For Love and Books

Brought to you by the lovely Ginger @ GReads

Friday, Feb. 10th – Love Stories: What are some of your favorite fictional love stories?

This is such a tough one!! Before I started this blog, I read mostly romance with a few cozy mysteries and otherwise thrown in. But I have a few couples and stories that stand out… (So I hope you’re comfy while I now just run down and list my favorite romance reads!)

Outlander!! Jamie and Claire are my big “Perfect” couple – like if I could have a love story like theirs (sure, even with the time travel!) then my life would be perfect!! I haven’t finished the Outlander series, but I have read Outlander, and then listened to the audio version to fall asleep several times over!! I love Jamie and Claire!!

Anna and Etienne made me fall in love with falling in love! Their story is so simple and sweet and it’s what falling in love should be about! No insta-love. No silly triangles. Just sweet, slow forming of a relationship. And if we were to dig farther? I love the setting of their story – a French Boarding school! I could gush on and on about how much I love this book, it’s definitely one of my favorites of all time.

I adore the town of Fool’s Gold (Susan Mallery) The stories are all sweet, and the town is so fabulous I want to live there! The characters in the town, the recurrance of the characters from previous books, the humor, the everything. I LOVE THIS SERIES! (Favorite couple/book? Dakota and Finn – despite some of their STUPID choices.

Ok; this is totally not book related – but I fell in love with this show thanks to my bookish friends! So this list would not be complete with out Coach and Tammy Taylor! They are so real – so realistic. I want a marriage like theirs, I want to have the love, support and companionship that they have! (And I’d kill to look like Connie Britton in ten years – or sleep with Kyle Chandler now – but that’s a whole different blog entry!)

Feature and Follow Friday is brought to you by (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read! It’s such a fabulous feature – a chance to find some really great blogs and get to know your fellow Bookish Friends!

Q: What would your prefer: reading your favorite book over and over again until you got sick of it OR reading 100s of mediocre books? And why?

To be completely honest? I’d rather read 100s of mediocre books.

I love my favorite books, and I love to re-read them when I’m in a mood. But I love reading so/so books in hopes of finding that next great story, that new favorite book.

Title: Unearthly (Unearthly, #1)
Author: Cynthia Hand
Format: Kindle
Genre: Paranormal YA
Source: Personal Copy
Published: January 4th 2011 by HarperTeen
My Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

From Goodreads.com

In the beginning, there’s a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she’s part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn’t easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there’s another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara’s less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she’d have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

Title: Catching Jordan
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Format: Paperback
Genre: Contemporary YA
Source: Personal Copy
Published: December 1st 2011 by Sourcebooks Fire
My Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

From Goodreads.com

What girl doesn’t want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn’t just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that’s just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there’s a new guy in town who threatens her starting position… suddenly she’s hoping he’ll see her as more than just a teammate.

Brought to you by Breaking the Spine 

Graffiti Moon  by Cath Crowley

Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she’s going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He’s out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy’s stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she’s managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they’re suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes.

Brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish

February 7: Top Ten Six Books You’d Hand To Someone Who Says They Don’t Like To Read

1. The Hunger Games  by Suzanne Collins. Really, the whole series. Everyone I have recommended it to (who doesn’t read lots) has loved the whole series. Even my husband, who is the biggest cynic when it comes to books of any style.

2. Jessica Darling (series) by Megan McCafferty. Especially for a female, because Jessica is so real and the style is such a quick read.

3. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. It seems like it’s usually men who don’t like to read, and mostly because they aren’t sure what to read. This is a great book for anyone of any age, but especially men.

4.Bossypants by Tina Fey. Tina Fey is hilarious. I adore her, on many levels. But I think that this book (while I’m only halfway finished) is just hilarious from start to – well, middle. LOL!

5. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith. This is such a simple, sweet and realistic book. i think anyone would love it, and hopefully enjoy it.

6. Audiobooks — I know this isn’t a specific book. But I recommended them to my husband, and he’s “read” six books in the last six months. I think that’s more than he’s read in the fifteen years we’ve been together.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!(Just remember, NO SPOILERS!!)

“That’s Jake Reynolds?” he says, turning to stare. His eyes are opened so wide, he looks like one of those poison dart frogs. “Holy Sh**. He’s so awesome.”

I laugh. “Trust me, he’s not.”

“Seems like he likes you. Don’t you want to date a first-rounder°?”

“Excuse me while I go vomit.”

“So you’re not interested?” Ty asks, smiling.

“Hell no, I’d rather date O.J. Simpson.”

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

ºFirst-Rounder = NFL Draft, First Round pick

Title: The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf, #2)
Author: Molly Harper
Narrator: Amanda Ronconi
Format: Audio (from Audible.com)
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Source: Personal Copy
Published: March 29th 2011 by Pocket Books
My Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

From Goodreads.com

Baring It All

Generations of werewolves have been secretly residing in a secluded valley a stone’s throw from Grundy, Alaska. So when a snooping Outsider comes to Grundy to investigate rumors of lycanthropic shenanigans in the area, the valley’s pack alpha, Maggie Graham, resolves to chase him away, even if doing so takes a quick bite on the butt. What a pity that researcher Nick Thatcher turns out to be so drool-worthy, and that his kisses make Maggie want to sit up and beg. Maggie just can’t seem to convince Nick to leave . . . and even worse, she can’t convince “herself “to stay away from “him. “Cross-species dating is problem enough for a harried alpha female, but on top of that, a rival group of werewolves is trying to move into the valley. With interpack war threatening, Maggie can’t afford to be distracted. Combining romance and a career can be tough for anyone; for a werewolf in love with a human, it may be disastrous. . . .

Six months ago, someone (I can’t remember who) posted How to Flirt With a Naked Warewolf in their In My Mailbox  post, and with a title like that I was intrigued. I immediately got ahold of the first book ) and love it. I loved it so much I debated reading the second book. See, I didn’t much like Maggie in the first book and since she is she star of book 2, I thought I’d wait.

January 2012 was a great start to my year in terms of books! I loved almost all the books that I read last month, I’ve decided I’m giving one away! (The winner gets to pick which book they’d like!)

*If the book you pick is part of a series – you can chose to instead win the earliest book in that series you have not read – If you would like to substitute “Shiver” for “Linger” in the Mercy Falls series, etc – just let me know! (Or a later book – “Fourth Comings” for “Charmed Thirds”)

This is open internationally, all you have to do is fill out the rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren as a way to share books purchased, checked out at the library or received for review for the upcoming week!

Won

Tempest (Tempest, #1) by Julie Cross (From Kate @ Ex Libris – Thank you so much!)


Personal Purchases

Fourth Comings (Jessica Darling, #4) by Megan McCafferty (Audio)
Fracture by Megan Miranda
Dairy Queen  by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler
Paper Towns by John Green

Title: Everneath (Everneath, #1)
Author: Brodi Ashton
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Fantasy YA
Source: Personal Copy
Published: January 24th 2012 by Harper Collins / Balzer + Bray
My Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

From Goodreads.com

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she’s returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld… this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Ja