400 Followers Contest

At the start of this month I hit 400 followers, and to say thanks I've decided to hold a contest!

US Only:
Diary of a Mad Bride ARC by Laura Wolf
Infinite Days ARC by Rebecca Maizel
Nightshade ARC by Andrea Cremer (made possible by Kristen of Bookworming in the 21st Century)
The Devil's Kiss ARC by Sarwat Chadda
The Replacement (ARC) by Brenna Yovanoff (made possible by Kristen of Bookworming in the 21st Century)
The Twin's Daughter ARC by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Aces Up by Lauren Barnholdt (paperback)
Bite Me by Melissa Francis (paperback)
Charmed Lives by Susannah Bates (paperback)
Contagion by Joanne Dahme (paperback)
I Am Mordred by Nancy Springer (paperback)
Middleworld By J&P Voelkel
The Dashwood Sisters' Secrets of Love by Rosie Rushton (paperback)
Castration Celebration by Jake Wizner (Hardcover)
Fortune's Folly by Deva Fagan (Hardcover)
Intertwined by Gena Showalter (Hardcover)
The Oracles of Delphi Keep (Hardcover)

International
Your choice of a book (or books) totaling 15.00 to be shipped from The Book Depository

Rules:
You DO NOT have to be a follower to enter, but everyone who was a follower as of 12/16/2010 will get bonus points (see the sign up form). The books will only be shipped within the US as I'm strapped for cash right now. There's a separate international contest, so if Book Depository ships to your country, go ahead and enter that one!

There will be 3 US winners who will choose 4 titles each, and one INTERNATIONAL winner.

Contest Closed

Waiting on Wednesday (December 15)

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This weekly meme shares the upcoming books that I'm most excited about.

Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison

Bridget Duke is the uncontested ruler of her school. The meanest girl with the biggest secret insecurities. And when new girl Anna Judge arrives, things start to fall apart for Bridget: friends don’t worship as attentively, teachers don’t fall for her wide-eyed “who me?” look, expulsion looms ahead and the one boy she’s always loved--Liam Ward--can barely even look at her anymore.

When a desperate Bridget drives too fast and crashes her car, she ends up in limbo, facing everyone she’s wronged and walking a few uncomfortable miles in their shoes. Now she has only one chance to make a last impression. Though she might end up dead, she has one last shot at redemption and the chance to right the wrongs she’s inflicted on the people who mean the most to her.

And Bridget’s about to learn that, sometimes, saying you’re sorry just isn’t enough. (From Paige Harbison's website)

Published by Harlequin Teen
Release Date: February 1, 2011

Teaser Tuesday (December 14)

What is Teaser Tuesday?
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.

"It's like reading Latin, only worse. Sigh."
Entice, Page 167, by Carrie Jones

It's been a pretty hectic week, since I've been trying to studying for a giant final exam. So, that's part of the reason why I pulled another quote from Entice.

In My Mailbox (December 12)

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi of The Story Siren, who was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. All of the synopses you see below were found on Goodreads. Here are the books I got this week...

For Review

Human .4 by Mike Lancaster
The Millgrove talent show has the same performances as any other small town — a cheesy ventriloquist, off-key karaoke singers, and bad dance routines. But after Kyle Straker is hypnotized as part of his friend’s mysterious new act, Millgrove will never be the same again.

When Kyle and the other volunteers awaken, the entire audience, the entire town, and possibly the entire world, is frozen still. Telephones, radios, televisions, and computers no longer work— only a strange language flashes across the screens. When everybody suddenly wakes up, it becomes clear that they have changed—and that Kyle is now an outsider, one of the 0.4.

Is Kyle still under hypnosis, or is this chilling new world real? Will he awaken from a dream to roars of laughter, or is there something much more sinister happening?

One of the last of his kind, Kyle records his story on a series of cassette tapes, describing the shift, and what it means for the future of mankind.

The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal

Princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, Nalia's led a privileged life at court. But everything changes when it's revealed, just after her sixteenth birthday, that she is a false princess, a stand-in for the real Nalia, who has been hidden away for her protection. Cast out with little more than the clothes on her back, the girl now called Sinda must leave behind the city of Vivaskari, her best friend, Keirnan, and the only life she's ever known.

Sinda is sent to live with her only surviving relative, an aunt who is a dyer in a distant village. She is a cold, scornful woman with little patience for her newfound niece, and Sinda proves inept at even the simplest tasks. But when Sinda discovers that magic runs through her veins - long-suppressed, dangerous magic that she must learn to control - she realizes that she can never learn to be a simple village girl.

Returning to Vivaskari for answers, Sinda finds her purpose as a wizard scribe, rediscovers the boy who saw her all along, and uncovers a secret that could change the course of Thorvaldor's history, forever

I also got some fabulous gifts from my Secret Santa, Wendy. I wanted to thank her again :)

Book Review: My Unfair Godmother by Janette Rallison

From Around the World ARC Tours

Tansy Miller has always felt that her divorced father has never had enough time for her. But mistakenly getting caught on the wrong side of the law wasn't exactly how she wanted to get his attention. Enter Chrysanthemum "Chrissy" Everstar, Tansy's fairy in shining, er, high heels. Chrissy is only a fair godmother, of course, so Tansy's three wishes don't exactly go according to plan. And if bringing Robin Hood to the twenty-first century isn't bad enough for Tansy, being transported back to the Middle Ages to deal with Rumpelstiltskin certainly is. She'll need the help of her blended family, her wits, and especially the cute police chief 's son to stop the gold-spinning story from spinning wildly out of control. Janette Rallison pulls out all the stops in this fresh, fun-filled follow-up to the popular My Fair Godmother. (From Goodreads)

Rallison has written another hilarious novel filled with adventure, romance, and heart. Wishes, mishaps, and fairytale characters are present in the second novel featuring the "fair" godmother, Chrysanthemum Everstar. Rallison has this amazing gift of writing witty lines that leave me in fits of laughter. Her characters, plots...well, pretty much everything about this book is enjoyable.

Tansy was a realistic, flawed (in a good way) character. She feels as though her father abandoned her, and started a new family instead. So, things don't go smoothly when she's forced to move in with them. She starts dating a town troublemaker, and things spiral out of control from there. I thought that her reactions were pretty typical, and that her bad behavior was an attempt to get some attention from her father. I mean, Bo was a pretty horrible boyfriend...there aren't really that many reasons to stay with him. Hudson was a pretty dreamy male lead, but he had substance. He was dealing with the loss of his mother, and it was nice watching him open up to Tansy/ I also loved seeing Robin Hood and his gang. They were completely different from the Robin Hood that we have read about, and that was amazing.

There's some focus on morals in this book. Tansy has to figure out what the moral of her story is, and that isn't easy. So what did I learn from Rallison's newest book? No character is completely good or evil. Well, most characters aren't completely evil (I'm looking at you, Rumplestilskin, and Bo). Even Hudson, the sheriff's son, helps to keep Tansy prisoner in one part of the book.

The only thing that I wish the reader saw more of was resolution between Tansy and her father. Part of the reason why she's dating a "bad boy" and acting out is because she feels neglected by him. Overall, the romance was sweet, but the focus was on the growth of Tansy. I really enjoyed this one, and am eagerly waiting for Rallison's next release.

Plus, the cover is awesome!

My Unfair Godmother
By Janette Rallison
Published by Walker Books For Young Readers
320 Pages
Release Date: April 12, 2011
Rating: A