Follow My Book Blog Friday (25)

This is a meme hosted every Friday by Parajunkee, where book bloggers answer a question each week and check out how others answered it. It's a cool way for bloggers and viewers to connect and learn more about each other!

Question: Which book genre do you avoid at all costs and why? 

Answer: Ughhh I can't stand any kind of non-fiction books. Other than that, as long as the book has romance, then I'm all set! Whenever I read a new romance book, I just want to curl up with it and never let it go! 

Long story short, no romance=no chance with me. 

Young Adult Giveaway Hop

That's right! Another giveaway from yours truly! If you want to check out the other stops on this giveaway hop, you can find them right here! Now to my giveaway! One lucky winner will receive one of my favorite YA books! The covers can be found below :)

 

Just fill out the rafflecopter below for your chance to win! The books will be shipped from The Book Depository, so if they ship to you then you can enter! Giveaway ends on January 30th!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Winter's Kiss: The Ex Games by Jennifer Echols

The Ex Games 

By Jennifer Echols 

Release Date: January 3, 2012

Summary: Brace yourself for the battle of the exes... 

Hayden and Nick used to be a hot item, but their brief affair ended with a highly publicized breakup. Now the two are "just friends," excluding the occasional flirtation. 

When Hayden wins the girls' division of a local snowboarding competition, Nick is unimpressed, claiming that Hayden wouldn't have a chance against a guy. Hayden calls Nick's bluff and challenges him to a head-to-head boarding contest. Their mutual friends quickly take sides, the girls on Hayden's and the boys on Nick's, making for an all-out battle of the sexes. This friendly competition is bound to get heated—and they might end up igniting some old flames.

Review: There is no doubt that I love Jennifer Echols, so of course I had a blast reading her winter romantic comedy! The Ex Games was published in 2009, but was republished in a volume with The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Catherine Hopka this month. Even though it's been around for three years, it was still the perfect book to cozy up with while the snow fell outside. 

Hayden and Nick have a rocky past; they dated four years ago but broke up soon after when Nick broke Hayden's heart. Since then, they have bickered like an old married couple, yet never got back together. Winter break changed everything when Nick and Hayden challenge each other to a snowboarding contest. Snow wasn't the only thing that's falling (in love that is) that winter! 

Hayden is such a strong character who has had to deal with her feelings for Nick for four years. She puts her heart and soul into snowboarding, and I couldn't help but root for her during everything she went through. Even though she's strong on the outside, she always has a part of her that can't help falling for Nick over and over again. Who wouldn't? He is gorgeous, talented, and underneath his teasing is a heart of gold. 

I loved the whole premise of Hayden and Nick competing against each other in a snowboarding contest; they literally have a game of the exes. It was cool how everyone's relationship was invested in the competition, everything riding on the chance to win Poser concert tickets from their significant other. Everything about this book was super cute and I was so sad when it was over. If you're looking for a heart-warming read on a cold winter's day, pick up The Ex Games! 

Waiting on Wednesday (26)

This is a meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where every Wednesday bloggers highlight a book that they are eagerly anticipating the release of! 

New Girl

By Paige Harbison

Release Date: January 31, 2012

Summary: They call me 'New Girl'... 

Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her. 

Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault. 

Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be. 

And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back.

I saw this book a loooooong time ago and just recently remembered how it was coming out soon! I love the cover and how the girl is floating in the water (water seems to be a really popular cover concept recently). Once I read the summary, I was so intrigued! Taking the place of a girl who everyone had loved but had gone missing? How would you deal with that? Oh yeah, by meeting a guy :) I'm wondering if Becca is going to come back and take away the life the "New Girl" has started to build. It sounds so good and it comes out really soon! So hopefully I can get my hands on a copy!  

Movie Review: New Year's Eve

Summary: The lives of several couples and singles in New York intertwine over the course of New Year's Eve.


Review: I had no idea how I was going to like this movie because there are people in this cast I love (Zac Efron!!!) and people in this cast I hate (Sarah Jessica Parker). So having such a mix of characters, I don't think I'm that surprised that I though it was just okay.


Yes, I love Zac Efron, but his part of the story was with Michelle Pfeiffer, who is at least 30 years older than him, and she looks so gross and old with scraggly brown hair, so I didn't really like it when his story came up in the movie. He, of course, looked totally amazing. As for the other stories, there were none I found myself really intrigued to watch excpet for maybe Josh Duhamel until I figured out who he actually ends up with. Some of the couples were cheesy while others I just didn't really care about. Jessica Biel's whole story about having her baby be the first born in 2012 to get a prize from the hospital was really just stupid and I got annoyed when the movie cut to her part (which seemed to be a pattern with a lot of the couples). 


So as you can tell, I just didn't really care about a majority of the storylines, which kind of makes it hard to enjoy the movie. It was pretty predictable and when they tried not to be predictable, I really didn't like how they actually made it. With such a packed cast of celebrities, I expected a much better story than what I was given. 

Shelf Candy Saturday (22)

Shelf Candy is a meme hosted by Five Alarm Book Reviews and every Saturday, bloggers choose a book whose cover really catches their eye. I know you're not supposed to judge a book by it's cover, but I always do, so I'm choosing books whose cover alone made me pick it up. So I hope you enjoy my shelf candy!

I dont' remember exactly where I saw this cover, but I remember thinking it was so pretty! The colors are so simple, but they capture the title perfectly. I love how the white rose has red, blood-like paint splattered on the bottom half. A rose is so soft and pure while the red is harsh and deadly, making it seem like the cover really is about softly killing someone. I love the font used for the title too, especially with the thorns sticking out. It emphasizes the point that a rose is pretty but has it's sharp spots too. Everything about this cover invites me in and want to know exactly how you can kill someone softly. It's perfect and gorgeous!

Follow My Book Blog Friday (24)

This is a meme hosted every Friday by Parajunkee, where book bloggers answer a question each week and check out how others answered it. It's a cool way for bloggers and viewers to connect and learn more about each other!

Question:  What's the craziest thing you've ever done to get your hands on a certain book? 

Answer: Well, it's not exactly crazy, but the only time I've ever done anything our of the ordinary to get a particular book was when City of Glass by Cassandra Clare came out. My sister and I slept over at my friends house the night before it came out. The next morning, her mom drove us to Barnes and Noble (this was about 3 or 4 years ago). We stayed in the car and waited and waited until they opened...

And when they opened we ran to the counter where our books were being held. Kinda like this...

We got our books, hopped back in the car, drove back to my friend's house, and dug into our new Mortal Instruments book. It was AWESOME. Not that crazy, but we still had a blast. I haven't done anything like that since then because I've started to pre-order my favorite author's new books online in order to get it a lot cheaper, so I have to wait for it to come to my door instead of running out and getting it. But the feeling of excitement is always the same! Ahhhh I love new books :)