Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

Title: Salt & Storm
Author: Kendall Kulper
Length: 416 pages
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Witches, Magic, Historical
Release Date: September 23, 2014
Source: e-galley (I was approved for this ARC via NetGalley. Thank you Little Brown!)
Read: July 2014

A sweeping historical romance about a witch who foresees her own murder--and the one boy who can help change her future.
Sixteen-year-old Avery Roe wants only to take her rightful place as the witch of Prince Island, making the charms that keep the island's whalers safe at sea, but her mother has forced her into a magic-free world of proper manners and respectability. When Avery dreams she's to be murdered, she knows time is running out to unlock her magic and save herself.
Avery finds an unexpected ally in a tattooed harpoon boy named Tane--a sailor with magic of his own, who moves Avery in ways she never expected. Becoming a witch might stop her murder and save her island from ruin, but Avery discovers her magic requires a sacrifice she never prepared for. 

GoodReads  || Barnes & Noble || Books-a-Million

***I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

One Year Blogiversary! (With Giveaway)

That's right! One year ago today, I started my blog and posted my very first post: Welcome!
I started this blog because I wanted (and was told that I needed) a hobby. And one of my favorite things to do is to read.
I read a lot, and one of my friends suggested that I should start a blog. And I am so happy that I did.
I might not be a big or popular blog, but this blog has brought me a lot of happiness.

When I first started this, I didn't have a clue of what I was doing. (I am still learning!)
So I didn't start posting a whole lot until February of 2014. And that was all thanks to me exploring the book blogging community more through Twitter and joining some challenges. Then I found the Love-a-Thon hosted by Katelyn and Alexa. And it was awesome. I had a lot of fun participating and meeting other book bloggers on the internet. I think it really helped me feel more like a blogger.

Since starting this blog, I have found so many new books and authors that I adore.

I like having a place where I can share my love of books, movies, TV shows, music and more...but mostly books.

So, THANK YOU to all the lovely book bloggers, friends, and others that follow, tweet with me, leave comments and talk books with me. It has been an awesome year, and I am really looking forward to this next one!

And since I am so excited, I have decided to have a giveaway.

The first giveaway is for a box of Young Adult Books.

There are 5 books total. There are a couple bargain books (they have the little black stripe on the bottom of the book and possible sticker residue on the back). And one used book that I am ready to pass on (I think it is in good condition).

These 5 books are:

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen
Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen (HB)
Unremembered by Jessica Brody

The Giveaway:

• US ONLY (Sorry International readers, shipping is just too expensive to ship out of country)
• I am not responsible for lost items in the mail.
• The winner will be notified by email. Please respond in 72 hrs or another winner will be picked.
• I will check the entries, so please enter correctly. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway



The second giveaway is for a KINDLE e-book copy of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.

The Giveaway:

• The E-book will be gifted through the US Amazon site. So you must be able to accept an e-book gift through there. 
• The winner will be notified by email. Please respond in 72 hrs or another winner will be picked.
• I will check the entries, so please enter correctly. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Chocolate Book Tag

I was tagged by Nikki and Keira @ Lazy Book Lovers! Thanks for tagging me.
I was tagged over a month ago, but due to summer vacation and simply being busy, I had forgotten about the tag. But now I am excited to finally getting mine done!

And I am going to tag:

The Winter People by Rebekah L. Purdy

Title: The Winter People

Author: Rebekah L. Purdy

Length: 320 pages

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy

Release Date: September 2, 2014

Source: e-galley (via NetGalley. Thanks Entangled Teen!)

Read: September 2014

An engrossing, complex, romantic fantasy perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore or Maggie Stiefvater, set in a wholly unique world.
Salome Montgomery fears winter—the cold, the snow, the ice, but most of all, the frozen pond she fell through as a child. Haunted by the voices and images of the strange beings that pulled her to safety, she hasn't forgotten their warning to "stay away." For eleven years, she has avoided the winter woods, the pond, and the darkness that lurks nearby. But when failing health takes her grandparents to Arizona, she is left in charge of maintaining their estate. This includes the "special gifts" that must be left at the back of the property.
 

Salome discovers she’s a key player in a world she’s tried for years to avoid. At the center of this world is the strange and beautiful Nevin, who she finds trespassing on her family’s property. Cursed with dark secrets and knowledge of the creatures in the woods, his interactions with Salome take her life in a new direction. A direction where she'll have to decide between her longtime crush Colton, who could cure her fear of winter. Or Nevin who, along with an appointed bodyguard, Gareth, protects her from the darkness that swirls in the snowy backdrop. An evil that, given the chance, will kill her.

GoodReads |  Amazon |  Barnes & Noble | iTunes

***I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Mummies in the Morning by Mary Pope Osbourne

Title: Mummies in the Morning
(Magic Tree House #3)

Author: Mary Pope Osbourne

Illustrator: Sal Murdocca

Length: 65 pages

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Classification: Children's Book, Chapter Book, Fantasy, Adventure, Mystery, Time Travel

Release Date: August 1993

Source: Paperback

Jack and Annie don't need another mummy. But that's what they get when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to ancient Egypt. There they meet a long-dead queen who needs their help. Will Jack and Annie be able to solve the puzzle, or will they end up as mummies themselves? 

GoodReads |  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

Title: I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent #1)

Author: Barry Lyga

Length: 359 pages

Publisher: Little Brown Books

Classification: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery, Crime

Release Date: April 3, 2012

Source: e-galley (Via NetGalley)

Read: August 2014

What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad? Jasper "Jazz" Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say. But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal's point of view. And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod. In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows? 

GoodReads || Amazon || Books-a-Million || Barnes & Noble

***I received an e-galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

August Highlights

I hope everyone had an amazing summer. My summer has come to an end, if only the summer heat would go away with it. My Cutie Pie has started back up with school. She is in the second grade. Since I was traveling on vacation and now visiting with my Dad (he is in town which makes me so happy) I am not getting back on track as soon as I had wanted. Hoping September will hold more time for reading once our day by day routine gets back to normal.