Wednesday 28 May 2014

Waiting on Wednesday (12): Straddling the Line!!

 
"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It gives us the chance to fangirl over all of the books that we can't wait to read!

STRADDLING THE LINE (Play by Play #8) by Jaci Burton

Hitting the shelves on July 1st, 2014 from Berkley

Trevor Shay has it all—a successful football and baseball career, and any woman he wants. But when he finds out his college mentor’s daughter is in trouble, he drops everything to come to her aid.

Haven Briscoe has finally landed a dream job as a sportscaster for a major network. But she hasn’t been able to move past the recent death of her beloved father, and it’s affecting her career. A plum assignment following the daily life of sports superstar Trevor Shay might be just the inspiration she needs…

Trevor will do anything to spark life back into Haven, including letting her into every aspect of his world. The chemistry between them flames higher than one of Trevor’s home runs and faster than his dashes to the end zone. But as they grow closer, Haven stumbles onto Trevor’s closely guarded secret, one he’s hidden his entire life. And despite his protests, now it’s Haven’s turn to put everything on hold to help Trevor. Will he let her in and trust her with a secret that could blow his professional and personal world apart?


MY THOUGHTS

I'm a HUGE fan of Jaci Burton's Play by Play series, and I am majorly excited for Straddling the Line!!! July 1st can't come fast enough! ;D

Anyone else really excited for Straddling the Line?
What are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Wednesday 21 May 2014

Waiting on Wednesday (11): The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet!

 
"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It gives us the chance to fangirl over all of the books that we can't wait to read!

THE SECRET DIARY OF LIZZIE BENNET by

Hitting the shelves on June 24, 2014 from Touchstone

A modern adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice based on the Emmy Award-winning phenomenon, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.

There is a great deal that goes into making a video blog. Lizzie Bennet should know, having become a YouTube sensation over the course of her year-long video diary project. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries chronicled Lizzie's life as a twenty-four-year-old grad student, struggling under a mountain of student loans and living at home with her two sisters, beautiful Jane and reckless Lydia. What may have started as her grad student thesis grew into so much more, as the videos came to inform and reflect her life and that of her sisters. When rich, handsome Bing Lee comes to town, along with his stuck-up friend William Darcy, things really start to get interesting for the Bennets and for Lizzie's viewers. Suddenly Lizzie, who always considered herself a fairly normal young woman, was a public figure. But not everything happened on-screen. Luckily for us, Lizzie kept a secret diary.

The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet provides more character introspection as only a book can, with revelatory details about the Bennet household, including Lizzie's special relationship with her father, untold stories from Netherfield, Lizzie's thoughts and fears about life after grad school and becoming an instant web celebrity.

Written by Bernie Su, the series' executive producer, co-creator, head writer, and director, along with Kate Rorick, the novelist, TV writer, and consulting producer on the series, the novel features a journal-entry format and design, complementing the existing web series, while including plenty of fresh twists to delight fans and new readers alike. The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet expands on the phenomenon that captivated a generation and reimagines the Pride and Prejudice story like it's never been done before.

MY THOUGHTS

I loved The Lizzie Bennet Diaries so much, so I absolutely cannot wait to read this!! :D It sounds like it'll be a fantastic extra bit to add to the webseries! :D 

Any other Lizzie Bennet fans who can't wait to read this one??

Tuesday 20 May 2014

The Art of Lainey Release Launch! #Excerpt #Giveaway


Today is the release day launch of The Art of Lainey! Thanks to InkSlingerPR, Harper Collins, and The Art of Lainey's author, Paula Stokes, I've got an excerpt and giveaway to share!! :D

Excerpt:
GOT HEART?

The music pitches and swells, violin and guitars, drumbeats and thudding bass. As I sway back and forth in front of the stage, it feels like being in the eye of a tornado, where it’s calm, but everything is going crazy whirling around me. I can’t stop looking at Micah, at the way the lights reflect off his mohawk, at the way he’s completely lost in the storm of overlapping chords.

I see every part of him, tiny pieces I never knew existed. The slight bend in his nose, the wedge-shaped scar on his right temple, the outline of his bicep hiding beneath the pyramid tattoo. His lips part, just barely, when he exhales. As I imagine the invisible mist of his breath hanging in the air, I inch closer to him. Here, in the strange blue light, while the bass pulses and pounds, all I can think about is touching him. Our fingertips brush. A shockwave courses through me. I want to grab him and pull him into my calm spot, closing my eyes and kissing him while the world spins topsy-turvy around us.

My thoughts feel hot inside my head, like they should be radiating a laser beam across the club, but Micah’s eyes are still closed, his body loose. He’s oblivious to the fact I’m thinking about kissing him. He has no idea my eyes are skimming their way down the lines of his body. His cheekbones. His beard stubble. The ridge of muscle connecting his jaw to the center of his chest. The faintest trace of sweat glistens where his neck meets his right shoulder. I want to touch my lips to it.

This is crazy. It’s Micah. I don’t like Micah. He doesn’t like me. We have about as much in common as, well, nothing. I sneak another glimpse at him. He’s still completely entranced by the song. He’s still completely kissable. It has to be the beer, or the music, the violins and guitars and electronic pulsing, the whole otherworldly quality to this song. Or maybe it’s just because I’m not myself here, and I don’t have to obey the rules of Lainey.

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GOT GAME?

I sub back into the game a few minutes later and stay through the end of the half. It’s still 1-0. The Yellow Jackets tie it up on a breakaway goal in the second half. At this point I’m running from one end of the field to the other, playing more defense than any striker forward ought to be playing. I can’t help it. It feels so good to be in the game.

Matt Clifton saves a shot on goal and drop-kicks the ball in my direction. I dribble up field, out maneuvering two of the other team’s defenders. I pass the ball to Jason who sends it across to our right wing forward. The defense kicks the ball out of bounds and we get a corner kick. Jason goes to take it. I position myself in front of the goal, dancing back and forth as I vie for position with one of the Yellow Jacket fullbacks.

It’s a beautiful kick—high and strong, and it’s coming right at me. The other players, the shouting, the movement, they all fade into the background as I keep my eyes locked on the ball. Angling my body just slightly, I propel all five feet and eight inches of myself into the air at exactly the right moment—I think, I hope—and the crown of my head connects squarely with the ball. The players around me all turn to watch as it arcs through the air…

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GET LAINEY!

I flip on the radio as soon as Leo fires up the engine. I hit the tuning arrow up until it lands on the station Micah put on for the ride home from the baseball game.

Leo looks over at me. “I didn’t know you liked this kind of music,” he says.

Me neither, but I do. Kind of, anyway. “I’ve been branching out. Anything gets old if you listen to it twenty-four seven, you know?”

“I hear you. I like new stuff too.”

I don’t answer. If you asked me whether I was the type of person who liked trying new things or preferred sticking with what was familiar, I would have told you I’m the second girl. The if –it-aint-broke-don’t-fix-it girl. I also would have told you plays were lame. It suddenly occurs to me that I don’t seem to know very much about…me. It’s a weird feeling, like maybe a stranger is inhabiting my body. Or maybe a stranger was, and I kicked her out.
 About The Book:

The Art of Lainey Synopsis:

Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is gearing up to spend an epic summer with her amazing boyfriend, Jason, when he suddenly breaks up with her—no reasons, no warning, and in public no less! Lainey is more than crushed, but with help from her friend Bianca, she resolves to do whatever it takes to get Jason back.

And that’s when the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. With just one glance, they're sure they can use the book to lure Jason back into Lainey’s arms. So Lainey channels her inner warlord, recruiting spies to gather intel and persuading her coworker Micah to pose as her new boyfriend to make Jason jealous. After a few "dates", it looks like her plan is going to work! But now her relationship with Micah is starting to feel like more than just a game.

What's a girl to do when what she wants is totally different from what she needs? How do you figure out the person you're meant to be with, if you're still figuring out the person you're meant to be?

About the Author:
Paula Stokes is half writer, half RN, and totally thrilled to be part of the world of YA literature. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri where she graduated from Washington University and the Goldfarb School of Nursing. When she's not writing, she's kayaking, hiking, reading, or seeking out new adventures in faraway lands. Paula loves interacting with readers! Find her online at www.authorpaulastokes.com or on twitter as @pstokesbooks.


And finally Paula has an awesome swag pack and a signed copy of The Art of Lainey!!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What do you think?
Does The Art of Lainey sound like a book you'd like to read?

Monday 19 May 2014

Mani Monday (8): ImPress Manicure in "Evil Queen"!

It's Monday again, so it's time for another Mani Monday!

Well...once again, I've been a bit absent from the blog. I've been getting back into working, and I have to admit that I haven't felt up to blogging much lately, but I'm going to try to be more regular about it now. :)

Anyway, today my manicure is courtesy of Broadway Nails and Influenster! I was selected to be a part of the imPRESS Manicure Canada Vox Box, so I received two packages of imPRESS nails. In this post I'm sharing the design that I chose to use first. Also, I received these products so that I could test them and give my honest opinion on them. :)

ImPRESS manicures are pretty neat! You don't need glue or anything like that, and instead you just remove the plastic on the back of the nails and stick them right on top of your own nails. It's really quick and easy, and they're easy to remove if you need to take them off, too. :)

My one suggestion is to make sure that you really press carefully near the cuticle when you apply them because that was the one part of my nail that felt a bit loose on a few of my nails, and it was how the one nail actually fell off. So, if you press really well near the cuticle, your nails might last a bit longer. :)

Okay, now back to the actual manicure! :D This is "Evil Queen" from imPRESS Manicure's Disney Villains line. :)


I absolutely love this design! :D It's a gorgeous purple colour that looks a bit greenish in certain lighting. I've used an imPRESS manicure once before, and I liked it, but this time I liked it even more, and I wasn't ready to take them off. :P

It ended up lasting about 5 days before one of the nails fell off, so they held up pretty well. :) I work in a deli which can be a bit rough on the hands, so I was expecting them to come off much earlier, and I'm actually pretty impressed with how they held up. :)

Overall, I loved this imPRESS manicure in "Evil Queen", and I really hope that I can find the same design again! :D

What do you think?
Do you like this design?
And have you ever used a press on manicure before?

Cover Catch-Up (9): Atlantia & Ugly Love!

In "Cover Catch-Up" I share some covers that have either been recently revealed, or that I've just found and really wanted to share. 

Today I've got two great covers to share! I found them a couple of weeks ago, but I've been a bit scattered when it comes to blogging lately, so I'm sharing them now. :P

The first cover I've got to share today is for Atlantia by Ally Condie! :D

 

I still haven't finished Ally Condie's Matched trilogy...only because my copy of it arrived right when I was busy with school, which unfortunately is why I haven't finished a few trilogies/series yet. Anyway, I seriously cannot wait for this one! The cover is simple, yet gorgeous, and the book is a standalone, so that's pretty refreshing and awesome, too! :D

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The second cover I have to share today is for Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover! :D



Colleen Hoover is one of those contemporary authors that I seriously need to start reading, and this is the cover for her newest upcoming novel! :D The story itself sounds super interesting, and the cover is, too!

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What do you think of these covers?
And have you seen any great covers lately?

Friday 2 May 2014

Monthly Recap: So...what happened in April? #Recap


I've decided that I'm going to start doing recap posts every month. I'll probably mix the format up lots, but I'm gonna keep it simple and stick to the stuff that I found exciting, what I read, and what I've been kind of obsessed with over the month...so this is what I've done in January! :D

What I did this month:

This month was pretty crazy for me! I finished my classes for the semester, and then wrote my finals...and with all of that, I completed the final semester for my Bachelor of Arts degree!!! :D I still don't quite feel like it's finished, but I'm definitely super happy about it! My Convocation date is early June, and I'm pretty excited! :D

What I read this month:

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices: Manga #2) by Cassandra Clare and Hyekyung Baek
If Only by A.J. Pine
The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line (Veronica Mars #1) by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham
 Hothouse Flower (Calloway Sisters #2) by Krista and Becca Ritchie
Love, Stargirl (Stargirl #2) by Jerry Spinelli
Matilda by Roald Dahl
The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy #1) by Marie Rutkoski
Unnatural (Holloway Pack #4) by J.A. Belfield
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood (Sisterhood #2) by Ann Brashares
Legacy Code (Legacy Code Saga #1) by Autumn Kalquist
Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood (Sisterhood #3) by Ann Brashares
Iron King #3 (The Iron Fey Manga #3) by Julie Kagawa,
Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood (Sisterhood #4) by Ann Brashares
Sisterhood Everlasting (Sisterhood #5) by Ann Brashares
Hold Me Tight (Take Me Now #3) by Faith Sullivan

 I got a tonne of reading done this month!!! FIFTEEN!!! Whew!! Yay!! :D I kind of went on a binge read and devoured the last four books in the Sisterhood series. :P I also read a bunch of ones I was really anticipating, like The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line, Hothouse Flower, The Winner's Curse, Unnatural, and Hold Me Tight! For the most part, I loved these books! I think the only one I was disappointed with was Love, Stargirl...it was just so different from Stargirl, and I really didn't like the format. It was written as a really, really long letter, but it read more as daily or almost-daily journal entries. April was an awesome reading month though! :D

What I watched this month:

- I watched Captain America: The Winter Soldier twice (and rewatched Captain America), and I loved it both times!! :D I also religiously watched Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. this month! I'm a pretty big Marvel fan, so I'm always super excited for any movies, or information coming out about their stuff! :D
- I finally caught up to season 4 of MTV's Awkward!! I'm a huge fan of the show, but I fell a bit behind, and had to watch half of season 3 and start the new season! :D
- I watched Percy Jackson and The Sea of Monsters, and I liked it. I wonder if they'll continue with the movies...I know most people were a bit shocked when they made the second one, so I guess we'll see if the third one gets made. :P
- I watched Transcendence -- It was okay, but I have to be honest, this was one of those movies that I wouldn't have been too upset if I hadn't watched it. I just felt like a lot of it was filler, and unnecessary, but the story was definitely interesting...and kinda freaky. haha



And that's all I really did this month! School pretty much dominated most of it, and then I totally went crazy with reading once I got some free time! haha   

 What was your April like?
Did you do anything exciting?