Wednesday, November 28, 2012

WWW Wednesday (17)

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?


What are you currently reading?
Erin
After I finished Fire I decided I should get to reading Bitterblue. I mean, I've had it since April, and I read and loved Graceling and Fire shortly after getting it—I don't know why it took me so long.

What did you recently finish reading?
Erin
For some reason I had an itch to read a Graceling Realm book, so I re-read Fire because it's my favorite. It was just as amazing as the first time around.

What do you think you'll read next?
Erin
I WILL start this next! I will! (I probably won't start it.)


What are your WWW answers?

—Tea for Three Team

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday (14)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.


Top Ten Most Anticipated Books For 2013.

This one was so hard! There are SO MANY great books coming out in 2013, I wanted to make my list 30 books long!

Erin's Picks (as well as some of Amanda's, marked *):
1. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
I'm so excited for this book I can hardly stand it!! It's THE LAST ONE!

Release Date: March 19

2. Gates of Paradise by Melissa de la Cruz
Another LAST ONE I can't wait for. Everything will happen! We'll find out if the gang can defeat Lucifer, if Sky and Jack will get to be together, if Charles is okay, if Allegra will be forgiven, and, based on sneak peeks Mel has tumbled, if Stephen is alive. Plus so much more! ALL OF THE THINGS WILL BE REVEALED!!

Release Date: January 15

3. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo *
Shadow and Bone was one of my favorite books this year, and after that ending both me and Amanda are pining for Siege and Storm.

Release Date: June 4

4. Rise by Andrea Cremer
Rift was another favorite of the year, so I'm ecstatic that Rise is going to be released just 5 short months later.

Release Date: January 8

5. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi
I absolutely LOVED Shatter Me, and, again, after that ending I cannot WAIT to read Unravel Me.

Release Date: February 5

6. Of Triton by Anna Banks *
Of Poseidon had the type of ending that authors shouldn't be allowed to write. I mean, an information bomb was dropped in the LAST LINE (the last WORD to be exact)! And we have to wait a YEAR before we can find out what happens next?! Cruel, cruel author, indeed.

Release Date: May 28

7. A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard *
Amanda and I both LOVED Something Strange and Deadly (you can read Amanda's review here), so we're both anxiously awaiting A Darkness Strange and Lovely. Plus, it takes place in Paris, which I'm excited to see steampunk-ified.

Release Date: July 23

8. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
I LOVED Holly's short story of the same name, so I can't wait for a whole novel set in Coldtown.

Release Date: September 1

9. Invisibility by Andrea Cremer & David Levithan
It's ANDREA CREMER *and* DAVID LEVITHAN! Need I say more?

Release Date: May 7

10. Blood Prophecy by Alyxandra Harvey
Yet another last-of-the-series book I'm super excited for. I often compare the Drake Chronicles to The Mortal Instruments in the way that during the first three books you're like, "WHY?! Why are doing this to me?!", and then you read the last three (or two, as the third isn't out yet) and you're like (please excuse my language), "WHAT THE F*CK?!!! How did I ever think what happened earlier was the worse it could get?! [Author] you're RIPPING OUT MY HEART!!" So. . .to say the least, I'm anxious to see how the Drake Chronicles ends.

Release Date: January 8


What are your most anticipated books for 2013?

—Tea for Three Team

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Stacking the Shelves (20)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Erin's Books:
Undeadly by Michele Vail
Death and the Girl Next Door by Darynda Jones
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz & Ron Bass
Witches of East End (ARC) by Melissa de la Cruz

I received Witches of East End from Erin B. via ARCycling, and everything else I bought.


What did you guys get?

—Tea for Three Team

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

WWW Wednesday (16)

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?

What are you currently reading?
Erin
I'm now re-reading it after reading the novellas, and I'm picking out all this stuff I didn't catch/know about the first time around. It's quite fun.

Amanda


What did you recently finish reading?
Erin
"What the what the what?!" was my reaction to the end. Even though I had read Throne of Glass previous to starting the novellas I forgot about Sam, and was, at least, a little bit shocked at the events in "Empire".

Amanda
Nooooooooothing (I've been so busy lately, but the epic-ly long fanfic that I've been working on is ALMOST DONE!!!)

What do you think you'll read next?
Erin
  
I need to catch up on my ARCycling reviews, so I'll start one of these next.

Amanda


What are your answers?

—Tea for Three Team

Trailer Reveal: Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

We're so excited to be apart of the trailer reveal for. . .
Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout!

First, here's a little bit about the book.

Opal (The 3rd book in the Lux series)
Available in both print and digital editions on December 18, 2012
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.


Now here's what you're waiting for.



About the author:
USA TODAY Bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, lives in
Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class where she spent most of her time writing short stories…which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult
paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.

Find Jennifer on: Twitter | Facebook |  Official Website






We're even more excited about Opal now that we've seen the trailer! What do you guys think?

—Tea for Three Team

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday (13)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.


Top Ten Books/Authors I'm Thankful For.


Erin's Picks:
1-2. Cassandra Clare, author of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices
I'm thankful for Cassandra Clare, because she is so awesome and she wrote two of the few series' that my friends and I fangirl over together. This is a two-point answer because I'm also thankful for City of Bones by Cassie Clare. It was the book that made me realize how bad Twilight was, and it's one of the only books that my bestie has INSISTED, to the point of being annoying, that I read. It (as well as City of Glass) is the book I re-read when I'm down (which you can totally tell if you look at my paperback).

3. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
(Speaking of Twilight. . . :D) While I don't like the books now, I had to include them. The Twilight saga was the series that opened up the world of YA books to me, and I've so many GREAT books that I probably would have missed had I not read Twilight. It was also the first series that really made my best friend my best friend, because we were the only people in our group of friends that had read the books, and, therefore, could only fangirl with each other.

4. Susan Dennard, author of Something Strange and Deadly
Susan, in a way, inspired us to create Sir Wellington, so for that I'm thankful. She's also really nice, wrote an awesome book, and was the first author to sign Welly (on the day of his making, no less!).

5. Richelle Mead, author of Vampire Academy and Bloodlines
Richelle writes such amazing books, and I'm thankful that she's allowed to write them. She is the author of the only book that made me tear up, and almost spill over. I have never cried because of a book, and at the end of Frostbite I came so close, because I really connected with Rose and felt what she felt—that rarely happens to me.


Amanda's Picks:
1. Tamora Pierce, author of the Tortall series of books including: The Song of the Lioness, Protector of the Small, and Immortals and also the Emelan series of books including: The Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, and The Circle Reforged
I can't really say enough about about Mrs. Pierce, her books too up the entirety of my 8th grade reading time, and this was when I really got into reading. I remember staying up until 3am reading In the Hand of the Goddess because I needed to know what would happen!! Even now I still like to read them (though my copies are literally falling apart at the bindings), the worlds and characters are so well-imagined and lovable.

2. Laurell K. Hamilton, author of Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter and Merry Gentry series.
Mrs. Hamilton is nearly solely responsible for getting me out of the YA section and into adult books. In high school my friends and I had a "book club" of sorts and we passed every single one of the Anita Blake books around. Some of my favorite quotable lines comes from these books and I still use them to this day. Man, it's been a really long time since I started reading these...

3. Jim Butcher, author of The Dresden Files and Codex Alera.
First off, if you know anything about me, you had to have seen this one coming. Mr. Butcher not only a) Made me want to be a kick-ass awesome writer (a goal that I am now working towards and realizing) but b) Showed me that High Fantasy (which I've always had trouble getting into) isn't all dry boring military movements or trudging through dreary, desolate landscapes while lamenting at how difficult this journey is AND I actually found that I can enjoy the finer points of strategizing against an enemy force while still getting my fill of amazingly developed characters.

4. Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
This book, let me tell you. I picked this up on a whim while book shopping one day without a clue as to what I had just gotten myself into. I cried, I laughed, I cried a lot more, and I watched the budding growth of love spread across the pages; it was beautiful and delightfully unexpected. Even this description doesn't properly encompass how much I love this book. (look it even made me wax poetic!)

5. John Green, author of Paper Towns, The Fault in our Stars, Looking for Alaska, and more.
John Green always makes me think. Even when I'm throughly enjoying his books I'm still thinking about some deeper (or higher) message behind them. They make me want to go out and do good while living life to the fullest. Not only that but he's amazingly witty with a sarcastic sense of humor that I can relate to well. It just makes me love his books all the more!


What books/authors are YOU thankful for?

—Tea for Three Team

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Stacking the Shelves (19)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Erin's Books:
Shut Out by Kody Keplinger
Easy by Tammara Webber
Bitter Blood by Rachel Caine
Reached by Ally Condie

Easy I ordered, and everything else I bought at Barnes & Noble. I'm so excited about Reached and Bitter Blood, as soon as I finished Throne of Glass I'll probably get started on one of those.


What did you get?

—Tea for Three Team

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Review: Something Strange and Deadly

Title: Something Stange and Deadly
Series: Something Strange and Deadly #1
Author: Susan Dennard
Publisher: Harper Teen
Genre: YA Paranormal/Horror
Pages: 371
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought
Rating: 4 ½ cubes of sugar (That's right, you cut that sugar cube in half before you put it in my cup!)
Buy: Amazon | The Book Depository

Summary:
The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.
(Taken from Goodreads)

Review:
So, this book. It was wonderful! I wasn't entirely sure what to expect out of it. I knew I would like it; it has zombies, creative inventions, and a rag-tag band of misfits (love them misfits), so what's not to like? The zombies were an inspired addition, not your average, gory, aimless, over-done zombies. They actually served a purpose to the plot instead of just being an element added to make things more suspenseful and interesting. The fact that time in the ground and decomposition is actually taken into consideration when describing the zombies interested me. Most of the time you get the gross, messy zombies, with eyeballs hanging out of their heads and innards all over the place. Let's face in, when a body in the ground for a while (we're talking years and decades) there isn't much left of muscle and skin. Most of these zombies were bone and sinew.

There were also plenty of plot twists and surprises that kept me reading (wasn't expecting that ending but I heartily enjoyed it, and nope no spoilers here!) I enjoyed every single one of the characters. Eleanor was a little hard to get into at first, but as the story developed, she also developed into the awesome, kick-butt character that I was hoping for! The Spirit-Hunters were easily my favorite though, they're all such interesting characters in and of themselves with such varying backgrounds. Needless to say I await the release of A Darkness Strange and Lovely with baited breath!

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

WWW Wednesday (15)

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?


What are you currently reading?
Erin
I'm working my way through the Throne of Glass novellas, and just started this (#3), so I'm not sure if I like it or not yet. The first two were great though.

Amanda
  
I was supposed to be reading Grave Mercy next but had to pick up The Fault In Our Stars at the request of my friend. The Casual Vacancy is on hold right now seeing as I'm having trouble getting into it.

What did you recently finish reading?
Erin
  
Like I just said, I liked these two ToG novellas—they had me wanting to re-read Throne of Glass.

Amanda
Haven't finished anything in a few weeks due to school work-loads. Bleh.

What do you think you'll read next?
Erin
      
I'm going to read The Assassin and the Empire next for sure, then after that it's a toss-up between Throne of Glass, Fire Study, and Graceling.

Amanda
  


What are your answers?

—Tea for Three Team

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday (12)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.


Top Ten Books I'd Want On A Deserted Island.


Erin's Picks (In no particular order):
1. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
This book is over 500 pages, and one of my favorites ever, so it was an obvious choice.

2. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
This is another of my favorite books ever, and it's over 500 pages, so an easy choice.

3. Fire by Kristin Cashore
I love this book so much, and, again, it's a large book, so I'd want it with me.

4. Poison Study by Maria V Snyder
Compared to the others this is a small book, but it's a favorite, so it's coming with me.

5. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Figured I should add a contemporary, for when I get tired of all the fantasy, so I chose my favorite.


Amanda's Picks:
1. Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
This is one of my favorite books so I wouldn't mind re-reading it.

2. The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Another favorite and a long one, so this is a good choice.

3. Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
Easily my favorite book out of The Dresden Files series and another that I could read again and again.

4. The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett
I absolutely love this book! Have to bring it with me.

5. The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt
Nice and long, super interesting, and a good read.


What are your choices?

—Tea for Three Team

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Stacking the Shelves (18)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.


Erin's Books:
  
Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols
Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky
The Summer of Firsts and Lasts by Terra Elan McVoy
Venom by Fiona Paul

B&N gift card and Venom bookmarks

Ebooks:
Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord by Sarah J. Maas
The Assassin and the Desert by Sarah J. Maas
The Assassin and the Underworld by Sarah J. Maas
The Assassin and the Empire by Sarah J. Maas

The B&N gift card and Venom bookmarks came from Fiona Paul, and everything else I bought.


—Tea for Three Books

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Review: Anna and the French Kiss

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Series: Standalone
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Speak
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Pages: 372
Format: Paperback
Source: Library
Rating: 5 cubes of sugar
Buy: Amazon | The Book Depository

Summary:
Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend, and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's not too pleased when her father decides to send her to boarding school in Paris for her senior year. But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new friends, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken—and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end in the French kiss she's been waiting for? (Taken from inside flap)

Review: 
I LOVED Anna and the French Kiss. So much. I read a library copy, and now I want to go BUY a copy, so I can read it again whenever I want. That I even want to read it again right now, just a few days after finishing, says something huge about the story—I usually only re-read when I want a refresher before a sequel comes out.

I loved the writing style. Stephanie emphasizes like I do, with CAPITAL LETTERS, as well as italicization. I have never seen another author emphasize with capitals (in a published book), and it made me happy to see I wasn’t alone.

The storyline was excellent, as I said earlier, though I spent most of the book telling St. Clair to "Just dump Ellie already!" I actually said that out loud, multiple times. This novel was fun, and light, and a little infuriating, but it was a nice change of pace from the edgier romance I read right before this. I definitely recommend Anna and the French Kiss to anyone who wants a cute contemporary romance, or even just a fast read.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

WWW Wednesday (15)

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?


What are you currently reading?
Erin

What did you recently finish reading?
Erin
  
I loved them both so much!

What do you think you'll read next?
Erin


What are your answers?

—Tea for Three Team

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday (11)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.


FREEBIE - Top Ten Favorite Kick-Ass Heroines
Since we missed last week, we're going to do that topic.


Erin's Picks (In no particular order):
1. Clary Fray of The Mortal Instruments.

2. Zoey Redbird of House of Night.

3. Claire Danvers of The Morganville Vampires.

4. Rose Hathaway of Vampire Academy.

5. Calla Tor of Nightshade.

6. Eleanor Fitt of Something Strange and Deadly.

7. Tally Youngblood of Uglies.

8. Ember Morrow of Rift/Nightshade Prequel.

9. Alina Starkov of The Grisha Trilogy.

10. Celaena Sardothien of Throne of Glass.

I was going to do separate explanations for each character, but they'd all basically say the same thing. These heroines all stand up for what's right and definitely kick-ass while doing it. There are also so many others that I could include in this list—I had a hard time narrowing it down!


—Tea for Three Team

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Stacking the Shelves (17)

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tygna's Reviews.

Erin's Books:
Water Tales: Aquamarine and Indigo by Alice Hoffman
Forever by Judy Blume
Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
When It Happens by Susane Colasanti
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Valkyrie Rising (signed) by Ingrid Paulson
Venom (signed) by Fiona Paul

Valkyrie Rising bookmarks and stickers
Venom bookmark
Breathless Reads bookmark

Okay, I didn't realize I got so much until I put together this post, so here we go. Valkyrie Rising and swag came from the author, Ingrid Paulson; Venom and remaining bookmarks came from the author, Fiona Paul. Anna, Lola, When It Happens, and Forever came from the library. Everything else I bought (and consequently got shunned and dishonored for doing so). Also, can you tell I'm on a contemporary romance kick? :D


We hope to get back to our regularly scheduled programming soon, so until then, what did you stack your shelves with this week?

—Tea for Three Team