This is hosted over at Caffeinated Book Reviewer and is a weekly meme where you can share any news, recap what happened on the blog in the week, showcase all the books you've gotten and share what you have coming up the following week.
Well in all honestly, this has been a packed week, which has left very little time for blogging. Usually I post my book haul on Fridays, but have just not had the time this week. I had a Harry Potter movie marathon with a friend on Monday and Tuesday, to distract us from our wait for The Hunger Games movie double bill Wedneday night. Then the actual double bill, work, more work and then seeing Catching Fire again with my cousins Friday night. During all that, I found very limited time to actually blog. I then had some really bad news after I left the cinema on Friday, my grandad had unfortunately passed away. Luckily, he was ninety-two, lived a great life and went peacefully surrounded by his sons; which I am thankful for. Today I put all that aside and was able to celebrate my seven year anniversary with my boyfriend, we've been together since we were fifteen and I'm not sure what I would do without him. 2013 has honestly been the worst year of my life so far, so I am super excited for Christmas and New Year to be over so I can start 2014, which will hopefully be much better!
Last Week On The Blog
Feature & Follow Friday
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Review
Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Want My Cousin To Read
My Thoughts On Catching Fire, The Movie.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins: Review
Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Friday Finds is something that was started over on ShouldBeReading and Stacking the Shelves over at TyngaReviews, I am in love with all of these as I love finding other blogs to follow and books to read through these! So check them all out and see what you find, Stacking the Shelves has a lot of participants as well which is great. This is basically a way for me to show what books I have received, borrowed or bought each week.
This Week I Bought:
172 Hours On The Moon by Johan Harstad
There's a reason we never went back to the moon.
It was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime. Mia, Antoine and Midori had different reasons to enter NASA's competition for a seat on the first shuttle to go to the moon in over forty years.
But while they all wanted to escape earth, they never realised there might not be a chance to come home...
The blurb gives little away and I haven't seen any reviews for this but it was on a deal and really cheap, so I thought I would give it a chance.
Easy by Tammara Webber
'I took a deep breathe and exhaled it slowly before turning around. It was Lucas who stood there. His gaze was penetrating, not wavering for a moment, and my pulse hammered under his silent scrutiny.
I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so full of pure, unqualified desire.'
Lucas is the stranger who saved Jacqueline from an attack by a fellow student - she'd never noticed him before then, and now he's everything.
But can Jacqueline trust him - or will the secrets he's hiding come between them?
Have been seeing this everywhere so thought I would give it a go.
Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
They're young, fabulous and fanged...
And they rule Manhattan from the trendy uptown clubs to the downtown boutiques. Fifteen-year-old Schuyler Van Alen has never quite fit in at her exclusive prep school- she's more of a vintage than a Versace girl- but all that's about to chance...
Because Shulyer has just found out she's a Blue Blood. The Blue Bloods are the city's glamorous and secret vampire elite. They're young, beautiful and powerful. But now they're being murdered. And Schulyer must find out who - or what - is behind it, before she's next.
Not too sure about this, but it was only £1, so thought I'd give this series starter a try. Not even sure how to pronounce Shuyler, if I'm honest.
This Week I Borrowed:
Fallen Too Far & Never Too Far by Abbi Glines
When Blaire Wynn's mother passed away, her life changed in an instant. Having cared for her sick mother on her own for years, suddenly Blaire has to leave her home and move in with the father who walked out on them.
Worse still, she arrives to discover her dad's gone to Paris for the summer with his new wife, leaving her stranded with Rush, her stepbrother, who's irritating, arrogant and... seriously sexy. Blaire knows Rush is anything but good for her, but somehow she can't fight the attraction she's feeling, especially when she starts to think the attraction is mutual. Rush is jaded and has dark secrets that Blaire's afraid of uncovering, but despite Rush's troubles, Blaire just may have fallen too far to walk away...
Stepbrothers, a rather hot concept for me ever since I saw Cruel Intentions. This sounds like it could be a good read, if I can get over the name Rush; so, so stupid. Hate the covers though, just awful.
Hysteria by Megan Miranda
You wanted him. You needed him. You killed him.
Life can change in an instant. Fear can take you to the very edge.
Mallory's old life is dead. Her boyfriend is gone; his blood washed from the kitchen tiles. Still it stains her mind. She can't ever go back.
Monroe Prep School is her new start. But everyone thinks they know what happened that night. They think they know her. They don't.
Acid by Emma Pass
ACID - the most brutal police force in history. They rule with an iron fist. They see everything. They know everything. They locked me away for life.
My crime? They say I murdered my parents. I was fifteen years old. My name is Jenna Strong.
Doesn't give much away but it sounds really great!
The Originals by Cat Patrick
'I glance at the three baby portraits in thick wooden frames. I feel a familiar prickling on the back of my neck. Because I know there's another picture somewhere - and the baby in that photo looks identical to the babies on the wall. Somewhere, there's a photo of the Original.'
Ella, Betsey and I look like sisters: triplets, you might think. But that's not what we are at all. We are clones in hiding. We split our lives and exist as one person in the outside world. And we've always been happy. But now I've fallen head-over-heels in love... and that changes everything.
Because, to let love in, I need to be allowed to be Me.
The Mark by Jen Nadol
Cassandra Renfield suspects the glowing mark she sees on certain people is more than just a trick of the light. But it's not until she watches a marked man get hit by a car that she understands what she means. Cassie knows when someone is going to die. Not how or where, only when: today.
Finally armed with knowledge about the light, Cassie seeks out those marked for death in the hopes of better understanding her "gift". She is careful to keep the power a secret- even from her new boyfriend- but with each impending death come more questions. Why is Cassie the only one who sees the mark? What happens when she sees it on someone she loves? And most important, should she tell someone they are about to die?
Beta by Rachel Cohn
Elysia was created to serve the inhabitants of Demesne, an island paradise for the wealthiest people on earth. As a soulless clone of a sixteen-year-old, Elysia is immune to the emotions that could distract her from her work as companion to the governor's children. Or so she's been told. When Elysia meets Tahir, the gorgeous, enigmatic son of Demesne's most powerful family, overpowering sensations begin clouding her mind.
Elysia isn't the unfeeling clone she must pretend to be. If anyone discovers she can love, Elysia will suffer a fate too terrible to imagine. But the pull toward Tahir is too strong to ignore. When they are torn apart with breathtaking cruelty, emotions Elysia has always had but never understood are unleashed. As rage, terror, and desire threaten to overwhelm her, Elysia vows to escape her caged existence- no matter what they cost.
Received For Review:
Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine
In the Houses of Montague and Capulet, there is only one goal: power. The boys are born to fight and die for honor and—if they survive—marry for influence and money, not love. The girls are assets, to be spent wisely. Their wishes are of no import. Their fates are written on the day they are born. Benvolio Montague, cousin to Romeo, knows all this. He expects to die for his cousin, for his house, but a spark of rebellion still lives inside him. At night, he is the Prince of Shadows, the greatest thief in Verona—and he risks all as he steals from House Capulet. In doing so, he sets eyes on convent-bound Rosaline, and a terrible curse begins that will claim the lives of many in Verona……And will rewrite all their fates, forever.
Released: 4th February 2014
Control by Lydia Kang
When a crash kills their father and leaves them orphaned, Zel knows she needs to protect her sister, Dyl. But before Zel has a plan, Dyl is taken by strangers using bizarre sensory weapons, and Zel finds herself in a safe house for teens who aren’t like any she’s ever seen before—teens who shouldn't even exist. Using broken-down technology, her new friends’ peculiar gifts, and her own grit, Zel must find a way to get her sister back from the kidnappers who think a powerful secret is encoded in Dyl’s DNA.
Released: 26th December 2013
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
For the past five years, Hayley Kincaid and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.
Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over?
Released: 7th January 2014
Vitro by Jessica Khoury
On a remote island in the Pacific, Corpus scientists have taken test tube embryos and given them life. These beings—the Vitros—have knowledge and abilities most humans can only dream of. But they also have one enormous flaw.Sophie Crue is determined to get to Skin Island and find her mother, a scientist who left Sophie behind years ago. She enlists hunky charter pilot Jim Julien to take her there. But once on the island, Sophie and Jim encounter more than they bargained for, including a charming, brilliant Vitro named Nicholas and an innocent, newly awoken one named Lux.
Released: 14th January 2014
Magnolia by Kristi Cook
In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, the Cafferty and Marsden families are southern royalty. Neighbors since the Civil War, the families have shared vacations, holidays, backyard barbecues, and the overwhelming desire to unite their two clans by marriage. So when a baby boy and girl were born to the families at the same time, the perfect opportunity seemed to have finally arrived.
Released: 5th August 2014
#Scandal by Sarah Ockler
Lucy’s learned some important lessons from tabloid darling Jayla Heart’s all-too-public blunders: Avoid the spotlight, don’t feed the Internet trolls, and keep your secrets secret. The policy has served Lucy well all through high school, so when her best friend Ellie gets sick before prom and begs her to step in as Cole’s date, she accepts with a smile, silencing about ten different reservations. Like the one where she’d rather stay home shredding online zombies. And the one where she hates playing dress-up. And;the one where she’s been secretly in love with Cole since the dawn of time.
Released: 17th June 2014
Anything To Have You by Paige Harrison
Nothing should come between best friends, not even boys. ESPECIALLY not boys. Natalie and Brooke have had each other's backs forever. Natalie is the quiet one, college bound and happy to stay home and watch old movies. Brooke is the movie—the life of every party, the girl everyone wants to be.
Released: 28th January 2014
Another Little Piece Of My Heart by Tracey Martin
What if your devastating break-up became this summer’s hit single? In this rock-and-roll retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, music can either bring you together or tear you apart. At her dying mother’s request, Claire dumps Jared, the only boy she’s ever loved. Left with a broken family and a broken heart, Claire is furious when she discovers that her biggest regret became Jared’s big break. While Jared is catapulted into rock-star status, another piece of Claire’s heart crumbles every time his song plays on the radio. The summer after her senior year, it’s been months since the big break-up, and Claire is just trying to keep her head down and make it through a tense trip to the beach with her family. But when Jared shows up, and old feelings reignite, can Claire and Jared let go of the past? Or will they be stuck singing the same old refrain?
Released: 1st December 2013
Thanks for following this week:
This Girl Reads A Lot
Cherry Mischievous
The Sea of Pages
IO Book Tours
Hopefully next week will be less busy, well after the Imagine Dragons concert, and I will be able to keep up with the blogging. So little time!
This Girl Reads A Lot
Cherry Mischievous
The Sea of Pages
IO Book Tours
Hopefully next week will be less busy, well after the Imagine Dragons concert, and I will be able to keep up with the blogging. So little time!
Wow! Awesome haul!
ReplyDeleteYou really did have a busy week. Happy Anniversary too! So sorry for your loss! My grandfather passed away just last Saturday as well and while somewhat prepared for it, it was still hard. My prayers are with you and your family.
Here's my STS
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
Thanks so much, it's hard even when you know that it's the right time; at ninety-two he had obviously got to live a long and wonderful life - helps me not feel so sad about it. All my happy thoughts are with you as well =D
DeleteLots of great books that I want to read! I tried to get the new Anderson book, but I was turned down. Enjoy! My STS
ReplyDeleteI hate when that happens! I hope it's really great. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteWow...what a haul! Hope you enjoyed Catching Fire. I did! I like the cover redesigns for Blue Bloods and the Too Far books. I liked Blue Bloods until like book 5. I stopped after that. Really enjoyed the Too Far books even if Abbi Glines pushes my graphic tolerance.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving!
SP &STS
Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know
Thanks for checking out my post. Catching Fire was amazing, am dragging the boyfriend with me to see it for the third time tomorrow - he best love it! I'm not so great with graphic scenes, but the books do look good! =D Thanks for checking out my post.
DeleteGah! I'm so excited to read #scandal. I didn't like Easy and Blue Bloods at all, but I do hope you enjoy them more than I do! Happy reading:)
ReplyDeleteMy STS Post
I am not sure of Blue Blood at all, but it was super cheap lol! I hope #scandal is amazing =D
DeleteSuch a nice assortment of books. I hope reading can take your mind off the loss of your grandfather. I also hope 2014 is a better year for you.Come see what I got at Ms. Martin Teaches Media and Inside of a Dog. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteThanks, me too! 2014 will hopefully be an amazing year! =D
DeleteHysteria is such a good book I'd recommend reading that asap! Amazing book haul, so many books! Enjoy :)
ReplyDeleteBecca @ Lost in Thought
http://lostinthought-becca.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/showcase-sunday-45-birthday-edition.html
Thanks, will definitely try to get to it soon! =D
DeleteWhoa, so many. So jealous of Prince of Shadows too, so can't wait for that one! Hope you enjoy them. :)
ReplyDeleteHeres mine
Kirsty @ StudioReads
Thanks so much for checking my post out! I'm excited for Prince of Shadows - it looks really great.
DeleteAwesome haul this week! I have Acid and Prince of Shadows for review as well and can't wait to get to them. Happy Reading =)
ReplyDeleteEmily @ Falling For YA
They look really great, I hope we both love them =D
DeleteGreat book haul! So sorry about your loss. I agree. I'm ready for 2014. Only 37 more days to go. :)
ReplyDeleteI am so excited for 2014 too, it better be amazing!!! =D
DeleteEasy was really good, one of the better NA books I've read. I've had Hysteria on my kindle for awhile now, but I haven't gotten around to read it yet. I really enjoyed Beta, hope you like it too. #Scandal sounds so good...I have ARC envy for that one. Have fun reading! ~Pam
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I am looking forward to Easy, not a big NA fan but I keep hearing such great things that I want to give it a go. #scandal does look really great, I'm hoping it's a really good reads. Thanks for checking out my haul.
DeleteSorry for your loss. Happy anniversary! That is certainly a great haul! Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteJenea @ Books Live Forever's Sunday Post
Thanks so much and thank you for checking out my post =D
DeleteHappy Anniversary but I am so very sorry for your loss <3
ReplyDeleteThere is a Harry Potter marathon on Nov 30th on ABCFamily. I plan to make chicken soup that day so it will look like I am doing something while I watch it all day long. I'm sure my family knows what I am doing but at least they have chicken soup :)
I have seen Vitro a couple times just wasn't sure if I would like it. Can't wait to see what you thought
Have a great sunday
Michelle
Because reading is better than real life
Thanks so much! Harry Potter marathons are the BEST! They are really incredible. I'm really hoping Vitro is a good read, I was excited to get that one. Thanks for checking my post out =D
DeleteThe Originals was a really good read! I also really want to read Tammara Webber's books.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!
Em @ http://theyabookbutterfly.blogspot.com/
I've heard good things about TW's books. Will have to get around to reading The Originals soon. Thanks for checking mine out =D
DeleteWow you received an awesome haul! I'm sorry to hear about your grand dad. Happy anniversary for you too.
ReplyDeleteJeann @ Happy Indulgence
Thanks so much =D
DeleteThe cover for Blue Bloods looks great. I hope it is as good as the cover! :)
ReplyDeleteMe too! =D
DeleteSounds like you had a really busy week! I just went to see Catching Fire yesterday and really enjoyed it! Awesome haul, I'm looking forward to Magnolia and Vitro! Hope you enjoy and have an awesome week! Only a little more than a month left of 2013 ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing & stopping by Bookmunchies (:
I'm looking forward to them two as well, they look really great! Thanks for checking mine out =D
DeleteEasy is THE PERFECT novel in my humble opinion, hah. I'm glad that you enjoyed CF btw. Oh, and I hope that you enjoy Fallen Too Far & Never Too Far. They were good, but I've enjoyed some other Abbi's books more, plus, Blaire was a bit too.. naive for my taste and Rush a bit too wicked. Thanks so much for stopping my my haul :)
ReplyDeleteI hope I enjoy Easy as I have heard so many great things. I hate the whole naive virgin girl meets wicked bad boy; but the books looked interesting. May have to check out some different Abbi Glines books then. Thanks for stopping by =D
DeleteI loved Easy and Blue Bloods. Easy is on my favorites shelf on Goodreads. Hysteria looks like something that I would read, so is #Scandal. Enjoy your books!
ReplyDeleteKeep hearing great things about Easy, will have to bump that up on my TBR list =D
DeleteWhat an wonderful book haul! I hope they are all awesome
ReplyDeleteMe too =D
DeleteWow, you got A LOT of great books! I read and LOVED ACID! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have! Thanks for stopping by my STS @ Addicted Readers and commenting! :)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! I'm looking forward to ACID, it looks great! =D
DeleteNice haul! I've had Acid and Beta for ages now, must really get on that.
ReplyDeleteHappy reading, enjoy all the goodies!
Thank you =D
DeleteOoh great haul! I really liked Blue Bloods. I love the cover! We have a different one in uS. Not as cool. Anyway yeah I have Prince of Shadows for Review too a few weeks ago, it looks good :D
ReplyDeleteSorry about your granddad -- I am eager for 2014 too.
Thanks for stopping by me!
-Dee @ Dee's Reads
2014 will hopefully ROCK! =D I'm looking forward to Prince of Shadows, it looks really great!
DeleteWow! What an awesome haul! I really would like to read Another Little Piece of Me and Virtro. Great stack. Hope you enjoy them all. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my StS!
Thanks so much, me too =D
DeleteWow!! Massive book haul!! Hope you have the time to read them all.
ReplyDelete2013 has not been my year either *wink* bring on 2014!!
Thanx for visiting My Weekly Wrap-Up!
Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace
Yes, 2014 better be amazing! =D
DeleteAwesome haul! I loved Beta, can't wait to read your thoughts on it.
ReplyDeleteI'm very sorry for your loss. Thinking of you.
Thanks so much! Looking forward to Beta =D
DeleteWow! Nice haul! I've been wanting to read Tamara Webber's Easy and Melissa De La Cruz's Blue Bloods, and I am INSANELY jealous that you have copies of Vitro and Magnolia, though I'm hoping the publishers will allow me to read Magnolia through Edelweiss. Great post, and thanks for commenting on my STS!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! I got Magnolia through Edelweiss too, hope you get accepted for that one as it looks really great =D
DeleteAhh, I've been having average year so far but I did lose a few lunches by clumsy me...
ReplyDeleteNew year, new... wait. Not sure how that works on a blog. Oh, got it.
New year, new start!
~Sophia @ Bookwyrming Thoughts
Hopefully 2014 will be amazing =D
DeleteOoh, I love Easy so much! And I'm dying to read Vitro and Control. Enjoy all those new books! Thanks for stopping by my blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Hearing such great things about Easy, will definitely need to start that one.
DeleteWow! You got a lot of awesome stuff I can't wait to read too! I hope you love Easy as much as I did!
ReplyDeleteI think I am in need of a Harry Potter marathon soon too. :)
I hope I love Easy too, keep hearing such great things =D
DeleteOh my gosh, everything you got looks amazing!! Enjoy! And thanks for the giveaway(: How do you plan on letting the winner know?
ReplyDeleteThanks! Email but I may have had a stupid moment and not added that to the rafflecopter - I thought I did! Oh dear...
DeleteI'm so jelly now. I don't even use the word jelly but that's exactly what I am right now lol Awesome haul and hope you love all of them! Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier!
ReplyDeleteThanks, me too =D
DeleteI've had Acid on my shelf for a while, hopefully I'll get around to it soon!
ReplyDeleteGreat haul and happy reading! :D
It'll probably be sitting on my shelf for a while too! Thanks for stopping by =D
DeleteWow lots of books! I'm really excited for #scandal, Vitro and The Impossible Knife. I've heard great things about Acid and Blue Bloods, but haven't read either yet. Great haul and happy reading!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, hope I enjoy them all =D
DeleteI've been very unlucky with my 2013 Debut Author Challenge... most of those I've read this year are so disappointing and Acid is one of the good ones. Not perfect or extremely epic, but there's definitely substance and excitement. I hope you enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteI really like Cat Patrick's books, I have The Originals on my shelf but haven't read it yet. Here's hoping this is just as good as her other books. :)
Great Haul! Thanks for stopping by! :)
I hope I enjoy it too, it looks pretty good! I haven't read any Cat Patrick before but these looked really great, hope I enjoy them! =D
DeleteWow, super awesome haul for you last week. So many great books. :) I just got EASY too recently.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog. New follower.
Beckie @ Bittersweet Enchantment
Thanks so much and thank you for following =D
DeleteI sadly didn't like Hysteria. :l
ReplyDeleteI'm really excited for #scandal though; I really like the cover and the title.
Enjoy all your lovely books & thanks for stopping by my STS! Sorry for taking so long to get back to you.