness- for a few days during summer break. When the come back their homes are deserted and they find out that they've been invaded and that most of their families and townsfolk are being held in the center of town. What will they do?

A little more about my reaction, since I'm not doing a separate review post..

I loved this book, read it a long time ago and it really hasn't lost any of its pizazz. It's written from the point of view of Ellie, as she is writing all of what happened down in a journal. There's some romance, some serious suspense and, of course, action and reconnaissance. So, make sure you take note that this is a rather large series - about 7 or 8 books I believe and you'll definitely be wanting more when you finish the first one.


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Win 10 books and a giftcard from BookMac

Hey guys!

BookMac is just getting her blog rolling again after being on and off. And.. she's just gotten 100 followers! So she's holding a contest...

You could win all of these books:
Wicked Lovely
Eyes Like Stars
Evernight
Me, My Elf & I
Homecoming
Wake
This Lullaby
Academy 7
A Kiss in Time
The Midnight Charter

AND a $10 gift card to Barnes & Noble. This contest is open to the US & Canada. Check it out HERE!

Please tell her I referred you for an extra point! Thanks!
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The Friday Update

For those weird weeks when I really had no Finds.. insane.. I know..

So, what's up with me?

• Started my new job - but no kids yet this week.
• Will start teaching/hanging around the lab for the tech curriculum next week
• Hopefully going to meet with my mentor and figure out how to start ordering books!
• I got contacted by Junior Library Guild today about their cool ordering program (met them at ALA).
• Won a contest or two.
• Lined up some cool author interviews and some new books to review (hopefully some will come this week!)
• Thinking about zombies...
  
• Two more books to read to hit the 10 book mark for the comment contest - if I fail, I'll throw in a few free e-books I have.
  
• Trying to figure out how to make dishwashing manageable with my commute and new schedule.
• Figure if I'm religious about it - I can finish an audiobook or two a week.
  

Hrmmmmmmm what else.

My grandmother is driving me nuts and we've eliminated regular food from the wedding reception - changed the time to 2-4 instead of 2-5. I need to get to Galena hopefully before 9 pm!

Alright, I'm so incredibly exhausted. Yay for Friday - one more full day of work (which is sucking right now because all I'm doing is typing kids' names into a billion different programs). Oh yeah and I don't have a library display up! *panics*

Weekend plans:
LAUNDRY!
Reading...
Blog work (most def.)
Watch a movie - possibly... one? Or at least finish my Black Lagoon disc from Netflix (I admit to being an anime geek).
Clean part of my apartment.. not sure which part. . .
and ... Sunday dinner with the future in-laws (as usual).

Okay, random facts about me:
-Supposedly I have a cute sneeze.. sound wise at least.
-My favorite TV show as a kid was Gummi Bears
-I love rock music - Breaking Benjamin, Sick Puppies, and much much more (but I listen to all sorts of other genres too).
-I'm growing my hair out for my wedding and I hate dealing with tangles... seriously, I haven't had a tangle since I was a kid! Grrr.


Alright, that's about it. Hey, can you guys do me a favor?

Yes?

AWESOME!

Okay, ask me some questions, anything you like... and then when I don't have any Friday finds, I'll post the answers! Or next week... if you're all dying to know.

Thanks!
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Zombie Challenge

Alright guys, I'm going zombie. Well.. not the brain-eating kind. But, I've decided to partake in the Zombie Challenge, in which I will be posting some fun posts next week about zombies. If you guys click the link above, you can join in on the zombie fun as well!

I have an interview with a human (Emma) on zombies lined up along with one or two other fun posts.

I know you all are DYING to know my own thoughts on zombies, so stay tuned!
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Link A Contest Thursday

Hey guys!

Welcome to another Link-A-Contest-Thursday. I've decided to come up with some rules for this meme and broke down and upgraded my Mr. Linky account so that the links pop up right away and so that you can steal the Mr. Linky for your own blog. (I'm also working on a icon of sorts for this meme...so, maybe next week I'll reveal that!)

Rules (or at least STRONG suggestions):
1. Name the item being given away (instead of the blog name)
2. Give the end date in () after the name
3. Make sure to link DIRECTLY to that contest post - if you don't know how to do this - just click on the title of the contest blog and it will give a direct URL you can use.
4. If you want to post a contest you've found, make sure it isn't already posted.

Thanks!

And please steal this! Not all my followers will be following your blog, so if you spread the contest love with a Mr. Linky, all the better for contest-loving-bloggers!


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Magic Under Glass Contest AD

You know you guys just love my contest blog posts, right?

If you haven't seen or heard of this book/contest, well now you know.

I know I want to win it! :-D

Coming 12/22/09 from Bloomsbury...

Nimira is a music-hall girl used to dancing for pennies. So when wealthy sorcerer Hollin Parry hires her to sing accompaniment to a mysterious piano-playing automaton, Nimira believes it will be the start of a better life. In Parry's world, long-buried secrets are about to stir. Unsettling rumors begin to swirl about ghosts, a madwoman roaming the halls, and Parry’s involvement in a group of corrupt sorcerers for whom the rules of the living and dead are meant to be broken for greater power. When Nimira discovers the spirit of a dashing fairy gentleman is trapped within the automaton, she is determined to break the curse. But even as the two fall into a love that seems hopeless, breaking the curse becomes a perilous race against time. Because it's not just the future of these star-crossed lovers that's at stake, but the fate of the entire magical world.

Want to win an ARC with original sketches from the author inside? See http://fabulousfrock.livejournal.com for details!
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Contest alert - Check it out!

Hey guys,

Just stumbled across this great contest. You can win a hardcover copy of Candor and a $15 giftcard over at OMG Books!

Love her blog, so please support her contest and enter to win!
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Living you Five

*stolen from the Fiver's blogs*

LIVING YOUR FIVE IS HERE!

We know, we know... we've been hinting about it for weeks. The super secret project of Kay Cassidy, Tera Lynn Childs, Alyson Noel and Becca Fitzpatrick. The #fivers hashtag. The Founding Fiver badges. The huge top secret contest. So many secrets!

Good news. The secret's out.

Join us for the worldwide launch of Living Your Five! Living Your Five is an online community dedicated to changing our world one person at a time. You don't have to cure the world of cancer or banish world hunger in a single day. It's about working together, each of us taking one more step every day. It's about knowing what you care about--what you're passionate about!--and stepping away from the sidelines of your life to make your mark on the world.

To celebrate the launch of the official Living Your Five web site, we're even hosting a contest with awesome daily prizes and a MEGA grand prize all courtesy of our Founding Fivers! Find out all the details at www.livingyourfive.com.

We're ready to change the world. Now it's up to you. Will you watch from the sidelines or join us on the ride? (Come on, we know you want to!)

Check it out guys.. what these authors are doing is AWESOME!

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Waiting on Wednesday - Token of Darkness

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

Token of Darkness
by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Release Date: February 9, 2010

From Amazon.com:
Cooper Blake has everything going for him—until he wakes from a car accident with his football career in ruins and a mysterious, attractive girl by his side. Cooper doesn’t know how Samantha got there or why he can see her; all he knows is that she’s a ghost, and the shadows that surround her seem intent on destroying her.

No one from Cooper’s old life would understand what he can barely grasp himself. . . . But Delilah, the captain of the cheerleading squad, has secrets of her own, like her ability to see beyond the physical world, and her tangled history with Brent, a loner from a neighboring school who can hear strangers’ most intimate thoughts. Delilah and Brent know that Cooper is in more trouble than he realizes, and that Samantha may not be as innocent as she has led Cooper to believe. But the only way to figure out where Samantha came from will put them all in more danger than they ever dreamed possible.

This one really looks good!

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Cool Contest - 9 winners!

Hey guys!

My buddy Alethea just started back up with her blog and so she's holding a contest! You could win one of the following books:

Immortal by Gillian Shields

Masquerade by Melissa de la Cruz

My Bonny Light Horseman by L.A. Meyer

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow

The House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo

The Robe of Skulls by Vivian French

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

To enter, simply visit her blog Read Now Sleep Later and check out the rules!
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Teaser Tuesday - Shiver

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of
Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week, my teaser is from Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater:

Hope hurt more than the cold. Maybe it wasn't Jack I should've been looking for.
p.181

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It's Monday, What are you reading?

J.Kaye hosts this wonderful meme.

Click on titles for my reviews or more info on the book.

Read this past week:
Fire by Kristin Cashore
Violet Wings by Victoria Hanley
Undercover by Beth Kephart (audiobook)
Crash Into Me by Albert Borris
The Family Bones by Kimberly Raiser

Currently reading:
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Assiniboin Girl by Kathi Wallace

Upcoming:
Rampant by Diana Peterfreund
Dragon Spear by Jessica Day George
Break by Hannah Moskowitz
Troubadour by Mary Hoffman
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress by Tina Ferraro


Updates:

• I decided not to run any more contests until possibly next week - besides the comment contest. I'm going to throw some free e-books into the pot for that contest and I'm hoping to get a few more books in to total twenty books total. We'll see - cause school starts this week and adjustment to that may be brutal.
• I will be running a September comment contest - same set-up and possibly November (not sure!). Heck, this may be a regular deal. So keep commenting!
• Spotlights - I'm backlogged a bit, I've scheduled up to September 20th and have let those people know. So sorry if I haven't emailed you back, but I'm working on it - promise!
  

Can't wait for this week coming up but I'm nervous also. The librarian who was there before me is in another school in our district and snagged ALL of her stuff.. so I'm left with some really crappy, old posters. *sigh* Thank god for ALA and the free posters I got there, otherwise I'd have NOTHING. Blarg. Anyways, I hope to get some read this next week.

Now tell me - what are YOU reading?
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The Family Bones

The Family Bones
by Kimberly Raiser

A New Home, A Loving Family, A Dark Secret

Will they stay? Will they survive? The Weavers have inherited family property in Astral, Pennsylvania, a town so small that Mrs. Weaver can find no mention of it on the Internet, save for a tiny spot on Google Earth. Hoping for a simpler, small-town existence for their young family, Steven and Tara eagerly head to Astral to see what they hope will be their dream house. As they explore their potential new home, the Weavers begin to discover secret passageways, secret rooms, and long buried family truths; some difficult truths are revealed and no longer kept in the far reaches of the closet. There are reasons for everything, and sometimes the explanations are so simple. But sometimes, simple can also be horrifying.

Okay, I admit I really did not enjoy this book. I skimmed a little here and there because I just was really surprised by the way it was going. I thought this book would be full of a haunted house, some scary scenes and well frankly... it could be called frightening at time, but in the end - it was all about aliens. I didn't quite fall in love with any of the characters and I couldn't seem to get into the book at all.

I guess if you like spooky alien stories, you'll enjoy this, but I just didn't.


3/5 Roses

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Bree Despain's Awesome Contest

Hey guys!

Just wanted to share with you a contest I found today. Bree Despain, author of The Dark Divine is holding a rockin' contest over on her blog.


Qualified participants will be entered into a drawing to win one of three prizes:

1. A pedicure kit complete with my new THE DARK DIVINE nail polish! + An autographed ARC of THE DARK DIVINE + $15 gift card to Barnes & Noble.
2. Signed copy of MY BIG NOSE AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS by Sydney Salter + Signed copy of LIFE IN THE PIT by Kristen Landon
3. A $30 gift card to Barnes & Noble


Read carefully, because you have to at least get 5 points in the entries to qualify. So go now and enter Bree's awesome contest!
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Sunday Spotlight - Between the Lines

It's Sunday, which means... Sunday Spotlight! Today we have someone who WILL make you crack a smile. Seriously, I was chuckling through the answers to my usual questions. Check it out:

Name: Prodhi
Nickname and/or blog name: WordVore Prod/Between the Lines
Blog URL: http://myriad-words.blogspot.com


Tell me a bit about yourself.

I'm a hopeless book and music addict who could leave psychologists around the world flabbergasted by the utter lack of stereotype or set pattern to my personality. No bragging, but that's also what people around me have to say about me. I kind of like being unique though--standing out is always fun. :D Since this is a really stupid autobiography of myself and I love getting to know new people, just contact me at the mail address on my blog and we'll talk. :) (And then I can freak you out. MUHAHAHA.) I love being the only book blogger from Bangladesh for one reason--it makes me feel like a representative. Otherwise it sucks to be a book blogger where you don't even get YA books easily.

When and why did you start your blog?
I started my blog around the beginning of July. I have a tendency to yabble about my recent read or recent music find to anyone and everyone (yes, I have a reputation of freaking out newbies that way :P), so I decided, why not do it virtually too since I have an affinity with the Net, books and my opinions on them? That's how my blog came into being.

What is your blog all about? Any cool features you want to share?
My blog is all about Young Adult books. I review books, interview authors and fellow bloggers, put up covers of upcoming books and trailers, etc. The cool features about my blog I would say are (I'm coming off as a narcissist aren't I?):

• The template.

• My review system. It's ellllllaboraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttte. And it's got music recommendations with it. :D

• My interviews. I'll bet my life my questions are ones never, ever asked before! (I try to mix in wackiness and fun:D)

• I make up my own memes along the way.

• I like the word myriad.

Do you have a review system? If you do, would you like to explain it for us?

My review system is very elaborate--it's called WorDissection for a reason. I dissect each and every aspect of the book and rate them separately. The review part is usually my analysis and opinion of the book. I also try to provide as accurate a recommendation as possible based on target readers as well as names of few songs to go with the book. I'm still expanding the range of segments to my review, and any suggestion is welcome. Only thing that's bothering me now--classic blogger won't let me put the link for older Posts, so blog readers are made to think my first post is something that came a lot later than the actual first post. Ugh.

Any tips or advice for those starting or thinking about starting a blog?

Well, seeing as how I'm an amateur, I may not be the best person for this but I'll give it a shot:

Have fun. Reviewing should not be an obligation to you--it should be just like another conversation about book with friends. Don't force your opinion down on others. If you really didn't like a book, simply state that you didn't, but don't say things like "OMG it's the worst book ever don't waste your money on it!" Book tastes are subjective--what you didn't like might be the absolute favourite of another. Pick a cool name for your blog like Kristen did, and make Kristen follow you, and follow Kristen back, and stalk her until she features you in her blogger spotlight.

What are some of your favorite genres and/or books currently?
I live and breathe YA. I also like reading thrillers and dystopian classics at times. Sappy, mushy romance is a big no-no whatever genre it might be. My favourite book at this time: Psych Major Synfrome by Alicia Thompson. It's YA, it's fun and it's realistic.

When asked about anything else, Prod answered:
You didn't ask me what my favourite flavour of ice-cream is, or why the sky is blue, or why Superman loves to show people he's wearing yesterday's underwear. I'm offended, Kristen. How could you?

That cracked me up. If you want someone fun to talk to and follow, here's your girl. Check out her blog, because it's pretty darn spiffy looking and she's hilarious.

Thanks Prodhi for graciously accepting my offer to spotlight you. As always, it's been a great time. ;)

Are you a new blogger too? Or just getting back into the swing of blogging? Do you want to be featured on my blog? Shoot me an email at bittahsweetharmony@yahoo.com.

The Neverending Shelf is doing a similar type of spiel over at her website. So check it out to find out about a different blogger!
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Crash Into Me

Crash Into Me
by Albert Borris

From goodreads:

Owen, Frank, Audrey, and Jin-Ae have one thing in common: they all want to die. When they meet online after each attempts suicide and fails, the four teens make a deadly pact: they will escape together on a summer road trip to visit the sites of celebrity suicides...and at their final destination, they will all end their lives. As they drive cross-country, bonding over their dark impulses, sharing their deepest secrets and desires, living it up, hooking up, and becoming true friends, each must decide whether life is worth living--or if there's no turning back.

Okay, so I rarely do this, but - I picked up this novel with NO idea what it was about. So I was surprised to learn it was about kids making a suicide pact, but going on a death road trip first to see famous suicide graves/places.

I really fell in love with Owen a bit, who is the main focus of the book. He really has some serious issues and I was surprised by what surfaced later in the book. I love the hilarious moments of the book and the way it was written - broken up by previous IM chats that the four teens had online before the road trip.

I must admit, I really enjoyed this book and was really quite satisfied with the ending. I like how the cover relates to part of the story as well - not all covers do that or even come close to explaining a book - so it was nice to see that for a change.

5/5 Roses

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Undercover

Undercover
by Beth Kephart

Like a modern-day Cyrano de Bergerac, Elisa ghostwrites love notes for the boys in her school. But when Elisa falls for Theo Moses, things change fast. Theo asks for verses to court the lovely Lila—a girl known for her beauty, her popularity, and a cutting ability to remind Elisa that she has none of these. At home, Elisa's father, the one person she feels understands her, has left on an extended business trip. As the days grow shorter, Elisa worries that the increasingly urgent letters she sends her father won't bring him home. Like the undercover agent she feels she has become, Elisa retreats to a pond in the woods, where her talent for ice-skating gives her the confidence to come out from under cover and take center stage. But when Lila becomes jealous of Theo's friendship with Elisa, her revenge nearly destroys Elisa's ice-skating dreams and her plan to reunite her family.

The first things I must say about the book is I really love the tie to literature in this book. Elisa is a poet and helps boys win the hearts of their dream girls by writing for them. Unfortunately, the one boy who keeps coming back for more poems to keep his popular girlfriend is the one she falls for. And let me tell you, Theo's girlfriend Lila is not a girl to mess with. She is the ultimate evil popular girl, ready to do whatever it takes to keep her life exactly the way she likes it.

I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook version of this book. I could relate a bit to the character as a girl who always observed love, but never really got it until Theo came along. There are some other themes - such as her parents becoming separated - that really help the novel become more than just a silly romance.

One of the best audiobooks I've listened to in a while. I think the actress's voice was perfect for Elisa and she did a great job of changing it up for the various other characters.

5/5 Roses
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Hush, Hush contest winner, BBAW, and tons of Awards

Alright, I usually am VERY prompt about ending contests. But not today. I was busy getting my wedding dress fitted, running errands, having lunch with a friend, and then seeing a movie with my fiance - we saw Inglorious Basterds - which was AMAZING! I was.. however.. surprised by the amount of old couples out to see it. I know it has the same title as an older movie, but supposedly is NOT a remake. *shrugs* I've never seen the other one.

Anyways, so I drew a winner just now and let her know. So I figured I'd let you guys know!

#1017 Ju!

Congrats to Ju! I've sent you an email asking for your address! :-D.


Next topic! I want to thank EVERYONE who even thought of nominated or did nominate me for the BBAW awards. I was nominated in FIVE - I know, amazing right? - categories. Best New Blogger, Best YA Book Blogger, Best Writing, Best Commentor, and Most Prolific.

Thanks guys!

Okay, now I have been VERY bad about accepting awards lately. I actually have been given 8 or 9 different awards by various bloggers. Some are duplicates and some are new. So I'm going to start with the new ones first and then go to the ones I've technically already gotten - which, I really don't mind getting again.

One Lovely Blog Award

Thank you to The Neverending Shelf and Tynga's Urban Fantasy Reviews for nominating me!

These are the rules:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

2. Pass the award to other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

My nominees:
Book Dragon's Lair
Books and Literature for Teens
Twin Pigeon
Tales of Whimsy
Running for Fiction
A Place for Wicked Good Books
The Undercover Book Lover (not really)

Bingo's Beautiful Award

Thank you to The Eclectic Reader for nominating me for this award!

This award was started by Bookin With BINGO and here are the rules:

This "B-I-N-G-O" BEAUTIFUL BLOG AWARD means that this blog is...

B: Beautiful
I: Informative
N: Neighborly
G: Gorgeous
O: Outstanding

Please look carefully at as many blogs as you can to find the top FIVE blogs that YOU think also exemplify these standards and pass it along to them. Please don't break this chain of FIVE! If you are someone who doesn't want awards or doesn't pass them on, please tell the person who is giving it so they can share it with someone who would want it. Thank you. Also, link your award to the person who gave it to you so when people link on the person's name or blog name, it will take them there to see that person's BINGO-RIFFIC BLOG.

My nominees:
A Flight of Minds
The Neverending Shelf
Good Books & Good Wine
Mrs. Magoo Reads
The Book Explorer

Alright. That was hard.. really, always is.

Now, here are some awards I got for a second/third time. I'm not going to nominate more people, but I wanted to thank those bloggers for nominating me!

The Zombie Chicken Award

Thanks to Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm for this award!

The Lemonade Award

Thank you to La Femme Readers, That Chick That Reads, and Feed Your Imagination for this award!


The Me to You Award

Thank you to A Reader's Adventure for this award!


Super Comments Award

Thank you to Red House Books for this award!


The Hearthfelt Award
Thank you to Romantic Harbor for this award!

If, for some reason, you gave me an award and I didn't post about, please let me know. Email or comment. :)

I'll try next time not to let them pile up so high! I swear!

Thanks again to these amazing bloggers who nominated my blog for awards. :)

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IMM - VLOG!

In My Mailbox is hosted by the wonderful Kristi at The Story Siren.

OMVLOG! Haha. Yes, I'm crazy enough to do a vlog this week. I figured, why not? It's time to change things up a bit.

I did do a vlog FOREVER ago (or at least it feels like..) for a contest. So without further ado:




People mentioned in the vlog:
My fiance - aka Chris
Deltay from Lucid Conspiracy
Books and Literature for Teens
Sweeps4Bloggers
Kimberly Pauley and YA Books Central
Andrea from Book Blather
April from Good Books & Good Wine
Bitten by Books

Books mentioned:
Sisters of Misery by Megan Kelley Hall
Dream Girl by Laura Mechling
Frogs & French Kisses by Sarah Mlynowski
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks
I, Coriander by Sally Gardner
Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
The Fetch by Laura Whitcomb
Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough
The Eyes of a King by Catherine Banner
Meridian by Amber Kizer
Cycler by Lauren McLaughlin
Ash by Malinda Lo
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Soulstice by Simon Holt
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Freaks and Revelations by Davida Willis Huwin
Once was Lot by Sara Zarr
The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell
The Imposter's Daughter by Laurie Sandell
Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
The Drowning City by Amanda Downum
Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer

Wowzers! A ton of books this week! What did you guys all get?

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Saturday Spotlight - Good Books & Good Wine

Welcome to another weekend full of blogger spotlights! Looking to read a new blog? Then, you're at the right place! I ask you to please check out my friend April's blog after reading her interview.

Here we go!

Name: April
Nickname and/or blog name: Good Books & Good Wine
Blog URL: http://readingisthespiceoflife.blogspot.com


Tell me a bit about yourself.

I'm 22, and about to begin student teaching. Like every other person reading this blog, I love to read. I have a soft spot for YA, but truly, I enjoy many other genres including fantasy, classics, and contemporary fiction as well as non-fiction history. Also, I'm totally hooked on Stephanie Plum and Sookie Stackhouse. I constantly quote The Office and am very self-deprecating. Oh yes, I forgot I'm also madly in love.

When and why did you start your blog?

I started my blog August 2009 because I like writing book reviews, I enjoy reading Kristen's blog and thought, why the hell not.

What is your blog all about? Any cool features you want to share?

Well I don't just review YA, I review other books which catch my eye. When I review an adult book, I typically recommend an alcoholic beverage which I feel reflects the flavor of the book. When I review a YA book, I recommend a non-alcoholic beverage. I'm pretty into my beverages, be it mocha iced coffee or red wine or tap water, ha ha. I also participate in a few book memes, i.e. In My Mailbox and Friday Finds.

Do you have a review system? If you do, would you like to explain it for us?
I actually do not have a review system. When I review I book I like to give a very brief synopsis and then gear my review around how the book made me feel and what the book made me think.

Any tips or advice for those starting or thinking about starting a blog?

Don't be afraid to ask for advice! I know I've asked more experienced bloggers for advice and they were tremendously helpful!

What are some of your favorite genres and/or books currently?
As I said above, I'm really into fantasy right now, as well as dystopian books. I also enjoy graphic novels and contemporary books, oh and classics. I really enjoyed Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, plus his blog is just plain awesome. Another recent favorite is The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley, I'm a sucker for a swashbuckling love story. Cassandra Mortmain captured my heart in I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith.

Contest Alert!
April is holding her first contest! She's giving away a copy of Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier - a retelling of the fairy tale - The Twelve Dancing Sisters. This contest ends August 31st, so hurry up and enter it here!

April is a buddy of mine from over at Goodreads - so please check out her blog and I'm certain you'll fall in love with it! :) Thanks April for letting me feature you!

Are you a new blogger too? Or just getting back into the swing of blogging? Do you want to be featured on my blog? Shoot me an email at bittahsweetharmony@yahoo.com.

The Neverending Shelf is doing a similar type of spiel over at her website. So check it out to find out about a different blogger!
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Intertwined Sweepstakes

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Friday Finds

Friday Finds is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

These are basically books I've found online and added to my ever-growing to-read list on goodreads.

Like usual, click the titles or covers to find out more about the book.

Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu
The Dragon Seer by Janet McNaughton
By Blood We Live

Kiss in the Dark by Laren Henderson
Possessing Rayne by Kate Cann
The Owl Keeper by Christine Brodien-Jones

What did you guys find this week?
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