Saturday, November 6, 2010

Follow Fridays!


To join Parajunkee's new feature and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list.
2. Follow our Featured Bloggers.
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments.
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can.
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers.
7. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!

This week's question is ...
Who are your favorite authors??


Oh, favorite authors. Honestly, it's like picking favorite books right now for me ... there's too many to name! I will say that, out of the books that I have read lately, some of my favorite authors are Gena Showalter (this should be a given), Kate Kaynak (I love her Ganzfield series and she is so sweet!), Beth Fantaskey, Charlaine Harries, Lauren Kate, Maggie Stiefvater, and so many more! Gah, I so cannot decide!!


Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday


A Touch Mortal
Leah Clifford
Greenwillow Books

To be Released:
February 22, 2011


(Goodreads) Eden didn’t expect Az.

Not his saunter down the beach toward her. Not his unbelievable pick up line. Not the instant, undeniable connection. And not his wings.

Yeah.

So long happily-ever-after.

Now trapped between life and death, cursed to spread chaos with her every touch, Eden could be the key in the eternal struggle between heaven and hell. All because she gave her heart to one of the Fallen, an angel cast out of heaven.

She may lose everything she ever had. She may be betrayed by those she loves most. But Eden will not be a pawn in anyone else’s game. Her heart is her own.

And that’s only the beginning of the end.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays!


Of Bees and Mist, by Erick Setiawan

"Patience, dearest," said Daniel with a smile. "Mama will come around. She always does. Besides, I don't see us starving yet."

"It will be too late once we starve. Can't you bring it up with Papa?"

"It's no use. Papa leaves every decision to Mama."

Monday, November 1, 2010

Monday, Monday!

Hosted By: Book Journey

Last Week...
Of Bees and Mist, by Erick Setiawan (review)

This Week...
Vixen (The Flappers #1), by Jillian Larkin
The Bloodlight Chronicles: Reconciliation, by Steve Stanton

Future News...
Next week on Missy's Reads & Reviews, the entire week will be dedicated to Kate Kaynak's wonderful Ganzfield series! There will be reviews for the first two books coming out, themed memes, an interview with the wonderful author, and a giveaway at the end! Be sure to drop by and check it out!!


Hosted By: Should Be Reading

Do you have any special reading that you do as it gets closer to Christmas? If so, tell us about it! And, if not, tell us why not!
Like Halloween, there are certain traditions that I do during the Christmas holiday season. I do like to read some of the children's classics, as well as watch some of the shows. But when it comes to serious Christmas readings, I always do two things: I typically write short stories of my own to make me get into that whimsical mood, and I also concentrate on Christmas crafts and decorations. I'm all about some homemade gifts and decorations (and food!) when it comes to Christmas, so I try to concentrate on that more than themed readings. Plus, with all of the books I have lined up for reviewing, I don't think I'll have time for that!

Review: Of Bees and Mist, by Erick Setiawan


This book and its review on this site are part of a blog tour hosted by TLC Book Tours. For a complete list of the sites participating, as well as information on the author, please visit the tour page.






Of Bees and Mist
Erick Setiawan
Paperback, 416 pages
Simon & Schuster
July 6, 2010

(Goodreads) Raised in a sepulchral house where ghosts dwell in mirrors, Meridia grows up lonely and miserable. But at age sixteen, she has a chance at happiness when she falls in love with Daniel-a caring and naive young man. Soon they marry, and Meridia can finally escape to live with her husband's family, unaware that they harbor dark secrets of their own. There is a grave hidden in the garden, there are two sisters groomed from birth to despise each other, and there is Eva-the formidable matriarch and the wickedest mother-in-law imaginable-whose grievances swarm the air in an army of bees. As Meridia struggles to keep her life and marriage together, she discovers long-buried secrets about her own past as well as shocking truths about her new family that inexorably push her love, courage, and sanity to the brink.

Of Bees and Mist is an engrossing fable that chronicles three generations of women under one family tree over a period of thirty years-their galvanic love and passion, their shifting alliances, their superstitions and complex domestic politics-and places them in a mythical town where spirits and spells, witchcraft and demons, and prophets and clairvoyance are an everyday reality. Erick Setiawan's astonishing debut is a richly atmospheric and tumultuous ride of hope and heartbreak that is altogether touching, truthful, and entirely memorable.


I don't know if I can put into words what this novel has invoked in me, but I have to tell you that this is as close as I've come to a grown-up fairytale in a long time. Set in an unknown land that is similar to our own yet full of magic, Of Bees and Mist takes us on a journey in the lives of three generations of women in one family. The story is primarily told from Meridia's perspective, who is born to parents that soon fall out of love after she is born. She is raised in a house that is constantly cold, with visiting mists and elongating staircases. Meridia never really fits in and stays to herself for the most part, until she meets a handsome young man named Daniel. Soon, she is head over heels in love and abandons her cold home and eccentric parents to marry and live with Daniel and his family. At first exciting and new, Meridia quickly learns all that glitters is not gold in Daniel's family with two sisters at odds, a somewhat lazy father, and a mother (Eva) who can summon bees in heated arguments to tear down her opponent's resistance to get her way. Without even realizing it, Meridia becomes Eva's biggest competition and ultimate opponent of wits and in keeping Daniel's heart.

Even though this story is set in a fantasy land, Setiawan makes it feel very familiar to our own ordinary world. Through the magic, you have a story full of very real, very normal human problems. It's a story about family drama and all of the ups and downs that come with it. Competition, right and wrong decisions, consequences, betrayal, adultery, neglect, and the oh so dreaded "evil mother-in-law" are all common themes in this book. All of the characters face dilemmas, and all have very specific ways with dealing with their problems. Some you sympathize with, some your heart aches for, and some you just want to smack.

The characters are all unique and definitely their own persons. Meridia is the most prominent character and I empathized with her a lot. Though she sometimes made rash decisions that I didn't particularly agree with, she is a worthy character full of life, love, and spirit. I admire her strength in dealing with her mother-in-law, her own family, and all of the strains that her marriage to Daniel went through. Daniel is a good match for Meridia in some ways, but he is one of these men that takes the term "Momma's Boy" to an extreme ... and not in a good way. Hannah is a character that I don't think we got to see enough of, but she came in at the right moments and gracefully made her depature(s) once her job was done. Eva ... well, she's evil and I was starting to lose hope when it didn't seem that she was never going to have to face any consequences for any of her actions. I was overjoyed when some of the characters finally came to their senses. There are many more characters and all stand out on their own, but I think it's good for the readers to have a little mystery going into the story.

Overall, this is a very engaging story. I went in slightly skeptical because of the subject matter, but it quickly won me over. Once I started getting into the story (which was very soon into it), I didn't want to stop and was still reeling over it long after I was done reading. Although it's not labeled as Young Adult, I have no doubt that some young women would actually love this book. I would most definitely recommend it to any and all that love fantasy or just a good family drama with a little bit of magic in it.




Author Links

Spooktacular Giveaway Winner!

Wow ... you guys have exhausted me! I had over 200 entrants for my Spooktacular Giveaway, and that's not including all of the extra entries that I had to add in. I want to thank you guys so much for entering and also spreading the word. You don't know how much it helps to get the word around when you just have a few extra seconds to tweet or add a link somewhere. So, HUGE thanks to all that took that extra time for me. You rock!

With that being said, we have a winner! The winning number, according to random.org, was 53. According to my calculations, that makes the winner ...

Lou!
Congrats!!


I am STILL tallying the votes to the Birthday Celebration because there are THAT many entries and extras as well. I should be announcing that winner tomorrow, then I'll be mailing out packages at the end of this week!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

In My Mailbox

Hosted By: The Story Siren
Inspired By: Pop Culture Junkie

The Bloodlight Chronicles: Reconciliation, by Steve Stanton
(from publisher for Green Books Campaign review)
Of Bees and Mist, by Erick Setiawan
(from publisher for TLC Book Tours)
Vixen (The Flappers #1), by Jillian Larkin
(for B&N First Look)

Moondogs, by Alexander Yates
Must you Go? My Life With Harold Pinter, by Antonia Fraser
My Reading Life, by Pat Conroy
(above books requested for personal reviews)

Red Wolf, by Liza Marklund
(requested for review)
Heavenly, by Jennifer Laurens
(gifted from author)


13 To Life, by Shannon Delany
The D.U.F.F., by Kody Koplinger
Misguided Angel (Blue Bloods #5), by Melissa de la Cruz


The Big-Ass Book of Crafts, by Mark Montano
Art Masterpieces to Color, by Dover

The two presents are from my best friends and I love them for it. I'm especially excited about coloring some masterpieces!

I know it may look weird with a few (or more) non-YA books. However, I AM 27 years old and I do enjoy books that aren't YA. ;)

This is Halloween!

Happy Halloween, everyone! I hope you all have had a wonderful week this past week and a safe holiday weekend! I am actually taking time out of my Halloween ritual of candy eating and movie watching to update you guys on what I have been up to this past week, since I haven't really updated.

In the boring news: I've been working a lot in my hometown, trying to help my parents with their place and working some at my uncle's house - and by working, I mean painting the entire interior of his house. It sounds simple enough but when you only have one person drywalling, mudding, sanding, caulking, painting and cleaning up ... it's a lot more than what you expect. However, it's more money in my pocket, so I'm not complaining.

In the exciting news: I had my birthday/Halloween costume party last weekend and it was amazing! It was a small party, but I figured out that when I'm a host - I like small parties better! I feel like I have to make sure that everyone is comfortable and having a good time, so having less people to spread myself between is soo much easier. My theme this year was Pimps & Hoes. I let my husband decide this year, and I have to say it was a success! I've also figured out that my husband and I have been subconsciously dressing in couple costumes the past few years. Don't believe me? Check this out ...

Themes don't help, I'm sure ... but we never really thought we'd be THAT couple. We love it, though. And since I posted the pic, I'll go ahead and let you in on the costume/theme info!

2010: Pimps & Hoes
We were both pimps.
Since we're both hard-headed, neither one of us wanted to be a hoe!

2009: Vampires
I was Snow White from Neil Gaiman's story, Snow, Glass, Apples.
Nick is a candy kid at heart, so he was a raver vampire.

2008: Your Choice!
I was Sakura from the anime Naruto.
Nick was Naruto.

2007: Favorite Clichés!
I was sexy Hermoine.
Nick was a Trojan soldier, which is sexy all in itself!

I guess the coupling started with Naruto, seeing as how Nick has me obsessed with the show ... so, when he ordered his costume, I decided to do the same. In all reality, my favorite girl on the show is Hinata - but they didn't have her new grown-up outfit at the time of the order. =(

In the other exciting news: I've acquired a nice pile of books for review and also books I've purchased and received for my birthday. I'm going to put those in their own In My Mailbox post later on between movies or something.

Now, for Halloween Traditions!

As I've said, Halloween is my favorite holiday because of dressing up and scary things. It is tradition for me to watch some of my favorite Halloween-themed movies and read some of my favorite stories around the holiday.

This year, I've chosen to the following:

Movies: Hocus Pocus, Interview with the Vampire, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Dracula, and Daybreakers.

Books: I had no choice but to read of Bees and Mist for a review (will be posted Monday). However, there's some supernatural stuff going on in the story, so it definitely kept to the theme!

So, what are your Halloween Traditions?


Don't forget!

My Spooktacular Giveaway is still going on until 11:59pm tonight! Be sure to enter!!
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