Daily Dose Monday (18)

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 :)

Winners of Sea Change!

And the winners of a paperback copy of Sea Change are:

Medeia from Medeia Sharif
Kassandra from Eternal Night

Congrats to both of you! I'll be e-mailing you shortly. Thank you SO much for everyone who entered and to those who spread the word! I had over 200 entries! And for those of you who didn't win Sea Change is now in paperback, so make sure to get a copy. Overall my first contest was great. Who knew hosting contests were so much fun?! I'll be have plenty more coming up :D

*Winners were chosen from Random.org.

In My Mailbox (23)

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 not too bad week. I didn't get too many books, but I'm really excited about the ones I got! And I have some books from book tours coming in really soon, yay :D

Received in mail/won:

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn't seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she's coming to terms with her father's death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself. 

I've heard soooo many good things about this one. I caved in and put it in my Border's shopping cart, but a day later I somehow won it from Cindy over at Princess Bookie! Thanks again Cindy. Yay I'm so excited. I'll be starting on this one bright and early tomorrow morning on a very long car ride :) 

Library/for review:

The Awakening (Darkest Powers #2) by Kelley Armstrong
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

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

Now I'm running for my life with three of my supernatural friends—a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch—and we have to find someone who can help us before the Edison Group finds us first. Or die trying. 

So...I just finished reading the first book in this series. And it just happened like that, I fell in LOVE. I got my hands on this one as soon as I could. I can't wait to read it! Unforgettably I'm going to have to wait a little bit for the third book because of the long hold list. 

Breathless by Jessica Warman
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

When Katie Kitrell is shipped off to boarding school by her distant father and overbearing mother, it doesn’t take her long to become part of the It Crowd. She’s smart, she’s cute, and she’s an Olympic-bound swimmer who has a first class ticket to any Ivy League school of her choice. But what her new friends, roommate, and boyfriend don’t know is that Katie is swimming away from her past, and from her schizophrenic older brother, Will, who won’t let her go. And when he does the unthinkable, it’s all Katie can do to keep her head above water. 

 I decided to give this one a go. It sounds pretty interesting and I'm a fan of the cover.  

OK so that's it for this week. Oh and I also put Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins on hold at the library. Guess how many people are in front of me? 101! Isn't that crazy? I went ahead and pre-ordered it instead :)

And last thing I promise! Today (Sunday) is the last day to win a copy Sea Change by Aimee Friedman, so make sure to enter if you haven't already! Click HERE.

What's in your mailbox?

The Worst of Me by Kate Le Van

Book review #50
The Worst of Me by Kate Le Van
Rating: Four stars

Summary: (taken from back of the book)
Cassidy has been feeling unsettled and adrift, but things look up when she meets an older boy called Jonah. She loves spending time with him and his friends, flattered to be included in their discussions. Jonah is sweet and sensitive and she’s never felt so happy.

But then Cassidy hears disturbing news about Jonah which shakes her trust in him and makes her question her own judgment. If you love someone, how far should you go to overlook their faults?A sharply insightful story about the sometimes painful process of growing up and thinking for yourself.

All I knew about The Worst of Me was that it was a story about love, but I was surprised to find that it was SO much more than that.  It really made on impact on me, it was actually meaningful and deep. With romance, life, religion, and coming of age, The Worst of Me really stood out amongst the rest.

Cassidy isn't all that happy right now. Her dad left her and her mom for someone else, and now she's stuck with her mom's new boyfriend instead. Her ex dumped her for someone better than her and on top of all that she's confused about who she is. But when she meets Jonah, the older boy,  and everything changes. She loves being in love and is sure about something for once.  Jonah and his friends quickly move into Cassidy's life. When Cassidy discovers some disturbing things about her new friends, she has to decide how far she's willing to go for love...

Gosh there was so many things I loved about this book. It was set in England, which really added a lot to the book. It was nice to visit someplace else other than the U.S. The way the characters talked and did things was really interesting. The writing was a little bit different, but you definitely got used to it.

The characters were very well developed. Cassidy was a really relatable main character. Her thoughts and insecurities were real. Cassidy was intellectual, although she might not have known it. As for Jonah, I didn't love him so much. I could tell he was confused about who he was as in individual as opposed to his group of friends. Sam, Cassidy's gay friend, was one of my favorites! I just loved him, he was so sweet and funny. He always knew what to say. I would to have him as a friend :)

Aside from the romance and coming of age aspects, religion was sprinkled into the mix.  Kate did a beautiful job in not disrespecting anyone and showing all the different perspectives. Islam was one of the main conflicts, and it was really interesting to see how it was viewed in another country other than America. 

Overall I really enjoyed this novel...a lot. I'm glad I got a chance to read it. A huge thanks goes to Kate herself for sending me this one (she even signed it too). The card she sent along with it was so nice! I definitely recommend giving this one a try :)

More Awards!

I got The Versatile Blogger award from quite a few awesome people! Thank you SO much Rae from In the Forest, Danielle from With a Book, Megan from Read It, See It, Keitra from Page by Page, Ash from Books From Bleh to Basically Amazing, Book Sake, Mel from Mel's Book and Info, Three Cheers For Literacy, and Paula at Community Bookstop.

Here are the rules:

1. List 7 random things about yourself

2. Share the award with up to 15 other bloggers

3. Link to each of the recipients and let them know they've won via comments on their blogs

4. Thank and bring the love back to the person you won the award from by linking back to them.

7 things about me:

1. I mainly speak English, but I also speak Arabic.

2. Whenever I start something I become completely and insanely obsessed with it (twitter for example, my new thing haha).

3.I don't like the sound of silence, I almost always have music playing in the background.

4. I'm a foodie! And so is the rest of my family. I love trying new delicious things (even though I'm super picky). Thankfully we all got blessed with fast metabolism.

5. In October of this year, I started homeschooling. It taught me a lot about myself. Although in the end I don't think it is right for me. I probably won't be continuing with it. Although one thing is for sure, without homeschooling I would have never had this blog! 

6. I talk...a lot. I could go on for hours and hours about everything and nothing. I even make up some new words or abbreviations sometime, which surprisingly catches one!

7. I don't like the taste of water. Isn't that crazy? I mean water doesn't really have a taste, I guess I don't prefer it in general. The only times I'll drink it is after the gym.

I would love to pass this on to: these new lovely blogs I found:

The Little Bookworm

The Ninja Librarian
Niki's Book Reviews
Collegiate Bookworm
Bite Me
Book Lovers Review
Swords For Fighting
The Book Eater 

I got the Stylish Blogger Award from the lovely Super at Super Librarian. Thank you so much! To accept the award, I must list five random things about myself and then pass it on to five other bloggers.

Five of my favorite things (since I already listed 7 random things about me):
1. Candy! I love love candy. I always have some hanging around my room. Sour patch kids are my favorite.
2. Getting a new book in the mail, espeically the surprises.
3. Reading before bed, snuggling up under the covers-it's even better when it's raining outside.
4. Pictures. I love everything about them. Taking them, editing them, and making scrapbooks with them.
5. Cooking and baking. I love to whip up new concoctions, like my "magic sandwich" that's pretty famous around town if I say so myself haha ;)

I'm going to pass this award on to some of my favorites (I couldn't help it and added three more):
Suenos En La Luna
I Have a Dream
YA Addict
Une Parole
Forever Young
21 Pages
Books at Midnight

I also received the Bodacious Blogger Book Reviewers Award from Swimmer over Books, Writing, and More. Thank you! I've already gotten this one so I won't be passing it on again.

Lastly a big thanks goes to Katie over at Book Love for passing on the Sunshine Award. Thanks Katie!

Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

Book review #49
Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt
Rating: Four and a half stars 

Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

There are two sides to every breakup. This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They're even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation. Then Jordan dumps Courtney -- for a girl he met on the Internet. It's too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney's heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la -- this is Courtney pretending not to care. But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot. Turns out, he's got a secret or two that he's not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can't get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other. 

Two Way Street is one sweet entertaining read. It's one of those books that have just the right ingredients that make it pretty close to perfect. Emotion, laughter, and plain cuteness filled each and every page. I was really surprised at how laugh out loud funny this book was! Almost every character, even the minor ones were hilarious. I had a wonderful time on Jordan and Courtney's crazy road trip adventure.

Jordan and Courtney are two people that normally wouldn't be together. To both their surprise together that had something special with each other. Everything was going great, until Courtney finds herself dumped for some girl Jordan met online. Courtney is completely broken and horrified that she is being forced on the pre-planned road trip she has to go on. It's going to be every bit as painful to go through with the trip, but for completely other reasons. Together you discover the truth behind the breakup...

It love the setup of this book. I got to see both sides of the breakup/couple-alternating between Courtney and Jordan's point of view. You also got to see flashbacks of the past, including how they met. They were just too cure. It was funny how much they thought alike. Courtney and Jordan are one those couples who are just meant to be, no matter what happens. Jordan was a great representation of a male teenager, Lauren Barnholdt really got it spot on. And once you find out his side of the story, you start to love him even more. Even the minor characters were well developed. Both of their best friends went out with each other as well. Joyce and B.J. were so crazy together, but so fun to read about.

I literally flew through this book. I was sad when it was over, I could have read a lot more without ever getting board. Delicious would be a great word to describe this one. Two Way Street is light, lovable, and hilarious! I can't wait to read Lauren Barnholdt's upcoming releases. It's hard to think how somehow wouldn't enjoy Two Way Street. I most definitely recommend you to check this one out :D

Waiting on Wednesday (18)

"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".

Aces Up by Lauren Barnholdt
Release date: August 10th 2010
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

Seventeen-year-old high school senior Shannon Card needs money. And lots of it. She's been admitted to Wellesley, but her dad just lost his job, and somehow she has to come up with a year of tuition herself. But Shannon's dream of making big bucks waitressing at the local casino, the Collosio, disappears faster than a gambler's lucky streak. Her boss is a tyrant, her coworker is nuts, and her chances of balancing a tray full of drinks while wearing high-heeled shoes are slim to none. Worse, time is running out, and Shannon hasn't made even half the money she'd hoped.

When Shannon receives a mysterious invitation to join Aces Up, a secret network of highly talented college poker players, at first she thinks No way. She has enough to worry about: keeping her job, winning the coveted math scholarship at school, and tutoring her secret crush, Max. But when Shannon musters up the nerve to kiss Max and he doesn't react at all, the allure of Aces Up and its sexy eighteen-year-old leader, Cole, is suddenly too powerful to ignore.

Soon Shannon's caught up in a web of lies and deceit that makes worrying about tuition money or a high school crush seem like kid stuff. Still, when the money's this good, is the fear of getting caught reason enough to fold?

This fun, sexy, recession-proof story is a bubbly summer read with surprising depth—great for fans of Sarah Mlynowski.

That last line really sold me! I recently read Two Way Street by her and loved it, so I'm sure this will be just as good! I think this is a newer cover, I'm not sure which one is going to be the final one. Anyways I can't wait! (:

Guess who finally made a Twitter?

It's about time I finally joined in on all the fun! I'm definitely a newbie, so I hope I figure how to use it. Anyways I would love it if you followed me. I also want to follow you too! Leave your username or link in the comments and I'll happily follow you! (:

Oh yeah my username is Sarabara174, sadly Along For the Ride was taken.

Teaser Tuesday (13)

 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:

"I reached for my gag but I couldn't get a grip on the tape, so I gave up and fumbled for the rope around my feet again, fingertips whizzing along it so fast it cut into my skin. At every knot, I felt for loose ends and, finding none, kept going until-"

-pg.235, The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong 



Goodness! I'm really loving this book so far. I have a feeling it's going to be a great series. There were so many great lines it was hard to just pick two (: