300 Followers in January Giveaway Winner!

First I want to say thank you to all of you who were already followers that tweeted about my giveaway to help, as well as all my new followers who helped me reach that and go one more than 300!.  I really appreciate having new followers, and I will try to go back and follow all of you as well.  Just give me a bit of time.  January has been a more busy month than planned, and so I wasn't able to participate in all the blog hops to help get my numbers up, so I'm glad I made.

Anyway, what you all want to know is who is the winner, right?  Well, congratulations go to Erin Kate!  I have emailed you today to get your mailing address so I can get that $15 gift card to Barnes and Noble out as soon as possible.

And those of you who didn't win, don't go anywhere!  This month I'm going to have some giveaways of some ARCs I have.  Now, they aren't brand new ones, they're mostly a year or two old, but I think they're some pretty good ones, so we'll see about those.  I haven't quite decided how I want to do this, but once I figure it out I'll get it posted.

Well, another busy night, so I won't be doing Waiting on Wednesday this week.  I do plan to do Follow Friday for sure!

Pure by Julianna Baggott

Pure by Julianna Baggott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I saw this ARC on the table at the Barnes & Noble where I work, and at first didn't think it could be YA as big of a book as it was. But I picked it up and read about it, and thought it sounded right up my alley. And I'm very glad I picked it up. I've not read any of this author's other books that she wrote under other names, but they don't necessarily sound like my type as I see what they were, one name is N.E. Bode, who I have seen those books, the other name is Bridget Asher. But, I will definitely be awaiting the next book in this series because I really liked this one, and am eager to see where it goes next. It's a definite dystopian, end of the world novel. I like that in this case the heroine, Pressia, is not perfect, in fact no one in this world outside the Dome is perfect. She's scarred, and burned, from the detonations, and like everyone else, she has fused to something that she was in contact with when it happened. Her arm has a baby doll as her hand. She lives with her grandfather, and as she is getting close to the age of 16, she is worried about being taken by the OSR to serve in the army to fight against the Dome. The Dome that sent messages right after the detonations that they would be back to help and save them some day. Yet, this has not happened. And the people outside have turned on those inside, hating the "Pures". Even creating nursery rhymes about catching and killing them to breathe the dust from their ashes to cure themselves. Pressia escapes when the OSR comes from her, only to run into the Pure who has left the Dome on purpose. His name is Partridge, and he has left because he believes that his father lied, and his mother survives somewhere out in the wastelands. Together Pressia and Partridge turn to a rebel named Bradwell for help. There are run ins with the OSR, and secret links to the Dome, man made special forces that are more animal than human. And while they think they've found what they've been looking for, have they really, or have they just found more questions and more reasons for revenge against the dome?
I liked how the science, realistic or not, was brought into the story. I liked that the main character, Pressia, is not a perfect beautiful outcast like in other books. Her romantic partner isn't either, he was fused with birds on his back. While I will admit it was a bit long at times, it all worked out, and there wasn't a time when I was bored. I was always eager to get back to it when I'd had to put it down. I don't know that it is "the next Hunger Games" but I do think that people who enjoyed that series will be interested in this. It is it's own type of book. As one quote on the cover says, it is more apocalyptic than Hunger Games really. And, as usual, the problem with reading ARCs is that then I have even longer to wait to read the next installment in the series!
This will count as the "P" in my participation in the A-Z Book Challenge.
And while you're here, don't forget to go sign up for my 300 Followers in January Giveway of a $15 gift card to Barnes and Noble.  I need 1 more follower by tomorrow, January 31st if this is going to happen!

View all my reviews

Waiting on Wednesday - The White Glove War (Magnolia League #2) by Katie Crouch

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting! This week the book I've chosen is The White Glove War, the sequel to The Magnolia League, by Katie Crouch. Here is the blurb from BarnesandNoble.com:

Every society has its secrets.

The members of Savannah's Magnolia League have it all: money, beauty, power, and love. Some may call them lucky, but we know better. Spells, potions, and conjures are a girl's best friends, and thanks to the Buzzards -- a legendary hoodoo family -- the Magnolias never run out of friends.

Golden girl Hayes Anderson would never dream of leaving the League or Savannah, where there's no problem that can't be fixed with a cup of Swamp Brew tea -- served in a bone china cup, of course -- and no boy who can't be won over with a Conjure Up a New Love spell.

But when danger lurks and family secrets are unearthed, Hayes discovers that her life may not be charmed after all.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, you can see my review of the book here.  I got the first as an egalley from Netgalley.  I hope the 2nd is provided as well.  This book doesn't come out until July, so it's going to be a summer read for me.

What are you eagerly waiting on this week?

And while you're here, don't forget to enter my 300 followers in January giveaway for a $15 gift card to Barnes and Noble, time is almost up to get in, and I still need 6 more followers by then to even give this away!

Feature and Follow Friday #1

Feature and Follow Friday is a joint effort between bloggers to increase your blog following it is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.This week's question is:
What's the craziest thing you've ever done to get your hands on a book?
Hmm, this is a hard one.  The craziest thing I can think of is standing in line for hours to get a book at a midnight release.  I've probably done crazier things to try to meet awesome authors!  One of my favorites I follow on Twitter and I know she's from NYC, so when I went to NYC for the 1st time to visit my sister, I just tweeted and asked if she might want to meet me somewhere so I could get her authograph and meet her, and she did!  Turns out we hit it off pretty well, many things in common, and she has hung out with my sister a few times.  One time I found out last minute about an author that was going to be coming to Kansas City, and it was on a day I was out of town taking the Praxis to get another teaching certification, and I decided spur of the moment to call and reserve a spot and drove straight from where I was taking the test to the location to meet the author.  So, that's the craziest things I can think of.

While you're here, why don't you check out my 300 followers in January giveaway?  Guess I'm going to have to find a new way to get followers after this month any way if GFC is going to quit.  But for now, come and sign up and help me get to 300 followers in January!

So, what is the craziest thing you've ever done?