Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Book Look: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

Ava Lavender Book Look










Magical realism, lyrical prose, and the pain and passion of human love haunt this hypnotic generational saga.

Foolish love appears to be the Roux family birthright, an ominous forecast for its most recent progeny, Ava Lavender. Ava—in all other ways a normal girl—is born with the wings of a bird.

In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen-year old Ava ventures into the wider world, ill-prepared for what she might discover and naïve to the twisted motives of others. Others like the pious Nathaniel Sorrows, who mistakes Ava for an angel and whose obsession with her grows until the night of the Summer Solstice celebration.

That night, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air, and Ava’s quest and her family’s saga build to a devastating crescendo.

First-time author Leslye Walton has constructed a layered and unforgettable mythology of what it means to be born with hearts that are tragically, exquisitely human.


Sunday, January 25, 2015

#Win "The Glass Arrow" by Kristen Simmons- I Got An Extra Copy!


Why hello there all my lovely friends and followers and followers who are friends and those who are just stopping by who saw that this is a giveaway and they wanna win. Don't worry I totally understand. Good luck to all y'all.

Okay, confession: I've had this are for more than two months and I still haven't gotten around to reading it. I KNOW. It's up next, I swear. I'm trying. I'm trying. Books are just a lot right now with that ten minuet individual presentation I'm preparing for, and English teacher who is an awesome reader and a critical grader and trying to maintain and five-point-zero GPA. Did I mention the array of tests and labs and lab write ups. Wow, I'm complaining a lot. Sorry. Bet y'all want to get to the good stuff.

The free books. MWAHAHAHA. Oh yeah, that's good stuff. Wanna see?




The Handmaid’s Tale meets Blood Red Road in Glass Arrow, the story of Aya, who lives with a small group of women on the run from the men who hunt them, men who want to auction off breeding rights to the highest bidder.

In a world where females are scarce and are hunted, then bought and sold at market for their breeding rights, 15-year old Aya has learned how to hide. With a ragtag bunch of other women and girls, she has successfully avoided capture and eked out a nomadic but free existence in the mountains. But when Aya’s luck runs out and she’s caught by a group of businessmen on a hunting expedition, fighting to survive takes on a whole new meaning.

So what is this giveaway for?

  • One hardcover copy of The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons. Its finished and smells all bookish and lovely. 
  • This is open to the United States only. Sorry all you INTL people. I don't actually work or so anything that earns money so the dough is tight and all. 
  • It ends February 7, 2015 at 12:00:00 EST, so y'all best enter before then
  • I am in no way responsible for your package getting lost in the mail or damaged during shipping.  
  • When I choose a winner I will email you and you must respond with in 48 hours or I'm choosing another entry. I don't post winners on any of my social media outlets, so check your email religiously please. 
  • I check every single entry. Yes it's tedious. And time consuming. Yes I have better things to do. Like stress out about my life. But, this is completely necessary. Anyway, no cheating. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck. May the odds be ever in your favor. If you don't win, don't be discouraged! There are plenty more to come~


Thursday, January 22, 2015

Come Back to Texas by K. K. Hendin {Review}

Come Back to Texas by K. K. Hendin
Goodreads
Review Copy Via XpressoReads

Summary 

Everyone thought we’d be the ones who made it through high school. The ones who’d get married and stay married forever. The example of how young love can work.

We thought so, too.

Too bad life had other plans.

It’s been three years since Hayley and Nate broke each other’s hearts. Three years, and a lot has changed. Hayley’s a freshman in Bushwick University, and the only things keeping her sane are stress baking, and her a cappella group, Twelve Beats in a Bar.

Nate’s a Marine, stationed in Afghanistan. The only thing that’s keeping him sane is the last picture he has of him and Hayley, and the hope that maybe when the hell of deployment is over, he can find her again and apologize.

One explosion will change everything.

When a bomb kills all of Nate’s unit, leaving him missing a leg and eyesight in one eye, he’s sent back home to Texas. Texas, where he loved Hayley more than he could possibly imagine ever loving anyone else.

With seemingly endless amounts of free time and needing something to distract himself, Nate starts making YouTube videos, imploring Hayley to come back to him, and come back to Texas.

Hayley’s life is wrapped around the Beats, making sure she doesn’t flunk out of biology class, and babysitting Ohio’s smallest monster, Brandon. She doesn't want to admit it, but she misses Nate more than anything.

It’s too bad she doesn’t know just how much he misses her, too…


First off, I’d like to say that I’m from Texas, but not the small town- everybody knows everyone- complete lack of secrets that our lovely main characters are from. I mean Hayley and Nate’s town doesn’t even have 1000 people. My high school has more than that. I think. . .yeah it does. But, I’ve heard the ask for a coke then they ask what kind and then you (or I) say Dr. Pepper. I call my friends honey pie or sweet pea and all that, sometimes affectionately, sometimes in a manner that has them knowing that what they just said was rather idiotic. I also listen to some country music. And it’s really where you get the ice tea at that makes all the difference. The sky is prettier here (or at least where I am) and it does seem to go on forever. I think the everyone being nice and smiling at strangers in more in where my friends from (Louisiana) or so I’ve heard. I do have a pair of seriously sweet boots, I know how to ride a horse, but I don’t own a gun. I know; how shocking. Now that all that jazz it out of the way, let’s get to the book.

This book had me humming country songs all the way home on that ten hour car ride. Especially Jolene and Stealing Cinderella. Oh, right in the feels, y’all. Right. In. The. Feels. Something about this book, these characters, the whole off to college and in the military, losing and loving and finding yourself, really hit home with me. Come Back to Texas has something in it that has me feeling all warm and fuzzy and hopeful. The characters who help the book reach such heights? Nate and Hayley.

Nate is just, he just so. Nate is all kinds of screwed up and he has this, Oh lordy, I don’t even know how to describe him. I can’t say that Hayley fixes all this problems (because she doesn’t) and I can’t say that he makes Hayley a better person (because he doesn’t) but I can say that he really does try when it comes to her. And he really does love her. If that last picture and the “Come Back to Texas” YouTube campaign doesn’t say much other than that. His childhood and Afghanistan and leaving Hayley messed him up.

Hayley and the Beats. Twelve Beats in a Bar. Or in a Hallway. They’re sisters. The non-blood relative kind. She got real lucky with those college friends of hers. They’re lucky to have her. I really want to try those pies she’s so famous for. Just-lemon? I think yes. She really is bigger than the 600-something town she comes from. She’s meant for more. But it’s really sweet, the town she comes from, the place that she comes from.

Things I Wish Were In There a Bit More but Weren’t

·         I wish that there was more small-town feel about her small town. I mean, yes, it was a relatively poor atmosphere (from the trailer park), and that does say something for the community. I wish we got more interaction with the actual community, the people. I think it would have developed Hayley’s character a little bit more since she has been there her whole life.
·         I wish we got to know the other beats a little bit better. I didn’t really get to know them that much. They seemed nice from what I gathered.
·         I wish we got a few more videos. I freaking LOVED those. I mean, how sweet. How. SWWWWEET. Can you tell I though Nate was just a sweetie pie in general? Even if he really freaking messed up. I personally would have slapped him when I saw him. Even if the videos melted my not-so-ice-cold heart.

So yeah. Go forth and read. It was lovely. And now I must read all her books. All of them. 



Thursday, January 15, 2015

My Top 8 Books Read in 2014


Hello, everyone! I still can't believe it's 2015! I think I'm in the mood for reminiscing. What about you? Let's say. . .best books from last year? I think yes. Here's my full list of books I've read in case you want to see the whole stack.  



The Reviews



What were some of your favorite books of 2014? Leave in the comments! And be sure to tell me whyyy. I'm always looking for recs!


Sunday, January 11, 2015

Book Look: How My Summer Went Up In Flames

How My Summer Went Up In Flames -Book Look-









Find it on Goodreads

First she lost her heart. Then she lost her mind. And now she’s on a road trip to win back her ex. This debut novel’s packed with drama and romance!

Rosie’s always been impulsive. She didn’t intend to set her cheating ex-boyfriend’s car on fire. And she never thought her attempts to make amends could be considered stalking. So when she’s served with a temporary restraining order on the first day of summer vacation, she’s heartbroken—and furious.

To put distance between Rosie and her ex, Rosie’s parents send her on a cross-country road trip with responsible, reliable neighbor Matty and his two friends. Forget freedom of the road, Rosie wants to hitchhike home and win back her ex. But her determination starts to dwindle with each passing mile. Because Rosie’s spark of anger? It may have just ignited a romance with someone new…


Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Favorite Covers From My 2014 'Read' List



Hello everyone! Happy New Years! I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday and are having a lovely new years.

I thought I'd share my favorite covers from the books I read in 2014. Want to see the full list? Click here to see it on goodreads.




What do I like about these covers? 

The FONTS. OH. MY. LORD. Do you see all the pretty?! I adoreee the font in Infinite Moment and the one used for the Wicked cover is freaking gorgeous.

The other things I love to pieces? The artwork on these are really pretty snazzy. The bottom two are silhouettes, number three feels like girl power and then the first two are just so romantic. I love me some romance.

~

So what are some of your favorite covers from 2014? From the books you've read in 2014? In general? Annnnd. . .what do you love about them?



Monday, January 5, 2015

Book Look: Catching Jordan

Catching Jordan {Book Look}









ONE OF THE BOYS

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?

Interested? Find it on goodreads. . .