Sunday, June 30, 2013

Stacking the Shelves #14 + Book Events Recap




Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and every week bloggers post about books they’ve added to their bookshelves! This includes books bought through a physical store, online store, eBooks, books borrowed from the library/a friend and gifts.

I'm officially back to book blogging! I finished my last exam today yay so I can catch up on all my posts, reading and reviews! Checking my archives and I was like "are you kidding me I haven't done a STS in THAT long?!" The amount of books I've received since then... woah... Let's do this!

I'm going to start with the book events I went to (:

(All links lead to the relevant Goodreads pages for each book)

Event: Gayle Forman in Conversation with Melina Marchetta - Tuesday 28th May

Gayle Forman came to Sydney and it was absolutely amazing hearing her in conversation with Melina! They talked about their characters, the imperfections of their male MCs and the worlds they built for their stories. I was in awe at the way they thought and so, so honoured to meet them!

Highlights:
On the Jellicoe Road is being made into a movie and Melina is writing the screenplay!
Melina is working on a new adult book in the crime genre
If I Stay is being made into a movie
There won't be an If I Stay #3 - Gayle explained that if she were to write another book for them, she'd have to put them through more pain and heartbreak before she could give them a happily-ever-after (maybe) and honestly, haven't Mia and Adam gone through enough?

I didn't buy any books as I pretty much owned every book by Gayle and Melina (except for The Piper's Son which they didn't have D: ). I did however, bring all my Gayle books to get signed and 1 Melina book (I wanted to bring ALL the Melina books but they were way too heavy and I had work + uni that day *cries*)

Ta-da I present to you my signed books:


My copy of On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (Contemporary) is really old - I got it back in 2006 when it first came out so I've got the pretty original cover \*O*/. If you haven't heard of Melina Marchetta, then... well she is THE Goddess of Aussie YA!


All contemporary:

Thanks to Melina and Gayle for signing these <3

And a little something...


Event: Abbi Glines signing - Sunday 9th June

The line was absolutely MASSIVE! I didn't know Abbi had so many fans in Australia so woah. I bought Fallen Too Far which I only had in e-book; I really wanted the new Breathe (I own the original) but they sold out :( everything else I owned previously

Abbi didn't do a talk or answer questions, it was just a signing, BUT stay tuned because I have a special post regarding said signing coming up soon on my blog (;


Thanks Abbi for signing all these lol!

All contemporary:


Event: Penguin Teen Australia Live (Sydney) - Monday 24th June

PTA came to Sydney to give a talk about their up and coming titles, answer questions about their books  and they had Aussie author Will Kostakis come and give a talk about his book, The First Third.

Highlights: 




My actual Stacking the Shelves


Physical Review Copies/ARCs:


Thanks to Penguin Books Australia and Harper Collins Australia for these review copies <3




Thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia and Bloomsbury Australia for these ARCs <3

NetGalley:


Thanks to Farrar,Straus and Giroux (BYR) (Macmillan Children's Publishing Group), Ebury Press (Random House UK), Entangled, Bloomsbury Australia, Disney Hyperion and Harlequin Teen Australia for these NetGalleys <3

Bought:

(E-books)





Whew and that's it!








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Saturday, June 22, 2013

Preview: Keeping Her (Losing It #1.5) by Cora Carmack

Today I'm really excited to give you a preview of the much anticipated novella, Keeping Her (Losing It #1.5) by Cora Carmack

Losing It is one my favourite books and it's the sweetest thing ever so I can't wait for Keeping Her! Read on to see what it's all about.

Goodreads Chat 

Cora and Jay Crownover (author of Rule) will be participating in a Goodreads chat on June 26th.
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/106036-ask-jay-crownover-and-cora-carmack---wednesday-june-26th

Live Chat with Cora 

Andddd... HarperCollins will be hosting a Faking It (Losing It #2) book club on Facebook on June 27th from 3-4pm American Eastern Standard Time. During this time you can ask her questions... like where we can find out own Garrick Taylor.
https://www.facebook.com/CoraCarmackBooks

Now onto the preview :D



About Cora 


Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

Find her at the following places:
Blog: http://coracarmack.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CoraCarmack
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoraCarmackBooks
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Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday #5


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blog occurrence hosted by Breaking the Spine and showcases anticipated releases.

This week's WoW is a debut I've been eagerly anticipating since last year. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the cover and am so jealous of those people that got ARCs from BEA. Also, one of the authors is Aussie!

These Broken Stars (Starbound #1) by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

These Broken Stars (Starbound, #1)

Release Date: December 10th 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Goodreads synopsis: "It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.


The first in a sweeping science fiction trilogy, These Broken Stars is a timeless love story about hope and survival in the face of unthinkable odds."
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Thursday, June 13, 2013

Blogging Hiatus

Activity on my blog has been sparse lately - I've only posted 3 times this month with just 1 review.This is nowhere near my aim of 1 review a week which I was achieving in January and February. I'm not sure why I chose this year to start book blogging, it's probably the busiest year of my life so far as I'm working full time (9am - 5pm Mon-Fri) and studying part time (classes 2-5pm Tuesdays and 3-6pm Wednesdays) so I don't read and review at the pace I'd like.

So... my sparse posts lately have been due to end of semester group assignments - the program I do (Information Systems) has a knack for courses that require major group work - at least 25% of the grade. And that's where I've been lately: creating an IT department and securing the network as part of an "IT consulting firm" and re-engineering the business process of a bank as part of another "firm" :P and while those projects are over, the presentations done and dusted, dun dun dun I have finals coming up!

Thus the title of this post, I will be on hiatus until the 29th of June which is my last exam - check your calendars people it's a Saturday... yes I have a final exam on a Saturday (this happened last year too and it was my 20th birthday as well...)

I won't be posting AT ALL from now until that date. Not to worry, the current giveaway on my blog runs until July, and all the blog tour stops on my blog I've got coming up (and I have a few just y'all wait) also don't begin til July!

For the lovely people that DO read my blog, I shall see you all soon (: I'm on twitter though, I can't get off that thing hehe.

<3
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Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday #4


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blog occurrence hosted by Breaking the Spine and showcases anticipated releases.

This week's WoW is a sequel to a book I really loved. And when I say loved I mean it's on my "not-enough-stars" shelf. The first book was like no other I've ever read and I was just so amazed at the brilliance of it I couldn't believe The Collector was only a debut. At the time I'd read The Collector it had only just been released so I've been jumping around like I have ants in my pants waiting for August to approach.


The Liberator (Dante Walker, #2)

Release Date: August 27th 2013
Publisher: Entangled Teen

Goodreads synopsis: "Bad boy, meet bad girl.

Dante has a shiny new cuff wrapped around his ankle, and he doesn't like that mess one bit. His new accessory comes straight from Big Guy himself and marks the former demon as a liberator. Despite his gritty past and bad boy ways, Dante Walker has been granted a second chance.

When Dante is given his first mission as a liberator to save the soul of seventeen-year-old Aspen, he knows he’s got this. But Aspen reminds him of the rebellious life he used to live and is making it difficult to resist sinful temptations. Though Dante is committed to living clean for his girlfriend Charlie, this dude’s been a playboy for far too long…and old demons die hard.

With Charlie becoming the girl she was never able to be pre-makeover and Aspen showing him how delicious it feels to embrace his inner beast, Dante will have to go somewhere he never thought he’d return to in order to accomplish the impossible: save the girl he’s been assigned to, and keep the girl he loves."


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Monday, June 10, 2013

Book Stocktake Giveaway - AUS Only

As the end of FY13 approached, shops are having their huge stocktake sales to sell off previous seasons' goods. And I'm doing a book stock take where I get rid of extra copies of books I have or books I will not read/did not finish. Please read VERY CAREFULLY below about the conditions of the books as I don't want people complaining to me after that they're not completely new or whatever.

For shipping purposes this competition is AUSTRALIA only, sorry international peeps!



Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare - this is completely BRAND NEW, have not touched it at all as I have an extra copy; perfect condition

Delirium (Delirium #1) by Lauren Oliver - this is completely BRAND NEW, have not touched it at all as I have an extra copy; perfect condition

Hereafter (Hereafter #1) by Tara Hudson - this is NEW; I haven't read it but I bought it from Basement Books so the bottom of the book has black marker across it. ALSO, my name and the date I purchased the book is on one of the title/front pages.



a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Saturday, June 8, 2013

Review: Spirit (Elemental #3) by Brigid Kemmerer

Firstly, thanks to Kensington Books for this NetGalley <3

Spirit (Elemental, #3)

Date Read: May 13 – May 17 2013
Release Date: May 28th 2013
Publisher: Kensington Teen
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Paranormal
My rating: 

Synopsis: 
"With power comes enemies. Lots of them.
Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He’s learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can’t seem to afford any allies.

He’s up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.

Then there’s Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She’s not hostile. She’s bold. Funny. Hot. But she’s got an agenda, too.

With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he’ll have to find someone he can trust…"

---

“But now life had shifted, leaving him stronger, yes, but also more vulnerable.”
The fourth instalment in Kemmerer’s Elemental series is probably the darkest yet and her best so far.
Storm still stands as my favourite Elemental book; Gabriel will always be the best boyfriend of them all and Nicky forever my favourite character, but there was just something about Spirit that really hit the spot and made me go “WOW!” Maybe it was the darker themes, the slightly different approach Kemmerer took this time around or possibly the way Hunter Garrity was portrayed. Or maybe it was a combination of all these things but darn this book made my heart squeeze because of ALL the feels.
Hunter has always been a difficult character for me – to like and to understand. His actions in the previous books have always made me question his alliances, his motives, and his true feelings. Well, he’s pretty much stripped bare with his heart on the line in Spirit and woah does this boy have a lot going on in his head. Can I just say now I want to give Hunter a hug? A massive hug where I just hold him and tell him I understand and I’m here for him. Vying for his grandparents’ acceptance as he struggles with trying to anticipate Calla’s (that bitch I hate her) moves, Hunter is faced with so much conflict and decisions. Who can he trust? How can he keep people from getting hurt? How can he keep himself from getting hurt any further? All this while everybody seems to be against him. I just loved all the conflict he was dealing with! I didn’t always agree with his choices but I finally understood why he did the things he did with his major trust issues. Kemmerer has done an AMAZING job with Hunter’s character. A lot of the time I forgot he’s just a sixteen-year-old high school student because of everything he had to deal with.
“I can’t please anyone, and every time I try, I’m just one big fucking disappointment.”
Along comes Kate and there’s something about her Hunter is drawn to… But I’m not sure I was. I’m sort of undecided about Kate’s character, I thought it was weird the way she kept throwing herself at Hunter. And the way she seemed to use people made me really dislike her even in light of the situations. I thought there could have been more depth to her character too; we got a glimpse into her history but I just thought that everything about her was just explained on the surface so I couldn’t completely connect with her. She's definitely badass though!
“What’s this really say?” she said, making her voice provocative. “Something dirty?”
What I love about Kemmerer’s writing is there’s no insta-love. She can write steamy-as scenes and I’ll know it’s just attraction not like or love instantly. Thought Spark was sexy with Gabriel? Well you thought wrong, because DANG Spirit has some hot make-out scenes. I revelled in the romance, in the way it developed slowly, so hesitant, so delicate and so easily broken.
“His tongue brushed her lips, teasing. Her lips parted, allowing him in, drawing at his mouth until she pulled a gasp from his throat and his hands snaked under the sweatshirt.”
The secondary characters ermagherd *jumps up and down* The whole thing with his family, his grandparents, his mum and dad, really intrigued me. The way secrets were revealed about his parents gave me so much hope. I loved the Merricks here, especially Michael! The way he interacted with Hunter made me really understand him and see a different side to the controlling brother seen from the younger Merricks’ POVs. Each of the brothers have their own conflict with Hunter and I could see them all trying to resolve their issues and it just made my heart warm <3
“But you can’t blame me if I end up punching Gabriel in the face.” “Don’t worry,” said Michael. “He usually deserves it.”
The plot was amazing, especially that ending! I’ve never cried in an Elemental book before but the feels Spirit gave me... my creys ;____; – I hope you’re happy Brigid! I could never tell what was going to happen at every turn of the page, would Hunter do this? Or that? And I’d be like “omg please no” *bites lip* “ERMAGHERD Y U DO DAT?!” Everything was so action-packed and there was so much tension I really had no idea how anything was going to play out! The way Kemmerer writes is truly brilliant; the way she managed to create all these emotions and build up to that climatic ending, I was just a mess by the end.
“Somehow it felt like a lifetime, so much intensity crammed into such a short span of days.”
Perfectly paced, filled with conflict but balanced with humour, well-thought out plot and a gutsy ending, Secret has a lot to live up to – but I don’t doubt Kemmerer will live up to her expectations.
“He felt like he’d almost caught something precious, only to have it shatter as soon as he touched it.”
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