Saturday, March 31, 2012

Random Acts of Kindness - March Wrap-Up

5 comments:
Book Soulmates
RAK is a monthly meme hosted by Book Soulmates. You can find out more and join in on the fun HERE.

My March RAK - Sent

I don't remember how I chose who I was going to send a RAK to this month, but I definitely picked items off of their wish lists that I had been wanting to read. I sent out two this month.





My March RAK - Received



I'm excited that both Tara and Mary liked what they received and grateful for what Pragya and Jen were kind enough to share. I can't wait to send more things out next month!

Friday, March 30, 2012

YA Today Book Club

2 comments:
Hi, kittens. I figure while I still have the attention of a few of you, I will tell you about the Goodreads book club that I am a part of. One of the YA Rebels, Kayelee announced on Twitter a while back that she was starting it, and quite a few of us jumped on the opportunity. The only book club that I have ever been a part of read women's contemporary, and I hated everything I read except for The Help. I thought it would be fun to read books with a group of people who had similar interests. It's an open group, and here's the rundown of it via Goodreads:

description: YA Today is a book club that reads a book once a month. We only read new release YA books. 

rules: We will read one book a month. You don't HAVE to read every book but consistency is important and if you only participate once in a while, your membership may be reconsidered. Anyone can join but if anyone starts getting mean in our discussions, they are out. This is for fun! 

There are several authors willing to do Q and A sessions with us if we read their book and we will approach that on a book by book basis. 

To choose books I will pull a member's name from a hat each month and that member will present us with 2-4 YA books from which we will then vote on which we would like to read. 

Once a book is selected we will read it until the 25th of each month and use the rest of the month to discuss the book. 

If a book is not selected, anyone can put that book back into the running when it is their turn to select what books we will choose from. 

Try to keep your selections as currently published as possible. If the book was released more than 6 months prior to our reading date, I may veto it.

Still need more convincing? Here are the books we've read and discussed already:
  • October - Possess by Gretchen McNeil
  • November - The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
  • December - Destined by Jessie Harrell
  • January - The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Caroline Mackler
  • February - The Statistical Possibility of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
  • March - The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (We're currently discussing this one!)
  • April - It looks like we're going to be reading Cinder by Marissa Meyer!

It sounds wonderful, doesn't it? I will admit that things have lagged lately. Many of our members are newly published writers, industry people, college students, aspiring authors, and a mix of other extremely busy people. I believe in the group, and to maybe give incentive for people to participate more - I am going to randomly draw a discussion participant and send them one of my review books or finished copies I have here. Do I know what it will be? No, I have no idea what I'll have finished by that time. It WILL be young adult, and it will be something you want to read (hopefully). I think since you're still here and reading my long-windedness, you may as well join in.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Review: The Book of Lost Fragrances By MJ Rose

1 comment:

Author: M. J. Rose
Publisher: Atria Books (Simon & Schuster)
Release Date: March 13, 2012

The Book of Lost Fragrances is the latest release in M. J. Rose's long, successful career, and the fourth installment in her Reincarnationist series. It is full of intrigue, mystery, a race for a historical artifact, family, and timeless romance. Although it is a part of a series, the book is a standalone novel.

The story contains a host of minor characters from ancient Egypt, 18th century France, and modern day, but focuses mostly on Jacinthe L'Etoile and, to an extent, Xie Ping. Xie is an artist living in China who has a secret, and is trying to survive under the watchful eye and heavy hand of the Chinese government. Jac is a mythologist television personality whose family perfume business is on the verge of collapse. When her father's declining mental facilities forces him to retire and her brother goes missing, Jac's life begins to spin out of control. She only has days to find her brother and his mysterious, ancient Egyptian pottery shards that hold the potential to save the family business from financial ruin. Xie and Jac are on opposite sides of the world, but are thrust into the midst of intrigue, murder, and the age-old question of whether or not the possibility of reincarnation truly exists.

Waiting on Wednesday (10)

15 comments:
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


Title: Tricked
Author: Kevin Hearne (Master of All Things Awesome)
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: April 24, 2012 (Not Soon Enough)

Druid Atticus O’Sullivan hasn’t stayed alive for more than two millennia without a fair bit of Celtic cunning. So when vengeful thunder gods come Norse by Southwest looking for payback, Atticus, with a little help from the Navajo trickster god Coyote, lets them think that they’ve chopped up his body in the Arizona desert. 

But the mischievous Coyote is not above a little sleight of paw, and Atticus soon finds that he’s been duped into battling bloodthirsty desert shapeshifters called skinwalkers. Just when the Druid thinks he’s got a handle on all the duplicity, betrayal comes from an unlikely source. If Atticus survives this time, he vows he won’t be fooled again. Famous last words. (Goodreads summary)

Yes, I am showing a little more partiality toward Mr. Hearne and his Epic. Wonderful. AWESOME. series, the Iron Druid Chronicles than most other books on my blog. You know what, though? I'm a hardcore fangirl. I'm attempting to plan my summer vacation around stalking him at a signing. I STARTED this blog, just so I would have a venue to post my review of Hounded. Yeah. The other stuff? Those were imported as filler before I got busy at work. These books do it for me, and it has been a LONG eight months since Hammered came out. I really don't know if I can make it. I may have to show up at Kevin's house and camp in his front yard until he throws a book at me. Hopefully Tricked. Or, maybe I can go undercover at the high school he teaches at. *ponders*

Must. Get. Book!

Available for pre-order! Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Add this Epic Adventure to your TBR List on Goodreads!

What are you waiting on?

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Teaser Tuesdays (3)

5 comments:

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! 

Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!




"Is any way not dangerous?"
"No."
"So, every one of these things goes to someplace where I might get killed?"
"I did not say that."


-- The Obsidian Blade by Pete Hautman
Page 201 (ARC)
Release Date: April 10, 2012
Candlewick Press
Preorder Here: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Sweet & Spicy Writing Contest

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My lovely friend Jenn over at The Blonde Who Reads has recently started her own book blog (like me). I love her to bits, and I think you guys will, too. Now is a great opportunity for you to go check out what she has going on at her blog. She is co-hosting the Spicy and Sweet short story contest with Danielle at Secrets of a Sweet Southern Girl, and there are some pretty fantastic prizes for the winners. Here are some details, or you can just scroll down and click on the picture to go straight to Jenn's blog:

It's time to put your sinfully delicious stories out there and link-up with Sweet and Spicy: A Short Story Event. This is a peer judged writing contest with two categories. The Sweet Category is for love stories that are rated PG-13 and the Spicy Category is for steamy romances that are for the 17+ crowd!

Food can be an aphrodisiac and we want your story submission to be about the way that food can play a role in romance! A candlelit dinner, picnics in the park, or even whipped cream in bed!

Stories should be somewhere in the 1,000 - 3,000 word range. We aren't going to monitor this, but keep in mind that your story should be long enough to be considered a short story, but short enough to be read in one sitting (it is a blog post!).

Voting will open on April 16th and close on April 20th. There will be motivation to vote in the form of a giveaway. More details on that when the time comes!


 SweetSouthernGirl


This sounds pretty cool, right? I hope you enter, and I wish you the best of luck!

In My Mailbox (3)

10 comments:
In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren. It gives readers the chance to spotlight the books they received over the past week, whether they are for review, won, gifted, or borrowed.

I realized after I posted last week that I had left off a few ebooks that I had purchased. I always forget to check my Kindle (and I still haven't checked my Nook) for what I throw on, spur of the moment. I did get two physical books in the mail, which is VERY exciting! Since I'm not at home, I'm just posting cover pictures of what I received. Yes, I should have taken pictures this morning, but working on Saturdays still throws me off two years later. Anywho, here's what I have received this week:

For Review


Ebook Sent by Author

Have Book - Will Travel by Kfir & Yonatan Luzzatto

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

2 comments:



The only challenges that I have attempted so far on my blog are the ones that will take all year. I am participating in the 2012 Debut Author Challenge and Authors After Dark 2012 Challenge, which are both exciting. This one is going to be a little more... Shall we say... Interesting? Each day the participants in the challenge will have a new letter upon which to base that day's post, beginning next Sunday, on April 1, 2012 (no joke).


I believe that I have managed to find a theme for each day, though it may be a little cheesy. But really, what can you expect from me? I thought about making a list of what each day will be beforehand, but I really don't want to ruin the surprise. However, as this is going to be my main "go to" post, I'll list the day and theme here as I go along. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I'm going to enjoy writing it.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Cover Reveal: Girl Three

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Girl Three by Tracy March

Bioethicist Jessica Croft, estranged daughter of a federal judge, has avoided the players, power, and passions of Washington, DC. But when her sister Sam’s suspicious death is classified as natural, Jessie resolves to expose Sam’s murderer. Pursuing elite suspects on both sides of the stem-cell-research debate leads her to security consultant Michael Gillette, who seems to know more about Sam than he’s let on. 

Michael has a vested interest in Jessie’s plight. Her sister died on his watch—while he wasn’t watching. His plan to find her murderer becomes complicated when Jessie’s father hires him to protect Jessie, and his interest turns from professional…to romantic.

Together Jessie and Michael must unravel a mystery rife with political agendas and deceit. When confidential papers reveal a fertility scandal surrounding the enigmatic Girl Three, the two realize the danger of exposing the truth. Who is Girl Three? And will the murderer kill again to keep a secret?

And without further ado...

Friday, March 23, 2012

Five Great Dystopians for $1.99 - Today Only!

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I suppose since The Hunger Games movie released today (can I get a squee anybody?!), Amazon has five dystopian ebooks for $1.99 as their Kindle Daily Deal. I'm not getting paid or reimbursed for this in any way. I'm just sharing what I found with you guys because I like you. Here is what you can get (click on the title):




I think this is an especially great deal because it's two books in one!







Remember to check the prices before you buy any of these. Also, Amazon states, "Individual Daily Deal titles may have additional territory restrictions, and not all deals are available in all territories."

Author Interview & Giveaway: Kevin Krohn

14 comments:
Today at Bibliophilia, Please, we have with us Kevin Krohn, author of Latter-Day of the Dead (you can read my review here).

 






Kevin Krohn is the author of Latter-Day of the Dead and Severed Ties. He lives in Layton, Utah with his wife and two children. He likes the way The Sopranos ended.






First off, Kevin, I would like to thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to not only interview you, but review your book. I was immediately drawn to the premise of Latter-Day of the Dead – a zombie outbreak on a polygamist compound in Utah. Umm, yes please! What made you decide to go with that scenario?

When thinking about a zombie outbreak, or any catastrophic event for that matter, I began to think about the small sects of people across the country that have cut themselves off from the rest of the populace. They would really be the last to know of such a widespread problem, so I found that scenario exciting and interesting to write about. And when they do find out, would they even be able to comprehend the magnitude of an outbreak or know how to respond to such a situation? They literally wouldn’t know a zombie if it bit them in the shoulder. Literally. So I took that set-up and ran with it.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Kick-Butt Characters Giveaway Hop (INT) - From Thenadays

103 comments:

The Kick-Butt Characters Hop is Hosted by Good Choice Reading & I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.
The dates for this hop are March 23rd - 28th.

Up for Grabs


Okay, I know everyone is probably going to be giving away The Hunger Games, so I'm giving your the opportunity to choose either The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley or The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. 

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (9)

16 comments:
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


Title: Velveteen
Author: Daniel Marks
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Release Date: October 9, 2012

Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that's not the problem.

The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it's not a fiery inferno, it's certainly no heaven. It's gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn't leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what's really on her mind.

Bonesaw.

Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she's figured out just how to do it. She'll haunt him for the rest of his days.
It'll be brutal . . . and awesome.

But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen's obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she's willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker.

Velveteen can't help herself when it comes to breaking rules . . . or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her.


I won't lie, when I first caught wind of this book, I had to get my hands on it. This is one of my most highly anticipated books of the year, and I was just waiting on the cover to post this as my WoW. I pre-ordered this book in January, but I'm hoping hoping hoping that I can get my hands on it before!

Available for pre-order! Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Be sure to add it to your TBR list on Goodreads!

What are you waiting on this week?

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Teaser Tuesday (2)

11 comments:

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! 

Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



"He has strong beliefs."
"In things that can't matter. In shards of pottery that are part of a made up fairy tale. Myths are metaphors."

-- The Book of Lost Fragrances by M. J. Rose (ARC)
Release Date: March 13, 2012
Atria Books/Simon & Schuster
Available Here: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Sunday, March 18, 2012

In My Mailbox (2)

9 comments:
In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren. It gives readers the chance to spotlight the books they received over the past week, whether they are for review, won, gifted, or borrowed.

As I had promised you guys last week, this week's haul is not nearly as... Extravagant? It is still amazing and I am beyond grateful, but it doesn't give you a false impression about how popular I am in the blogosphere. I am a peon, I know this, and quite frankly, I love it. Here's what I have received this week:

For Review


ARC/Finished Copies Sent by Author/Publisher

Latter-Day of the Dead by Kevin Krohn (Courtesy of the author, which I have reviewed here)
Lexapros and Cons by Aaron Karo (Courtesy of MacMillan Children's Publishing Group and Goodreads)

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Review: Latter-Day of the Dead by Kevin Krohn

4 comments:
Author: Kevin Krohn
Publisher: SpiralBound Publishing
Release Date: March 10, 2012


Latter-Day of the Dead is Kevin Krohn’s latest novel, which is the fictional first person account of a zombie outbreak on an isolated compound of radical Mormons. It is a thrilling horror novel that is aimed at a mature audience.

Elias is the doctor in Kanab, Utah, where his family and congregation resides. He is one of the few individuals that had been allowed to leave the compound for outside schooling, based on the needs of their secluded community. Despite his exposure to the outside world, it is not until Elias is denied what he wants most and his brethren become violently (literally) ill that he begins to question what he has always taken on faith.

While reading the book, the main thing that stood out to me is the impartial description of polygamy and Mormon history. Neither are slammed, just described in a manner that is unbiased and obviously researched. The unfortunate result of living in a closed community – inbreeding – is even handled in a dignified manner. None of the villagers are slobbering idiots; they are just slow, and there is a particular genetic disorder that is prevalent in the compound. Krohn did not even use the stereotype of the evil polygamist as a crutch to find a villain – that individual earned my disdain on his own. I had to point all of this out first because in order for me to truly enjoy a book, I want to appreciate what the author does around the story itself.

As for the story, I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was more thriller than horror, and there weren’t any parts that I found myself disgusted enough to skim. (This is what I do in Stephen King’s gorier works.) Yes, there is the typical zombie bloodshed, but it is not gratuitous and helps move the plot along. The only problem that I had with the book is that it ended rather abruptly. It is short enough that I could almost classify it as a novella, so the sequel that is sure to come could have been added to make one larger novel. Plus, I wouldn’t have to wait find out what happens after the cliffhanger ending.

I’m glad that I did not hesitate in accepting this independently published novel. It was well-written, well-edited, and just as good as anything put out by the major publishing houses. It was a quick, fun read, and I will happily recommend it to anyone who enjoys zombie books or even horror in general.

Available now on Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Be sure to add it to your TBR on Goodreads!

Be sure to come back by Bibliophilia, Please for my interview with the author, Kevin Krohn and a giveaway of the book!

*To satisfy FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received the book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. It has in no way affected the outcome.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Thenadays (8)

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For the sake of trying something different here at Bibliophila, Please, Thursday is now Thenadays.

Beware the Ides of March!


The Ides of March, as many of you know, is upon us today. According to various unreliable internet sources that I overuse, the Ides is the middle of the month and supposedly when the full moon is supposed to occur. It is the 15th day of March, according to the Roman calendar, and also the day that Julius Caesar was assassinated by his "buddies" at the Senate. It was such a significant event at the time (despite nearly every emperor being murdered by an enemy or heir), that "the Ides of March" became synonymous with the assassination, as it is now. Cicero is quoted as saying "The Ides of March are encouraging", instead of saying it gladdens his heart or gives him hope since their beloved tyrant was murdered. He knew that people would get his drift.

According to Plutarch (a major ancient historian), a seer told Julius Caesar that he would not live past March 15th, and like any good leader, he paid little mind to the person shouting at him on the street. William Shakespeare made that encounter popular in his work Julius Caesar. In case you did not know this, that literary masterpiece is offered for free over at Project Gutenberg. If you've never had the opportunity to read it, this is your chance to get your hands on it for free.


Oh, and if you have any friends named Brutus, you should probably not hang out at the capital with him today. Just sayin'.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

12 comments:
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


Title: Ten
Author: Gretchen McNeil 
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: September 18, 2012

And their doom comes swiftly.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives – an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school's most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off the from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn't scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

Does this not sound amazing? I spent my early teen years devouring R. L. Stein, Christopher Pike, Lois Duncan and others in that genre. Some were scary, some were cheesy, but I enjoyed them all the same. Unfortunately, it does not seem that there are many horror novels floating around for teens. (I'm not a teen, nor am I too far "in the loop", so I may be wrong.) I'm so glad to see this one.

The difference that is probably going to be between Ten and those aforementioned books is that Gretchen McNeil Possesses (hardy har har) the ability to scare the crap out of people. Okay, me, but I'm sure it'll scare you, too! See my bad pun back there? It was her first novel which I could only read during the day! Yes, I am a wuss, but I am a wuss that cannot wait to read Ten.

Available for pre-order! Amazon Barnes and Noble
Be sure to add it to your TBR list on Goodreads!

What are you waiting on this week?

Pssst! While you're here, be sure to enter my 200 Follower Giveaway. It's international. :-) 

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Review: The Book of Blood and Shadow

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Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Release Date: April 10, 2012

In Robin Wasserman's latest young adult novel, readers are swept away into a story of intrigue, thrills, murder, betrayal, alchemy, and conspiracy five hundred years in the making. The Book of Blood and Shadow is a history-laden treasure hunt unlike anything in its genre.

When Nora Kane's older brother Andy died, she had to slip away into a new life. Her parents were closed off, and high school would never be the same again. She changed schools and made all new friends who knew nothing of her past life (for the most part). Unfortunately for her, things fell apart once again after she, her boyfriend, and best friend began to crack the code in the ancient Voynich manuscript. As her life is turned upside down, she is forced to go halfway across the world in search of truths about the distant past, her friends, and what really happened the night that her best friend was murdered.

There are few things that I love more than an author who does a lot of research. The amount of work Wasserman spent studying the settings, plot points, and historical references in the book really shines through the pages. The historical truths have been beautifully fictionalized, and my enjoyment of it overall surpassed that of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. I also appreciate Wasserman detailing what is real and what is used in a purely imaginary fashion in the Afterward of the book. It made me a very happy quasi-historian.

I generally love action-packed, twisty thrillers with history filler, but I hit a few bumps while reading this. I had a hard time getting into the first person narration, which usually is not a problem for me. It may have had something to do with the huge influx of background information at the beginning of the novel. However, once I got into the swing of things, I was sucked into the story. The biggest problem that I had with the book was the majority of the second third of it. With all of the historical and geographical references and five hundred years old letters written by Elizabeth Weston, the plot dragged. It broke up the pacing of the story so much that I became disconnected from the characters both from the present, as well as the past. Fear not, because once again, the story picked right back up.

Overall, The Book of Blood and Shadow was an exciting, fun read that kept me guessing until the very end. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed National Treasure, The Da Vinci Code, and other conspiracy, treasure hunt thrillers.

Available for pre-order! Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Be sure to add it to your TBR list on Goodreads!

To satisfy FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received the book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. It has in no way affected the outcome.

Teaser Tuesday (1)

9 comments:

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! 

Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!




Flin could see his frightened reflection mirrored perfectly in the smoky blue eye of the snazzard. He held completely still, his heart pounding as the breath from its nostrils brushed back the tips of his hair.

-- pg. 106, Cobble Cavern by Jon Erik Olsen (ARC)
Release Date: April 10, 2012
Sweetwater/Cedar Fort 

Monday, March 12, 2012

Cover Reveal: My Super Sweet 16th Century

2 comments:
On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze.

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore.

Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever? (Goodreads summary)

Sunday, March 11, 2012

In My Mailbox (1)

8 comments:
In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren. It gives readers the chance to spotlight the books they received over the past week, whether they are for review, won, gifted, or borrowed.

I'm going to warn you now, since this is my first IMM - it's going to be huge. It's not because I received a lot of stuff this week. I just want to give credit to everything that I've received since I started blogging (and before). I meant to do this WAY before now, but the camera on my phone has stopped working, and I couldn't find the battery charger for my Cybershot. (Weak excuses, yes, I know.) Anyways, here is what I have going on here in Kayla's Bibliophileland.

For Review


200 Follower Giveaway! (INT)

15 comments:

You guys are AWESOME! And apparently there are quite a few of you now. How about a little giveaway as my way of saying thank you for hanging out at my blog? For this go-round, I am not going to give away a book. (Unless that's what you really, really want.) I have something else that is completely awesome, and I think you would enjoy winning it.

First things first, I am letting you know that I am not getting paid for giving away something from this company. I do not know anyone who works for them, around them, or even at the town their printing shop is housed at in Texas. I just buy all of my clothes here. (And I'm the one buying the giveaway shirt!) And yes, I know that dressing like me is what all the kids are wanting to do these days. Which company am I talking about, you ask? Oh. I get distracted, don't I? Well, let me present to you - Shirt.Woot.

They have FAQs and all of that nonsense on your page if you're interested in what they have to say about that. I will warn you - if you see a shirt that you like a lot, it may be gone by the end of this contest. Am I getting ahead of myself again? Here's the prize:

You can choose one (1) Woot Shirt - either the shirt of the day, one from the Reckoning, or one of the regular t-shirts from whatever special collection they have at going at the end of the contest.

Not too shabby, huh? AND!!! I will ship it to you internationally, as long as your country of residence is on THIS LIST.

I am going to be a little picky this time. This is for my followers, so I kinda need you to follow me. Okay, not kinda. You do need to follow me. I promise to be a good and gracious and kind leader and all of that nonsense. What? It's not that kind of follower thing? Damn... Well, get your rafflecopter on then.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Follower Appreciation Day: Sparkling Reviews

No comments:
Okay, I really did not want to share this with you guys (because I'm a greedy fart that wants to win All The Things), but Sparkling Reviews is having a Follower Appreciation Day where she's giving away a lot of killer stuff. Here's what you should check out (and give to me if you win):



Its a Disney Cruise for 4!

        7-NIGHT EASTERN CARIBBEAN CRUISE ON DISNEY FANTASY
IF YOU ENTER PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS CRUISE DEPARTS FROM PORT CANAVERAL, FLORIDA

 YOU HAVE TO BE 18 OR OLDER TO ENTER THIS ONE!

DUE TO THE SIZE OF THIS GIVEAWAY... THE NEXT GIVEAWAY WILL BE AT 11:00AM EST


So, click on that link up there (the Follower Appreciation title thingy). If you win from my referral, feel free to bring me along. I'm tons of fun on a ship.

An Old Favorite, or I Am Quite Strange

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As a few of you know, I run another blog in addition to this one. I do not advertise it as much, but I enjoy the hell out of writing it. I've had Gasoline Wishes and Fry Cook Dreams since my days of working in a gas station, pre-librarian. The following is one of the most popular posts, and I thought I would share it with you guys since it is somewhat bookish.


I am a terrible person. One of my very favorite authors (and not just because he writes well - he's a fantastic person), Kevin Hearne, uses quite a bit of Irish mythology in his Iron Druid Chronicles. Most of you who read this and know me personally are quite aware of the obsession that I have with anything Irish. I have an unhealthy attraction to men with red hair *swoons*, I allowed a Gael to treat me like shit for years (and would still if he hadn't disappeared), and I enjoy the mythology. Hell, my mom told me bedtime stories about Cú Chulainn when I was little. I promise I'm getting to a point, we're just taking the scenic route. Back to Fraggle Rock, oops, I mean Fragarach - it's a kickass sword. It's called "The Answerer" because a person could not lie if it was held to his/her throat (not that I would want to lie and piss someone off who had a big ass sword). I say its name like a "damned German Proddy", but I am quite aware of the pronunciation. However, the little redneck nerd in me can't help but giggle and say "Fraggle Rock" in my head when I read it in Kevin Hearne's books. I just think it's only fair that something that badass has someone laughing at it. Why not me? I'm socially awkward and I really don't have much else to do.

When I confessed my little sin against all things Atticus to Mr. Hearne (I must be formal because I'm beating a dead horse right now), things went south faster than if I had gone after some Bacchants with a baseball bat like in Hexed. Anyways, I won't explain each picture. They don't need an explanation. Just enjoy.




Kevin, this one is special just for you. I think the Fraggles threw down the gauntlet and danced naked around your sword.  Oops.


Here is where you can buy the Iron Druid Chronicles:

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Thenadays (7)

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For the sake of trying something different here at Bibliophila, Please, Thursday is now Thenadays.

Today is Kenneth Grahame's birthday. Many of you may be scratching your heads right now, but he is the author of The Wind in the Willows. Thanks to the Project Gutenberg, many old classics are available for free online. (You should seriously check them out.) In honor of his birthday, I am going to post The Reluctant Dragon from Dream Days for you to enjoy. It was adapted into a feature film by Walt Disney in 1941, and it is also one of my family's favorites.

The Reluctant Dragon 
by Kenneth Grahame


Footprints in the snow have been unfailing provokers of sentiment ever since snow was first a white wonder in this drab-coloured world of ours. In a poetry-book presented to one of us by an aunt, there was a poem by one Wordsworth in which they stood out strongly—with a picture all to themselves, too—but we didn't think very highly either of the poem or the sentiment. Footprints in the sand, now, were quite another matter, and we grasped Crusoe's attitude of mind much more easily than Wordsworth's. Excitement and mystery, curiosity and suspense—these were the only sentiments that tracks, whether in sand or in snow, were able to arouse in us.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (7)

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Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


Author: Kiera Cass
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: April 24, 2012

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Of course, I have been wanting to read about this book for ages. It is also one of the books that I've chosen for the Debut Author Challenge (which I'm terribly behind on - don't judge me). Thankfully, I was lucky enough to score a signed ARC in a contest Kiera Cass held on her site. (We had to come up with the three rules for being a princess - I used the three rules from Fight Club. I've heard that it is fitting.)

This book is on my "Waiting On" list because I am so swamped with review requests, but I'll be able to get around to it in the next week or so. Until then, I am anxiously awaiting cracking it open!

What are you waiting on this week?