In Which Kat Kennedy Guest Posts About Co-Blogging. And Crap.

Y'all know Cuddlebuggery, yes? If you don't then you need to check out the blog. It's super awesome. But that's not the point today--the point is that one of the bloggers from Cuddlebuggery was cool enough to write a guest post for me to post and for all you lovely people to read and enjoy and OMG YAY AMIRITE?

You may or may not know Kat Kennedy, and you may or may not have seen her around. But really, you HAVE probably seen her around. That chick is everywhere. But anyway, here's her guest post on co-blogging and those type of shenanigans. Oh, and crap. Did I mention that she mentions crap?

~~~

Have you guys ever received an email from Jessica Baker?  Most hilarious thing ever. Her random use of all caps is a magical thing that everyone should witness at least once.  But anyway, onto the work part.  I offered to guest post here for Jessica because she’s fabulous. I asked her to think of what she wanted me to talk about.  Here are the options I received:

a)      Encyclopaedias

b)      Having a blog partner

c)       Being snarky

And

d)      Crap

Out of all those options, I think I’m going to go with b) Having a blog partner.

Having a blog partner is a wonderful thing.  For real, Steph is the best person ever. She lets me rant on the blog with almost free reign, she handles authors and blog tours that I’m too lazy to do, she keeps the blog working and she is my soul twin.

For real, I met Steph only shortly before we started the blog together.  So it wasn’t like we were friends before we made the agreement to be blog buddies.  We were random acquaintances who teamed up to fight evil, or something like that.  But, what started as a business agreement, quickly became one of the deepest, most important relationships (apart from partners, parents, children etc).  She’s my twin, and we are now life buddies.  We message each other first thing in the morning, all through the day, and say goodnight to each other before we go to sleep. 

Being so deeply in love, as Steph and I are, is obviously an ideal that not everyone can achieve.  We’re living the dream here, guys.  However, we did make some very conscious decisions before we started our love affair/bloggermance, and during our initial relationship, that I think were helpful.

1)      We were very clear about boundaries and expectations

Steph and talked very clearly and exchanged numerous emails. We made agreements on the style of our blog, what our direction, niche and style was going to be.  Most of these things we stuck to, or negotiated over time.  Others, like our agreement that we’d be casual and only post when we felt like it was tossed out the window when we both realized we were complete workaholics.  The important thing is to have a plan about how you’re going to operate your blog, what it’s going to look like, and what should happen to it should one of you decide to quit.

2)      Bond Your Pants Off

Steph and I love each other.  We are both in similar situations in life – we both have young kids of similar age, similar backgrounds and life stories.  So we’re less blogging buddies and more like two people just doing life together.  We bonded our pants off (literally.  If we end up in bed together one day, it will be a surprise to no one), but we also respected each other’s differences and focus on all the things that bring us together.

3)      Let Go of the Control

Having a blog partner, a partner FOR LIFE, is all about letting go of control, collaborating and accepting that compromise is the spice of life.  I can’t tell you how many times Steph and I have disagreed on bloggery things.  But the blog is always better when we both relinquish control, and chill. A coblogger is not someone who joins your blog and does all the work for you.  A coblogger is someone to build a blog with.  Steph and I have had a long struggle.  She wants us to experiment with memes, I’m violently opposed.  It is the only argument about the blog we’ve continually had for the almost-two-years we’ve been working on the blog.  But everything else we’ve found a compromise on, or just plain given in to each other out of respect.

So there you go, that’s my recipe for a good blogger relationship.  I don’t know how helpful I am.  Steph and I are this amazing team, and I can’t honestly say it’s because of anything we did.  We just fell in love with each other.  It was an automatic chemistry, but one I’ll never regret.

So there you go.  Love you, Steph!  My honey pumpkin!

Thanks, Jess, for having me on the blog!

~~~

 

BOOM. That's it. Great, right? I found it amusing. Then again, I find everything Kat says amusing. Informative, too, of course, but mostly amusing.

 

Thank you so much to Kat for taking the time to write a guest post for me! And you. But mostly me.

 

So...do YOU have anything to say? Any opinions? What do you think? TELL ME. Seriously, I'd like to know.

Oh, and, fun fact: I linked to Cuddlebuggery and Kat's Twitter up at the top of this post. Clickety-click and join in on the randomness that IS Kat Kennedy.

 

♥Jessica(:

A to Z Book Blogger Survey!

Jamie from The Perpetual Page-Turner did this around the beginning of August and I thought it looked like fun! So I'm going to give it a go. :)

 

Author you've read the most books from:

Goodreads says Sarah Dessen--I've read nine of hers (all except for her newest, The Moon and More). But the answer should be Jennifer L. Armentrout. Well...if you combine her JLA ones with her J. Lynn ones. I've read more than nine of those, I'm pretty sure. Oh! But if you want to go before I started uses Goodreads and was a little wee one, it's Mary Pope Osborne. I've read a crap load of Magic Tree House books. Those things are the bomb.

 

Best sequel ever:

The first book that comes to mind is Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout. But I also REALLY loved Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor. This is such a hard one to answer! I'm going with both.

 

Currently reading:

Breaking the Reins by Juliana Haygert. And I'm really liking it so far!

 

Drink of choice while reading:

Water. That's actually my drink of choice a majority of the time.

 

E-reader or Physical Book:

Physical book. I do adore my Kindle but I LOVE being able to hold and look at and pet physical copies of books. I also love arranging them on shelves. (Or in stacks. You know, when I run out of shelf room...)

 

Fictional character you probably would have actually dated in high school:

Since I'm in high school right now I guess I just say who I'd date now? Ahhhh, I love so many book boys. But realistically...probably Dexter from This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen. He's a goof and is also sweet...yeah, I see that.

 

(I was GOING to say Guy Chambers from Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott at first. Just so we know.)

 

Glad you gave this book a chance:

Love's Forbidden Flower by Diane Rinella!

 

Hidden gem book:

I've done so much thinking about this one. If I had to pick ONE, though, I'd probably have to say I Now Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McCahan. So good and so sweet.

 

Important moment in your reading life:

Borrowing books from my friend Ashley. Twilight was the book (and series) that got me into reading, but Ashley was the person that got me to branch out into other YA. Her and my 8th grade advanced English class. A lot of the girls in there read Sarah Dessen books. Without becoming a Sarah Dessen fan, I...I don't even know. THANK YOU PEOPLE. <3

 

Just finished:

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead. FINALLY!

 

Kind of books you won't read:

Middle grade and most non-fiction. I'm also not a big fan of heavily religious books.

 

Longest book you've read:

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (756 pages)

 

Major book hangover because of:

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken.

 

Number of book cases you own:

One. It holds more books than you'd think, though. The rest of my books are in stacks. But I seriously need another. But first I must find room for it...

 

One book you've read multiple times:

The Secret Circle trilogy by L.J. Smith. That's three books...but I can't read one without reading the others! Team Nick all the way! I actually borrowed those books from a friend (Ashley, who I mentioned before, hehe) and then when I had my own money I bought them so I could read them whenever I wanted. Which has been quite a few times since then. LOVE those books.

 

Preferred place to read:

My bed. It's comfortable and it's also not private so when I start crying or yelling at books I don't get strange looks. There's also this rocking chair at my brother's house I'm quite fond of reading on as well.

 

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you've read:

And we're going back to my boy Dex... "You know, when it works, love is pretty amazing. It's not overrated. There's a reason for all those songs." -This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen. I also have a pen with this quote on it. Thank you, Sarah Dessen!

 

Reading regret:

Taking as long as I did to read Perks of Being a Wallflower. That book...it was a big deal to me.

 

Series you started and need to finish (all books are out in series):

There are a bunch of these, actually. I have a fear of final books. But I'd say the Hush, Hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick. I have the first two books and have read them, but I don't even own the last two. I need to get on that!

 

Three of your all-time favorite books:

I have a shelf for this on Goodreads, so I'm just picking the first three I see...

Stolen by Lucy Christopher, Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover, Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor

 

Unapologetic fangirl for:

Jennifer L. Armentrout (along with Val & Kay--the triplets!) and Victoria Scott (once the Super Fan, always the Super Fan)

 

Very excited for this release more than all the others:

The first book that comes to mind is Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott, which I have already read but I cannot wait for everyone to get to read it because I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

 

But I'll put one I HAVEN'T read, too--White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Can't wait to see her make gargoyles all hot and smexy ;)

 

One more because I can't help myself (I'm terrible at this, can't you tell?): The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead. Adrian! Ahhh, that boy kills me with his beautiful words. I can't wait to be inside his mind.

 

Worst bookish habit:

I don't do anything super bad...I treat my books super well. I do have a weird habit, though, of taking books of my shelf for little reasons and then not putting them back so they're stacked next to my bed. I usually do this until the stack is about to tip over, then I rearrange my shelves again.

 

X marks the spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

Your latest book purchase:

Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout :)

 

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late:

King Hall by Scarlett Dawn! Goodness, that book was addicting.

 

Oh, wait! The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead. I was up late for that one.

 

~~~

 

Jamie always has the coolest ideas for fun bloggish stuff! What do you think of my answers? Did you do the survey? I'd like to see!

 

♥Jessica(:

My First Crush(es)!

This is another post in honor of Taste the Heat by Rachel Harris! So before I get into my story, I shall give you the book details:

Taste the Heat by Rachel Harris
Release Date: July 8, 2013
Publisher: Entangled: Bliss
Buy It: Amazon | B&N

Description from Goodreads:
One sexy fire captain. One Cajun chef, One combustible kitchen…

When chef Colby Robicheaux returned home to New Orleans to save her family restaurant, the last person she expected to reconnect with was her brother’s best friend and her childhood crush. As tempting as a sugar-coated beignet, Jason is one dish she doesn’t want to taste. Colby is counting down the days till she can leave the place where her distrust of love and commitment originated and go back to Vegas.

Fire captain Jason Landry isn’t looking for love, either. He knows he should focus on finding the perfect mother for his daughter, but when he first sees Colby, all grown up and gorgeous, he can’t help but be drawn to her. And when she suggests a no-strings-attached fling, Jason doesn’t want to say no.

As their relationship grows more intense, Colby finds that Jason isn’t as easy to leave behind as she thought. Could turning up the heat on something real be worth the possibility of getting burned?

Okay, so. Taste the Heat. HOW does my first crush have ANYTHING to do with this marvelous book?

Well, funny you'd ask. You see, the two main characters, Colby and Jason? They've known each other since they were kids. And, HELLO FIRST CRUSH. Colby was all over it. Jason sounds hot, though, so I completely understand.

Now, on to MY story. When I first saw that this was going to be a thing (posts about our first crushes), I thought I was going to have to bring up a story I wrote this year in creative writing class. Which would have totally sucked because that story is SO embarrassing. But that story was about me when I was, like, twelve, and my first crush happened way before that.

Or, well. I'm actually going to talk about my second crush. Because I know for a fact my first crush happened when I was four with a guy named Jesse, but I was FOUR, therefore have no story to tell because I don't remember much. He was, like, my next door neighbor's boyfriend and he was over all the time and he would kiss me on my forehead as I walked by and I swooned my four-year-old face off.

But then my second crush...I was in first grade. His name was Chris and he was sooooo nice. Well, for a six-year-old boy, that is. And six-year-old boys aren't always nice to six-year-old girls because of cooties and all that important stuff. But he was nice and we were friends and we were assigned seats next to each other on the rug in our first grade classroom.

He was my first boyfriend. We held hands, I wore dresses to look pretty for him, and we picked each other whenever we needed partners for things. It was so sweet and completely innocent. And we felt so cool for being boyfriend and girlfriend--at that age, all you ever want to do is be older and like the big kids, and by being in a "relationship" we totally were.

We were like that for a few days, MAYBE a week. And then...well, I'm pretty sure we both just forgot about it.

Seriously. We went home for the weekend, came back to school, and were normal six-year-olds again.

Which is actually incredibly funny now, because that's NOT really how those kinds of things work...ha! But we were in first grade. Short attention spans and all that.

Where is he now? In high school, like me. We don't go to the same school anymore, though, since I moved to Texas. We WERE in the same school until eight grade, and I'm pretty sure I still have him on Facebook. We were friends (along with everyone else in our small school district) from first grade until eighth. And then I moved away and...yeah.

That is all.

I kind of wish I'd gone with the Jesse story right now. That would have been cute. But I have no idea where he is now. Or what his last name is. Or how old he is. Or anything. All I remember about that one was having a crush and one specific time when I was sitting on our front porch painting my nails (terribly. I sucked at painting my nails back then) and he walked around me to get inside and stopped to kiss my forehead. And BAM! Total swoon.

That's all I've got with that, though.

So, yeah! That's my first swoon.

I wanted to show y'all this video Kiera Cass made that has nothing to do with Taste the Heat, but IS about her first swoon. I think this story is soooooo incredibly funny and cute and you should watch it!

 

And...yeah, that's all I had to say. Yay for crushes!!

 

♥Jessica(:

Taste the Heat!

Hello, lovely people. SO. Yesterday (or maybe today, depending on when I post this...), this super awesome book came out by Rachel Harris called Taste the Heat! Check it out real quick before I go on:

Taste the Heat by Rachel Harris
Release Date: July 8, 2013
Publisher: Entangled: Bliss
Buy It: Amazon | B&N

Description from Goodreads:
One sexy fire captain. One Cajun chef, One combustible kitchen…

When chef Colby Robicheaux returned home to New Orleans to save her family restaurant, the last person she expected to reconnect with was her brother’s best friend and her childhood crush. As tempting as a sugar-coated beignet, Jason is one dish she doesn’t want to taste. Colby is counting down the days till she can leave the place where her distrust of love and commitment originated and go back to Vegas.

Fire captain Jason Landry isn’t looking for love, either. He knows he should focus on finding the perfect mother for his daughter, but when he first sees Colby, all grown up and gorgeous, he can’t help but be drawn to her. And when she suggests a no-strings-attached fling, Jason doesn’t want to say no.

As their relationship grows more intense, Colby finds that Jason isn’t as easy to leave behind as she thought. Could turning up the heat on something real be worth the possibility of getting burned?

I already read Taste the Heat and I loved it. Legit--LOVED. And I wanted to let you know that. Because it was seriously fantastic. (I DID review it for Bookish, but it's not posted yet, but here's a link to my Goodreads review if you want to check it out!) And then Rachel Harris, being the brilliant person she is, mentioned that writing about cooking with our families might be something fun to read about, since it has to do with Taste the Heat.

At first I was like, "Pfft, I don't cook. Darn."

But now I'm like, "WAIT."

First of all, I am the pickiest eater of all time. I always read about people randomly having food together and I always think how HOLY CRAP I'd never eat that. I am NOT the kind of person who you can just give food to and tell me to try it. I wish I was, but I'm just not.

Seriously. I don't even like PANCAKES, y'all.

I do like waffles, though.

So...cooking isn't really my thing. If it were to be, it would be incredibly limited by what I like. And that's really no fun. BUT, I do like baking.

Okay, let's get the laughter out of the way now: Jessica Baker likes to bake, hehehe hahaha.

I don't bake often. I am incredibly lazy and we don't exactly have ingredients to make kickass cookies lying around all the time (sadly). But then there is Christmas, and I must say--if there ever was a time for cookies, CHRISTMAS would be it.

--HOLD UP--

How does this tie in with Taste the Heat? The main girl, Colby, is a chef. Her family owns a restaurant. Cooking is/was a family thing growing up for her. And then the guy, Jason, has a daughter named Emma. They cook together and it's important. FOOD and COOKING are two things that very much bring people together in this book.

--OKAY, BACK TO WHAT I WAS SAYING--

Christmas cookies. I remember when I was in, like, second grade. We were making these cookies around Christmas time and it was getting late. My brothers had gone to bed and I was waaaaaaay too excited about the cookie thing to follow their lead. So my mom let me stay up while the cookies did their cooking thing in the oven. And when they were cooling down on the counter. And then she and I put the pretty pink and green and blue icing on the tops of them.

^That. That right there? It probably seems like nothing, and I honestly don't remember a bunch of details from that night (because it was, like, nine years ago), but it was really nice. It's something I think back on whenever families cooking together come up. It's also what I think about happily every Christmas season when we bake those FANTASTIC cookies.

And that is my story! Sadly, it's all I have since I don't really cook. Unless you want stories about my brother and I buttering biscuits on Thanksgiving, which actually wouldn't be a bad idea...my brother is a goofball. But NOPE.

That is my story. WOOT!

♥Jessica(:

What I Got #28 Librarians? Are the BEST

What I Got is a weekly meme hosted by Monica over at Cover Analysis :)

 

For Review:

    

    

 

Whoa. That's a lot, right? And I don't think that's even all of them. I'm going to be scrolling through my Kindle later and notice at least, like, three that I forgot to list. Blah.

 

Copper Girl by Jennifer Allis Provost

This is one of the books releassing from Spence City, the SHP imprint. It sounds like a super cool book, and goodness knows I love Spencer Hill Press.

 

First Light by Samantha Summers

This one's for a blog tour! I'm pretty sure she's dating a guy who murdered somebody? Or something? Either way, I'm so excited to get to this book. When I finally got it in the mail (all the way from AUSTRALIA!), I had to do a happy-dance. I remember this book looking great when I signed up for the tour. So yay!

 

Suddenly Royal by Nichole Chase

Kelly Simmon is a wonderful person and sent me an ecopy of this for review, and I am so happy about it! Royalty and romance. I AM SOLD. Also (I almost forgot this because apparently I am a RUDE, RUDE person) THANK YOU, KELLY! You're always so niiiice to me. I appreciate it more than I can say. <3

 

A Moment by Marie Hall

It's new adult and it seems romantic and that cover just...it just got me. So when I saw it on NetGalley... And I want to read it so bad right now. SO BAD. But I can't yet. Gah! Just...read the description on Goodreads. The book covers are all linked. Read it and then come back and tell me that book doesn't look fantastic.

 

**SPOILER ALERT** You won't be able to.

 

The Awakening: Aidan by Abby Niles

Oh, Entangled. I don't know what I'd do without them. I saw this on NetGalley, and it just seems like my kind of book. Heck, just look at the cover. Ahhhhhhh.

 

Gone With the Wolf by Kritin Miller

The title of this one...ha! I love it. And then it's about a guy and love and stuff, and I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it's about a wolf...? I read the synopsis when I requested on NetGalley, but it is almost 3 AM, so I'm kind of blanking. Either way, we all know that if it's romantic, more often than not, I want to read it. Then add in the fact that this is another one from Entangled...Yeah.

 

Tragic by J.A. Huss

A New Adult Contemporary Romance. Boom, I'm there. This one is also for a blog tour, by the way.

 

When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney

I...have not read anything by Daisy Whitney before. I've heard about her books, but...yeah, no. But I've actually had my eye on this one for a while. So yay to Little, Brown for being awesome and letting me get this off NetGalley! Also, that cover? I LOVE IT.

 

From Library:

  

 

Frozen Fire by Tim Bowler

I actually read this back in middle school. But then I was doing my library aide thing on Friday and for some reason, this book was in my mind. So I grabbed it and checked it out and now...I'm not sure. Maybe I'll re-read it. Maybe I'll just look at a couple parts. Either way, this book? Is really good. It was kind of confusing, though. But I think I actually get it. Which makes me all kinds of happy, because I usually don't GET confusing books, I usually need people to explain them to me. So I don't think this book is for everybody, but I think it's a good one for people who have enough patience to deal with it...if that makes any sense?

 

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

I was watching a bunch of Kiera Cass' videos on Youtube (for no good reason at all) and cam across one with her Top 5 Jacked Up Books. I watched it, and this book was in it, and then I HAD to check it out. I like Elizabeth Scott's books. I can only remember not liking one--As I Wake (which I reviewed), because it...ha! It confused me. But other than that, I'm a fan of her books. So I grabbed this from the library on Friday as well. And, um...yeah. It's jacked up.

 

Gifted!

 

Y'all already know that I've read The Collector. I have an ecopy (two, actaully!) and love it--and its author--to death and beyond. But I did not have an actual, physical PRINT copy....until now!

 

I. Am. So. Freaking. NDSFIGNQNQE. About. This!

 

My school librarian gave it to me. Mhm. Yeah. I am so serious right now. Is she the best or WHAT?!?! I'd told her about it (of course, what kind of super fan would I be if every person I came into contact with didn't know about this book? And all my friends? They have to put up with me talking about Dante Walker like he's an actual person. *cough*Perez*cough*)...so, where was I...I'd told her about it, and she got me a copy. I do not know why. I do not know when. I just walked in to do my library aide thing on Wednesday and she gave it to me and I flailed accordingly. And now it is sitting on my shelf--my FAVORITES shelf, to be exact--all nice and pretty.

 

Goodness, I love it. So much. I'm pretty sure my school librarian will never see this, but if by some weird chance she does--THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU. Goodness gracious, thank you.

 

So I want to babble about Dante and how AWESOME he is and how I can now feel even more like V's OFFICIAL super fan, but, as I've said, it's past 3 AM and I have other things to do, believe it or not. And this song...NO. I WON'T BABBLE.

 

That is all I got this week.

 

(The song is She's Got Something by Greg Holden, if you want to look it up)

 

So, kind people, tell me:

 

What did you get this week?

Have you read anything I got?

Which books?!?!

Have you heard that song, if you looked it up? I am kind of addicted to it at present.

How was your week? Crazy, huh? I live in Texas. I getcha, people. I getcha.

Did you notice that there are two copies of Opal on that shelf?

I don't know why I just mentioned that. It means LITERALLY nothing.

 

Okay, I'll leave it there. Answer at least one of those in the comments? Or all of them if you want. Or none. Be random. Make me laugh. It's up to you.

 

Have a great Sunday, y'all!

 

♥Jessica(:

I've Been Blogging for a YEAR!

Um. Yeah. So today is my blogoversary. A year ago today, I decided "What the what, I'm going to make a blog today!" And thus, Just a Booklover was born.

 

Seriously, that's what happened. There's no big fun story, other than I wanted somewhere to write and post a review for The Demon's Lexicon trilogy by Sarah Rees Brennan because I adored those books and I had just read a horrible review of it, in which the reviewer trash-talked the whole first book after reading ONE. CHAPTER. So I was peeved and wanted to write my own.

Plus, I was bored.

That's part of the reason why my blog name is so boring. Boring, but accurate. I have literally NO LIFE except for books. Nothing. All I do. All day. Every day. BOOKS.

Not really. I do stuff.

But anyway, before I get stuck in the circle of my rambling, I just want to say...holy crap, guys. I've been doing this for a year. A whole year. 365 days. That is just...whoa, you know? To think, 365 days ago, this blog was born and had 0 followers, 0 posts, 0 reviews, 0 anything. It was all blank and boring.

And now, a year later, I have 938 (I think, I didn't check before I wrote this....probably should have--oops) followers, and something over 200 feedburner subscribers, and just...WOW. Trust me, follower numbers aren't everything, but this is a BIG DEAL to me. Over 900 people have visited my blog and decided that it was good enough to click the "follow" button.

I know some people did it because of giveaways. I'm not even going to talk about that. Because there are other people who did it because they actually want to see what I have to say. Or they did it because of a giveaway, and then chose to come back after that to see something. This is all beside the point. The point is that at some point in time, over 900 people have cared what I had to say. They came to my blog, read my words, and followed.

THEY READ MY WORDS AND FOLLOWED.

Holy snap, guys. That blows my mind.

So, you all, all of you, every person reading this right now, YOU are awesome. I heart you. You make my day, week, month, year, everything.

And to those of you who comment often, I see you. I always read what you have to say, and I love it. I don't care what it is you said, I'm just so glad you keep taking the time to tell me what you have to say. Responding to what *I* say.

Also, to my blogger friends who may or may not be readin this, YOU ARE THE FREAKING BEST. One year and I've made some the bestest and coolest friends ever. Jana, Anna, Monica, Jessirae, Justin, Tiff, etc. (If I left you off that list, it's not because I love you any less, it's because I felt like the list was getting too long and I'm already boring people with my rambling). Without you guys, I'd still be writing the super crappy posts I started out with and hiding in my little corner on Twitter. Now I write only regular-crappy posts and have no problems with tweeting my face off about stuff. Hehehe. Plus, I HAVE FRIENDS! I used to be friendless. That was no fun.

Anna especially. She is cosidered my blogging big sis. And I am serioulsy thankful for her. ANNA I LUUUURVE YOU. And Jana, my Lux-loving best friend. ;)

And...now I'm about to name everyone again and this post is getting so long, so I shouldn't...

Now, my author friends! I actually have author friends now! That is so unbelievably cool. You are all amazing and I love you. Victoria Scott--hey, girl, hey. I'm a super fan for a reason. And JLA. Holy crap, if I were to run into you on the street, you'd know who I am now. HOLY! Nancy Straight, hehe, Daniel <3. And Priya. P-Diddio. <3 you to pieces! L.M. Ausustine because we're so flipping awk. ;) Plus, I wouldn't be just ANYBODY'S super awesome assistant. Geez. And Leah Clifford, because only SHE would come to Austin and kidnap me. Funnest kidnapping ever, if you ask me.

There are more, but I feel like I'm making this post way too long and y'all are just waiting for me to tell you I'm giving something away. If you're even reading this. You might have just scrolled down to that part...if you actually read this post, thank you. Ha.

Now....giveaway!

Giveaway!

Blogoversaries are a big deal. And mine is especially a big deal to me. And it blows my mind at how far this blog has come in just one short year. So I think this giveaway should be BIG. Which means there will be THREE winners.

 

Yeah, three.

 

And I'm giving away...

 

ONE winner will get any book of their choice that is on my reviewed list. As in, on THIS LIST RIGHT HERE. Or you can just click on the tab at the top of the blog. That's an option. Anyway, if it's on the list when I email you to tell you that you won, you can choose it and it shall be heading your way soon thereafter.

 

And then....

 

ONE winner will get:

The Collector by Victoria Scott along with a bookmark AND bookplate signed by Victoria Scott!

I am aware that this book is not out now, but it will be released by the time the giveaway ends. Trust me, I've thought this out. ;)

 

And lastly, ONE winner will get...

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentout along with a crap load of swag, both JLA and more. Some signed, some not. Either way, it's ALL awesome.

 

So, is this a fitting giveaway for the occassion? I sure hope so. Read on for more deets and how to enter and stuff.

 

Deets:

- There will be three winners

- The giveaway is international

- My giveaway policy applies

- Enter through the Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Thanks for entering! And now, because I'm having fun finding these...

  

 

 

Yeah, there was zero point to those whatsoever. Either way, I'll leave it there. You are awesome.

 

That is all.

 

♥Jessica(:

 

What I Got #24 ♥ An EPIC Day

What I Got is a weekly meme hosted by Monica over at Cover Analysis :) 

 

I was (and still am) not completely sure about posting this today. I should probably skip this week and just post next week. But...meh. I'll explain later in this post. Heh.

 

For Review:

Tight Knit by Allie Brennan

This book looked so cute and when Allie sent it to me, there was so much happy-dancing. And, um, yeah, guys. I already read it. AND IT IS SO GREAT!!!! There will most likely be a review sometime this week. You know, once I sit my happy booty down and WRITE IT. Heh.

Thanks so much to Allie for sending this to me! Undying love, I tell you!!!

 

Dissension by Adrienne Monson

This book looked cool and I'm so happy the nice people at Jolly Fish Press sent it to me. Thank y'all so much!!

 

Pitch Green by The Brothers Washburn

Apparently this book is classified as YA horror and that is not something I read a lot of. So I'm supser excited to read this! It looks so gooood! Thanks again to Jolly Fish Press for sending me an ARC of this!

 

Gifted:

Touch of Death by Kelly Hashway

I have wanted this book for so long now! I'm all kinds of excited to read it. *squee!* Thanks so, so much to Michelle from The Passionate Bookworm. You're awesome!

 

Montgomery County Book Festival

You see, this is where I run into a problem. Because I got A LOT of stuff at this book festival. I mean, only two books, but I also got a hella lot of swag and there was stuff with Victoria Scott (whom I love with all my heart, by the way) and just...yeah. And I need to take pictures of all this stuff for y'all to SEE. But I am not in the picture-taking mood. I am tired. This book festival was AALLL the way in Houston. Which is something of a long drive from my place near Austin.

 

So what I'm gonna do is tell y'all about the books I got (and how Lisa McMann now LOVES ME) and then I'll probably/most likely/pfft, I WILL make a seperate post that shall be MCBF pics galore. Okay? Okay.

 

So, the books I got!

 

Dead to You by Lisa McMann

There were these bag-thingies with free books inside. This was one of them. And I have wanted to read this book for a while now but never worked up the courage to actually grab it from the library. Yeah, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm a wimp. Unless someone's trying to snag the copy of THE COLLECTOR that was clearly meant for me. Then shiz gets real. BUT ANYWAY, now I have a signed copy! AHH!

 

Crash by Lisa McMann

I've had my eye on this book ever since it started showing up in other people's WoW posts. Then I went to this book festival and heard Lisa talking about a truck with two meatballs in top and...well, I was sold. It also helps that is was in the cool bag that also contained Dead to You. Also, Lisa McMann loves me. Because I am a rebel. So yeah. *more squee!!*

 

Now, because I HAVE to do this, a picture of me and Victoria Scott.

 

 

AREN'T WE GORGEOUS?

 

Hehe, I was too busy freaking out over the fact that

a) I WAS HOLDING A COPY OF THE COLLECTOR IN MY HANDS!!!

and

b) I WAS STANDING NEXT TO THE AMAZEBALLS V SCOTT

to care much about what I looked like. *spazzes*

 

I die, you guys. I die.

 

**Oh, and before nine milliona nd a half people start flipping out, I was JUST holding this copy. I do not own it. I did spend some time cuddling with it, but then I [had to] give it back to V.**

 

Anyhoo, I'll get more in-depth about the festival in my post, but I should say this now--I've announced myself as the V Scott super fan. Because I heart her that much. And her face. I heart that, too.

 

One more thing. Which is totally not book-related, but makes me smile. See that red bow in V's head? (kinda hard, I know, but let me tell you that it was so flipping cute!!!) I am currently wearing it. And I now own it. And I am still spazzing.

 

Okay, long post that was about more than it should have been is now over. I shall tell more later!! In my post. Which I will make. Sometime. Ideally, this will be soon. Okay? Okay.

 

What did YOU get this week? Do anything super cool while getting your bookish goodness? (Book signings, festivals, etc.) LET ME KNOW, FRIENDS.

 

♥Jessica(:

 

Blog Tour: Wisteria by Bisi Leyton ♥ Top Tens List!

Welcome to my stop on the Wisteria blog tour! To learn more and see the schedule for this tour, just click the lovely banner above!

 

Sooooo. For my stop, I get to have Bisi Leyton drop by witha  top tens list. A top ten of WHAT, you ask? Well...

 

Top Ten With Endings That Were Just OHMYGOSH

 

Yeah, I came up with that. Can you tell? ;) So without further adieu, here's the list!

 

This was hard, not because I realise I’ve been reading a lot of the same kinds of books and while the
endings haven’t been like wow, I have enjoyed the process of reading them. I’d call myself a journey
reader, because I can love a book, but not care about the end. However, if the journey’s kind of
weak, I’ll drop the book… I suppose that’s most people.

 

Okay here’s my list:

 

Number Ten:Second Chance by Nyengi Koin. I found this story really offensive on so many levels.

 

Number Nine:The Governor’s Sons by Maria McKenzie. Please be warned this book is not what you expected.

 

Number Eight:Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

 

Number Seven:
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Okay sure we all know
the twist, but I read this few years ago and if you try to ignore what you already know it’s pretty
surprising. I’m reading this with my niece (who believe it or not hasn’t heard of the book) and she
was shocked.

 

Number Six:Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle

 

Number Five:The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin

 

Number Four:Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

 

Number Three:Civil War by Mark Millar

 

Number Two:Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

 

Number One:
Cat O'Nine Tales: And Other Stories by Jeffrey Archer. You have to read the short story - Eye of
Beholder.

 

And that's the list! Thank you so much to Bisi for listing those for me. My personal favorite on this list? The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Close second? Things Fall Apart. Just so you know ;)

 

Wisteria by Bisi Leyton:

Sixteen year old Wisteria Kuti has two options—track the infected around the Isle of Smythe or leave the only known safe haven and face a world infested with flesh eating biters. But even with well-armed trackers, things go wrong and Wisteria ends up alone facing certain death, until she is rescued by the mysterious Bach. Uninfected, Bach is able to survive among the hordes of living dead.

Eighteen year old Bach, from a race known as The Family, has no interest in human affairs. He was sent here to complete his Great Walk and return home as a man—as a Sen Son. The Family regard humans as Dirt People, but Bach is drawn to this Terran girl, whom he has never seen before, but somehow knows.

Hunted by flesh eaters, cannibals, and the mysterious blood thirsty group called Red Phoenix, Wisteria and Bach make their way back to the Isle of Smythe, a community built on secrets and lies.

Praise for Wisteria:

“I love the buildup of this story, getting to know the characters and watching their connection grow. I had no idea which way the story was headed and I was kept in suspense right up to the very end! It has plenty of action and a fascinating plot and I can’t wait to see what Bisi Leyton has for us next!!”

~ Naomi Hop

“There are a lot of great things in this book, so much more than zombies and a struggle for survival. At it’s base core it is about star-crossed lovers, literally and the supporting characters roles… Ms. Leyton brings to Wisteria a mixture of science fiction, fantasy, dystopic world with a twist to the paranormal romance angle!”

~ Cabin Goddess

“The book was full of nonstop action from the beginning until the end, and I did not put it down until I had finished it. I loved the book.”

~Author Monique Morgan

Purchase:

Lulu * Amazon * Smashwords

 

Author Bisi Leyton:

Bisi Leyton was born in East London in 1978. She grew up in London, Nigeria and the States, listening to the stories life and love from aunts, cousins and big sisters.

She lives in London, but has worked around Europe including France, Germany, Ireland, Belgium and the Czech Republic. She has a fondness for reading graphic novels.Links

Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads

 

 

Giveaway!

Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal cash in this tour-wide giveaway!

 

**I am not sponsoring or running the giveaway. To see the rules of entry, you should click on the banner at the top of this post to head on over to the blog tour webpage and see the full list of rules! I am not responsible for this giveaway. It's super cool, though. Oh, and my giveaway policy? Does NOT apply. As I said, banner above. Thanks!**

Enter through the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Thanks to Bisi for her list and YOU for dropping by!

♥Jessica(:

2013 TBR Pile Reading Challenge!

Click on the banner to learn more about this challange!

 

Um, yeah. Believe it or not, I actually have more books sitting around waiting to be read than I really should. And a bunch of books I should really read, just in general. So this challenge will hopefully make me want to, you know, do what I'm supposed to.

 

I'm going to play it easy with this challenge, and then go up if I get there:

 

1-10: A Firm Handshake

 

All right, now the books I plan to read...

 

- A Touch Morbid by Leah Clifford

- Epoch by Timothy Carter

- Any Other Night by Anne Pfeffer

- Secrets by Tim Mettey

- Blood of the Revenant by N.R. Allen

- The Death Cure by James Dashner

- A Million Suns by Beth Revis

- A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink

- Fated by Alyson Noel

- Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Okay, now some books I might do in place of a few on THAT list (because I own these ones, whereas I don't own some of the books on the other list):

- Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon
- The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
- Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
- Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
- My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris

 

And that's my list for now. It may change, it may not, but hopefully I'll get to these sometime in 2013.

Now, since I love to randomly ramble about books (I LOVE THEM SO MUCH), I'm going to comment a little on the books on my list.

- A Touch Morbid: I got this from Leah on October 4th. (Yes, I remember the exact date...it was a seriously cool thing.) We had our super fun outing in which she kidnapped me and then we went out to dinner, with two other friends, and then went to watch the bats. Because it was in Austin. Look it up, people. :) Either way, I should read this.

- Epoch: Tim is an awesome author who I reviewed one other book for (called The Cupid War). And then I got this one to review. And now it waits on my shelf. I started reading it FORVER ago, but then had to stop for reasons that were non-book related. Definitely one I have to pick up again, preferably towards the beginning of 2013.

- Any Other Night: Anne sent this to me and I just have not gotten to it yet. I should workon it, though. This book looks mighty cute. And heavy. We'll see how that works out.

- Secrets: I got this on recently to review, and I just know it's going to roll over into next year for me. Haven't really started it yet. Looks like it could be good...or not. Again, we'll see.

- Blood of the Revenant: Every time I look at this book I kind of want to read it. But this is another one that's going to roll over into 2013. Sad, but I life happens. Blogging is great, but I have school and family and sleep and stuff, too.

- The Death Cure: I got this ever farther in what I deemed "FOREVER ago" when I was talking about Epoch. It was an ARC I got from my library! My first ever ARC. I still have it to this day (because I haven't read it yet). Cool, huh? I started it once when I was in between books, but...um, but...I kind of stopped. I plan on going back to it, though! Obviously.

- A Million Suns: This is just a sequel I have taken too long to pick up. Seriously.

- A Temptation of Angels: I've wanted to read this one for a long time! But I kept on NOT picking it up. I have no clue why. I want to fix that next year.

- Fated: I read The Immortals series by Alyson Noel. Actually, no. I read the first three books of The Immortals series. I did not like. The first book was good, the second book was the complete opposite, and the third book led to so much facepalming...I can't even. But I want to give Alyson's books another chance. Maybe it was just that series. I'll never know until I try, right?

- Something Strange and Deadly: You may or may not remember that I checked this out from the library a while ago. Long story short, I never got to it. So I want to be sure to get to it sometime next year. So...onto the list!

Um....that was the end of the list...

 

I'll be keeping track here AND on my 2013 Challenges tab,* so if you want to see my progress, those are the places to go! Plus, there will be monthly wrap-up posts. Yeah. So those can be checked out, too. Basically, there will be a few ways for you to stalk me on this challenge. You know, just in case your inner creeper wants to see really cool bookish stuff.

 

Remember, folks, click on the banner at the top of this post to find out more about this challenge! I have explained pretty much nothing. I am aware of this. ;)

*I'll be keep track on my tab. I have it linked there to my post here, so you can see my goal list, but I'm not going to keep coming back to this list to update things. I WILL update this post if I get bumped up a level. Then, I'll cross off what was read and update my goal and whatnot.

To get to my 2013 Challenges page, click the tab at the top of the blog, or click HERE because I'm linking because I'm nice and you guys are awesome.

It would just be too complicated to update in a bunch of places, because I'm participating in more than just one challenge. The tab WILL be updated, though, so no worries!

 

♥Jessica(:

She Belongs To Me♥

Did you know that you are able to buy now and gift later?

Yep! Take advantage of this special pricing on the romantic-suspense bestseller, She Belongs to Me, for yourself, and buy one to deliver to your avid-reader friends for Christmas.

She Belongs to Me by Carmen DeSousa has sat alongside such writing greats as Nicholas Sparks and J.D. Robb, and this weekend it’s only $0.99 cents, so don’t miss the savings!

Book Description:

After secrets and a mysterious background leave a wife’s life hanging by a thread, a husband must look for answers in the only place he knows—the past.

When wealthy construction company owner and Charlotte detective, Jordan Monroe, meets Jaynee for the first time he is awestruck and determines to make her his wife. Jaynee, however, has a history she cannot easily overcome and is fearful to submit to love. Jordan succeeds in making her his wife, but five years into their marriage, he realizes she is keeping secrets.  Before he can decipher her duplicity, he discovers her unconscious in their home from a gunshot wound only hours after giving her an ultimatum concerning their relationship.

With Jaynee’s life hanging in the balance, the mystery of her past drives Jordan to investigate. But what appears to be an attempted suicide turns out to be something far darker. Is someone from her past stalking her? Or worse, is someone close to Jordan trying to kill them both? As Jordan edges closer to the truth, it may be deadlier than he could ever have imagined.

What readers are saying:

A passionate romantic-suspense of love, betrayal, and obsession, She Belongs to Me will have you falling in love and wondering who you can trust right up to the last page.

"You'll be swept off your feet along with Jaynee as she discovers the man of her dreams. You'll be drawn into the drama. And you'll flip the pages fast as Jordan must desperately figure out the truth in time. I was and did!" — New York Times bestselling author Jaime Rush

“Carmen DeSousa has written an incredibly stunning book, full of spot on visuals that put you in the midst of the conversations, like a ghostly guest that spies on a romantic dinner date.” — International bestselling author Ashley Fontainne

“If you love a romance read with a dash of danger, intrigue and suspense sprinkled in, this is the book for you.” — Bestselling Author and The Examiner's "Top 12 Fiction Books of 2011" Carolyn Arnold

Download She Belongs to Me:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

A writer of modern-day fairytales, Carmen DeSousa’s stories overflow with romance, mystery, suspense, and of course, tragedy. After all, what would a fairytale be without a tragic event setting the stage? All of her novels are sensual, but not erotic, gripping but not graphic and will hopefully make you cry, laugh, love, and hope.

Carmen loves talking about all things books, so please connect with her via one of the links below.

Website

Twitter</ span></ o:p>

Facebook

Goodreads

♥Jessica(: