I got an award!

My second award, YAY!


Thanks Lizzy at Cornucopia of Reviews

I WON NANO!!!!

I did it. I can't believe it!

No Kill Book Shelter

Books need a nice home to be read and appreciated. Unfortunately, some books aren't as luck as others. Join me in support of finding a great home for these unloved books. Just follow THIS link and help us beat book abuse.

Blog Of The Week

I'll be starting a brand new feature called Blog Of The Week in which I will feature a blog with its latest contests, reviews etc. To be featured, your blog MUST be a YA book blog. If you're a YA author, you can also participate in this feature. To become eligible, fill in THIS form.

In My Mailbox (4)

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren.





* Hold Still by Nina LaCour (opens the GoodReads page).

2010 100+ books Reading Challenge!

I've joined this challenge because...well, just because! Hopefully I will read this many books. I won't post a list yet but when January 1st rolls around, I'll be listing the books I'm reading here and in the sidebar. Also, there will be reviews for all or most of them.

Come join me, too. Just follow THIS link :)
Read | Reviewed | Have


001. Runaway by Meg Cabot

002. The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

003. Candor by Pam Bachorz

004. The Hunger Games #3

005. 3 Willows by Anne Brashares

006. Dark Flame by Alyson Noel

007. Fallen by Lauren Kate

008. Wings by Aprilynne Pike

009. Swoon by Nina Malkin

010. A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler

011. The Hollow by Jessica Verday

012. The Espressologist by Kristina Springer

013. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

014. Identical by Ellen Hopkins

015. Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

016. Looking For Alaska by John Green

017. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

018. Gringolandia by Lyn Miller-Lachmann

019. Fade by Lisa McMann

020. Rumors by Anna Godbersen


021. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater


022. Impulse by Ellen Hopkins


023. Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr


to be added soon...

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Graceling

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight--she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po's friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace--or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone. from GoodReads

What can I say? Kristin's first novel has me breathtaking. Such strong characters! The novel sets in this fantastical new world, that, although it needs a little improving, is perfect. The action is non stop from the very beginning, literally. I found myself screaming because I couldn't believe what was happening and because I felt that I couldn't keep up with all the action. Such an adventure!

The only negative or constructive remark that I have is that the end, although amazing and satisfying, became a bit slow and dragged out. It should have been shorter and quicker. I can't say that I didn't love it, though! At the end, my heart ached with the thought of leaving behind these wonderful characters. I really wished the book would extend forever.

Now my Dad is wanting to read it, he was the first one to point it out to me! I have no doubt in my mind that it will satisfy him. This book is not for the fainthearted and The Hunger Games fans will love it!

In one sentence:
A fantastical adventure with romance that has no comparison.

Give Thanks To Books! Guest Post by Maggie

Here's another guest post from Maggie from Maggie's Bookshelf . Maggie, take it up!
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Books I’m thankful for? Far too many. But I’ve got a few that stand out from the crowd: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler, Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver, and A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L’Engle.



To Ender, for allowing me to take science fiction seriously as a genre beyond just popular fiction. Ditto for Parable, not to mention a protagonist I adored. Animal Dreams for making me cry, not once but many times. And A Swiftly Tilting Planet holds a special place in my heart for being the first young adult novel I ever read that made me think, I want to write like that.



So thank you, authors, agents, and editors that made those books a possibility. Thank you also to the hundreds of other books I have read that left impressions almost as deep as those. And thank you most of all to the dozens of books as of yet unread or unwritten that promise to leave me just as grateful for many years to come!

Give Thanks To Books! Guest Post by The Insatiable Reader

Hi guys! Here is the guest post from the wonderful Insatiable Reader's for today's feature, Give Thanks To Books!

__________________________________________________________________________

Hello, everyone! *~*waves*~* Thanks for stopping by today! This is my very first guest post and as such I would like to start out by saying THANK YOU to Patty, the 'Yay! Reads' reader herself, for having me. (THANKS!)


The idea behind the 'Give Thanks to Books' week was to share with others how books have influenced us and why we are thankful for them....definitely a fine topic to propose to book bloggers for Thanksgiving week, don't you think? The love of reading and of books in general is something that goes hand in hand with blogging about them...I mean really, are you going to take the time to write (even electronically) about something that you don't enjoy for the most part...doubtful. This of course is the main thread that connects each of us to the other in this "share-with-one-and-all" arena. On a more personal level, my love of reading was instilled in my character from the moment of my creation (It's true! My mother use to read to me before I was born....), after that, the rest is history! Books became my constant companion, fueling both my desire for knowledge and creativity. What other form of entertainment can you truly pursue on your own and be taken away to another world, any time, any place?


Reading provides that welcome escape from a busy day, stressful situations, or simply a means of filling a few minutes of down time. Open a book and you step into a world of your choosing to enjoy the adventure set forth within those given pages. It's magical, it enchanting, it's...okay, I sound like a Disney movie here, but every book lover out there reading this now (and you know who you are...you're the ones shaking your head 'yes' to what I just said...) knows exactly what I mean. Share the joy of reading with someone else today and provide them access to a lifetime of memories yet to be. My friends, family, and loved ones list among my reasons to be thankful....in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'm giving thanks to books as well this week for all of these reasons and more....how about you?


Happy Thanksgiving everyone!


The Insatiable Reader

Give Thanks To Books!

Hello readers! I am so very pleased to present to you this wonderful Thanksgiving feature, Give Thanks To Books! I'm super exited because it's the first feature here on Yay! Reads.

I knew I wanted to do something to celebrate Thanksgiving and I though, "Let's give thanks to books!" and the idea just took off from their. In the next few hours you will see posts from other bloggers about how and why they're thankful for books.

So now it's my turn to say why I am thankful for books. To be honest, I don't have many friends, and I don't think any of them even actually share the same love with books that I have but you know who I share it with? My Dad. Both of us read almost since birth and the truth is, I'd rather stay at home with a good book to go to a party.

For me, books are worlds waiting to be discovered. They're ancient and new at the same time. They make me travel across the world and see things in a different way. They have become my companions when I'm feeling sad, frustrated, and happy. When I re-read a book, it's like finding a friend again. Everytime that I read a book, my reactions are different. I fall in love, I hate, I care for these characters. They've changed the way I see people and the way I see the world. Which takes me to being a writer. The same kind of magic that I experience any time I flip a page is the magic that I want to create one day. I want to touch someone and have someone fall in love with my characters. I want them to be part of my family.

There's no limits in books, and I thank them for that. I thank them for giving me experiences I would never have otherwise had. So this Thanksgiving Day, I'm Giving Thanks To Books!

Wicked: Resurrection by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

Wicked: Resurrection

WHAT THE CAHORS witches thought was the end of their troubles was only the beginning. A threat more powerful and more frightening than anything they have faced has been watching and waiting. The Cahors witches must come together and find Jer and Eli as both the Deveraux and the Cahors family lines face eradication.

All the secrets of the Cahors will be revealed, forcing them to overcome their greatest weaknesses in order to achieve their most powerful strengths. And only united do they have any chance at victory. Before the end, sacrifices will be made, alliances forged, and old friends lost forever. from GoodReads.

Let's start by saying that this book is so action-packed, my heart pumped of excitement. Everything complicates even more and with every passing page you are left with more questions than answers. There are so many secrets and plot points that sometimes it is hard to keep track. The characters, although many, all connect with the reader in one way or another that will make them unforgettable.

The biggest part that I would like to stress is that this book presents enemies as heroes and heroes as enemies. There is no one good or bad, and their powers are well beyond their knowledge. The end closed all great plot points with a great kiss goodbye. We see our characters suffering from the lost of loved ones - and truly, there are many losses - but we also see them fighting to heal.

Holly, once again, proves that she's not just good or bad and I think this is what makes her so relatable. She is willing to take on hard decisions for her loved ones. We see her and Jer struggle and find each other in ways that I couldn't find imaginable. I can finally clearly see the past of the Cahors witches and form a generalization that the feud between families is nothing but a puppet show. As in real life, the line is not clearly drawn and one may change sides often but as long as we stick to our own hearts, that's what matters.

In one sentence:
Fantastically breathtaking!

Give Thanks To Books! Thanksgiving feature.

I was thinking I needed to do a MASSIVE feature someday and I thought that maybe, just maybe, we could do it for Thanksgiving.

Here is what I'm thinking about:

-Bloggers and Authors will guest post here about the books they're most thankful for, those who changed their views of life, or made some kind of impact in any way. We could do this by vlog or simply a text. If possible, all bloggers/authors participating can give one book away as a contest (this is optional and it's pending).

If there are any authors or bloggers that would like to participate, please email me at yayreads@hotmail.com with the subject line 'Give Thanks To Books!'

Vampire Kisses Conteset WINNER

The Random.org thingie has spoken and the winner is....(drum rolls, please!)

Mistwraith

I will be emailing you ASAP but if you see this first, go ahead and email me: yayreads@hotmail.com If I don't hear back in 3 days, I'll have to pick another winner.

Congrats! Don't worry, they'll be another contest soon so keep your eyes open for that.

In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox explores the contents of my mailbox and was started by The Story Siren

I didn't get anything by mailbox but I DID get three books from borders:

Wicked: Resurrection by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie
Queste by Angie Sage
Graceling by Kristin Cashore

That's it for this week's In My Mailbox

Friday Finds (2)

This meme was created by Should Be Reading



Before I Die by Jenny Downham
Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales by The Grimm brothers


Graceling and Fire by Kristin Cashore

Week One Of NaNo Wordle

I'll also post this on my NaNo And Me Blog but I wanted to show it to you all:



Create your own here.

The Fold by An Na

The Fold

Joyce never used to care that much about how she looked, but that was before she met JFK—John Ford Kang, the most gorgeous guy in school. And it doesn't help that she's constantly being compared to her beautiful older sister, Helen. Then her rich plastic-surgery-addict aunt offers Joyce a gift to “fix” a part of herself she'd never realized needed fixing—her eyes. Joyce has heard of the fold surgery—a common procedure meant to make Asian women's eyes seem “prettier” and more “American”—but she's not sure she wants to go through with it. Her friend Gina can't believe she isn't thrilled. After all, the plastic surgeon has shown Joyce that her new eyes will make her look just like Helen—but is that necessarily a good thing? from GoodReads.com

I have an ARC copy of this book that I got from the publisher at my writing camp this past summer. Let me tell you, I never was very interested in this book. It didn't catch my attention. But I remembered that I have and maybe I should read it for Yay! Reads, right? Well, I have mixed feelings about the book.

For the good stuff: I liked the message of the book and how everything seems to tie together in the end. I was glad that the characters found some depth and meaning at the end. But the bad stuff: I didn't really connect with any character. It felt more like reading a middle school story than a story about high school juniors/seniors. To me, the characters seemed very immature and superficial. The only part that I really thought that I enjoyed was the end when we see Joyce in a more deep aspect, but even then, it was pretty much it. Nothing really attracted me about any of the characters. It felt flat.

Now, on some parts I got really confused with the dialogue. This may be because I read too fast but at the same time it felt that all of the characters had the same 'voice'. Maybe this was the problem.

In one sentence:
It quite wasn't there for me.

What Kind Of Book Are You?

As seen on Book Chick City

You Are Action Adventure

You are lively and spirited. You like to be in the middle of the action, and you have a ton of energy. You are very driven, and not just with your career. You like to play hard as well! You are bold and brave. You're always looking for the next great adrenaline rush. It's likely that you are athletic or at least pretty physically active. It's hard for you to sit still.

What Kind of Book Are You?

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

Friday Finds (1)

This meme was created by Should Be Reading.



Meridian by Amber Kizer
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott


Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
Immortal by Gillian Shields

Win ARCs

Win some of the best books of 2009 from I Should Be Writing. You can win:

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Maze Runner by James Dashner

To enter, just follow THIS link.

Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, guys. But as you know, NaNoWriMo has started and it has got me more busy than I expected! But nevertheless, there are three pending reviews and today I will post the first one. Hopefully I have at least one more by the end of the weekend.

Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

It’s summer vacation, the weather’s great, and all the kids are having fun outside. So where’s Greg Heffley? Inside his house, playing video games with the shades drawn.

Greg, a self-confessed “indoor person,” is living out his ultimate summer fantasy: no responsibilities and no rules. But Greg’s mom has a different vision for an ideal summer . . . one packed with outdoor activities and “family togetherness.”

Whose vision will win out? Or will a new addition to the Heffley family change everything? from GoodReads

Let's start by saying that normally, I wouldn't pick a book like this. I had to read it because of library club, and since I never turn down a book, I though: Heck, why not? But to be honest, I was pretty hesitant to read it.

That said, I have to admit that it was a pretty funny book. A bit too childish for my tastes to be quite truthful but entertaining nevertheless. The book is an easy read. It has hilarious cartoons and the kid, Greg, is just amazingly funny.

My only main problem with it was that it didn't have any central conflict and the end seemed to be a bit too rushed. I wasn't sure what was the problem of the book. Sure, the summer was pretty much stinking, but hey, I couldn't even revolve around that.

In one sentence:
Humorous, but a bit pointless.

Wednesday Wishes (3)

Wednesday Wishes is a meme inspired by The Story Siren where I will post my three latest book-related wishes. You are welcome to post your own using Mr. Linky.

1. Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
2. The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
3. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Post your URL and the TITLE of the post.