Read.Read.READ-A-THON! Activity!

Welcome to all participants of DreadLockGirl's Read.Read.READ-A-THON 2009!

It's time to reflect a little on your favorite reading spot! Where are you reading from during today's read-a-thon? Are you switching spots? Staying the same?

Take a moment to look over the following statements - your answers must include something you can see from the spot you're spending the most time reading from today! Indicate the objects that you can actually see in your statements with bold or italics.

Name of the book you're currently reading:

Wanting Most:

Something you like to do besides read:

Fact about yourself:

Activity you would be doing today if it weren't for the read-a-thon:

My answers:

Name of the book you're currently reading: Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

Wanting Most: A Mountain Dew from the refrigerator

Something you like to do besides read: Watch reality television!

Fact about yourself: I love giraffes!

Activity you would be doing today if it weren't for the read-a-thon: Dishes

Have a camera handy? Take a picture of your reading spot, or the view looking out from your reading spot!

Be sure to leave a link to your blog (or just your answers if you're not a blogger) in the comments so we can all learn more about your reading spot!

Happy reading!

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Review: The Complete History of Why I Hate Her

Title: The Complete History of Why I Hate Her
Author: Jennifer Richard Jacobson
Publisher: Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books
Publish Date: April 27, 2010
Book received from Around the World Tours

Nola wants nothing more than a summer of her own - and a job at an upscale Maine coast resort sounds ideal. She'll have plenty of beach time between waitressing, some freedom from stresses back home, and the chance to make new friends. Enter Carly, the the perfect pal: full of jokes, ideas, energy - and experienced at being away from her mysterious family. But Carly turns out to be much more complicated than the standard summer buddy - her borderline personality can turn on Nola in a flash, and even love becomes a rivalry. As the girls' instant friendship unhinges by subtle, increasingly powerful turns, the commonplace becomes dramatic - and the outcome unforgettable.

I have read a few undesirable reviews about this book, but I ended up actually liking it quite a bit. It was short (under 200 pages), and I felt it could be a lot longer, especially because it deals with several heavy issues.

The main story is that our character, Nola, goes off to Maine for a summer to work at a resort. It's her first time off alone - she's used to taking care of her sister (who is sick), and took the job for independence.

Of course, in the beginning we have to work through her finding her niche, but we meet interesting characters along the way. I read this book in about a day - the events move quickly and you are constantly learning new things about the characters, so when I was away from the book it felt like it was trying to pull me back in.

Book Cover: 9/10
Book Title: 9/10
Plot: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Ending: 8/10

Overall: 9/10

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Review: Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Title: Frostbite
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Published Date: April 10, 2008

Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose...

It's winter break at St. Vladimir's, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy's crawling with Guardians--including Rose's hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if handto- hand combat with her mom wasn't bad enough, Rose's tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason's got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa's head while she's making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy's not taking any risks....This year, St. Vlad's annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price...

I had this book ready to read right after reading the first, and that is exactly what I did. I was fairly excited to get to reading about the characters again, too.

I don't have as much to say about this one compared to the first, except for a few things - one, I didn't like being 'clued in' on what was happening almost 100 pages into the book (all of those "this is why this is happening" paragraphs in case the reader forgot from book one). That's probably because I had just read book one, but it started to get very monotonous and I had to skip over many parts. Two, the title of the book didn't make much sense to me except that it described their weather situation - there wasn't much to do with snow or ice or anything, unless I missed some reference. Who knows, I read it pretty quickly.

A solid second book, it hooked me right into reading the third (which I'm doing now). I'm very glad that the characters are doing seemingly sane things with their relationships and that it's not one of those stories that breaks people apart/does other drastic things to try to keep you reading (reminds me of Grey's Anatomy and Meredith/Derek for the first few seasons)!

Oh, and I still don't really like the book cover, and I don't know who those people are supposed to be.

Book Cover: 0/10
Book Title: 5/10
Plot: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Ending: 9/10

Overall: 8/10

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Challenge: The 2010 Debut Author Challenge

I will be joining The Story Siren and other bloggers for the

2010 Debut Author Challenge!

Taken from TheStorySiren.com:
What is the 2010 Debut Author Challenge?

• The objective is to read a set number of YA (Young Adult) or MG (Middle Grade) novels from debut authors published this year.* I'm going to challenge everyone to read at least 12 debut novels! I’m hoping to read at least 30! You don’t have to list your choices right away, but if you do feel free to change them throughout the year. I will also be focusing on mostly Young Adult novels.
• Anyone can join, you don’t need a blog to participate. If you don’t have a blog you can always share your views by posting a review on Amazon.com/BarnesandNoble.com/GoodReads/Shelfari, or any other bookish site.
• The challenge will run from January 1, 2010- December 31, 2010. You can join at anytime!

* I would like to limit the novels to those released in 2010.

You’ll have to do all the research to make sure a novel meets the criteria for the challenge. I do have a few sites that can help with your search; 2010: A Book Odyssey/The Tenners, AuthorsNow & The Class of 2k10.

More Challenge Guidelines:

• authors that have "adult" titles currently published but are debuting a YA/MG novel in 2010 can be included in your challenge lists. This goes for authors that have childrens books published as well.
  
• novels must be read between the dates of January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2010 to count toward your challenge total. (this means if you've read a 2010 debut novel in 2009, it doesn't count..... but!)
• reviews posted in 2010 will count toward the monthly prize packs, even if you read the novel in 2009. Does that make sense? For example I've read debut author Jennifer Hubbard's novel The Secret Year, in 2009. But I will not be posting my review until closer to its release date in 2010. So, even though it can't be counted as one of my "challenge" books, I could still use its review for a prize pack entry.
• please do list the 2010 debut novels you've already read in your challenge lists. That way other participants can find out about a book they might not have otherwise.

For those Participants, not in the U.S.

• the challenge is open to everyone.
• you may have a debut title that has already been released in the U.S. that is fine! You do not have to make your challenge lists according to U.S. release dates.
• all monthly prize packs are open to international residents

If you want to join, click HERE for even more information!

My book list:
1. A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker
2. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
3. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
4. Forget-Her-Nots by Amy Brecount-White
5. The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard
6. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken
7. Lifted by Wendy Toliver
8. The Mark by Jen Nadol
9. Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

These books are pending my ability to get my hands on them, of course :)

Books I've read already that do not count:
1. The Naughty List by Suzanne Young
2. The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Kidnapped by Yxta Maya Murray

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