FrightFall Read-a-thon Starting Line

This challenge is hosted by Michelle @ The True Book Addict and Castle Macabre and the signup link is here. All you have to do to participate is read at least one horror/scary book.  For the faint-hearted among you, it can be a spooky mystery, a scary thriller, or something classically gothic.  Children's books are also allowed.

My Reading List:
Finish The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Finish Dream Dark by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

The Nevermore Poe Collection by Kelly Creagh and Edgar Allan Poe
Teacher's Pest by Charles Gilman
Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Risked by Margaret Peterson Haddix


I hope to finish the Gaiman book and Dream Dark novella and read at least two of the Poe short stories. I would love to finish at least one of the other book. My goal is to try to read at least 250 pages.

Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

This is the sequel to Once A Witch and will have spoilers for the first book. This is another book I read for the September is for Sequels challenge.


Tamsin will do anything to protect her family and friends. She gave up the Domani to protect her sister and even though her family did not tell her about her talent, she forgave them. Tamsin can stop other people's talents from working on her and she can absorb talents used on her three times. Tam hopes this ability will help her in her journey to the past. For her family to survive, Tam must stop Alastair and the Knight family from destroying the Domani. With Gabriel's help, Tam feels she can succeed, but her success may come at a high price. Just what is she willing to sacrifice for her family?

I enjoyed MacCullough's fast paced style and the humor in her stories even in dire circumstances. Tam is a strong heroine who knows the meaning of sacrifice and love and it was great to see her mature as the story progressed . I loved the time travel in this book too and it was nice to see how Tam dealt with the 1880's New York. I only wish the story was a little longer and I hated saying goodbye to the characters.

Favorite Character: Tam. No matter what life throws at her, she manages to deal with. She is a strong heroine, but knows when to allow others to help her.

Favorite Quote: "Only the very young seem to think that we can avoid death. We cannot. We can only perhaps choose how we meet it."

Nice twist on witches and their powers and a neat little time travel piece. I wish there were more books in the series! 4 cups of cocoa!

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter

This is the second book in the Gallagher Girls series and one of my read for the September is for Sequels challenge. There will be spoilers for the first book in the series, which is I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You.


Cammie and her friends love going to an all girls spy school, but at times the spy life can cause complications. Cammie has to endure question at the CIA about her relationship with Josh and the troubles it caused last semester, but she easily passes. Cammie is not over Josh, when she and the girls get an unwelcome surprise; their school will be invaded by boys from the Blackthorne school, a school for boys much like their Gallagher Academy. The boys seem to be a bit better at espionage than the girls, but the girls attempt to spy on the spies with hilarious results. One boy in particular, Zach seems to like Cammie, but after everything with Josh, Cammie is a mess and not for sure if she can trust Zach. As every good spy knows, things are often not what they seem. With a couple of Code Blacks, the girls learn that someone may be out to steal their biggest secret of all, their true identities, but who can they trust?

I love the humor and the girl power of the Gallagher Girls books. At first I did not like that Carter threw boys into the mix, because it appeared the girls were just going to be weak and drooling over all the "hot" guys, but the end showed the importance of this decision. The girls can still kick butt all the while wearing perfume and makeup. I love all the training and funny tips the girls give each other and that they really are typically girls that just happen to be spies. Carter's humor is great and there are several laugh out loud moments, including one involving a strapless bra. I had forgotten how much I loved Carter's writing and both of her series, so I will need to start the third book very soon.

Favorite Character: Cammie, she is strong, but also vulnerable. She can blend in, but really wants to be seen. She is also loyal to her friends, but knows when to keep a secret. She is good at what she does, but can be shaken, so basically she is a typical girl with an atypical life.

Favorite Quote: "...maybe I didn't want to admit weakness; maybe I wanted to wallow in my solitude and grief. Or maybe crying is like everything else we do- it's best if you don't get caught." I think most girls go through this type of emotion and we often hide what we feel so that we appear strong.

I love the Gallagher Girls and Heist Society novels! Carter does a great job creating strong, likeable female leads often with strong female secondary characters. 4.5 cups of cocoa!

Austenland by Shannon Hale

I bought this book 2008 and am using it for the Dusty Bookshelf challenge. I love Shannon Hale's twist on fairytales and folktales, so I was excited to read this book.

Poor Jane is waiting for her Mr. Darcy and tries to hide her affection for Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth version of course) anytime she has visitors. When her great aunt sees her problem, she concocts a scheme that will lead Jane to Austenland. When her great aunt's will is read, Jane has inherited a three week stay at a home where everyone pretends to live in the time of Jane Austen. The place is complete with Austen actors and three handsome men. Will Jane finally overcome her Darcy dilemma or will she fall victim to her own "Mr. Darcy?"

This was a really cute story with a predictable ending, but it was the perfect way to fill an evening. I think all of us can relate to Jane and her desire not to just settle and most of us probably have or have had a Mr. Darcy daydream. I love Hale's writing style and while this is not my favorite book of hers, it was still a good read.

Favorite Character: Jane. She is easy to relate to and she tries so hard to conquer her fantasies. She reminds me of Bridget Jones and even a little of Elizabeth Bennett.

Favorite Quote: "'And if I don't make you feel like the most beautiful woman in the world every day of your life, then I don't deserve to be near you.' Jane breathed in, taking those words inside her. She thought she might like to keep them for a while. She considered never giving them up." Isn't that what we all want!

A very nice story with a sweet ending! 4 cups of cocoa.

Hero by Althea Kontis

I received this as an eARC on Netgalley from Harcourt. This is the companion novel to Enchanted, although you could read this without having read Enchanted, I recommend reading Enchanted first.I love the cover!

Harcourt

Saturday is sixth daughter out of seven in the Woodcutter family. She wants to lead an adventurous life like her legendary brother Jack and she wants to be a warrior. Her fairy gift from her aunt was an ax, which she put to great use in her sister Sunday's story, but now it is a magic sword. When another of her aunts dies and her cousin raised as her brother leaves, Saturday breaks the world by throwing a magic mirror. On her quest to find her brother, Saturday is stolen from her sister Thursday's pirate ship and dropped on top a mountain. There she meets Peregrine, a boy half turned into a girl, and she learns she has a quest and mission just as fantastic as Jack's.

I love Kontis' twists on different fairy tales and the humor and depth of her stories. Saturday is a fun character who refuses to use her beauty and focuses instead on her strength. This had not really a cliffhanger ending, but the story is continuing on into another book, for which I am glad. I love the Woodcutter girls and can't wait to see how they deal with the fairy issue that occurred at the end of this book.

Favorite Character: Saturday. She is strong, stubborn, and not afraid to fight. She is also innocent and naive at times and Peregrine is a great match for her.
Favorite Quotes: "'You cannot call yourself a proper warrior if you refuse to use all the weapons in your arsenal.' 'Pshaw,' sputtered Saturday. 'Beauty is not a weapon.' Peregrine squinted at her, 'Come now Woodcutter. I thought you were cleverer than that.'"

"'I look forward to hearing new tales, once word gets out about the witch and the mountains and all,' he went on. 'Instead of batting their eyes at idiots, young girls will start taking up stick swords to slay a dragon and save the prince.'"

Filled with romance, a dragon, and a girl who saves the boy, this is a great twist on traditional damsel in distress stories and will leave you eager for the next book. 5 cups of cocoa!

FrightFall Read-a-thon Signup

This challenge is hosted by Michelle @ The True Book Addict and Castle Macabre and the signup link is here. All you have to do to participate is read at least one horror/scary book.  For the faint-hearted among you, it can be a spooky mystery, a scary thriller, or something classically gothic.  Children's books are also allowed. I will be posting goals and a reading list soon! I know a Poe short story collection will be on the list.

Liebster Award

Joana from Joana in the Sky with Books nominated me for this award. I hadn't really heard of it, but it is a neat idea!

The Liebster Award is a way to help blogs you like with less than 200 followers. It's a way to give them some deserved attention so our followers can discover them as well.

Rules:

• Link back the blogger that tagged you;
• Nominate 10 others and answer the questions of the one who tagged you;
• Ask 10 questions for the bloggers you nominate;
• Let your nominees know of their award.

 I am going to look through my list of blogs that I follow and see if any are interested in the award. I have a few people in mind. I don't know that I will have 10, but I should be able to find a few.
Here are the questions Joanna asked: 

1. What are you currently reading? I am reading Always a Witch and Ocean at the End of the Lane. I am trying to read a few sequels this month, but haven't finished one yet. Ocean at the End of the Lane is amazing though!
2. Do you have any weird bookish habits? I never just read one book at a time. I have attention issues and so I need to have multiple books going at once. I also like to fuss at the characters as I read.
3. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, which one would it be? Definitely one of the Harry Potters and probably the first one. I still pick this book up all the time as a comfort read.
4. Which is your favourite secondary character? This is so hard, because I tend to fall for the secondary characters, but probably Hermione. She is smart and brave, but still down to earth.
5. What is your main blogging goal at the moment? To post regularly. I can go a week without posting and then post three times in one day, so I really need to work on my posting skills.
6. Do you prefer series or stand-alones? Series, because I get attached to the characters and want to stick with them.
7. What made you decide to create a blog? Originally to keep track of the books I read, so that I could booktalk them to patrons and students. I still do this, but it is more for my enjoyment now.
8. If you could meet any author, who would you choose? Gosh, this is going to be an HP themed post, but definitely JK Rowling. I admire her for overcoming her depression and for never giving up.
9. What has been your happiest moment as a blogger? Meeting people who enjoy books as much as I do. I love seeing how other people interact with books and how they share and support each other.
10. What made you want to start a blog? I wanted to keep track of the books I read with short summaries to help with reader's advisory and booktalking.

People I am nominating: These are three of my favorite blogs to follow!
Rachael @ Rachael Turns Pages
Jenna @ Book Beats
Francine @ Bookworm in Boots Always Lost in Books

If anyone else is interested in being nominated let me know. I didn't want to nominate someone who does not want to do awards and if I nominated you and you are not interested, that is completely cool! 

Here are my questions:
1. Who is your favorite author?
2. What book do you wish you had read as a child?
3. What is your favorite reread?
4. What are you currently reading?
5. Why did you start blogging?
6. What popular book has been one you just couldn't stand or was hard for you to finish?
7. What book would you love to listen to as an audio and who would be your ideal narrator?
8. When do you read the most?
9. What is your favorite book and drink combination?
10. What book or author do you wish more people would read?

Thanks again to Joana for nominating me!