In My Mailbox #55

Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

*This was one was free on the Kindle, so I downloaded it immediately. I've been wanting to read this book for awhile now.

Goodreads says, "Inside little blue envelope 1 are $1,000 and instructions to buy a plane ticket.In envelope 2 are directions to a specific London flat. The note in envelope 3 tells Ginny: Find a starving artist. Because of envelope 4, Ginny and a playwright/thief/ bloke–about–town called Keith go to Scotland together, with somewhat disastrous–though utterly romantic–results. But will she ever see him again? Everything about Ginny will change this summer, and it's all because of the 13 little blue envelopes."

Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols

*This one was on sale at B&N. I immediately bought it, because it sounds like the perfect summer read; plus, I have never read any of Echols' books and have heard good things. Apparently it is two books in one: The Boys Next Door and Endless Summer.

Goodreads says, "Two irresistible boys. One unforgettable summer.  Lori can’t wait for her summer at the lake. She loves wakeboarding and hanging with her friends--including the two hotties next door. With the Vader brothers, she's always been just one of the guys. Now that she’s turning sixteen, she wants to be seen as one of the girls, especially in the eyes of Sean, the older brother. But that’s not going to happen--not if the younger brother, Adam, can help it.  Lori plans to make Sean jealous by spending time with Adam. Adam has plans of his own for Lori. As the air heats up, so does this love triangle. Will Lori’s romantic summer melt into one hot mess?"

Save Me by Lisa Scottoline

*My husband went to some work conference recently and Lisa was there as a guest speaker. Not sure why since she has nothing to do with the field he is in, but since he's an awesome husband, he got me a signed copy!

Goodreads says, "Susan Pressman volunteers as a lunch mom in her daughter Melly's school in order to keep an eye on Amanda, a mean girl who's been bullying her daughter. Her fears come true when the bullying begins, sending Melly to the bathroom in tears. Just as Susan is about to follow after her daughter, a massive explosion goes off in the kitchen, sending the room into chaos. Susan finds herself faced with the horrifying decision of whether or not to run to the bathroom to rescue her daughter or usher Amanda to safety. She believes she has accomplished both, only to discover that Amanda, for an unknown reason, ran back into the school once out of Susan's sight. In an instance, Susan goes from hero to villain as the small community blames Amanda's injuries on her. In the days that follow, Susan's life starts to fall to pieces, Amanda's mother decides to sue, her marriage is put to the test, and worse, when her daughter returns to school, the bullying only intensifies. Susan must take matters into her own hands and get down to the truth of what really happened that fateful day in order to save herself, her marriage and her family."

Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley

*I won this book through Princess Bookie's contest. Thanks so much!

Goodreads says, "Meet Corrinne. She's living every girl's dream in New York City—shopping sprees at Barneys, open access to the best clubs and parties, and her own horse at the country club. Her perfect life is perfectly on track. At least it was. . . . When Corrinne's father is laid off, her world suddenly falls apart. Instead of heading to boarding school, she's stripped of her credit cards and shipped off to the boonies of Texas to live with her grandparents. On her own in a big public school and forced to take a job shoveling manure, Corrinne is determined to get back to the life she's supposed to be living. She doesn't care who she stomps on in the process. But when Corrinne makes an unlikely friend and discovers a total hottie at work, she begins to wonder if her life B.R.—before the recession—was as perfect as it seemed."

What did you get in your mailbox? Have you read any of these books? Let me know what you think.   This meme is hosted by The Story Siren.   

 

April Confessions

Rome- April 2011

This month has been very exciting and busy.  As most of you know, I traveled to Rome over Spring Break, which was incredible. I'm not sad to see April go though, because it's on to my favorite month of May. I can't wait for Memorial Day Weekend, which, for me, is the start of summer as I can head back to the beach! I also am excited for my new Summer Kickoff feature, which starts tomorrow.  I don't know about you, but I am very ready for warm weather and some fun in the sun.


Books Read in April:


1.  Sixteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton (Review to come!)
2.  Jaqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: A Life by Donald Spoto
3.  Steel by Carrie Vaughn
4.  The Summer of Firsts and Lasts by Terra Elan McVoy (Review to come!)
5.  Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini (Review to come!)
6.  Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready
7.  The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder (Review to come!)




May Top Five:

1.  Favorite Read: Shift by Jeri Smith- Ready- I'm definitely enjoying this series!


2.  Biggest Surprise: Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini and Sixteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton- I wasn't expecting to like these two as much as I did.


3.  Biggest Letdown:  The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder- I thought I would like this one a bit more since in the past I've really enjoyed stories told in verse, but this one left me wanting more.  


4.  Favorite Post: My review of We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han- I adore this series and am so sad it's over.


5. Favorite Part of May: My trip to Italy.

See you tomorrow for my Summer Kickoff,

Summer Kickoff!

Being a self-proclaimed beach bum and all around beach lover, I thought I would start a new feature for part of the month of May, which happens to be one of my favorite months.  Why you ask? It's because May is the unofficial start of summer and includes my favorite holiday, Memorial Day Weekend.  More to come on that later!

My feature, Summer Kickoff, will last from May 1st to May 20th with a beach related/summer post everyday!  I will be reviewing upcoming summer book releases as well as some older favorites. There will also be posts about beaches, beach bars and restaurants, authors, beach reads, giveaways, and so much more.  So, check in with me starting May 1st for some fun and by the end of it, hopefully you will be able to add a new book to your beach bag this summer.  

Happy Friday,

Pictures From My Trip To Rome

I'm back from Rome and it was truly an incredible trip! Rome is such a magical city and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to go. We saw so much history, beautiful art, and of course ate a lot of delicious food and drank a lot of great wine.  It will definitely be a trip that I remember forever, especially the moment I saw the Sistine Chapel. I was in awe! Too bad you cannot take any photos there, but here are some of my other favorite shots.  Enjoy!

The ceiling of the Map Room at the Vatican

Piazza San Pietro

The Colosseum

St. Paul's

The inside of St. Paul's

Me at the Castel Sant' Angelo

The Pantheon

View from Capri

Me at Capri

Trevi Fountain

I loved walking through the side streets of Rome

The busy Piazza Navona, my favorite piazza

 Quaint street in Trastevere

I hope you enjoyed my photos! Check out Leanna from Daisy Chain Book Review's photos from her recent trip to Rome. We missed each other by a week!  For now, I'm off to dream of drinking wine in the afternoon in a bustling piazza and devouring copious amounts of gelato. Ciao!

Waiting on Wednesday: Lola and the Boy Next Door

This is a weekly meme hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine.  "Waiting on Wednesday" spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Pub. Date: September 29, 2011

Goodreads says, "For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous, the outfit—more sparkly, more fun, more wild—the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.  When the family returns and Cricket—a gifted inventor and engineer—steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door."

*I loved Anna and the French Kiss, so I am definitely going to be reading this one. In fact, Perkins is one of my new favorite authors; I love her writing style!

Book Review: Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready

Pages: 384

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pub. Date: May 3, 2011

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

*If you haven't read Shade, check out my review here.

Goodreads says, "Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to. Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift. As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart."

Aura is still getting over her boyfriend Logan's untimely death and the fact that he is not only a ghost, but also "shaded," which if you are a ghost is not a good thing.  Logan needs Aura and although she loves him tremendously, she cannot deny her attraction to Zachary, which readers saw her struggle with in Shade.  Aura also learns more about her mother, her father and about the actual Shift.  It will leave readers in a whirlwind of a romantic adventure.  Jeri Smith-Ready's Shift is a captivating sequel to Shade and is definitely one of my new favorite series that fans of paranormal should NOT miss!

Aura is one of my favorite characters.  She's very girl-next-door, but spunky and easy to relate to.  Her relationship with Logan in book one had me grabbing for the tissues; it broke my heart!  But on the same hand, how could she not fall in love with the good looking Zachary who has been there for her all along? Shift delves more into this love triangle and for the first time, it had me wavering between the two male leads....it was hard to pick a side! 

I love that Shift incorporates adventure, paranormal elements, romance, as well as elements of realistic fiction.  Readers watch Aura and Logan's family deal with death, grief, and the final step of moving on.  Shift also has Aura dealing with memories of her mother and she finds out more details about who her father really is.   Even though this book seems like a traditional paranormal romance, it actually is SO much more. In fact, as I mentioned in my review of Shade, I love that Smith-Ready focuses on ghosts and legends in this novel and not the usual players in a paranormal romance, such as vampires and werewolves.  It's a such a fresh take on the genre as I haven't read too many YA books dealing with ghosts.

Smith-Ready is a fabulous author that I feel is often overlooked and deserves more recognition. If you are a fan of paranormal or even stories about love that include dreamy Irish and Scottish men, then you must start this series or pick up a copy of Shift.   Although I am excited for the third book to come out next summer, I am sad that it will be the final book in the series as, for lack of better words, this series is freaking fantastic!

*Pre-order Shift

*Buy Shade

*Read an excerpt

Winner of Gone With a Handsomer Man

And the winner of Gone with a Handsomer Man by Michael Lee West is........

#14 Kristy B from Stumbled Into Fate

Congrats, Kristy! Thanks for entering and I hope you enjoy the book! 

Also, thanks to Anne at Authors On the Web for giving me the opportunity to host this giveaway.

On a more personal note, I am back from my trip to Rome and it was definitely incredible. I will post pictures soon!  

I hope everyone had a good week,

Off to Rome!

I am on spring break for the next week and off on my dream trip to Rome.  Things will be quiet here; I have nothing scheduled blog-wise for the week. I am taking "off" in order to unplug and relax!  Once I return, be ready for a fun feature I am starting for the month of May!


I will be sure to post a few pictures when I return.  If you have any advice for me, please share and if I already stalked you for information before, thanks again! And a special thank you goes out to Leanna at Daisy Chain Book Reviews for giving me all the dirty details of Rome, including where I can find my favorite beer, which I haven't had in a year since they only serve it overseas.  Thanks, girl! 


I hope everyone has a great week or a great holiday if you celebrate Easter or Passover.  Enjoy!  I am going to finally get to see some of the things I've only dreamed about and as Julia Roberts said in Eat, Pray, Love, “I want to go somewhere where I can marvel at something."  

Ciao!

New Winner of Miles From Ordinary!

Since the old winner didn't get back to me in 48 hours, I've selected a new winner for the Miles From Ordinary ARC giveaway.  Sorry! I am a rule follower!

The new winner is Alexis from Reflections of a Bookaholic

Congrats, Alexis! Please email me back with your address.  

I hope you enjoy the book,

Book Review: We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

Pages: 288

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pub. Date: April 26, 2011

E-galley from S&S GalleyGrab

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

*Read my review of The Summer I Turned Pretty

*Read my review of It's Not Summer Without You

Goodreads says, "It's been two years since Conrad told Belly to go with Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah have been inseparable ever since, even attending the same college-- only, their relationship hasn't exactly been the happily ever after Belly had hoped it would be. And when Jeremiah makes the worst mistake a boy can make, Belly is forced to question what she thought was true love. Does she really have a future with Jeremiah? Has she ever gotten over Conrad? It's time for Belly to decide, once and for all, who has her heart forever."

Belly is off at college with Jeremiah and everything is pretty status quo.  They go to parties, eat meals together, hangout with friends, and study.  It's a pretty average college experience, except Jeremiah isn't the "perfect" boyfriend that Belly thought he was going to be.  And in the back of her mind, she is always wondering about Conrad and the path she didn't take.  Jenny Han's conclusion to the Summer series, We'll Always Have Summer, is everything I'd hoped it would be and more.


If you follow my blog, you know how much I respect Han as a writer. She is, hands down, one of my favorite young adult authors. There is no one out there that gets to me like Han can. She paints a picture in my mind that comes alive. It's as if I am there experiencing it all with Belly. I want to marinate in her words and the story; it's all so breathtaking. As I was reading We'll Always Have Summer, I didn't want it to end. I savored every word. Here's one of my favorite parts that I must share:

"There are moments in every girl's life that are bigger than we know at the time.  When you look back, you say, that was one of those life-chanigng, fork-in-the-road moments and I didn't even see it coming.  I had no idea. And then there are the moments that you know are big.  That whatever you do next, there will be an impact.  Your life could go one of two directions. Do or die." (E-galley page 300)

The characters in the Summer series are incredible. I love Belly and I think she really grows in this book. She's faced with situations, once again, that make her stop and think.  Although I didn't always agree with Belly's actions in this novel, I could see where she was coming from. She's still growing up and figuring things out.  


Of course Cousins Beach is in this story and just like the other books in this series, the setting becomes so significant that it develops into a character itself.  I adore Han's descriptions of the beach and how she makes the beach house important to all the characters, but in different ways. Of course the memories and flashbacks to their childhood always break my heart, because it feels like I was part of them too.


For the record, Conrad has always been my favorite, but I could see why Belly was attracted to Jeremiah. I will admit that I was even partial to Conrad when he was a moody mess. What can I say? I'm a total sucker for the bad boy type.  Also, I loved how Conrad and Belly connected in this novel and truly developed an even stronger friendship.  And to continue my swoon-fest, I love how Han ended the novel. I was happy with the ending and sobbing as I flipped the final page.  On one hand I was elated as I approved of the ending, but on the other hand, I was so sad! It was like saying goodbye to a childhood friend. I didn't want the series to be over, but just like the season of summer itself, I knew I had to say goodbye and I did so with a smile on my face. 


It's kind of hard to review this book, because I don't want to give anything away, but you must drop what you are doing and go get We'll Always Have Summer or the entire series if you haven't read it. You will fall in love with every word.  As I finished the last page, my heart was pounding and I realized I was changed by this book and by this series.  Han's Summer series is a story that I will never forget.  It has made a lasting impression on me.

*Pre-order We'll Always Have Summer

*Buy The Summer I Turned Pretty

*Buy It's Not Summer Without You

*Conrad or Jeremiah? Take the quiz!

Waiting on Wednesday: Die For Me

This is a weekly meme hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine.  "Waiting on Wednesday" spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Die For Me by Amy Plum

Pub. Date: May 10, 2011

Goodreads says, "My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything. Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent. Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen. Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind. While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?"

*I've been reading some great early reviews for this book, so I pre-ordered it using my birthday B&N gift card. Gotta love gift cards! Anyway, I like the sound of this one; plus, it takes place in Paris!  After reading Anna and the French Kiss, I can't get enough of books set in Paris.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I'd Like To See Made Into Movies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  I'm excited to participate; after all, I make lists FOR EVERYTHING!  This week's topic focuses on books that we would like to see made into movies. 

1.  Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins- This book had me jonesing to go to Paris. It was so vivid and I think it would translate beautifully on the big screen.


2.  The Summer series by Jenny Han- Somehow this series, (my favorite!) ends up on my Top Ten list every week and there's no doubt that I would love to see this series made into a movie. That would pretty much make my life.


3.  Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready- This paranormal romance would be really cool to see on the big screen. It think it's such a unique take on the paranormal (finally- no vampires!) and I wish more people knew how fabulous this book truly is.

4.  If I Stay by Gayle Forman- I would need a box of tissues in order to watch this book come to life on the big screen, but it would be oh-so- worth it.


5.  Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer- With all this dystopia interest as of late, I'm surprised they haven't made this series into a movie.


6.  Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead- Please, please, make this series into a movie.


7.  The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen- I love Dessen and this one is my favorite of her novels. 


8.  The White Queen by Philippa Gregory- Gregory is one of my favorite historical fiction authors and I adored this book. I think the movie based on this book would be incredible.


9.  Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani- I love Valentine's crazy Italian family and I think a movie based on this book would have the perfect combination of humor, romance, and drama....not to mention Italy and shoes!


10.  Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty- I actually think this series would translate well to a sit-com or dramedy of some sort.  


So, what do you think? Do you agree? What books do you want to see made into movies? Let me know!

Winner of Miles From Ordinary

And the winner of the Miles From Ordinary ARC goes to...........

#24 Maddie from Off In Another World

Congrats, Maddie! I hope you enjoy it.