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 :)

Winners of Ruined giveaway!

Today is the 27th, and that means it's time to announce the 5 lucky winners of my Ruined giveaway! Thanks to everyone who entered and helped spread the word - this was definitely the best turnout I've had for a contest yet. :)
Congrats to the winners:
Katie
Paradox
Addicted Book Reader
Bianca
Froggy

I'll be sending out emails shortly to the winners. You have 48 hours to reply before I pick a new winner. Congratulations!

If you didn't win, there's still my 100 followers contest that will be coming up around the first of the month - so watch out for that. :)

Review: DupliKate

Title: DupliKate
Author: Cherry Cheva
Publication date: September 29th, 2009

Summary:
Getting into Yale has been her dream for years—and being generally overworked and totally under-rested is the price of admission. But when she opens her eyes the next day, she comes face-to-face with, well, her face—which is attached to her body, which is standing across the room. Wait, what?

Meet Kate's computer-generated twin. Kate doesn't know why she's here or how to put her back where she belongs, but she's real. And she's the last thing Kate has time to deal with right now. Unless . . .

Could having a double be the answer to Kate's prayers? After all, two Kates can do more work than one. Or will keeping her twin a secret turn her dream future into a living nightmare?

Review:
I honestly wasn't very excited for this book at first. The cover made me think that it was going to be about some stuck up girl (I'm not really sure why, because I don't think that when I look at the cover anymore..). But when I got the opportunity to read DupliKate, it showed me that you can't always judge a book by its cover. Instead, it was about a girl who I felt I could totally relate to - someone who works her absolute hardest to get what she wants.

When Rina, Kate's "twin", comes out from the computer, it's almost completely believable. For a moment, my reaction was something like "Seriously? You've got to be kidding me", but the more I read about Rina, the less I questioned the situation and the more I wanted to know what would happen next. DupliKate was a light but very entertaining read, and something that I would definitely read again. I often found myself wondering what I would do in Kate's situation, because the characters were so real and the situation seemed so believable. If you want to read something light and fun, but with elements of seriousness, try this.

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

Reminder and new contest

I thought I'd post a quick post with updates, as I haven't really been around as much lately. There will be no Trailer Tuesdays this week, because I am swamped with tests in school and have minimal time for blog posts.

My Ruined giveaway ends in 5 days, so there's still time to enter (or link to it somewhere for more entries) if you haven't done so already!

Secondly, and more exciting, is the fact that sometime in the past couple of days I've hit the benchmark of 100 followers! When I started my blog, I never dreamed that I'd even reach 50 followers. I did promise to hold another contest when I reached 100 followers, but as you've probably noticed, things around the blog have been a bit slow lately. School is a bit busier this year, and my blog is taking a backseat to studying and various other things. So the contest for 100 followers will be posted within the first few days of October, after I've had time to organize everything. I want to thank all of you for following me, and those of you who leave me comments. It's because of you that I am motivated to keep doing this, even when things get super busy.

Review: Unclaimed Heart

Title: Unclaimed Heart
Author: Kim Wilkins
Publication date: July 9th, 2009

Summary:
The rules for a young English woman in 1799 are simple: Do what you're told; stay out of the way; and don't, under any circumstances, ask questions.
But Constance Blackchurch is insatiable, headstrong, and complex; and the quest to find her missing mother is too much to resist? As is Alexandre Sans-Nom, the pearl diver who steals her heart, uproots all of her social expectations, and can either ruin or save the family she loves.

Review:
I've never really thought of myself as a historical fiction fan, so I picked up this book a bit reluctantly. But I enjoyed it so much that I'm willing to give other historical fiction books a try as well.
Neither the cover nor the title of the book really interested me, but I'm glad I gave it a shot. From the first page, I was drawn to the main character and wanted to know more about her. It started off with a scene that I'm sure we can all relate to - ditching something we're supposed to be doing in favor of doing something we WANT to do. Constance was definitely a relatable character. Her relationship with her father was interesting to read about, as were the feelings she had for Alexandre. The details of all the aspects of running a ship were well presented, but not over done. I think that's what made me like this book so much - the fact that the historical part wasn't terribly overwhelming, but rather something that nicely complemented the story.
Overall, it only took me a couple of hours to read through it, but those few hours were well spent. If you're reluctant about historical fiction, give this one a try and it might just change your mind.

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

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 Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia. It comes out on December 1st, 2009.



Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.


I've heard great things about this book, and can't wait to get my hands on a copy even though the release date isn't for another few months. The cover is so simple, yet amazing.