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This isn't the normal type of book I review but I received it from a giveaway. So here goes.

The Red Dragon
L. Ron Hubbard

REVIEW:
I received this from a giveaway. It was the first audiobook I've ever listened to. The story in general is good but the audiobook is set more like a movie with your eyes closed. If I wanted to watch a movie with my eyes closed I would do it. I personally don't like the audiobook. But everyone is different. The story line was good and full of detail and I did enjoy that. The damsel in distress theme seems overplayed. I would give the BOOK probably 4 stars and the AUDIOBOOK 2 stars.

Thank you GalaxyPress for allowing me the opportunity to review this audiobook! 

Hopes and dreams

Well, I just finished Crusade a few hours ago and I've been sitting here gathering my thoughts about the book. I've also been compiling some other thoughts and photos. So without further ado...

Crusade
Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie

REVIEW: What can I say about this book? Hmm. WOW! There was just sooo much going on at once. So many people, so many cultural and religious backgrounds. Then you go and add in vampires. Good vampires, bad vampires, humans who worship the vampires and humans who fight against them. It took me a month to read this book. That is the longest it has ever taken me to read ANY book. I'm not saying I'm disappointed with the book or anything. I just can't believe it took me so long to read it. Every few pages I would have to put the book down so I could absorb all the information that was bombarded onto me. Jenn and Antonio, Jamie and Eriko, Skye and Holgar. I had to keep track of seven main characters feelings and flashbacks. The book was very good and I did enjoy it, but I think it should have been broken down a little bit more. Maybe into more books? I am in love with Jenn and Antonio. I want so much to happen between them. I was not expecting Heather to be turned. And I definitely wasn't expecting Jenn to end up being Hunter. She just seems too selfish and self absorbed to me. She cares more about Antonio than anyone else in the group. Maybe I just need to read the next books. Hopefully she changes. There were 3 major writing errors that I came across. One was leaning when it should have been learning. The other two work name slip-ups. The first one was talking about Father Juan and Father Antonio was accidentally said and the other one was Alice's name was mistyped as Alicia. Overall, regardless of all the information and chaos, I really did love the book. I give the book 4/5 stars.

I also pulled a favorite quote from the book. I was actually laughing and people thought I was crazy.

Father Juan regarding Holgar. Father Juan squeezed his eyes shut. "I think I know what you did with the head."

COVER: I really like the creepiness of the over. The fog and the lightning make it seem scary. I'm assuming the building is meant to be the Academia.


IN OTHER NEWS:
I have yet to find my other hermit crab but she is still alive. I keep hearing her shell hit things around the house. I've gathered some pictures, as usual, so I can post them and share my life with you guys.

This is the BEST ice cream EVER. 

I am saving up for this bad girl. She will be my new blogging laptop =)

THIS WEEKS BOOKS:

I purchased this from Barnes and Noble with a coupon. I was number 300/600+ on the waiting list of PBS for it.

I bought these are the 2nd and Charles in Delaware. I love that store better than the one in Hagerstown.

IN THE MAIL:

I would like to thank GalayPress and L. Ron Hubbard for the chance to listen to this new audiobook. I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

CURRENTLY READING:

I am still reading Cinder slowly each night. It's not a slow book. I just don't stay up late to read much anymore. I am also starting Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi. It looks good. So I guess I will see. 

Random Update

Just wanted to do a random update. Show you guys what new books I've gotten and other things. Currently I am on the hunt for one of my hermit crabs. They both somehow managed to get out of their tank last night and I have since found Sheldon. Penny is still on the run.

Well, I'm going to show you a few pictures and the books I've gotten this week and then I will be off to two Library book sales. For some reason it's bothering me that my built-in bookshelf has two and a half empty shelves. I also have to get all my wishlisted books I have for Paperbackswap together so I can list them. I did a lot of cleaning yesterday so I'm behind on everything. I just can't focus when I have chaos all around me.


RANDOMNESS:

I made this the other night from a crappy old coat hanger and some decals from the dollar store. It is now above my storage door in my room and it holds my bags.

I decided that the hello kitty shelf was lacking something. So I got these decals from the dollar store and spiced it up. I love the way it looks.

And LAST is my new zebra storage dresser. I got it for my pajamas, socks, etc. I love it!

NEW BOOKS:

Halo I received from PBS and the rest I bought from Ollies.

Aliens...

I just finished Ultraviolet - R. J. Anderson.Wheeew, boy was that a roller-coaster. On a sad note, one of the hermit crab friends I bought for Sheldon, his name was Leonard, must have been sick when I bought him because this morning I found him dead, his legs had fallen off. Sheldon and his other new friend, Penny, are just fine.

Ultraviolet
R. J. Anderson

REVIEW:
Upon starting this book I did not know what I was getting myself into. It definitely WASN'T what I was expecting and I don't mean that in a bad way. The plot was creative and drew you in. I felt like I was in the one in Pine Hills with Dr. Minta telling me I was crazy. I felt like lashing out because I know how it feels to have people tell you you are something when you know that you aren't. Alison was a very emotional character and I connected with her easily. Having the ability to see sounds, taste colors and everything else Alison could do seems like an amazing curse. I didn't know where the book was going to turn with the whole Alison incinerating Tori thing but I definitely didn't expect it to go to Aliens. Faraday was a wonderful character and the relationship between Alison and him was so natural. It didn't seem pushed like a lot of character relationships seem in so many books. When he didn't go back to Earth with Alison and Tori, my heart broke. I felt so much emotion for Alison. The fact that no one but Faraday believed her. The fact that she didn't even really believe herself. And after all was said and done she still got sent back to Pine Hills. I would have felt so trapped and that alone would have made me become crazy. I won't go as far as to say this is one of my ALL TIME favorite books. But it definitely is one of my favorites so far this year. I give the book 5/5 stars. (I wonder what color those stars would be to Alison)

COVER:
The girl on the cover isn't very attractive and makes me wonder if she was supposed to be portraying Alison. I like the hair going everywhere and I like the violet tinge to it.


Currently reading:
I am currently reading Cinder and Crusade. Cinder is my bedtime book on my Nook and Crusade just has sooo much going on in it that it's hard for me to concentrate and read a lot of it in one sitting.

Motivation? Pfft...

I realize that I reviewed The Everafter - Amy Huntley for Goodreads but I never did it for my own blog. So I decided it's time to do that and stop being lazy. (After searching for my review on Goodreads I have come to find out it never got posted or saved so I have to write an entirely new review. Oh well!)

The Everafter
Amy Huntley

REVIEW: I personally liked the overall concept of the book but I was very disappointed with how short it was. It should not have been a book on its own. It should have been incorporated into another book. There just wasn't enough detail or action going on for it to be a stand alone book. The author should have used this idea as part of another novel that way it would be surrounded by more detail and background. The idea of dying and being able to flash back into your life by touching things you have lost is creative and I loved it. Having the ability to find the things you lost and change your life while you were alive seems very dangerous. I found the book to be very depressing and makes me question what the author was trying to accomplish. The ending was probably the best part. I was no expecting it and normally I can predict what will happen in most books. It also puzzled me as to how EVERYONE was in the place Madison deemed to be "is". It was as if time didn't matter in there and why did Madison JUST wake up in there and Tammy happens to be there as well but she died in her 30's? It's all very confusing. I did read the book in a day so it was interesting enough. It just left me with a lot of unanswered questions. I give the book 3/5 stars.

Between a rock and a hard place?

Just wanted to stop in and let everyone know that I haven't abandoned ship. I'm having some depression issues or something and I haven't really been able to do anything I love. I started Until I Die - Amy Plum, but about 2 pages in I realized that I just didn't feel like reading it. Nothing at all against the book, just me being blah. So I put it down because I really loved the first book and I don't want my depression making the second book bad. I am reading Crusade - Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie. I picked this book up at 2nd and Charles last weekend and also started it last weekend and I'm only 50 pages in. The book is AWESOME. But, alas, to quote Sheldon Cooper in a way, Ah, depression, thou art a heartless b*tch. I will push through this and come out on top as I always do. I did want to share some pictures with you guys of things I've gotten in the past week or just things I thought were worthy of posting.


Pic-o-rama!!

First picture is of a Pittsburgh display at the Crazy Horse. It was on the wall right behind where my fiances family and I we shooting pool. Steelers and Penguins <3 br="">

 Second picture is of a beautiful rainbow that I saw over Havre De Grave. It was so bright that you could actually see the violet and indigo! The picture doesn't do it justice at all.

 The next picture is just a rainbow on my fiances pants from the rear-view mirror. I thought it was pretty =P

New Friend??

This... Is Sheldon! My new pet Hermit Crab. Isn't he cute?! He's in a much bigger tank now and next week I'm getting him a friend.

 

 This weeks mailbox

This week I got a pretty big order from someone on PaperBackSwap. Thank you!

Purchases

These new few pictures are of things/books I bought this week. First are the books I bought at a store called Ollies. 

The next two pictures are just random things I bought. 

BBT bookmarks!!!

 I've been looking for a zebra bag for my laptop since I got it almost a year ago. I got this at FiveBelow! I was sooo happy when I saw it. It also has a little bag attached(can be detached) on the front that I can put a book or my Nook in. 

With the books I bought from Ollies, I got Papertowns - John Green. I'm going to give him one more try considering I've heard good things about this book. But I'm not making any promises with my dislike of Looking For Alaska and my inability to even finish An Abundance of Katherines. Paranormal romance YA books are my expertise, but sometimes I just need a break and that's when I read "normal" YA books.

To The Moon And Back

Well I finished Gravity last night. And boy was I shocked. Was definitely not expecting a lot of what happened...

Gravity
Abigail Boyd

REVIEW: I wasn't expecting this book to be they way it was. I actually really liked the book. It was horror/paranormal. I got the book from Amazon for free and it was my nighttime book for when others were sleeping and I couldn't have my light on. Ariel was a very lovely character. I completely adored Theo. Henry made me want to scream and slam his and Lainey's heads together. The end of the book shocked me. I wasn't expecting Mr. Warwick. I was also expecting more of a paranormal feel in the book rather than just the "ghostly" visions Ariel got. I'm hoping some of my questions are answering in the next book. I honestly think Jenna was in the Principles shed and he dumped her body when Warwick was caught. This book was a lovely change from the cookie-cutter Young Adult novels I'm used to. The girl actually didn't get the boy and I think that's what shocked me the most. I also want to know what happened to Ariel's grandmothers necklace. Sooo many unanswered questions but a great book nonetheless. I will say this, Ariel needs to grow some balls when it comes to Lainey. I give the book 4.5/5 stars.

COVER: I like the dress, it's very beautiful but she needs angel wings if this is supposed to be her Halloween dance dress. I also Imagined her hair a little big longer.

Sleepy, Sleepy, Sle....zzzz

For some reason I have been extremely exhausted lately. Not sure why, but it's really messing with me.
My birthday was last Friday(April 26th) and it was pretty good. I got off work a little early so I got to go to a book-sale at the library. I got a few books I've been wanting to read so I was happy. On Saturday my fiance took me to see his parents and they had a "new" used book store. We went there and I was expecting to find crappy books that no one wants... Boy was I wrong. The store is called 2nd and Charles. They had 4 huge aisles of YA books. I was in heaven. I made it out with 6 books from my wishlist. Only 6 because I didn't want to spend every penny I had for that week. I will be going back next Saturday with a full paycheck in hand =D

The books I got this week:

                                

    

I'm going to review two books that I have just finished.

Meridian

Amber Kizer

REVIEW: For some reason, I didn't think I was going to like this book. I picked it up at Ukazoo because I remembered a lot of people wanted it on Paperbackswap. I decided to read it because a friend has it on their wishlist and I wanted to offer it to them. Boy was I surprise when I couldn't put it down. I laughed, I cried, I didn't want it to end. Meridian and Tens make an adorably awkward pair. This book gave me a whole new perspective on dying. I cried when Auntie died, I felt all the emotions Meridian felt towards Tens, I was on edge when Perimo found their hiding spot. Overall, this is now the best book I've read in a LONG time. It's now considered one of my favorite books and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book. I give this book 5/5 stars. 

COVER:

The cover is mainly what drew me to the book. I kind of thought it was going to be some sort of mermaid book after I took a closer look. I like how it was kept simple with 3 main colors but somehow it still expressed a lot.

Die For Me

Amy Plum

REVIEW: This book is the epitome of Young Adult Paranormal Romance. It took me a little while to read but I think that was because I didn't want to miss anything. The emotions in this book were up and down, up and down. I never really knew what was going to happen next. Of course I knew Kate and Vincent would end up together in the end, but I didn't know exactly how it was going to happen. There is blood, gore, action, romance and so much more packed into this one book. The fact that someone who is pretty much immortal would give up their immortality to be with a human is romantic and mind blowing. There is still so much that has been left unanswered and so many possibilities for all the characters. The relationship between Kate and her sister, Georgia, was portrayed very nicely. It made me think of my own sister and how we are close but we have bad arguments. It definitely was very real. I really enjoyed this book and I'm going to start the second one as soon as I'm done writing this. I ABSOLUTELY adored this book. It had the perfect mixture of action and romance along with gripping emotional turmoil. I connected with the main character, Kate, very well. I found myself in tears when she thought her best option was to tear herself away from Vincent in order to live a normal, "happy" life. I enjoyed how each character was extremely well thought out and they each had very different stand out personalities. The end of the book was exciting and scary. I couldn't put the book down for the last seventy pages. Vincent is every young woman's dream guy. I give the book 5/5 stars.

COVER:

The cover is very beautiful. It definitely reflects Kate and I like that.

CURRENTLY READING:

I am currently reading a book on my Kindle App called Gravity by Abigail Boyd. It's my nighttime book for when my fiance is sleeping and I can't have the light on. It's definitely a good book. Very horror/paranormal. I am also about to start Until I Die by Amy Plum. Hopefully it is as good as the first book was.

In Other News:

We got a new bed. I'm not sure whether I love it or hate it. Sometimes I get the best sleep ever on it and sometimes I can't sleep at all. Also in the process of looking for a sofa so I have something to cuddle up and read on. I'm hoping to pick up the pace with reading soon. I've been so distracted with Runescape and other random things. Plus it doesn't help that I can't read unless it's quiet, and it's never quiet in my house.

Well... That's all for today! Hopefully I finish Gravity soon so i can review that. And I will let you guys know what I get at the book store next weekend! Bai bai.