Follow Friday #5

It's time for Follow Friday, once again. :) This meme is sponsored by Parajunkee, so go check her out. :) And the featured blogger is Books Ahoy.
 

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://books-ahoy.blogspot.com/
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog! 

It looks like the question may be the same as last week :

Q. Inspired by the inane twitter trend of #100factsaboutme, give us five BOOK RELATED silly facts about you.

 Soooo, check out my answers from last week's post. :) Comment if you stop by. :)

Thanks!! Mandy :) 

 

Library Unveiled

This is a new meme, sponsored by The Mad Scientist @ Madsteampunkery. I got it from Belinda at  The Bookish Snob . I thought it sounded like fun, and I love looking at pictures of books... Go and check out Bels' pics of her library - impressive!!
Anyway, here's what the meme is:

Don't know what is in your library? Want to share your books with others? Curious to know what is in other libraries?

Library Unveiled

This new meme will allow you to share your personal library, bound or virtual, with the Mad Scientist and other bloggers. Every Thursday stop by and share FIVE books & perhaps a snippet of your thoughts or link to a review.

 

So, for my five books - I'm going old school... 

So, the first 3 go together - 

The Secret Circle Trilogy by L.J. Smith

These books are from 1992 - I was finishing up my freshman year of high school, moved from Illinois to Wisconsin and began my sophomore year at a new school. I was always interested in the paranormal - witches and vampires especially. :) These books are more worn than I allow my books to get now, but they're almost 20 years old, and I have read them, many, many times... I related to Cassie - the MC, so much - even in physical description, it was scary. And I wanted to BE her... Anyways - these are always my faves, so I'm sharing. :)

#4 & #5 - Witch & Fall Into Darkness by Christopher Pike

What can I say? I loved, loved, loved Christopher Pike and I'm pretty sure I have a nice collection of his books. Again- some paranormal, witches, and suspense, mystery, darkness. These are even older - copyrighted 1990. But show where my paranormal love started and when my library began to grow. :)

Share yours in my comments! :)

What I'm reading...

So I have a pile of books by my bedside that I have started and need to finish... I return to them time and again, but I complete other books in the meantime... Here's that pile...

Here's one of the books I just started:

And here's what came in the mailbox TODAY!!

GAH!! and SQUEE!! Seriously think I had a bookgasm when I opened the Amazon box. :) I already skimmed for Qhuay scenes... ;) I can't wait until their story is told... It's coming, dangit!
I don't know where to start, where to finish.. And check out my TBR page - so many good books --- so little time!! What's your opinion? What should I dive into?

Top 5 Sunday #3 and I'm So Excited!!

Top 5 Sundays are hosted by Larissa @ Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life

This week's theme is:

UF or PNR Pet Peeves!

Sorry, I don't have fancy pics... I'm not even sure how to grab Larissa's image to post here.. LOL... I'm still learning - but thanks for visiting and putting up with my lameness. :) Here goes my pet peeves...

1. Love at First Sight... Really - I think I may just be cynical, but that all-consuming love they find as soon as they lay eyes on someone... Really? Ugh, I like angst and heartache and conflict... :D I even enjoy a non-HEA once in awhile... 

2. Complex worlds with sooo many characters... Seriously - I love when an author creates a whole new world - but I had to take notes during Laurell K. Hamilton's Merry series so I could keep all her lovers straight... Some authors do characters well, others -you have to dig out the first books in the series to remember who people are. I actually took notes throughout J.R. Ward's series also - on my 2nd read through and noticed some inconsistencies in details... No - I'm not anal at all... :)

3. Dumb, dumb heroines. I like my women tough, smart, and witty. Bella irritates me - stole that from Larissa ;) When they're whiny, too submissive, or otherwise weak- blech. 

4. An inordinate number of sublimely attractive people/beings. Again - I like to fantasize about hot, huge, muscled men, but why do they always have to fall for gorgeous, perfect women? lol That gives me so much hope (sarcasm) :) lol 

5. Quickie meaningless sex that turns into a burning love. Granted - I also like when this happens... lol... but again, Were they that good in bed that after one go round - you suddenly can't live without them? 

Wow, I'm kind of cynical, huh? Why do I read these books? LOL I wonder if the things that bother me are also part of the reason I love these books so much... 

Please comment - if only to say hi. Thanks!! 

Part 2 - Why I AM SO EXCITED!!!

Sooo, this coming week marks the release of LOVER UNLEASHED by J.R. Ward

THE DARKEST SECRET by Gena Showalter, and ETERNAL RIDER by Larissa Ione... All are must-haves for me, so I preordered them from Amazon since I got a GC... I received an email this morning - They were shipped!! I can not wait to get my hands on these books!! We are going to Chicago on Friday- guess what I'll be doing in the car ride down?  LOL  Watch next week for reviews!! I'm sure I'll ignore my monstrous TBR and gorge myself on those books. :)

Thanks for stopping!! Check out Gena Showalter's page by clicking on the countdown widget ---

Also, stay tuned to Reality Bites for upcoming book tours!! I'm excited to be a part of these tours, and hope you stop by! 

Mandy :)    

Review - At Grave's End - Jeaniene Frost

From Goodreads.com

Some things won't stay buried . . . at grave's end

It should be the best time of half-vampire Cat Crawfield's life. With her undead lover Bones at her side, she's successfully protected mortals from the rogue undead. But though Cat's worn disguise after disguise to keep her true identity a secret from the brazen bloodsuckers, her cover's finally been blown, placing her in terrible danger.
As if that wasn't enough, a woman from Bones's past is determined to bury him once and for all. Caught in the crosshairs of a vengeful vamp, yet determined to help Bones stop a lethal magic from being unleashed, Cat's about to learn the true meaning of bad blood. And the tricks she's learned as a special agent won't help her. She will need to fully embrace her vampire instincts in order to save herself—and Bones—from a fate worse than the grave.

Yes. I am so behind with this series... I read the first two books in January of 2009. Yeah, so it's been two years since I've read this series... Two years!! I've had the other books in this series on my TBR for awhile now... Anyway, on to At Grave's End--

So, as I was reading, I had a hard time getting all the characters and their backstories straight - because I didn't remember details from the first 2 books. But I was pulled right back into the world and they did feel familiar for the most part. I was fuzzy on some plot details, but as a narrator - Cat does a good job of reminding us of events from the past, so I didn't feel completely lost.
I was surprised the book almost began with a climax, and the action never stopped.
I'm not sure why it took me so long to read this book - I even read a couple in the meantime, but once I actually sat and was determined to read it - I was engaged and suddenly needed to finish it.
The action pulled the plot along and there were some pulling on heartstrings in the meanwhile. I love Cat and Bones and I love their relationship - all their interactions. I really hope Ms. Frost writes someone for Tate, because he's freaking annoying me. I enjoy a good love triangle, this isn't really a triangle - but Tate needs to back off and realize that if he really loves Cat - he would want her to be happy - it just feels off to me.
Honestly, I like more angst in my relationships - but Cat and Bones are sweet. I will be reading the next installment soon - maybe not right away - but soon. If you are looking for a kick-ass heroine, a hot hero, and lots of action - this series is for you.

Follow Friday #4

Time for this week's Follow Friday, hosted by Parajunkee! The featured blogger this week is

Rebecca from Confessions of a Page Turner

Go check her out!! :)

Now for this week's question:

Q. Inspired by the inane twitter trend of #100factsaboutme, give us five BOOK RELATED silly facts about you.

1. My TBR is HUGE!! And I keep acquiring books - it's a disease. :) But I love it... DH does NOT understand.

2. I used to get in trouble for reading at the dinner table... I ALWAYS had a book with me. 

3. I still have books from when I was in middle school -- L.J. Smith, all my Christopher Pike, Fear Street... Oh yeah, be jealous ;)

4. I keep track of all my series in a journal and I methodically write them down - which ones I own, which I've read, which ones are upcoming and when they will be published... 

5. I used to read all historical fiction - anything regarding the Tudors, and Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series were my favorites. Now I am mostly paranormal... :)

 

Thanks for stopping by! Leave me a comment, even if just saying Hi! :)

Top 5 Sunday! #2

This is a weekly meme hosted by Larissa over at Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life

The theme for today is:

Books for an Urban Fantasy 1st Timer!

Hmm.. This one took a lot for me to think about. I'm not always sure exactly what constitutes UF. So, my #1 would have to be...

 

Hunky, kick-ass vampire warriors, spunky, independent females - my overall favorite series. 

#2

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This is a great series! It has a little bit of everything, including humor. And Rachel is one bad-ass witch, but vulnerable, and totally likable!

#3

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The first book I read where vampires started to become mainstream. I started this series late, but began reading these in the late 90s. It shows a world where vampires are "out" and how the world has adjusted. I like that premise. 

#4

Sorry, but the books are so much better than the series. Read them and love them apart from True Blood. :)

#5

This one has a completely different premise, in that the main characters are the Lords of the Underworld, and they host demons that were released from Pandora's Box. This series combines mythology with hot heroes and women who tame their demons... :)

 

So there's my 5 for a newbie. They all have something new and different to show someone getting into the genre. I'm not sure if they are all strictly UF - not sure of the definition of the genre. But reading about the different species and worlds may give a newbie an inkling of what they like and what they want to read more of. 

 

Mandy :)