Sylvia Day Signs SPELLBOUND

Tonight I attended a fantastic event at my favorite bookstore, Mysterious Galaxy Redondo Beach! I had the pleasure of meeting Sylvia Day, author of the dark & sexy Crossfire series.

Sylvia Day Signs SPELLBOUND

We have a fabulous Friday evening planned for you! Bestselling author, Sylvia Day returns to Mysterious Galaxy with her latest novel of passion, Spellbound. Sylvia’s publisher is providing us with wine to set the mood and we have invited Naomi Howison of Xocia Chocolate to provide tastes of healthy chocolate for everyone who attends. International best-selling author Sylvia's Spellbound features "A Familiar Kind of Magic," "That Old Black Magic," and the never-before-published "Black Magic Woman." Sylvia will address reader questions not only about Spellbound, but also her Crossfire series, her Marked series (published as S.J. Day), writing erotic romance in different subgenres, including paranormal and historical, and much more! Join us for TGIF with Sylvia! This is a ticketed event and includes a signed copy of Spellbound, wine, and chocolate.

I have to admit, I'm not that familiar with her work. I've only read about half of the first book of her Crossfire series, Bared to You, because it was intense. Good - but very intense. Too intense for me at the time. But I had to go to this event because seemed like such an awesome deal for less than $20! 

I will, however, go back and finish Bared to You based on the fact that I liked Slyvia as a person. It's always fantastic to meet authors and discover that they have awesome personalities. Slyvia's funny, witty and sarcastic - all qualities near and dear to my heart! I loved her expression in this picture when she talked about how disinterested her 14-year old son is in reading her romance books. Especially after all his teachers and friend's mothers say they've read and love them. As you can see, he was not amused, lol.

During the Q&A, Slyvia shared some great reflections on her experiences being an author. One of the answers to a question really stuck with me. Anyone who's a familiar with her Crossfire series knows there's a little trauma in the personal backgrounds of her main characters. She was asked, "why do you think women as readers are attracted to such broken men (like Gideon)?" Everyone giggled a bit at this, but her answer was, "it's really hard to fall in love with perfection." I am paraphrasing here, but still what a great answer!

I also liked how she views of herself as "a narrator of her stories, not the writer." She said that her characters tell her their stories. She went on to share an interesting perspective on writer's block. She said that sometimes when she gets stuck, it's because she's trying to make something happen in the book instead of letting the characters speak for themselves. I really identify with this point of view. 

The goodies at the event were fantastic, too. While I'm not a wine connoisseur by any means, I took a couple of sips and it was pretty tasty. I didn't get to try the chocolate though... boo. We also were surprised with a gift, a Crossfire tee-shirt! 

  

Slyvia also stayed well after the event ended to talk to her fans, and took her time to speak to everyone while signing our books. She seemed just as honored to meet us as we were to meet her!

I had a wonderful evening and am excited to check out her Urban Fantasy series, Marked, and her historical novels! For anyone who's interested, this signing was taped and should be uploaded to her publisher's website soon!

Thank you, Mysterious Galaxy, for another fantastic event!

Book Blogger Hop: January 31st - February 6th — Reading Order

Welcome everyone to another post of Book Blogger Hop (hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer). Each week there will be a new topic submit by a blogger and everyone can join in with their answers. You should join us! It's quite fun!

This Week's Topic/Question

When you receive new books in the mail, do the older ones get moved to the bottom of your list or do go strictly "by the book" and keep your list with older books first and then the new ones? (submitted by Elisabeth @ Silver's Reviews)

My Answer:

Good question! Mmmmmm. I'd say, it depends on two things: (1) how much am I enjoying the current book I'm reading, and (2) how much did I want to read the book I just received.

If I'm not enjoying a book I'm reading, I'm likely to immediately jump ship for the new book and revisit the other book when I'm done. However, if I'm enjoying my current read, I'll finish it and read the new arrival when I'm done. I might try read it faster if the new book is something I've been waiting for.

If it's something I've been waiting for, I will likely drop everything to read it. These are typically the books I read in one or two days. I'm just so excited by the time it arrives, I just have to finish it now now now! Especially if it's the final book in a series. I hate spoilers above all things.

I don't really think to hard about sticking to a reading queue though; my to-read pile is to long for that. The book that's screaming at me to be read next gets read next. The next book in a series that I love usually gets top priority, followed by any books for reading challenges.

Thoughtful Thursday: Perfect Marriage between Book Type & Format?

Hosted by Reading Is Fun Again

I created Thoughtful Thursday, because bookish thoughts kept popping up in my mind while reading, and I wanted to explore these questions and get your opinions too!

Each week, I will post a new bookish thought that I will discuss. Everyone is welcome to join. You can do this in two different ways. (1) You can discuss your thoughts in the comment section of the Thoughtful Thursday post. OR (2) You can post your thoughts on your site. If you do option two, please link back to the Thoughtful Thursday post, use the Thoughtful Thursday graphic, and add your name/post to the Linky widget. If the Linky is closed, feel free to add to add the link in the comment section.

This Week's Topic/Question

Does the type of book (e.g., genre, demographic, page length) inspire you to read the book in a particular format (e.g., audio book, paperback, hardcover, e-book)?

My Answer:

What an interesting question. There are a lot of reasons why I might choose a particular format.

• Audiobook: Yes! If a book in the classical genre (Austen, Shakespeare), is autobiographical, or a work of nonfiction, I would definitely prefer for the audiobook. Old English, while it sounds beautiful, is often lost in translation for me. Listening to the audiobook helps; the information is easier to digest when spoken. Also, I'm less of an academic when it comes to reading so autobiographies and nonfiction are a chore to get through and audiobooks help immensely. That said, the biggest factor in me choosing audiobooks is the narrator. I am a big fan of audiobooks and the reasoning for this is top-notch, fantastic narration. I've got a long list of favorites (Wil Wheaton, James Marsters, Emma Galvin, Ray Porter, Scarlet Chase, and Angela Dawe to name a few) that continues grow and expand. When I like a narrator, I tend to listen to their entire body of work which has been awesome, as it's exposed me to new authors as well as genres I've stayed away from like horror. One more thing to point out though, is that I refuse to listen to abridged versions ... I don't get the appeal. 

• E-book: Convenience is the big factor here. I own a Nook Color, so I buy quite a few Nook Books. Also, I always have my iPhone with me, and I have three e-book apps on it - Apple's iBooks, Amazon's Kindle and a Nook app that connects me to my Nook library. With all these options, it's rare that I can't find the e-book format for the next book on my to-read list, so it's probaly the format I use the most often. Also, it saves on space since I don't have to lug around physical copies. Also, with my iPhone, I have an Audible app that connects me to my audiobook library, as well.

• Hardcover: I'm very particular when it comes to hardback purchases due to the fact that this format is the most expensive. Before e-books and audiobooks got popular, i would just sigh and buy them if I book I was itching to get my hands on wasn't available in paperback when I wanted it. But nowadays, I only purchase hardbacks from my favorite authors.  

• Paperback: There's nothing that really motivates me to grab a paperback. I'd say the only thing that would make me go out about by a paperback specifically is if I couldn't get it via audiobook or e-book. Usually, these are books I find at the library, buy second hand, get from a friend or from my perusals of bookstores. Nothing special.

After everything I've said, I guess my short answer is the type of book only matters the most when it comes to audiobooks.

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases. Click the link to participate.

My Pick This Week: 

Book Title: Ignite Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Book Series: Shatter Me
Genres: YA, Dystopian
Release Date: February 4, 2014

Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she'll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew-about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam-was wrong.

In Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi created a captivating and original story that combined the best of dystopian and paranormal and was praised by Publishers Weekly as "a gripping read from an author who's not afraid to take risks." The sequel, Unravel Me, blew readers away with heart-racing twists and turns, and New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia said it was "dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense." Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and climactic end.br />

It's almost here... I can't wait to see how this series ends. To say this series has been one big rollercoaster is kind of an understatement. It's gone up and down, and back and forth, and around and around. But I definitely have enjoyed the ride!

Mostly, it's because of Warner. Ah, Warner. He's definitely one of the best "boys you love to hate, or hate to love." Can't wait for his end game. And honestly... I've never 100% trusted Adam, so I'm curious to see what happens .

Who will she choose? Will she make the right choice? I haven't a clue either way on either question.So excited for what's in store!

Fangirl "Squee-worthy" News!!!

Not only am I a hardcore James Marsters fan back from his Buffy the Vampire Slayer days, but I'm a huge fan of Jim Butcher (author of The Dresden Files). For anyone who doesn't know, James is the narrator for this series. He's bloody brilliant, too! He completely embodies Harry in the expert way that only actors can pull off. 

So, as you can only imagine, I pretty much lost it when I saw this on my Facebook wall a few days ago...

Knowing that the audiobook release will more than likely coincide with the book release is fantastic news. I'm sooooooooo excited!

Book Blogger Hop: January 24th - 30th — Finish TBR Stack?

Welcome everyone to another post of Book Blogger Hop (hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer). Each week there will be a new topic submit by a blogger and everyone can join in with their answers. You should join us! It's quite fun!

This Week's Topic/Question

Do you think you will ever read every book in your TBR stack? (submitted by Elisabeth @ Silver's Reviews)

My Answer:

This is a trick question, right? Who could possibly say yes? My TBR list seems to grow and grow and grow... and grow... with every breath I take. Whether I'm mesmerized by a stunning cover, intrigued by a book's premise, excited by the book trailer, have my interest piqued by an an awesome blog post or an enthused fan, or if I'm itching to get my fingers on a favorite series' and/or authors' next release, my list can't help but grow.

And actually, I'm okay with that. No matter what happens in life, I always know I've got a never ending supply of delicious book candy to nosh on ;)

Book Review: Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Book Series: Pushing the Limits, Book #3
Author: Katie McGarry
Genres: Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Format: Audiobook (Audible)
Narrator: Vikas Adam & Alicia Harding
Length: 13 hrs and 24 min

Book Club(s): Never Too Old for Y.A. or N.A. Books
Reading Challenge(s): Birthstone Color Parade & Series Challenge


My Ranking:

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

Beth is a fool. Everything about Isaiah made me melt: his dark confidence; the way he interacted with Rachel; the way he felt about Beth; and even simpler, to the depth that he felt thet. Oh my gosh, did my heart break for him each time he interacted with his mother. Isaiah is definitely my favorite male character of this series. I really felt for him. For me, he’s had it the roughest out of all of the male characters and I he really deserved a happy ending.

Rachel was interesting. I dug the fact that she was so hardcore about cars. It’s always refreshing to meet characters who have a real personality. I loved that she and Isaiah bonded over cars. I like girls who aren’t into girly things for the simple fact that it’s not what does it for them. On the same note - everything else about her was lacking depth. This isn’t something I’ve encountered much with McGarry. Usually there’s more to a character…

However, when I thought more about Rachel’s lack of depth, I realized that when you consider the role that Rachel has been born to play she doesn’t really need depth. She’s literally living filler. A girl to replace a dead girl, and nothing more. Which is actually absolutely horrifying when you look at it that way. All that was required of her was to be is a female that makes her mom happy. It’s all she’s expected to do and all she’s needed to be. She has minimal contact with her parents and her brothers. I remember there being a night where she’d be the only one in the home all evening - and it was expected of her. Her entire life all she was supposed to do was be and be perfect … poor thing.

Also, what bugged me was her complete misunderstanding of Isaiah's protective motives. Yes, I get that the last thing she'd want was someone telling her what to do. But considering how much was at stake, you'd think she'd realize that all he was doing was protecting her, but from actual danger unlike her brothers. I didn't like how she kept thinking everything he did was a reaction to her "weakness." He never treated her like that, and she jumped to conclusions a lot.

Moving on, I thought the premise of this one was really odd. It was like an emotional version of the Fast and Furious. Which frankly is as ridiculous of a plot as you can get. It didn’t really read that way, however, I enjoyed it. Not as much as Echo and Noah’s story, though. That was just perfection. But I did enjoy this one more than the last. I just don’t like Beth… never have and never will. I especially didn’t like her scenes in this book.

I really enjoyed how this story brought together a lot of the characters that have been floating around in the background. I really hope Logan gets a story, or Abby. They were great minor characters and I think they each deserve a shot at true happiness. Both are hiding behind crazy personalities and I think more is definitely there.

One thing I didn’t like was the unresolved issue of Rachel’s health. Why were her panic attacks so severe to the point of vomiting blood? Did she ever get help? Did her final speech (which was epic, by the way) cure her of her fears? Did they ever stop?

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. There’s no question as to will I be continuing this series - most definitely.

Vikas Adam was absolutely brilliant as Isaiah. I think he captured his quiet intensity perfectly as well as his anger and his sadness. I was on the verge of tears through most of the book, and definitely shed some during his first visit with his mom. I really like his narration style and I will absolutely be checking out more audiobooks featuring him. 

Alicia Harding did a great job as well as Rachel. Considering I didn't like the character much, I don't have loads to say about it. Had nothing to do with her narration, though. I'd be open to reading more from her.