The Paper Critic

[Featured Discussion] - Covers That Make You Squirm

This is a new segment, Featured Discussion. Where, I am looking at heading with this segment is more of a opinion based discussion. There is some that will be true and fact, but for the main part I want a good discussion, and I want people to chime in and talk. I will make my opinion and comments known as well. However please, PLEASE do not insult or degrade anyone else.

Featured Discussion:

I was looking at the bloggers I following and seeing what they commented on and what was grabbing their attention. Than a book caught my eye on Me My Shelf and I, I thought the book was familiar. I remember it from someplace, but the book never really caught my eye before. I was looking at this book and the post trying to understand what was wrong with the book. Well it's best to let Me My Shelf and I (Here) and I explain this, as well as the Huffington Post.

Flowers in the Attic Synopsis

Such wonderful children. Such a beautiful mother. Such a lovely house. Such endless terror!
It wasn't that she didn't love her children. She did. But there was a fortune at stake--a fortune that would assure their later happiness if she could keep the children a secret from her dying father.

So she and her mother hid her darlings away in an unused attic.

Just for a little while.

But the brutal days swelled into agonizing years. Now Cathy, Chris, and the twins wait in their cramped and helpless world, stirred by adult dreams, adult desires, served a meager sustenance by an angry, superstitious grandmother who knows that the Devil works in dark and devious ways. Sometimes he sends children to do his work--children who--one by one--must be destroyed....

'Way upstairs there are
four secrets hidden.
Blond, beautiful, innocent
struggling to stay alive...

That was the synopsis, and I want to give credit to both places (Me My Shelf and I and Huffington Post) and I don't want to receive any credit for this, just the opinion I am going to voice here in a few sentences. I want to thank both sites for this funny and oddly gross. The two on the front cover is supposed to be a set of siblings, brother and sister. When I first looked at the book I was a bit shocked and taken back. You know what they say about books whose illustrator appears to know nearly nothing about the book, except what the synopsis is.

When I look at this, my mind travels to other books. There are those books that I see that have the same cover, and I am left wondering why the second book kept the cover when the first book came out. I am often puzzled by why covers are the way they are, and part of me wonders how the process happens. How a cover is chosen, and how the design is sought after and ultimately created. I would love to have an authors point of view and see just how the process is conducted and processes; maybe than would I begin to understand why authors/publishers choose the covers the way they do, and ultimately how mistakes like this book could be stopped/solved.

If you have any books that share a similar ideology like this one, books that have covers that seemingly are gross, funny, or just downright distasteful to the book and the fans. I would like to see your books, and the covers that make you cower and scream in agony. While I am willing to admit that I to may scream and twitch in agony as well. Yet I will still watch and see the covers that are presented. :P

[Waiting on Wednesday] - #38

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

See something you like here?
Click the book title to add it to your Goodreads TBR List!

Title: The Fall of Five
Author: Pittacus Lore
Release Date: August 27th, 2013

The Garde are finally reunited, but do they have what it takes to win the war against the Mogadorians?

John Smith—Number Four—thought that things would change once the Garde found each other. They would stop running. They would fight the Mogadorians. And they would win.

But he was wrong. After facing off with the Mogadorian ruler and almost being annihilated, the Garde know they are drastically unprepared and hopelessly outgunned. Now they’re hiding out in Nine’s Chicago penthouse, trying to figure out their next move.

The six of them are powerful, but they’re not strong enough yet to take on an entire army—even with the return of an old ally. To defeat their enemy, the Garde must master their Legacies and learn to work together as a team. More importantly, they’ll have to discover the truth about the Elders and their plan for the Loric survivors.

And when the Garde receive a sign from Number Five—a crop circle in the shape of a Loric symbol—they know they are so close to being reunited. But could it be a trap? Time is running out, and the only thing they know for certain is that they have to get to Five before it’s too late.

The Garde may have lost battles, but they will not lose this war.

Lorien will rise again.

My Stance:

I still have the series on my shelf and there is nearly no way I will finish that series before this book comes out. I have a lot on my shelf, and I recently highlighted the beginning series on the Mailbox Monday. Frankly I am not sure if this book or the series is any good, this is part of my completionist mentality. I looked at this book and the series, and I loved the movie enough to decide to try the series out. I doubt I'll be let down, but at the same time, I have a high expectation of what the book should be.

Furthermore, I am happy to see that this book is coming to shelves all around. The bookstores will eat this series alive, and while I don't think the hype will be equivalent to that of Divergent, but it has got my attention. I guess that's why I am featuring it this week I guess.

Title: White Cat
Author: Holly Black

Series: #1 - Curse Workers

Format: Hardback

Release Date: May 4th, 2010
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0

Cassel comes from a shady, magical family of con artists and grifters. He doesn’t fit in at home or at school, so he’s used to feeling like an outsider. He’s also used to feeling guilty—he killed his best friend, Lila, years ago.But when Cassel begins to have strange dreams about a white cat, and people around him are losing their memories, he starts to wonder what really happened to Lila. In his search for answers, he discovers a wicked plot for power that seems certain to succeed. But Cassel has other ideas—and a plan to con the conmen.

My Review:

This book was a blast to read, and I absolutely cannot wait to finish the series and delve deeper into her world. Cassel and his friends, or friend create and compose a wonderful world that is full of personality and drive. The twist and turns at every carve a world and keep you on your toes. I was never sure what to expect and was thrilled the next moment when Cassel's plan came into action.

Cassel, was a character that I was looking forward to and grew on me as the book grew to and end. He starts out as a criminal, and a thrifty conman. He was raised to believe in the con, and almost know what who had the upper hand. However, in the beginning you'll realize he's in college and away from his family. Which apparently is good for Cassel, his mother is out for whatever is best for her and her family and his brothers are trying to protect Cassel, even if they aren't going about it the best way.

At first on the surface I thought the book was going to be about conmen and the thrifty lives they lead. However, I was wrong. The book is partially dealt with than conman lifestyles and than there is the Curse Workers lifestyle. Cruse Workers are different depending on what "gift" you have been given. In Cassel's mother's case it's emotion. She makes anyone feel how she needs to, to get the job done. There are those who can work memories and than those who can transform objects. Those who can transform are rare and the most sought after, however when one of the characters posses that ability the whole game changes.

Cassell is different, he mourns the fact that he's not a curse worker at all, and in a family where everyone is a worker he's left alone. It also doesn't change the haunting nightmare he has every night, the dream of him killing his best friend and possibly first girlfriend. Furthermore I found that the second character I fell in love with was a White Cat that follows Cassell around and helps him along his journey. As Cassell, tries to figure out who he is supposed to find, and what's going on in his life, the White Cat remains by his side.

I wanted more out of the world, and what it had to offer. I enjoyed the college school scenery and it made the school seem large and welcoming. However out in the world the only world and the only house that seemed worthwhile was the house that Cassel grew up in. The cluttered mess, and the worn down house gave a great backstory to Cassel that a few paragraphs could have explained. Yet how he got around was dumbed down to just driving his car from point A to point B. We see over and over Holly Black can create great worlds, so why doesn't she going from points to points.

This book won't let you down, in fact it's a great read and a great relaxation piece. I was hooked immediately and if you are remotely interested, or sounds like something you might find interesting. I would almost garauntee that you'll enjoy this book. If you aren't hooked by the first chapter or two, I dunno what I will do, but I will find someone to make it up to you.

[Stacking the Shelves] - #40

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your bookshelf, be it the physical one or your digital one!

I'm done with the deck and while I am looking for more segments and routines of my daily life that I can cut out to make more time for the blog. I have hit another patch of time in which I am busy and even if I can't post or get around to making a comment, I plan to make it up. I am not sure how or when, but I want to get around to to making the missing days worthwhile. Furthermore I have been picking up books as times goes on, and I been keeping them on hand. I will get each and every single one to you.

Furthermore, this week on Mailbox Monday there has been a different concept I wanted to use. I had a few series that I picked up and wanted to show them to the readers as one unit and talk about the first book in the series. So I tried putting the alternate, or further books in the series on either side of the stance I had on the books. I looked at the series and tried to come up with a way to display the books better and allow you go click on the books and view the Goodreads pages. I hope to show you the books, the series, the authors, and every book on my shelf and the urge to read every single one of them.

Mailbox Pickup:

Title: Nightshade
Author: Andrea Cremer
Format: Paperback
Release Date: October 19th, 2010

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything- including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

Nightshade I've wanted for a long long time, and while I have been looking for a hardcover copy of the book. I was happy to see it at a local Meijers and I nearly jumped for joy. Nightshade has been on my wishlist for a long long while, and the one book is still on it, Bloodrose.

Now while I have been leery about picking this book up, there was a comment by Veronica Roth about this book. She says that its's not just another Paranormal book. I love Divergent and Roth's work, so her opinion changed a fair bit about this book for me. I took a second look at it a second time.

While I first thought it would be a book about a wolf who strays and ends up helping a boy. Yet when her promised life of leading a pack of wolves. Yet what I don't understand is how Calla can be emotionally attached to a boy if she's a wolf? Can she transform into a human? There is questions that I feel needed answered, and I wish they were answered in the synopsis, because that's why I didn't pick this book up sooner.

Title: I Am Number Four
Author: Pittacus Lore
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: August 3rd, 2010

Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books - but we are real.

Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. We have lived among you without you knowing.

But they know.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They killed them all.

I am Number Four.

I am next.

I am Number Four, came from after I saw the movie and when I finally got into reading. When I saw The Hunger Games and fell in love with the story and how the movie told the story, I went and read the book immediately after. I loved the book more so than the movie as anyone should, and when I was done I asked myself, is there more books like this one? Ever since I have been looking at movies directed at the young adult audience. I saw this movie months later into my investigation and realized I had already seen it and wondered how the book was compared to the book.

At first I wondered if I am Number Four could live up to the movie, and I loved the movie. I heard they were going to sequels of the movie, but I thought I could get a head start, and maybe read the rest of the books and see where the story ended up. I looked at the book and the series and got into it immediately, and wondered how far the series could go, and just how many times could the aliens go after the nine of them. I enjoy the concept and just how much the series has potential the book has.

Title: The Gathering
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: March 1st, 2012

Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.

Until now.

Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel . . . . different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.

The Gathering is one of the books that I wanted to get into and while I was looking at my wishlist. This book was something that caught my eye, and while I kept this book on my wishlist over the few weeks I browsed over it. It only got worse when I dated a girl who loved Kelley Armstrong, and when things didn't work out I avoided this book because of her. Now for any fellow book readers out there, that's a bad thing to say about a book, because frankly it's not the books fault. I have to say getting over her only made me want to read this book more, and I get the feeling I am rambling more than I should.

While I looked at this book, the synopsis doesn't do it justice. I was wondering just what kind of person Maya is. Not exactly personality wise and all, but who she is. Is this some werewolf story, or another paranormal story that I haven't seen yet. I loved the mystery of her persona, but I want more, I want to know who she is. Then there is her friends, and a new bad boy that makes her feel "different." What is that? It sounds so cliche and boring, that I almost wanted to stop there, keep it original Armstrong.

Title: Tempest
Author: Julie Cross
Format: Hardback
Release Date: January 17th, 2012

The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time" will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

Tempest I bought later on when I found a copy of Vortex signed at Anderson's Bookshop and fell in love with the concept. However, the reviews on both books haven't been very good from the lines and the bloggers that I have been following so I am a bit hesitant and wondering if I am going to be let down in the end. I hope not, because frankly a first book by an author that bombs, doesn't bode well for the future.

I looked at this book, and thought a book about Time Travel and wondering how well the idea could play out. The idea of traveling back and forth of time would appeal to everyone; the possibility and the events you could see. However, for Jackson the day his girlfriend is shot by people who supposedly can jump through time as well, is the last time he'd want to jump to. Than again to save her he'd jump through, but what happens when he can't?

Stuck in a previous year, the people are after him, and the questions arise. Why are they after him? Okay they want to recruit him, but why? The motive is lost, and makes me interested in reading further into the book, but there is something about not making that clear in the synopsis that makes me angry and frustrated. The "enemies of time" pose some questions. And frankly I am wondering why there wasn't more information on them in the synopsis.

Title: The Immortal Rules
Author: Julie Kagawa
Format: Hardback
Release Date: April 2nd, 2013

To survive in a ruined world, she must embrace the darkness…

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for… again.

Enter Julie Kagawa's dark and twisted world as an unforgettable journey begins.

So I found this book harder and harder to come by. In good condition that is. I like to keep track of the books that I own, and furthermore I like to keep my books in relatively good condition. No matter where I went to find this book, I found copies at Meijer's, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble, but the books never lived up to my standards. Frayed edges, bent dust jackets, and even bent/marked pages. I hate when I see books on shelves this way, because I wouldn't buy those books and I imagine that there's other people like me.

Immortal Rules caught my eye the first time when I was at a Meijer's, I didn't realize that Kagawa had another series out and what she was working on other than The Iron Fey series. I was reluctant to pick this series for the time, I was looking at the thought I hadn't started The Iron Fey series yet. Yet there was a pull to this book, and I love the overall concept of the book. A book about what a vampire would want if they were looking at us from the opposite direction. What if a Vampire wanted to be human.

Allison, a vampire who before was kept as cattle, food for vampires. The lifestyle and how the world would be if vampires did run the world. Yet Allison is different, she doesn't want to be a monster, a vampire; she just wants her old life back, a cure for the disease that makes her rabid monster. Yet apparently there is far worse creatures out in the dark than just vampires. Personally I hope there is a romance, a reason for her to be human again. Just because you don't want to be something, doesn't make the motivation that great to a reader, but love brings the that to attention and makes reading the story, that much more enjoyable.

[Flashback Friday] - #39

Flashback Friday is a weekly event, hosted here, that highlights a past released that we're dying to get our hands on...

See something you like here?
Click the book title to add it to your Goodreads TBR List!

Title: Ashes, Ashes
Author: Jo Treggiari
Release Date: June 1st, 2011

A thrilling tale of adventure, romance, and one girl's unyielding courage through the darkest of nightmares.

Epidemics, floods, droughts--for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her.

My Stance:

Ashes, Ashes has been on my list for a long while, and while I have been wanting to go back and pick it up. I was leery on why this was only just a novel and not a series. The potential is there for more, and to make this book drag out, giving the Sweeper a decent and creative backstory and maybe you could do a prequel explaining who the Sweepers are and how they were founded, almost like what Kill Order did for The Maze Runner series. My radar went off, asking why this was so short, did the author get bored? run out of material? I just don't see how this book can only be one novel.

Now what I do like is the end all has happened and only a few people live. It's not like people were hand picked or that they had some special need to live. However with Lucy there seems to be a reason the Sweepers are after her and frankly there just isn't any clue on who the Sweepers are. I am curious of the Sweepers are the new government, a band/gang of powerful people who are hellbent on surviving and seeking out the best possible solutions. Lucy leaves a lot of doors open, and I am curious to she how the relationship with her and Aidan plays out.

[Waiting on Wednesday] - #37

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

See something you like here?
Click the book title to add it to your Goodreads TBR List!

Title: Crown of Midnight
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Release Date: August 27th, 2013

An assassin’s loyalties are always in doubt.
But her heart never wavers.

After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.

Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice.

Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?

My Stance:

Crown of Midnight is on my list and while I haven't read Throne of Glass as of yet, the series caught my eye and on a whim I picked up the first book. What I enjoyed the most about the book or essentially the concept, which bought to life a world of thievery and assassins. However, it focused more on a girl than the previously thought out mainly male assassins. The issue with the cover I have is, who exactly is it on the cover? I understand that Calaena was the cover of the first book, but this doesn't seem to be Westfall or the Prince but what do I know.

I am looking forward to reading both books, and hope that the world is as much as I hope. It reminds me of Assassin's Creed, which I don't want to place that expectation on it. The world building will be key and a great sly sense will need to be embedded in every character, or how they carry themselves. I'm curious and we'll see how those pan out.

Title: Keeping the Moon
Author: Sarah Dessen

Format: Paperback

Release Date: May 11th, 2004
My Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0

Colie expects the worst when she's sent to spend the summer with her eccentric aunt Mira while her mother, queen of the television infomercial, tours Europe. Always an outcast -- first for being fat and then for being "easy" -- Colie has no friends at home and doesn't expect to find any in Colby, North Carolina. But then she lands a job at the Last Chance Cafe and meets fellow waitresses Morgan and Isabel, best friends with a loving yet volatile relationship. Wacky yet wise, Morgan and Isabel help Colie see herself in a new way and realize the potential that has been there all along.

My Review:

Keeping the Moon was a great surprising read, I never thought I would be the big chick-lit fan. However, this book may have just turned me, Sarah's a great author and weaves the characters beautifully. Colie her Mother, and Aunt. I was surprised mostly by how well her characters flowed together. Dessen pulled on some emotional strings and weaved a drama of finding yourself and knowing/accepting who you are. I wasn't sure how well this would pan out, and just how well this would play out, but furthermore Dessen pulled it together and put a work of art together.

Colie was a different character, and her mother took the cake. Colie's mother was a fitness guru, almost like Richard Simmons. She was energetic and exciting; she was a character who know who she was and what she wanted from herself and those around her. She was inspiring and able to motivate just about anyone, except her own daughter. Yeah, of course she made her daughter lose a lot of weight and look like an average american teenager. Yet there was something she couldn't pass on to Colie, self confidence.

Colie was a character that surprised me on just how complex and unique she could be. While I never and still don't understand women/girls today, Dessen opens that world slightly with Colie's perspective. The dancing even if there isn't a reason or your just to sad/depressed and want to dance the worlds worries away, was a new perspective and answer to me. Furthermore the insight and the general perceptions on how her life should be, or what she was afraid of bright some sense to my misguidance.

So, when I read this book I figured Colie, a bigger girl when she was young and having lost all this weight and daughter of a wealthy motivated health nut, would be happy with the life she had. I was wrong, completely. Which surprised me; Colie was a girl who was afraid of those around her, lacked the confidence to stand up for herself and demand respect, furthermore she almost didn't trust the one guy that seemed over and over to ask her out, to push his luck with a girl who he probably may never have a normal shot at. It was sad, at just how pathetic she was, until she opened up and saw herself completely and understood that reflection. I loved the development of Dessen's work here.

Her friends, Isabel and Morgan provide different aspects and good character relief. First Morgan is the loving compassionate girl who is in love with a baseball player. Isabel is the exact opposite, she's colder has a harsher personality that seems to grit on everyone's personality. I love the two characters because they compliment each other so well. Isabel demands respect and knows who she is and what she expects out of everyone. Whereas Morgan is more wishy-washy; she is more lenient and gives people the benefit of the doubt, and I love how they compliment each other.

Furthermore, there was one character that I loved more than any Norman, I believe. He was an eccentric character that seemed to follow his own road and do his own thing, regardless of what other people said about him or the people he hung out with. It was refreshing to see his persona, and realistically his add assortment of sunglasses that made him real. It was the quirky aspects of his character that made him real, but also deeper into the story you realize he isn't perfect, but he's just good enough to catch your eye and make him memorable. His persistence with Colie, and his tolerance made him unique and seemed to remind me of who I would like to be and would hope to be.

Outside of Norman though, I have to say I thought the book could be a bit sexist. However, I do have to say that there are a lot of bad men out in the world, but the one quote that stuck with me came from Isabel; something along the lines of "[It's the bitches that prepare you for men.]" I know women are harder on each other, but I don't think that men can be all that terrible. Maybe I am wrong, and we do let you down moreso than I think; but it gives those guys that are decent and try to be the best they can a bad name.

Beyond the sexist bit, the reason this book fell short was the romance. There wasn't any or if you want to say there was, it came too late for me. It wasn't until nearly the end of the book that a spark took hold and I was left at the end of the book asking why it took so long for it to finally show up. I was confused and with such great characters, I just couldn't understand why it was drug out so long. Yeah, I understand the purpose of the book was for Colie to find herself and feel accepted in the world, but that part of the book ended prior to the small romance bit.

[Stacking the Shelves] - #39

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your bookshelf, be it the physical one or your digital one!

I have been busy lately, working on finishing a deck that we started a few weeks ago. I have been reading Tiger Lily lately and while I hope to finish it and get a review out to all of my readers, I can't help but admit, I am not finding this book as inspiring as I thought I would. I hope to update the review section tomorrow, and maybe start working on a series review bit. I'm not sure what series to start with (that I have read). Any suggestions on what I could do to make this a better blog/read let me know; send me a message or leave a comment.

Alright, on to, Mailbox Monday. This week I am not sure.

What Happened
to Goodbye

Mailbox Pickup:

Title: What Happened to Goodbye
Author: Sarah Dessen
Format: Paperback
Release Date: April 8th, 2013

Since her parents' bitter divorce, Mclean and her dad, a restaurant consultant, have been on the move - four towns in two years. Estranged from her mother and her mother's new family, Mclean has followed her dad in leaving the unhappy past behind. And each new place gives her a chance to try out a new persona: from cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time, Mclean discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself - whoever that is. Perhaps her neighbor Dave, an academic superstar trying to be just a regular guy, can help her find out. Combining Sarah Dessen's trademark graceful writing, great characters, and compelling storytelling, What Happened to Goodbye is irresistible reading.

Sarah Dessen caught my attention after I finished reading Keeping the Moon, and I have been looking for more of her work and her writing to get into. Her emotional work and her emotional characters bring about a life that I enjoy. Furthermore, her characters and the plot all has meaning behind them. Keeping the Moon was a great read, and I constantly look forward to more of her work. As well, to prove that just one chick-lit book won't stop me from being an avid diverse reader.

Sarah Dessen's writing is marvelous, and the dramatic characters blend well in every book she writes. McClean is stuck between her parents, or a divorce that I am sure she is guilty of, or blaming herself for. Furthermore, what happens when she doesn't want to move from town to town with her father anymore? Her family would cave in, and much of her desires would wither, if not for something else. I look to this book, and seeing how Dessen wields a pencil into a work of art again.

Title: Spellcaster
Author: Claudia Gray
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: March 5th, 2013

When Nadia’s family moves to Captive’s Sound, she instantly realizes there’s more to it than meets the eye. Descended from witches, Nadia senses a dark and powerful magic at work in her new town. Mateo has lived in Captive’s Sound his entire life, trying to dodge the local legend that his family is cursed - and that curse will cause him to believe he’s seeing the future … until it drives him mad. When the strange dreams Mateo has been having of rescuing a beautiful girl—Nadia—from a car accident come true, he knows he’s doomed.

Despite the forces pulling them apart, Nadia and Mateo must work together to break the chains of his family’s terrible curse, and to prevent a disaster that threatens the lives of everyone around them. Shimmering with magic and mystery, New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray’s new novel is sure to draw fans of the Hex Hall and Caster Chronicles series, and fans of the hit CW TV show The Secret Circle.

Spellcaster was one of those novels in which I found in Anderson's Bookshop and had the pleasure of getting a signed copy. I wish all of my books were signed and eventually that's the goal of all novels that I own. However, I was especially happy to get this novel because of how great this novel sounds. It reminds me of Beautiful Creatures sort of, but I am hoping there'st more magic and espionage in this book than meets the eye.

Now this book is being compared to Hex Hall and The Castor Chronicles, but I am not sure if that's accurate. From Beautiful Creatures there wasn't that much magic, and I hope in this book the magic takes precedence. Nadia and Mateo sound like there could be a great romance brooding. What happens when dark magic rules one's life, for instance Mateo who believes his family is cursed. Okay I do have to say this is sounding more and more like Beautiful Creatures. I hope that this isn't the same or anything near that concept; it's not good to read an unoriginal book or something that's been done over and over. So I am curious to see how this book plays out, and just what romance the characters bring.

Title: Renegade
Author: J.A. Souders
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: March 1st, 2012

Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.

But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie.

Her memories have been altered.

Her mind and body aren’t under her own control.

And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.

Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.

Renegade was a next pick-up at Anderson's Bookshop. I bought it on the synopsis alone, and how it caught my eye. Evelyn seems like a character that is strong and knows what she wants and believes in. When she figures out everything is a lie, that her life isn't her own to control. How would that work, and would it be hard to know that you couldn't control your life? Furthermore, her mother is the monster after her, and there's some secret that could destroy everyone and everything.

What drew me to this book was the thought of a girl who has been told all her laugh one story when in fact the truth is buried deep beneath the surface. As well Gavin enters to bring a romance and a drive behind Evelyn. There's motivation and strength added to Evelyn actions with Gavin; love is a great motivator. My question though is how does Evelyn's "mother" have control over Evelyn? That's going to play a key roll in just how the story and the plot play out.

Title: Wasteland
Author: Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan
Format: Hardback
Release Date: March 26th, 2013

Welcome to the Wasteland. Where all the adults are long gone, and now no one lives past the age of nineteen. Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan’s post-apocalyptic debut is the first of a trilogy in which everyone is forced to live under the looming threat of rampant disease and brutal attacks by the Variants —- hermaphroditic outcasts that live on the outskirts of Prin. Esther thinks there’s more to life than toiling at harvesting, gleaning, and excavating, day after day under the relentless sun, just hoping to make it to the next day. But then Caleb, a mysterious stranger, arrives in town, and Esther begins to question who she can trust. As shady pasts unravel into the present and new romances develop, Caleb and Esther realize that they must team together to fight for their lives and for the freedom of Prin.

Wasteland I have to admit I bought simply for the cover alone. I mean come on the cover depicts wasteland entirely, but as I read the synopsis I got the feeling it was going to be more like Blood Red Road than I had thought and loved it even more. Hermaphroditic outcasts... that's a new villain or something to give a book that suspense feel. I am mostly curious why they will be suspenseful or fearsome; without that fear they will more or less be just background noise.

So when you are living on the outskirts of a city doing nothing but toiling in a garden scrournging for food. Furthermore Caleb comes out of no where, a stranger to a village and provides more questions than he does answers. However, the part in which everyone is the subject of trust issues, there seems to be something going on that isn't on the surface. How can you not trust a town/village that you grew up in, or at least some of the people or friends that you may have acquired over the years, it just doesn't seem realistic. Than to leave and try to fight with some stranger you barely know, I don't buy into it yet, but I'm willing to give it a shot.

Title: Itch: The Explosive Adventures of an Element Hunter
Author: Simon Mayo
Format: Hardback
Release Date: April 2nd, 2013

Thrills. Danger. And world domination. Itch is as action-packed and suspenseful as a middle-grade novel can get!

Fourteen-year-old Itchingham Lofte, nicknamed Itch, has an unusual passion: collecting specimens of every element in the periodic table. So what if that means he's had a few ... mishaps? But when he gets his hands on a suspiciously warm rock made of a new, previously unknown element, things really begin to explode. Soon, a malevolent teacher, an evil-doing corporation, and a top-secret government agency are all after Itch. Can his science know-how keep him one step ahead of everyone...and help him stay alive?

I bought this on a whim and while I was looking through other books at Barnes & Noble the cover caught my eye. While I read the synopsis I got more confused, Itch just is an odd name. Furthermore the book seems a bit younger than I would normally read, and the premise of the book seems harder and harder to get a hold of. The whole premise of the book seems childish, almost too young to be in the teen/young-adult section. While I understand that the idea of the book is trying to give the younger teens a bit more courage, and independence, but this is over the top.

Itch, a book about a fourteen year old who is using his brain to outwit a top-secret government agency? Does that sounds absurd to anyone else? I don't understand how anyone could write a book about a government agency or any adult being fooled or run around by a fourteen year old. My parents always knew what I was up to, and I couldn't ever get away from anything. So why is it that Itch can allude all of those? I am confused and he better be a genius in order to allude that many officials and adults.

[Flashback Friday] - #38

Flashback Friday is a weekly event, hosted here, that highlights a past released that we're dying to get our hands on...

See something you like here?
Click the book title to add it to your Goodreads TBR List!

Title: Stormdancer
Author: Jay Kristoff
Release Date: September 18th, 2012

A DYING LAND The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; an island nation once rich in tradition and myth, now decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, the land is choked with toxic pollution, and the great spirit animals that once roamed its wilds have departed forever.

AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST The hunters of Shima’s imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger – a legendary creature, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows the beasts have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death.

A HIDDEN GIFT Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a talent that if discovered, would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun’s hunt, she finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her.
But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire.

My Stance:

I like the cover a lot and more so than ever the idea of a next great dystopia always excites me. The twist here though is this is a Japanese/Asian culture. It's a twist that I haven't seen done yet, and while the premise seems to be a bit dated, I find that I'm more interested in seeing how the culture and norms differ in this book than to say The Hunger Games or Divergent. There should be a difference, and I'm not trying to be racist, but there is a difference to how the U.S. acts and how China acts; Customs are different, traditions as well. I am looking for stuff like that.

So the whole premise of the book girl has a power or possesses something that if people find out will kill her for it has been done time and time again. Is the thunder tiger what everyone wants and she has? Please say it's not. I am almost afraid to say I could tell you how this book is going to be, the premise just sounds like something I've already read and lacks originality. Okay it has a new culture theme to it, but boil it down it's still the same premise. I hope I am wrong.

[Featured Discussion] - Pet Peeves in Shopping

Featured Discussion:

So I thought I would be done gripping about Amazon and how they may have the sole power in determining the pricing of e-Books, but here I am again. This time it's a completely different topic, my Pet Peeves on Internet shopping and dealing with different marketplaces. I have a few different quips and peeves that bother me on internet shopping. It's a nice time to share those problems and a few gripes I have.

Ravings on E-Shopping

Recently I purchased two things from Amazon's Marketplace, now I know that Amazon isn't actually behind or in completely responsible for the people on the marketplace. However, the first one got canceled because apparently the person/company forgot they didn't have the item. I was disappointed, but I moved on.

Next I ordered Shift by Em Bailey and the seller had listed it as a Used - Very Good and I reluctantly bought it because it was the best quality of book at the time. However, when I received the book the dust jacket was torn nearly in two, and book was nearly bent in half. The sides of the book had red markings all down the side.

I looked around at other bloggers to see their point of view, and I found a blogger that struck me. I read the peeves

When I put several items in my cart and shipping comes to 50 dollars. In turn I ask for combined shipping and they say I cant do that.. Well you lost a sale.
I have never seen so much junk for sale in my life. The real treasures are lost because no one can see them for all the stupid games people are playing.
Titles that do not say what the item is, they give the brand, and size but don’t tell what the item is.
No communication from the seller. It takes maybe 30 seconds to send a message that says thanks for the order, I’ll be shipping tomorrow (or whenever). Isn’t my business worth that 30 seconds?
Listings that are carry overs from other sites. Makes it confusing and crappy looking. If they can’t clean up a listing I hazard to guess how reliable they are.

Rants, Raves and Renegade

My biggest pet peeve at the moment is as a buyer when you are looking at different products reviewing just which one you should buy and shuffling through pages looking at product descriptions, and these sellers are listing stuff about their company and how great they are. Frankly I don't care how good of a company you are at the moment, I am looking at a product that you are Failing to describe and making me walk away now. That's the biggest turn off to a company I have; if in a product description I see anything about how a company is run, I RUN.

Then I have to agree with the blog, comparing items on different sites I found that I was seeing the same product on Amazon that I was seeing on Barnes and Noble. Now how is that possible? Is there two items each listed once, or is there one items listed twice for "extra" publicity. Then what happens when that product is bought from both sites at the same time, which person gets the product? I dislike overlap and repetition, because more often than not there will be something that goes wrong.

Furthermore, I hate the lack of responsibility of some of the sellers on the marketplaces. When reporting that your product is wrong or damaged they like to blame someone else. "Well it was listed as ______, and you must have misread it," "This was shipped correctly, and was damaged in shipment," and best of all "I am sorry, but my associate mislabeled the product. I apologize, but our transaction is complete." Just because you got my money, and I received a product doesn't make the transaction complete. I have found more pretentious, arrogant sellers than I have decent and honorable ones. I find that sad to say, and in fact makes it much much easier to buy from bigger corporations than local or smaller stores.

[Waiting on Wednesday] - #36

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

See something you like here?
Click the book title to add it to your Goodreads TBR List!

Title: Hover
Author: Melissa West
Release Date: August 13th, 2013

On Earth, seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander was taught to never peek, but if she hopes to survive life on her new planet, Loge, her eyes must never shut.

Because in this world, pleasure is everything, held up by a ruling body that keeps their people in check by giving them what they want and closing their eyes to what's really happening around them. The only hope Loge has is to move its people to Earth, and they have a plan.

Thousands of humans crossed over to Loge after a poisonous neurotoxin released into Earth’s atmosphere, nearly killing them. They sought refuge in hopes of finding a new life, but what they became were slaves, built to wage war against their home planet. That is, unless Ari and Jackson can stop them.

But on Loge, nothing is as it seems…and no one can be trusted.

My Stance:

Hover, sequel to Gravity caught my eye right away, I loved the cover designs and just how everything seemed to catch my eye. The astronomy was captured greatly in both covers, and for once I felt the cover at least gave me a small insight into what the book would be about. Too many times does a cover give no clue to what the book is actually about, that halfway through the book I am not sure if the artist even knew what was going on with the book. At least read the synopsis when you design a book cover, it is the little details that can separate the good from the bad.

Hover is one of those books that I need to read Gravity (the prequel) before really diving into this book. I don't quite understand exactly what's going on, but from what I see there really isn't that much of Gravity carried over. It's almost as if Hover is its own novel and not a sequel to Gravity which has me wondering about the gap between the books. I am curious and this book definitely has my attention.

Title: Breaking Point
Author: Charlie Higson
Series: #1 - The Enemy

Format: Hardback

Release Date: May 11th, 2010
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0

They'll chase you. They'll rip you open. They'll feed on you...When the sickness came, every parent, policeman, politician - every adult - fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry. Only children under fourteen remain, and they're fighting to survive. Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city - down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground - the grown-ups lie in wait. But can they make it there - alive?

Teens battle diseased grown-ups in this post-apocalyptic thriller full of unexpected twists and quick-thinking heroes.

My Review:

The Enemy was a rather underwhelming read and while I wanted more and expected a whole lot more from the book, there was something that wants to keep reading the series. I am hoping to see more and know more about this series. I want to keep my eye on it, but I am going to be leery on what I expect and the more I see from this book. While it is a zombie book, I expected it to be more mature and grown up. Yet my expectations were dashed slightly.

The best part of this book was that it took place in London. Now being American and only really living in the US, I have wondered what other countries look like. How the city was structured and organized actually kept me more enthralled. I loved that Higson didn't just keep going with the streets, but he also incorporated the sewers or train rails. The imagery and the passion of the city's destruction poured through the pages, and I loved seeing the chaos and destruction and just how far times have fallen with the rise of the dead.

There was a slough of characters and frankly I wasn't sure I knew who to follow or what character was narrating at any given time. The book seemed to take on a third person and peer over the different characters as if they were all equally important. I found that my attention was driven to the Waitrose kids more so than the others. However, the biggest downfall of this amount of characters was the fact that when the kids died, there was no impact. It was a, "Oh hey, another one down, keep trekking on." It was disappointing to feel that way about this book, when I had high hopes for a good zombie novel.

Now what turned me off about this book the most was the plot. It's been over done, run from zombies or crazed parents towards safety or the thought of safety. I was just so bored and let down with the premise of the book that nearly every page I thought I would find something new, something that would explain why the adults were all zombie-fied. So the end of the book left me with no explanation on that question and left me with more than what the book started. Books like this that have no real conclusion or leave the reader with some unanswered doubts shouldn't be on the shelves.

There was something though that makes me want to read more, and something that wants to find those answers. The death of one character struck me as grand, Arran. He was great and by far the best character in the series aside Maxie and Achilleus. For Maxie and Achilleus I will read the next book and maybe finish the series, but if they die I may lose my motivation and passion to finish this book.

[Stacking the Shelves] - #38

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your bookshelf, be it the physical one or your digital one!

I have been working hard over and over, trying to get a hold of everything and set it all straight. I have been looking forward to doing this Monday, and it has mainly been a show of future series finishers and continuations. Overide and Clockwork Princess has been a huge peak of my interest. There rush of fantasy and young adult dystopia and than there is books that I got told I would never pick up. Things I Can't Forget, and Stealing Parker, both are chick-lit and I dislike people who say I don't enjoy a good romance or well drama. I like tasteful drama and romance, none of the twilight high-school babble about who is going to be the next whore.

Furthermore I am looking for any suggestions on what I could do to better provide for my readers. If you have any ideas or suggestions feel free to drop me a line or e-mail me. I am as well answering any questions or discussions about my reviews as well. Which reminds me I need to update my Goodreads reviews (for the new updates I have posted) and I am debating on posting reviews and impressions to B&N and Amazon. If there is any other suggestions or information about that topic let me know as well.

Overdrive

Stealing Parker

Things I Can’t Forget

Clockwork Princess

Light

Mailbox Pickup:

Title: Override
Author: Heather Anastasiu
Format: Paperback
Release Date: February 12th, 2012

     Zoe is free. She has escaped the enslavement of the Community, disconnected from the hardware that had controlled her every thought and emotion, and evaded capture by the Chancellor intent on killing her. She is finally free, but she is far from safe.

     Zoe and Adrien hide themselves from detection at the Foundation, an academy that trains teen glitchers to fight in the Resistance movement. Together, Zoe and her new team of superhuman fighters must risk their lives to rescue other glitchers and humans from the Chancellor's control. Challenges abound at every turn, and Adrien, who has become silent, distant, and tormented by his visions of the future, only adds to the growing certainty of defeat. But worst of all, as Zoe's team fights against impossible odds, distrust and betrayal leads to the terrible discovery that their greatest threat could already be lurking behind the safe walls of the Foundation.

     Full of high-adrenaline action and shocking twists, Heather Anastasiu's Override is an exciting continuation of this popular young adult trilogy.

Title: Stealing Parker
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Format: Paperback
Release Date: February 5th, 2013

Red-hot author Miranda Kenneally hits one out of the park in this return to Catching Jordan's Hundred Oaks High.

Parker Shelton pretty much has the perfect life. She’s on her way to becoming valedictorian at Hundred Oaks High, she’s made the all-star softball team, and she has plenty of friends. Then her mother’s scandal rocks their small town and suddenly no one will talk to her.

Now Parker wants a new life.

So she quits softball. Drops twenty pounds. And she figures why kiss one guy when she can kiss three? Or four. Why limit herself to high school boys when the majorly cute new baseball coach seems especially flirty?

But how far is too far before she loses herself completely?

Title: Things I Can't Forget
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Format: Paperback
Release Date: March 1st, 2012

Companion to Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker.

Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different…

This summer she’s a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He’s the first guy she ever kissed, and he’s gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt--with her.

Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn’t that easy…

Read an excerpt here.

Note: Mature themes, sexual situations, religious discussions.

Title: Clockwork Princess
Author: Cassandra Clare
Format: Hardback
Release Date: March 19th, 2013

A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.

Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.

As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

Title: Light
Author: Michael Grant
Format: Hardback
Release Date: April 2nd, 2013

It's been over a year since all the adults disappeared. Gone.

In the time since everyperson over the age of fourteen disappeared from the town of Perdido Beach, California, countless battles have been fought: battles against hunger and lies and plague, and epic battles of good against evil. And now, the gaiaphage has been reborn as Diana's malicious mutant daughter, Gaia. Gaia is endlessly hungry for destruction. She yearns to conquer her Nemesis, Little Pete, and then bend the entire world to her warped will. As long-standing enemies become allies, secrets are revealed and unexpected sacrifices are made. Will their attempts to save themselves and one another matter in the end, or will the kids of Perdido Beach perish in this final power struggle?

Light, the sixth and final book in the New York Times bestselling Gone series by Michael Grant, creates a masterful, arresting conclusion to life in the FAYZ.

[Flashback Friday] - #37

Flashback Friday is a weekly event, hosted here, that highlights a past released that we're dying to get our hands on...

See something you like here?
Click the book title to add it to your Goodreads TBR List!

Title: Everlost
Author: Neal Shusterman
Release Date: July 10th, 2012

Nick and Allie don't survive the car accident...

...but their souls don't exactly get where they're supposed to get either. Instead, they're caught halfway between life and death, in a sort of limbo known as Everlost: a shadow of the living world, filled with all the things and places that no longer exist. It's a magical, yet dangerous place where bands of lost children run wild and anyone who stands in the same place too long sinks to the center of the Earth.

When they find Mary, the self-proclaimed queen of lost kids, Nick feels like he he's found a home, but Allie isn't satisfied spending eternity between worlds. Against all warnings, Allie begins learning the "Criminal Art" of haunting, and ventures into dangerous territory, where a monster called the McGill threatens all the souls of Everlost.

In this imaginative novel, Neal Shusterman explores questions of life, death, and what just might lie in between.

My Stance:

Neal Shusterman was one of the authors that I started reading (Unwind to be exact) and I am loving it more and more. The book is great, and what I love most about Unwind is that the book deals with more issues, more life questions than what a normal young adult book would deal with. Shusterman does a great job with weaving characters together, and showing the imperfections of humanity and society. I love Shusterman's work, and the more I am reading Unwind I find that I am lost and put deep in his world.

Everlost has been on my list for a long world and I was going to use it as a way to get into Neal Shusterman's work. Furthermore, Everlost struck me as an odd concept. The concept of something lost between reality and heaven/hell. It's a world in which takes the children if they stop moving for too long, and I am looking at this book wondering what one has to do to escape. As well, when Annie goes into haunting it makes me wonder just what the true meaning of haunting is, and what Shusterman is trying to convey and the message this book holds between it's covers.

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Witch and Wizard by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet	All the Rage by Courtney Summers

[Featured Discussion] - Covers That Make You Squirm

Featured Discussion:

[Waiting on Wednesday] - #38

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[Book Review] - White Cat by Holly Black

My Review:

[Stacking the Shelves] - #40

Mailbox Pickup:

[Flashback Friday] - #39

My Stance:

[Waiting on Wednesday] - #37

My Stance:

[Book Review] - Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen

My Review:

[Stacking the Shelves] - #39

Mailbox Pickup:

[Flashback Friday] - #38

My Stance:

[Featured Discussion] - Pet Peeves in Shopping

Featured Discussion:

[Waiting on Wednesday] - #36

My Stance:

[Book Review] - The Enemy by Charlie Higson

My Review:

[Stacking the Shelves] - #38

Mailbox Pickup:

[Flashback Friday] - #37

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