Wish Upon a Monday {RAK edition}

So I know there have been a lot of good books which have been recently released, that I just haven't got around to picking up!

I went through and picked out the ones which appealed to me the most, to make up my current wishlist.

If you're interested in purchasing from RAK, click here for the Amazon page to buy, or e-mail me for shipping information to ship from The Book Depository or any ARC/review/gently used copy you have lying around :)

Across the Universe by Beth Ravis

Uncommon Criminals (Heist Society #2) by Ally Carter
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Burn Bright (Night Creatures #1) by Marianne de Pierres

A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

P.S. Don't know what RAK is? RAK stands for Random Acts of Kindness, which is a movement started by Book Soulmates. Book lovers (usually bloggers) can post their wishlists up and sign up for that month. Then other users can buy them a book off their wishlist as a surprise!

It's basically another way of getting more books in the mail, except you do something nice for other people ;) Then at the end of the month, you highlight which books you gave and to whom, as well as any books you received. This is my first time doing it so I'm pretty excited! It seems to be a good way to network and make friends as well.

From Book Soulmates:

RULES RE-CAP:

• Sign up each month that you'd like to participate.

• Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button :)

• Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.

• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger for their address.

• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K!  Make a post saying 'Thank You' to whoever granted one of your wishes and share it with us :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE!

Let's keep our International bloggers in mind and in our hearts.

Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

Easy breezy!!

LINKS YOU WILL NEED:
Sign up for July {HERE}
See who else is participating in July {HERE} 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact via the following:
Vanessa at twerd413[at]gmail[dot]com or @booksoulmates
Isalys at booksoulmates[at]gmail[dot]com or @isabooksoulmates
(Twitter is the fastest method though.)

Does this ever happen to you?

Sometimes, weird things happen to me.

Probably the worst is when I'm walking down the stars from the 3rd floor of my university library... when suddenly I forget how to walk. It's like I start thinking about how one walks up and down stairs, so I freeze and forget what to do next.

Weird, right?

I read a lot of books, and something I've been noticing is that once in a while it takes a while for me to really sink in what I just read. I'll finish a book and think it was okay (or amazing) and then out of the blue, a couple weeks later I'll be thinking to myself,

"Why did you review it like that? Didn't you realize (this) was better, but (that) wasn't quite as good?" So I go back to my review and edit it appropriately and then I feel satisfied.

I'm starting to wonder if it's my approach to how I review books. I tend to review them right after I finish the book, while it's still fresh in my mind. But maybe I need to slow it down, and give myself time to absorb it.

For example, after reading Delirium, I was so sad and crying that I really wasn't in any shape to write a review that wasn't covered in tear puddles.

Am I the only one that this happens to? Or can you all tell immediately how much you loved a book after reading it and I'm the weird one here (this would be nothing new to me)?

This just happened to me with two books today: Divergent (by Veronica Roth.. you know, the IT book of the moment) and Crossroads (by Mary Ting). Both were better than I initially gave them credit for.

Upcoming Reads for July

I've got a few new reads coming up for which I'll be reading during July and will be posting reviews once I'm finished.

So as a little teaser to get you interested...

 Lion of Babylon By Davis Bunn

Release Date: July 1, 2011

ISBN13: 9780764209055

Natural Order by Brian Francis

Release Date: August 23, 2011

ISBN13: 9780385671538

Rumors of God by Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson

Release Date: July 19, 2011

ISBN13: 9781595553638

New YA author!

Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney
3.5/5

Release Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN13: 9780312622848

Way back in March 2011, I received a copy of M.J. Putney's debut YA novel Dark Mirror in a Goodreads giveaway.

At first, I was unimpressed with Putney's book because of how quickly it launched into the plot. Tory's magical powers are revealed nearly instanteously and that ruined my first impression.
** spoiler alert **
However, the characters do grow on you. I do have one complain still which is the first time Tory time travels to the future-for a few chapters, every futuristic concept must be explained to her which is rather dry for the reader. I understand that the character would not understand the inventions, but the reader does.

I was extremely satisfied with the ending, however, and I would most likely enjoy a sequel as well. Putney does not turn this into an adult romance novel although she does maintain the passionate feelings between Tory and Allarde which is extremely well-written.

What's so impressive about this book is how quickly it grabbed me and drew me into the story. It's an interesting take on the magical powers YA theme, and it reminded me of Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy. I only hope that it continues in that direction.

ARC/New Releases Reviews

I've recently won a few books and I've been doing some catch up reading to get through them and publish reviews!

I post all of my reviews on Goodreads, but these are a few I think need to be out there more and I wanted to share.

Let me first say that all of these books were won in Goodreads giveaways.

Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens
3.5/5 stars

Release Date: July 5, 2011
ISBN13: 9780312595685
Chevy Stevens writes well, similar to many other popular authors who write many books (think of James Patterson, for example). She draws you in to this story, and this book is told during the main character's (Sara) therapy sessions so you really get to hear her honest thoughts and feelings.

The basic plot is that Sarah was adopted as a baby and she wants to find her birth parents. What she discovers is horrific, and sets the plot in motion since this is all discovered in the first few pages. When I told a close friend about this book, she was concerned about potentially graphic scenes (particularly, the attack on Sara's birth mother). I want to make it clear that the book is not about that; the book is instead about how Sara's birth father starts contacting her and their attempt at catching the Campsite killer (as he is called).

This is a thriller, but it's more psychological than action-packed. Sara's own emotional issues and responses are probably the most fascinating draw of the book as she finds herself trapped without any real escape. There are shocking twists along the way, and while the book really isn't a mystery it is an exciting ride to go on.

It's hard to put down, and really doesn't take long to read if you sit down over a couple days and really immerse yourself in the story and characters. For myself, I found it fascinating to see the family relationships play out, especially the biological similarties Sara starts to notice after a while between herself, her birth father, and her daughter. People who come from interesting family backgrounds (particularly those with difficult parents) would probably enjoy this, as would those who enjoy the thriller genre.

Crossroads by Mary Ting
4/5 stars

Release Date: April 6, 2011
ISBN13: 9781456888572

It's another spin on the angel/human supernatural YA genre, but this one is nice because it's about more than fighting a villain and forbidden romance. The main character, Claudia, is being attacked by supernatural forces and is able to break through to a supernatural world of angels that she should not be able to. She develops friendships with some of these angels.

This is a good YA book which I was pleasantly surprised by. Ting writes well, and since this is one of her first published books I'm sure she'll only get better.

There were times when I felt frustrated with Claudia as a character since she felt almost too perfect. Michael was a far more intriguing character for me. As well, the plot is very black and white and simple but that may change in future sequels. as well, parts were confusing as to the motives why Ting would include something in the plot, such as the two Claudia Emerson characters, but that can easily be looked over by the end of the book.

The relationship between Claudia and her Gamma was truly touching and made me tear up! Easily the best part of the book in my eyes.

Butterfly by Jodi Bullock
4/5 stars

Release Date: April 21, 2011
ISBN13: 9780615476032

I really loved this book! I wasn't expecting much but Jodi Bullock is a wonderful writer and portrayed the thoughts and emotions of a fifteen year old girl perfectly!

It's a fairly short book that doesn't take long to read but the plot felt as though it flowed naturally. I really enjoyed this unique plot, and it's very different from most teen/YA books being published now. It moved along just fast enough and Brooke was an easy character to relate to and enjoy.

There were some technical errors, but they were minor. It's a light read, but it's worth it. It's a clean book, great for middle graders and teens, and those who enjoy clean YA books.

My Treasure Boxes

These are my most precious treasure boxes. They are bursting open with thousands of golden words, and they're gone far too quickly.
But hopefully, some parts of them are lasting.

I have 3 books on the go right now. I can't help but read; I inhale books too easily, and they captivate me.

I have always been a slacker when it comes to devotionals. I've barely completed any of the (numerous) ones I've bought. But this time, I'm determined. I need a change, I crave a change. Change is coming my way.

One Thousand Gifts

This is one of the "it" Christian books out right now. I have a good friend who has been sharing her list on Facebook for a while now, and she's shared this book with many others in turn. When I saw it was only $5 on my Kindle, I couldn't resist.

Ann Voskamp is a beautiful writer. Every paragraph reads like prose with stunning imagery. And in this book she weaves the story of how she was dared to list one thousand gifts God has blessed her with, and she has now inspired so many people to do the exact same thing.

Devotions for Dating Couples
J and I just started going through this book this week. I'd been looking for something we could do together for a while now and this one caught my eye for several reasons.

Each day is a short little devotional, only a couple pages long. This is perfect for the two of us because I'm always reading multiple books at a time, and he isn't a big fan of reading. This way neither of us feels overwhelmed by it.

My second reason is that Ben Young and Dr. Samuel Adams base this book on building a stronger relationship for each individual with God first and foremost. As well, it's meant for serious couples who are looking towards marriage in the future.

Most of the reviews I read suggested this book as a good way for a couple to build a spiritual foundation together. It's one of the few out there that is written for dating couples, rather than engaged or married couples.

Lastly, it easily fits into our schedules. Monday through Friday is meant to be done on your own, while Saturday has time to discuss what you've studied throughout the week. There is no reading for Sunday, as the authors encourage couples to go to church together then. This is great for us, since we're fairly long distance right now.

Espresso with Esther

Finally, I'm going through my own study on the book of Esther. Esther has always been one of my favourite biblical characters, and her story intrigues me. This is probably obvious from the way this blog has been themed around the topics brought up in this book.

Sandra Glahn has a collection of Bible study books called the Coffee Cup Series. They're meant to be smaller books that you can fit in easily to your schedule, either as an individual or in a group. Its a small, spiral-bound book with a nice cover so it can easily fit into your bag to be carried around. As well, she includes Scripture passages in the book itself.


I'm hoping to post some reviews of these books once I'm actually finished with them.

Goodreads Giveaways

I love to read.

So much that I practically inhale books at times. I can easily read a book or two in a day, if I have the time.

When I then discovered Goodreads I was thrilled. It took me a little while to get used to the navigation of the site, but I was quickly able to start adding books to my "shelves". I love how easy it is for me to now search for new books, especially based off of ones I've already read and enjoyed.

But by far one of my favourite parts of the Goodreads site is their giveaways. Authors and publishers use this to help promote their new books, but the best part is that it translates into FREE BOOKS for Goodreads users. I've entered quite a few, and in less than a year I've won three books. It's so simple to do- if you have a Goodreads account all you have to do is select which ones you would like to enter on the Goodreads Giveaway page. Then later on if you win, you'll receive an e-mail from Goodreads.

One thing to note is that Goodreads does not mail out the books, the publisher or author is responsible for this. It does take a few weeks to have them shipped, but I haven't had any issues with it.