Want to trade books?

I'm in the process of doing a thorough cleaning of my bookshelf, so I thought I'd post a list of books I'm willing to trade/sell here. :) I'd prefer trades, and it doesn't have to be even because my main goal is to get rid of these books and make sure they have loving homes. So if you've got a book I really want, I'm probably willing to trade 2 or 3 books for it. Comment here or send an email if you're interested in any of these, along with what you have available, and we'll see what we can work out. I'll edit this post as I do more cleaning.

Paperbacks:
A Time For Dancing by Davida Wills Hurwin
Love Lessons by David Belbin
The Best Little Girl in the World by Steven Levenkron
Learning to Swim by Ann Turner
Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger
Chill by Deborah Reber

Hardbacks:
Trash by Sharon Darrow (signed)

ARCs:
Adios to All the Drama by Diana Rodriguez Wallach (signed)

Blog Tour Review: Give Up The Ghost

Title: Give Up The Ghost
Author: Megan Crewe
Publication date: September 15th, 2009

Summary:
Cass McKenna much prefers ghosts over “breathers.” Ghosts are uncomplicated and dependable, and they know the dirt on everybody…and Cass loves dirt. She’s on a mission to expose the dirty secrets of the poseurs in her school.

But when the vice president of the student council discovers her secret, Cass’s whole scheme hangs in the balance. Tim wants her to help him contact his recently deceased mother, and Cass reluctantly agrees.

Review:
I think this is my new favorite ghost story. It's hard for me to believe that this is Megan Crewe's first novel. It was a well balanced mix of fun and some not so fun moments, and at the end I was left with that feeling of wanting to go back and read the whole book again. Everything was completely believable, and this is a great ghost story for someone who maybe wants to get into them but doesn't want anything scary. There was absolutely nothing scary about it. I personally enjoyed getting to know the ghosts that Cass talked to. The only people we really get to know are Cass and Tim, but I still loved all of the supporting characters as well. Give Up The Ghost is both charming and serious, and I think it's one of those books that everyone should give a chance even if it doesn't sound like something you'd really be into. You may be pleasantly surprised just as I was.

Reviewed as part of One ARC Tours.

Characters: 8/10
Plot: 8/10
Originality: 7/10
Writing: 8/10
Overall grade: B

Review: Rage: A Love Story

Title: Rage: A Love Story
Author: Julie Anne Peters
Publication date: September 8th, 2009

Summary: Johanna is steadfast, patient, reliable; the go-to girl, the one everyone can count on. But always being there for others can’t give Johanna everything she needs— it can’t give her Reeve Hartt.

Reeve is fierce, beautiful, wounded, elusive; a flame that draws Johanna’s fluttering moth. Johanna is determined to get her, against all advice, and to help her, against all reason. But love isn’t always reasonable, right?

In the precarious place where attraction and need collide, a teenager experiences the dark side of a first love, and struggles to find her way into a new light.

Review:
My review may be a bit biased because of my love of everything by Julie Anne Peters (and I also think the cover is gorgeous), but I found this book to be amazing and unique. Not just because it features a lesbian relationship, but also because of the realistic and somewhat scary glimpse it gives us of dating abuse. Nothing was sugar-coated, and it was intense to read. I could easily sympathize with Johanna and all of the situations that she had to deal with. The ending didn't quite wrap it up as well as I would have liked, but it was still satisfying. The writing was simple and nothing spectacular, but the story itself more than made up for that. I was actually a bit scared by the time I finished reading, just because of the intensity of it, but I will definitely read it again. It's a great book that shows how dangerous dating violence can really be, and that it doesn't only happen in heterosexual relationships.

Characters: 8/10
Plot: 9/10
Originality: 8/10
Writing: 7/10
Overall grade: B

In My Mailbox (10/12 - 10/17)

This week in my mailbox, I received a couple of very exciting books:

-Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
-Rage: A Love Story by Julie Anne Peters

I am SO excited for these two books! As you probably know, I've already read/reviewed the ARC of Hush, Hush, but I can't wait to read it again and find out how the ending's been changed.

And when I opened another package and found Rage, I was squee-ing and jumping up and down for a good five or ten minutes. Julie Anne Peters has always been one of my favorite authors because of the topics she writes her books on, and even before I started blogging and finding out about more upcoming books, I was eagerly anticipating the release of Rage. I finally have my hands on a shiny copy with its gorgeous cover, and I can't wait to start reading it. In fact, I think I'll start right now.

What was in YOUR mailbox this week?

Review: The Maze Runner

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Publication date: October 6th, 2009

Summary:
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.


Review:
This book kept me wanting more and more the entire time I was reading it. From the first page, I was intrigued by the strange place that Thomas was brought to. Everything was described so clearly, it was like I was right there in the middle of it. The Glade was so intricately designed and left me with many questions, most of which were answered as I kept reading. It was a bit hard to get into at first, because I had so many unanswered questions about what was happening and the slang that they were using, but I quickly got a feel for the place and the slang. The characters were all unique and each played an important role by the end, thought at first it was somewhat overwhelming trying to remember who was who.

I felt that it ended almost too abruptly, because I had a million questions at the end that I didn't feel were answered very clearly. But I look forward to reading the second book, and The Maze Runner is definitely a book that I will be keeping on my shelf to read again.

Characters: 9/10
Plot: 10/10
Originality: 10/10
Writing: 10/10
Overall grade: A

In My Mailbox (10/5 - 10/10)

This is my first In My Mailbox post in quite some time. Because I haven't been as active on the blog lately, I've stopped receiving books as well. But this week was very exciting, as of a few minutes ago when the FedEx truck pulled up. What did the FedEx man bring, you ask?

CATCHING FIRE! Plus awesome t-shirt and pin. *does happy dance* Now I just need to get The Hunger Games, because I haven't even read it yet.

Award!

I recently received an award over at Strange & Random Happenstance. Woohoo! Thank you :) It's the Heartfelt Award!
"Do you reach for a cup of cocoa or tea when you're relaxing, seeking comfort, or sharing a plate of cookies with family and friends? You know the feeling you get when you drink a yummy cup of cocoa, tea, or a hot toddy? That is what the Heartfelt Award is all about...feeling warm inside."

Cookies? Tea?? This is making me hungry! Plus the fact that I'm sick.. Well, I may just have to go get some tea and relax. Doesn't sound like such a bad idea, and would be a perfect thing to do after receiving this award. :)

Anyways, here are the rules that go along with the award:
1) Put the logo on your blog/post.
2) Nominate up to 9 blogs which make you feel comfy or warm inside.
3) Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4) Let them know that they have been nominated by commenting on their blog.
5) Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.

Nominees!:
Kate at Read This Book!
Vania at Reverie Book Reviews
Liyana at LiyanaLand!
Khy at Frenetic Reader
Briana at The Book Pixie

Trailer Tuesdays

Trailer Tuesdays is a feature I've started, meant to be somewhat like Waiting on Wednesday but in book trailer format. Every week I'll feature a book trailer of an upcoming or recently released book that I want to read.

This week's trailer is for a book that came out earlier this year, A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell. But I haven't read it yet, and this trailer really makes me think I should pick up a copy. Plus I love the cover.






I'm sure some of you have reviewed this book. Link me to it, I'd love to see your reviews. :)

100 Followers contest

Here it is, finally! The first of October, and the launch of my contest for reaching 100 followers.
This contest is going to be a bit different than contests I've had before. I've seen comment contests on other blogs and have always been intrigued by them, so I thought I'd run one myself. But to prevent spam, there are a few rules. Here's how it's going to work:

- Winner of the contest will be announced on November 1st and receive a hardback copy of Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott. For every 200 comments I receive, another book will be added and another winner chosen. This post will be edited with updates.

- Each comment you make between now and October 31st will count as an entry.

- Comments may be made on any post (other than past contests), but only one comment per post will count.

- Only comments that add to the post/discussion will be counted. If it's only a few words, such as "Great post!", then I reserve the right to determine which comments count as entries.

- You get 2 extra points for each time you post about this contest elsewhere (blog, twitter, etc). Make sure to leave a link on this post each time you do this to earn your entries.

- This contest is open worldwide.

Thanks to all of you for being followers and/or reading my blog! My posts have been few and far between lately, because I'm putting more energy and effort into my schoolwork than my blog. Though I'm hoping this will give me incentive to try and read/post more often :)