Cat Thursday (23)

Michelle over at The True Book Addict came up with a great idea for a meme! "Cat Thursday" is a way to highlight cute or funny pictures of cats, little tidbits about what our kitties are up to, or any snippets about cats we've come across. I love all those funny/cute cat pictures out there! I missed a few weeks posting as I've been crazy busy at work lately, but this one was too good to pass up:

Love cats. Love Monty Python. Loved the movie. It's all good.... :)

In My Mailbox (54)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. I've included links to Goodreads if you want more information on the books. I was on the road all week, so it was almost like a holiday when I came home to find some lovely surprises in my mailbox!

For Review:

Received a review copy of Halo by Alexandra Adornetto from the publisher. Have heard lots of good things about this one, so am excited to finally read it!

Contest Wins:

So excited to find out that I had won a prize from Breia's Blogmania giveaway! She has a great blog called LiteraturelySpeaking, so be sure to stop by and check it out! The box was waiting for me when I returned home, and I was so happy when I saw it that I did a happy dance! *L*

Received copies of Heartless and Wicked by Sara Shepard. These are books #7 and #8 of her Pretty Little Liars series, and I'm looking forward to discovering a new-to-me series!

Also received a copy of Underground by Kat Richardson. This is book #3 in her Greywalker series, and I've already read the first book, so am almost caught up! Kat is an awesome writer, and I'm looking forward to reading this one!

Isn't this a gorgeous journal? It's a beautiful, soft, handmade leather journal from Dancing Grey Studios. I love journals, and this is definitely the nicest one in my collection! Almost too pretty to use, I'm going to save this one for something special!

From the Library:

Room by Emma Donoghue was one of the BEA Editor's Buzz picks this year, but I wasn't able to get my hands on a copy. Disappointed that I couldn't get a review copy, I put a request hold on it at my local library. This one looks so good that I'm probably going to buy a copy of my own, but wanted to make sure it was worth buying first. Sounds awesome!

Purchased:

Picked up copies of The Accidental Sorcerer, Witches Incorporated, and Wizard Squared by K.E. Mills at my library's annual Fall Book Sale. I haven't read this series, but they sounded like so much fun that I couldn't resist! Also picked up a copy of Vampires are Forever by Lynsay Sands at the same sale.

This is the eighth book in Sand's Argeneua series and, while I usually like to start with the first book, I didn't realize that this was number eight. Figure if I like it, I can go back and read the rest. :)

Looking forward to seeing what everyone else received this week, as I play catch-up in the blogosphere!

Blogmania Winners!

Finally chose the winning names for my Blogmania prize packs! I've emailed the winners and am just waiting for confirmation. So without further ado, here are the lucky readers who will soon be enjoying Bookish Delights! :-)

#1 Barnes & Noble Booklovers Prize Pack

#670 Jessica (highvoltage!)

#2 Urban Fantasy Prize Pack

#347 Tracy P

#3 Young Adult Prize Pack

#184 Jamee (**klement)

#4 CSN Prize Pack

#520 Tiffany (**dudley)

Congratulations to all of the winners!

Thank you!

Just a quick thank you to everyone who stopped by for Blogmania! I received over 700 entries, making this my most successful giveaway ever! Also gained several new followers, who I hope will stick around so we can get to know one another.

It's been a busy few days, but I promise to email and announce the winners soon!

Thanks again!

Blogmania - Bookish Delights! - CLOSED

Blogmania 2010 is here!

Welcome to Blogmania, a 48 hour event where you can discover great new blogs and enter some incredible giveaways! My blog is #10 out of #169.

If this is your first time stopping by: welcome to Alexia's Books and Such.... I'm an avid reader with eclectic tastes, who will read just about anything so long as it's awesome! I know Blogmania is a busy time, so hope you'll bookmark my site and come back when you have more time to visit!

To my returning readers: welcome back! I'm really excited to be part of Blogmania, and wish everyone luck on winning lots of cool prizes! As books are my life, decided to offer several prize packs, full of Bookish Delights! So without further ado, here are the prizes up for grabs:

#1 Barnes & Noble Booklovers Prize Pack

This prize pack includes some of my favorite items from one of my favorite stores! You'll get: Barnes & Noble mug, Hold That Thought bookmarks, Brite-Spot Booklight, Vintage Map Bookplates, Books to Check Out Journal, Gimble Handsfree Book Holder, and Barnsie the Bear!

#2 Urban Fantasy Prize Pack

This prize pack includes some cool paperbacks I really enjoyed, and another awesome reading journal: Dying Bites by D.D. Barant, Mind Games by Carolyn Crane, Reading Journal for Book Lovers and my new favorite Hold That Thought bookmarks!

#3 Young Adult Prize Pack

This prize pack includes some of my favorite Young Adult titles, including a cool green Vlad Tod tote bag! Prize Pack includes: Gently read ARCs of Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, and Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel.

#4 CSN Prize Pack

$60 gift certificate

from CSN Stores

4 prize packs, 4 winners. I'll choose the winners using a random number generator, and do my best to send you a prize you want. Prize packs #1-3 will include surprise swag!

Giveaway Guidelines:

1. Open to US mailing addresses only. 
2. Must be at least 13 years old to enter (or have permission from parent/guardian).
3. Fill out the form below. 
4. Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on 9/16/10. Be sure to check back after that and see if you've won! I will be emailing winners no later than 9/20/10. Winners will have 72 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Don't forget to hop on to the next giveaway - there are over $38,000 in prizes to win!!!

Good luck!

Review: Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton

Tyger Tyger by Kersten Hamilton

Source:  eARC provided by the publisher, via NetGalley

Rating: 4/5

Teagan Wylltson's best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures -goblins, shape-shifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty -are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn't worried. Her life isn't in danger. In fact, it's perfect. She's on track for a college scholarship. She has a great job. She's focused on school, work, and her future. No boys, no heartaches, no problems.

Until Finn Mac Cumhaill arrives. Finn's a bit on the unearthly beautiful side himself. He has a killer accent and a knee-weakening smile. And either he's crazy or he's been haunting Abby's dreams, because he's talking about goblins, too . . . and about being The Mac Cumhaill, born to fight all goblin-kind. Finn knows a thing or two about fighting. Which is a very good thing, because this time, Abby's right. The goblins are coming. (Goodreads summary)

My Thoughts:
Really enjoyed this one! It's a little different mythology than I'm used to, and introduced me to some Irish legends as well. In this world, goblins are what I normally think of as fairies. No Unseelie or Seelie courts are mentioned, just the nasty goblins. I liked Kersten's take on fairy, as so many authors are in love with the beautiful fey, so it was refreshing to find someone who thought they weren't all that. ;)

Teagan's mother was raised by Irish Travellers, but settled down with Teagan's father to raise a family. Everything is normal until cousin Finn shows up to stay with them, as the goblins have followed. Things begin to go wrong, and it's up to Teagan and Finn to set things right! And if they happen to catch each other's eye along the way.... well, these things happen.

Gave this one a 4/5 as I really enjoyed it! Loved the characters, the plot was well paced and interesting, it's well written, and the author came up with an original idea. So glad that this was offered on NetGalley, as I'm not sure I would have picked it up otherwise. I highly recommend this one if you love original storylines and good fantasy!

This book will be released November 15, 2010.

Blogmania Sneak Peek - CSN Stores

Only a few more days until the huge Blogmania Event! I don't know about you, but I'm starting to get really excited! There are over 175 blogs participating and, judging by the sneak peeks I've seen, the giveaways will be amazing!

I was thrilled when CSN agreed to be one of my Blogmania sponsors, as I adore their stores! For those of you not familiar with CSN, they have over 200 specialty stores, selling everything from:

the perfect bedroom vanity  

 

to pots and pans:

to my all-time favorite: bookcases!  

So whatever you're looking for, odds are that you'll find it at one of the CSN stores! I've been really happy with my bookcase, and my cat loves her scratching post, both from CSN!

CSN has very generously agreed to donate a $60 gift card as a Blogmania prize, which can be used at any of the 200+ stores. Be sure to stop back on Wednesday for a chance to enter and win!

In My Mailbox (53)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. I have included links to Goodreads should you want more information on the books.


For Review:

Received an ARC of The Fall by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan from the publisher for review. Very excited to see this in my mailbox, as I enjoyed book one, The Strain!

From the authors of the instant New York Times bestseller The Strain, comes the next volume in one of the most imaginative and frightening thriller series in many, many years! Last week they invaded Manhattan. This week they will destroy the world...


From the Library:

I've been trying to get my hands on a copy of Holly Black's White Cat for awhile now, so was very happy when the library called to say my reserved copy had come in! Entered contest after contest for this one, but no luck. I'm still on a self-imposed book buying ban, so borrowing it from the library will have to do for now.

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers - people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail - he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Purchased:

My preorder of The Darkest Edge of Dawn by Kelly Gay finally arrived! One of the nice things about preorders is that I usually forget about them, so they're always a nice surprise when they turn up! Love Kelly's writing, and really looking forward to reading this one!

It takes a strong woman to keep the peace in a city of endless night. . . . Deep beneath Underground, a cunning bid for power and revenge has begun - one that threatens to make Atlanta the new battleground in the ultimate confrontation between good and evil. The powers of hellish Charbydon have the upper hand after plunging the city into primordial night. And under the cover of darkness, a serial killer targets the most powerful Elysians in the city, the angelic Adonai. For Detective Charlie Madigan and her siren partner Hank, tracking deadly predators is all in a day’s work . . . but this case will test the limits of their strength and friendship as it draws them into a deadly world of power plays, ancient myths, explosive secrets, and a race against time that risks all that Charlie holds dear.

Looking forward to seeing all the treasures everyone got in their mailboxes this week!

Review: The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

 Source: ARC provided by the publisher, via Shelf Awareness  

 Rating: 5/5

 On Sale Date:  9/21/2010


Synopsis:
Mackie Doyle seems like everyone else in the perfect little town of Gentry, but he is living with a fatal secret - he is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now the creatures under the hill want him back, and Mackie must decide where he really belongs and what he really wants.

A month ago, Mackie might have told them to buzz off. But now, with a budding relationship with tough, wounded, beautiful Tate, Mackie has too much to lose. Will love finally make him worthy of the human world?

My Thoughts:
This story sucked me in and wouldn't let me go! I've heard about changelings before, but never thought to wonder what life was like for the ones who survived. Mackie's older sister Emma explains that if the new mother loves the replacement and takes really good care of it, the changeling can grow up strong and healthy and normal. But Mackie knows the truth; mothers didn't love the hungry, scary things that replaced their babies. They couldn't. But sometimes, if the changeling was lucky, maybe sisters could. And lucky for Mackie, he had Emma.

Mackie is an interesting character. He's spent his entire life trying to avoid notice and be invisible, as life can be painfully short for those who are different. As Mackie points out: people get beaten to death for being me. People have close, personal relationships with lynch mobs for being me. I am on the outside all the time, with no chance at a normal life, no way to be average or to fit in. That sounds so sad and lonely, that my heart really went out to him.

Life is getting harder and harder for Mackie, as being constantly surrounded by iron has taken it's toll and he hasn't felt healthy in a long time. Emma comes to the rescue once again, trying to help, but unknowingly making things...complicated. Then one of the children taken is his schoolmate's little sister, and Tate won't let Mackie turn a blind eye any longer.

Gave this book a 5/5 as I simply couldn't put it down. The writing drew me in, the characters were all engaging, it was fast paced, and I thought it was an original and interesting story. The cover was a little scary and I thought it would be more of a horror story, but I think it read more like dark fantasy. This book was so well done that I was surprised to discover that this is Brenna's first novel. She is incredibly talented, and I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next!