WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for participating in our first giveaway.  Curlypow and I are thrilled to have so many followers in such a short time and we hope you have been enjoying our blog as much as we enjoy posting. 

Without further adieu, I'd like to send a great big CONGRATULATIONS to

LORA1967

You are the winner of a copy of Wings + a handmade pair of knit socks!!  Thanks for entering!  I've already sent you an email.  We will be mailing your prize shortly!  Stay tuned for more giveaways!

Concerts are fun!

Ok, this is a totally non-book related post, but I had to tell you all about my evening out in August and officially confess to being a Backstreet Boys fan. I know, I know, but I can't help it. I've been a diehard fan for about 14 years. I blame my daughter for this. It is all her fault- she started it with 'Mum, can I please, please, please go to the BSB concert for my birthday, please, please, please .........' and of course, being the best mother in the world (she told me that, honest!) I said 'Oh, all right, I'll take you if you really want to go."

Well a tradition was started and we have had lots of fun over the years. One year I actually took her and four of her friends - that was interesting I can tell you. So, earlier this year when we saw that BSB would be performing in Toronto again, there was no question. We would have to go - for the 8th time. Yep, this years' concert was the 8th BSB concert we have been to together and I still enjoy going to them.

Now this year, I must admit I was feeling a bit old. Most of the concert goers were in their early 20's, which is a huge difference from the early concerts when most people were in their early teens. I could have had a drink with Elllie this time, but no way were we paying $12.99 for a beer. I was feeling a bit self concious for a while until I noticed another 'older' lady farther along the row. That made me feel better, at least I wasn't the only parent there.

The concert was held at the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto, which is an outdoor venue. The evening was absolutely gorgeous, almost too hot in fact, and the atmosphere was amazing. After all these years, I still know the words to just about all of their songs - some of the new ones I haven't got yet - and the crowd was singing along to everything. Wow, it was phenomenal. I keep hearing people say the Backstreet Boys are passe, dead, dying etc. but you would never have known it that night.

Unfortunately we were getting the train home, so we had to leave just as they were coming out for the encore and we kind of missed the very end. Although, because it was outdoors, we could still hear them singing the three extra songs while we walked to the station. The whole evening was just wonderful and I had a great time bonding with my daughter. She tells me that while some of her friends think it's a little odd to be going to a concert with her Mum at her age, most of them think it's kind of fun. I certainly love the fact that she is willing to be seen out in public at such an occasion with me.

So I'm curious. Are there any of you out there who go out with your mother, or father, regularly to something like this, or are Elllie and I really the only ones?

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Published: August 2010
Publisher: McElderry Books
# Pages: 478
Copy Provided by: Bought
Summary: Goodreads

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: Jem, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa.

As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Ok, before I say anything at all about the book, isn't that summary just wonderful. Ooh, it gave me shivers!

Anyway, this new book by Cassandra Clare is the 1st in a second trilogy about Shadowhunters and Downworlders. It is in fact a prequel to the Mortal Instruments trilogy, which I am sure everyone in the bookish world already knows, but it had to be said.

Well, you do not start this book by wading slowly into the shallow end and getting used to the temperature of the water. Oh no! You dive head first into the deep end and get completely wet, right from the beginning. There's murder, demon slaying, magic, kidnapping and rescue - and that's just in the first 2 chapters! Ms Clare captures your attention right from the get-go and never lets up until the end.

The four younger main characters are all orphans and are all different

Tessa: who is a bit naive, but has amazing potential - 'Clenching her right hand into a fist, she slammed it against the wall behind her, hard, sending a shockwave of pain up her arm. That cleared the tears, and her head.' (p281)

Will: resident bad boy with an attitude - 'Will's eyes were slivers of blue glass. "All you've ever cared about is finding your brother. And now you've found him. Good for you. But that was never our goal. You do realize that, don't you? We don't usually go quite this far out of our way for the sake of one delinquent mundane." (p304)

Jem: quiet, good looking, frail, man of mystery with a secret - 'He wore a light loose-fitting set of trousers and a collarless shirt, with a black silk drssing gown tied loosely over them. She had been right. He was young, probably the same age as Will, and the impression of youth was heightened by his slightness. He was tall but very slender, and disappearing below the collar of his shirt, she could see the curling edges of the black designs that she had seen earlier ....' (p101)

Jessamine: Spoilt little rich bitch, on the surface at least - 'Slowly Jessamine lowered her hand from her mouth, her face still very pale. "Goodness, my nose is enormous," she exclaimed. "Why didn't anyone tell me?" ' (p74)

There are a host of supporting characters, each one intriguingl in their own right and too many to mention. A wonderful Victorian setting with lamplight and clockwork monsters, old houses, dark alleys, gorgeous costumes and nasty vampires. There's romance and heartbreak, friendship and betrayal, and excitement by the bucketful. At almost 500 pages it is a pretty long book, but it isn't a long read. The story skips along at a clipping rate and never seemed to get bogged down in too much detail, although the detail is there. I could go on forever about the story, but I don't want to give anything away, you'll have to read it for yourself to find out what happens. I'm sure most of the people who fell in love with The Mortal Instruments will love this one. The historical setting does give a completely different feel to the story, but personally I loved it. Thank you Ms Clare, you didn't disappoint. Now, can you just hurry up with number 2?


On a sad, personal note I have to confess that I spilt water on my lovely, new, hardcover copy and as it dries it is puffing up to twice it's normal size. I want to cry!

Christinabean's Friday Finds

**yes, the title of my post is Friday Finds and it is quite obviously not Friday but I had a pretty long day yesterday so for now, we'll just pretend...** (It's my blog and I'll say what I want to, say what I want to, say what I want to....)

I am always on the lookout for a good blog that reviews books I might enjoy introduces new books that are coming out. I love author interviews, the occassional character interview, book reviews, book trailers and contests. Lately, there have been many fantastic contests in the Blogsphere that I'd like to share. I'll be posting some of them on the Massive Contest sidebar and some on our Contest and Giveaway page.

So our first Giveaway called Cozy up with a Good Book ended yesterday.  Up for grabs was a copy of Wings and a pair of hand-knit socks.  The draw has been made and the winner will be announced shortly!

Everyone once in awhile, I will be posting my Friday Finds. They could be contests, interesting websites or tidbits that I've just come across for the week. For instance, have you checked out Time's Top 50 websites of 2010?

Carrie Ryan has a new book coming out, third in her unconsecrated (aka, zombies) series.  Curlypow wrote up a nice post about Book#2 Dead Tossed Waves recently if you'd like to check it out.  The third book in the series will be The Dark and Hollow Places. 

Ivy Hawthorn is offering up a great contest for Firelight by Sophie Jordan.  Contest is open to both Canada and the USA.  Deadline is Sept 7th.

Read for your Future is a great site with lots of contests to enter.  You might want to check it out!

Did you know about Free Book Friday?  A new SIGNED book given away each week!  Don't forget to check out the teen giveaway as well!

Reading Teen has a giveaway Saturday called Second-hand Saturday.  Make sure you read the instructions because they tend to ask for different things each week.
Enjoy your weekend!

Friday Book Blogger Hop - September 3, 2010

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 –

Do you judge a book by it’s cover?

Yes, we both do.  However, the first impression is the one that will get readers to purchase the book.  Most of the time this is visual appeal (or a really good review).  If a book has an interesting looking cover, I am more likely to pick it up and read the summary.  How about you?  Do you also judge a book by it's cover?

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. Since there are two of us running the show, we always have a variety of titles and events we are commenting on.

BTW, have you seen our COZY UP WITH A GOOD BOOK contest? Today is your last chance to enter! Until midnight EDT tonight (Friday Sept 3), you can fill out a ballot to win. We’re giving away a copy of Wings by Aprilynne Pike and a pair of hand-knit socks. The contest is open to anyone in the USA and Canada. Please remember to enter your links for any extra entries! You can enter here.

In Case You Missed It - Tamar by Mal Peet

Published: 2007
Publisher: Candlewick Press
# Pages:424
Copy provided by: Bought from Book Closeouts
Summary: Book closeouts

In the "Hunger Winter" of 1944, two Allied spies parachute into Nazi-occupied Holland, sent to support the Dutch resistance movement. Half a century later, fifteen-year-old Tamar inherits a box from her grandfather containing a series of clues and coded messages. Out of the past, another Tamar emerges - a man involved in the terrifying world of resistance fighters. His story is complex, filled with passion, love, jealousy, and tragedy set against the daily fear and casual horror of the Second World War. Unraveling it will transform Tamar's life.

I have long been a fan of novels that have 2 stories running parallel to each other, particularly 2 different time-lines. Tamar is an amazing example of this. The first story is that of 15 yr-old Tamar, who is trying to solve the mystery left by her grandfather when he commits suicide. She and her friend Yoyo travel around Britain trying to puzzle out the clues, and the interaction between these two characters in wonderful.

The 2nd story-line is a harrowing account of 2 spies in war-torn Holland during one of the coldest winters on record. This story is so well written that you are transported into the cold dutch countryside and it feels real. I used to sit with a blanket wrapped around my knees when I read it, because I never felt warm enough. The hardships that the two spies encounter are completely unknown to us and are extremely compelling. There is a love story that runs through this that will break your heart and completely surprise you as you reel from the betrayal between friends.

Another very interesting part of the story are the activities of the Dutch resistance. It's hard to imagine how anyone survived at all. For anyone who is at all interested in World War II and how it affected 'regular' people, you will really enjoy this book and the journey Tamar takes you on. The ending of the book will leave you reeling and you will remember the characters for many weeks afterward.

I'm going to leave you with a quote from the prologue that I think, sets up the mystery quite nicely.

'Marike was pouring gravy onto Sonia's plate. She looked up, puzzled. "Name? What name is this?"
Sonia said, "Tamar. It's perfect. I love it."
Marijke dropped the jug. It fell onto Sonia's plate, snapping a chunk off the rim. Gravy ran across the table and, before anyone could react, spilled onto Sonia's distended belly. ' (p6)

Note: This would make a great ISU novel, but don't let that put you off. It's just one of the best YA war stories I have read.

Waiting on Wednesday - Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating. This week’s pre-publication “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is

Summary: (Goodreads)

Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.

Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

I have seen many reviews about this book as well as many ARCs.  This official release date of Paranormalcy was yesterday but I'm looking forward to reading it.  I just need to get these flashbacks of Men in Black out of my head....I have been reading Kiersten's blog and following her on Twitter.  What a character!  I especially love her fake spoilers of Mockingjay.  Right now she is offering up a personalized, signed copy of Paranormalcy with her At Home with Paranormalcy contest.  What are you waiting for?