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).

You may remember a City of Lost Souls t-shirt that was in one of these posts a little while ago. It was part of a prize package that I won from Simon and Schuster Canada and Chapters. The other part was a family ring from one of the Shadow Hunter families. I received the Fairchild family ring. It's lovely, with butterflies all the way around it.

As a total surprise I also got all the novels in the Mortal Instruments series. I own all of these already so they will be finding their way into a new home soon.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (goodreads)

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare (goodreads)

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare (goodreads)

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare (goodreads)

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare (goodreads)

A huge thank you to both Simon and Schuster Canada and Chapters for this amazing contest and prize pack!

I picked up a finished copy of Tiger Lily as well. One of my favourite reads this year!

Tiger Lily By Jodi Lynn Anderson (goodreads)

Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!

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

Cover for Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor.This picture may not be the best quality as the original image is so tiny. I LOVE this cover. It matches Cinder beautifully and sets the tone of Scarlet's story. I am DYING to get my hands on a copy of this!

The Cage by Megan Shepherd

Megan has a trilogy starting soon called The Madman's Daughter (which sounds awesome), but has already sold a new series that intrigues me as well. Here is the brief description

THE CAGE is a TWILIGHT ZONE-esque sci-fi which follows six teens who are put in an elaborate "human zoo" by a powerful and psychic otherworldly race known as The Kindred, and one girl's attempts to escape without falling for her terrifyingly beautiful captor. 

AMAZING right? Seriously, I say it every year but 2014 looks to be even more amazing than previous years. I can't wait.

MOVIES

Magic Mike

Yes again! Still obsessed. The guys are hot, the moves are slick, and the storyline didn't suck. This movie was much darker than I was expecting it to be. The second half especially got pretty dark. It takes you into this world, and the temptations are plentiful.

Channing Tatum can dance his butt off. Seriously, I knew he could dance, but WHOA! His second solo especially was pretty mind blowing. He is great at the whole "movie flirt" thing. Alex Pettyfer played his role really well too. It also doesn't hurt that he's totally hot.

It is one of those movies I would see again for sure!

So what you are obsessed with this week?

Friday Hops!

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. It's a great way to meet new blogger friends. This weeks question is:

Q: Jumping Genres: Ever pick up a book from a genre you usually don't like and LOVE it? Tell us about it and why you picked it up in the first place.

Yes! I read a few books I normally would not read and loved them. The biggest surprised was Across the Universe by Beth Revis. I am not a fan of heavy Science Fiction novels, but I ended up really liking this one. I picked it up due to the amazing reviews I kept seeing and decided to give it a chance.


TGIF at GReads! is a weekly blog hop hosted by Ginger from GReads

This weeks question is

Friday, July 6th - Comfort Reads: Which books do you go to for comfort & familiarity? Is there a type of book you seek out when you're needing that extra bit of comfort in your life?

I feel like this is my go to answer but Harry Potter. I always feel better after I've read any of the books. I also tend to read Pride and Prejudice when I am sick. It helps for some reason.

Happy Weekend!

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
Release Date – December 1 , 2011
Publisher Website –  Sourcebooks/Raincoast Books
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter
Pages - 284 pages
My Rating- 4/5
**purchased**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

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

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

Jordan Woods has just one dream - to play college level football at her dream university. Catching Jordan introduces us into some memorable characters, and a fun, refreshing voice for a teenage girl character.

Jordan is such a great character. She is a mixture of confidence and insecurity that rings true for a lot of girls. She doesn’t have a lot of experience dating boys, even though she’s always surrounded by them. Her determination, focus and passion were some of my favourite qualities in her. She could handle sexist jerks as well as she could handle a football and yet she had this softer side to her.  Jordan’s voice and journey feels authentic. Not just to the character, but the experiences of a lot of teenagers.

Miranda Kenneally took a subject I knew very little about and made me care. I wanted Jordan to succeed. I wanted her to get into the college/university of her dreams and play college football. I was indignant on her behalf when someone expected her to behave “like a girl” and told her to quit football. The author managed to capture of essence of having a passion and what is means to strive for our dreams. I also loved the message that sometimes our dreams can be met in different ways.

Sam Henry, Jordan’s best friend and team mate. I loved their friendship. The bond between these characters is shown by the characters actions rather than by having the author tell us. Fiercely loyal to each other, and always there when needed. Their friendship has ups and downs and is tested. It’s worth it to both of them though, and they each make the effort when it counts. I was wanting Jordan to stop making lusty eyes at Ty and focus on the incredible guy already in front of her.

Ty is most girl’s definition of a catch. Good looking, charming, and friendly. He also happens to share Jordan’s love of football. His character is likeable enough, and I found him really charming at first.  However, he is completely shattered by the connection and chemistry between Jordan and Henry.

The romance is cute, and has a few little surprises along the way.  I loved the descriptions of how Jordan feels right after meeting Ty. It brought back memories of high school and being smitten with the cute guy in my class.

Each of the characters in this novel, even the minor side characters, were given a lot of depth. Miranda Kenneally focused on flushing out her characters, and using the plot to reveal them to us. It is impressive that with all the characters we meet that each of them is anything but one dimensional.

The Woods family dynamic was another of my favourite parts of the novel. An imperfect family that care about each other. I don’t think we see enough of strong family relationships in YA novels so I was happy to see it done so wonderfully in this novel. Jordan’s parents are a large part of the story, and she has a pretty amazing relationship with her mother.

Catching Jordan reminds us that taking chances is worth it, to never judge someone based on outside appearances and  that sometimes love is the biggest surprise of all.

Waiting on Wednesday...Nobody But Us

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 Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Bonnie and Clyde meets Simone Elkeles in this addictively heart-wrenching story of two desperate teenagers on the run from their pasts. 

They’re young. They’re in love. They’re on the run. 

Zoe wants to save Will as much as Will wants to save Zoe. When Will turns eighteen, they decide to run away together. But they never expected their escape to be so fraught with danger.... 

When the whole world is after you, sometimes it seems like you can’t run fast enough. 

Nobody But Us, told in alternating perspectives from Will and Zoe, is an unflinching novel, in turns heartbreaking and hopeful, about survival, choices, and love...and how having love doesn’t always mean that you get a happy ending. Described as “beautiful, heartbreaking, and exhilarating” by Kody Keplinger, author of The DUFF, Nobody But Us will prove irresistible to fans of Nina Lacour, Jenny Han, and Sara Zarr

I have been pining for this book since I first read the synopsis. I think it's going to be beautiful, heartbreaking and romantic. I can't wait.

Expected release date - January 29, 2012

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Release Date –  July 3, 2012
Publisher Website –  Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader
Pages - 304 pages
My Rating- All the stars
**obtained from the publisher for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .
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.
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.
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.
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.

A heartbreaking, spellbinding, stunningly written novel. Tiger Lily tells the story of the girl with the crow feather in her hair, her Peter, and the many facets of love.

The writing in this novel is simply stunning. It flows with an almost lyrical quality that is highly engrossing and addictive. The plot points, and story arcs are plotted masterfully and the pacing is pitch perfect. Jodi Lynn Anderson’s talent is simply awe inspiring. There are so many highly quotable passages in the novel, but this line "Sometimes love means not being able to bear seeing the one you love the way the are, when they're not what you hoped for them” stayed with me.

The characters are so richly developed and fleshed out. They seem like living, breathing people rather than just characters in the story. The complex motivations for many of their actions, and continuous growth make them especially captivating.

The Peter Pan we meet in this story is haunted. He doesn’t exactly like himself, or what he is becoming. He wants to make better choices, and struggles with it. He wants to protect everyone he cares about, and grapples with what this entails. It’s a Peter that you want to protect, and yet fall in love with all at once. His vulnerability and brokenness is compelling.

Tiger Lily is independent. She pulled at my heart and made me ache for her. I wanted her to have a ending that was happy; no matter what that entailed. Her ability to remain steadfast in the face of pretty unpleasant circumstances was something I admired. At the same time, the fragility she displayed suited her character as well. Her bravery, tenacity and heart make her someone you will embrace.

The star of the novel, for me, is our narrator, and resident pixie Tinkerbell. The fiery tempered, fiercely loyal, and jealous pixie was exactly what I wanted her to be. From the moment she tells you that she fell in love with Peter Pan upon meeting him I fell in love with her. Her voice and character shine even without it being her story.

The story takes the known plot of Peter Pan and twists it a bit. The story is much more ground in reality than the previous adaptations. I liked that the author based it more in reality. The feelings that it invokes work so well because the novel feels so achingly real.

The many different forms of love play a large part in the story. Unrequited, consuming, possessive, patient, unconditional, the type of love that saves you, and even the kind that can destroy. The love Peter shares with Tiger Lily is very different from the love that grows between he and Wendy. It’s the differences that make it so heartbreaking, real and raw and make this story have the impact it does.

The ending is bitter sweet and brought both tears and a sad smile. The story packs an emotional punch. A vividly written tale about growing up, falling in love, and finding your own path in the world.  A tale for all those who have fallen in love with Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, and the idea of Neverland. Just don’t be surprised when you fall just as in love with the girl with the crow feather in her hair.

Half Year Check In

We are already half way done with 2012! Time to check in and see what books have made my top 10 list so far and other bookish goodies.

In no particular order, my top ten reads of 2012 at the half year point are.....

1 Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin (goodreads/ my review)
2 This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel (goodreads/ my review)
3 Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siohban Vivian (goodreads)
4 Gilt by Katherine Longshore (goodreads/ my review)
5 Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood (goodreads/ my review)
6 Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson (goodreads)
7 Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock (goodreads\ my review)
8 I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga (goodreads/ my review)
9 Cinder by Marissa Meyer (goodreads/ my review)
10 Insurgent by Veronica Roth (goodreads/ my review)

Some of you may recall my Bucket List post. I am going to post it again and scratch off the ones I have completed. I figured this would be a good time to do a check in on that as well.

My Bucket List

1. Annotate and scribble and highlight a book I really loved and send it to the author. I’d mark my favourite quotes. Parts that made me cry and laugh and smile and ache. *this was such an awesome idea I had to borrow it*

2. Send a little thank you gift to a fellow blogger who has helped me (or otherwise made an impact).

3. Leave a note in a book at a bookstore detailing how much I loved the book for the person who purchases it to find. *again, awesome idea Audrey*

4. Browse bookstores, have dinner, drink wine and talk books with a fellow blogger.

5. Obtain some sort of bookcase that will fit all my books and protect them from my cat (she likes to eat books). One I could decorate would be a bonus.

6. Send a book on a “book tour” with some papers inside so that the people who receive it can write something before they pass it along. Eventually I will get the book back with all these notes.

7. Take a tour of a Publishing office

8. Send a thank you basket to a publisher contact for all the awesomeness they do for us bloggers.

9. Have a meet up for Ottawa book bloggers, so we can meet each other *if there are enough of us*

10. Take a book that is set in a real life location and photograph some of the places mentioned in the book (with the book in it of course).

11. Have a birthday cake themed after a book that I love  My awesome Masque of the Red Death cake

So I have managed to cross two items off this list. Looking forward to scratching off more.

My other check in is going to be with my 2012 Debut Author list

1. Gilt by Katherine Longshore (Penguin, May 15)  review
2. Immortal City by Scott Speer (Penguin, April 3)  review
3. Everneath by Brodi Ashton (Harper Collins, Jan 24)  review
4. Under The Never Sky by Veronica Ross (Harper Collins, Jan 3)  review
5. The Selection by Kiera Cass (Harper Collins, April 24)  review
6. What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang (Harper Collins, TBA 2012)
7. Fracture by Megan Miranda (Walker Books for Young Readers, Jan 17)  review
8. Storm by Brigid Kemmerer (Kensington Books, April 24) review
9. Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood (Penguin, Feb 7) review
10. Slide by Jill Hathaway (Harper Collins, March 27)
11. Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock (Harper Collins, May 8) review
12. Velveteen by Daniel Marks (Random House, TBA 2012)
13. The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett (Tor Teen, TBA 2012)
14. Blind Spot by Laura Ellen (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, TBA 2012)
15. Mystique by Shari Arnold (Chronicle, TBA 2012)
16. Pivot Point by Kasie West (Harper Collins, TBA 2012)
17. Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown (Random House, June 12) review
18. Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins (Harper Collins, May 1) review
19. When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle (Simon and Schuster, May 1) review
20. Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf (Walker Books, Apr 24)
21. The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams (Simon & Schuster, Jan 3)
22 Darkness Before Dawn by J.A. London (Harper Collins, May 29)
23 Cinder by Marissa Meyer review
24 Of Poseidon by Anna Banks review
25 Scarlet by AC Gaughen review
26 Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas
27 Crewl by Gennifer Albin
28 Splintered by A.G. Howard
29 Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, #1) by R.L. LaFevers review
30 Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone
31 Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill
31 Black City by Elizabeth Richards
31 Venom by Fiona Paul
32 The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer
33 Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore review
34 The Catastrophic History of You & Me by Jess Rothenberg
(Penguin, Feb 21) review

I have read 18 of my 34 that I wanted to read. I am sure that I have other debut author books not on my list and may be changing my list as I go along but I feel pretty good at having read 17 already.

Has the time flown by for you as well? This year has gone by super quickly. I can't wait to see what is to come and what wonderful books I will get to read in the second half of 2012!