Daily Dose Monday (14)

Daily Dose Monday is hosted by Holly over at Good Golly Miss Holly and features inspiring/magical images that you would like to share with your readers :)

In My Mailbox (19)

In My Mailbox is a meme originally hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren (click for more information) that shares all the new books you've bought, borrowed, received, or traded for the week.

I had a pretty slow week, but I'm happy with what I got. Oh and happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! Enjoy :D


Library/for review:

It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

Last year, all of Belly's dreams came true and the thought of missing a summer in Cousins Beach was inconceivable. But like the rise and fall of the ocean tide, things can change--just like that. Suddenly the time she's always looked forward to most is something she dreads. And when Jeremiah calls to say Conrad has disappeared, Belly must decide how she will spend this summer: chasing after the boy she loves, or finally letting him go. 

Eee I'm beyond excited to read this one! I fell in love with The Summer I Turned Pretty and I've heard this one is even better. 

The Lighter Side of Death by C.K. Kelly Martin
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

Sixteen-year-old Mason Rice is having the night of his life. He's just delivered an incredible performance in the school play, basked in celebratory afterglow vibes at the party of the year, and lost his virginity to one of his best friends—the gorgeous but previously unobtainable Kat Medina. His dreams are coming true, and the future looks golden.

Unfortunately, Kat sees things very differently. Crossing the friendship line was a big mistake, and all she wants is to forget it and move on, even if that means forgetting Mason altogether. What's a guy to do? Well, if you're Mason, you hang your hopes on the first attractive twenty-three-year-old you cross paths with. At first Mason wonders if he's imagining the chemistry . . . until Colette invites him over to her apartment. Suddenly Mason's living in a whole new world.  

I've been dying to read this one since like forever. I put my name first on the hold list a couple of months ago and it finally came in. I can't wait! 

The Host by Stephanie Meyer
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed. But Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves--Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

I decided to try something else by Stephanie Meyer, but I'm not too sure about it. Has anyone read it....what did you think of it? 

What's in your mailbox? 

Gone by Lisa McMann

Book review #42
Gone by Lisa McMann
Rating: Four stars (refer to the rating system on the right)

Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

OPEN YOUR EYES.

Janie thought she knew what her future held. And she thought she’d made her peace with it. But she can’t handle dragging Cabel down with her. She knows he will stay with her, despite what she sees in his dreams. He’s amazing. And she’s a train wreck. Janie sees only one way to give him the life he deserves: She has to disappear. And it’s going to kill them both.

Then a stranger enters her life — and everything unravels. The future Janie once faced now has an ominous twist, and her choices are more dire than she’d ever thought possible. She alone must decide between the lesser of two evils. And time is running out.... 

I just spent the last two hours watching Janie making the important decision of her life. It definitely was one intense ride. I went in not excepting to love Gone due to the mixed reviews, but it thankfully exceeded my expectations. I'm still not quite sure how I feel though. One thing is for sure though-I'm sad that the series is over. Good-byes are definitely not my thing and it was hard saying bye to one of my favorite couples.

Janie has a lot going on lately. After discovering some important information about her ability that could affect her life forever, she is left having to make the biggest decision ever. Having amazing Cabel by her side is making it even harder to decide. While vacationing with Cabel she receives a panicked phone call from her friend warning her that her  mom is in the hospital. Rushing over there she discovers it isn't her mom that's in trouble, but another family member.With Janie having someone like this reappearing her life- things aren't ever going to be the same...

The aspects that I love from Wake and Fade weren't there, but they were replaced with other things just as wonderful. Gone didn't have the crime scenes that I loved or the intense drama. But there were way more dreams that were intense as ever- I was even a bit scared. And surprisingly there was some humor added.

The best part was getting the chance to discover more of Janie's personal life and internal conflicts. You got a better look at her mom, who was kind of crazy. You also got a lot of background information on her family history. The added character was a really nice touch, I thought it really completed the series. Janie and Cabel were still going strong, despite the heavy conflicts they faced.

There were a minor problem I had with Gone. I literally fell in love with Wake and Fade which distracted me from the unique writing style. Since there wasn't much action in this one, I noticed the writing more...which kind of bothered me. It just took awhile to get used to.

Overall, Gone was an awesome ending to a truly wonderful series. I personally enjoyed the ending. I'm so happy that I got a chance to read this series. I recommend reading this series to anyone! It is so unique and extraordinary that it's a shame for you to miss out on.

Book Blogger Hop (5)

Hey! It's Friday and you know what  that means-it's time for the book blogger hop! I absolutely love this, I've found so many great blogs over the process. Hop on over to Crazy for Books and join in!

Have an awesome weekend everyone! :D

Oh and if you're visiting make sure to let me know, so I can return the favor! 

Awesome blogs I've found so far: 
Ninja Librarian- I love the name of this one. I'm glad I found it ;)
Bookie Monster - a brand new blog that is super awesome! Check it out :D

Airhead by Meg Cabot

Book review #41
Airhead by Meg Cabot
Rating: Four stars (refer to the rating system on the right)

Summary: (taken from inside flap)
Emerson Watts didn't even want to go the new SoHo Strk Megastore grand opening. But someone needed to look out for her sister, Frida, whose crush, British heart-throb Gabriel Luna, would be singing and signing autographs there- along with the newly appointed Face of Stark, teen supermodel sensation Nikki Howard.

How was Em to know that disaster would strike, changing her-and life as she'd known it-forever? One bizarre accident later, and Em Watts, always the tomboy, never the party princess, is no longer herself. Literally.

Now getting her best friend, Christoper, to notice that she's actually a girl is the least of Em's problems. But what Em's pretty sure she'll never be able to accept might just turn out to be the one thing that's going to make her dream come true...

I can't believe I haven't started this series earlier! I really enjoyed myself. I was surprised at how unique and fun this one was. Reading the summary I got very intrigued...I like how too much of the book wasn't given away. I'm going to have to be really careful to not give anything away to make sure I don't ruin the book.

Emerson Watts, Em for short, is your average girl. She isn't really popular; she spends a lot of time playing video games and hanging out with her best friend Christopher. She's definitely not one of the girls who spends all their time obsessed with the latest fads or celebrities. But she's forced to accompany her sister to this huge store opening to meet her favorite singer. Little did she know that would be the last thing she remembered a month from then. After a huge catastrophe Em finds herself at the hospital, not really feeling like herself. Her life is about to completely change in more than one way...

All of the characters were so real, they were probably my favorite part about this book. I think it's almost impossible not to love Em. She's a character that most of you would be friends with or know in real life. Her take on life was hilarious! I loved seeing the world through her eyes. And better yet she was smart and thoughtful. At first, just like Em, I didn't like many of the new people that emerged in her new life, but in the end they were all part of the gang.

Airhead reminded me how much I love Meg Cabot's writing. The writing really sucked me in. It's the type of book where you get completely lost in. I sat down to do some light reading before dinner and looked up realizing that hours had passed. I laughed and smiled countless times. What can I say...I had a blast!

At first I wasn't too sure about this book, but as you can tell I'm extremely pleased with it. It had just the right concoction of fluff and seriousness. The plot is really extraordinary. Sorry for the vague review, it's best to read this one knowing as little as possible. I'm so excited to see what happens in the next book. I definitely recommend this one, I have a feeling you'll love it :)

Waiting on Wednesday (14)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we "can't-wait-to-read".

Fixing Delilah Hannaford by Sarah Ockler
Release date: November 2nd 2010
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

Things in Delilah Hannaford’s life have a tendency to fall apart. She used to be a good student, but she can’t seem to keep it together anymore. Her friends are drifting away. Her “boyfriend” isn’t a boyfriend. Her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided the Hannaford family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, runs in the family.

When Delilah must spend the summer helping to settle her estranged grandmother’s estate, she’s suddenly confronted by her family’s painful past. Faced with questions that cannot be ignored and secrets that threaten to burst free, Delilah begins to doubt all that she’s ever known to be true.

Rich with humor and emotion, Sarah Ockler delivers a powerful story of family, love, and self-discovery—as Delilah comes to question whether even the most shattered relationships can be pieced back together again.

I fell in love with Sarah Ockler's first novel-Twenty Boy Summer (click for my review). It definitely became one of my favorites. This one sounds amazing, I have very high hopes. Oh and I read an excerpt HERE that was awesome- feel free to check it out :) And unfortunately the cover is out yet, but I have a feeling it will be great too .

Teaser Tuesday (10)

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along. Just do the following:

-Grab your current read.
- Open to a random page.
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
 -BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
-Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

"And suddenly I can't see or hear or think, and I'm trying to force myself out of the chair, only my legs won't work, and I'm helpless, and that's when I realize the questions have stopped, and the woman has her hand on the man's arm, and they're staring at me, waiting for me to quit sobbing, heaving, to calm down, to, to-"

pg. 148, Borderline by Allan Stratton


This is a very interesting read. It's definitely getting better and better as it goes along. I'm almost finished with this one so expect the review soon (:

Daily Dose Monday (13)

Daily Dose Monday is hosted by Holly over at Good Golly Miss Holly and features inspiring/magical images that you would like to share with your readers :)

In My Mailbox (18)

In My Mailbox is a meme originally hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren (click for more information) that shares all the new books you've bought, borrowed, received, or traded for the week.  


Library/For review:

Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

A new life is just a phone call away!

Devi's life isn't turning out at all like she wanted. She wasted the past three years going out with Bryan—cute, adorable, break-your-heart Bryan. Devi let her friendships fade, blew off studying, didn't join any clubs . . . and now that Bryan has broken up with her, she has nothing left.

Not even her stupid cell phone—she dropped it in the mall fountain. Now it only calls one number . . . hers. At age fourteen, three years ago!

Once Devi gets over the shock—and convinces her younger self that she isn't some wacko—she realizes that she's been given an awesome gift. She can tell herself all the right things to do . . . because she's already done all the wrong ones! Who better to take advice from than your future self? Except . . .what if getting what you think you want changes everything? Fans of Sarah Mlynowski's Magic in Manhattan series will love this hilarious new novel with a high-concept premise . 

This sounds like such a fun read! It seems really unique too. I have a feeling I'll like this one :)
 

Being Nikki by Meg Cabot
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

Things aren't pretty for Emerson Watts. Em was sure there couldn't be anything worse than being a brainiac the body of a teenaged supermodel.

But it turned out she was wrong. Because that supermodel could turn out to have a mother who's gone mysteriously missing, a brother who's shown up on her doorstep demanding answers, a former best friend who's intent on destroying Stark Enterprises to avenge the death of his lost love, and a British heartthrob who's written a song about her that's topping the charts.

How can Em balance all that with school, runway shows, and weekend jaunts to St. Johns — especially when she's got ex-boyfriends crawling out of the woodwork who want more than just a photo op; a sister who is headed to the high school cheerleading championships; a company she represents that seems to be turning to the dark side... Not to mention trying to convince the love of her life that models aren't really airheads after all...especially one model in particular. But then, nobody said it was going to be easy being Nikki. 

I just finished Airhead (the first book in the series) and loved it so I had to get this one! I'm very excited to see what happens next. 

Borderline by Allan Sratton
Summary: (taken from Barnes and Noble)

Life's not easy for Sami Sabiri since his dad stuck him at a private school where he's the only Muslim kid. But it's about to get a lot worse.

When Sami catches his father in a lie, he gets suspicious. . . . He's not the only one. In a whirlwind, the FBI descends on his home, and Sami's family becomes the center of an international terrorist investigation. Now Sami must fight to keep his world from unraveling.

An explosive thriller ripped from today's headlines, borderline is the story of a funny, gutsy Muslim-American teen determined to save his father, his family, and his life.   

Holly over at Good Golly Miss Holly was giving this one away on her blog and it caught my interest. I always like reading books that can kind of relate to me. I'm not too sure about this one, but I think it could be good.


Top 8 by Katie Finn
Summary: (taken from Goodreads) 

Madison MacDonald is seriously freaking out 
 

Madison MacDonald
16
Putnam, CT

Status: Single?

About Me:
Everything in my life was working out. I had my three best friends, a brand-new boyfriend, and the lead in the school play. Aside from that history paper I hadn't started, things felt perfect.

Then I returned from spring break to find my Friendverse profile hacked. Someone clearly out to ruin me had spilled the most damaging secrets - AND posted the worst photos of me ever taken - online.

Now my boyfriend and I are broken up, half the school hates me, and I'm in deep trouble.

Goals:
Get my boyfriend back, figure out who could have done this, and clear my name!

Also, pass history. 

This sounds like a really fluffy read, but after reading a couple of really hard books this is just what I need. 

What's in your mailbox? 

Living Dead Girl by Elizaberth Scott

Book review #40
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
Rating: Five stars (refer to the rating system on the right)

Summary: (taken from Goodreads)
Once upon a time I was a little girl who disappeared.
Once upon a time my name was not Alice.
Once upon a time I didn't know how lucky I was.

When Alice was ten, Ray took her away from her family, her friends -- her life. She learned to give up all power, to endure all pain. She waited for the nightmare to be over.

Now Alice is fifteen and Ray still has her, but he speaks more and more of her death. He does not know it is what she longs for. She does not know he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her. This is Alice's story. It is one you have never heard, and one you will never, ever forget. 

Oh my goodness! I'm literally shaking while I even write this. I've never ever been this affected from a book. Living Dead Girl will always be burned into my mind, no matter how hard I try to forget it I simply can't. It is with no doubt the craziest book I've ever read. When I read the summary I didn't really know what exactly the book was about, but now it's all crystal clear. When thinking of Living Dead Girl disturbing, mind numbing, intense, and horrify comes to mind. But that definitely doesn't mean that it wasn't an amazing book.

Alice,which is not even her real name, used to be a normal ten year old who went on field trips, put on lip gloss, and lived with her family. But one day she gets lost on a school field trip,but a nice man "helps" her find her way back and that was her last "normal" day. Five years have passed and she is still living with Ray. The thing she wants the most is to feel the knife going through her heart, but she knows if she ever does anything to leave Ray her whole family will be in big trouble. She lives day by day, watching TV shows, eating nibbles of food-because god forbid she goes over 100 pounds, and waiting for Ray to get home. Even if she tried to sneak around, Ray knows everything and nothing is worth his punishments. Ray believes that girls shouldn't grow up, so he does just that to Alice. Now Alice faces the truth, that she's now a living dead girl.

Throughout almost the whole book I wanted to yell and scream-to do anything to help Alice, but I was as helpless as Alice. And you can even tell that Alice is such a good person, she really is. I cried so much while reading her story, probably bucket fulls. They were those tears that come streaming down your face on full blast. It was so hard to think that there is actually people like Ray out there. When I picture Ray in my mind right now I want to puke. I imagine an overweight grown man, with yellow nasty teeth smiling this huge grin exposing all of his gums. And that's just how he looks like, not what he actually does. What makes it even more crazy is that this man goes to church and thinks that all children need to be loved. OK I'm not a violent person at all, but if I had the chance I would strangle Ray with my bear hands. I've never hated a character more in my life.

Elizabeth Scott is really amazing. I have no idea how a person could have written this book, but I'm very glad that they did. Almost every scene was extremely hard to read. I can't even go into more detail or I'll start to feel nauseous- let's just say there was lots of blood and pain. I actually almost stopped reading because I didn't think I could handle it.  But I knew I had to finish Alice's story.

I don't want to believe it, but things like this happen everyday to poor innocent people. Yeah I've heard about it, but I've never actually witnessed it, let alone gone into the victim's head. This is a very important book that I'm so glad I read. Alice's story will never leave me and that is a fact. If you think you can handle it then immediately pick this one up.

Book Blogger Hop (4)

Hey! It's Friday and you know what  that means-it's time for the book blogger hop! I absolutely love this, I've found so many great blogs over the process. Hop on over to Crazy for Books and join in!

Have an great weekend everyone! :D

Lessons From a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles

Book review #39
Lessons From a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles
Rating: Five stars (refer to the rating system on the right)

Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

An unflinching story of a troubled friendship — and one girl’s struggle to come to terms with secrets and shame and find her own power to heal.

Leah Greene is dead. For Laine, knowing what really happened and the awful feeling that she is, in some way, responsible set her on a journey of painful self-discovery. Yes, she wished for this. She hated Leah that much. Hated her for all the times in the closet, when Leah made her do those things. They were just practicing, Leah said. But why did Leah choose her? Was she special, or just easy to control? And why didn’t Laine make it stop sooner? In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laine is left to explore the devastating lessons Leah taught her, find some meaning in them, and decide whether she can forgive Leah and, ultimately, herself. 

Whoa. Lessons From a Dead Girl is one hard uncomfortable read, but nothing less than amazing.  At first I wasn't sure if I could actually read this book, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I did have to put the book several times to digest what had just happened. But a couple of minutes is the longest I could put it down, this is an extremely addictive book.

Laine is a plain, ordinary girl, with nothing interesting really going on with her. She wasn't always the most confident. When the beautiful, popular Leah Greene decides to be her best friend, Laine couldn't be happier. They both vowed to be best friends forever. Little did she know what being Leah's best friend really meant. Leah was one of those people...who you couldn't say no to. From early on, Leah forced Laine to "practice" in the closet, for when they got older. This extremely effected Laine. She had weird feelings about it, she hated it, but couldn't get her to stop.  This went on until eighth grade year. Finally the two of them grew apart,but Leah keeps popping up reminding her of the past. Laine tries to move one, to convince herself of her true feelings, and to ultimately find forgiveness

As you can tell, this is a story about complicated childhood friendships, abuse, and even self-discovery. What made this story so different from all the others, is that it gave all parts to the story, not just one side. It tries to really make you understand why someone would do such a thing by giving you enough information about Leah's situation. Leah Greene is a very complicated person and deep down a sad person. She has suffered through things worse than Laine ever has, but I feel like I will still never understand her.

Laine- I felt so strongly for her. Her emotions and feelings were so well described. She was trapped and there was nothing she could really do about it. In a strange way I do know the feeling of having that friend that you secretly don't like, but is impossible to get out of your life. But that's nothing compared with what Laine went through. Not only did Leah do those things in the closest, but she made her do all kinds of things she didn't want to do, ultimately scarring and effecting Laine forever. Laine felt uncomfortable around girls, not just uncomfortable, but  scared that everyone was going to do what Leah did.

I love how the reader got enough background background information to get the whole jest of the story. The story began with childhood memories, from elementary school, going all the way into high school. The scenes in the closet/any encounter with Leah were extremely hard to read. I cringed, wanting to do anything to help Laine. I was even very scared of Leah! You never knew what to expect with her. Oh and an added bonus is a lesson at the beginning of each chapter. These were lessons Leah taught Laine-and surprisingly they were very true.

This story will be burned into my mind for a very long time, if not forever. I was having a hard time rating this one, but in the end the fact that I still found myself thinking about this days later made this one a five star book. I really applaud Jo Knowles for writing about such a hard subject...so flawlessly. Lessons From a Dead Girl is a very powerful book, that explores more than one important issue. If you think your brave enough to handle this one, I strongly recommend it.

Waiting on Wednesday (13)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we "can't-wait-to-read".

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
Release date:  May 27th 2010

Summary: (Taken from Goodreads)

Sixteen-year-old Maya and seventeen-year-old Lochan have never had the chance to be 'normal' teenagers. Having pulled together for years to take care of their younger siblings while their wayward, drunken mother leaves them to fend alone, they have become much more than brother and sister. And now, they have fallen in love. But this is a love that can never be allowed, a love that will have devastating consequences ...How can something so wrong feel so right? 

I first saw this over at Michelle's Bookshelf and it really caught my interest. I've never read any thing about this subject. I think it will be extremely hard to read, but worth it. Lately I've been reading those books that are uncomfortable to read about, but they have all been amazing! The release date isn't too far away either. 

Oh and the wonderful Aly from Fantsy4eva shared with me an excerpt from the book that she found. Wow is all I have to say. I strongly advise you to check it out HERE :D

Awards!

This is a very overdue post. I've received a couple of awards over the past month that I would love to pass on :) And I can't believe I almost have 200 followers, to me that's just crazy! I wanted to thank all of you, I really appreciate all the comments and support! Also this is my 100th post!

I was given the Humane award from Taylor over at Smitten With Books. Thank you so much Taylor! Taylor has an awesome blog that everyone should visit. This award is supposed to be passed on to those sweet kind-hearted followers and bloggers who leave the nicest comments and remind you why you love blogging. Your awesome comments seriously make my day :D

I would love to pass this one to:

Bere at Sueños En La Luna

Emidy at Une Parole

Juju at Tales of Whimsy

Melissa at I Swim For Oeans

Christina T at Reading Extensively

Michelle at Michelle's Bookshelf

Jami at YA Addict

Dwayne at Girls Without a Bookshelf

Jamie at Bookmarked

Maria at The Serpentine Library

I received this awesome award from Kelly over at The Book Sanctuary and Christina T at Reading Extensively. Thank you to both of you, I really appreciate it. I'm supposed to list the last five books I read and then pass it on to five other lovely bloggers.

Last five books I read:
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott (crazy book, review to come soon!)
Lessons From a Dead Girl by Jo Knowles (another crazy book haha to be reviewed ASAP)
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
If I Stay by Gayle Forman 
The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard

I would like to pass this too:
Jessica at Forever Young
Chick Loves Lit
Holly at Good Golly Miss Holly
Confessions of a Serial Reader
Audrey at Holes in My Brain

 
I received this one from Jillian over at Random Ramblings. Thank you so so much Jillian. Her blog is super lovely, so make sure to head on over there! You are supposed to list ten honest things about you, but this post is going to be super long, so I'm going to have to skip it. Although I would love to give this too:

Katie at Katie's Book Blog
Jenn at Book Crazy
Jami at YA Addict
Sasha at The Sweet Bonjour
Erika at Erika Breathes Books
Brittany at Reading Nook

Christina T from Reading Extensively gave me this one. That was really sweet, thank you so much! Her blog is definitely one of my favorites :D There's a little questionnaire I'm supposed to fill out, but unfortunately I don't have time to fill it out. 

 I would like to pass this one to these bloggers:


Linna at 21 Pages
Stephanie at With Sprinklez on Top Reviews
Kelly at Book Sanctuary
Lorielle at Just Bookin Around 
Sarah at Book Reviews from Inside an Igloo
Heather at Proud Book Nerd 

I got this one from Heather over at Proud Book Nerd-another newish blog I discovered and love. Thanks Heather! I would love to pass this on to each and every one of my lovely followers! You guys are truly awesome. Feel free to grab this and post this one on your blog.

 I also got the Beautiful Blogger award from Anne over at Potter, Percy, and I  and from Tez from Books and the Universe. Thank you so much guys! Anne has the cutest blog ever, you need to check it out. And Tez, I'm so glad I recently discovered her blog! Anyways I've already received this award so I'm not going to pass it on.

 I received this one from Linna over at 21 Pages. Thank you Linna! I absolutely love her blog and her layout makes me smile every time :D I've already received this one too, so I'm not going to pass it on again.

 Lastly I received The Happy 101 award from Angela over at My Book Barn. Thank you Angela, her blog is awesome too! Again I've already got this one, so I won't be passing it on.

Daily Dose Monday (12)

Daily Dose Monday is hosted by Holly over at Good Golly Miss Holly and features inspiring/magical images that you would like to share with your readers :)

In My Mailbox (17)

In My Mailbox is a meme originally hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren (click for more information) that shares all the new books you've bought, borrowed, received, or traded for the week.  

I had a pretty slow week-probably my slowest yet. but I'm excited about both of them!
 
Library/for review:
 

Birthmarked Caragh M. O'Brien

Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

After climate change, on the north shore of Unlake Superior, a dystopian world is divided between those who live inside the wall, and those, like sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone, who live outside. It’s Gaia’s job to “advance” a quota of infants from poverty into the walled Enclave, until the night one agonized mother objects, and Gaia’s parents are arrested.

Badly scarred since childhood, Gaia is a strong, resourceful loner who begins to question her society. As Gaia’s efforts to save her parents take her within the wall, she herself is arrested and imprisoned.

I read an amazing review by Jami over at the YA Addict and I know I just had to get it. And I've been really loving dystopian novels lately ;)

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her “power” to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he’s claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay’s intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she’s falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself. 

I've heard great things about this book around the blogging  community. I was delighted to randomly find it one the shelf.  It's not what I usually read, but I'm excited to give it a try.

What's in your mailbox?