New Author Challenge 2012

This reading challenge is hosted by Literary Escapism.

Here are the guidelines:

1. The challenge will run from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012.
2. Since this is an author challenge, there is no restriction on choosing your novels. They can definitely be from other challenges. However, the authors must be new to you and, preferably from novels. Anthologies are a great way to try someone new, but only a third of your new authors can be from anthologies.
3. I want this to be an easy challenge, so you can pick to do either 15, 25 or 50 new authors. It all depends on how fast you read and how adventurous you want to be.
4. After reading your new author, write your review and then go back to Literary Escapism and add your link to Mr. Linky. Make sure you include your name and the author, but adding the title is completely up to you.
5. Bloggers or Non-Bloggers alike are welcome. You don’t have to have a site to participate. You can link up via Facebook, GoodReads or even Amazon if you’d like.

For the full, original post, go to here


I'm really excited about this reading challenge. This year I've found some very good, new authors and I know there are a lot more new authors that I need to try. Because I'm feeling very adventurous, I'm going with 25 new authors. I haven't decided what books I want to try yet, but I'll post them as I finish reading them.

1. Eliza Gayle - Power Play
2. Resa Nelson - The Dragonslayer's Sword
3. Dalene Flannigan - The Truth About Us
4. Diane Venetta - Lust On The Rocks
5. Joyce T. Strand - On Message
6. John Michael Cummings - Ugly To Start With
7. Mary Parker - The Awakening of Leeowyn Blake
8. Zack Fortier - CurbChek
9. Ellen Byerrum - Death On Heels
10. Sherri Hayes -  Behind Closed Doors
11. Tendai Huchu - An Untimely Love
12. Julie Kagawa - The Immortal Rules
13. L. Filloon - The Binding
14. Monica Leonelle - Socialpunk
15. Jeannie Walker - Fighting The Devil
16. Boo Walker - Lowcountry Punch
17. Amber Garr - Promises 
18. Wendy Higgins - Sweet Evil 
19. Lauren Clark - Dancing Naked In Dixie
20. Theodore Weesner - The Car Thief
21. Allen Wyler - Dead End Deal
22. Allie Jean - Legacy of a Dreamer
23. Kelley Armstrong - Bitten
24. Marissa Meyer - Cinder
25. Anna Banks - Of Poseidon

FINISHED!

I would love to get to 50 new authors read this year, but I'm not making that a goal. If it happens, it happens, if not, then all is good. I'll still continue to list here the new authors I get to read.

1. Federica Bosco - In Love With An Angel (original title: Innamorata di un angelo)
2. Ellen Cardona - Brownie Fix
3. Lisa Mondello - Her Heart For The Asking
4. Cat Lavoie - Breaking The Rules
5. Julian Iragorri & Lou Aronica - Differential Equations
6. Richelle Mead - Vampire Academy
7. Helen Smith - Alison Wonderland
8. Jennifer Estep - Spider's Web
9. J. C. Daniels - Blade's Song
10. Michael Drakich - The Brotherhood of Piaxia
11. Joey W. Hill - Ice Queen
12. Annabel Joseph - Club Mephisto
13. Karen Marie Moning - Darkfever
14. Tina Connolly - Ironskin 

2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

I've decided to enter a few reading challenges this year too. The ones from this year were...well, fails to be honest. I'm really hoping next year I'll be a better reader that I was this year. I actually know I will be :D So I searched and searched and found some very good new reading challenges.

The first one is hosted by Evie from Bookish and it's a great opportunity for me (and for all other readers out there) to make my TBR pile smaller.

Here are part of the rules:

1. This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012.
2. Any genre, length or format of book counts, as long as it is a book that's been sitting on your shelf for some time now. Only books released in 2011 and earlier! NO ARCs and 2012 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed!
3. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
4. You can move up levels, but no moving down.

The Levels are:

1-10 - A Firm Handshake
11-20 - A Friendly Hug
21-30 - A Sweet Kiss
31-40 - Love At First Sight
41-50 - Married With Children

I'm going with A Friendly Hug, though I'm hoping to read more than that. If you want to read all the rules, here's the link to Evie's post

I haven't decided what books to read yet, but I'll post them as I read them.

1. Mistress Christmas - Lorelei James
2. Miss Firecracker - Lorelei James
   
3. Bitten - Kelley Armstrong
4. Stolen - Kelley Armstrong
5. Dime Store Magic - Kelley Armstrong
6. Industrial Magic - Kelley Armstrong
7. Haunted - Kelley Armstrong
8. Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead
9. Frostbite - Richelle Mead
10. Shadow Kiss - Richelle Mead
11. Blood Promise - Richelle Mead
12. Spirit Bound - Richelle Mead
13. Last Sacrifice - Richelle Mead
14. Bloodlines - Richelle Mead
15. The Iron King - Julie Kagawa
16. The Iron King's Daughter - Julie Kagawa
17. The Iron Queen - Julie Kagawa
18. Spider's Bite - Jennifer Estep
19. Ice Queen - Joey W. Hill
20. Mirror Of My Soul - Joey W. Hill

Completed

Yay!! I finished it. *happy dance* This is my second challenge finished of this year. And the very first time I finished two reading challenges. Two milestones into one. I'm grinning like an idiot, yes I am. Anyway, I will still be adding books to this list if they're part of my TBR pile, but I won't count these books towards a bigger, bolder goal. I'm happy to just keep it simple. 

1. Branded Sanctuary - Joey W. Hill
2. Club Mephisto - Annabel Joseph
3. Web of Lies - Jennifer Estep
4. Venom - Jennifer Estep 
5. Tangled Threads - Jennifer Estep 
6. Spider's Revenge - Jennifer Estep
7. Darkfever - Karen Marie Moning 
8. Bloodfever - Karen Marie Moning 
9. Ecstasy Unveiled - Larissa Ione 
10. Sin Undone - Larissa Ione 
11. Eternal Rider - Larissa Ione 
12. Immortal Rider - Larissa Ione 
13. Lethal Rider - Larissa Ione 
14. Molly's Lips: Club Mephisto Retold - Annabel Joseph 
15. Burn For You - Annabel Joseph
16. Broken - Kelley Armstrong
17. No Humans Involved - Kelley Armstrong
18. Personal Demon - Kelley Armstrong

Fall Into Reading: Wrap up

I'm very sorry I'm late with this post, but last week has been more than overwhelming. Besides the Christmas preparations, Mother Nature has been very mean with me. I'm one of those people, who are very sensitive to the weather changes (I have no idea what the term is in English, but it's safe to say I felt like cr@p last week, with all the changes). So that's the reason I haven't done this post earlier.

Anyway, back to the initial topic.


Fall Into Reading was a challenge hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days. You can read the guidelines for the challenge on her blog.

As you can imagine, I didn't get to read the books I planned on reading. I'm usually very bad at planning my reading lists. I never, ever manage to read the books I want in a certain order. I'm not talking about the books in a series. I'm talking a list of books I want to read and a list I make at some point. Here was my list:

1. The Shakespeare Secret - Jennifer Lee Carrell 
2. Dead In the Family - Charlaine Harris  .
3. Heat Wave - Richard Castle 
4. Slave to Sensation - Nalini Singh 
5. Tall, Dark & Dead - Tate Hallaway  
6. Sorcery and the Single Girl - Mindy Klasky  

Out of all these books I managed to read only the first book, The Shakespeare Secret. I've read other books  this fall, but none that were on this list. 

Like I said, planning doesn't do much good to me. I plan on reading a few more books before the year is over. I hope next year there will be another Fall Into Reading challenge and that I'll do better at it :)

Merry Christmas!!

 

Book vs Movie: Harry Potter

The first memory I have of the world of Harry Potter was my desk-mate from school telling me how I had to read the books, how Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was a brilliant movie and that I had to see it. I also remember other friends of mine constantly talking about the movie and the books and how I tried really hard to stay away from it all for some reason. I also remember being bribed into watching the movie and how I loved it and begged my friend and desk mate to let me borrow the first book to read it. About a year later or so the fourth book was published and I remember how excited we all were about reading it and making plans and trying to do our homework in class to have more free time at home to read. And those crazy moments of reading under the blankets with a flashlight because it's far past your bedtime and you just know you're going to get grounded if you're caught reading instead of sleeping at 2 a.m. LOL


I won't go on and on about my memories and feelings about the books, just to say that this book did change my life: it made me love reading. So I am grateful I had the luck of being nagged by my friends to read it.

When the 7th book was published, everyone I knew "vanished" for a couple of days. They were all reading the book. I was actually scared, wondering who was going to die, and so I didn't read the last book for an entire year. Then finally I read it and I wasn't at all disappointed with the ending. I think the ending was great.

I was curious about the last two movies. I have to say I was very happy when I found out they were going to split the last book into two movies, because I thought (and it was true) that this way, they would make the book justice.

The "good" part about this wonderful series (both movies and books) ending is that you can now do either reading marathons or movie marathons, which I already did *blushes*. The bad part is that you know it ended and I do believe it never will be the same, no matter how many times you see the movies or read the books, you don't feel that anticipation of not knowing. Before the 7th book, every time I reread the books  I didn't like Snape at all, but now, knowing the truth about him sort of changes my perspective. And with most of the characters is the same.

There are a few things I wished the movies had. First of all, Peeves. I liked that poltergeist, I think he was very funny and entertaining. I would've loved to see the Sorting Hat singing too. I could go on and on, but then this is my view, it's how I feel about the books and the movies and it may or may not be similar to other people's view. 

There was one little thing I wished the book had. In Deathly Hollows Part 2, when Harry, Ron and Hermione get into Hogwarts, the students are called in the Great Hall. I loved that scene. And I know very few people agree with me, seeing as how we know the truth about Snape and Harry talked badly with him. But I loved when the students were almost marching down the stairs. I think that was the most amazing way of showing how Voldemort changed Hogwarts. Like I said, it's all about tastes and likes and dislikes. But that scene was amazing for me.

I love the books, I love the movies. I'm not sad anymore. I was sad it ended, but now I'm just happy I was able to see it all. (That's not to say that the crazy, small child inside me doesn't wish for more, but that inner child is never satisfied, you know? LOL)

Follow Friday (6)

Welcome to Follow Friday hosted this week by Parajunkee and Alison!
The main idea behind FF is just to go see a bunch of new blogs you may never have seen before, and follow the ones you like (and they’ll follow you back!) It’s a total win/win, so take a peek around and follow me!

This week’s question is:

Question of the Week: When you've read a book, what do you do with it? (Keep it, give it away, donate it, sell it, swap it..?

I always keep my books, even if it's one that I didn't enjoy that much. The reason is that I'm attached to all of my books. If I went to the "trouble" of buying them, I am so not giving them away. The only way I'm going to sell them/give them away is if I have multiple copies of the same edition. But that's it. I care for my books no matter if they're ruined or they don't have the prettiest cover or if I didn't quite like the subject.

Another reason for me not giving them away is that I'm sometimes in the mood to reread some of the "old" books. Not always and it only applies to certain books that I loved, but I do reread.

How about you? What do you do with the books after you've read them?