Mara Dyer (Re)Read Sign Ups!

It's finally almost here! The release of The Retribution of Mara Dyer is quickly approaching and I feel like I need to read the series again. A few bloggers had expressed interest in reading the series, either again or for the first time.

I am going to be hosting a read along (sort of). Starting in September I will have a post up where you can link your reviews, and Christy from The Reader Bee and I (perhaps others, message me if interested) will be having discussions via a Google document that I will share on the blog. I want to encourage everyone to leave theories, and just general fangirling on any of the posts going up.

The month of September will be focused on The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. In October will move on to The Evolution of Mara Dyer. That will ensure that both books are finished just in time of the November release of Retribution.

If you're interested, sign up using think link below so that we all know who is involved. I am even open to a Twitter chat if enough people are interested.

Hope you'll all join in, and I can't wait to discuss this series with everyone!

My Top Ten Books of 2012

The end of 2012 is just around the corner, and with that comes a bunch of "Best" list. I offer my own best list today. The top ten books I read in 2012.

These are in no particular order, because asking me to select my favourite from this list would really be torture. It was hard enough to keep this list to ten choices.

1. The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Steamy, sexy, and filled with Noah Shaw deliciousness. A creepy and brilliant look at a potential descent into madness. Wonderfully written with humour, scares, and STEAMY romance. 

My love affair with this series is well known. I adore Mara, Noah, and of course, the amazing Michelle for writing them.

2. Just One Day by Gayle Forman

 Yes I am teasing, but Oh My Swoon! Willem and Allyson's story had me feeling every emotion, and left me aching for more. This is easily 2013's MUST READ and more than meets expectations.

The beautiful writing, the connection I felt to Allyson, and the utter romance of this fantastic contemporary left me wanting to read Just One Year...immediately.

3. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

One of the most beautifully written books I have ever read. It made my heart hurt, and yet was filled with so much wonder. 

Getting to know the girl with the crow feather and her Peter was one of the highlights of my reading year, made all the more poignant because my love for this novel caught me by surprise. 

4. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

If I were to choose one word to describe Gone Girl that word would be twisted. Stunning reveals, an inciting game, and an uncomfortable look at falling out of love (just in the most extremely twisted way).  

Flawed characters that seem disturbingly real, and writing that makes you fly through the pages faster that you are capable of turning them. This one will keep you up late into the night, and leave you gasping at it's sad, yet unavoidable, ending.  

5.  Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

A darkly decadent read where even the air you breath can kill you. Swoon worthy guys, a flawed heroine, and the seductive Debauchery Club are all stand outs in this amazingly written novel.

The dual notion of glitz and glamour back dropped against a stark decimated city make for a compelling dynamic. I fell for this one in chapter one, and couldn't stop reading.

6. Gilt by Katherine Longshore

Tudor court glamour meets high school mean girls in this engrossing historical novel. Catherine Howard paid the ultimate price for her youthful mistakes. This portrayal paints her in a much different, and more realistic feeling light. This novel feels relevant because it shows friendships, and their complexity haven't changed over the years.

7 The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Magic meets realism in this heart grabbing novel. Blue, and her Raven Boys will work their way into your heart until you care deeply about each of them.

Maggie's writing is fantastic, but her characters draw you in and that is why it's on my list. 

8 Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Another must read when it comes out. I adored Cinder, but Scarlet surpassed all my expectations. Ruggedly swoon worthy Wolf grabbed my attention immediately, and  I adored the feisty Scarlet. The mixing of Cinder's story with Scarlet's journey is done flawlessly, and the fairytale elements I loved in Cinder are just as present in Scarlet. 

9 Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

One of the best witch stories I've ever read. A mixture of romance, suspense, and a hint of the magical storm to come leaves you under this novel's spell.

The writing flows quickly, and the characters are captivating. The witchcraft mythology that is being built has be eager to learn more. With all of this going for it, it's the bond between the sister's that shines the most. A story of sisterly love, sacrifice, jealously, and perhaps betrayal. 

10 The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This novel left me a crying mess on my couch by the end. I believe that this will make many lists this year, and it really is one of the best of the year.

Hazel and Augustus' story stays with you long after you've finished. With humour, heart, and tears it's an emotional reminder to love as deeply as possible, and to live each second to the fullest

I do have a few others that I REALLY enjoyed this year as well, and this list was seriously torture to whittle down, but those are the ones that I think impacted me the most. What novels made your Best List this year? Let me know in the comments.

Mara Dyer Blogger Love

Mara Dyer Week is sadly ending today. I thought it might be fun to get some other blogger's opinions on why the Mara Dyer series is so great. I collected a few blurbs to share with you guys. Don't forget to go back and visit each stop and enter the giveaway while you're at it.

First up is the awesome Ciara at Lost At Midnight Reviews

I hate being scared. Seriously. I can’t stand horror films, I sleep with a night-light on, and I very rarely read scary books. And that’s the thing I love most about The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer: it petrifies me and I love it. It makes me love being scared, because it does frightening so well. 

Mara Dyer thinks she’s going crazy, and that’s probably one of the scariest things to go through. Reading about her heart-attack inducing hallucinations had me cowering away from the book. I am dead serious when I say I could not look in a mirror head-on for three days after finishing the book. I found myself jumping out of my seat at the scary scenes, had my jaw dropping with the shocking twists, and had my heart pounding with adrenaline. This was a scary, scary novel. But, I loved it. It was amazing to have a book scare me so much and have me happy about it! Michelle Hodkin is a master story teller, and her suspenseful, addictive novel was purely fantastic. When Kathy asked me to write this guest posts, I remember wondering what I was going to write about. There are honestly so many things I love about this book, and I was having a hard time choosing just one. But, for me, one of the signs of a powerful book is when it makes think a different way. Usually it’s in a very powerful and emotional way (for example Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers) but in this case it was something very different. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer made me enjoy something I hate the most: fear. For a book to do that is pretty fan-freakin’-tastic in my opinion. 

If you’re a fraid-y cat like me, this book will terrify you. And if you’re a fearless horror genre veteran, I think this book will scare you too. Maybe it’ll be the hallucinations or the frightening deaths. Maybe it will be the horrifying idea of slowly going insane. Whatever it is, something in this book will get you. Something is going to get your heart racing, your palms sweaty, and your eyes darting around the room. Mara Dyer is going to scare you. And you’ll love every bit of it. 

Big thanks to Kathy for giving me this opportunity to guest post about this amazing series! It was a ton of fun! (Although I’m beginning to fear looking in mirrors again…*wink*)  

Also check out Ciara's review for The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer for more reasons why she loves this series.

Next up is amazingly lovely Brodie from Eleusinian Mysteries

Every sexual fibre of my soul is screaming at me to write "NOAH SHAW" as my most favourite part of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, and I'm almost tempted too. But as I'm-drowning-in-a-puddle-on-my-own-drool sexy as he is, it's the mystery and suspense that made this novel for me. What I loved so much was having my mind twisting knots around itself. Who is the real Mara Dyer? Where did that botanica disappear to? Was the kiss real? Wait, JUDE?!Not knowing what Michelle Hodkin was going to throw at me next... knowing that I couldn't even rely on the narrator to keep my sanity grounded... that kind of uncertainty is so exhilarating to read!

Check out Brodie's review of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer for more.

Next up the fantastic Evie from Bookish shares why she loves this series

What I love the most about Michelle Hodkin's gorgeous YA series, Mara Dyer, is definitely the lead male character, Noah Shaw! British, mysterious, total sweetheart with a reputation of a heart-breaker.. ahhhh~ So swoon worthy! He's undoubtedly one of the hottest, most charming male protagonists out there. And not only because he is drop-dead gorgeous and bring-me-a-napkin drool-inducing hottie, but also because of his wonderful character, wittiness, mysteriousness, gentleness... everything! There is no other like Noah Shaw!!! 

Here's my favourite quote: 

“You want me as much as I want you. And all I want is you." Noah stood slowly, his body skimming mine as he rose. "Today. Tonight. Tomorrow. Forever.”

 Check out Evie's review of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer for more.

Next we have the amazing Meaghan from Feeling A Little Bookish with her favourite part of the Mara series

When Kathy asked me to participate in Mara Dyer week I couldn't be happier.  I have read both books in the series and I can say so many good things about them.  I think what stands out for me is Mara's character.  I love that she is an unreliable narrator and that she keeps you guessing.  You never really know what is going on in head or what is going on for real.  You can't help but feel for the girl because she lost all of her friends in a freak accident and is then transplanted into a new place.  Not only is she having to adjust to a new life but she also has to reconcile what happened in her old life.  While her life may be a little messed up, she still remains a sweet girl.  I also love the bond that she has with her brothers.  There really is a sense of family pride with her even when they frustrate her.  She is constantly trying to prove that she is okay but you can tell that she appreciates the support her family gives her.

Again, while the storyline has many wtf moments and it keeps you guessing, it's not just the story that gets to you.  It really is Mara herself that finds a little place in you and keeps the story going long after it is done.  My sister and I were talking the other day about the need to know what a character is doing long after the book is done and I think this applies well with Mara Dyer.  A few days after both novels, I found myself thinking: what is Mara doing?  This, my friends, is the sign of a well written book.

Check out Meaghan's review of The Evolution of Mara Dyer too.

Next up is the incredibly sweet Emilie from Emilie's Book World

I am a major sucker for anything that involves mystery. Whether it's in a book, TV show or movie. When I heard about The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer I knew that this would be a book that would play right in to that. And it did. The entire time I was reading, the book was messing with my mind. I never knew what was real and what wasn't. And while that normally would frustrate me to no end, with The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer it didn't phase me in the least. Of course, I was just constantly trying to figure out what was happening, but that's what made me love the story as much as I did. And the mind messing part, was my absolute favourite part of the book. Though a certain Noah Shaw wasn't so bad either…

 Be sure to check out Emilie's review of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer too.

The next to share is the delightful Kelly from KellyVision

The reason I love this series so much is because it has all the elements of a great paranormal trilogy/series: a great heroine, a compelling story, a hot love interest, twists and turns aplenty. But at the same time, Mara Dyer is completely unique and always surprises me. It's th best of both worlds: everything I know I love and wonderful surprises that still make sense, given the parameters of the story.

Be sure to stop by and check out Kelly's review of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer as well.

The last blogger I invited to share is the wonderful Katie from Bookishly Yours

I don’t know how she did it, but Michelle Hodkin managed to write an even creepier sequel filled with even more questions and more plot twists. I read all five-hundred-something pages in one sitting because it just wouldn’t let me go! (Yes, this book has PHYSICAL power, y’all) The hotness that is Noah Shaw continues and we even get a great little peek into his thoughts. 

Michelle Hodkin has an awesome (frightening) gift for drawing you in with her brilliant characters and disturbing plots and gripping secrets. This sequel does not disappoint!

You can see her review of The Evolution of Mara Dyer on Monday by visiting her blog!

Thank you to all these amazing bloggers (I love all of their blogs! Such smart, fun women) and I totally recommend following them.

Thank you to everyone who has stopped by. I am already busy planning Mara Dyer Week 3 for next year.

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews).

Another amazing week of awesome books making their way into my already cramped book closet.

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (goodreads)
17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma (goodreads)
Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff (goodreads)

A huge thank you to Penguin Canada for 17 & Gone and Paper Valentine. I have been wanting to read both of these so I was very excited to find them in my mailbox.

I went to pick up my copy of Michelle Hodkin's new book on Tuesday. The hardcover is so pretty! I really love these covers. If you would like a copy of your own, be sure to enter my Mara Dyer Week contest.

Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!

Mara Dyer Week Post # 3 - The Evolution of Mara Dyer review

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Release Date – October 23, 2012
Publisher Website –  Simon and Schuster
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages - 544 pages
My Rating- All the stars
**obtained from publisher for an honest review**

**SPOILERS FOR THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past. 

She can’t. 

She used to think her problems were all in her head. 

They aren’t. 

She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets. 

She’s wrong. 

In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?

Dark. Seductive. Twisted. Intense. These words accurately sum up the sequel to my favourite read of last year. Everything is heightened in this follow up. It’s more sexy, more creepy, more twisted. I loved every delicious second spent lost in it’s pages.

After that insane cliffhanger I was desperate for answers.  Michelle manages to weave some of those answers in amongst the chills, and suspense. Her answers create more questions in Mara’s story.  The basis of Mara’s powers, and Jude’s possible sudden appearance are just the beginning. Are we experiencing a dazzling descent into madness or is something else going on? Michelle balances that tightrope masterfully keeping the reader in a state of hazy anticipation. She avoids every single “second book syndrome” you can think of. She manges to keep the story moving forward without dragging anything on too long. Her pacing will have you flying through the pages with each plot twist and reveal.

The relationship between Noah and Mara deepens and gets steamier. The lengths this boy will go through for Mara is utterly romantic. Their decadently scorching chemistry results in sparks that could start forest fires. My favourite part of their relationship though, is what Noah does for Mara. He provides an anchor when she is at the edge and believes her when nobody else will.

Michelle Hodkin’s humour is pitch perfect. It’s one of my favourite things from the first novel. Filled with pop culture references that she makes her own and with an ease that shows her talent for timing. There are some amazing zingers that will become hugely quotable lines. My personal favourite? Get a meadow.

Mara’s family, so wonderfully present in the first novel, does not change much in this one. Your heart will ache for Mara’s mother especially. A woman watching her daughter spiral and wanting nothing more than to do what’s best for her child. The love between each of the family members is palpable and each family member is tested by Mara’s current situation.

As things begin to unravel so will your sanity. I was left an incoherent mess after this book. The creepiness from the first book is surpassed in this one. Michelle creates an atmospheric, tension filled setting that results in a much scarier novel than the first. A creepy doll, mental hospitals, and a scene set in a marina that sent chills down my spine. It will leave you wanting to sleep with the lights on…and double checking that all of the doors are locked.

I was left gasping for breath and with a book hangover.  I had an immediate need to read this again as soon as I had turned the last page. If you thought The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was amazing, the Evolution will literally leave you breathless, and begging for more. The wait for retribution is going to be a long one, and yet it’s such an exquisite torture

Mara Dyer Week Post # 1 - Interview With Michelle Hodkin

Today is the kick off of Mara Dyer Week here on the blog. I have a bunch of amazing things planned for this week to celebrate the second novel in a series that I adore.

To start things off I have a fantastic interview with Michelle, author extrodianaire. It also happens to be my stop on the Canadian blog tour for The Evolution of Mara Dyer. Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for including me.

1 Describe The Evolution of Mara Dyer in three words.

Darker. Sexier. Twisted.

2 How do you think Noah would describe Mara at the beginning of The Evolution?

Scared.

3 Many would say Mara is an unreliable narrator. Who are some of your favourite unreliable narrators?

AWESOME question, because I adore unreliable narrators and, in fact, Mara is sort of an homage to my favorite: Humbert Humbert (of Lolita fame). Another favorite is Flannery Culp from The Basic Eight.

4 Is there a character that surprised you? Any characters that ended up having a much larger part than you expected once you started writing?

Noah surprised me the most.

5 Who is your favourite character to write dialogue for?

Jamie. When Mara and Jamie are on the page, the words just come. When I’m drafting, it tends to be 90% of dialogue, and about 80% of it consists of my characters just saying hysterical things to each other to no great narrative purpose. Oh well.

6 Now that your first book has been out for awhile, what would you say was the biggest surprise of release week for you?

God, release week was such a blur, and because I observe the Jewish holidays, a big chunk of it was taken up by Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. I will say that I was surprised to cry at my launch. I’m not particularly emotional but being there and seeing my entire family mixed with people I don’t know, mixed with people I hadn’t seen since high school—it was a crazy moment.

7 Is there any part of the novels (either Unbecoming or Evolution) that got cut from the final draft that you really wished could have been kept in because you liked it so much?

There’s a scene that was cut from The Unbecoming that made it back into The Evolution—it’s an important scene in the context of the series, but it didn’t lead anywhere in The Unbecoming becaue there was already so much going on in the first book. So I cut it and put it back into The Evolution, where I had time deal with it. Let’s just say…it involves a doll.

8 What was the hardest scene to write in either The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer or The Evolution of Mara Dyer?

The Unbecoming just flowed for me, so none of the scenes were particularly difficult to write—what ended up being tough was figuring out what the first chapter would be. I wrote about 30 drafts at various points in the Mara timeline until I realized that the very, very beginning of Mara’s story was the Ouija board scene—and that that’s where it should begin.

I don’t want to spoil anyone so I’ll be vague; In The Evolution, the toughest scene was the one I’ll just call “the marina,” because that’s where it takes place.

9 You mentioned shooting a gun while researching The Unbecoming, so did you do any specific research for this second novel?

A ton of research; I have the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual practically memorized. I spent a lot of time interviewing psychologists and anesthesiologists. I'll…leave it at that :)

10 What are three things you need while revising?

Red bull. Red bull. Red bull.

A huge thank you to Michelle for taking the time to answer these questions. Her answer to number 9 intrigues me so. I can't wait for everyone to discover the "marina" scene, because I can only imagine it was as hard to write as Michelle says.

Tomorrow will feature a fun quiz featuring questions from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. Test your knowledge before diving into book two (which goes on sale the same day!)

Be sure to follow Michelle on twitter, and visit her website.

The Evolution of Mara Dyer teaser trailer

Most of you who follow my blog know my love for The Mara Dyer series. It's pretty crazy how much I adore this series. They released a teaser trailer for book two, The Evolution of Mara Dyer. The sequel will be released on October 23rd!
 

I will also be hosting a Mara Dyer week that will kick off October 22nd. If you are a fan of the series you won't want to miss it.

I can not wait for the full trailer to be released!

Mara Dyer Week Part 2!

I am very excited to announce my second Mara Dyer Week! It will be held the week of Oct 22 and kicks off the Canadian Blog Tour for The Evolution.

Expect two awesome giveaways, guest posts and even a fun quiz for this special week.

Monday Oct 22 - Interview with Michelle Hodkin (and kick off of the Canadian blog tour)
Tuesday Oct 23 - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer recap and quiz
Wednesday Oct 24 - Review of The Evolution of Mara Dyer
Thursday Oct 25 - special guest post that I am keeping a surprise
Friday Oct 26 - giveaway announcements
Saturday Oct 27 - My top 5 favourite quotes from the Mara Dyer series
Sunday Oct 28 - What other bloggers love about the Mara Dyer series

A huge thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and Michelle Hodkin for being super supportive of the event.

New To My Book Closet

It's that time of the week again. Time to show you what bookish goodies made their way into my home and book closet (to be saved from the evil book eating cat monster named Aria). This is inspired by the various "mailbox" posts out there (eg. In My Mailbox by The Story Siren, and Stacking the Shelves by Tynga's Reviews).

One book for me this week, but some other goodies I wanted to include as well.

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (goodreads)

Simon and Schuster Canada was lovely to send me a copy of this. I have already read an eARC of this so I will letting a fellow blogger take it off my hands so that it gets reviewed by them.

I have been obsessed with tea recently and have discovered David's Tea. They have awesome flavours and their teas are amazing. I have just fallen in love with Toasted Marshmallow! It's a perfect fall tea. I can't wait to try more flavours.

I love Christmas. It's my favourite holiday. I always get a Christmas countdown chocolate calendar. Now that I am an adult (at least in age) I still get a calendar, but the chocolate is higher quality. I love these countdowns and am pouting over the fact that I can't touch this until December. My defense for buying this now? They sell out by the end of September every year.

I was BEYOND excited to find a copy of The Craft on DVD. I have been looking for this everywhere. Can not wait to watch it.

Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!

Autumn Book Buzz

As summer comes to end my mind drifts to cooler evenings spent with warm tea and a good book. Luckily this year's Fall selection is better than ever. I have read a few Fall releases and offer some of my favourites that will have you reading long into the crisp autumn nights.

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - release date of October 23

If you haven't read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the first novel in this series, do so immediately. The sequel offers everything you loved in the first novel, and more. Dark, sexy, and decadent. Noah Shaw is sexier, the answers lead to more questions, and Mara is just as intriguing as ever. Michelle provides us with a ending that will leave you breathless for some Retribution.

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian - release date of September 18

This delicious tale of teenage girls and revenge surprised me in the best way possible. Something in this story brings to mind the movie The Craft whenever I think of this book. It's not the witchcraft elements, but the bonding of the girls in search of vengeance for wrongs done to them, that causes the comparison. Revenge can have some unforeseen consequences however, and this story still has a few surprises in store.

The Diviners by Libba Bray - release date of September 18

Part murder mystery, part paranormal, and all awesome! This 1920's set novel has well developed characters, and amazing world building. It's creepy, it's cool and pos-i-tute-ly stunning. A dark and thrilling novel that you'll want to read with the lights on.

So there are three of my MUST read Autumn selections. All three blew me away and left me anticipating the next installments in the series.

What fall releases are you must looking forward to? Let me know in the comments.

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

Here are my obsessions this week:

BOOKS

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

I was extremely fortune to be able to read an advance reader copy of this. LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! Without giving my whole review away, all I will say is the mythology is explored, questions are answered, more questions surface and Noah Shaw literally made me squeal. Michelle has amped up the sexy in this one. Oh and the ending? Just as deliciously torturous as The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer's ending was. Full review and other awesomeness to come in October.

The Diviners by Libba Bray trailer



Creepy doesn't even begin to describe this trailer. I am so excited to read this book. I love anything set in the 1920s and it just sounds awesome.

MOVIE

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower trailer



I can't believe I had not watched this until this week. I have watched it a whole bunch of times, and I laugh every single time Patrick does the "Be Aggressive! Passive Aggressive!" cheer, and the whole "below average" reaction to his grade - HILARIOUS. The quote "we accept the love we think we deserve" is such a twistedly beautiful quote (and sadly, often true). I am going to read this book before the movie comes out. Ezra Miller (who plays Patrick) was fantastic in We Need To Talk About Kevin and Emma Watson is adorable so I am hopeful this will be really good.

So what you are obsessed with this week?

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

Here are my obsessions this week:

BOOKS

Fathomless by Jackson Pearce cover

AHHHH!!! I am a huge fairytale retelling fanatic right now and this cover.....LOVES! The Little Mermaid is one of my favourite fairytales (along with MANY others) and I love the sound of this darker take on it. Also, how am I just NOW finding out about Jackson Pearce's retellings? Bad book fan. I am getting them immediately.

The Evolution of Mara Dyer cover

This was my Waiting on Wednesday pick this week for obvious reasons. I loved the first book and these covers are some of the best I've seen. I love this photo shoot and am so glad they kept the same theme for the second book. Dying for October to get here so I can read this one! <3 Noah Shaw!

TV

Season Finale Time

This time of year always has me excited and scared. It's season finale time. Our favourite TV shows pull out all the stops and provide us with cliffhangers that make us scream at our TVs. A number of my favourite shows (Vampire Diaries, Once Upon A Time) will be ending within the next 2 weeks.

OTHER

Book Expo America

We are now in the final stretch before BEA. 1 month to go and I will be in NYC meeting up with fellow book lovers and hearing about the hot fall/winter books that are already making us drool.

Publishers Weekly released their "Must Get Galleys" list recently and I pretty much had a freak out of epic proportions. Fathomless by Jackson Pearce, Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr, Black City by Elizabeth Richards, and What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang are just some of the titles I am freaking out over. My BEA excitement is at insane levels!

So what you are obsessed with this week?

Waiting on Wednesday...The Evolution of Mara Dyer

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

My pick this week is The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Two days after Mara walks into a police station in Miami at the close of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, she is committed for psychiatric treatment for what her parents believe is a mental breakdown. But what seems like a hallucination to everyone else is a chilling reality for Mara. Someone from her past has discovered her strange, disturbing secret and that someone wants her to pay. But she's about to discover that the price is more than she can bear.

Dark and thrilling, suspenseful and passionate, The Evolution of Mara Dyer will have readers breathlessly turning pages to find out what will become of Mara Dyer next.

The cover....OMG! I am still hyperventilating over the awesomeness. I love it so much. It scares me though, because it makes me worry about Noah. The synopsis has me beyond crazy excited to get my hands on this one. I am officially wishing I could skip all the months until October right now.

Expected release date - October 23, 2012