Dusty Book Challenge

  Hi everyone, I thought I would do a few challenges this year and this one looked cool so I signed up. It is hosted by Jessica at Books: A True Story and if you haven't signed up for this one you need to.

And I basically have to read alot of the books I haven't read that reside on my shelf. I really read books once I get them but then  I will try.

 I want to try and become a Grungy which means I have to read 20 books or more than have been sitting on my shelf. So here I go:

Cover Love

  I am currently brain dead so I thought I would just show y'all a cover I found and just love cause it is so pretty. I was just surfing on my Nook Tablet and saw it.. I may just buy it in a moment. In fact I will because I just adore the cover. I try not to judge a book by its cover, for instance I loved the cover for Matched by Ally Condie and  I absolutely hated it. I think I will like this one though. Its synopsis sounds good.

   When Ariel Donovan's best friend goes missing, she has to face the prospect of going back to normal life without her. Mysterious things start happening to her, and she wonders if she's being haunted. Along the way, she meets new friends and encounters old foes, and it's possible that nothing is as it seems. Will Ariel find out the truth about what is going on in the small town of Hell?

   Find Abigail at: 

 Her Website

Blog

Goodreads

Buy Her Books at: 

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Review: Cross My Heart

Title: Cross My Heart

Author: Katie Klein 

Publisher:  Indie 

Published: 2011? (I looked but couldnt find the exact date.) 

Source: Barnes and Noble Ebook store

( synopsis is taken from Goodreads.) 


True love can blossom in unexpected places. This is Jaden pretending not to notice. . . .


Jaden McEntyre and Parker Whalen are a wrong fit from the start. Jaden is driven and focused, Harvard Med School within reach. Parker has a past-a reputation-and the rumors about his mysterious habits abound. So there's no reason why, when they're assigned to work together on a project in English, they should discover they have anything in common, or even like each other, and they definitely shouldn't be falling in love. 


As they bond over Edith Wharton's tragic novella, Ethan Frome, the "bad boy" vibe Parker plays begins to dissipate. Soon, Jaden finds herself shedding her own "good girl" image: sneaking around to be with him, confiding in him, and ultimately falling hard for this leather-wearing, motorcycle-driving loner who plays into the rebel stereotype. 


Still, Jaden can't shake the feeling that there's more to Parker than he's letting on. He's hiding something from her, and discovering the truth means reconciling the Parker she's grown to love with the person he really is. Because it's possible that his life inside the classroom-everything Jaden knows-is one, massive lie. 

 The cover is really pretty and I love the big flower. I just don't see how it matches the book.  Don't get me wrong it is one of my cover lusts, yet I am having trouble on how it relates. The only time I remember flowers in this book was when Parker gave her some for prom. I will have to go back and see if it is the same type of flower.

   In the synopsis,very beginning, it states: True love can blossom in unexpected places. So maybe blossom retains to the flower on the cover.  I am not for sure if there was something to do with that flower in the book so I cant give it  a negative cover review cause I really do think it is gorgeous, Just  trying to get how it portrays the book. So I give it a good lucky- 

4 E-readers. 

  

   
This book drips with sweetness. That is how it begins that is how I fell in love with it. I love it because it is so innocent. You walk into this story expecting the good, perfect girl, who has everything to come into the story and fall in love with the bad boy who is poor and needs help but is an outcast.  If you want and expect that from this book you do not need to read it or you need to read it because it is much better than you thought it was going to be because you don't know what is coming.

 The chemistry between the two of the characters was just so sweet. I really thought this is just going to be some sweet high school but it has so much more depth than boy meets girl,girl falls for guy, guy turns girl away, make out a page and a half later. So much better than that is this book.
 
Jaden is the good girl. Never making a bad decision always having people think she is perfect Ms. good-two shoes. 4.0 grade average and Harvard bound, she is always doing things for others. She is also a huge teachers pet and girlfriend of  basketball player, Blake. Worst thing she thought she had ever done was being late to English that God-Forsaken day. The last person left that had not been picked was Parker Whalen, the guy that was classified as the bad group, if one person counts as a group.

  Parker Whalen. The guy is first class hot but no one will talk to him. Last one to not have a partner in English. He is quiet never brings anything to class. He owns a motorcycle and lives in a beat up trailer and as Jaden starts to snoop, an abusive father who doesn't  care. Soon she finds out in a very dangerous way what Parker is or more who he is.
    Jaden's Brothers were some of my favorite characters in these books. Daniel and his over protectiveness toward his baby sister was at points annoying and others makes me wish I had a brother, especially one older than me.  Her other brother was just funny himself. I loved all of the McEntyre family minus her Mother. I wasn't a big fan of her when she grounded Jaden from everything even charity work, which in any case if you ask me is terrible. The lady grounded her from prom also so I got to say, Mrs. McEntyre  isn't my favorite person in the world. In fact I dont like her much even though she did get better as the book progressed.

  The romance  took a while to get to. In my opinion it was perfect for the book. The romance is something  I look for when I am reading a book and if its lacking it I really can not get into it. The bad boy and good girl didn't immediately swoon over one another which is something I hate in books. I need them to develop over a course of time in a book. That is what the author does, and does it well if I may say so myself.
  I loved the ending of the book. I love how it skipped a year into the future and I can't tell you what happens without ruining the ending and giving away spoilers. The author had me cracking up at the sweet ending . Lets put it this way even though it is filled with with drama and everything else this is something different than anything I have ever read,- and PS I loved it.  It gets the sacred 5 ereader rating.
  5 Ereaders 



  Here are some of my favorite quotes. I usually have trouble keeping notes when I am reading with my nook ,but I got a Nook Tablet for christmas and it is so much easier to highlight quotes. So here are my favorites:

"Parker Whalen  knows I am alive...."  - Jaden M.


""You know, thats not very polite . Here I am, offering to show you a good time and you have the nerve to ask questions?" " - Parker Whalen 


"A peace offering. I proffered  Sun Chips. He's offering a getaway." 


""People believe what they want to believe. That's not something you can change, whether you want to or not.....""  - Parker 


""Thanks for letting me borrow your heater," he says grinning, at me.I crack a small smile," Thanks for stalking me.."" - Katie 


"I won't get you in trouble.,"he promises."Cross my heart." - Parker 


""Because your....you. You've never dated a girl longer than a week. I swear to God, I'm waiting for it to start snowing ,or the zombie apocalypse, because the world is coming to an end."" - Jaden to Phillip, her older brother. 



 

   

  

Book Spotlight- Beautiful Code

Title: Beautiful Code
Author:Sadie Hayes
Price: 2.99


  Set against the fast-paced, winner-take-all world of Silicon Valley, where today’s software geek is tomorrow’s billionaire, The Start-Up chronicles the meteoric rise of Adam and Amelia Dory, a talented brother and sister team. With only each other to rely on, the naïve eighteen-year-olds must make their way through a treacherous world of money, power, and envy. 


This suspenseful and exciting episode is the third installment in an ongoing serial story.

 To be honest with you, the Start-Up Series was one of my favorites of 2011 that is why I talk about it so much. So the rest of this week and the next I will be doing Book Spotlight which are the books I most enjoyed in 2011.  This series will come in number 10 in my Book Spotlight as my favorite reads this year. 

   Purchase at Amazon. 

       

Six Weeks to Yehdiah Tour Stop+Giveaway+Review+Interview

1) Hi, Melissa! Thank you for stopping by Courtney's Book Nook for a stop on Tour De
Codex. So how do you sum up your book as short as possible?

Thanks for having me, Courtney! Six Weeks to Yehidah is the tale of a spunky young
girl on a metaphysical journey. As she travels from one adventure to another through
magical, mystical lands, she learns ancient wisdom traditions and gains deeper and
deeper insight into herself and her world. Eventually she must make the most important
decision she's ever faced -- whether or not to return to the self she has always known.
Probably the most essential thing I should share with you and your readers is that
Annalise's story is everyone's story. It is the journey of life.

2) Where were you when you finished Six Weeks to Yehidah? What was going through
your mind when you finished?

You know how you can get completely immersed in reading a book, and then, when you
finish it, you're overcome by a mixture of emotions? You're relieved at the resolution,
you're reacting to the outcome, you're happy that you got to the end, you're sad that
it's over, you're going to miss the characters, and you're not quite sure what to do with
yourself outside of the world of the novel. It's like that when you finish writing a book too.
I was elated, sad, relieved, disappointed, proud -- all of it. I write on a laptop, so I was
outside on the patio, and I think the whole neighborhood must have known I finished
because I called my mom from my cell and kept saying over and over, "I finished my
novel. I can't believe it. I finished my novel." I was quite loud, I'm sure.

3) What was your favorite thing about Six Weeks to Yehidah?

Wow. Excellent question. That's like asking, "What is your favorite thing about your
child?" The temptation is to say, "Everything." If I really had to pick just one thing, I'd
have to say it's the message. SWTY is about love, tolerance, acceptance of ourselves
and others, and finding purpose in life.

The writer Toni Morrison once said, "If there's a book you really want to read, but it
hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." And that is what I did with Six Weeks to
Yehidah. I wrote the book I wish I’d had available to me as a kid.

4) The Holidays are coming up. What is your favorite thing to do during the holiday?

I love to be with family and take time off from work to simply relax. I can’t remember
the last time I had one whole day off. It’s been years. This Christmas, I’m claiming the
entire day for leisure. I’m not even going to work for one hour. It will be all kinds of
gingerbread, mistletoe, tinsel-topped magic for me.

5) So tell us about your cover. What is your favorite thing about it?

Mark Knox, of KnoxworX Multimedia, designed the cover, and I just love it. People,
undoubtedly, now associate the story of Yehidah with the image of the girl peering down

from the clouds onto the labyrinth of her life. My favorite thing about the cover is the
mood it conveys: Mystery permeates the very air, yet the cover hints at discovery too.

6) Who is your favorite author that is alive?

You don’t beat around the bush, do you? I love it. I’d have to say Gabriel García
Márquez. His words dance like the feet of thousands of tiny, mischievous fairies across
my heart and soul. Every sentence he writes simultaneously breaks my heart and
exalts me to wonder. His imagination is unparalleled. His understanding of the human
condition is genius. He is a complete original.

7) What is one thing you would change about Six Weeks to Yehidah?

Reading my published copy, I found a couple of sentences I’d like to restructure. But I
have to say that my publisher put me through a rigorous editing process, involving many
great editors and writers who all read the book several times, and I can’t even count
how many times I read the book before publishing it, so I have to assume that no one
else will notice what I thought I noticed.

8) Do you ever cry in a super sad book? What is one book you have cried like a baby
on?

Oh yes—I cry at the sad parts. The one that always gets me is Charlotte’s Web. I love
that book, and I cry every time. Of course, I am a vegetarian now.

9) So do you have a most obsessed fan yet? If not I am sure we can find you that one
perfect stalker -I meant- fan.. :)

I don’t have any fans who would qualify as obsessed, thank heavens, but I get some
amazing letters. People say the funniest things. One guy wrote that after checking Six
Weeks to Yehidah out from the library, he was giving up cigarettes to save the money to
buy the book for his daughter. Now that is a positive impact I never expected my book
to have – to get someone to quit smoking. But I’m glad!

10) So when you get a bad review, does it hurt your feelings?

I haven’t had any bad professional reviews yet, but there were a couple of people on
Goodreads who didn’t care for it and rated it a 2. At first it hurt my feelings, but then I
read the reviews and saw the things they misinterpreted, and I realized they just didn’t
understand the book. Then I looked up some great books that I love to read and saw all
of their bad rankings, and I realized that all authors get these reviews, and I just need to
brace myself for more. I can handle it. I wouldn’t have put the book out there if I couldn’t
be receptive to honest feedback.

REVIEW: 

  I really did enjoy Six Weeks to Yehdiah although I admit I expected something different. I am not for sure what that was but I was hoping for something different . So the author made up for what I was expecting. This book made an impact on me like it did others. It was well written by Melissa,especially for a debut author.
GIVEAWAY- An Ecopy of Six Weeks to Yehidiah 

Review of Angel in the Shadows

Title: Angel in the Shadow
Aurhor: Lisa Grace
Publisher: Eloquent Books
Published: May 23, 2011 (ebook)
Format: .EPUB for Nook
Source: Received for Review


Fifteen-year-old Megan Laughlin has a gift--or what seems like a curse at times. Megan sees angels and demons. 


Megan knows her destiny is to protect her friends against dark angels who try to sway them into situations that can destroy their lives, their souls, and their eternity. 


At school, she recognizes Judas, an über popular boy, as an evil angel hell-bent on destroying her and everyone she loves. As Judas spreads horrible rumors and overdoses two of her classmates at a rave, Megan realizes the enormity of his power. While classmates die, Megan, with the help of an angel, Johnny, and a team of friends will face the fight of their lives as they battle Judas. 

Megan thinks God hasn't given her any "special" powers, but discovers she has what she needs as she confronts Judas and his seemingly unconquerable power.




    

 I wasn't a big fan of the cover. I thought the cover model had a big nose and I have no idea who the angel was suppose to be from the book because I don't remember an angel that fit the description in the book.  It isn't a terrible looking but it wasn't eye popping cool or gorgeous. It was just not for me. Also please remember this is just my opinion and you may think it is the prettiest cover you have ever seen . Its all on personal opinion





  Different from what I normally read.. I usually settle for just YA romances and leave it in the contemporary  and historical.. Also, every now and then I will settle for a good dystopian which I usually have trouble getting into  for some reason. That is why I am very picky when ever I am asked to review it.
 The point of view was of a girl. Thank goodness. I always seem to have a problem getting into a mans head even if it is written for me. There is not telling what they keep in it. The persons head we are in ,Megan, really does a good job on description.  She was also an interesting character herself.
   So the start of the book was slow if you asked me. Reading from the beginning I just couldn't grasp the book. Yes I a Christian. Yes I do go to church every Sunday. Yes I love God more than anyone. This book at one point when a boy calls Megan to the hospital after an accident with an evil angel and a drug overdose. He was a Christian but he almost fell in hell. It was scary.It was really scary...
    There was a good angel and a bad  angel at a  school. Jude/Judah/Damian/what-ever-else is the bad one that really had me creeped out on Monday night  when I finished it. He was the super popular  boy that was killing off or more like helping them kill themselves. He would influence them because he was the popular new boy to do Drug Over Dose or as he did with a Goth boy in the beginning. His goal is to get as many  people in hell as possible.
  The authors writing is also distinctive and addicting at points especially toward the end. Mandy pregnant, you know I saw that coming.Though I did  predict  her being pregnant, I didn't see the ending of the book. I mean it was a good ending and it made me want to move onto the next book right that moment. I would have to if it had not been 1 in the morning and I kept falling asleep. I will soon have that review up following this one in a few days. Right now I have to get some other books to review out of the way and one I really want to buy and I will feature on So Want Saturday.
   So my rating is 4 E-readers 

Odd Fact Daily

  Hi everyone. I hope y'all are all having a merry Christmas and Holidays. So with cristmas fast approaching so is my birthday! :) Yes I know I am just super duper excited I am about to be a teenager. 13 is the magic number in less that 14 days.On January 4th, 1999 I  was born.  So feel free to leave some comments down below with Happy Birthday , Courtney or something like that. :) So I have a review coming up.

Interview with Chelsie Shakespeare

1) So Chelsie, I was snooping  around your blog and saw you were trying to finish a new novel, Split by January 1, 2012. How is it going ? It's going very well. I'm even more excited about this novel than I was The Pull, but I'm sure that's how it always goes... hopefully each will get better as I gain more experience in this industry. I am going to be on track to finish by January, and then of course I will have to get it published. Who knows how long that will take, it's quite a process.

2) What is you favorite scene in The Pull? Do you remember where you were when you wrote it? Ooooh, good question! My favorite scene is probably the one with the rope swing. Her and Kyler were really easy to write together because their relationship was so effortless and sweet. Thinking back on it, I don't really remember where I wrote any of it specifically. Most of my writing just happens on my couch while my husband studies.

3) Do you plan out your stories or do you just let them flow from your fingers? Both, definitely both. I will have a general a concept for a novel and the rest just flows when I sit down to write. The Pull was definitely MORE planned, while Spit's major plot points happened in the moment as I sat down to write. I like to wait a while (sometimes months) before I go back and read what I wrote... sometimes I don't even really remember writing it. I just get in a zone and go to my happy place.

4) Do you write your rough draft with a pen and paper or do you type it in the document on your computer? It is all typed so I can modify the document as I go, however, when I find myself away from my computer and I get a idea, I jot it down and then type it up when I get home. I really hate the double work so I try to avoid this as much as possible, but it happens.

5) When was your first interest in writing? Are you a big reader? I am a HUGE reader. I love love love to read, and I do remember when the urge to write first struck. I had just devoured the Twilight series and when I put it down I thought, huh, I could do this. If she can do it, I can do it! I had a conversation with my mom over dinner about how I wanted to write a novel about a man and a woman destined to be together from a previous life. From that conversation to now it's been quite a journey.

6) Favorite thing about being an author? I like the idea that something will live on after I'm gone. I've made my tiny little imprint on the world and someone in three hundred years might pick up my novel and read the words I wrote. I really love that idea.

7) So who is your favorite character in your book the Pull ?? Evie, for sure. I put so much of myself into her character. We're very similar and I think that's a comfortable place to write from for your first novel. Write what you know. Parts of my life are in the story almost exactly as they happened. I have a beautiful life and a beautiful marriage so I poured what I know into that novel. It's a very personal love story to me. After getting that under my belt it's fun to write something as evil and crazy as Split has become. Split has taken NOTHING from my life and I am nothing like my characters.  It's entirely my own creation and it's stretched the bounds of where I could go as an author.

8) Your personal opinion, not Evie's, Kyler or Easton?? Ummmmm.. Wow. This is a tough one. I love Kyler a lot, and the point of Kyler was to show that (in my fictional world) you can fall in love with many people, but there is ONE you are meant to be with. They are your other half. Even though you could be happy with many many other men, this one is just for you. So I'm going to have to stick with Easton. But taking the two men OUT of context and sticking them in the real world? I would choose Kyler ;-)

9) So tell us your favorite thing to do besides writing and reading?? I like spending time with my family and friends. They are so supportive and fun. When I'm not writing (which is a very introverted hobby) I like to soak up time with the people I love.

10) So... Do you have a most obsessed fan yet? I have a friend who has been VERY supportive and excited about my work, but I don't think that really counts :-) I haven't had anyone write to tell me they are obsessed, but I hope there's at least someone out there who will follow my work as I progress as an author :-)

11) So ,Shakespeare, does that mean you are related to William Shakespeare?? :) Ha! I wish. My husband is. I married into the name. As far as the genealogy has traced, William Shakespeare is my husband's great great great great forever great uncle.

In My Mailbox (3)

 Hi everyone. In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at the Story Siren. So this is what I have gotten in the mail/bought in the past week:
                                                                   Bought

                                    Received for Review:

 Won or Gave to me:

Traded: