Coming Up Soon: #WWReadathon (Valentine's Edition)

It's been a good little minute since I've participated in a book-blogger-hosted readathon, and I was so desperate for one that I searched Twitter for one. I had forgotten all about the readathons hosted by Michelle @ True Book Addict (and am not very happy about it), but found this one and am excited to get started!

The Wicked Valentine's Readathon will be hosted by the wonderful ladies over @ My Shelf Confessions. It will last from February 7-14; you can follow everyone's progress via the Twitter hashtag #WWReadathon. *Remember that it's not necessary for you to participate everyday if you aren't able to!*

I'm planning to post my goals the day before the readathon starts, so be on the lookout for that. Hopefully I'll be able to post two or three update posts throughout the week of; there most definitely will not be daily updates, though.

Head over to My Shelf Confessions to sign up!!!!

In My Mailbox #57

In My Mailbox

Hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren

Kindle

Being Jamie Baker by Kelly Oram
Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr
The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden by Jessica Sorensen
Between by Cyndi Tefft
Hell Transporter by Cyndi Tefft

Audible.com

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Changeless by Gail Carriger

Borrowed from friends

Until the End by Christopher Pike

Alice in the Country of Hearts Vol 1 -- 5 by QuinRose

Bought from store

Fang by James Patterson

Princess in Love by Meg Cabot

Princess in Waiting by Meg Cabot

Strange Angels/Betrayals by Lili St. Crow

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan

2012 Reading Challenges: Wrap-Up

This year I didn't sign up for any blog related challenges. I wanted it to be stress free, and it was! All of the following challenges were on Goodreads, and I'd say I did pretty good for most of them. Here's the progress that was made:



SOS: Serious Overload of Series & One Million Pages Per Lifetime - 12x12 in 2012

79/144 completed

1. First in Series (10/12)
1. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot 13/1/2012
2. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher 9/3/2012
3. D.Gray-man Volume 1 by Katsura Hoshino 21/4/2012
4. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi 31/5/2012
5. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins 30/5/2012
6. Alice in the Country of Hearts Vol 1 by Quinrose Nov 2012
7. Light Dreams by DeeStory Dec 2012
8. Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz 20/6/2012
9. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson 13/5/2012
10. Nevermore by Kelly Creagh 8/5/2012

2. Second in Series (9/12)
1. The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore 27/10/2012
2. Goddess Boot Camp by Tera Lynn Childs 8/6/2012
3. Alice in the Country of Hearts Vol 2 by Quinrose Nov 2012
4. Echoes by DeeStory Dec 2012
5. Betrayed by P.C. & Kristin Cast 1/5/2012
6. The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson Sept 2012
7. Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick 19/5/2012
8. D.Gray-man Volume 2 by Katsura Hoshino 23/4/2012
9. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Volume 2 by Naoko Takeuchi 16/7/2012

3. Third+ in Series (9/12)
1. Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick 26/5/2012
2. Sailor Moon Volume 4 by Naoko Takeuchi 24/10/2012
3. Alice in the Country of Hearts Vol 3 by Quinrose Dec 2012
4. D.Gray-man Volume 3: The Rewinding City by Katsura Hoshino 16/7/2012
5. D.Gray-man Volume 4: Carnival by Katsura Hoshino 19/7/2012
6. Sailor Moon Volume 3 by Naoko Takeuchi 15/10/2012
7. Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine 24/4/2012
8. Whisper by Alyson Noel 22/7/2012
9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney 21/9/2012

4. eBooks (8/12)
1. V is for Virgin by Kelly Oram Nov 2012
2. Black Moon by CL Bevill 21/1/2012
3. Amber Moon by CL Bevill 23/1/2012
4. Silver Moon by CL Bevill 27/1/2012
5. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare 28/1/2012
6. Harvest Moon by CL Bevill 29/1/2012
7. Death by Chocolate Anthology by Lucy swing, etc. 2/4/2012
8. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green 8/4/2012

5. e/Freebies (8/12)
1. Trials of Death by Darren Shan 27/4/2012
2. Paper Towns by John Green 3/5/2012
3. When the Black Girl Sings by Bil Wright 24/5/2012
4. Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe schreiber 6/6/2012
5. Alice in the Country of Hearts Vol 4 by Quinrose Dec 2012
6. Bumped by Megan McCafferty 12/6/2012
7. Bewitching by Alex Flinn 16/6/2012
8. Alice in the Country of Hearts Vol 5 by Quinrose 29/12/2012

6. New Authors (6/12)
1. Hourglass by Myra McEntire 17/6/2012
2. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry 26/7/2012
3. When It Happens by Susane Colasanti 8/1/2012
4. Sailor Moon Volume 1 by Naoko Takeuchi 31/1/2012
5. Ordinary Wisdom by K. Blue 27/3/2012
6. Serial Hottie by Kelly Oram 29/6/2012

7. Classics/Audiobooks (5/12)
1. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens 19/2/2012
2. Oh. My. Gods. by tera Lynn Childs 1/1/2012
3. Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala 2/1/2012
4. My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent 29/1/2012
5. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern 11/6/2012

8. Stand Alones (7/12)
1. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson 23/5/2012
2. The Bet by ilurvbooks Dec 2012
3. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly 15/5/2012
4. To Kill a Mockingbrd by Harper Lee 19/3/2012
5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 18/3/2012
6. Looking for Alaska by John Green 17/5/2012
7. Total Blueprint for World Domination by Jolene Stockman 22/6/2012

9. Vampires (6/12)
1. The Vampire's Assistant by Darren Shan 26/1/2012
2. Tunnels of Blood by Darren Shan 19/3/2012
3. Vampire Mountain by Darren Shan 4/4/2012
4. Marked by P.C. & Kristin Cast 29/4/2012
5. Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer 5/7/2012
6. D.Gray-man Volume 5: Announcement by Katsura Hoshino 11/10/2012

10. Other Paranormal Creatures (4/12)
1. Firelight by Sophie Jordan 23/7/2012
2. Fallen by Lauren Kate 8/7/2012
3. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev 29/5/2012
4. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick 19/5/2012

11. Rereads (4/12)
1. The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney 2/8/2012
2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 23/3/2012
3. The Night My Life Changed Forever by Sara Lisowski 24/3/2012
4. The Clique by Lisi Harrison 6/4/2012

12. Miscellaneous (3/12)
1. D.Gray-man Volume 6: Delete by Katsura Hoshino 11/10/2012
2. ttfn by Lauren Myracle 4/1/2012
3. Night by Elie Wiesel 22/4/2012

The Lost Challenges - A to Z Series

17/26 completed

A - Alice in the Country of Hearts: Alice in the Country of Hearts Vol 1 by Quinrose Nov 2012
B - Bumped: Bumped by Megan McCafferty 12/6/2012
C - Cirque Du Freak: Tunnels of Blood by Darren Shan 19/3/2012
D - D.Gray-man: D.Gray-man Volume 2 by Katsura Hoshino 24/4/2012
E
F - Fallen: Fallen by Lauren Kate 8/7/2012
G
H - The Hunger Games: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 23/3/2012
I - Infernal Devices: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare 28/1/2012
J - A Jack Blank Adventure: The Accidental Hero by Matt Myklusch
K - Kendra Chronicles: Bewitching by Alex Flinn 16/6/2012
L - Little Blue Envelopes: 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson 13/5/2012
M - Morganville Vampires: Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine 24/4/2012
N - Nevermore: Nevermore by Kelly Creagh 8/5/2012
O - Oh. My. Gods.: Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs 1/1/2012
P - The Princess Diaries: The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot 13/1/2012
Q - Lorien Legacies: The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore 27/10/2012
R - Riley Bloom: Whisper by Alyson Noel 22/7/2012
S - Soul Screamers: My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent 29/1/2012
T - Theatre Illuminata: Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev 29/5/2012
U
V
W
X
Y
Z


My Big Fat Booky Challenge-athon - Big Book 500

2/10 completed

1. Great Expectations, 516 pages 19/2/2012
2. Nevermore, 543 pages 8/5/2012


My Big Fat Booky Challenge-athon - The Book Word Challenge

17/17 completed, DONE

P - The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot 13/1/2012
A - Amber Moon by CL Bevill 23/1/2012
R - Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine 24/4/2012
A - An Abundance of Katherines by John Green 8/4/2012
N - The Night My Life Changed Forever by Sara Lisowski 24/3/2012
O - The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 18/3/2012
R - Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly 15/5/2012
M - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 19/3/2012
A - Looking for Alaska by John Green 17/5/2012
L - Death by Chocolate Anthology by Lucy Swing, etc. 2/4/2012

R - Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins 30/5/2012
O - Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs 1/1/2012
M - Vampire Mountain by Darren Shan 4/4/2012
A - Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson 23/5/2012
N - Night by Elie Wiesel 22/4/2012
C - Incarceron by Catherine Fisher 9/3/2012
E - 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson 13/5/2012

My Big Fat Booky Challenge-athon - The Book Word Challenge Part 2

13/17 completed

H - Hourglass by Myra McEntire 17/6/2012
I -
S - Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick 26/5/2012
T - Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi 31/5/2012
O - Serial Hottie by Kelly Oram 29/6/2012
R - D.Gray-man Volume 3: The Rewinding City by Katsura Hoshino 16/7/2012
I -
C - Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz 20/6/2012
A - Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber 6/6/2012
L - Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev 29/5/2012

F - Bewitching by Alex Flinn 16/6/2012
I -
C - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern 11/6/2012
T - Goddess Boot Camp by Tera Lynn Childs 8/6/2012
I -
O - V is for Virgin by Kelly Oram Nov 2012
N - Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Volume 2 by Naoko Takeuchi 16/7/2012
_________________________________________________________

Be sure to check out the Reading Challenges page to see what I'm aiming to complete in 2013!

Let Me Count the Ways Reading Challenge 2013

It's that time of year again! I don't think I'll be signing up for any other blog challenges for 2013 besides the following. I really liked this year not having the stress of wanting to finish them. But anyway, I found a really awesome one through Goodreads!

Avanti @ Avanti's Place is hosting an awesome challenge this upcoming year for people who want to count their pages! Signup is easy: just post about your participation on your blog, Goodreads/Shelfari, etc. and add your link to the linky on the signup post! She offers several levels for you to join, and lucky for all of us (this is not sarcasm), the rules are that you can only level up, not down. (YUS! This means I can't back out of my goal at all.)

For the Book Version, I will be aiming for the Mansion level (10,001+ pages) because I ususally reach that pretty easily. At the same time, I've been struggling to read with my school work, etc. getting in the way, so it will still be a challenge!

Avanti loves us oh so very much that she also has an Audio Version to the challenge! Now we all know I'm not one to listen to audiobooks very often, but I'm so behind on the ones that I DO have. They're just stacking up on my iPod....(shakes head). To try and catch up on them all, I am also going to participate in the Audio Version!

I will be aiming for the College Dorm level (4,501-9,000 minutes (76-150 hours)). Don't want to aim too high if I don't buy a lot of audios this year, but I know I have at least this much waiting for me already.


Don't be shy! Hurry and sign up for one or both of these challenges. Everyone loves a good page/minute count challenge! :D

In My Mailbox #56

In My Mailbox

Hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren

Kindle

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

Audible.com

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld

Changeling by Philippa Gregory

From store

Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick ( :D ! )

For review:
Brachman's Underworld by Vlad Vaslyn
V is for Virgin by Kelly Oram

Teaser Tuesday #47

Teaser Tuesday

Hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading

This week I'm giving you guys a teaser from the story I'm working on. This is from the middle of chapter six, but I liked this part a lot. Let me know how you feel!

"You can come in, Ally," he said in the softest tone I've ever heard him speak in. He sighed as I continued to stand there. Grabbing his McKinley High Letterman jacket off the coat stand next to the door, Michael joined me outside.

"What are you doing?" I asked, but the only response I got was him handing the jacket to me. "I'm not cold."

"Your sweater doesn't look like it's very thick and you're cold-natured." He gave me a 'just take it' look and pushed it into my hands.

I sighed. "Fine, Michael. I'll do this your way since you have to be so demanding." I gave in, pulling the jacket on. His face softened again when I said this; he looked as if he wanted to ask me something, but he kept his mouth closed.

"So . . . did you want to take another walk or something?" he queried. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. He quickly explained. "Well, when I said you could come in, you kept standing there like you didn't want to go inside."

"Well, I definitely don't want to go anywhere with you. You'd probably just leave me by myself again anyway."

Michael looked away from me, and the mood became awkward between us. "I didn't leave you, baby girl. You were acting like you didn't want to talk to me, so I told you to just call me when you wanted me to let you in."

"Oh. Well, you should have made sure you had my attention." I did feel bad, though, as he explained what happened. I honestly hadn't heard him at all earlier because I was so caught up in reminiscing. "Can we go in now? I really need some sleep." I looked up at him hesitantly and wrapped his jacket tighter around me. "Oh, and you're not getting this jacket back any time soon," I said with a genuine smile.

He chuckled and opened the door, gesturing for me to go through. "Same old Allison."

Be sure to let me know what you think! Something to remember, though, is that I haven't finished editing and adding descriptions, etc.

In My Mailbox #55

In My Mailbox

Hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren

Bought from the store

D.Gray-man Volume 5: Announcement by Katsura Hoshino

D.Gray-man Volume 6: Delete by Katsura Hoshino

In My Mailbox #54

In My Mailbox

Hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren

Bought from store

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Sailor Moon Vol 3 by Naoko Takeuchi

Sailor Moon Vol 4 by Naoko Takeuchi

Kindle

The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore

Paper Towns by John Green

Borrowed from teacher
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott

Review: The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

The Last Little Blue Envelope (Little Blue Envelopes, #2) by Maureen Johnson
282 pages, Kindle Edition
Finished in Sept. 2012
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Adventure, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age
Synopsis via Goodreads:

Ginny Blackstone thought that the biggest adventure of her life was behind her. She spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt Peg laid out in a series of letters before she died. When someone stole Ginny's backpack--and the last little blue envelope inside--she resigned herself to never knowing how it was supposed to end.

Months later, a mysterious boy contacts Ginny from London, saying he's found her bag. Finally, Ginny can finish what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a new adventure--one filled with old friends, new loves, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Ginny finds she must hold on to her wits . . . and her heart. This time, there are no instructions.

Motivation to Read It: My school started a new program this year called Reading Scholars, so that influenced me a little bit. Plus I've been wanting to read this one since I finished 13 Little Blue Envelopes.

Review: It took me two whole months to find time to finish this book, but school didn't keep it from being an awesome sequel to 13 Little Blue Envelopes. I'm glad that I got a chance to read this series! It's like travelling to Europe with Ginny instead of just reading about her and her friends going. I also learned some things from Ginny's experiences.

Ginny left us in teh last novel with her backpack being stolen and all the letters, including the unread 13th letter, being in the bag as well. Now Oliver, an Englander, contacts her saying that they should meet so he can give her the letter. She goes and discovers that the last letter requires her to travel across Europe once again. This time, however, she brings along Oliver, Keith (remember him?), and Keith's new girlfriend Ellis. Talk about some good reading!

The characters were even better this time around than they were in the first book. Ginny isn't paranoid anymore, and Keith's mixed feelings are enough to keep anyone interested. Oliver had his moments where he seemed as if he actually cared, but at other times he was just being a smart-alick. Even though, at first, I wanted Ginny and Keith to further their "kind-of-something," Ellis was such a sweetheart. She admired Ginny from the stories Keith had told about her and always tried to be as helpful as she could be the entire time they traveled.

The plot was, to me, more fast-paced than the first book. They went to the European countries so fast, and the trips were pretty much a paragraph long, then they explained what happened while they were there. Not that this was a bad thing of course. I'm not too fond of books that move super slow, so it was nice to travel at top speed. Maureen describes the settings, actions, and characters very well. The way they all interacted with each other and their surroundings was definitely entertaining.

Hopefully -- just maybe -- Johnson will decide to write a third book following Ginny. I'm not sure how she could continue the series with the same concept, but I'm sure she'd come up with something truly spectacular!

Satisfying eBook

(Rating System)

This Month's Reads: October 2012

Hey guys!

If you're still hanging in there with me, thanks so much. It's going to take me a while to get back in the groove of managing everything.

This month I'm putting some of last month's books back on the list because eventually I will get sick of them being on the list and read them. Until then, they're stuck.

Nevermore: A Final Maximum Ride Adventure by James Patterson
Torment by Lauren Kate
Sailor Moon Vol 3 by Naoko Takeuchi
Sailor Moon Vol 4 by Naoko Takeuchi
This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore