I owe so many apologies to everyone for being MIA these past few weeks. I've made no time to read and am missing it greatly! Hopefully this week I'll be posting about a book I will hopefully have read.

Whew! Today has been unlike any other. I've been busy with Teen Tech Week plans, Texas Teens Read! supplies, and *shhh* planning with author Joy Preble for the Library's Centennial!


Only two weeks left to plan for Teen Tech Week, and I'm nowhere near close to being ready. The scavenger hunt is written out but not typed or posted, events are not set, and I'm overwhelming myself with my want-to-do list. The online scavenger hunt will begin March 1st, so keep an eye out for it.

All my supplies for TTR came in! I've got logs, bookmarks, posters, and certificates all over the place; looks like a tornado went through! Summer is only a few months away, so the delivery reminded me to get into gear!

This year the last TTR program will occur with the Centennial celebration. I don't want to give away too much info just yet, so I'll I'm saying is that Joy Preble is involved! If you have not read her books, I highly suggest them! Look for Dreaming Anastasia and the sequel Haunted in the PBYA section! The final book in the trilogy, Anastasia Forever, is set to be released in August. Also, coming Spring 2013, Joy has another novel being published with SOHO. The company has a Teen Sampler with previews to upcoming releases.

On another note:
I won't normally post reviews on movies unless, well I want to. haha  A couple weeks ago I watched Midnight in Paris starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams. Unsure what to expect, I checked it out even after hearing "it didn't make sense." Although I should have been reading, I popped the disc into the DVD player and relaxed. 90 minutes later and I had another all-time favorite movie!



Why (besides Owen Wilson), well let me tell you how much I LOVE the 1920s! After reading The Great Gatsby, I use to imagine (and yes, even dream; don't judge me!) that I should have been born in the time of the flapper and parties. Oh, I just love the Roaring Twenties!

In the movie, Wilson time-travels (just another theme I love!) back to the 1920s with none other than F. Scott Fitzgerald himself! Oh just borrow, rent, or buy it and you'll know why I just lose myself just thinking about it!

Now, that I'm in my happy place, I will leave you with my CURRENTLY READING section.

Unfortunately, I have not been reading like I should have (wedding plans, you know) so my currents reads are Cinder by Marissa Meyer and Tempest by Julie Cross. New books should be arriving soon, and some of them aren't getting past me! :)

So I finally finished my review for Flamingnet, so I'm ready to post it here.


Definitely a good read, even if you haven't read the rest of the series.

I have been slacking way too much on my reading mostly because of the wedding planning. So my list is getting longer than I'd like. Now would be a good time to update you on my next reads.

Yesterday I received my next book to review for Flamingnet: Lenobia's Vow by P.C. Cast.  Although I haven't read any of the House of Night series, I'm excited to read this novella for two reasons.

1. Because I haven't read the series, I want to see if I'll like the style and story before I start something I won't finish.

2. Most importantly, look at the cover! I love it!

It's been too long since I posted! So much has happened in the past few weeks:
*I'm now officially engaged :)
*Planned most of the wedding
*I finished two of my books (finally)
*I found a book I did not like despite all the good reviews
*Completed about half of my Christmas shopping

well I think you get the picture!
This is post is mostly about the sequel to Matched by Ally Condie, Crossed.

It took longer than I thought it woud to finish once I had started. I'm really starting to believe I read slower than I use too :/ It took three days!
Day 1 (last week) - Read about 1/6 of the book
Day 2 (Thursday)- Spent 6 hours reading about 2/3 of the book
Day 3 (last night)- Finished the book

Summary (from Goodreads)
In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

My thoughts:

If you can't tell from the title of this post, the book left me empty - not in a bad way - I want more! A few parts were not what I wanted (but I'm not the author, so what I want really doesn't matter), but I am now more anxious than ever for the third book in the trilogy. I don't want to ruin the book for anyone so there may be spoilers from here out.

There is nothing remotely wrong with this book, however, there were a few twists and characters that I found upsetting (which is okay, I promise).

When I read the Twilight saga, I wasn't happy when I first found out Bella was pregnant, I almost threw the book at the wall. BUT Meyer redeemed the story with the imprinting of Jacob. Although I didn't nearly throw Crossed, I did exclaim loudly (thankfully no one else was home) when I came across my list below.

1. I was not happy with Xander being a part of the Rising. I don't know, but it makes me mad that he is.
2.And what is with Indie?! I just don't like her character very much. Maybe because she gets to share the Rising with Ky and Cassia doesn't?
3.Oh, I can't forget the last chapter! I'm thinking it's Xander not Ky she is going to meet, but we will never know until book three comes out. The only reason this upset me is because the book ended with a major cliffhanger since there is no information for the final installment to the trilogy (at least none that I have heard). What do you think, was it Xander or Ky?

I really am excited to finish the rest of the trilogy, do not mistake my rant above for dislike of the book. This is one of my favorite series, and Condie has not left me unsatisfied yet!

Well I've got six books sitting in a general area at home that need to be read. Unfortunately I have neglected my love of reading for awhile. So here is my list of books I'm currently (or about to be) reading:

1. Outlive Your Life - Max Lucado (it is taking me forever to read this one again
2. Blue Bloods - Melissa de la Cruz (I couldn't get past the first page -- I'm not into the vampire stories, so this is going to be a challenge)
3. Lighthouse Nights - Jake Vander Ark (reviewing for Flamingnet)
4. Crossed - Ally Condie (Not going to start until I finish the above---eeek!!!!)
5. The Death Cure - James Dashner (I am most excited about this final installment to the Maze Runner Trilogy but I know if I start this one nothing else will matter, so my Nook remains off and hidden until the right time)
6. XIV - Julia Karr ( I'm looking forward to this one but it is nowhere near a priority at this time)

Looks like between work and classes there won't be much time for sleep! :)


and now time for the "more"

I had a pleasant surprise today at work when I was called back to the Youth Room and met blogger Cristina. Check out her blog here. She took home three of our YA arcs for review. Anxious to see them arrive! Also looking forward to my late start in the read-a-thon she is participating in. Read more about it here.

I'll follow up with more information on the read-a-thon and the books.