Beat The Clock Winners (1)

 

I wanna first thank all of you for entering!  All of you did surprisingly well and most everybody got at least 10 correct. The answers will follow this post but without further adieu let me announce who won! There was only supposed to be one winner BUT I had so many entries and I am getting in the Christmas spirit I chose 2 lucky winners using the randomizer and they are Alessandra who chose Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater& Jennifer who chose White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison(both have been emailed) Look for more Beat The Clock fun in the New Year as well as some other fun giveaways including my reaching 100 Followers which is just around the corner YEA!!!! Answers were: Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland
Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omolou
Shadow Hills by Anastacia Hopcus
The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard
Wintercraft by Jenna Burtenshaw
The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy
Wolves, Boys and Other Things That Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler
The Mark by Jen Nadol
Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey
Anna and the Boy Masterpiece by Stephanie Perkins
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Sea by Heidi King
Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab
Forget Her Nots by Amy Brecount White
The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade
Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt
Of All the Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz
Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
Angel Star by Jennifer Murgia

Review: The Better Part of Darkness by Kelly Gay

The Better Part of Darkness by Kelly Gay
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Pocket
Rating: 5/5

Charlie is an ass kicking cop, back from the dead, fighting crime in the city with partner Hank. There's a new danger that has hit the streets; a narcotic known as ash. It's their mission to uncover the identity of the source of the ash before it takes another victim; but will they be to late?

This book was so doggone great I have already got the next installment on preorder! I can't even begin to describe it to you because it has so many fascinating elements to it!

Two of the things that I enjoyed the best was Charlie's strength which I felt like she got most of from being a single mom and the other thing that kept me highly interested and my fingers busy was because unlike alot of books I couldn't guess the outcome of what was about to happen next in The Better Part of Darkness. It was like you were having to hang onto every word and page for fear of missing something!

Bring on the next installment! This was better than the thrill of riding a roller coaster!

Review Copy Provided by Publisher.

Library Swap (2)

Rode with my sister to her dentist appointment and we made another library swap stop!  Yeahhh! Got some interesting books this trip.  I am thinking maybe starting the first of the year doing some "used book" giveaways to followers of my blog but haven't worked out any details yet.  I will be thinking on that over the holidays but if you all have some interesting ideas on giveaways please list them below!  :)  Now onto the goodies that I grabbed!  {muhahahahahaha}

T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton
Sweet Spot by Susan Mallery
I'm Watching You by Mary Burton
Repair To Her Grave by Sarah Graves
The Delta Ladies by Fern Michaels
Sorrow On Sunday by Ann Purser
The Devil Who Tamed Her by Johanna Lindsey
Two Little Girls In Blue by Mary Higgins Clark
Listen To Your Heart by Fern Michaels
92 Pacific Boulevard by Debbie Macomber
Jane & The Wandering Eye by Stephanie Barron




 

Beat The Clock Book Giveaway

You have until noon {Eastern Time} on Saturday Dec, 19 2009 to BEAT THE CLOCK!

This giveaway is Open to All provided your country is on THIS LIST. 

Please make sure your country is on Book Depository's shipping list HERE

Your challenge should you choose to accept it is to correctly list as many

authors or books as you can from the Wordle below.

 

**All of them are Young Adult Authors and Books

Entry Points (YOU MUST BE A FOLLOWER)

1. 
   
   5 Authors Correct = 2 entries
   
   
   
2. 
   
   5 Books  Correct = 2 entries
   
   
   
3. 
   
   10 Authors Correct = 5 entries
   
   
   
4. 
   
   10 Books Correct = 5 entries
   
   
   
5. 
   
   Any 20 Books and Authors Correct = 15 entries
   
   
   
6. 
   
   Any attempt gets you 1 entry whether your correct or not.
   
   
   
7. 
   
   If you post about this giveaway in any way leave me a link in the comments section and each link gets you 2 extra entries!
   
   
   

Choose 1 of the books below should you win!

Use the form for your answers!  The more you get correct the more entries you get to win and then random.org will pick a winner from entries Saturday.  Thanks for playing and good luck to all!

Holiday Break Reading Challenge.

If you're planning on reading over Holiday break, you should join the

 Holiday Break Reading Challenge hosted by Karin.  Please click the link to go there and sign up and grab your button.  :)

Here's the rules posted by Karin:

1) Anyone can participate. I'm focusing on teachers and students, but if you want to cram a little extra reading in during the holiday season, please join us.

2) The Reading Challenge is designed to be self-paced. I will ask for you to set a goal for the number of books you want to read, but if you don't reach the goal - no big deal. This is for fun.

3) You don't have to provide a list of books you plan to read in advance. You can, but it isn't required. My mood determines what I read so I usually don't stick to a list. If I can't do it, I don't want to force others to do it.

4) The Holiday Break Reading Challenge corresponds with my time off from school. So, it starts on Friday, December 18, 2009 and ends on Sunday, January 3rd, 2010 at Midnight.

5) I'll have a section set up on the blog for reviews. Please link your reviews of the books you complete during the challenge.

6) Everyday there a new "Challenge" will be posted. These "Challenges" are designed to help you get to know other bloggers, talk about what you are reading, and share information about books. A new Mr. Linky (if I can figure it out) will be used in each post to record everyone's responses.

7) HERE IS THE BIG ONE! At least one prize will be given out everyday during the Reading Challenge. This might be a book, a bookmark, or other swag. No specifics lined up yet.

8) Be sure to follow the Reading Challenge on Twitter. New challenges and prize information will be announced there, too.

9. Grab the button to put on your blog.

Tuesdays Tune

I am so embarrased but I have watched Angel all these years and never realized Lindsey was Christian Kane and could ahem cough cough SING!  I happened to catch a rerun episode this morning of him singing The LA song and almost flipped out and wanted to share with you guys not only a Tuesday Tune but one of my all time favorite shows!  And OMG Lindsey.. I mean Christian is SOOOO HOT!

 

 

Review: A Blue and Gray Christmas by Joan Medlicott

A Blue and Gray Christmas by Joan Medlicott
Genre:Fiction
Pages: 336 pages
Publisher: Pocketbooks
Rating: 3/5

An old box is dug up in the town of Covington and in it holds many years worth of memories from The Civil War; the letters and diaries of two men on opposite sides of the war.

The story is told thru those contents, read by a group of ladies who have made their homes in Covington from various places. The ladies read a few at a time trying to piece together the mens lives and try to eventually make contact with some relatives of them and bring everybody together for a huge Christmas celebration.

I liked this book alot especially the letters & diaries of John and Tom. I could almost feel how afraid, scared, and alone they felt thru their writings and the struggle of not knowing if they wanted to return home or not after the war as neither really felt they had much to return home to; but think I may have enjoyed it a bit better if I had read the previous ones in the series and had a better understanding of the backgrounds of Hannah, Amelia, and Grace and how they came together because at times I felt a bit lost in the present part of the story.

Review: Hakim & Terrance Shadow Mystery by Bernadine Feagins

Hakim & Terrance Shadow Mystery by Bernadine Feagins
Paperback: 68 pages
Publisher: lulu.com
Genre: Childrens
Rating: 5/5

Hakim and Terrance have a mystery to solve; finding Hakim’s dog Shadow. Along the way they meet many new people and learn what friendship is all about.

This was a terrific childrens book! It teaches many lessons to help kids understand friendship, sharing, and that it’s not always right to keep things we find.

I can really relate to losing a pet because my little doggies are my babies and I go crazy when I dont know where they are.

Review Copy Provided by Author/Publisher

In My Mailbox (10)

 

Hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren

I missed posting a few days of mail so this is for a

couple of days worth of mail.

Won:

How to be Famous by Heidi Montag & Spencer Pratt

A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve

For Review:

Monster Republic by Ben Horton

Beyond Guilty by Richard Brawer

The Crescent by Jordan Deen

Bait for Lunch by K.A. Okagaki

Moonbeam Dreams by Gina C. Browning

Gifts of the Heart by Karen Boes Oman

Rion by Susan Kearney

Audio Books:

I Alex Cross by James Patterson

David Sedaris

The Imperial Cruise by  James Bradley

Hollywood Moon by Joseph Wambaugh

The American Journey of Barack Obama from the Editors of Life Magazine

Cleaving by Julie Powell

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Bookmooch:

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

Fatality by Caroline B Cooney

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter

Gossip Girl Book 1 by Von Ziegesar

The Wish by Gail Levine

Bought:

Before Midnight by Cameron Dokey

Bookcrossing.com

Run For Your Life by James Patterson

Cross Country by James Patterson

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

My Secret Santa

I am so totally excited today because I got my Secret Santa in the mail! Woohoooo! Wanna see what I got?

Michele sent me a book The Devil to Pay along with a bookmark and card, a box of holiday Oreo's, a packet of note cards/envelopes, a holiday cd, and a X-mas card.

Thank you so much Michele!  I enjoyed everything and have been pining over her books for a while now and am so excited over this one and OMG ya'll I just noticed it is autographed!!!!

 

Movie Review: The Fast & The Furious 4

The Fast & The Furious 4

2009

Rating: 5/5

"Vin Diesel and Paul Walker reteam with Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster for the ultimate chapter of the franchise built on speed! When fugitive Dominic Toretto (Diesel) returns to Los Angeles to avenge a loved one’s death, it reignites his feud with agent Brian O’Conner (Walker). But, as they race through crowded city streets and across international lines, they must test their loyalties by joining together to bring down a shared enemy. From big rig heists to precision tunnel crawls, Fast & Furious takes you back into the high-octane world, which lives for speed, drives for the rush and breaks all the rules!"

OMG Vin Diesel rocks the screen again in this 4th installment of The Fast & the Furious! Action and more action from the first 5 minutes until the very end! I can't believe Lettie gets killed in this one but Dom avenges her like only Dom can with guns and cars blazing. Looking for part 5 because no way with an ending like this had is there not gonna be a part 5!

Tour List

Sarah Addison Allen - The Girl Who Chased the Moon - March 5
James Hayman - The Cutting - March 12
F.M. Meredith - An Axe to Grind - March 18
Joy DeKok - Racoon Tales (Giveaway) - March 22
George Bishop - Letter to My Daughter - March 23
George Parker - Vampyre Blood - March 24
Christa Allan - Walking on Broken Glass - March 26

 

 

Victor Pross - Icons & Idols - Feb 2

Searching for Tina Turner - Feb 2

Kaylin McFarren - Flaherty’s Crossing - Feb 4

Vincent Zandri - Moonlight Falls - Feb 9

Angela Henry - Schooled In Lies - Feb 11

***Carla Buckley - The Things That Keep Us Here Feb 12

Misa Ramirez - Hasta la vista - (Giveaway) - Feb 16

Double Trouble - Feb 19

 

01/15 -- Seduced By A Rogue

01/20 -- Denise's Daily Dozen

01/25 -- A Fairy Tale for Gwyn

01/27 -- Capturing Karma

12/15 -- A Blue & Gray Christmas

12/17 -- Better Part of Darkness

12/18 -- A Highlander Christmas

12/21 -- Deep Kiss of Winter

 

Movie Review List

Updated As I Watch 

2009 - Drag Me To Hell
2009 - The Fast and The Furious 4

  

Movie Review: Drag Me To Hell

Drag Me To Hell

Rating: 3/5

2009

"Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is on her way to having it all: a devoted boyfriend (Justin Long), a hard-earned job promotion, and a bright future. But when she’s forced to make a tough decision that evicts an elderly woman from her house, Christine becomes the victim of an evil curse. Now she has only three days to dissuade a dark spirit from stealing her soul before she is dragged to hell for an eternity of unthinkable torment."

I have to say I was kind of dissappointed because while Drag me to Hell was a pretty good movie it just seemed to me to be more comedy than horror. The characters did a great job in their roles and the storyline was fantastic but it's just not a movie to grab if your in for a night of thrills and chills. This had the potential of being a dang good horror movie had the "comedy scenes" been more serious.