Monday Magic

Ok ok. I was going to title this post Monday Madness....but Monday's already suck...so I wanted something well, a little more magical.

I for one am 100% giddy right now! I won ANOTHER book on Goodreads. This one is called Capital Girls by Ella Monroe. It is a first in a series...so I really can't wait! What's more magical than winning a book!?

I've got a list of reviews coming posted to the right. I'm really trying get a review policy written down and posted. However, the only two requests I have are that IF it is an ebook, I prefer epub as that's all my reader can handle and the other is that the author follow my blog. I'm really trying to generate more traffic here...so I would love any little help I can get!

Also right now I am accepting self-published books. So, if you are intereted in sending me your book to review you can email me @ miscmaria@hotmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Let's see....OH YES! I almost forgot we have a new follower. Let me introduce Rasana Atreya. She is the author of Tell A Thousand Lies and I'm really glad to have her as a follower. Welcome Rasana!!

:o) Happy reading!

My First Blog Hop

I am REALLY new to this whole book blogging world as I am sure you can tell. SO, in an effort to find more friends involved in book blogging I am participating in a blog hop.



In doing so I was asked the following question:

Are you attending the Book Blogger Convention (aka Bea Bloggers) and/or Book Expo America in New York City in June? If not, will you participate in the online event called Armchair BEA?

Here's my answer -

Sadly, no I will not be attending the Blogger Convention in NY (one of my favorite states)! Until today, I was not even aware that it existed. I however will be checking into the online event and attending it.

8. Roadside Assistance

Roadside Assistance by Amy Clipston

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I recently won this as an ARC through Goodreads. Had I ever heard of Amy Clipston before...honestly no. As I was going through the giveaway list on Goodreads I noticed the cover/name of the book first. Yes. I know they say, "Never judge a book by it's cover" but that is exactly what I did. I then read the description and thought it sounded like something I'd enjoy.

Of course as everyone knows when you "enter to win" they encourage you to add the book to your "to-read" shelf. Well, I've been a little happy go lucky with that shelf and I thought, "Yeah...if I get around to reading it." I mean, I'm some what of a book hoarder. I love books...and just buy buy buy and can't possible read EVERY single one. My favorite is the dollar or discount book section that most bookstores have. My husband teases me b/c we will go to a bookstore and he will head straight to the section he likes...and I will head to the discount section. He will come back with 2 - 3 that he wants and I will have at LEAST 10! He says, "How do you even know if you will like those?" I reply, "I don't but I hated them sitting there like no one wanted them...and I will read WHATEVER. I'm not picky." I just love to read.

Then it happened! I received an email stating I had WON! I just couldn't believe it. I WON! My FIRST giveaway amd a NEW book on top of that. Oh and then when I got it in the mail! I was even 10x more excited b/c I LOVE getting stuff in the mail...aside from bills and junk. Another hobby of mine, for a later discussion. :o)

As I dug a little more into the book (meaning researched while I waited for it to come in the mail), I noticed that this was the author's first stand alone (for now) YA book! She is an Amish and Christian Fiction author. Previously, she has written the Kauffman Amish Bakery Series. She has also recently renewed her YA contract and on facebook has been asking her fans if they are interested in a sequel to Roadside Assistance. I for one would have to say, “YES….here’s a pen. Get started!”

Roadside Assistance is about lead character, teen tomboy Emily Curtis coping with the recent loss of her mother to cancer and the adjustment her life takes. Emily and her father are forced to move in with her wealthy aunt while they climb from the debt of hospital bills incurred while her mother was sick. On top of all this, Emily is a teen struggling with her religion, other typical highschool drama, and her aunt wanting to make her as girly as her cousin Whitney. (Clipston is interested in making the sequel about Whitney’s story.)

In her struggle with religion, Emily feels like God has forsaken her and remember how strong her mother faith was through her sickness. She struggles with the fact that she feels like she can’t talk to God. Instead she starts journal entries to her mother. Some of these entries had me really teary eyed. I loved these entries.

However, a lot of the time…I felt like Emily was coming off as a little rotten…but I attribute this to being a typical teenager. I dread to think how horrible I was as a teen. *Shutter!* Throughout the novel, I kept wanting her to just wake up and see the greatness of what was around her.

Her father to me was another key character. (I’d like him to have his own book too – if this were to be a series, especially to know more about his talk with the pastor.) I mean, Emily felt like she had NO one to talk to…but he just lost his wife. My husband is my best friend…no idea where I would be or how I would cope if I lost him the way her father lost his wife. I felt like Emily was being a little unfair to him and could have been more understanding…but again, she is a teen. I mean how hard must it be for him to no longer be able to provide for his child the way he once did. He had to give up his auto business and everything he knew too.

I like the turn the book took when Emily and her father met Zander (the gearhead neighbor). I also like that this book wasn’t ramming too many technical car facts down your throat. I think there was a good balance and the references weren’t hard to unerstand. Clipston kept them at a minimum with just enough inserted to make the point.

All in all, I thought this was really well written and even though it was a young adult book I still enjoyed it. It was a very good, clean, emotional read with a really happy ending.

I would like to get more in depth into Whitney, Zander, and Mr. Curtis’ storys. Hopefully, we will see more of that if Clipston decideds to make a sequel. I will definitely be reading the sequel and after seeing all the comments about the Kuaffman Bakery Series, I will be reading those as well! Though my finding this author was somewhat accidental, I am so glad I did.

On a personal note, Amy Clipston and I have had short conversations through FB chat a few times and she seems to be a very patient, caring, and giving person. Very down to earth – and I am extremly glad I came to find her by way of book!

Keep writing Ms. Clipston – you are doing great and I think those of us who have enjoyed any of your books can say we really appreciate what you do.

For those of you that have not heard of her - please check her out on Goodreads, Facebook, Amazon, Barnes and Noble or her website.


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Author Jess

Hey everyone, I just wanted to give a shout out to a new follower. Loving her book blog AND she is a travel agent. How awesome is that read a book while you're enjoying a vacation she booked you on! :o)

And if that's not enough to keep her busy...she will review your books as well!

Check out her blog below...or over to the right in the "Blogs I Love" section.

http://authorjess.blogspot.com/

Books 6 and 7!

I am very much running behind on reviews!

So in order to reduce the amount of posts, I'm combining and posting short reviews for the Hunger Games trilogy book 2 and 3. This series is soooooooo popular right now I'm sure you've already heard the reviews that will influence you to read it or not. That being said here we go...

Book 2 -
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Ok, so here's my take on the second book. The first one was good, although unlike others...it was very easy for me to put down and continue at a later time.

The second book however, was non stop for me. I wanted to keep going and going. I couldn't put it down!

I did feel like it was a little bit of a re-run though...the whole "let's go through the games" again was a little repeatitive...but in a more compact way. Other than that it was a great read. I read it and finished it all in the same day.




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Book 3 -

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



LOVED how this series played out. Again another non stop read...I read books 2 and 3 together on the same day! I was sad about some parts of it...I REALLY don't want to give to much away. Let me just say that I feel for her on the sister issue! And she ended up with exactly who I wanted her to.




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Ok, so probably not my BEST reviews...but again, this book is so WIDELY known that I don't think you will be hurting for any reviews on it.

Love the WHOLE series!!