Monthly Archives: December 2010

Blogging in the New Year

Posted on December 31, 2010 | 5 comments

It has been my experience that if you write something down you are more likely to follow through with it.  This is especially true with me.  If I say something out loud or write it down I usually follow through, so here goes.  Plans for my blog in the new year.  I am actually coming up on my year mark for my blog soon (seriously gone by super fast) and in the past year I have learned a lot about myself as a reader.  Here are some of those things tied in with my goals for the new year:

1.  I don’t like contemporary books.  Sorry guys, I know the stories are fantastic and there are lots of people who  love to read them, but I am not one of them.  Why?  I lead an ordinary life everyday (not that I am not happy, I am) but I don’t want to read a book about someone else who leads a life similar to mine.  I want my books to take me somewhere extraordinary and other worldly, so I stick mainly to the paranormal genres.  It took me a while to figure this out, so I would pick up books in other genres, swearing I would get to them.  Guess where those books are?  On my shelf still in the to be read pile, that’s where.  So goal number 1:  Only accept books in the genres I am interested in.  There are so many fantastic adult and young adult books in the paranormal and fantasy genres.  Therefore I do not want to have books in genres I am not interested in pile up on my bookshelf when someone else could be enjoying them far more than me.

2.  For my second goal I am going to try to read my books and ARC’s in order of their release dates.  This is going to be really hard for me because I like to jump around a lot.  Plus, since I have gotten into blogging I have discovered so many new fantastic series that I am behind on I tend to get lost in those worlds and release date’s come and go and I am behind on my reviews again.  I really am going to work on this.  I am having doubts as I type, but it would not be a good goal if it was not challenging right?

3.  I am going to try to branch out a little more.  Even though it is easy to talk to you from behind my computer, I still get nervous about it.  Especially on twitter, I watch all the conversations and want to join in but I am afraid I am going to say something stupid, so I just watch.  I have also blurted out ridiculous things when I meet authors in person.  I just get so excited when I am around them because their books mean so much to me.  They are like my rock stars.  I need to remember they are people too and I can talk to them without being all nervous.   So, goal three:  branch out more and talk to authors minus the nerves.

That’s it for now.  I am going to start out with three simple goals and see how well I do with them.  Reflecting back on this year I realize that this blog is one of the best things I have done for myself, ever.  I absolutely love reading and blogging and hope to continue on with it long into the future.  The most rewarding aspects of this blog have been all the amazing people I have met, both authors and bloggers.  We are all share a common thread, we love books!  I am so happy I have found my little niche in this world, it just makes this that much more fun.  So thank you to all my readers, I hope you continue to enjoy my blog and I will continue to enjoy writing it. :)

5 Comments

Posted in Life

Waiting on Wednesday – Kiss of Snow

Posted on December 29, 2010 | 3 comments

I am crazy excited about the book I am talking about this week for Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by Breaking the Spine. I think I am going to have a hard time really articulating how excited I truly am for this book to come out.  Nalini has been torturing us with little teases here and there of Hawke’s story.  Well, I bet she does not really want to torture us, but I know it feels like it to me because I am dying to see what happens with him, literally going crazy over here.  This entire series has been nothing short of amazing to me and I have looovvveedd every single minute of reading it.  Just when I think she could not write a new intriguing angle, bam! She does it.  Seriously, I cannot say enough good things about this series as a whole.  If you have not read it and you are into adult paranormal romance, you really need to check this series out.

Alright enough about the entire series, Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh is the latest installment in the psy/changling world and if you could not tell it focuses on Hawke.  Here is a summary from goodreads.com:

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s exhilarating world of shapeshifters and psychics is “paranormal romance at its best” (Publishers Weekly). Now comes the story of an alpha wolf named Hawke used to getting exactly what he wants–and of the only woman who dares tangle with him.

Since the moment of her defection from the PsyNet and into the SnowDancer wolf pack, Sienna Lauren has had one weakness. Hawke. Alpha and dangerous, he compels her to madness.

Hawke is used to walking alone, having lost the woman who would’ve been his mate long ago. But Sienna fascinates the primal heart of him, even as he tells himself she is far too young to handle the wild fury of the wolf.

Then Sienna changes the rules and suddenly, there is no more distance, only the most intimate of battles between two people who were never meant to meet. Yet as they strip away each other’s secrets in a storm of raw emotion, they must also ready themselves for a far more vicious fight…

A deadly enemy is out to destroy SnowDancer, striking at everything they hold dear, but it is Sienna’s darkest secret that may yet savage the pack that is her home…and the alpha who is its heartbeat…

I am getting giddy just reading the summary.  The book does not come out until July 1st of next year so I have a looonngg wait ahead of me sadly.  I know it is going to be worth it though, I cannot wait!  So what are you excited about this week?

3 Comments

Posted in Adult Paranormal Romance, Wating on Wednesday

Book Review of The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

Posted on December 28, 2010 | 3 comments

Title: The Lost Saint

Author: Bree Despain

Release Date: December 28, 2010

*If you have not read The Dark Divine, this will contain spoilers*

Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She was infected with the werewolf curse while trying to save him, and lost her beloved brother in the process. When Grace receives a haunting phone call from Jude, she knows what she must do. She must become a Hound of Heaven.
Desperate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot—a newcomer to town who promises her that he can help her be a hero. But as the two grow closer, the wolf grows in Grace, and her relationship with Daniel is put in danger—in more ways than one.
Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace begins to give into the wolf inside of her—not realizing that an enemy has returned and a deadly trap is about to be sprung.

Summary from Goodreads.com

My Review: Seriously, this book rocked!  I love this series!  End of review.  Okay, just kidding.  I did have to think about my review for this book because I was not sure how to put into words how much I loved it.  Bree has done a wonderful job of telling a dark story filled with suspense and love.  The relationship between Grace and Daniel drew me into the first book, The Dark Divine, and in this book I remember why I love the two of them together so much.  They have a unique relationship because they have been friends since childhood and have grown up together.  They are also bonded by their secret.  The only trouble is, they are teenagers.  They are new to the whole idea of love and events in this book put their relationship to the test.  They both want what is best for the other and try to protect them, but in doing so they are inadvertently unraveling all the groundwork they have laid in this relationship.   It was heartbreaking to watch the events unfold and the relationship strain, but at the same time I felt it was necessary.  No relationship is perfect and if Grace and Daniel never had any bumps in the road it would not be believable.  So while I felt it was tough to read it, I admire Bree for writing a realistic relationship.

I will also admit that I started and finished the book in one night.  I could not put it down.  There was so much going on and so many questions I needed answered, I could not go to sleep without knowing how it ended.  And it was quiet and ending!  I am of course, not going to spoil it for you, but I think once you get there you will understand.

The Lost Saint had a dark edge that kept me fully engrossed with plot twists that kept me on the edge of my seat.  I didn’t dare put it down!

FTC:  I won this ARC from a contest run by Bree Despain.

3 Comments

Posted in Young Adult Paranomal