30 April 2014

April Wrap Up

Peter Panda Melts Down by Artie Bennett and John Abbott Nez
The Prophecy of Arcadia (Arcadian Wars #1) by M.H. Soars
Fancy & Adriaan by Haidji (short story/novella)
The WishKeeper by Maximilian Timm
Rain (Rain #1) by Christie Cote

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
These Broken Stars by Amy Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
How to be Good by Nick Hornby

Sex Criminals, Volume 1: One Weird Trick by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky (graphic novel)
Unwell by Marie Chow
Fearsome Dreamer (Fearsome Dreamer #1) by Laure Eve
Sophie's Secret (Whispers #1) by Tara West



I haven't really though about my resolutions or challenges this month.. It has been quite hectic - but let me try: 

For the TBR pile challenge I read 9 books:
1. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
2. Peter Panda Melts Down by Artie Benett and Jon Abbott Nez
3. Sex Criminals, Volume 1: One Weird Trick by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky
4. These Broken Stars (Starbound #1) by Amy Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
5. Unwell by Marie Chow
6. The Prophecy of Arcadia (Arcadian Wars #1) by M.H. Soars
7. The WishKeeper (The Paragonia Chronicles #1) by Maximilian Timm
8. Rain (Rain #1) by Christie Cote
9. Fearsome Dreamer (Fearsome Dreamer #1) by Laure Eve

For the Reading Bingo Challenges I read 8 books in total:
YA:
1. A book with magic: The WishKeeper (The Paragonia Chronicles #1) by Maximilian Timm
2. A book set in the summer: The Prophecy of Arcadia (Arcadian Wars #1) by M.H. Soars
3. A book that made you cry: Rain (Rain #1) by Christie Cote
4. A "classic" YA book: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
5. A book with a lion, a witch or a wardrobe: Fearsome Dreamer (Fearsome Dreamer #1) by Laure Eve
6. A book set in another world: These Broken Stars (Starbound #1) by Amy Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Regular (everything else):
1. A funny book: Peter Panda Melts Down by Artie Benett and Jon Abbott Nez
2. A book with a one-word title: Unwell by Marie Chow
3. A book that is more than 10 years old: How to be Good by Nick Hornby



I received my first physical book for review by an author! The book I received was The WishKeeper by Maximillian Timm (aka Max). I actually received 3 physical books for review this month - Fearsome Dreamer by Laure Eve from Hot Key Books and Slip by Leslie J. Portu (received this from the author Leslie)

I made a spreadsheet with all my TBR books! ALL the books I have for review, all the unread books on my shelves and all the ebooks I own! Colourcoded!

I reached 100 followers on Instagram!


Organization and planning!



May! As you probably know by now May is Indie Author Month so there will be a bunch of guest posts, interviews, giveaways, interviews, excerpts, teasers and more!

April Book Haul

For review
Netgalley



Library Thing


Authors



28 April 2014

Dark Days by Kate Ormand

Dark Days
Series: N/A, Standalone
Publication date: June 3, 2014
Publisher: Sky Pony Press 
Genres: YA Sci-fi, Dystopia
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss
Pages: 256


The future world has been divided into sectors--each the same as the other. Surrounded by thick steel fences, there is no way in and no way out. Yet a cyborg army penetrates each sector, picking off its citizens one by one, until no one is left. Behind the sectors' thick walls, the citizens wait to die. Few will be chosen to survive what's coming; the rest will be left behind to suffer. A new world has been created, and its rulers are incredibly selective on who will become a citizen. They want only those with important roles in society to help create a more perfect future. 




Sixteen-year-old Sia lives in one of the sectors as part of a family that is far too ordinary to be picked to live. According to the digital clock that towers high above her sector, she has only fifteen days to live. Sia has seen the reports and knows a horrific death is in store for her, but she is determined to make the most of her final days. Sia refuses to mourn her short life, instead promising herself that she'll stay strong, despite being suffocated by her depressed mother and her frightened best friend. Just when Sia feels more alone than ever, she meets Mace, a mysterious boy. There is something that draws Sia to him, despite his dangerousness, and together, they join a group of rebels and embark on an epic journey to destroy the new world and its machines, and to put an end to the slaughter of innocent people.


I have seen this title a couple of times now, and I never really knew what it was about - but I kept coming back to it because I really liked the cover. Then I read the summary, and it lured me in! When you read the first line, you think it's going to be like The Hunger Games, then there is the fences.. And it's still a bit Hunger Games-esque. And then comes the twist: CYBORGS! I love that twist! 
I also loved that Sia, our main character, know she has 15 days left. It made the book fly by, and that is on one hand great and on the other not so great. I started to feel a bit "meh" once the "and then she meets Mace..." popped up in the summary. I hate when everything is about the boy! I read dystopia because of the worlds, not because of the "boy meets girl" or "girl meets boy" factor - I have my contemporaries for that!

But let's get on with the actual review:
It starts out very quickly, she has known that she's going to die for 6 days when the book starts out, and now she only has 15 days left. I love how she makes a realistic bucket list, instead of things like save the world or things along those lines. 
Sia is a character we can sympathize with. Everybody reacts differently once they get a death sentence, Sia is one of those that just want to live her life to the end and make the most of it (hence the bucket list). While her mother gets depressed and won't leave the couch and barely speaks to Sia or Sia's father. Her father is just absent, Sia barely sees him and they barely even talk. So in her final days, Sia is basically alone - who would want to be alone at a time like that?

When it comes to the world I am sad to say that it wasn't explained that much in the book. I really wanted some background information as to WHY the world was divided into those sectors and more information about the New World. I know that the sectors are very secluded and rely on the New World for everything - but that's basically it. I would've loved to get more info about the sector also, we don't really know that much about how it look like either. We are told that the houses are identical and that even the furniture is identical in each house. 

I am happy to say that this book did not include a love triangle! She stuck to Mace and I like Sia for that, I also liked how she didn't just invite him in to her house or started falling for him immediately *Cough* Twilight *Cough*. It took a couple of days, and I will accept that since they are going to die! 

I know this is a 250 page book, but everything just happened way too quickly, I understand that Sia looks at the world differently and that the time goes a bit faster because she is near the end of her days, but I still felt like it was too fast-paced. 

I love that this for once is a standalone dystopia! You don't come across those that often!

With all that said, I liked the hurriedness of the book a little bit, but it was still way too fast. I liked Sia - that name is actually really beautiful - but I would still love to know more about the world. I gave this book 3 hearts because it was missing some information about the world, but the main character was great!



Have you read this book? If so, what did you think? If not, are you planning to?

26 April 2014

Information and hourly updates for Dewey's 24 hour read-a-thon


Since the 24 hour read-a-thon is starting soon (about 3 and a half hour to go) I though I'd give you some information and stuff so I don't have to worry about that once the read-a-thon starts. So let's get on with it. 

  • There will be hourly updates on here and I will post updates on instagram and twitter as well. (This will be my update post for the entire read-a-thon)
  • I am a Challenge Host, and I have a challenge coming up for Hour 3 so I hope you're looking forward to it! 
  • I am also a cheerleader so I will be cheering for some people on twitter 
  • The challenges I participate in will have their own separate posts (I think it's easier that way)
  • I probably won't be up for 24 hours - I will try though. But my plan is to stay awake for as long as I can and then when I wake up again I will start reading until the read-a-thon is over. 

I have already posted my TBR on instagram but in case you don't follow me on instagram I will post it here too:
Physical books:

Ebooks:

If I read all those I will have read 1145 pages (I've already made a dent in Fearsome Dreamer)


Hourly Updates

Hour 1
Currently reading: Fearsome Dreamer
Books finished: None
Pages read: 42
Running total of pages read: 42
Amount of time spent reading: 50 minutes give or take
Running total amount of time spent reading: 50 minutes
Snacks: Fruit!
Where have I read: In the garden

Hour 2-8
Currently reading: about to pick up Fearsome Dreamer again (for the 9th hour)
Books finished: Rain (Rain #1) by Christie Cote (5 hearts)
Pages read: 254
Running total of pages read: 296


Dewey's 24-hour read-a-thon, challenge for hour 3: Jigsaw cover puzzle!


So we're about to start hour 3 of the 24 hour read-a-thon and I'm the one who's hosting the challenge for this hour.

Since I love puzzles and books I though I'd combine them - all you have to do is simply put the pieces together and send me a mail with the answers (do not write them in the comments)



When you have the answers simply write to my mail (littlemissrandom1 (at) gmail (dot) com) with the different titles and authors. Just say:

Jigsaw puzzle nr. 1:
Jigsaw puzzle nr. 2:
Jigsaw puzzle nr. 3:

Good luck everyone!

The winner of this challenge was Ann Smyth!

Hour 0 of Dewey's 24 hour read-a-thon: Kick off meme

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
Denmark! (In Europe)

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

I have no idea, I am really enjoying Fearsome Dreamer though and I am looking forward to reading Rain and Thirst ^^

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Probably chips and cola - my guilty pleasure

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

Hmm, I love to sing? I love to be organized but my room always looks like a mess...

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?

Read shorter books.. And try to stay awake for the entire read-a-thon - this is my second time! 

22 April 2014

COVER REVEAL: Tryst - a Take it Off novel by Cambria Hebert


Series: Take it Off (can be read as a standalone)
Publication date: May 16, 2014
Genres: New adult, contemporary 




Sometimes all a girl needs is a little fling…

Talie Ronson needs a vacation.

From life.

Since she caught her cheating, loser husband in bed with his assistant, her life has been on a steady spiral—right into hell. Her car’s a junker, her job sucks, and her perfect, gorgeous sister likes to brag about her wonderful life every time they “do” lunch.

In an effort to salvage what’s left of her life and her sanity, she takes the advice of her kooky best friend and takes off to Topsail Island. A week at the beach, alone, is exactly what she needs to recharge, regroup, and relax.

Only, her alone time is about to get derailed.

Gavin Palmer’s favorite activity is walking around in his boxers and eating junk food. He and his neighbors have an understanding. They stay out of his business and he stays out of theirs. He lives at the beach, not for vacation, but for isolation. He’s had enough of people to last him a lifetime.

Gavin’s isolation is interrupted when his normally quiet neighbor starts disturbing his peace. He stomps across the sand to give the guy a piece of his mind… only it isn’t a guy.

It’s Talie.

She’d maddening, nosy, and talks too much.

But she’s hot and her bedroom eyes have him thinking maybe he’s had enough solitude. Maybe a week of company is exactly what he needs.

Maybe what they both need is a no-strings-attached tryst.










AUTHOR BIO 
Cambria Hebert is the author of the young adult paranormal Heven and Hell series, the new adult Death Escorts series, and the new adult Take it Off series. She loves a caramel latte, hates math and is afraid of chickens (yes, chickens). She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband and children (both human and furry) where she is plotting her next book. You can find out more about Cambria and her work by visiting http://www.cambriahebert.com


21 April 2014

Update: Sorry I've been gone guys...I'm hopefully back now!

So, I've felt like I needed a bit of a break from blogging for a while and that little break happened to be totally unplanned with no scheduled posts so you wouldn't notice that I was actually gone for a week or two - but oh well, I can't change anything, can I?

The reason my unexpected break came was that I had a week of from school (I start again tomorrow) and I really didn't feel like doing anything. Me and my dad spend a lot of time together the first couple of days and then I had to get my eyes checked and couldn't read, watch TV or use the computer for 2 days... and after that, well, my eyes aren't "back" yet. I still feel like my vision is different than before, but that won't change before I get my glasses... But I can use the computer and read now. I still have some trouble with the Telly.

But I will try to come back through out this week and the next but I can promise you that I'm back for good in May - since I have Indie Author Month and I kind of need to be there since I'm the one putting everything together.

I have also decided to stop doing the "Life of a Blogger" meme, I wasn't looking forward to making those posts and when it came down to it I actually didn't want to write them - so they're gone now.. I will probably find another way for you to get to know me better. You can always ask me questions and maybe if there's enough I can do a Q/A - or I will just answer you in the comments.

and I don't know whether I will do Top Ten Tuesdays for a while either. I've already decided that I'm only doing Teaser Tuesday in May (read more here) and I may do a WWW Wednesday this week and maybe next week. I still really like doing WWW Wednesdays since I only have to answer 3 questions and they're kind of like my weekly recap but I don't feel the same towards TTT's at the moment. So I will take a break and who knows, maybe I'm back when June comes around.


and I've been thinking, I may change my blog design, but until I have everything ready (if I choose to change my layout) there won't be any changes.


20 April 2014

Feather Bound by Sarah Raughley

Feather Bound
Series: N/A, Standalone
Publication date: May 6, 2014
Publisher: Strange Chemistry  
Genres: YA Fantasy, Fairytale Retelling
Format: eARC
Source: netgalley
Pages: 



When Deanna's missing friend Hyde turns up at his father's funeral to claim his corporate empire and inheritance, she is swept into his glittering world of paparazzi and wealth.

But re-kindling her friendship and the dizzying new emotions along for the ride are the least of her concerns. Because Deanna has a secret - and somebody knows. Someone who is out to get Hyde. And if she doesn't play along, and help the enemy destroy him...she will be sold to the highest bidder in the black market for human swans.

Now Deanna is struggling to break free from the gilded cage that would trap her forever...



Feather Bound is a dark debut reminiscent of Gabriel García Márquez's A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings, and the twisted truth behind the fairy tale of Cinderella.

When I read the summary I wasn't that intrigued to tell you the truth, but when I read the "comment" at the bottom saying "the twisted truth behind the fairy tale of Cinderella" I was hooked! I really enjoy fairy tale retellings and even though I couldn't see the Cinderella story in this novel I still enjoyed it. I think it was based of The Swan Princess or something - definitely something with swans!

I read this in one day and I really enjoyed it. I loved Dee / Deanna and her sisters - in the end I started really liking Ade too! I loved the relationship between the 3 sisters, I love how they took care of each other - I didn't like all the secrets though! But they were there for each other when they needed each other the most, and I liked that!
I didn't really care for the dad before the end....

I really really liked Hyde! I adored how he was around Dee and how utterly in love he was with her. But on the other hand I loved Dee for handling things with Hyde as she did. I loved the fact that she actually didn't want to be with him and she didn't just believed every word he spoke. 

The story was so well-thought. The details fitted together and hidden messages and such where so well placed that you didn't guess stuff before Dee figured them out for herself. I loved the "new-ness" of this idea. I've never EVER read a book about swans!

I LOVED the small "excerpts" of some old fairytale that was included, it helped me understand the story and I loved reading this new fairy tale that I've never in my life even read - let alone heard of. 

Overall I really enjoyed the story, it was something totally different to anything I've ever read - and that says something. This is a phenomenal debut and I can't wait to see more from Sarah in the future, I am looking forward to seeing what she'll write next. 

I gave this book 4 hearts because I enjoyed it so much. I think Sarah did a wonderful job with her debut and she should definitely write more books!



Are you planning to read Feather Bound?

14 April 2014

ANNOUNCEMENT! Indie Author Month!

I have wanted to do something with indie authors or self-published authors and in the beginning I was  planning on making a single post with and "A-Z of Indie Authors" but then I realized that it wasn't really what I wanted. Then I thought: a indie author mini-series! But I also trashed that idea. Then I started wondering, I could do it as a "theme" for a period of time - maybe a week, maybe two? And then I finally settled on something. 

I could turn May into Indie Author Month! 

But, what is indie author month then? Indie Author Month (aka IAM) is a month where every post I write is going to have something to do with indie authors, whether it is my favorites or some I want to read. It is also a month where there will be a bunch of giveaways, blog tours, interviews, excerpts, teasers, guest posts and more. 

It also means that I'm not going to participate in memes in May, I will still participate in Teaser Tuesday - since it's perfect and I can share teasers of self-published books. But I won't be participating in any of the other ones. 

Some of the authors there will "be here" next month are:
Cambria Hebert (author of the Take it Off series amongst others)
Julia Crane (author of Freak of Nature amongst others)
Maximilian Timm (author of The WishKeeper)
S.F. Burgess (author of Eleanor)
Tammy Salyer (author of the Spectras Arise Trilogy)
Ripley Patton (author of Ghost Hand)



Some details
- In the sidebar there will be a list with upcoming posts and current giveaways. 
- There will be a weekly recap every sunday and a wrap up of the IAM at the end of the month
- There will be at least 1 post every day, maybe there will be more (aren't that far yet)
- Giveaways will be international so everyone can join in on the fun



and by the way, I still have some spots open, so if you're an indie author or a blogger and you are interested in joining - just comment and we can sort out the details!


9 April 2014

WWW Wednesday #7

This meme is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading (just like Teaser Tuesdays). All you have to do is answer 3 questions. 
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you'll read next?


If you click on the cover you will be referred to the site on goodreads


I am still reading These Broken Stars along with Ebony and I'm really enjoying it! I like how the characters are slowly adjusting to each other and I have to say, Lilac is growing on me!

I got a copy og Unwell from the author, Marie Chow, for review. I am almost half way through, and I'm enjoying it. It's not the best book ever, but I still like it and I think it's a very emotional and interesting read




I gave 4 hearts to An Abundance of Katherines, I really enjoyed reading about Colin and see him evolve and start to realise things for himself. It was a great book - and no main character died!

I got a copy of Peter Panda Melts Down! for review and I loved it. It had a bit Seuss-esque feeling to it and I thought it was cute. I gave it 5 hearts. 



Since I have a bunch of books for review, I figured it may be time to start reading some of them... Especially since I have a big project coming in May with some of them..