Posts By: Giselle

Sunday, May 04, 2014

Giselle’s Stacking the Shelves [May 4th]

Posted by Giselle • 27 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.

Sooo is everyone ready for BEA!? I can’t believe we’re in May already! I feel like I was there just a couple of weeks ago but GAH! I’m so freaking excited to go back! Mostly I can’t wait to meet even more bloggers this year! I hope to see you all there! So yeah, this week my computer crapped itself and I was stuck on some dinosaur loaner, so I’m sorry for being a bit absent and slow to comment back and such this week! In books though it was quite the awesome week which brightened it up for sure! Have a look at what I got!

THIS WEEK’S BOOK HAUL:
(Click on covers for Goodreads)

I received for review:

Print book haul:

–Raging Star by Moira Young
–We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
–Second Star by Alyssa Sheinmel
–My Last Kiss by Bethany Neal
–Monument 14: Savage Drift by Emmy Laybourne

*Huge thanks to Random House of Canada, Raincoast Books, HarperCollins, Harlequin Teen, and Macmillan for these pretties!*

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That’s all for me this week!
XOXO

Giveaway: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (Can)

Posted by Giselle on 05/03/2014 • 4 Comments

We’ve got a treat for our fellow Canadian readers today! Thanks to the lovely people at Random House Canada you have a chance to win yourself a pretty finished copy of We Were Liars. Both me and Jenni loved this book it’s an amazingly written, thought provoking mystery that kept us both up all night reading. My review will be posted on the blog soon, but you can have a look at Jenni’s below!

See what Jenni thought of We Were Liars here!

Giveaway

Random House of Canada has generously offered a finished copy of We Were Liars by E. Lockhart for giveaway.

Open to Canadian addresses only Giveaway ends May 16th, 2014 Full contest terms and conditions found on Rafflecopter

a…

Fresh Batch (New Releases May 4th – 10th)

Posted by Giselle on 05/03/2014 • 15 Comments

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

Flavor of the week:

Torn Away Jennifer Brown Publication date: May 6th 2014 by Little Brown BfYR

Goodreads Purchase

Born and raised in the Midwest, Jersey Cameron knows all about tornadoes. Or so she thinks. When her town is devastated by a twister, Jersey survives — but loses her mother, her young sister, and her home. As she struggles to overcome her grief, she’s sent to live with her only surviving relatives: first her biological father, then her estranged grandparents.

In an unfamiliar place, Jersey faces a reality she’s never considered before — one in which her mother wasn’t perfect, and neither were her grandparents, but…

Review: After the End by Amy Plum

Posted by Giselle on 05/01/2014 • 25 Comments

With an incredibly exciting premise and a unique magical twist, After the End could have swooped me off my feet, but instead I found myself getting increasingly bored as the book went on. What started as a fun adventure involving a girl who finds out that her whole life is based on a lie, ended up being nothing but a dull road trip with flat characters and an artificial romance.

I admit to being compelled at first, however. It begins on a high note when we learn all about Juneau’s way of life as a “survivor” after WWIII – or so she thought. Even though it only lasted a few pages, the survivalist lifestyle they had been living was intriguing, and the inclusion of a magical aspect made it…

Review: Killer Instinct by S.E. Green

Posted by Giselle on 04/28/2014 • 21 Comments

Well poo! Where do I even start?

I guess at Lane. Her characterization felt as if it was based on a bullet point list. Let’s build a serial killer, shall we? -She has to be quiet. Check. -She should show a lack of emotion, especially uncaring of romance and sex. Check. -She should have a dark passenger an internal “kill” itch. Check. -She should be awkward, blunt, and kind of an outsider. Check. -She should have a hidden dark past. Check.

So ok, that’s all things we “know” about her, but only because she tells us. Several times. In reality, she comes off as a flat, one dimensional character with a lot of inconsistencies in her personality. For instance she keeps saying how much she dislikes her sister…

Fresh Batch (New Releases April 27th – May 3rd)

Posted by Giselle on 04/26/2014 • 10 Comments

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

Flavor of the week:

Scan Sarah Fine, Walter Jury Series: Scan #1 Publication date: May 1st 2014 by Putnam Children’s

Goodreads Purchase

Tate and his father don’t exactly get along. As Tate sees it, his father has unreasonably high expectations for Tate to be the best—at everything. Tate finally learns what he’s being prepared for when he steals one of his dad’s odd tech inventions and mercenaries ambush the school, killing his father in the process and sending Tate on the run from aliens who look just like humans.

All Tate knows–like how to make weapons out of oranges and lighter fluid–may not be enough to…

Review: The Taking by Kimberly Derting

Posted by Giselle on 04/25/2014 • 17 Comments

This is another of those books that are fun and entertaining, but just don’t have that spark that could have made them truly memorable. At least I have plenty of fun during the ride.

With an engaging start, The Taking pulls you right into its plot full of mystery and wonderment. Imagine being blinded by a light, and the next thing you know your world and everyone you know is 5 years older… except you. You’re still sporting a bruise left from a game just that week, your phone is still fully charged, your clothes and appearance are exactly the same, yet 5 years have apparently passed. This is what happened to Kyra as she brings us along into her baffling story that leaves you dying for answers on every…

Book Girls Don’t Cry: A Day of Reading and Things

Posted by Giselle on 04/24/2014 • 22 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.

A Day in the Life of Yours Truly

What is it like to be me? Since my life is super duper interesting I thought I’d make this week’s BGDC a bit more personal and give you a sneak peek into my daily life.

Starting usually around 7-8am, I’m awoken by a little 3 year old devil who doesn’t understand the concept of quiet mornings. Then after an hour of coaxing him to eat, get dressed, put his boots and coat on, then pick 10 toys until he decides which one to bring to daycare, I’m left all by my lonesome for a…