My Top 9 Books of 2009!!!!

So as the year comes to an end I take a look back on my blog and all of the friends I have made and I am truly thankful for all of you! So too wrap up this wonderful year I decided to share my personal favorite top 9 (yes 9 lol) books for 2009!!!!

#9 - Water Witch


#8 - The Vampire Diaries


#7 - The Hunger Games


#6 - Ruined: A Ghost Story

#5 - A Dirty Job

#4 - Hush Hush


#3 - Marked
#2 - Dead Until Dark

And Finally My Number One of 2009 is.....



#1 - Shiver

So What Are Your Top 9 of 2009?
Also I hope you all have an amazing New Year and
I hope we all have a safe and happy 2010

Happy Reading!

Review: Ruined A Ghost Story

• Title: Ruined A Ghost Story
  
• Author: Paula Morris
  
• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 304 pages
• Received From: Received from Scholastic Publishing
  
• Publisher: Point (August 1st 2009)
• Genre: Fantasy/Fiction
• Cover: A+
  
• Overall: A+
  
• ISBN-10: 0545042151

Rebecca couldn't feel more out of place in New Orleans, where she comes to spend the year while her dad is traveling. She's staying in a creepy old house with her aunt. And at the snooty prep school, the filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she's invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey seems to give Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he's got a hidden agenda. Then one night, in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca makes a friend. Sweet, mysterious Lisette is eager to talk to Rebecca, and to show her the nooks and crannies of the city. There's just one catch: Lisette is a ghost.

A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle. As Rebecca learns more from her ghost friend -- and as she slowly learns to trust Anton Grey -- she also uncovers startling truths about her own history. Will Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?

When I first picked up this book I was amazed by how beautiful the cover was! I have never heard of this book or author before, however when I received it in the mail I could not wait to dive in! Now you all know how I love my fantasy, and I must say this book does not disappoint. I definitely got my fantasy fix on this amazing story. I honestly could not find a downfall to this story; the plot, character development, setting were all spectacular! On top of all of that, it was different, a different type of ghost story that I feel everyone can enjoy.

The story is about this girl named Rebecca who is from New York, however when her dad has to go to China for work Rebecca finds her self having to fly to this new world with royalty and mysterys. Who knew that, that world would happen to be New Orleans? Rebecca is thrown into this new school where being in the "right" family can get you away with anything and everything. Then Rebecca meets this new friend who is unlike any of the snooty girls at school, the only problem is Rebecca is the only one who can see her. Lisette is a ghost, who holds secrets about the founding familys in Rebeccas new home town. Secrets that Rebecca now knows that can put her family in danger.

This story was amazing, it was full of so much suspense that I could not put it down. The setting was also amazing, I have never been to New Orleans however I got a vivid picture in my head from this story. Also I feel that the character development enhanced my reading experience, because I got a good idea of who was who. However as the story went on and mysterys kept unfolding the characters started to unfold into layers. Overall I feel that if you love fantasy and ghost stories you NEED to read this book!

So What Did You Think Of
Ruined A Ghost Story?

Happy Reading!

Mail Box Monday (16)

So I had an amazing Christmas I hope you all did too =) Here is some of the wonderful books Santa brought to me. Let me know what Santa left under your tree too!!!

Santa Surprises:


Gone
In the blink of an eye.

Everyone disappears.

Gone.

Everyone except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not a single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Gone, too, are the phones, internet, and television. There is no way to get help.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.

It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen and war is imminent.

The first in a breathtaking saga about teens battling each other and their darkest selves, gone is a page-turning thriller that will make you look at the world in a whole new way.

Hunger
IT'S BEEN THERE MONTHS SINCE EVERYONE UNDER THE AGE OF FIFTEEN BECAME TRAPPED IN THE BUBBLE KNOWN AS THE FAYZ.

THREE MONTHS SINCE ALL THE ADULTS DISAPPEARED.

GONE.

Food ran out weeks. Everyone is starving, but no one wants to figure out a solution. And each day, more and more kids are evolving, developing supernatural abilities that set them apart from the kids without powers.

Tension rises and chaos is descending upon the town. It's the normal kids against the mutants. Each kid is out for himself, and even the good ones turn murderous.

But a larger problem looms. The Darkness, a sinister creature that has lived buried deep in the hills, begins calling to some of the teens in the FAYZ. Calling to them, guiding them, manipulating them.

The Darkness has awakened. And it is hungry.

The Awakening
If you had met me a few week s ago, you probably would have described me as an average teenage girl — someone normal. Now my life has changed forever and I'm as far away from normal as it gets. A living science experiment — not only can I see ghosts, but I was genetically altered by a sinister organization called the Edison Group. What does that mean? For starters, I'm a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control; I raise the dead without even trying. Trust me, that is not a power you want to have. Ever.

Now I'm running for my life with three of my supernatural friends — a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch — and

we have to find someone who can help us before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying.

Need
Zara White suspects there’s a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She’s also obsessed with phobias. And it’s true, she hasn’t exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane . . . but Zara’s pretty sure her mom just can’t deal with her right now.

She couldn’t be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara’s overactive imagination. In fact, he’s still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There’s something not right—not human—in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.

In this creepy, compelling breakout novel, Carrie Jones delivers romance, suspense, and a creature you never thought you’d have to fear.

AND....... A 25 dollar gift card to Borders
Santa was good to me this year =)


So What Did You Get?

Happy Reading

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

(Its a Book Tree hehe)

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all had an amazing day I know I did! Now I am pooped and going to head to bed, now that all the craziness is over =P I hope you all got some amazing gifts (( Cough BOOKS Cough)) I did and I will post more about it tomorrow!!

Happy Reading

Mail Box Monday (15)

I received some amazing books this week that I have won from contests. I can not wait to dive into them (I have finals this week but I am going to try and sneak reading in there) =) So any way this is what I got let me know if you have read them and what you think!

Won

Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber
(won from Teens Read and Write thanks guys!!!)
In her small town, dubbed "Dullsville," sixteen-year-old Raven — a vampire-crazed goth-girl — is an outcast. But not for long... The intriguing and rumored-to-be haunted mansion on top of Benson Hill has stood vacant and boarded-up for years. That is, until its mysteriously strange new occupants move in. Who are these creepy people — especially the handsome, dark, and elusive Alexander Sterling? Or rather, what are they? Could the town prattle actually ring true? Are they vampires? Raven, who secretly covets a vampire kiss, both at the risk of her own mortality and Alexander's loving trust, is dying to uncover the truth.



Truly Madly by Heather Webber (won from Library Thing)
Lucy hails from a long line of matchmakers known as Valentine INC. According to family legend, the Valentines have been blessed by Cupid with the ability to help couples find true love. Trouble is Lucy’s powers were zapped away by an electrical surge and now all she can find are lost objects. But what good is that in the matchmaking world? Lucy is about to find out when she tries to solve a murder and winds up falling into a romance of her own.

So What Did You Get?

Happy Reading

What I am Reading Now (6)

So just to keep you updated this is what I am reading currently =) I also want to know what you all are reading, so go ahead and post below and tell me how you like your reads!

Rising Shadow
Received from Jaquelyn Wheeler

Ashlyn Woods just transferred to one of the most beautiful campuses on the west coast, where she can't wait to start her life over as a normal college student. But her plans take an unexpected turn when she discovers that she is a Soterian: a person who develops amazing powers when the balance of good and evil shifts too far in evil's favor. Soon she and the other Soterians are studying martial arts and learning to use their powers to prevent California from being plunged into chaos. But they quickly discover that they're up against a much more dangerous enemy than they anticipated. And when Ashlyn meets Kai, a devastatingly gorgeous guitar player, she realizes she must sacrifice more than she ever imagined.



Ruined A Ghost Story
Recived from Scholastic

Rebecca couldn't feel more out of place in New Orleans, where she comes to spend the year while her dad is traveling. She's staying in a creepy old house with her aunt. And at the snooty prep school, the filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she's invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey seems to give Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he's got a hidden agenda. Then one night, in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca makes a friend. Sweet, mysterious Lisette is eager to talk to Rebecca, and to show her the nooks and crannies of the city. There's just one catch: Lisette is a ghost. A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle. As Rebecca learns more from her ghost friend -- and as she slowly learns to trust Anton Grey -- she also uncovers startling truths about her own history. Will Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?

So what are you reading?

Happy Reading!

New Awards! Yay =)

I received both of these from Taschima at Bloody Bookaholic!
Go check out her blog she is awesome!

It signifies all the bloggers out there who constantly work hard to keep an updated and insightful website. They aren't afraid to take a bite with their honest reviews and enjoyable content. You amaze me, you inspire me so I call you a blog monster.

Here are my Nominees:
Alyssa at Teens Read and Write
Sara at My Life is an Effing Fairy Tale
Ashley at Ashley's Library
Jessica at A BookLover's Diary
Brizmus at Brizmus Blogs Books
and Right Back at ya Taschima =)

Happy Reading!

Review: Pretty Dead

• Title: Pretty Dead
  
• Author: Francesca Lia Block
• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Received From: I Bought it
• Publisher: Harper Teen (September 22, 2009)
• Genre: Fantasy/Fiction/YA
• Cover: A
  
• Overall: B-
  
• ISBN-10: 0061547859

People pity me, but mostly they feel envy. I have all the luxury and freedom a girl my age could want.

Something is happening to Charlotte Emerson. Like the fires that are ravaging the hills of Los Angeles, it consumes her from the inside out. But whether it is her eternal loneliness, the memory of her brother, the return of her first love, or the brooding, magnetic Jared—she cannot say. What if it's something more . . .

Something to do with the sudden tear in her perfect nails. The heat she feels when she's with Jared. The blood rushing once again to her cheeks and throughout her veins.

For Charlotte is a vampire, witness to almost a century's worth of death and destruction. But not since she was a human girl has mortality touched her.

In what way will you be transformed?

Until now.

I am torn. When I first picked up this book I could not wait to start reading it, as the pages went on I enjoyed the book. However not as much as I have other vampire books (and you all know I love my vampire books!). I think the storyline was great however I feel like it was rushed and could have been better. The character development was good however I did not find myself attached to Charlotte as I did with other characters. I also felt like the climax of the book came to late and like I stated before became rushed.

This was the first book I have ever read from Francesca Lia Block, and I must point out I did enjoy her writing style so I will look into some of her many other books. However I feel this book could have been stronger, with more detail in the plot. So as I stated above I am torn, I think I wanted this to be an amazing book and ended up getting a mediocre vampire love story. However I will still be looking into Francesca Lia Block's other works and if any of you have any suggestions please let me know.

So What Did You Think of Pretty Dead?

Happy Reading!

Happy Thanksgiving/Black Friday!!!!!

I hope you all have/had an amazing Thanksgiving! I know I am a little late but we host it here at my house so I had a bunch of cleaning and cooking to do (for 30 people ahhhhh). Anyway I hope all of your guys days was great and only a 29 more days til Christmas!

Also to all of you early bird shoppers out there, Black Friday is in a few hours!!!! I will be leaving my house at 3:30 am and shopping until 3:00 pm where I then have to go to work until close =) So I hope you all find your bargins you are looking for, and I hope you all stay safe!

So How Was Your Thanksgiving?
What Deals Are You Looking For On Black Friday?

Happy Reading!

Author Of The Month

So like many of you I am in love with the House of Night Series, mainly I think it is due to the writings of P.C and Kristin Cast! They are amazing authors, that I feel many people should know about. Their writing style is easy to follow but also unique; also their plots and characters are so interesting that makes me wonder what their creativity levels are =) So seeing as November is almost over I will be running this through December as well! Below is excerpts from one of their websites:


P.C. Cast
P.C. Cast was born in the Midwest, and grew up being shuttled back-and-forth between Illinois and Oklahoma, which is where she fell in love with Quarter Horses and mythology (at about the same time). After high school she joined the United States Air Force and began public speaking and writing. After her tour in the USAF, she taught high school for 15 years before retiring to write full time. Ms. Cast is a New York Times Best-Selling author. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Prism, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, Booksellers’ Best, and the Laurel Wreath. P.C. Cast is an experienced teacher and talented speaker. Ms. Cast lives in Oklahoma with her fabulous daughter, her spoiled cat, and her adorable Scotties!

Kristin Cast
Kristin Cast is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author who teams with her mother to write the House of Night YA series. She has stand alone stories in several anthologies, as well as editorial credits. Currently Kristin attends college in Oklahoma where she is focusing on attaining her dream of opening a no kill dog rescue shelter in midtown Tulsa.

So What Do You Think Of
P.C. and Kristin Cast?

Happy Reading!

Mail Box Monday (14)

So this past week was absolutely amazing!!!! For many, many reasons... Including getting books from publishers, authors, contests, as well as going to see New Moon! Now this week I also can not wait for I can not wait for Thanksgiving and turkey ((Yummmm)). Also Black Friday (Yes I am that person who wakes up at 3am to go shopping) So anyway this is what I received this week =)

For Review:


Ruined
(Received from Scholastic Publishing)
Rebecca couldn't feel more out of place in New Orleans, where she comes to spend the year while her dad is traveling. She's staying in a creepy old house with her aunt. And at the snooty prep school, the filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she's invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey seems to give Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he's got a hidden agenda. Then one night, in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca makes a friend. Sweet, mysterious Lisette is eager to talk to Rebecca, and to show her the nooks and crannies of the city. There's just one catch: Lisette is a ghost. A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle. As Rebecca learns more from her ghost friend -- and as she slowly learns to trust Anton Grey -- she also uncovers startling truths about her own history. Will Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?



The Vampire is Just Not That Into You
(Received from Scholastic Publishing)
Are you in love with a vampire? Are you worried that you might not be his (blood) type? Do you wonder whether that cold stare means he isn’t interested . . . or if it’s because he’s been dead for three centuries (nothing personal)? Have you tried to coax him out of his crypt with a flash of your neck or a near-death situation that requires him to save you at the very last possible moment? Have you ever considered what it will be like to introduce him to your mother? Even though your vampire’s skin is transfixingly translucent, he can still be very hard to read. Sometimes he’s simply holding back his true feelings, resisting the urge to bite you in the chance that one day you will truly love him. And other times . . . well, he’s just not that into you. How can you tell? Undead dating specialist Vlad Mezrich has all the answers, utilizing quizzes, Top Ten lists, language analysis, real-life (and real-death) testimonials, and fancy charts to show you what you need to do in order to get your vampire and keep him forever. Once you go vamp, you never decamp – so let this eternally rewarding book show you the way to the vampire of your dreams.

Won:
The Wicked Series
And They are ALL SIGNED!!!!!


Witch an Curse
(Won from Ashley @ Books Obsession She.....)
Holly Cathers's world shatters when her parents are killed in a terrible accident. Wrenched from her home in San Francisco, she is sent to Seattle to live with her relatives, Aunt Marie-Claire and her twin cousins, Amanda and Nicole. In her new home, Holly's sorrow and grief soon give way to bewilderment at the strange incidents goings on around her. Such as how any wish she whispers to her cat seems to come true. Or the way a friend is injured after a freak attack from a vicious falcon. And there's the undeniable, magnetic attraction to a boy Holly barely knows. Holly, Amanda, and Nicole are about to be launched into a dark legacy of witches, secrets, and alliances, where ancient magics yield dangerous results. The girls will assume their roles in an intergenerational feud beyond their wildest imaginations...and in doing so, will attempt to fulfill their shared destiny.



Legacy and Spellbound
(Won from Ashley @ Books Obsession Is......)
Holly Cathers is not the same person she was almost a year and a half ago. After discovering her connection to an ancient legacy of witches, Holly has accepted her destiny as a descendant to the House of Cahors. She is determined to end an intergenerational feud that has plagued her family for centuries. Holly will have to overcome unworldly obstacles as she battles to protect her loved ones—including Jer, a member of the rival House of Deveraux and her one true love. A war of magical proportions is being waged and Holly is at the center of it all. Lives will be lost and sacrifices will have to be made...



Resurrection
(Won from Ashley @ Books Obsession THE BEST!!!!)
WHAT THE CAHORS witches thought was the end of their troubles was only the beginning. A threat more powerful and more frightening than anything they have faced has been watching and waiting. The Cahors witches must come together and find Jer and Eli as both the Deveraux and the Cahors family lines face eradication.All the secrets of the Cahors will be revealed, forcing them to overcome their greatest weaknesses in order to achieve their most powerful strengths. And only united do they have any chance at victory. Before the end, sacrifices will be made, alliances forged, and old friends lost forever.



Possessions
(Received from Nancy Holder with my Wicked Series Books!)
The It Girl meets The Exorcist in this chilling, haunted boarding school tale New-girl Lindsay discovers all is not right at the prestigious Marlwood Academy for Girls. Ethereal, popular Mandy and her clique are plotting something dangerous. Lindsay overhears them performing strange rituals, and sees their eyes turn black. It doesn't help that the school itself is totally eerie, with ancient, dilapidated buildings tucked into the Northern California woods, a thick white fog swirling through campus. There are hidden passageways, odd reflections in the windows at night, and scariest of all is the vast lake rumored to have captured the ghost of a girl who drowned many years ago. What Lindsay doesn't yet realize is that Mandy and her cohorts are becoming possessed by spirits who have haunted the school for two hundred years. Spirits who want someone dead... And that someone is Lindsay.



Pretty Little Devils
(Received from Nancy Holder with my Wicked Series Books!)
Watch out! These babysitters will stab you in the back. Everything changes for Hazel Stone when she's noticed by Sylvia, queen bee of their high school's popular girls, the Pretty Little Devils. Sylvia invites Hazel to one of the group's famous soirees—held at the site of one of their babysitting jobs. Hazel couldn't be more thrilled! But what she doesn't know is that popularity comes with a price. Some people can become jealous of a girl's newfound status— deadly jealous. One of these babysitting babes is a killer! Hazel has to figure out which one, before they turn their backstabbing ways on her.



Powers: A Novel
(Won From Library Thing)
A sheltered Gypsy girl named Mariutza. Her grandfather utters a mysterious last request before dying in her arms after being shot by ten cloaked men. Those same men die before her eyes, but strange powers continue to pursue Mari through the swamps of southern Louisiana where she has always hidden from “the Badness.” The whole world seems to join in the chase—helicopters, soldiers, government agents, and the police are all trying to kill her. Mari’s only hope of survival is to find Jaazaniah the Prophet, the mythical hero of her grandfather’s bedtime stories. But she has never been outside the swamp or known other humans besides her grandfather and one teacher. How can this lone girl survive the bewildering world of men long enough to find a prophet who might not even exist?

So What Did You Get?

Happy Reading!