Friday Blog Hop - September 30th

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!


Each week, participating blogs are asked questions to post and answer on their websites.

This week’s question –

“In honor of Banned Books Week, what is your favorite “banned or frequently challenged book”?”
Click here for 2010-11 list in PDF format. You can also click HERE to view past years and choose from any of those titles!


What a wonderful question and what a difficult one to answer.  I had a look at the 2010/11 list and there were several titles on it that made my 'list'  At first I thought I'd go with The Hunger Games, and then I changed my mind.  I think my favourite is actually 'Twenty Boy Summer' by Sarah Ockler.  It was challenged as being soft porn, but I remember reading it and thinking it was a wonderfully poignant read about how different people handle the loss of a loved one.  I guess it's all in how you interpret what you read, but the important thing is that EVERYONE should be given the opportunity to make that interpretation, not have it made for them. 

Welcome to the Paperback Princesses! Make yourself at home, take a look around our blog and let us know what you think in the comments section. We would love to hear what you have to say about our posts. We often try to comment on your comments as well so feel free to start a conversation! Since there are two of us running the show, we always have a variety of titles and event postings. Be sure to check out our own personal meme page. Check out Fantastic Fairytales, Let's Hear it for the Boys, In Case you Missed it and a few others. We try to not only focus on new YA books but also great titles from the past.

Lesley Livingstone and Kelley Armstrong visiting Clarington in October.

Attention any Ontario bloggers, and readers, who live in the Greater Toronto Area. as part of the Canadian Library Month celebration in Clarington,  Lesley Livingstone and Kelley Armstrong will be visiting Clarington Public Library in October.  Unfortunately, not on the same day, but isn't this wonderful news for local fans?

Lesley Livingstone, author of Wondrous Strange, Darklight and Tempestuous and her newest book Once Every Never, will be at the Newcastle Village Branch of the Clarington Public Library on Thursday October  6th, from 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm.

Kelley Armstrong, well known author of The Summoning, the Awakening and The Reckoning  and the Gathering, as well as the adult series Women of the Underworld, which includes Waking the Witch and Spellbound,  will be at the same location (Newcastle Village Library) on Saturday October 15th  from 3.00 pm to 4.00 pm


There is no charge for the event but the number of spaces are limited, so if you're interested call the main branch in Bowmanville  at 905-623-7322, or the Newcastle Village Branch at 905 987-4844 soon and ensure you get a spot.


I am really looking forward to meeting both ladies and I'm only sorry Christinabean won't be able to join me, although she has given me a couple of books to get signed !  See, I haven't forgotten :)  I'd really love to see some fellow bloggers at the events, so mark both dates on your calendar and come in and visit in my neck of the woods.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Published: Sept 2011

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Pages: 450

Copy Provided by: Simon and Schuster Canada

Summary: Goodreads

Summary:

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

Review:

The summary doesn't give you much to go on, does it?  I didn't know what to expect of this title either but it was one of the best books I've read this year!  I was am so pleased with this story.  It kept me riveted!  Ms. Hodkin draws a fine line between reality and fantasy always pushing the boundaries of the imagination.  She takes the reader down surprising trails and leaves you wanting more.  

Need some more enticement?  Check out the trailer -

Its actually a bit of a complicated story so I don't want to give anything away.  Michelle writes beautifully and before I could blink, I was caught up in Mara's world.  It was truly unputdownable.  She (Mara) has this power and you're never really sure if it is real or imagined.  If you enjoy suspense, thrillers a bit of romance (and maybe a little bit of emo), you should enjoy this one.  (I should also mention that there is a bit of language in this book.  It may not be appropriate for a younger audience.)

Wait!  There's more!  (I'm gushing, aren't I?)  Of course there is a hottie bad boy who stars in Mara's life.  Who doesn't like a hot bad boy?  Move over book boyfriends, I think Noah's going to be a new contender on my list....I wouldn't be surprised if he makes Curlypow's as well....

If you only have time to read one book this year.  Make sure this is the one you choose.

Waiting on Wednesday - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,  that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating or books that are in our TBR pile.  This week’s “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is

Summary (by Goodreads)

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

We were lucky enough to receive a copy of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer from Simon and Schuster Canada.  Keep your eyes peeled for a review shortly!

Musings by Knitwits - Classic Elite Quick Knits by

Published: October 18th, 2011

Publisher: Taunton

e-copy: Courtesy of Netgalley and Publisher

Summary: Goodreads

Pair soft, supple yarns in eye-catching colors with timeless yet contemporary designs and you have answered every knitter’s dream. For more than 20 years, the studios of Classic Elite Yarns have created enduring patterns that beg to be knitted with their sumptuous products. In this pattern collection, a follow-up to best-selling Classic Elite Knits, the focus is on quick-to-make accessories. Knitters of all skill levels will love this value-packed collection of 100 patterns for socks, wraps, hats, gloves, bags, scarves, and more. Knitters can indulge themselves or find something to knit for every member of the family. The 120 color photos showcase the range of high-quality yarns as well, including cotton, wool, bamboo, angora, cashmere, and blended yarns. Classic Elite Quick Knits will keep knitters’ hands busy for a long time to come.

Ok, I really, really want a copy of this book.  Like the blurb says, there a 100 patterns in the books and without a word of a lie, I think there are about 70 that I would consider knitting. 

Bearing in mind that I was looking at an arc (thank you again Netgalley and Taunton Press) the book is laid out beautifully with chapters highlighting different items.  There are Hats, mittens, gloves; Socks; Scarves, Cowls, Wraps, Shrugs, Capelets;  Blankets, Bags, Toys.  The instructions are really clear and nicely written with charts for most of them and there is at least one photo with each project and many have more - lovely clear colour photos.

There are simple projects and complex coloured projects, lacy projects and cabled projects - something for just about every level of knitter.  The only thing I didn't like was the fact that in many photos the models were wearing beautifully knitted sweaters, and those patterns are NOT included.  Taunton take note, we need another book with these patterns please.

Just a gorgeous book.  Give yourself a treat and go and find a copy of this one.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.

In My Mailbox - September 26

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren in which bloggers post about the books they have received for the week.  Books may be won, taken out from the library or bought from a store.

I totally scored with our community book exchange.  Here's what I picked up - 

I was also lucky enough to receive the following from Simon and Schuster Canada

(which I know Miss Chelsie will be wanting to read :P)

What's in your mailbox?

Friday Blog Hop - Sorry we're late!

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!


Each week, participating blogs are asked questions to post and answer on their websites.

This week’s question –

“As a blog reader, what information (besides the book review) do you like to see in other bloggers’ reviews of books? (For example – Author bio, social media links, book synopsis from Amazon/Goodreads or one written by the blogger, page count, ISBN number, link to purchase, etc.)”

I personally like to see book trailers (and I sometimes forget to put them up) of upcoming books.  I'm a bit of a visual person so I like to see what the book is all about without the written word sometimes.  Also, I do like to see if the author has written previous titles and if there are any read-alikes.

Welcome to the Paperback Princesses! Make yourself at home, take a look around our blog and let us know what you think in the comments section. We would love to hear what you have to say about our posts. We often try to comment on your comments as well so feel free to start a conversation! Since there are two of us running the show, we always have a variety of titles and event postings. Be sure to check out our own personal meme page. Check out Fantastic Fairytales, Let's Hear it for the Boys, In Case you Missed it and a few others. We try to not only focus on new YA books but also great titles from the past.

The Marked Son by Shea Berkley

Published: August 2011

Publisher: Entangled

Pages: 334

Copy: courtesy of Netgalley and Publisher

Summary: Goodreads

Seventeen-year-old Dylan Kennedy always knew something was different about him, but until his mother abandoned him in the middle of Oregon with grandparents he's never met, he had no idea what.


When Dylan sees a girl in white in the woods behind his grandparents' farm, he knows he's seen her before...in his dreams. He's felt her fear. Heard her insistence that only he can save her world from an evil lord who uses magic and fear to feed his greed for power.

Unable to shake the unearthly pull to Kera, Dylan takes her hand. Either he's completely insane or he's about to have the adventure of his life, because where they're going is full of creatures he's only read about in horror stories. Worse, the human blood in his veins has Dylan marked for death...

The Marked Son was an intriguing and enjoyable fantasy story that unfortunately suffered due to my inability to read it for any longer than 10 minutes at a time.  It is a fast-paced adventure romantic fantasy that lost steam for me, because I had to keep picking it up and putting it down.  Don't get me wrong, I still thoroughly enjoyed it, but I kept wishing for more time. (That's what happens when you have house guests for 2 weeks)

Kera and Dylan were nicely rounded characters that were easy to read.  I particularly enjoyed the scene where Dylan finds out that he has 'powers'  (Sorry, I hope that's not too much of a spoiler).  His reaction was so typical of a teenager that I was laughing out loud because I could just see my boys reacting the same way. There's lots of angsty romance for those who enjoy it, with the focus coming from Dylan and not Kera, which was a nice change.  And for those of us who are fans of the underdogs, you'll  love Jason, Leo and Pop.  Their commitment to Dylan was swift and complete and managed to successfully convey 3 totally different characters arriving at the same, albeit reluctant, conclusion. Navar was an excellent villain - tall, dark, handsome, arrogant and thoroughly ruthless - what fun!  Oh and I have to add, it's also quite sad.  I was rather surprised with the outcome of certain events - not what I was expecting at all and I liked that.  It's nice when things don't always go the way you expect them to.

There's romance, mystery, adventure and magic all wrapped up in an exciting, contemporary fantasy package that should appeal to many.  I loved it, and I think I'll perhaps try it again, this time without the stop and go, so that I can fully appreciate the action.  I look forward to the next one so that I can find out what happens to Dylan and Kera - the ending didn't quite qualify as a cliff-hanger, but there's definitely more to come Yeh!

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

There are so many trilogies out there that are releasing their final book.  Here is one that we are highly anticipating...

Summary (by Goodreads)

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever.

Personally, I'm most looking forward to more about Patch....he's one of my fantasy book boyfriends.  Forget Nora....pick me! pick me!  Have you ever wondered how he would fare against Daniel from Lauren Kate's Fallen series?  Or how about Jace from the Mortal Instruments?  Silence is coming soon (October 4th) to bookstores but if you are a Canadian, you might want to check this out - 

Interested in winning one of the prize packs and a $50 GC to Garage?  Check out Simon and Schuster Canada's blog here.

  

Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations to the winners of our two latest giveaways!

Winner of Dreamland by Alyson Noel is

Andy E. 

(BTW, Andy received 2 extra entries for tweeting...think it made a difference?)

Winner of All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin is

Dana B

Thank you to everyone who entered (especially those who left LOL comments to Christinabean).  And, a special thanks to Zeitghost Media for including us in these massive giveaways!

Waiting on Wednesday - Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,  that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating or books that are in our TBR pile.  This week’s “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is

Summary (by Goodreads)

Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention.

Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: she and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming.

Inspired by Aristophanes' play Lysistrata, critically acclaimed author of The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) Kody Keplinger adds her own trademark humor in this fresh take on modern teenage romance, rivalry and sexuality.

Shut Out was released a couple weeks ago but it has been on my TBR list for awhile.  Sounds like the girls have a great plan to get things under control....but will it work??  Looking forward to reading this one!!

Fantastic Fairytales - The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine

Published: February 2004

Publisher: Eos

Pages: 304

Summary: Goodreads

Twelve-year-old Addie admires her older sister Meryl, who aspires to rid the kingdom of Bamarre of gryphons, specters, and ogres. Addie, on the other hand, is fearful even of spiders and depends on Meryl for courage and protection. Waving her sword Bloodbiter, the older girl declaims in the garden from the heroic epic of Drualt to a thrilled audience of Addie, their governess, and the young sorcerer Rhys.

But when Meryl falls ill with the dreaded Gray Death, Addie must gather her courage and set off alone on a quest to find the cure and save her beloved sister. Addie takes the seven-league boots and magic spyglass left to her by her mother and the enchanted tablecloth and cloak given to her by Rhys—along with a shy declaration of his love. She prevails in encounters with tricky specters (spiders too) and outwits a wickedly personable dragon in adventures touched with romance and a bittersweet ending.

This is technically not a YA novel, but if you are a fairytale fan, or a fan of Gail Carson Levine, and you haven't read this one yet, give it a try.  You won't be disappointed.

In My Mailbox - September 19

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren in which bloggers post about the books they have received for the week.  Books may be won, taken out from the library or bought from a store.

This week Curlypow has some awesome titles to dig into this week - 

Sounds like a "super" natural week for you Curlypow!!  What's in your mailbox?

Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

Published: September 2010

Publisher: Hyperion

Pages: 480

Copy: Library

Summary: Goodreads

On the morning of her sixteenth birthday, Renée Winters was still an ordinary girl. She spent her summers at the beach, had the perfect best friend, and had just started dating the cutest guy at school. No one she'd ever known had died. But all that changes when she finds her parents dead in the Redwood Forest, in what appears to be a strange double murder.



After the funeral Renée’s wealthy grandfather sends her to Gottfried Academy, a remote and mysterious boarding school in Maine, where she finds herself studying subjects like Philosophy, Latin, and the “Crude Sciences.”


It’s there that she meets Dante Berlin, a handsome and elusive boy to whom she feels inexplicably drawn. As they grow closer, unexplainable things begin to happen, but Renée can’t stop herself from falling in love. It’s only when she discovers a dark tragedy in Gottfried’s past that she begins to wonder if the Academy is everything it seems.


Little does she know, Dante is the one hiding a dangerous secret, one that has him fearing for her life.


Dead Beautiful is both a compelling romance and thought-provoking read, bringing shocking new meaning to life, death, love, and the nature of the soul.

While I enjoyed reading Dead Beautiful, it was another one of those stories that I enjoyed - but....  I can't pin down what was missing for me.  The story is fairly fast paced, with a wonderful mystery going on and the characters were well rounded and believable.  The disintegration of the friendship between Renee and Annie after Renee moves was spot-on, and the growth of the friendship between Renee and Eleanor was nicely done.  But ..... Somehow, I just didn't quite connect with any of the characters.

Dante is gorgeous and thoughtful and mysterious - and a little flat. The romance between Renee and Dante is very sweet, and for me, that was all it was, the zing was missing.  This type of review is very hard to write because there was nothing that I actively disliked, and there was just nothing that stood out and made it special - for me anyway.  The ending  was not exactly cliff-hangerish, but it was definitely unresolved. So, will I read #2? Probably, yes, but I won't rush out to get it. 

I'd really like to hear what anyone else thought of this one, if you enjoyed it, or were like me and just thought it so-so.

Just a reminder - Win All the Things I've Done and Dreamland!

Don't forget to enter our two giveaways that end this Sunday 

You could win

Both giveaways end on Sunday Sept 18th at midnight EST.

You must be a follower

You must be from the USA or Canada.

GOOD LUCK!!

Enter to win Dreamland 

Enter to win All The Things I've Done

Dark Inside by Jeyn roberts

Published: November 2011

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Pages: 352

Copy: Received for Review

Summary: Goodreads

Since mankind began, civilizations have always fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs…Now it’s our turn. Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even more awful is happening. An ancient evil has been unleashed, turning everday people into hunters, killers, crazies.

Mason's mother is dying after a terrible car accident. As he endures a last vigil at her hospital bed, his school is bombed and razed to the ground, and everyone he knows is killed. Aries survives an earthquake aftershock on a bus, and thinks the worst is over when a mysterious stranger pulls her out of the wreckage, but she’s about to discover a world changed forever. Clementine, the only survivor of an emergency town hall meeting that descends into murderous chaos, is on the run from savage strangers who used to be her friends and neighbors. And Michael witnesses a brutal road rage incident that is made much worse by the arrival of the police--who gun down the guilty party and then turn on the bystanding crowd.

Where do you go for justice when even the lawmakers have turned bad? These four teens are on the same road in a world gone mad. Struggling to survive, clinging on to love and meaning wherever it can be found, this is a journey into the heart of darkness – but also a journey to find each other and a place of safety.

'Dark Inside' was a powerful read. It was very dark indeed, but I felt that there was always a tiny spark of hope that kept going, for the characters and the reader.  Most apocalyptic novels start several years after the 'event', but not this one - the event is the book. 

The story is written in four voices, those of Mason, Aries, Clementine and Michael, so it really is four separate stories.  There is so much going on that just occasionally I had to stop and re-organize my thoughts over who was who and doing what, but ultimately, it was fairly easy to sort out and extremely interesting to see the same event from four different perspectives.  Each of the characters is struggling to cope with total upheaval and the dangers of insipient madness.  Why have most of the survivors gone crazy? Was the event natural? What caused it?  Lots of questions.  There are other characters who come and go - some nasty, some surprising, some sad, but all interesting. The story is extremely fast paced and gripping.  My heart was pounding as the kids escape from the 'baggers' by the skin of their teeth.

At different times throughout the book I felt I was channeling Stephen King (the Stand), Terry Brooks (Armageddon's Children) and Susan Beth Pfeffer (Life As We Knew It), but while the story reminded me of each of them, ultimately, it was really nothing like them at all. Leanna over at Daisy Chain Book Reviews (check out her wonderful review) classed Dark Inside as "apocalyptic horror all the way - very dark and brutal, truly scary and not for the faint of heart", in one of her comments and I couldn't agree more.  It is an absolute must for fans of apocalyptic fiction - I'm sure you'll love it as much as I did. Dark Inside is the first in a trilogy and I for one can't wait for the next installment.

Friday Blog Hop - September 16th

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on!  This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!

Each week, participating blogs are asked questions to post and answer on their websites.

This week’s question –

As a book blogger, how do you introduce yourself in your profile?

Personally, I think that in creating our blog, we wanted to have a purpose for doing what we do.  Sure, we love to read books but we also wanted to make sure that we had some direction.  We introduced ourselves as two librarians who want to share our love for mostly YA titles.  We do add a few other things here and there such as crafting titles but generally we try to stick to one area.  I know we have a loyal following of other like-minded individuals in the industry as well as readers looking for their next great read.  

Welcome to the Paperback Princesses! Make yourself at home, take a look around our blog and let us know what you think in the comments section. We would love to hear what you have to say about our posts. We often try to comment on your comments as well so feel free to start a conversation! Since there are two of us running the show, we always have a variety of titles and event postings. Be sure to check out our own personal meme page. Check out Fantastic Fairytales, Let's Hear it for the Boys, In Case you Missed it and a few others. We try to not only focus on new YA books but also great titles from the past.

Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Published: July 2011

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 336

Copy Provided by: Bought 

Summary: Goodreads

Summary:

Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

So much for normal.

Review:


Ms White does it again with another installment of the ever quirky Evie in Supernaturally.  I just love this character. She has wit, charm and just a rockin' personality.  Plus, she is so cute with Lend.  He's a doll...a kind of watery/invisible doll but a doll nonetheless.

Supernaturally delivers the same kind of humor as in Paranormalcy but there is more development in the story.  We learn more about Evie's history and how she came to be.  This tale is so interesting because even though Evie goes through the same kind of relationship issues as most of us, there are always surprises with an unpredictable supernatural ability.  Besides, who else has a semi-invisible boyfriend?

We learn a bit more about her "family", Reth continues to stalk her and a new character Jack makes her life (how shall we say...) challenging...

I never know what to expect from this series.  It just seems so unique to other supernatural series out there.  Sure, I did guess part of the outcome but there were plenty of surprises and I'm sure there are many more to come.  If you haven't already found your next fun read, try Paranormalcy or Supernaturally.  Ms White's got a knack for entertaining her readers and having them pine for more to come.  Endlessly, book 3 is scheduled for a 2012 release.  Definitely on my TBR list....

Giveaway - Dreamland by Alyson Noel

It's truly like a booklover's dream, isn't it? Thanks to Zeitghost Media, we have yet another giveaway for our followers!

"Riley's finding that the afterlife can be a lonely place when all you do is focus on work. So she goes to the place where dreams happen, hoping to find a way to contact her sister, Ever. She meets the director, who tells her about the two ways to send dreams. As a Dream Jumper, a person can jump into a dreamer's dream, share a message, and participate. As a Dreamweaver, an entire dream can be created in a studio and sent to the dreamer. But Dreamweaving was outlawed decades ago, and the studio was boarded up. Thinking it's her only way to reach out to her sister, Riley goes in search of the old studio. There she finds a ghost boy, who's been creating and sending nightmares to people for years. In order to stop him and reach out to Ever, Riley is going to have to confront and overcome her own fears."

Rules:

You must be a follower

Only open to USA and Canadian residents (sorry!)

Contest closes at midnight (EST) on Sunday September 18th!

FILL OUT THIS FORM TO ENTER!!

Waiting on Wednesday - Vanish by Sophie Jordan

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,  that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating or books that are in our TBR pile.  This week’s “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is

Summary (by Goodreads)

To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely-guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again—and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will’s memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.

Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family’s. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride’s heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on—that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?

In bestselling author Sophie Jordan’s dramatic follow-up to Firelight, forbidden love burns brighter than ever.

We were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at Vanish via NetGalley and did a Double Take review on this title and LOVED it!  I personally am Team Cassian all the way...I would love to hear if you'd rather see Jacinda with Casisan or Will.

Let's Hear It for the Boys - War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

Yet again, friends are coming to the rescue.  Today Pither has done us proud with a review for  'the boys' - thank you Pither.

Published: originally 1982

Publisher: Egmont

Pages: 178

Copy: Library

I recently saw and totally fell in love with the trailer for Steven Speilberg’s upcoming movie, War Horse. That gorgeous cinematography of that horse galloping in slow-motion across no man’s land while the shells land around it.... When hunting out reviews, I discovered that the movie is based on a book of the same name by Michael Morpurgo.

In the interest of full self-disclosure, I’m a rabid Black Beauty fan. I picked up this book expecting it to be similar, and of course in some ways in was, but in others the tone feels totally different. A bit more focused on the action than the characters, I would say, a less self-reflective tone.

You follow in first-person, (or would that be first-horse?) the life of a Devon, UK farm horse called Joey as he starts out on the farm and learning the horsey ropes of life with his human-BFF by his side, Albert. The First World War is soon started, and what I didn’t realize but makes sense, is that farmers were strongly encouraged to give up their horses for the war effort. Joey goes through the rigors of training and is shipped overseas with his horse-BFF, Topthorn. The book takes you through the entirety of the war from Joey’s perspective, starting off with the British forces but ending up with the Germans. I won’t say too much as I don’t want to give any spoilers, but his journey is an interesting one.

I found the action moved fairly quickly and it was a face-paced book, a good choice for reluctant readers, especially with the movie tie-in. Considering the action goes from about 1910 to 1918, it never dragged yet never seemed rushed. War is portrayed as a rough and dirty slog in the cold and mud, not full of trumpets and glory. The war is seem from the ultimate foot solder’s perspective, that of the horse. He doesn’t care who wins the battle or what goes on in the war, he simply wants to survive the shellfire and smoke and be treated with respect, care, and gentle handling.

Both Allied and Axis sides are treated equally in the book; and I found it a great twist that he also works on the German side. Again, Joey doesn’t care about nationalities or battle lines, and in fact quite likes the Germans who take good care of him. One of my favourite parts in the book involves an impromptu meeting in no man’s land between Joey, a German soldier, and a British soldier:

“..and he [the German] picked up the rope again and handed it to the Welshman. As he did so, he held out his other hand in a gesture of friendship and reconciliation, a smile lighting his worn face.

‘In an hour, maybe, or two,’ he said, ‘We will be trying our best again each other to kill. God only knows why we do it, and I think he had maybe forgotten why. Goodbye Welshman. We have shown them, haven’t we? We have shown them that any problem can be solved between people if only they trust each other. That is all it needs, no?’

The little Welshman shook his head in disbelief as he took the rope. ‘Jerry, boyo, I think if they would let you and me have an hour or two out here together, we could sort out this whole wretched mess. There would be no more weeping widows and crying children in my valley and no more in yours. If the worse came to the worse, we could decide it all on the flip of a coin, couldn’t we now?’” (pages 128-129)

Overall I quite enjoyed War Horse. It made me pick up my copy of The Animal’s War by the Imperial War Museum to find out more about how horses and other animals have been used in warfare. It could work well as an ISU for this reason. It was a quick and interesting read, and would work well for students in a hurry, reluctant readers, young fans of warfare, or people who are interested in a unique perspective on the First World War.

Giveaway Winner - Hades by Alexandra Adornetto

We had a great giveaway for Hades by Alexandra Adornetto

A Beautiful Madness!!!

Congratulations!  Unfortunately, you didn't give us your full name, just your alias.  We have emailed you and you have 48 hours to get back to us with your real name so we can send your address to the publisher or else we will have to draw a new winner... So please send us an email ASAP!!

Giveaway - All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

We interrupt our regularly scheduled IMM in order to post yet ANOTHER giveaway!!

(Actually, to be honest, I have been super busy and my mailbox is awfully lonely...so no books this week)

Anyways, here is your chance to win yet another kick butt novel!

Summary (by Goodreads)

In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidently poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.

ENTER TO WIN HERE

(Deadline for the giveaway is midnight EST on Sunday September 18th)

Guest Post - The Power of Six by Pitticus Lore

Friends are wonderful to have, especially when they are willing to do guest reviews for us :).  Thanks so much to Special K for this one.

Published: August 2011

Publisher: Harper

Pages: 406

Copy: Purchased

Summary: Goodreads

I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me . . . he's one of us.

Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?


They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed.
I am Number Seven. One of six still alive.


And I'm ready to fight


Review:

Ahh…The Power of Six. The funny thing is, while we learn a bit more about Six’s background, and find out that she is every bit as awesome as we were lead to believe in I Am Number Four…this book really isn’t about Six.

Now, yes, that means we get more of everyone’s favourite number Four, but!! there are also a few new characters we to meet, one of whom leads us through her story alongside Four, Six and Sam’s escapades. Do I tell you what number they are? Or maybe…numbers?

Not yet. The action starts a little slowly, reintroducing us to our cast of aliens and allies, but picks up again quickly. There are a few unbelievable moments, but nothing any more far fetched than your typical action novel and for the most part they contribute to the plot line. And while the excitement keeps the pace rolling along nicely, with a few interludes along the way while Four thinks about girls, this book has a bigger role in the series than just a bridge between IAN4 and what will be the third book. We learn a lot about the Loriens, the Mogs, and all their awesome alien stuff. Sam also plays a bigger role in this novel, which I loved – Sam has quickly become one of my favourite characters in this series – he’s likeable, his motives are clear and he’s self depreciating enough that we connect to him without him getting whiney (which I imagine would be tough to do when you’re a mere mortal on the run with superpower yielding aliens). Getting his background and watching him develop is nice in a book I expected mostly flash-bang-pow type action from. We also learn about the mystery surrounding the second ship Four had seen in a vision back in IAN4, a second ship that left Lorien shortly after the original Legacy’s ship. Curiouser and curiouser! We also get a new villain, although our meeting is fleeting, and his role likely won’t be made clear until the next book.

And fun news! The back of the book that is always reserved for information on the author, the next books, publisher promotions – has the information on an exclusive eBook! I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: Six’s Legacy (Longest title ever, I know) talks about Six’s experience before she finds Four. We get a hint of it in PO6, so I’m looking forward to getting my paws on it and finding out the details (especially since I have a bit of a girl crush on Six).

I’m going to claim this is a spoiler alert, but it’s not really. Below I’ll tell you who we meet in PO6 – so if you want to know what numbers are coming up, by all means keep reading. If you would rather the surprise (and trust me – a few are good surprises!), call it quits, and go pick up a copy!

Spoils of “war” (a.k.a. reading): We meet a few new numbers in this book, and one of the main plot lines follows number Seven as we learn that not all the numbers have the same kind of experience on Earth trying to escape the Mogs and fulfill their destiny. We also meet a couple numbers briefly at the end – Nine is found, and he sounds hunky and a great option for girls to transfer their crushes on Four to (well…my crush anyways). We also meet another number…but that’s too big a spoiler, even for here!

Just a reminder....win Hades by Alexandra Adornetto!!

OK, so I just wanted to put it out there that we don't have a lot of entries to win Hades by Alexandra Adornetto....and today is the last day to enter...just sayin'....your chances are good if you jump on the bandwagon and fill out the entry form.  

Major rules

You must be a follower

You must be from the USA or Canada (sorry!)

You have to enter by midnight EST tonight

ENTER HERE

GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL!!

Friday Blog Hop September 9th

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!

Each week, participating blogs are asked questions to post and answer on their websites.

This week’s question – “Many of us primarily read one genre of books, with others sprinkled in. If authors stopped writing that genre, what genre would you start reading? Or would you give up reading completely if you couldn’t read that genre anymore?”



If I'm honest, my favourite genre is fantasy, but I seriously doubt that anyone looking at my book shelves would be immediately aware of that.  I read just about everything that's fiction, with a sprinkling of non-fiction and biographies in there occasionally.  Usually what I read depends on my mood - I bought City of Fallen Angels the day after it hit the stores and I still haven't read it yet, because it hasn't 'spoken' to me.  So really I read anything and everything.  To me the idea of not reading would be akin to losing an arm or a leg. There is always something out there to read, and changing my mind about what I want to read and when is half the fun. The only way I'll ever stop reading is if I lose my sight - god forbid - and then I'd just go to audio books  :)


Welcome to the Paperback Princesses! Make yourself at home, take a look around our blog and let us know what you think in the comments section. We would love to hear what you have to say about our posts. We often try to comment on your comments as well so feel free to start a conversation! Since there are two of us running the show, we always have a variety of titles and event postings. Be sure to check out our own personal meme page. Check out Fantastic Fairytales, Let's Hear it for the Boys, In Case you Missed it and a few others. We try to not only focus on new YA books but also great titles from the past.

Don't forget to enter our giveaway! One lucky follower will win Hades by Alexandra Adornetto!

Ramblings for September 8th

I'm not sure if anyone is even aware that I have not been posting for the last few days, but I thought you might like to see why:

That's my lovely daughter Ellie and her new husband Nathan.  Isn't she gorgeous?  The one groomsman that you can see is my son, who was best man, and the wedding was on Sunday.  I still have a house full of guests, so I hope you'll forgive me if I miss a few posts.  I haven't picked up a book in about 8 days - actually I think I'm going through withdrawal.

Waiting on Wednesday - The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore (August 31)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,  that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating or books that are in our TBR pile.  This week’s “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is...

Despite the bad publicity from James Frey's A Million Little Pieces/Oprah debacle, I really enjoyed reading I am Number Four.  Frey has written the I am Number Four series under the pseudonym Pittacus Lore along with co-author Jobie Hughes.  The Power of Six is book #2 in the series...I wonder if it will also be turned into a movie?  Looking forward to the read!  What are you waiting for?