Feature & Follow { 10 }

Feature & Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read. The two blogs they are featuring this week: The Book Reaper & Ed and Em's Reviews.

 

Q:What blogger inspires you? It can be any kind, it doesn't have to be a book-blog.

A lot of book bloggers inspire me, especially ones who aren't super popular yet (less than 500 followers), but have some type of original content and a unique layout.

Having original content is important to me because there are tons of book blogs out there; you really have to find a niche to stand out. And a unique layout shows that the blogger is somewhat investing their time and effort into their blog. It doesn't just look nice, but it's professional, easy to navigate and read your content, etc. Those things inspire me besides the awesome content....

So, of course I'll start out with Parajunkee because she is one of the first book bloggers I was inspired by. I've read her blog for years before deciding to jump into my own.

Also, Dazzling Reads is one of my favorite bloggers. She started out a little while before I did, but then I went MIA. But boy, did she blow up in popularity! It's much deserved :0) Love her content & she finds the best books for Waiting on Wednesday, lol.

Smexy Books. Love. Love. Love. Sometimes I feel a lot of bloggers & booktubers are all about YA content. It's great; I love YA, but I also love my adult books too & Smexy Books covers that for me. They're hilarious bloggers too.

& lastly, Lexie Reads. Okay, so I'm a little biased about this blog because she's a great friend, lol. But when you're friends with a fellow blogger, it's so nice to be able to compare & discuss books with each other... especially if the reason you started a book blog was because you have no one in real life to "talk book" with :0)

So that's it! Of course I can go on and on because there are tons of great book bloggers out there & I could add some booktubers who inspire me too, lol, but these are my top faves.

I can't wait to find out who inspired whom. I love finding new book bloggers! Let me know if you are a new/old follower & please give me some time to comment back :0)

Book of the Week { 06 }

I didn't post one last week so I will make up for it by posting two picks for this week :0) The 7th book pick will be up later this week.

It has been awesome when it comes to what I've read two weeks ago. For week six, I picked one that I thought would be different from the rest of what I recently read. Something that stuck out for a reason.

My pick for Book of the Week 06 is:
  

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield
Genre: Contemporary

An arresting un-coming-of-age story, from a breathtaking talent

Becca has always longed to break free from her small, backwater hometown. But the discovery of an unidentified dead girl on the side of a dirt road sends the town--and Becca--into a tailspin. Unable to make sense of the violence of the outside world creeping into her backyard, Becca finds herself retreating inward, paralyzed from moving forward for the first time in her life.

Short chapters detailing the last days of Amelia Anne Richardson's life are intercut with Becca's own summer as the parallel stories of two young women struggling with self-identity and relationships on the edge twist the reader closer and closer to the truth about Amelia's death.

I know, I know, another contemporary! In my defense, this story is not entirely based on romance. It has romance in it, it revolves around it, but it's not based on it. I don't even know if I can honestly tell you why I chose this as the book of the week. I can try, but I'm just not articulate enough to write about how beautiful and haunting this book was for me. The writing is what drew me in. The story itself was fantastic, but the writing just brought me in. Holy hell can Kat Rosenfield write!  She spews frakin' poetry. The narration is very similar to Desperate Housewives or that's what I envisioned. The narration gets inside your head and renders you speechless with it's manifestation. It gets you to think truth and outside the box. It's just beautiful. That's it. That is all.

{ Characters } Becca, I'm not in love with 100%, but I love her as a person. She has a good head on her shoulders. She's prone to make mistakes just like her peers, but I love how she strives for that success she wants and does it by entirely relying on herself. Not some boy, not her parents, their money or whatever. She's responsible and she knows she's responsible for herself. I love that. For me, her biggest mistake is her boyfriend, but you know, personally, I'm not into his character and how he was portrayed. Nothing wrong with him per se. Well, read the story and you'll see.

I wasn't expecting it to be written in two different POVs. I know that both Amelia Anne and Becca's lives intersect and collide, but I didn't realize it was a before-and-after POV from both girls. It was interesting this way! Absolutely enthralling. Sometimes when books switch POVs, you get to this interesting part in one person's life and it's the end of the chapter. You then jump to another person's POV and you're completely NOT interested because the previous person's situation is a bit more interesting. That doesn't happen here. Becca & Amelia Anne both had beautiful things going on for them. And Kat Rosenfield is a mastermind. Obviously.

I didn't completely read the synopsis when I picked up this book. I had rec's from two people who thought the world of this book (both rated this 5 out of 5!) So that was my ultimate reason in picking it up.

{ Plot } The way this book was written, besides being damn good, is absolutely chilling and absolutely captivating. Like I mentioned, it's very reminiscent of Desperate Housewives (yes, the t.v. show). The narration in the t.v. show is what I envision the narration of the novel to be like. It has other similarities such as a small town full of people who are close-knit like most small towns are and how a death, especially a death of an "outsider" rocked this small town. Kat Rosenfield writes what we all think or notice without us being aware of it... whether it's socially correct or not.. .and she writes it in this tantalizing lyrical way. And that insight is just mind-blowing and that's the lovely writing that really drew me in.

You get the POV from Becca and Amelia Anne while they are living their lives. They are going somewhere, doing something, planning their future, etc. Of course, Amelia Anne's are flashbacks because Amelia Anne is... well... dead and gone. You get the "after" POV from Becca. They don't know each other. Becca has lived in this small town and she's one of those, "must get out and live in a real city" type of person. Amelia Anne's death rocks Becca to her soul making her re-evaluate what she truly wants out of life and how to get to where she wants to be (emotionally, physically, financially, etc.)

{ Overall } If this doesn't seem like your type of book because you're into paranormal, romance, or whatever else, I would still suggest trying it because it is definitely an interesting, captivating and haunting read. The story is so good and the writing, well you've heard enough about the writing. One or the other has to draw you in and if both the writing and story does, as it did for me, then it will definitely be a great read for you!

Other books I've read & rated during the week: July 29 - August 4 2012.
To Honor by D.F. Krieger - 3/5
Hourglass by Myra McEntire - 3.5/5
What a Boy Wants by Nyrae Dawn - 3/5
Dragon Hunts by Lizzie Lynn Lee - 2.5/5
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry - 5/5
Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard - 3.5/5
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord by Sarah J. Maas - 4/5
The Assassin and the Desert by Sarah J. Maas - 4/5
The Assassin and the Underworld by Sarah J. Maas - 4/5
The Assassin and the Empire by Sarah J. Maas - 4/5
12 Rounds by Lauren Hammond - 3/5
Avoiding Commitment by K.A. Linde - 4.5/5
Avoiding Responsibility by K.A. Linde - 3.5/5

My short, short reviews on books previously mentioned that I think are worth reading:
The prequel novellas to Throne of Glass were all amazing for being short as they are. I believe they are a great insight into Celaena's character. Pushing the Limits lived up to the hype for me. I was not disappointed with this great read at all. I wasn't in love with Hourglass as many people are, but I do believe that I will continue to like this series more and more. It has the potential. Something Strange and Deadly had some great dystopian, historical and steampunk aspects to it. I enjoyed it. The series, Avoiding, is a doozy. I, personally, loved it. I love the frustration, the angst, the drama that comes along with it. Some of my friends did not like it due to that. The characters are so immature and you don't want to deal with their stupidity, but ugh, it reels you in. It's reminiscent of Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens & Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, uh, but without the awesome men/characters. The second book in this series is just the same, but much better ending in my opinion.

So that's it :0) Until later this week!

Follow & Feature { 09 }

Feature & Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read. The two blogs they are featuring this week: Compelled By Words & The Bookshelf Review.

 

Q: What would you do over if you were to start your blog again from scratch?

I think I would've networked more & I would've started out with wordpress. Then the change to host my own blog (once I got to that point) would've been easier. Now that most of my followers are via GFC rather than linky or whatever else, it's a hassle for me to want to change it & host my own blog via wordpress.

Other than that, I actually redid my blog a while ago since I wasn't happy with my content before. Now that I've changed it to my liking, I'm quite happy. More things are coming down the line of course, but since my blog is relatively new, I wouldn't do anything too drastically different if I were to restart.

Wonder how everyone's answer will differ from this question :0) Leave a link & let me know if you are a new follower or old.

Follow & Feature { 08 }

Feature & Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read. The two blogs they are featuring this week: Reading Between Classes & Read it, Read it, Loved it.

 

Q: Do your reading habits change based on your mood? Do you read a certain genre if you are feeling depressed or happy?

A: Yes, it does. I always choose my books and what genre they are in based on what I'm in the mood for at that time vs. something I've been wanting to read for months or have to read or what have you. If I'm not in the mood for it, I just don't find myself getting involved in the story at all. It's no longer fun for me.

Sometimes I want the light, fluffy, quick read that requires no emotional investment on my part. Sometimes I want more drama and angst in a book that requires a lot of emotional investment on my part (makes me cry, mad, sad, frustrated, etc.) Sometimes I want something epic so I go for dystopians, paranormal or urban fantasy. Sometimes I just want normal so I go for contemporary. Something mind "blowingly" romantic? Historical romance. And sometimes.... sometimes I just want some freakin adult content in my books :0)

What about you guys? Let me know if you're a new follower or not. I will eventually get back to you!

Book of the Week { 05 }

Sorry I'm late. I had 3 birthdays this past week: a family member's, the hubby's, AND our baby boy's. Then I found out some bad news just yesterday. Just a crazy, crazy weekend.

I didn't get much reading done as I wanted to because of that (do I ever?) But I got some great reads in. I knew right away, with this particular new release, that it was going to be my Book of the Week pick no matter what. Why? Because she is simply awesome and anything she writes is liquid gold (or crack... whatever your preference.)

This week's pick for Book of the Week is:

Breathe by Kristen Ashley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Colorado Mountain { 04 }

In order to protect a father he does not respect, in Lady Luck, we learned that good cop Chace Keaton went bad, sacrificing his career and his future. But when the local police department's secrets are revealed and the wife he's forced to marry is murdered, Chace finds himself the town of Carnal's hero. Knowing how deep in the mud he was forced to sink, Chace feels he'll never get clean. The quiet, content future he envisioned of the love a good woman with whom he could build a family was now beyond his reach. The only thing he can do is find his wife's murderer.

But he isn't the only one looking.

While searching for new leads, he runs into Faye Goodknight, the town's quiet, shy, pretty librarian. Chace has long since had his eye on what could possibly be the town's last remaining virgin but he has also long since given up hope he could make her his. Faye is pure and clean and Chace refuses to dirty her with his sordid past.

Pure and clean Faye may be, but when the shy librarian is forced to go head to head with the man who she's had a crush on since he hit her hometown, Chace finds Faye is full of surprises. And he doesn't know what to do with her.

Yes, a novel by Kristen Ashley who is one of my favorite authors. Her stuff is amazing and if you haven't read anything by her yet - get off my blog and do so now! She's an indie author with an amazing fan base. Her works are so addicting. If you love contemporary romance, her shiz is the ideal stuff for you to get hooked on. Any of her stuff. It's all great. Every. One. Of. Them. Of course, some are better. My personal favorite is the Rock Chick series, but you know, pick whichever one up. I recommend them all.

{ Characters } The characters are one of the best, if not, the best, things about Kristen Ashley's writing. Her alpha men... holy hell. No words to explain them. There's a group dedicated to her works because those woman are in love with her alpha men. Need I say more? It's not just that. The women characters, the supporting characters... all of them are just as great. You just fall in love with them. She writes them as if they really exist... in the real world, I mean. You want a chance to be any of them, love all them, become their best friends, become a part of their crazy lives, etc. It's so frakin addicting. You can't get enough of them.

Every book is based off of one set of characters and their mate & HEA. It's so delicious this way because every time she introduces a new characters, all of us (members of her fan base) scream for an encore and that new character's own story.

What I love about this book's characters is that some are from the same series, but past books or from different series altogether. K.A. finds a way to overlap her series so you always get a taste of old and new characters that you love. Also, Chace and Faye are so damn cute together. K.A.'s characters always have some quality that sucks you in. The alpha men ...well.. just their alphaness sucks you in. Chace being his bad boy self... AND a cop on top of that. I love how Faye is a nerdy librarian & her word usage of: Frak.

{ Plot } You got the cop who's seen, done, and participated in dirty activities (undercover to report to Internal Affairs) so he feels he has no redeeming qualities as a human being after mucking through that filth. Then you got the geeky librarian (who us female book lovers can relate to!) who the cop holds in high esteem falling in love with said cop and... helping him see himself as she sees him: a hero. You got shiz going down left and right, relationship problems, love scenes, comedy, other drama, etc. I mean, it's a typical K.A. novel so... it just... rocks.

{ Overall } K.A.'s books always manages to be in my favorite shelf on GR. Always. I don't know how to explain it. I love her writing style; it just speaks to me. I love her epigrammatic usage. Her books are always 4 stars or more for me. I mean, there's not much to say about this book because I'm trying to highlight all of K.A.'s books rather than just this one. Do try out any of her series: the Rock Chick, Colorado Mountain, Dream Man, The 'Burg... all of those are great!

Let me know if you've read any of her works, plan to, or whatever else!

Other books I've read & rated during the week: July 22 - July 28 2012.
Darkhouse by Karina Halle - 3/5
Crash by Nicole Williams - 3/5
Seducing Cinderella by Gina L. Maxwell - 3.5/5
After Ever by Jillian Eaton - 2.5/5
Wrong Bed, Right Guy by Katee Robert - 3/5
Mothership by Martin Leicht - 3/5
Sticky Fingers by Nicky Burnham - 2.5/5
Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown - 3.5/5
Twenty Weeks by Melisa M. Hamling - 2.5/5
Significance by Shelly Crane - 3/5

Until next week :0) Since I started this post a bit late, I've already read a bit for next week's pick. Let me tell you, next week is going to be tough because Pushing the Limits and Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone were both absolutely fantastic.