I am still alive...

Things have been really hectic for me the past few months, and I haven't found much time to read. I will be back full force in January... after I see Nick Jonas and the Administration twice in Dallas... (he's really good solo!)

See you in January!!!!

Contest Winner!

And the winner of "Blue Plate Special" is.......

Briana

I am sending an email your way, congratulations!

Thanks to everyone who entered!!!

Waiting on Wednesday

I've read the first 6 books in this series, and I look forward to continuing the series! You might not want to read the description if you haven't read the first 6 books. There is possibly a tiny spoiler in there!

Fade Out (The Morganville Vampires, #7)
by Rachel Caine
November 3rd 2009

Without the evil vampire Bishop ruling over the town of Morganville, the resident vampires have made major concessions to the human population. With their newfound freedoms, Claire Danvers and her friends are almost starting to feel comfortable again…

Now Claire can actually concentrate on her studies, and her friend Eve joins the local theatre company. But when one of Eve’s castmates goes missing after starting work on a short documentary, Eve suspects the worst. Claire and Eve soon realize that this film project, whose subject is the vampires themselves, is a whole lot bigger—and way more dangerous—than anyone suspected.

In My Mailbox #8

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi over at the Story Siren!

Candor
by Pam Bachorz

Oscar Banks has everything under control. In a town
where his father brainwashes everyone, he's found a way
to secretly fight the subliminal Messages. He's got them
all fooled: Oscar's the top student and the best-behaved
teen in town. Nobody knows he's made his own Messages
to deprogram his brain. Oscar has even found a way to
get rich. For a hefty price, he helps new kids escape
Candor, Florida before they're transformed into
cookie-cutter teens. But then Nia Silva moves to Candor,
and Oscar's carefully-controlled world crumbles.

I finally received Candor! I can't wait to read it!

---

Blue Plate Special
by Michelle D. Kwasney

This emotional and evocative novel explores the lives of three young women. Madeline, Desiree, and Ariel - who narrate alternating chapters - may live in separate decades, but they struggle with issues that transcend time and place. Madeline is worn down by caring for her alcoholic mother and has been teased since childhood for being overweight. Angry, foul-mouthed Desiree will do anything to avoid her neglectful mother and the unwanted advances of her mother's boyfriend. And sensitive Ariel struggles with the pressures of taking AP classes and coping with a domineering boyfriend. As the girls' individual stories progress, the truth unfolds that they are actually three generations of one family. And when the tales ultimately intersect, present-day Ariel's breakthrough is also a triumph for her mother and grandmother. Beautifully written and impossible to put down, "Blue Plate Special" offers teen readers a fresh look at familiar topics, while also imparting a powerful message about self-respect, empathy, and forgiveness.

You can win Blue Plate Special by entering my contest! It ends soon!

Review: The Family Bones

The Family Bones
by Kimberly Raiser
Published: October 22nd 2008
192 pages
I give it:

Description: Simply put, the book is about a family, The Weavers, who inherit a house in a part of Pennsylvania that appears on a map but barely any information on the internet. They have a more than just peculiar connection with this house, one that they can't even begin to fathom. The house is filled with generation-old secrets, startling and uncanny mysteries related to the family's past, a well in the backyard filled with strangled, skeletal cats. And that's just the beginning. Other more mutant-like secrets eventually unfold as The Weavers learn that a far more terrible thing await them if they continue to stay in their new abode.

My Thoughts: I have been sitting on this review for several weeks now. I almost feel like it is the type of book that needs to be read more than once, in order to understand it in it's entirety.

All in all, The Family Bones was a very quick read, and I did like it, but I found it to be a little bit confusing at times, as the plot bounces around quite a bit. The beginning of the book is really different from the ending of the book, and I actually really loved the beginning! If the book would have stayed on that track, I am sure it could have been a 5 star book for me!

I felt that there were a lot of questions that never really got answered... but it was a quick entertaining read, and I am sure I will have to read it again someday. Perhaps the answers are in there somewhere!

Waiting on Wednesday

Light Beneath Ferns
by Anne Spollen
February 1st 2010

Elizah Rayne is nothing like other fourteen-year-old girls. More interested in bird bones than people, she wraps herself in silence. Trying to escape the shadow of her gambler father, Elizah and her mother move into an old house that borders a cemetery. All her mother wants is for them to have "normal" lives. But that becomes impossible for Elizah when she finds a human jawbone by the river and meets Nathaniel, a strangely hypnotic and mysterious boy who draws Elizah into his world.

Only by forgetting everything she knows can Elizah understand the truth about Nathaniel—and discover an unimaginable secret.

Enter the Contest!

Hey everyone, I know, I've been terribly MIA for a while now...

So I have decided to extend the deadline to enter the Blue Plate Special contest... it was supposed to end today, but now you have until October 13th to enter.

If you haven't already, check it out!