Teaser Tuesday, A Blog Award, And HP6 at midnight! (July 14)

Here's my teaser this week -

It's a meme hosted by Should Be Reading and here are the rules:
Grab your current read...
Open to a random page
Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on the page
Don't include spoilers!

"As I fought to keep the contents of my stomach in place, I realized I had been hung upside down and was being moved. I risked another peek and confirmed my suspicion that I had been thrown over the back of a horse."

Page 60, Magic Study, by Maria V. Snyder

I also got an award from vvb32 reads

The Kreativ Blogger Award

Technically, you're supposed to state 7 things that you like, and then nominate 7 other blogs for the award. At this point, however, I won't be doing that since I'm running out of the house. I'll have to update later. But thanks again for the award!!

On a different note, who is seeing Harry Potter at midnight? I know I am (yes, I'm that cool)

Book Trailer: Simply Irresistible

Here's a book trailer for Simply Irresistible, book 3 in the Elite series, by Jennifer Banash. The book was released July 7

In My Mailbox (July 12)

In my mailbox was created by Kristi of The Story Siren, who was inspired by Pop Culture Junkie. Here are the books I got this week...

Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder
Published by Mira

So far, I've managed to survive. You would think after being kidnapped as a child, imprisoned in my teens and released to become a poison taster, I would have endured enough. But no. The discovery of my magical abilities—powers forbidden in Ixia—has resulted in an execution order. My only chance is to flee to Sitia, my long-lost birthplace.

But Sitia is unfamiliar. I'm treated like an enemy—even by my own brother. Plus I can't control my powers. I want to learn about my magic, but there isn't time. A rogue magician has emerged and I'm targeted as his next victim.

Will my magical abilities save me…or be my downfall?

Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
Published by Feiwel & Friends

All her world’s a stage.

Bertie Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theater.

She’s not an orphan, but she has no parents.

She knows every part, but she has no lines of her own.

That is, until now.

Enter Stage Right

NATE. Dashing pirate. Will do anything to protect Bertie.

COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARD SEED, and PEASEBLOSSOM. Four tiny and incredibly annoying fairies. BERTIE’S sidekicks.

ARIEL. Seductive air spirit and Bertie’s weakness. The symbol of impending doom.

BERTIE. Our heroine.

Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the actors of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book—an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family—and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known.

Have I mentioned how amazingly excited I am for this book? Yep, I think I have...but I'll say it again. I found a copy hidden in the little independent bookshop in my town (I'd rather go there than to a chain store) and I literally jumped around.

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Published by HarperCollins

Unbeknownst to mortals, a power struggle is unfolding in a world of shadows and danger. After centuries of stability, the balance among the Faery Courts has altered, and Irial, ruler of the Dark Court, is battling to hold his rebellious and newly vulnerable fey together. If he fails, bloodshed and brutality will follow.

Seventeen-year-old Leslie knows nothing of faeries or their intrigues. When she is attracted to an eerily beautiful tattoo of eyes and wings, all she knows is that she has to have it, convinced it is a tangible symbol of changes she desperately craves for her own life.

The tattoo does bring changes—not the kind Leslie has dreamed of, but sinister, compelling changes that are more than symbolic. Those changes will bind Leslie and Irial together, drawing Leslie deeper and deeper into the faery world, unable to resist its allures, and helpless to withstand its perils. . . .

Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Published by The Penguin Group

Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called "the touch." (Comes in handy when you're traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.)

Then her dad turns up dead—but still walking—and Dru knows she's next. Even worse, she's got two guys hungry for her affection

s, and they're not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever—or whoever— is hunting her?

Regular Fiction

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale

Published by Bloomsbury

What if you were to meet the number-one person on your laminated list—you know, that list you joke about with your significant other about which five celebrities you’d be allowed to run off with if ever given the chance? And of course since it’ll never happen it doesn’t matter…

Mormon housewife Becky Jack is seven months pregnant with her fourth child when she meets celebrity hearththrob Felix Callahan. Twelve hours, one elevator ride, and one alcohol-free dinner later, something has happened…though nothing has happened. It isn’t sexual. It isn’t even quite love. But a month later Felix shows up in Salt Lake City to visit and before they know what’s hit them, Felix and Becky are best friends. Really. Becky’s husband is pretty cool about it. H er children roll their eyes. Her neighbors gossip endlessly. But Felix and Becky have something special…something unusual, something completely impossible to sustain. Or is it? A magical story, The Actor and the Housewife explores what could happen when your not-so-secret celebrity crush walks right into real life and changes everything.

Book Review: Wake by Lisa McMann

For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.

She can't tell anybody about what she does — they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can't control.

Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant....

Who hasn't wished to have a super power? I know that I personally would love to fly, or be able to become invisible. McMann's story, however, is a little different from the typical "super" human story. Janie has the power to see into other people's dreams, which is actually a huge pain. For example, when she is pulled into someone else's dream, she ends up unconscious as well. So, she's never really safe. It could be the kid in the back of English class, or someone napping while she walks past their house, she's never really safe from them. She also sees the most subconscious thoughts and feelings manifest themselves. Like, being naked in class, or attacking someone who you hate.

This is going to be a fairly short review, but overall I enjoyed the book. It was realistic enough to make me think, "I wonder if anyone has ever really been able to look into someone else's dream" and then question my friends suspiciously. I wish there had been a little more character development from Cabel. He wasn't the main character of the story, but he plays an important role in helping Janie learn more about her power. It wasn't enough of an issue to detract seriously from the story, and there are two other books to learn a little more about him.

I'll be picking up the Fade, the sequel, soon!

Wake
By Lisa McMann
210 Pages
Published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster)
Rating: B-

Waiting on Wednesday (July 8)

This was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It's basically books that haven't been released yet, but that I can't wait for.

This Week:
The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared—the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in blood. But she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night really held. And when Daniel returns three years later, Grace can no longer deny her attraction to him, despite promising Jude she’ll stay away.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, her actions stir the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind Jude and Daniel's dark secret . . . and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it—her soul.

Release Date: December 22, 2009 Published by: Egmont USA Visit the author's website: www.breedespain.com

Also, I reached 30 followers (I did a little dance)! So, to say thank you, I'm going to hold a contest sometime this month, so check back soon for details!