New Authors Challenge 2013

Disclaimer: Artwork used (with permission) for the button is Anglerfish by Vlad Gerasimov.

This was another awesome reading challenge. I thought I'd enter again, see what new authors I discover this year. The Challenge is hosted by Jackie from Literary Escapism. 

Here are the guidelines:

1. The challenge will run from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013.
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. 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. If you reach your goal halfway through the year, don’t stop. Any new author you try can be added to Mr. Linky. We all want to know about your new experience.
4. After reading your new author, write your review and then come back here 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.

Like last year, I'm going to try to read 25 new authors. If it happens that I read more, that's fine. 

For more details or to sign up, go to Jackie's post here.

I'll post the books below, as I read them.

1. Chelsea M. Cameron - Deeper We Fall
2. J.A. Redmerski - The Edge Of Never
3. Rachel Van Dyken - Elite
4. Rachel Cohn & David Levithan - Dash & Lily's Book Of Dares
5. Dan Wells - Partials
6. Kim Barnouin - Skinny Bitch In Love
7. Jennifer L. Armentrout - Shadows
8. Emma Grayson - Unbeautifully Loved
9. Leila Howland - Nantucket Blue
10. Jamie Mcguire - Beautiful Disaster
11. Samaire Provost - Mad World Epidemic
12. Debra Driza - Mila 2.0
13. Tellulah Darling - My Ex From Hell
14. Julie Smith - Death Turns A Trick
15. A.E. Rought - Broken
16. Mindee Arnett - The Nightmare Affair
17. Stifyn Emrys - Identity Break
18. Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl - Beautiful Creatures
19. Veronica Roth - Divergent
20. Cassandra Rose Clarke - The Assassin's Curse
21. Kelly Keaton - Darkness Becomes Her
22. 
    

2013 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

I really loved doing this challenge last year. I manage to make my TBR mountain look less frightening. Of course, for every book I read, I added about 2 or 3 more, but let's not focus on that :P

So, like I said. I loved it and I decided to sign up again this year.

Like last year, this challenge is hosted by Evie from Bookish. Here are the guidelines:

1. This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2013 - Dec 31, 2013.
2. Anyone can enter! You don't have to be a blogger, as long as you review the book you've read! (On your blog, Amazon or Goodreads/Shelfari!)
3. 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 2012 and earlier! NO 2013 ARCs and 2013 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed!
4. 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.
5. When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the 2013 TBR PILE Reading Challenge. (If you don't have a blog, post about it on Facebook or Tweet!)
6. You can move up levels, but no moving down.
7. Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2013, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
8. On the 20th of each month one of the hosts will post a wrap-up. Every wrap-up will have it's unique theme, a mini-challenge, a giveaway and place for you to link up your reviews from this month. For each review you link up, you will get one entry in a drawing of one book of choice from Book Depository. It's open to INTERNATIONALS. The giveaway will be open until the next wrap up post goes up! (i.e. the entire month)
9. If you miss a wrap-up post + giveaway, you can link up your reviews next month. Do not, however, try to link up one review twice - we will be checking ;) 
10. December is a wrap-up for the whole year. All the book reviews you linked up January-November + the ones you'll link up in December will be entered into a HUGE giveaway - a box of books. 
11. You don't have to follow all the hosts to join the challenge, but you do have to follow all of us to be entered in giveaways!

 Levels: (how many books you're planning to read for this challenge in 2013)

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 decided to go with A Sweet Kiss this year. Who knows, maybe that mountain of books will look like a pile again. 

Anyway, if you want to sign up, or check the details, or to read more about the awesome giveaways, read Evie's post here.

Have fun reading!

P.S: I'll be listing the books as I read them, y'all know I'm bad with respecting the lists I make for myself when it comes to reading. :P

1. Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl - Beautiful Creatures
2. Jamie Mcguire - Beautiful Disaster
3. J.A. Redmerski - The Edge Of Never
4. Rachel Cohn & David Levithan - Dash & Lily's Book Of Dares
5. Jennifer L. Armentrout - Shadows
6. Jennifer L. Armentrout - Obsidian
7. Jennifer L. Armentrout - Onyx
8. Jennifer L. Armentrout - Opal
9. Dan Wells - Partials
10. Veronica Roth - Divergent
11. Sherrilyn Kenyon - Infamous
12. Jaci Burton - Taking A Shot
13. Jaci Burton - Play to Win
14. Cassandra Rose Clarke - The Assassin's Curse
15. Kelly Keaton - Darkness Becomes Her

Movie Review: The Hobbit

It's been a while since I've had a complete geek moment related to movies. I thought that after the last Harry Potter movie, there wouldn't be another one. I was completely wrong and boy, am I glad I was.

I remember I read The Hobbit ten years ago and ever since I've been waiting to see if there was going to be a movie. I know I've said it many, many times, that I think the Lord of the Rings books are a little better than the movies (let's be honest, have you ever seen a movie better than the book it was based on?), but I was sure that if the same cast (or at least part of it) were to appear in a movie based on The Hobbit, then that movie would be awesome. And I was right.

It's been a while since I read the book, but the movie was done so well, it made me remember some of my favorite scenes in the book. The trolls, the game of riddles, the scene where all the dwarves are making poor Bilbo go nuts, everything was perfectly made. And the opening scene of the movie... I actually sighed when I saw it. It's perfect and if you've seen the first trilogy, you should know why. I loved how it was tied together with those first movies. It was just... maybe it sounds a bit stupid, but it was like I took a time capsule and I remembered when Frodo surprised Gandalf in the movie, telling him "You're late!". I loved that.

If you've read the book, you might have seen that some scenes from the movie weren't in the book, but they were done perfectly and they didn't bother me at all. They looked and felt like it was natural for those scenes to be part of the story.

Let's talk characters. I believe Martin Freeman did an excellent job and he got the essence of Bilbo perfectly. I don't think I'll ever be able to imagine another better Bilbo. Just like Ian McKellen is the one and only possible actor that could play Gandalf.

The surprise was Richard Armitage, who played Thorin. I remember seeing Armitage in the TV show Robin Hood as Guy of Gisborne and I always considered him one of the best actors that I've seen that played a villain so well, yet managed to be sexy while doing it. I never had a thing for villains. They were bad guys and that was that. But seeing him in the role of Gisborne made me root for his character (and swoon and drool), even while I was wishing he'd fail in his quests. So it was a good surprise seeing him as the dwarf in this movie. He played the part very well and he made Thorin look fierce and  (yes, again :P ) sexy at the same time.

All the other new characters did amazing jobs and I can't wait to see the next two movies. Then you have Cate Blanchett, which I just completely adore, especially as Galadriel. And Andy Serkis is brilliant in his role as Gollum.

The music is, as I expected, beautiful. I love what the composer, Howard Shore, managed to create for the original movie trilogy and he did an amazing job for this movie as well. I'm sure the next two movies will have soundtracks just as beautiful as this one.

There isn't a thing I can think of that I wish was different. I think that's a first for me. Or maybe I'm just that big of a geek. I don't know, honestly. I loved the movie. And I'm honestly waiting for that moment, years from now, when I'll do a complete The Hobbit - Lord of the Rings movie marathon.

Of course, being the complete Tolkien fan that I am, I have to be honest and say that a little part of me is hoping for maybe a TV show based on the Silmarillion book. *le sigh*

So, have you seen the movie and if yes, what did you think of it?

Blog Tour Book Review: Mad World EPIDEMIC by Samaire Provost

Author: Samaire Provost
Series: Mad World
Publisher: Amazon
Release Date: July 28th 2012
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: review copy offered by author
Blurb (from Goodreads):

The Black Plague is ancient history. It killed 100 million people nearly seven centuries ago, halfway around the world from the technologically advanced research center at Stanford University. Scientists there have recently begun examining samples of bone marrow from plague-infected corpses unearthed in Europe. All the necessary safeguards are in place. What could go wrong? Alyssa and Jake are away with their class on a highly anticipated year-end trip to Broadway with their senior acting class when all hell breaks loose at home. Traveling back, and trying to find their families, they encounter deadly results. Riots are breaking out. People are being evacuated. And they have no idea what's happening to their families. Horrific ordeals, heart-pounding tragedy, and chance encounters harden them for what lies ahead. Faced with tormenting decisions, they're forced to follow their instinct for survival at any cost - even when the cost is a heart-wrenching decision of life or death. A harrowing adventure of frightening discoveries, horrifying confrontations and narrow escapes in Epidemic, the first installment of the Mad World series. Find out what's got everyone so terrified.

 

Wow! What a way to start this year! First, let me start by saying that this was the very first book I have ever read that is entirely filled with zombies and ONLY zombies. No other supernatural creatures. Go ahead, gasp in horror, I'll wait. :P *clears throat*

The first thing that I loved about this book is that the action starts right away. It doesn't run around in circles for ages before the story starts. It throws you right in the middle of everything and it takes you along for the ride. I loved that. It's been a while since I've read a book that manages to do that and keep me interested.

Another thing that I loved was that, while I thought things were very unfair at some point, the plague doesn't forgive anyone. Even if it's a loved character or a strong character, or a character you might hate. It doesn't matter. Everyone is vulnerable and it can happen at any time. I think that also helps showing how deadly this virus really is and it shows how painful it can become to see that the ones you love are in danger. It kept me on my toes, because I can never realize who's going to be next. One minute I'm thinking a certain character is safe and healthy and then in the next page he/she turns into a zombie. I loved that.

I like Alyssa. I like that she's mature enough to know and accept the fact that sometimes you have to do some things you don't like in order to survive in a situation like in the book. I'm only hoping that she and the others survive this whole thing.

I can't say enough about this book. I loved it enough to stay awake the entire night and read it. I actually want to go read the next one, Mad World: SANCTUARY, now. So, if you like zombies, go ahead and read this book. You won't be sorry!

Author Bio:

 Born naked. Clothed and fed shortly thereafter by adoring parents who looked on in bemusement as their daughter became a reading, writing, free-spirited, feral, animal loving, bleeding-heart chocolate lover who laughs easily. Samaire Provost is a California writer of Young Adult novels. Her love of paranormal stories, odd plots, and unique tales as well as C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, E.A.Poe, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, and Stephen King has deeply influenced her writing.

Connect with Samaire!
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/samairep
Twitter - https://twitter.com/samaireherself
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6453849.Samaire_Provost
Amazon author page - http://www.amazon.com/Samaire-Provost/e/B008PVTXMW
Amazon book page - http://www.amazon.com/Mad-World-Epidemic-1-ebook/dp/B008PO969O/
Blog - http://samaireprovost.tumblr.com/

12 Days of 2012: Day 5 Best Villain

BEST VILLAIN 

This year I got to read about a lot of interesting characters. Superheroes, cowboys, cowgirls, secret agents, doctors, schoolteachers, accountants, lawyers, wizards, elves and some other categories that I can't remember what they're called. Some were good guys, some were bad guys. Out of those bad guys I read about, some stuck with me. So, here you have my top 5 villains:

1. Graham from The Syrenka series by Amber Garr - the sneakiest bad guy I've ever read about. And the most surprising. 
2. Mab Monroe from Elemental Assassin by Jennifer Estep - the most psychotic and the most cruel woman 
3. The false King  from The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa - the most ironic situation ever and the most shocking.
4. Voldemort from Harry Potter by J.K Rowling - the most cruel villain ever
5. Saruman from Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien - the most devious

Now, don't say that the last two aren't fair. In my defense, I did reread both those series this year and I had fun doing it :D

What about you? Did you read about any "good" villains?

Happy Holidays!!!

Merry Christmas everyone!! I hope you have a great day and that you're surrounded by the most important people in your life and that Santa brings you lots of presents, joy and love.

I'm sorry I've been missing, but I managed to injure my hand in the most idiotic way imaginable: while cooking. Don't ask, 'cause I'm just too embarrassed to say anything about it. Just know that I couldn't type with just one healthy hand, which also happened to be my left, non-dominant one. But I'm better now and I promise to go back to the normal program starting tomorrow.

Now go have fun and open lots of prezzies :D