What are you Reading Monday - July 26th

Come post weekly and see what others are reading too just so you can add to your tbr - I always do! For more information see Sheila at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books and join in!

Books Completed Last Week 

• Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs (audiobook)
• Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (review)
• Brightly Woven by Alexandria Bracken (review) 
• Wings by Aprilynne Pike (library) 
• The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (mine)  
• The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells (review) 

Reading Now:

• The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan (audible at work)
• Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs (audiobook in car)
• Virals by Kathy Reichs (review)

Next:

• The Passage by Justin Cronin
• The Island by Elin Hildenbrand (review) 
• Running Dark by Jamie Freveletti (review)

Reviews completed this week (books read before this week):

• Running From the Devil by Jamie Freveletti
• This is Me From Now On by Barbara Dees
• Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill 

Other books still need to review:

• The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz
• Losing Faith by Denise Jarden (review)

Summary -

Great reading week - lots of good books.  On the home front we finally took our boat out for the first time this summer and had a great time.  The boys played in the water and got along for 2 hours, Mitch rested and I sat in my chair got a little sun and finished up The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong.  Great Saturday.


Favorite book of the week:  It's a tie between Brightly Woven by Alexandria Brackman and The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong.  The Summer of Skinny Dipping was wonderful as well.

Winner - Two Blazes by Samantha Hunter

 

Thanks for all who participated and ask Samantha such great questions - I really learned a lot.  I hope you also checked out my review of her mystery title she talked about in the guest post, Past Tense.

 

And thanks too to Samantha for taking time out of her busy schedule to do the guest post and answer questions!

The Winner is:

Karenk

I have contacted Karen by email and she has until Monday at 6pm to contact me or I will draw a new name.  Karen if you see this and haven't received my email, please email me at crystalfulcher(at)ec(dot)rr(dot)com.

Winner - The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

Thank you so much for all the entries and for those of you who tweeted - this was a really popular giveaway.

The winner is:

Cass

I have contacted Cass by email and she has until Monday at 6pm to contact me or I will draw a new name.  Cass if you see this and haven't received my email, please email me at crystalfulcher(at)ec(dot)rr(dot)com.

Thanks!

Got Books? Event Giveaway

It's time for the first ever Got Books? Event.  Hosted over at the Got Books Blog, Got Books? is the work of GMR of Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers and The1stdaughter of There's A Book.  I decided to join in this weekend and I'm so excited to be a part of this.  The main gist is to show off book blogs and to offer giveaways.  What better event is there?

So what do I offer to this event?

Well first - if this is your first time visiting, please look around, I review all types of books, romance, suspense/thriller, literary, non-fiction, young adult, paranormal and any combination of those types.  I try to post most days during the week, involve myself in a few memes and  post a lot of reviews and some giveaways as well.  I love to read and a normal reading month has me reading 15-20 books.  I also love my local library and I love that I found blogging almost a year and a half ago.  I never imagined sticking with it this long, but it's a part of my life now and I enjoy it.

Second is the giveaway(s):

Do you like Christian Suspense/Thrillers, Romantic Suspense, or pure suspense, well you have come to right place.  I have three giveaways you can choose from.

Christian Suspense/Thriller:

 

Romantic Suspense:

 

Suspense:

 

So which prize pack would you choose?  Use the following form to enter.  You can enter 1, 2 or all of them.  Only In the Name of Honor is an ARC and the rest are the published versions.

The giveaway ends 7/24 at 11:59pm and I'll draw winners early next week.  Open to US/Canada only.  The packages will not go out until the following Monday as next week is going to be crazy.  So be just a little patient with me and you will get your books with plenty of summer reading time left!

Following is not a must, but appreciated, tweeting would be nice, help get the word out about the Got Books? event, but no extra entries this go round, just trying to keep things simple.

Thanks!

Book Blogger Hop - July 23-26

To check out other answers and join the hop go and check out Crazy-For_Books.com for the Mr. Linky for the Blog Hop. 

This week's question:

TELL US ABOUT THE BOOK YOU ARE CURRENTLY READING!

I'm currently reading Wings by Aprilynne Pike - I'm on page 100 and it has had me from the very beginning.  I really like Lauren and David so far and look forward to learning more about Laurel and the faerie world in this book.  It seems I started reading faerie books a few weeks ago and have read more and more of them.  I really enjoy them more than I thought I would.


I have Spells waiting to read after this and I can't wait.

Book Review: Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill

Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publish Date: July 1, 2010

Hardcover, 336 pages

My Review:
I will admit I am fascinated by the Salem Witch Trials and the truth of the matter is I know very little about them.  When I saw Wicked Girls I knew I had to read it.  What I didn't realize was that it was written in verse.  I have never read a novel in verse and honestly I thought about sending it on and not reading it (it was for a book tour).  But I started it, and once I started it I could not put it down.  After reading the first 5-10 pages I became use to the writing in verse and it flowed so well.  I liked the little stories told by each of the main players and how they interweaved.  When one would stop the story, another would pick it up and it just flowed so well throughout the book.

Told from the point of view of Mercy, the servant girl, Ann Jr., the girl in the group with the highest standing in the community and Margaret, Ann's cousin, it unfolds a timeless story of girls who seek attention and will go to any lengths to get it.

I made a note in the middle of the book about the timeless theme, then read the author's note at the end on how she used that to help with the creation of this book - I was so pleased that I picked up on something like that (sometimes themes go over my head - I will confess I was never and English major and frequently just read books for enjoyment).  Ms. Hemphill weaves this beautifully into the story.  I read this in one day, never leaving it for very long at a time.  I needed to know more about Ann, Mercy, Margaret and the other main players and what would happen next in the village of Salem.

If you enjoy historical young adult novels, or historical novels in general, I think you will enjoy Wicked Girls. It tells a great story of what might have happened during the days of the Salem Witch Trials from the point of view of the major players.  It's a fascinating and captivating read and I am now intrigued by Ms. Hemphill's writing and will be seeking out her backlist as well.

My Rating:  4.5/5.0

About the Book:
Wicked Girls is a fictionalized account of the Salem witch trials based on the real historical characters, told from the perspective of three young wo...more Wicked Girls is a fictionalized account of the Salem witch trials based on the real historical characters, told from the perspective of three young women living in Salem in 1692—Mercy Lewis, Margaret Walcott, and Ann Putnam Jr. 

When Ann’s father suggests that a spate of illnesses within the village is the result of witchcraft, Ann sees an opportunity and starts manifesting the symptoms of affliction. Ann looks up to Mercy, the beautiful servant in her parents' house. She shows Mercy the power that a young girl is capable of in a time when women were completely powerless. 

Mercy, who suffered abuse at the hands of past masters, seizes her only chance at safety. And Ann’s cousin Margaret, anxious to win the attention of a boy in her sights, follows suit. As the accusations mount against men and women in the community, the girls start to see the deadly ramifications of their actions. Should they finally tell the truth? Or is it too late to save this small New England town?

About the Author:
Stephanie Hemphill is the author of Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath and Things Left Unsaid: A Novel in Poems. Your Own, Sylvia was a 2008 Michael L. Printz Honor Book. She lives in Chicago, Illinois.
FTC Information: I received this book through Traveling ARC Tours for review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

Book Review: This is Me From Now On by Barbara Dee

This is Me From Now On by Barbara Dee

Publisher: Aladdin

Publish Date: April 27, 2010

Paperback, 240 pages

My Review:
Cute fun book.  Reminds me very much of my middle school days, full of friends, boys, gossip, fights, and school work.  Barbara Dee nails this book spot on for the middle schoolers.

What did I love: the characters, how true to life they were.  Francesca wanted a friend and wanted to fit in while retaining individuality.  Her life had it's problems but she didn't focus on them.  Evie, wanted a change and Francesca offered it, but she didn't want to leave her old friends behind either.  As Francesca and Evie break out into their project and snooping into teachers' lives and learning more about each other, they also learn about themselves.  There were some great lessons in this book for tweens, some I wish I had learned myself when I was that age.

A fun quick read, great for tweens and early teens, though as an adult I enjoyed it as well.  It's cute, adorable and thought-provoking without being heavy or too cutesy.  Just an all-around good read.

My Rating:  4.0/5.0
About the Book:
Sometimes your life just needs a little jolt. 

This is what Evie's new friend Francesca tells her, and soon enough, Evie's life has had something more like an earthquake. Francesca thinks life is dull unless you go after everything you want and say everything on your mind all the time--and sometimes that includes giving other people a little behind the scenes help to give them what she thinks they want.

Evie can't always tell if she's horrified or fascinated by everything Francesca convinces her to do, but ultimately, she comes to see friendship--and life--in a whole new light.

About the Author:
Barbara Dee is a graduate of Yale University, Middlebury College's Bread Loaf School of English, and the University of Chicago Law School. She has taught high school English, practiced law, and reviewed books. She lives with her husband and three children in Westchester County, New York.  You can visit her on the web at www.BarbaraDeeBooks.com.

FTC Information: I received this book through 1-ARC-Tours for review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.