Feature and Follow Friday 9-14-12

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly event hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where you get to learn about two featured bloggers each week, and then can gain new followers as well by joining in to the fun. 

I'm not exactly sure what the question this week is, but this is what I found on Alison Can Read, so I'll do my best to answer it:

Q: What hyped up book do you think was not worth all the talk?

I would have to go with The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab.  I wanted to like this book so much.  I even got it through a Random Act of Kindness giveaway.  And one of the bloggers I got to meet at BEA, loved it, and was so excited to get to see the author again.  I just couldn't get into it.  And I tried, I read quite a ways in.  Finally, I just had to decide to give up.  I have so many books to read, so many that I'm so excited about, and I just can't spend too much time on reading something that doesn't capture my attention.  Now, I'm not saying it is bad, just that I couldn't get into it.   I am giving the author another try with an egalley of her next book, The Archived. 

What book would you list for this question?

And hey, while you're here, you've only got until tomorrow, September 15th, at midnight to enter my September is for Sequels Challenge.  Go HERE and see if it is something you'd find a fun thing to do.  I'm behind on my goal of 8 books.  I'm only on my 3rd one right now.  :-(  But most of my sequels seem to be so long!  But I set the minimum as 4 books, and I'm guessing I'll complete that for sure!  (If you do decide to sign up, you can get the button that I made after I posted the start up post HERE.)  Hope to have more people join in and help me make my very first challenge a success!!

November RAK

Well, I signed up to do RAK last month, and got 3 different books! It was awesome! I'm sure a lot of that was because it was my birthday month. However, I'm a little ticked at myself because I can't find the emails to remember the people that sent me the books. And I know I saved them just to have for this blog post! Well, I did send a book, a Nook e-book to one of the people that sent me a book. So you'd think I'd still have their information somewhere, but no, again, something happened and I can't find it. I wonder if when I was trying to save my school emails as they were changing our system at the district where I teach, if somehow they got mixed up in those emails and I'll have to search through that mess. Hopefully at some point I can find them, and come back and edit this post to give thanks publicly to those people who made it a great birthday month.

I received Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler, which I've already read and reviewed. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab, which is on the list to probably read later this month. And finally, The Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, which I do still have the email from Erika at http://readspect.blogspot.com who sent this to me. I still have hers because the book came with a Karma seed for me to pass on. Which is part of why I am doing RAK this month. I need to pass this along. You can read about the Karma seed program here: http://thekarmaseed.org/home

Here is my wishlist from Amazon.com: http://amzn.com/w/16GT1JWQAYZ35

And my top 5 that I'm hoping for this month are:

Dark Eden by Patrick Carman

Crossed by Ally Condie

Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

The Death Cure by James Dashner.

If you're interested in participating this month, here are the links you need:

First, go sign up here: http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com/2011/11/random-acts-of-kindness-november-sign.html

To see who else is participating so you can choose who to send a gift to, go here:https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0As4fr55TjlOydHpyV1VVNUFSMUxlS0ZmWmtya1VpdUE#gid=0

Hope you'll join in as this is a great thing to be a part of.

Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I actually really liked this book. I think the subject of anorexia is one that is very overlooked sometimes. I liked the irony in a girl who was anorexic being in charge of famine. I liked that the other riders, Death, War, and Pestilence, were portrayed in a somewhat different way than you normally see. I like the choice that Famine was given. This book did speak to me personally, not that I'm anorexic, but that I struggle with weight, and I understand the feeling of looking in the mirror, and what you see is not what others see. There are times I leave my home and I thought what I put on looked good in my mirror. Then I get to school and walk by a window and see my reflection and hate how fat I look. Or I'm somewhere like a party, in an outfit I planned and thought made me look really good, then I see a picture later and think wow, how fat I really am, and why don't I see that in the mirror when I look. And then other people will say how good I look, and I don't think I look like that. For a long time, when I was younger, I never understood how anorexics could look in a mirror and feel fat, when all I saw was barely any person there. But now that I can't trust my own eyes when I look in a mirror, I get it. And I think this book showcases that very well. I like that at the end it isn't just easy for her to begin eating and be normal. She thinks she can, but soon that "thin voice" is back in her head telling her how many calories, or minutes exercising each food will cost her. And making her feel guilty for even thinking of eating one french fry.

I look forward to reading the next one in the series, Rage. This was a quick read, as it is a short book, and I think there could probably have been more detail to flesh the story out and make it last a bit longer if there was anything that wasn't perfect about the book, that's it.



View all my reviews

Book Blogger Hop #9 and Follow Friday #6

Book Blogger Hop is sponsored over at Crazy for Books. It's a place for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word. This week's question is:

How/where do you get your books? Do you buy them or go to the library? Is there a certain website you use like paperbackswap?

Good question. If you read my blog you'll know that I work at a bookstore, Barnes and Noble. So most of the books I buy come from there. I also own a Nook, B&N's e-reader. So far I've only actually purchased a couple books for it, most of them I've gotten free from a website called Netgalley.com. Every year when I participate in my state's school librarain association award nominee group, I tend to just check those books out from either the library at the school I work at, or the public library, or I can even check out hardcover books at the bookstore where I work as well. I've also been getting some books through the RAK over at Proud Book Nerd.

Follow Friday is sponsored by Parajunkee. This is a blog hop that expands your blog by a joint effort between bloggers. There is also a featured blogger each week. I'm so excited that I've gotten on the list to be a future featured blogger! This week's question is:

What do I do when I are not reading?

Okay, not sure if the incorrect grammar is to be cute, as a teacher who has to grade for those things, it bothers me to post it like that. :-) But anyway. When I'm not reading, I'm either watching tv, playing on the internet, at the movies, or hanging out with family. Or last, because it's my least favorite, working, which right now includes teaching 8th grade science, working at the bookstore, and teaching an online class for a career college. And I guess there's some sleeping added in each night as well. I actually tend to read even while I'm eating since I live alone. And I even read sometimes while watching tv. I like to shop as well, but that costs money. Reading would be a cheaper habit, if I didn't keep buying new books, because I have 300 to read sitting in my office. Oh yeah, and from the header on my blog, you can see I have an adorable mini dachshund, her name is Sydney, but as she's older, she just sleeps most of the time. Considering getting a puppy to see if that would making perk her up a bit.

Random Acts of Kindness June Wrap-Up

June was a great month for me to participate! Although I had one person I was going to send an ARC to who was too picky to get an ARC, I sent books to two other people, and got two books myself! Personally, I love ARCs. I feel special, because not everyone gets one. I got to read Matched way before it came out because of that. And even though my ARC doesn't have the really cool final cover, it's cool because it's different. I like different. And I'm not going to be picky for being given a book I want to read. Used works for me as well! Hint, to anyone who chooses to send me a book as part of July RAK. :-)

I think my goal for July will be to send to three different people. Although I'm a bit behind at the moment, I'll pick someone this week to get started.

If you don't know about RAK, it is sponsored by Book Soulmates. What you do is sign up and go to their site and post your wish list, or post it on your own blog. Mine is here on Amazon. Then you pick another person to send a book to from the list. The first month I did this I didn't get anything, but sent one book. This month I sent two books and got two back! After you sign up, you need to post on your blog about it so you can get other people involved as well. At the end of the month, do like I'm doing here and post your thank you list.

First I sent a copy of The Goddess Test to Jennifer at The Book Nympho. (I love that name!)

Then I got Across the Universe from Kate at Literary Explorations. So then I sent Kiss Me Kill Me to Becky at Stories & Sweeties.And then Becky sent me Shiver! Such a fun type of challenge to participate in. I encourage anyone to go sign up that enjoys spreading the love of reading!

RAK: May Wrap Up

This was my first time participating in Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) like a few others I've seen. I intend to participate in June as well, and be more prompt with sending my books out. If you are interested in participating for June, please click on the button above to get more information.

And while I did not get anything in the mail myself, I am shipping out today, (I know a day or two late, the end of the school year is always hectic) I Heart You You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder to Heather of http://proudbooknerd.com