"To find out what a story's really about,' the Librarian said,

'you don't ask the writer. You ask the reader."


- SNOW & ROSE by Emily Winfield Martin


Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Waiting On Wednesday #139: TRUEST by Jackie Lea Sommers (YA)


"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This is where we get to 'spotlight' books that we are anxiously waiting to be released!!! The ones that we are dying to get our hands on and read into the wee hours of the night!!!
And, quite possibly, to make our shelves look pretty too :) 



What I'm currently waiting for... 



by Jackie Lea Sommers
Expected release date: September 1st, 2015
Published by Katherine Tegen Books (HarperCollins)
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary 
Format: Hardcover, eBook

SUMMARY

Silas Hart has seriously shaken up Westlin Beck's small-town life. Brand new to town, Silas is different then the guys in Green Lake. He's curious, poetic, philosophical, maddening - and really, really cute. 

But, Silas has a sister - and she has a secret. 

And West has a boyfriend. 

And life in Green Lake is about to change forever. 

TRUEST is a stunning, addictive debut. Romantic, fun, tender and satisfying, it asks as many questions as it answers. 




Why I'm waiting for TRUEST... 

First of all, the cover is STUNNING!!!
And even though the summary sounds a bit confusing to me, it seems that the book is from West's point-of-view... Silas is the new boy in town causing a bit of a stir... and that Silas' sister is a whole other person, not West - am I right??? 

Second of all, it sounds like a deep-thinking, emotional, pull-at-your-heartstrings contemporary - I love these kinds of books!

And lastly, the reviews coming in for this book are mostly 5-stars!!!
Which is a bit intimidating because my expectations are going to be high! 



SO, what are you waiting for this week???

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Book Haul #98: July 2015 Book Haul



Hello, bookworms!!!

It's been waaay too long since I've posted an update or haul!


Usually my summers are low key and relaxing; but with four boys running around now, it's been quite busy, distracting and tiring, lol! I am not complaining, I am very blessed! But, it would be nice to have energy to read, blog and review more... 
How are all of you doing???



*What I received for review...
- LETTERS TO ZELL (PB) by Camille Griep (A) 
- ARMADA by Ernest Cline (Hardcover) from PenguinRandomHouse 
- DON QUIXOTE and THE SECRET GARDEN by Jennifer Adams, Illustrated by Alison Oliver, from the author.
- SUMMER BY SUMMER (PB) by Heather Burch (A) from BookSparks 
- THE DAY THE MUSTACHE TOOK OVER (ARC) by Alan Katz (MG) from Bloomsbury
- A WHOLE NEW WORLD (A Twisted Tale #1) by Liz Braswell (ARC) from Disney Press for RockStar Book Tours

ARCs I received from TheNovl/Little Brown: 
NOT IF I SEE YOU FIRST by Eric Lindstrom 
DRIFT & DAGGER by Kendall Kulper 
I CRAWL THROUGH IT by A.S. King 
TRULY MADLY DEEPLY (Famous in Love #2) by Rebecca Serle 
THE DEAD HOUSE by Dawn Kurtagich 

*What we received from both of my #OTSPSecretSister's...
- A NIGHT DIVIDED (ARC) by Jennifer A. Nielsen 
- NANNY X RETURNS (ARC) by Madelyn Rosenberg (MG)
- THE SCORPION RULES (ARC) by Erin Bow 
- THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL (PB) by Soman Chainani (MG)
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians: THE LIGHTNING THIEF (Graphic Novel) by 

*From #BooksForTrade... 
- SHIVER (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) by Maggie Stiefvater (Audiobook)

*What I purchased...
- LOCKED: A Famous in Love Novella (#0.5) by Rebecca Serle (eNovella)
- THE BEAST (The Hunter Legends #1) by Lindsay Read (eBook)
- ROWAN (The Worldwalker Trilogy #1.5) by Josephine Angelini (eNovella)
- SNOW WHITE by The Brothers Grimm, Illustrated by Camille Rose Garcia (HB)


* * * 

A few pics from the past few weeks... 

Books that made me cry!
Popular/Loved books that I own and still haven't read... yet!!!
Books that I will be re-reading in August!
My biggest (and cutest) distraction! Pool time fun with the little ones :)

* * * 


Thanks for stopping by!!!

Please leave a comment with your link so I can visit your hauls too!!!
xoxo

Friday, July 24, 2015

Cover Reveal: GAME ON (Lewis Creek #2) by Michelle Smith (YA)


by Michelle Smith
Expected release date: January 2016
Published by Spencer Hill Contemporary
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance 
Format: Paperback, eBook


SUMMARY

Eric Perry is Lewis Creek's resident bad boy. When he’s named the new starting pitcher in a town that thinks baseball is everything and he is nothing but trouble, Eric knows he has to clean up his act. Lay low, his coach tells him—at least long enough to actually pitch a game. But when a fight with his teammate lands him in jail yet again, his season may be over before it starts…until his next door neighbor, Bri, comes to the rescue. Making a deal with Eric's coach, she offers him one final chance at redemption: community service.

Bri Johnson hadn’t talked to Eric in months. Her boyfriend Matt, Eric’s teammate and the school’s golden boy, didn’t like her to be around Eric. Matt didn’t like a lot of things Bri did or said or wore, which is why she ends it with him the same night he and Eric get into a fight—a fight over her. That night is the reason Bri offers to take Eric with her to the community center each week, so he can keep his spot on the team. But spending time with Eric only makes her life worse, as scandalous rumors start flying and Matt refuses to let her move on. 

While Eric and Bri work closely together at the center, old stories of stargazing, first kisses, and a time when they were friends start to re-connect them. As they open up their secrets and their hearts to each other, they start to see that they are more than what other people think they are—and even more than what they think about themselves.


PURCHASE LINKS




ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Michelle Smith


Michelle Smith was born and raised in North Carolina, where she developed a healthy appreciation for college football, sweet tea, front porches, and a well-placed “y’all.” She’s a lover of all things happy, laughs way too much, and fully believes that a little bit of kindness goes a long way.

Michelle lives near the Carolina coast with her family.



Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Cover Reveal and Giveaway: GAIA (The Wings of War #2) by Karen Ann Hopkins (YA)


by Karen Ann Hopkins
Expected release date: 
Published by: Self-published
Genre: Young Adult Supernatural 
Format: Paperback, eBook


SUMMARY

Watchers and Angels are at war. Which side will Ember choose?
As the apocalypse draws near, Demons are becoming bolder and Watchers are joining forces to fight them. But the Watchers have their own agenda, one that defies Biblical scripture. They don’t want the rapture to happen, making them enemies of the Celestial Host.
Against her own better judgment and an impassioned plea from a higher being, Embers stays true to her first mentor, seeking out a powerful earth Watcher to continue her supernatural lessons. Ember has had a glimpse into the future and knows what’s coming. She is being forced to develop her powers as quickly as possible, to fight the dark forces that are spreading across the earth. Heaven’s sentinels have abandoned their posts to prepare for war. And the walls between the planes of existence are weakening. But who can Ember trust? Her guardian and lover is a Demon. Her best friend is a growler. And her mentor is a psychopath. Humankind is on the precipice; at the end of times. As Ember struggles with morality, she soon discovers that there’s something more frightening than anything she’s faced before.

Excited about Gaia? Then be sure and sign up to be a part of the blog tour in August!






GIVEAWAY

- ONE lucky winner will receive a $25 gift card (Amazon, B&N, iTunes).
- THREE winners will each receive a paperback copy of book one, EMBERS! 
- Please enter via the Rafflecopter form. 
- Giveaway is open internationally.

(Bumbles and Fairy-Tales will not be held responsible for any lost, stolen, damaged, etc. prizes.)



ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Karen Ann Hopkins


Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats. Karen's main job is homeschooling the kids, but she finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lived in. The experimental knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah.

Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She was bitten by the horse bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, was rewarded with her first horse when she turned eleven. The feisty horse's name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen's steadfast companion. Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses. Eventually, she found her place as a riding instructor herself. Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. 

Karen is currently working on her Amish mystery series, Serenity's Plain Secrets, along with the YA paranormal/fantasy series, The Wings of War. Karen is also excited to announce the Temptation series has been optioned for TV by Pilgrim Studios and is available on Audible. More books in the Temptation series are in the works. 


Waiting On Wednesday #138: A THOUSAND NIGHTS by E.K. Johnston


"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This is where we get to 'spotlight' books that we are anxiously waiting to be released!!! The ones that we are dying to get our hands on and read into the wee hours of the night!!!
And, quite possibly, to make our shelves look pretty too :) 


What I'm currently waiting for... 


by E.K. Johnston
Expected U.S. release date: October 6th, 2015
Published by Disney Hyperion
Genre: Young Adult Retelling
Format: Hardcover, eBook


SUMMARY

Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to her village, looking for a wife.
When she sees the dust cloud on the horizon, she knows he has arrived. She knows he will want the loveliest girl: her sister. She vows she will not let her be next.

And so she is taken in her sister's place, and she believes death will soon follow. Lo-Melkhiin's court is a dangerous palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite threads to weave the most beautiful garments. She sees everything as if for the last time. But the first sun rises and sets, and she is not dead. Night after night, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her and listens to the stories she tells, and day after day she is awoken by the sunrise. Exploring the palace, she begins to unlock years of fear that have tormented and silenced a kingdom. Lo-Melkhiin was not always a cruel ruler. Something went wrong. 

Far away, in their village, her sister is mourning. Through her pain, she calls upon the desert winds, conjuring a subtle unseen magic, and something besides death stirs the air. 

Back at the palace, the words she speaks to Lo-Melkhiin every night are given a strange life of their own. Little things, at first: a dress from home, a vision of her sister. With each tale she spins, her power grows. Soon she dreams of bigger, more terrible magic: power enough to save a king, if she can put an end to the rule of a monster. 



Why I am waiting for A THOUSAND NIGHTS... 

First of all... which cover do you think is the prettiest??? 
Surprisingly, I am leaning towards the US cover... I feel that it suits the actual story much, much better.

Second... from the summary, it seems that the story is hardly a retelling. I'm curious to see what other changes, twists, etc. this author has done.

Lastly... it's one of my very few classic favorites! I'm really looking forward to it!!!



SO, what are you waiting for this week???


Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Waiting On Wednesday #137: MADLY by Amy Alward (YA)


"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This is where we get to 'spotlight' books that we are anxiously waiting to be released!!!
The ones that we are dying to get our hands on and read into the wee hours of the night!!!
And, quite possibly, to make our shelves look pretty too :) 


What I'm currently waiting for... 


MADLY
The Potion Trilogy #1
by Amy Alward
Expected release date: September 29th, 2015
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult 
Format: Hardcover, eBook 

SUMMARY

When the Princess of Nova accidentally poisons herself with a love potion meant for her crush, she falls crown-over-heels in love with her own reflection. Oops. A nationwide hunt is called to find the cure, with competitors traveling the world for the rarest ingredients, deep in magical forests and frozen tundras, facing death at every turn.

Enter Samantha Kemi - an ordinary girl with extraordinary talent. Sam's family were once the most respected alchemists in the kingdom, but they've fallen on hard times, and winning the hunt would save their reputation. But can Sam really compete with the dazzling powers of the ZoroAster megapharma company?

Just how close is Sam willing to get to Zain Aster, her dashing former classmate and enemy, in the meantime?

And just to add to the pressure, this quest is ALL OVER social media. And the world news.
No big deal, then.


Why I'm waiting for MADLY...
First... it's an original modern-day fairytale!!!

It is being compared to The Princess Bride!...
(I have to be brutally honest, that is a really hard book to live up to. So. I have decided to ignore that comparison and not force this book to be something that it may not be. Just saying!)

Next... did you see the bookcover? Did you see the UK edition???
Hard to choose!!!
Although, I am a hardcover kinda girl... hmmm...

Lastly... I just know it's probably going to be a fun, cheesy, adventurous and magical kind of book! I really can't wait to read it :)





SO, what are you waiting for this week???

 
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