Sunday, December 28, 2014

Sunday Post - 129 & Stacking the Shelves - 90

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

This was a fast, busy, and fun week. Tuesday, we played Dirty Santa at work, but with re-gifted items. That was surprisingly fun--especially considering that I don't typically like Dirty Santa. Wednesday work let us go half a day and then we were off Thursday and Friday. Wednesday, Husband and I drove to Georgia to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Husband's family. We drove back home Thursday afternoon. Friday, I hung out with my sister and parents for a bit, and then Husband and I had a movie day. We watched If I Stay and the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the first disc of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Saturday, my side of the family celebrated Christmas. We also crammed in two movies, Maleficent and Life of Pi.

THIS PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of This Shattered World (Starbound, # 2) by Aime Kaufman
& Meagan Spooner (4 Stars)
Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Want Santa to Bring Me
& 2014 Series Enders Reading Challenge - December 2014
Wednesday: No blog posts
Thursday: Merry Christmas
Friday: Cover Doubles # 2
Saturday: Pinterest Party Recap

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of We Were Liars by E Lockhart
Tuesday: Top Ten Goals/Resolutions
Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday & December EOM Wrap Up
Thursday: EOY 2014 Book Survey
Friday: Upon Further Review: Believe Tiny Limits
Saturday: Discussions Only We Know: Social Media Overload

Don’t forget to sign up for the 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15, 2015 to sign up. Each month there will be a giveaway for those participating with an end of the year giveaway too! Click on the picture below or the link above to find out more!

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

My sister-in-law also pre-ordered The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines, # 6) by Richelle Mead for me for Christmas, and Husband also bought me Ruins (Partial Sequence, # 3) by Dan Wells and Mortal Heart (His Fair Assassin, # 3) by Robin LaFevers. I'll feature The Ruby Circle when it arrives, but I chose not to feature Ruins or Mortal Heart since I've featured them before (borrowed Ruins from the e-library and read Mortal Heart for review).

The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, # 3)

By: Michelle Hodkin

Publication: November 4th 2014 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

464 pages

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal

Source: Christmas Present from my sister-in-law

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Mara Dyer wants to believe there's more to the lies she’s been told.
There is.

She doesn’t stop to think about where her quest for the truth might lead.
She should.

She never had to imagine how far she would go for vengeance.
She will now.

Loyalties are betrayed, guilt and innocence tangle, and fate and chance collide in this shocking conclusion to Mara Dyer’s story.

Retribution has arrived.

Breaking the Rules (Pushing the Limits, # 1.5)

By: Katie McGarry

Published: December 8th 2014 by Harlequin Teen

304 pages

Genre: YA/NA, Contemporary

Source: Personal Kindle Library (from Husband)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--A summer road trip changes everything in this unforgettable new tale from acclaimed author Katie McGarry

For new high school graduate Echo Emerson, a summer road trip out west with her boyfriend means getting away and forgetting what makes her so... different. It means seeing cool sights while selling her art at galleries along the way. And most of all, it means almost three months alone with Noah Hutchins, the hot, smart, soul-battered guy who’s never judged her. Echo and Noah share everything — except the one thing Echo’s just not ready for.

But when the source of Echo’s constant nightmares comes back into her life, she has to make some tough decisions about what she really wants — even as foster kid Noah’s search for his last remaining relatives forces them both to confront some serious truths about life, love, and themselves.

Now, with one week left before college orientation, jobs and real life, Echo must decide if Noah's more than the bad-boy fling everyone warned her he'd be. And the last leg of an amazing road trip will turn... seriously epic.

Maybe Not (Maybe, # 1.5)

By: Colleen Hoover

Published: November 24th 2014 by Atria Books

129 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Novella

Source: Personal Kindle Library (from Husband)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate link. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Colleen Hoover, the New York Times bestselling author of Maybe Someday brilliantly brings to life the story of the wonderfully hilarious and charismatic Warren in a new novella, Maybe Not.

When Warren has the opportunity to live with a female roommate, he instantly agrees. It could be an exciting change.

Or maybe not.

Especially when that roommate is the cold and seemingly calculating Bridgette. Tensions run high and tempers flare as the two can hardly stand to be in the same room together. But Warren has a theory about Bridgette: anyone who can hate with that much passion should also have the capability to love with that much passion. And he wants to be the one to test this theory.

Will Bridgette find it in herself to warm her heart to Warren and finally learn to love?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

The Iron Knight (The Iron Fey, # 4)

By: Julie Kagawa

Published: October 26th 2011 by Harlequin TEEN

400 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Fairies

Source: Personal Kindle Library (from my mother-in-law)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--My name - my True Name - is Ashallayn’ darkmyr Tallyn. I am the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court. And I am dead to her. My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl…

To cold faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase - a half human, half fey slip of a girl - smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the unwelcome company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end - a quest to find a way to honor his vow to stand by Meghan's side.

To survive in the Iron Realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. And along the way Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy #1)

By: Danielle L Jensen

Published: April 1st 2014 by Strange Chemistry

469 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic, Paranormal

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--For those who have loved Seraphina and Graceling comes another truly fabulous fantasy...

For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to fade from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined.

Cécile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus: escape. Only the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity.

But something unexpected happens while she’s waiting – she begins to fall for the enigmatic troll prince to whom she has been bonded and married. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods – part troll, part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader.

As Cécile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch with magic powerful enough to change Trollus forever.

Ignite Me (Shatter Me, # 3)

By: Tahereh Mafi

Published: February 4th 2014 by HarperCollins

421 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Fantasy, Paranormal

Source: Personal Kindle Library (from my sister-in-law)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, called “a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love.”

With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn’t know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won’t keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world . . . but that’s not all he wants with her.

The Shatter Me series is perfect for fans who crave action-packed young adult novels with tantalizing romance like Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Legend by Marie Lu. Tahereh Mafi has created a captivating and original story that combines the best of dystopian and paranormal, and was praised by Publishers Weekly as “a gripping read from an author who’s not afraid to take risks.” Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and satisfying end.

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!

28 comments:

  1. Stephanie Takes-DesbiensDecember 28, 2014 at 8:05 AM

    I never heard of Dirty Santa. Since you did it at work I am imagining "dirty" doesn't mean "naughty." Thanks for stopping by http://fangswandsandfairydust.com

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  2. What's Dirty Santa? Never heard of that before. Sounds like you had a fun christmas. We only visited my boyfriend's parents, my mom and her husband will be here on January 1 to celebrate the New Year and christmas.
    I hope you enjoy your new books! I pre-ordered a lot of books this week, but only feature them as they arrive, like you do :). Happy new year!

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  3. We did Dirty Santa at work, too. It was fun.

    Hope you have a great week and Happy New Year!

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  4. I've got to read the first Mara Dyer book soon! And Ignite Me was soooo good!



    Check
    out my STS

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  5. Ohh, you got such good books for Christmas! Weirdly, I didn't get any, which is fine (given that I work at a bookstore and get books cheaper than any relative or friend could... :D). I'm so excited to see Stolen Songbird, especially. It's so good!!! :D


    I hope you had a great week Sandy!!

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  6. Sounds like a lovely Christmas and wow, you got some terrific books! (And I need to read several of them...) Oh, and count me in among the people who are curious about "Dirty Santa."

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  7. I would like to read Stolen Songbird. Sounds like you had a great Christmas week. We watched Malificent this week and really enjoyed it. We saw Into the Woods and Night at the Museum 3 this weekend. We are hoping to watch If I Stay this week and go see Gone Girl in theaters.

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  8. Ignite Me was more of a so-so series for me but I do think that it ended the Shatter Me series quite well. and you reminded me that I really need to read the Mara Dyer series :) and reading that you watched Life of Pi, I surprisingly received the book as a gift. I don't think it's my type of read but I guess nothing's wrong with giving it a try.

    (advance) Happy New Year to you! :)

    czai @ the Blacksheep Project

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  9. That is a lot of movies! But with the exception of Ninja Turtles they're all movies I want to see. Hope you enjoyed them! I'm dying to read Colleen Hoover. I've heard such good things about her books. Have a great week and a happy New Year!

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  10. You got lots of books. That's always a good thing! I read Stolen Songbird a few months ago and liked it. You watched lots of good movies. That's fun. Hope you have a great new year!

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  11. You received some wonderful books! I can't wait to read The Retribution of Mara Dyer & Breaking the Rules. We loved TMNT's and Maleficent!

    Have a great week & Happy New Year! Sharon – Obsession with Books

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  12. Haha...no it's not "dirty." Here's the deal...everyone brings a gift. Usually the host specifies gift themes...like between $5-10 or a Christmas ornament...OR at work we did "something you want to re-gift that is worth around $10". So everyone brings a gift. You put them all in a pile. Everyone draws a number 1-however many people are playing. Whoever draws number one picks a present from the pile to unwrap. Numbers 2 - the last number can either pick a present from the pile to unwrap OR they can steal a present already opened. Every group of people I've played with has slightly different rules. Like a gift can only be stolen 3 times and then it's "dead"--meaning it can't be stolen again. Some people play where whoever was number 1 gets to go a 2nd time at the end since they didn't have a chance to steal anything. It was fun the first couple of times I played, but the more times you play the less fun it is--for me anyway. But it was funny to play with regifted items. You knew you weren't going home with anything really nice, but that was okay. It was funnier to hear the stories of where the items came from and who brought each thing. It's called "dirty" because of stealing gifts from other people! :) Thanks for stopping by and commenting Stephanie!

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  13. Dirty Santa is where everyone brings a gift. Usually the host specifies gift themes...like between $5-10 or a Christmas ornament. What we did this year at work was "something you want to re-gift that is worth around $10". Everyone brings a gift. You put all the gifts in a pile. Everyone draws a number 1-however many people are playing. Whoever draws number one picks a present from the pile to unwrap. Numbers 2 - the last number can either pick a present from the pile to unwrap or they can steal a present already opened. Each group of people I've played with has slightly different rules. Like a gift can only be stolen 3 times and then it's "dead"--meaning it can't be stolen again. Some people play where whoever was number 1 gets to go a 2nd time at the end since they didn't have a chance to steal anything. I don't enjoy it much anymore, but it was funny to play with regifted items. You knew you weren't going home with anything really nice, but that was okay. It was hilarious to see who brought what and what the story was behind each gift.

    Hope your mom and her husband arrived safely and you had a happy new year! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

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  14. It was a great Christmas! And Husband and I don't binge watch like that often, but it really was nice! Thanks for stopping by and commenting! I hope you enjoy the Mara Dyer trilogy!

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  15. I'm not normally a fan of Dirty Santa, but I think added the regifted items was what made it this year. It was hilarious to see who brought what and hear the story behind each gift! Thanks for stopping by and commenting! Hope you had a happy new year Yvonne!

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  16. So glad to hear Ignite Me was good. I'm a little nervous about it. Hope you're able to start Mara Dyer soon! Thanks for stopping by and commenting Lisa!

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  17. Yeah, it's hard for me to imagine NOT getting books for Christmas, but when you work in a bookstore then yeah I can see it! :) I'm not sure when I'll start Stolen Songbird, but I hope it won't be too long! Gotta knock out some review books first I guess. Thanks for stopping by and commenting Rachel!

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  18. Everyone brings a gift. Usually the host specifies gift themes...like between $5-10 or a Christmas ornament...or I know some people who play where everyone brings an "ugly" Christmas ornament...or at work this year we did "something you want to re-gift that is worth around $10". So everyone brings a gift according to the theme. You put all the gifts into a pile. Everyone draws a number 1-however many people are playing. Whoever draws number one picks a present from the pile to unwrap. Numbers 2 - the last number can either pick a present from the pile to unwrap OR they can steal a present already opened. Each group of people I've played with has slightly different rules. Ex: a gift can only be stolen 3 times and then it's "dead"--meaning it can't be stolen again. Some people play where whoever was number 1 gets to go a 2nd time at the end since they didn't have a chance to steal anything. I don't enjoy it as much as the first few times I've played, but it was funny to play with regifted items. You knew you weren't going home with anything really nice, but that was okay. It was just funny to see who brought which gift and to hear the stories behind them all. Thanks for stopping by and commenting Lark!

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  19. Glad to hear you enjoyed Maybe Someday. I liked Maybe Not even better. And I enjoyed Take Me On but not as much as Pushing the Limits. Hope you get around to it soon! Thanks for stopping by and commenting Nisa!

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  20. I enjoyed Maleficent much more than I expected to. Glad you got to see some movies too. Sounds like you got some good ones in! Thanks for stopping by and commenting Rachael!

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  21. I loved Shatter Me, but Unravel Me was a little disappointing to me. I'm kind of scared to see what happens with Ignite Me. I've really enjoyed the Mara Dyer series, but I'm scared of the last book in that series too! Sheesh! I loved Life of Pi the movie...it's not normally one I'd be interested in, but it was so good. Thanks for stopping by and commenting Czai!

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  22. Ninja Turtles was really more for Husband. I was getting stuff done while that movie was on! :) I HIGHLY recommend Colleen Hoover. Over the last two years she has become one of my all-time favorite authors! Thanks for stopping by Katherine! Hope you had a happy New Year too!

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  23. I know, right? Nothing bad about getting a bunch of good books! I love hearing good things about ones that I've received but haven't read yet! Thanks for stopping by and commenting Jan! Hope you had a happy new year!

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  24. I enjoyed Breaking the Rules, but I'm nervous about The Retribution of Mara Dyer. I've not heard anything specific except for a couple of people have said that they don't really know how they feel about it. Thanks for stopping by and commenting Sharon! Hope you had a happy new year!

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  25. Ah! We do that at the traditional party held by our friends. Down south, it's sometimes called a "Yankee gift exchange" (which as a Yankee, isn't my favorite name, but they don't mean it as an insult.) It can be a lot of fun. One year, my husband chose a dancing, singing cactus that sang "Feliz Navidad" - over my strenuous objections. Oddly, it has grown on me over the years, and now I'm rather fond of it.

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  26. How far south I wonder? Here in Alabama everyone I know calls it Dirty Santa...but it's no surprise that there are as many names for the game as there are different sets of rules. :) A danging, singing cactus...that does sound fun! But isn't funny how things like that grow on you over the years?

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  27. Ooh, sounds like a great Christmas...it's always wonderful to get several days off work. I am a big fan of bingeing on movies, too....sounds like fun!

    This year, I hope to at least start reading the Mara Dyer trilogy.

    Thanks for sharing...and here are

    MY WEEKLY UPDATES

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  28. We has every intention of seeing a few movies, but just did not get to them. I loved Maybe Someday and will definitely read Maybe Not. I still have to get to Take Me On in the series. Happy New Year.

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