Blogoversary Contest

The time has come for my first blogoversary! It's been an awesome year of commenting, finding fun new blogs, and lots of books. To celebrate, I decided to host a contest.

Here are the (gently used) prizes up for grabs (all prizes are US/Canada only, unless otherwise specified):

The Private Series - Books 1 - 9 by Kate Brian(One winner will get these)
Private
Invitation Only
Untouchable
Confessions
Inner Circle
Legacy
Ambition
Revelation
Paradise Lost

Donut Days by Lara Zielin (Arc)
Soulless + Changeless by Gail Carriger
Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandall
Mr Darcy Vampyr
The Dashwood Sister's Secrets of Love
Sloppy Firsts
Bedeviled - Shani Petroff
Cindy Ella - Robin Palmer
Ghost Huntress 2, The Guidance
Dust of 100 Dogs - A.S. King
Plus by (Arc)
Monster Variations by Daniel Kraus
Geek Charming -Robin Palmer

$15 to The Book Depository (this option is open internationally, please indicate if you are an international entry via the form below)

Finally, I'm having a separate contest for anyone who makes me a blog button. I'm not very good at even simple html. So, instead of failing at it myself, if anyone makes me a blog button, they will be entered to win a $20 to The Book Depository. This prize is also international, because they ship worldwide.

1st prize - The Private Series books 1-9
2nd prize - 3 books from the list
3rd prize - 2 books from the remaining list
4th - 9th prize - 1 book from the remaining list
Another winner will get a $10 GC

Be sure to fill out the form to enter, and leave a comment below!

CONTEST CLOSED

In My Mailbox (May 30)

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

I had a fairly good week library-wise. Of course, now I have three weeks to read them all, plus keep working through my TBR pile of books that I own.

Library:

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself. (From Goodreads)

The Pale Assassin by Patricia Elliot

Spoiled, beautiful, fourteen-year-old Eugenie de Boncoeur is accustomed to outrageous privilege. The French Revolution may rage around her, but Eugenie's luxurious lifestyle is only improved by visits from her brother, Armand, who is especially doting since the two were orphaned. What Eugenie doesn't know is that their guardian has promised her in marriage to the wealthy, vengeful Le Fantome, a revolutionary who is nursing a secret grudge against her family. As the Revolution becomes increasingly violent, Eugenie is shipped off to convent school. Finally, there is no place in France that is safe for her. Eugenie dusts off her lightly used brains and rises to the challenge of survival. Soon she is in the thick of turmoil and romance, confronting spies, secret agents, and double-crossing suitors in her quest to get out of France alive. Sympathies shift, and every choice can change--or end--a life. (From Goodreads)



Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.

Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won both them legions of faithful fans. (From Goodreads)

V For Vendetta by Alan Moore

A powerful story about loss of freedom and individuality, V For Vendetta takes place in a totalitarian England following a devastating war that changed the face of the planet. In a world without political freedom, personal freedom and precious little faith in anything comes a mysterious man in a white porcelain mask who fights political oppressors through terrorism and seemingly absurd acts. It's a gripping tale of the blurred lines between ideological good and evil. (From Barnes and Noble)




Once A Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Tamsin Greene comes from a long line of witches, and she was supposed to be one of the most Talented among them. But Tamsin's magic never showed up. Now seventeen, Tamsin attends boarding school in Manhattan, far from her family. But when a handsome young professor mistakes her for her very Talented sister, Tamsin agrees to find a lost family heirloom for him. The search—and the stranger—will prove to be more sinister than they first appeared, ultimately sending Tamsin on a treasure hunt through time that will unlock the secret of her true identity, unearth the sins of her family, and unleash a power so vengeful that it could destroy them all. This is a spellbinding display of storytelling that will exhilarate, enthrall, and thoroughly enchant. (From Goodreads)



The Zookeeper's Wife by Diana Ackerman

The New York Times bestseller: a true story in which the keepers of the Warsaw zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands. When Germany invaded Poland, Stuka bombers devastated Warsaw—and the city's zoo along with it. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski began smuggling Jews into empty cages. Another dozen "guests" hid inside the Zabinskis' villa, emerging after dark for dinner, socializing, and, during rare moments of calm, piano concerts. Jan, active in the polish resistance, kept ammunition buried in the elephant enclosure and stashed explosives in the animal hospital. Meanwhile, Antonina kept her unusual household afloat, caring for both its human and its animal inhabitants—otters, a badger, hyena pups, lynxes.

With her exuberant prose and exquisite sensitivity to the natural world, Diane Ackerman engages us viscerally in the lives of the zoo animals, their keepers, and their hidden visitors. She shows us how Antonina refused to give in to the penetrating fear of discovery, keeping alive an atmosphere of play and innocence even as Europe crumbled around her.

Check back tomorrow to enter my blogoversary contest!

Book Review: I Now Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McCahan

Seventeen-year-old Bronwen Oliver doesn't just want a family. She has one of those, and there's nothing terribly wrong with them apart from bickering grandparents, an image-obsessed mother and a brother she describes simply as Jesus. But there's no natural sense of connection between Bronwen and her family, leaving her with the belief -- and the hope -- that she was switched at birth, that she was never supposed to be Bronwen Oliver but someone else entirely.

When she begins dating college senior Jared Sondervan, she finds herself thoroughly embraced by the loving family she has always wanted and does not hesitate to say yes when Jared proposes on her 18th birhday. Plans for the Perfect Beach Wedding before her junior year of college become plans for the Perfect Beach Wedding before her freshman year of college. And a wedding so soon isn't exactly what Bronwen wants. But Jared is. And his family is. Or so she thinks.

Before Bronwen can determine what she truly wants, she must first determine who she truly is, and the answer, she discovers, is only partially what she thought it was. She wasn't switched at birth, but she's also not Bronwen Oliver and hasn't been for a very long time. (From Goodreads)

I finished this book a week ago, and I'm finding it hard to write out how I felt about it. There were a few aspects I really enjoyed in the book. On the other hand, there was one major issue that kept me from enjoying the story more.

One thing that this story did well was depict loss within a family. Bronwen's father died when she was a child, and it's fairly obvious to the reader that this loss still haunts the family. This loss wasn't dealt with in a healthy way, and there was a lot of healing that still needed to be done by the characters. I actually thought that this made the story more interesting. It made me feel some compassion for that characters that I didn't like (Bronwen's mother/brother). I also really liked Bronwen's stepfather. His character was always there for Bronwen, even though she tried to push him away. He lightened up some scenes with a wink, or a comment, and it was obvious that he knew her better than she knew herself. The love story between Bronwen and Jared was another aspect of the story that I enjoyed. Bronwen and Jared are both in different places in their lives, and I loved how both characters had to acknowledge that.

I guess the major issue for me was that the ending felt lacking. I felt that the resolution of Bronwen's family issues should have just been...more. Family was one of the most important aspects in this book, in my opinion, and the issue seemed to be resolved too quickly. I think that this stems from Bronwen's mother, who was insufferable throughout the book. If I were her daughter, I'd have some deep-seated resentments that couldn't be solved without some therapy.

I really enjoyed the first part of the book, but the ending was a disappointment for me. Nevertheless, I'll check out more from McCahan, because this book showed a lot of potential.

I Now Pronounce You Someone Else
By Erin McCahan
Published by Arthur A. Levine Books
272 Pages
Release Date: June 1, 2010
Rating: C

Part of Around the World Tours

Waiting on Wednesday (May 26)

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

The Body at the Tower (The Agency 2) by Y.S. Lee

This is another colourful, action-packed Victorian detective novel about the exploits of agent Mary Quinn. At a young age, Mary Quinn is rescued from the gallows and taken to Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls. The school turns out to be a front for a private detective agency. At age 17, Mary takes on her first case (A Spy in the House). In this, the second book of the series, Mary Quinn sets out to uncover the truth behind a suspicious death at St. Stephen's Tower, better known as the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament. The accident occurred after hours in a highly public part of town and despite the presence of night watchmen. Mary, disguised as Mark Quinn, becomes a builder's assistant to find out the truth about the body at the tower.

Published by Candlewick
Release Date: August 10, 2010 (aka too far away)

I really enjoyed the first book in this series (review coming soon), and can't wait for the sequel!

Teaser Tuesday (May 25)

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

"The end of the world started when a pegasus landed on the hood of my car. Up until then, I was having a great afternoon."

-The Last Olympian, Page 1, by Rick Riordan