Hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer:
It's a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

Sad to say it's been a slow week for me reading-wise. Instead, I found myself knee-deep in PVR recordings and Netflix. I started watching Showtime's The Borgias about two weeks ago and managed to finish/catch up on seasons two and three in the past six days. I have a problem, guys. I'm absolutely addicted to this show. And now I'm learning they might not make a fourth season? No. You can't just dangle the show in front of my face and then snatch it away just like that. The show did awaken my love for history, which has died down a little since I graduated and decided to distance myself from it (Roman and Greek in particular) after 4+ years of studying it every day. But now it's back and I found myself scouring the shelves for even more historical literature, both fiction and non-fiction. If you guys have any recommendations -- I'm open to any era, really -- just leave a comment!

Last week on the blog:

• Reviewed Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill
• Reviewed Piece of My Heart by Lynn Maddalena Menna
• Giveaway: Les Misérables by Victor Hugo: Book (movie tie-in edition) and film (Blu-ray + DVD combo), ends June 5th

Coming this week:

• Come See About Me C.K. Kelly Martin
• Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
• One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper
• Cover reveal for Speak Easy by Melanie Harlow, hosted by AToMR Tours

New bookshelf additions:
Purchases / Downloads


The Program by Suzanne Young
Poison by Bridget Zinn
Snow White and Rose Red: The Curse of the Huntsman by Lilly Fang
Every Day by David Levithan
The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
Madonna of the Seven Hills by Jean Plaidy
Light on Lucrezia by Jean Plaidy

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish:
This week's topic is your Top Ten Favourite Book Covers Of Books I've Read, in no particular order.

1. Midnight City by J. Barton Mitchell
   
2. The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter
   
3. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
   
4. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
   
5. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
   
6. What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang
   
7. Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill
   
8. The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
   
9. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
   
10. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer:
It's a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

I know, I know... "Audrey, where have you been?!" Well, life has been hectic with school and work, among many other things in this exciting life I lead (it's not all that exciting; I'm just bad at multi-tasking. Also, blame the sudden Les Misérables phenomenon for sucking me into their online fandom). I had to take a hiatus on such short notice, and for that, I'm very sorry. But thanks to everyone who has been e-mailing and still showing support for my little old blog! You are very much appreciated. This Sunday Post will be pretty short, as I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things and haven't had much time to read. Not as much as I've wanted to, anyway.

But as you can see, I have a shiny new layout! I'm still working out some kinks; I'm not completely happy with it, but I'll get there. I've also decided to change this blog around a little. I'm not going to be reviewing just Young Adult books anymore. While I do love me some YA, that's not all I read all the time. Lately I've found myself reading more adult fiction and even going back to some classic pre-1900s titles, so I figured I would have more to talk about if I didn't limit this blog to just YA. During my absence, I have been keeping up with my challenges as best I could, and reading some ARCs from NetGalley. While I haven't been on top of things in terms of reviewing, I definitely will try my best to crank out some reviews for what I've read since I've been away, so look out for those. :)

Coming this week in reviews:

• Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill
• Come See About Me C.K. Kelly Martin
• Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

This week on the blog:

• Les Misérables by Victor Hugo: Book (movie tie-in edition) and film (Blu-ray + DVD combo) - click here

New bookshelf additions:
via NetGalley

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Piece of My Heart by Lynn Maddalena Menna
The Favor by Megan Hart

Purchases / Downloads

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Hardcopy)
The Sweetness of Forgetting by Kristin Harmel (Hardcopy)

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish:
This week is a great one that I can refer back to if I feel like I'm slipping. These are my Top Ten Reading Goals for 2013.

First post of the new year! Hope you all had a lovely holiday season, and a very happy new years celebration. I had to get right back into school when I got back from vacation, hence the absence for the last 3 days. That, and obsessing over the Les Misérables movie (seriously, have you seen it?! Brillant). It's disgusting how many videos I've watched on YouTube on this movie. Plus I'm going to see it again this weekend... and maybe another time after that. As if I didn't love the musical enough already, this movie heightened my love for it so much. So worth it.

But it's a new year, and I'm really gearing up to make this blog more active, especially since my school schedule isn't as demanding this time around (yay!).

1. Read at least 100 books.
   
2. Successfully complete all the challenges I signed up for.
   
3. Read and review 5-10 books that have been in my TBR list.
   
4. Read books by at least 10 new-to-me authors.
   
5. Organize my GoodReads shelves.
   
6. Re-read and review an entire series.
   
7. Read at least 5 non-YA books.
   
8. Read more books by Canadian authors.
   
9. Finish series that I've started but neglected to continue.
   
10. And of course, review more; at least 3 reviews per week.

Hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer:
It's a chance to share news ~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

I figured since I'm off to Cancun in a few hours (I'll catch up on sleep on the plane), I might as well crank out one last Sunday Post before the new year. There won't be much activity on the blog in the next two weeks, though the hotel does have wifi and I have a few reviews queued up, but I will definitely be reading... poolside. ;) Then it's off to Calgary at the end of December for New Years. Can't wait to see my grandma and my other family members.

The last week was made up of finishing up school, spending time with family, and packing for this week. The latter started way, way late... I'm not even fully packed yet and our flight is in 6 hours. I lost count of how many times I've watched the series already, but I killed so much time watching my favourite Filipino soap opera on DVD over the week, too. I don't usually buy these soaps on DVD, but I had to with this one. I can't get enough of it. It's brilliant.

Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin (internationally released as One Great Love)

Two brothers estranged and thrust into contrasting worlds finally meet and get into a secret accord but are eventually led by fate to choose between fulfilling the duty they have vowed to honor and protecting their own family.

As far as the blog goes, I'm still trying to find a way to get a reply link on my comments page, or debating on whether or not I should just change my layout completely; start the year off with something new. We'll see! I got a great haul in the last week, as I'm starting to collect books for the 2013 challenges I signed up for, as well as for giveaways in the coming months. If you want to join in on the fun, check the sidebar for some awesome challenges! I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone's reading.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas, and to those that don't celebrate, enjoy the holiday season! Also, have a happy and safe New Years. Until then!

Last (2) weeks:

• Posted a review for The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
• Posted a review for Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
• Posted a review for Dancing in the Dark by Robyn Bavati
• Took part in the blog tour for Charlotte Abel's River's Recruit, where I posted a review.

Coming this week in reviews:

• Lemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes
• Stalk Me by Jillian Dodd

New bookshelf additions:
via NetGalley

Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C. Bennett


Purchases / Downloads


City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare (Signed hardcopy)
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey (eBook)
Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill (eBook)
Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce (eBook)
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (Hardcopy)
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (Hardcopy)

Hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine:
"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Like my last "Waiting On" post, here's another steampunk book. This one is the first in a four-part series called Finishing School and is set 25 years before the Parasol Protectorate in the same universe. Also, I feel the need to point out that the cover is really pretty.

Etiquette & Espionage
Author: Gail Carriger
Series: Finishing School, Book 1
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 320
Release date: February 5, 2013

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to finishing school.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.

First in a four book YA series set 25 years before the Parasol Protectorate but in the same universe.


In addition, it was just announced on Monday that Cassandra Clare will collab with Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson to write The Bane Chronicles. Crying. There's another to add onto my "Waiting On" list. The "Bane" in question is the one and only High Warlock of Brooklyn from Clare's Shadowhunter universe, Magnus Bane. I was on my way home when I read Sarah Rees Brennan's fantastic blog post, and her other one on Cassie's blog; I'm pretty sure I let out a little yelp of excitement.

A series of 10 short stories will be released starting February 2013 in e-book format. A new issue will follow every month until the release of the City of Bones movie in August, then a print edition of all The Bane Chronicles stories will be released in 2014. We finally get to find out what happened to Magnus in Peru?! Um, exciting.

The following is an excerpt from Sarah Rees Brennan's tumblr post, complete with a photo of the gorgeous, gorgeous, GORGEOUS Godfrey Gao, who will be portraying Magnus on the big screen (and a cat! Chairman Meow, anyone?):

We bring to you THE BANE CHRONICLES, chronicling (you see what we did there) Magnus’s adventures through the ages.

Have you ever wondered about Magnus’s past loves and lies? Magnus and Alec’s first date? How Magnus and Camille got together? What happened in Peru? Starting in February 2013, in the run-up to City of Handsome Magnus: the Movie (Also Starring Some Other People Who Are Pretty Good-Looking) we will put out a Magnus Short Story every month.

There will be ten of Magnus’s magnificent adventures all in all. Some of them Cassie and I are writing, some of them Cassie and Maureen are writing, some Cassie is writing herself as we cruelly abandon her! All of them, we think, are lots of fun. (Read More)

Also, here, have a link to the news posted on EW.com

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish:
This week is your favourite authors that are new to you this year. Here's my list in no particular order.

1. Rainbow Rowell: I've had Attachments in my eReader for a very long time, but it wasn't until Eleanor & Park that I started to read Rowell's work. After reading it, I told myself that I have to get on Attachments, because she's an amazing writer. I immediately went to see if she has any more books coming out. Luckily, Fangirl will be out next year!
2. Suzanne Collins: Yes, I'm one of those people that got into The Hunger Games only after I heard there was going to be a movie. I'd heard of it before that, but I didn't bother to pick it up for a reason that I can't remember anymore. I'm really happy I finally gathered my wits and started reading the trilogy.
3. Kady Cross: A book store employee at my regular book store recommended the Steampunk Chronicles to me after we talked about some favourite YA titles we had in common. I'm super thankful to her for introducing me to the Steampunk genre, because I was totally blind to it prior.
4. Gail Carriger: The same employee recommended the Parasol Protectorate series after I asked if there was a Steampunk book that wasn't YA, and I instantly fell in love with the first 2 books. I've yet to read the others, but I'm looking forward to finally getting into them.
5. Marissa Meyer: Cinder was one of those books that I picked up solely for the cover art. It's gorgeous. Then I read it and the story made me love the whole thing even more. Marissa wrote with this style that just pulled me in and I could barely form coherent thoughts after reading.
6. Scott Westerfeld: I bought Uglies-- again, as with the case of Cinder-- because the cover was pretty. It was just so white and eerie and the layout of the whole thing just intrigued me. After reading Uglies I had to buy the rest of the series immediately. I also picked up Leviathan without knowing it was written by him as well, funnily enough.
7. Cassandra Clare: As if I don't mention her enough on this blog. I only started The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices this past summer, even though I've had the first books of each series sitting on my book shelf for well over a year. I'm glad I finally picked them up. Because I'm obsessed. Like please-get-me-professional-help obsessed.
8. Ellen Hopkins: Every time I walked into the YA section, I had always passed by her books and was intrigued by the covers and titles. I finally decided to pick one up and was surprised to find what was inside. I've never been fond of verse until I read Impulse, and after that I had to go get more of her books. I currently have about 5 sitting on my shelves.
9. Tara Lynn Childs: I've had one of her other books on my TBR list since 2011, but I actually started reading Medusa Girls in October and fell in love. Since then I've added more books by her to my list. Sweet Venom and Sweet Shadows made me want to actually start reading Oh. My. Gods. even more, and I swear, I'll get to it asap. Can't wait.
10. Karen Marie Moning: I started really, really late on the Fever series, which is a shame because I'm currently in love with it. Of course I'd heard of the series (as it seems is the case with most of my list, lol), but I never got around to reading the first book until October. I'm really excited to get further into the other books.

Hosted by Sheila at Book Journey:
This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!

I'm dedicating most of December to catching up on my reading list (save for studying for finals, lol, kind of important). Here are the books that I'm currently reading this week:

Dancing in the Dark by Robyn Bavati

He tossed her into the air as if she were weightless, and just for a moment she seemed suspended there, defying gravity. I couldn't take my eyes off her. I knew what she was feeling. It was in every movement of every limb.

Here was a power I had never seen before, a kind of haunting loveliness I had never imagined. Seeing it made me long for something, I didn't know what . . .

Ditty was born to dance, but she was also born Jewish. When her strictly religious parents won't let her take ballet lessons, Ditty starts to dance in secret. But for how long can she keep her two worlds apart? And at what cost?

A dramatic and moving story about a girl who follows her dream, and finds herself questioning everything she believes in.

River's Recruit by Charlotte Abel
Sanctuary series, Book #1

Jonathan McKnight lost everything in Afghanistan. His left hand, his identical twin and his self-respect. He searches for redemption during a solo backpacking trip into the remote Sawatch Mountains of Colorado and discovers a secret tribe of shifters.

River, the beautiful young shifter that rescues Jonathan from certain death, wants to recruit him. He is equally determined to rescue her from her cult-like society — even if he has to kidnap her.

Shadowhunters and Downworlders: A Mortal Instruments Reader by Cassandra Clare (Editor)

Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series, epic urban fantasy set in a richly imagined world of shadowhunters, vampires, werewolves, fairies, and more, has captured the imaginations and loyalty of hundreds of thousands of YA readers. Originally a trilogy (City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass), the series has extended to six titles, plus a prequel trilogy, the Infernal Devices, and a planned sequel series, the Dark Artifices. A feature film is planned for 2013.

Shadowhunters and Downworlders, edited by Clare (who provides an introduction to the book and to each piece), is a collection of YA authors writing about the series and its world.

Authors Who Contributed:
Holly Black / Kendare Blake / Gwenda Bond / Sarah Rees Brennan / Rachel Caine / Sarah Cross / Kami Garcia / Michelle Hodkin / Kelly Link / Kate Milford / Diana Peterfreund / Sara Ryan / Scott Tracey / Robin Wasserman

Have an amazing week, everyone!

Hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer:
It's a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

Wow, I haven't done a Sunday Post in a few weeks. School has been ridiculously busy with final projects and papers and final prep... I was on the verge of a break down. I haven't even been able to catch up with my DVR recordings. I'm going crazy. Lol. But thankfully everything's been handed in on time and now it's just a matter of getting through finals. That reminds me, I'll have to find time to study today. The first one is already on Wednesday. Then I'll have to get ready for Christmas vacation! Super excited. The family and I will be getting out of this cold Canadian weather and heading to Mexico for a week. Can't wait!

Reading-wise, I've had a pretty good week -- weeks, actually. I've gotten quite a few reviews done in the time that I haven't done a Sunday Post, which you can see here. I'm keeping my haul pretty light again so I can catch up.

I'd also just like to thank everyone who has commented on my reviews and posts. I'm trying to sort out an issue I have with my comment form; for some reason I can't reply. I do read them and greatly appreciate the comments and reading your thoughts, so, thank you! I'm glad to share these titles with you all. Hope everyone has a great week, and happy reading!

Last week:

• Posted a review for Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
• Posted a review for The Lighter Side of Life and Death by C.K. Kelly Martin
• Signed up for two more 2013 reading challenges: Fairy Tales Retold Reading Challenge and the Paranormal Reading Challenge.

Coming this week in reviews:

• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
• Dancing in the Dark by Robyn Bavati
• Lemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes
• Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

New bookshelf additions:
via NetGalley

Shadowhunters and Downworlders: A Mortal Instruments Reader
by Cassandra Clare (Editor), Holly Black, Kate Milford et al.

From the Author

Barbie Girl by Heidi Acosta
Prophecy Girl by Faith McKay

Purchases / Downloads

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (Hardcopy)