Sunday, November 24, 2013

Stacking the Shelves #21: Birthday Edition

I'M BACK! Well I was back a week ago but had to catch up with some other stuff but now I'm OFFICIALLY back to book blogging. Research proposal handed in and exams done and dusted - out of sight, out of mind! For now...

Since my last STS I've gone to quite a few bookish events, gotten a mega haul (I need to stop letting them pile up) AND I TURNED 21 - I actually turned 21 on the 10th of November but exams and all so I didn't get to celebrate until last night. Would you believe that this 21st STS coincides with my 21st birthday? What a coincidence... Scary really. Anyway this STS will include my birthday present (books among other things) and the usual means I have of acquiring books. But I'll also have a recap of some bookish events!

Excuse my face in the photos. You can just ignore it. Just look at the awesome authors kthnx.

October 23 - Sydney Allegiant Book Launch

To celebrate the release of the last book in the Divergent trilogy, HarperCollins Australia hosted the book launch at Dymocks George in Sydney. There was Dauntless cake (cupcakes) and a goody bag with lots of swag inside :) There was also Divergent trivia and I got one of the questions so I won a book pack too! For those of you who have read the book, you'll know it's a tough one. I didn't rate it, and I won't - I really can't give it a rating. All I'll say is, it broke me, I can understand that ending, but it still broke me. If you read the rest of my opinion, I have a review on Goodreads you can see here



Book pack I won:

Thank you HarperCollins Australia for the launch and the book pack <3


November 1 - Meeting Jessica Shirvington and Empower

As part of a small blogger event, Keely (myspinonbooks.blogspot.com) and I, thanks to Kim (twogirlsandanovel.blogspot.com) and Hachette Children's Books Australia, got to meet Jessica Shirvington. Ultimate fangirl because I LOVE Jess and all her books. I've been a fan of hers since 2010 when Embrace, the very first Violet Eden Chapters was released. 3 years later and the final book in the series, Empower was released November 12. I was luckily enough to not only meet Jess, get all my books signed but also get a copy of Empower. I finished it that night and it was FABULOUS. Look out for my review coming soon! Theresa (the children's publicist) also gave us a copy of Shaun Tan's Rules of Summer, a lovely picture book which I gave 4/5 to, check out my review here.

There it is, the completed Violet Eden Chapters!

Jess! :D



All the books I have by Jess signed!
The Violet Eden Chapters (Paranormal Angels) in order:



That cover <3

Thank you Hachette Children's Books Australia for the amazing opportunity to meet Jessica Shirvington and these lovely books <3

November 13 - Meeting Samantha Shannon and Bloomsbury haul

Samantha Shannon visited Australia week beginning November 11! I was invited by Bloomsbury Australia to meet her and ohmygosh it was so amazing. Samantha is gorgeous inside and out - she's humble, so sweet and such a genuinely nice person I was so honoured to meet such a young, talented writer! Sonia (the children's publicist) also gave me a few lovely books to enjoy!

She's so pretty *O* and one of the loveliest authors I've ever meet

Yes, yes did tackle hug Samantha <333


From Sonia:

Thank you Bloomsbury Australia for such an awesome night, getting Samantha out to Aus and the lovely books <3

Unsolicited

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia and HarperCollins Australia for these review copies <3 

Galleys
 

Thanks to Spencer Hill Press, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and CJ Duggan for these eGalleys <3

Requested


Thanks to Hardie Grant Egmont, Allen & Unwin, Simon & Schuster Australia, Random House Australia, HarperCollins Australia and Bloomsbury Australia for these ARCs/review copies <3

E-books Bought



Bought



I have rather OCD tendencies as those of you who know me are familiar with. As such, because the current copies of the Divergent trilogy I own don't match and/or are damaged, I had to get the box set to match. I don't even know if I'll be reading it again after the ending of Allegiant of but whatever you know it looks awesome :D

The Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth (Dystopia):

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan (Middle-Grade Fantasy/Mythology):



Birthday Gifts




The awesome my friends got me. Gifts include Chloe perfume, a necklace, Bose earphones, Chanel soap/stuff, awesome tea stuff from T2 (not pictured, from my colleagues) AN IKEA GIFTCARD TO "help with my book fetish" ANDDD...

 Thank you Shirley (http://shiirleyysbookshelf.blogspot.com.au/) and Lana (https://twitter.com/nomnombanana) for In the Shadow of Blackbirds and Ender's Game and to all my lovely friends and colleagues for the gifts <3

Shirley and Lana also went the extra step and made me the most thoughtful card a booklover can ever receive.


LOOK AT ALL THE BOOK BOYFRIENDS OMG. AIDEN, ASH, CHAOL, DIMITRI, ISAIAH <3

If you managed to read your way through that well, kudos to you, have a cookie *gives cookies*

Thank you for all the gifts, birthday wishes and books!

9 comments:

  1. Holy wow! Love all the Allegiant swag. And the signed books <3
    That book boyfriend card is really epic!
    Amazing haul, Jaz, you've got a lot of reading ahead of you :D

    My IMM

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Richa (:

      I LOVE the book boyfriend card, I can't stop looking at it.

      I'm not sure I'll ever catch up on my reading...

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  2. Wow. What a great week. To meet all those authors, and get your books signed was awesome.

    Grace

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    1. Yes it was awesome :D especially authors I really admire and they knew who I was when I introduced myself!

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  3. SO many books! O_O Also, happy 21st birthday (I feel so old!), and I'm super happy you got to meet Samantha. She's wonderful. :)

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    1. Hehe I know right, but they've added up over time :P thank you and I'm so glad to have met her too!

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  4. umm… I don't even know where to begin! first of all, HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY! I turned 23 on November 29! somewhat close birthdays right? anyways… EMPOWER! *dies* *dies again*.. I AM DYING to read this book SO BADLY! and all the hardcovers are SO PRETTY! also, really like the book with the title Tape and the cassette like cover! so cute. Oh and That One Summer was fantastic. Heard good things about Geek Girl (my sister read it and loved it) and I am always in the need of good contemporaries.

    anyways awesome book haul!
    - Juhina @ Maji Bookshelf

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