Monthly Archives:: March 2014

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Fresh Batch (New Releases March 16th – 22nd)

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Fresh Batch, posted weekly, keeps you up to date on the hottest releases of the upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

The Wicked We Have Done
Sarah Harian
Series: Chaos Theory #1
Publication date: March 18th 2014
by Penguin/InterMix Books

Goodreads Purchase

Evalyn Ibarra never expected to be an accused killer and experimental prison test subject. A year ago, she was a normal college student. Now she’s been sentenced to a month in the compass room—an advanced prison obstacle course designed by the government to execute justice.

If she survives, the world will know she’s innocent.

Locked up with nine notorious and potentially psychotic criminals, Evalyn must fight the prison and dismantle her past to stay alive. But the system prized for accuracy appears to be killing at random.

She doesn’t plan on making friends.

She doesn’t plan on falling in love, either.

Other releases this week:
* In no particular order *


– See Me by Wendy Higgins [Purchase]
– Reclaiming the Sand by A. Meredith Walters [Purchase]
– Provoke by Missy Johnson
– Delilah: The Making of Red (Nova #2.5) by Jessica Sorensen [Purchase]


– Tied with Me (With Me in Seattle #6) by Kristen Proby [Purchase]
– Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy [Purchase]
– The Course of True Love [and First Dates] (The Bane Chronicles #10) by Cassandra Clare [Purchase]
– Elusion by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam [Purchase]


– Pretty Sly (Pretty Crooked #2) by Elisa Ludwig [Purchase]
– Happily Ever After by Elizabeth Maxwell [Purchase]
– The Riverman by Aaron Starmer [Purchase]
– The Divorce Papers: A Novel by Susan Rieger [Purchase]


– Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover [Purchase]
– Starling (Secrets of the Eternal Rose #3) by Fiona Paul [Purchase]
– The Edge of Falling by Rebecca Serle [Purchase]
– The Slanted Worlds (Chronoptika #2) by Catherine Fisher [Purchase]


– Alpha Goddess by Amalie Howard [Purchase]


Anything on your wishlist?

 

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Find previous Fresh Batch posts here!

Review: The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

Review: The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

Posted by on 03/14/2014 • 32 Comments

Stories about Alzheimer’s disease are so heartbreaking. It’s such an evil, merciless disease that you can rarely see coming or do anything to stop it. When it hits so young like Jude’s father, it’s even more of a shock. Yes this is an emotional read, but it’s also full of happy moments, romance, and hope.

The Book of Broken Hearts is both an emotional foray into the effects of Alzheimer’s on a family, as well as a sweet love story. After her father is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, all Jude wants to do is help him remember his happiest days. She’s hoping against all hope that fixing up his Harley will fix everything and bring him back. Finding someone to fix it on time and affordably is a…

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Book Girls Don’t Cry… Nor Accept Annoying Friend Requests!

Book Girls Don’t Cry… Nor Accept Annoying Friend Requests!

Posted by on 03/13/2014 • 53 Comments

Book Girls Don’t Cry is a feature where we will discuss/vent/advise on a bookish topic. This feature is co-hosted with the lovely Amy at Book Loving Mom.

 

To Friend, or Not to Friend?

How do you decide if you approve or ignore (deny) friend requests on Goodreads  – or other bookish sites? Do you automatically add everyone who requests, or are you meticulous with your friends list like I am?

Am I just picky and anal and, in turn, a bitch for not approving everyone? How about those who don’t even bother answering the friending question? That has to be my #1 pet peeve about Goodreads friending. I actually have a question set up just to easily identify those who are spamming friend requests to every single Goodreads user….

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Review + Series Giveaway: Sunrise by Mike Mullin

Review + Series Giveaway: Sunrise by Mike Mullin

Posted by on 03/12/2014 • 18 Comments

*Spoiler free for the series*

Series that end on such a fantastic note like this one makes me want to scream and shout about how epic the ride was. Then follow that with a lot of ugly crying from it being over.

With this series, Mullin has created an amazingly realistic, plausible, and terrifying post apocalyptic story set in the aftermath of the Yellowstone volcano eruption. Throughout the series we have seen these characters go from scared teenagers only trying to live to see the next day, to strong leaders who are being brutally realistic with the hand they were dealt and the game they were forced into. The character growth we witness is incredible. From our main characters, Alex and Darla, to the many faces that have been…

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Review: Split Second by Kasie West

Review: Split Second by Kasie West

Posted by on 03/11/2014 • 28 Comments

PIVOT POINT was a fast favourite of mine from last year so when SPLIT SECOND came out I was quick to run out and get it and make the time to read it. Coming out of it I am happy with the story but I I feel it was missing some elements of a successful sequel. After reading through the reviews of this I see that I may be the only one who had this issue, but I haven’t come across this so strongly before so I feel the need to point it out.

So my issue is this: I was completely lost as to almost all of the references to the first novel. I have a terrible memory and I know this but I can usually carry on pretty…

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Review: The Summer I Wasn’t Me by Jessica Verdi

Review: The Summer I Wasn’t Me by Jessica Verdi

Posted by on 03/10/2014 • 25 Comments

The Summer I Wasn’t Me takes us into a religious de-gaying camp where Lexi is sent after her mother finds her journal. Not only is this story an important one in this day and age, especially for teenagers, but it’s written with wonderfully crafted characters that bring just the right amount of heart to the book.

“The activity for the day is Avoiding Satanic Influences.”

I found myself amused at times, frustrated at others, and utterly pissed off at this camp’s cult-like methods. I rarely feel this enraged towards fictional characters – it’s fiction after all – but knowing that camps like this really do exist makes me want to throw things. Now I’m not religious at all, so maybe that plays into it, but I honestly do not understand…

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Giselle’s Stacking the Shelves [March 9]

Giselle’s Stacking the Shelves [March 9]

Posted by on 03/09/2014 • 35 Comments

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews featuring the books we got this week, and I also mention blog news/happenings of the past week. Hey guys! How sucky is it to lose an hour this weekend? Boo to that! I’ve been keeping busy with getting our current house ready to go on the market – we’re starting the process of getting a house built this summer so that’s a bit scary and stressful. Ooh and I was finally able to register for BEA this week and I’m getting excited! Less than 3 months to go! Whoo! So this week I got some awesome packages in the mail. A few surprise ones and a belated birthday gift from the lovely Amy.

THIS WEEK’S BOOK HAUL: (Click…

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Fresh Batch (New Releases March 9th – 15th)

Fresh Batch (New Releases March 9th – 15th)

Posted by on 03/08/2014 • 13 Comments

Fresh Batch, posted weekly, keeps you up to date on the hottest releases of the upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

Ruins Dan Wells Series: Partials Sequence #3 Publication date: March 11th 2014by Balzer + Bray

Goodreads Purchase

Kira, Samm, and Marcus fight to prevent a final war between Partials and humans in the gripping final installment in the Partials Sequence, a series that combines the thrilling action of The Hunger Games with the provocative themes of Blade Runner and The Stand.

There is no avoiding it—the war to decide the fate of both humans and Partials is at hand. Both sides hold in their possession a weapon that could destroy the other, and Kira Walker has precious little time to prevent that…

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