Stars & Swipes and Hugs & Misses Postcard Books by Wilhelm Staehle GIVEAWAY!

Amazon

Here are 30 exquisite postcards from Wilhelm Staehle’s Silhouette Masterpiece Theater (silhouettemasterpiecetheater.com). Each panel in the popular weekly web comic features a painstakingly detailed etching carved from a beautiful painting; the results are gorgeous and very funny. Stars and Swipes offers a hilarious vision of classic Americana, with farcical frontiersmen, prattling presidents, and other all-American oddities.

Amazon

Here are 30 exquisite postcards from Wilhelm Staehle’s Silhouette Masterpiece Theater (silhouettemasterpiecetheater.com). Each panel in the popular weekly web comic features a painstakingly detailed etching carved from a beautiful painting; the results are gorgeous and very funny. Hugs and Misses is a terrific Valentine’s Day gift, full of lovelorn ladies, roguish gentlemen, renegade Cupids, and indecent proposals. 

Hey guys! This post isn't exactly a review of a book (I promise I'll post some reviews soon) but more a post about two little postcard books I absolutely LOVE! Inside these books there's hilarious postcards. Hugs and Misses is described as "Postcards of Awkward Romance" and Stars and Swipes is described as "Postcards of Awkward Americana". The end results are so very funny and beautiful at the same time! I think these are perfect stocking stuffers!

After I got the postcard books in the mail I visited Wilhelm Staehle's Silhouette Masterpiece Theater and after 5 minutes there, I realized I'd found a new favorite website! Here's one of my favorites:

C'mon! Even if you hate spiders you can't help but love this one! She just wants to love you!!!!! And because I love YOU guys, I want to share some of my postcards with you! All you have to do is visit Silhouette Masterpiece Theater and tell me which silhouette is your favorite (that's going to be kind of hard because you will love them all!) The first 10 people to send me an email telling me which one was their favorite and their mailing address to bookittyblog@gmail.com will get one postcard in the mail. This is open US and INT'l! Good luck! 

The Diaries of Robin's Toys by Ken and Angie Lake Review

Amazon/Goodreads

Bertie is about to go on his first flight from the hive and collect the pollen for making honey, like he has watched all his friends do! But he is so keen to impress the Queen on his first day that he gets into a spot of bother! This mistake helps Bertie learn the importance of working as a team and not trying to do it all by yourself! Bertie the Bee is one part of the lovely series, The Diaries of Robin's Toys! Robin and his Grandad buy a new toy from the car boot sale every weekend, and with the help of Grandad's magic spell, they bring them to life! Each toy has a fascinating new story to tell Robin, and helps to teach him some very important life lessons!

Hey guys! For today's review I'm doing something different and fun! Today my 7 year old daughter will be reviewing her first book! Well it's not a normal review but me asking her some questions about the book. In my opinion I think the books in this series are totally adorable! She read this one in one go and that right there is proof that she loved it. Right after we finished this interview she went and grab the next book in the series and almost finished it. She had to put it aside because it was bedtime :)

Here's her review. I hope you enjoy.

Note: I didn't change any of her responses. When she gets on a topic that she feels passionate about she won't stop talking. And she's very honest!

Did you understand what the book was about?

 Yeah. It was about a boy, and on a Sunday he went to a toy sale thing. He looked for a toy but couldn't find one that he liked. So he asked the man if he had a toy and he did. And it was Bertie the bee. And then he brought it home and his grandfather has a magic spell to make the bee come to life and tell stories. And then the bee told his story. It was about him and his family and how they collected honey.

What was your favorite part of the book?

When the Bee told his story. It was great because he told the boy how he used to collect honey and bring it to the queen. My favorite part of the story is that he was going to collect honey and he went all over to find a special flower that had a lot of honey and then one day he fell in the pond and he was lost and then one of his friends came along who was looking for the same flower and then she saw him and told him: "we were looking all over for you" and then the girl bee brought him to the queen and they were so joyful to see him again. 

What did you learn from that story?

Never leave your family, you can get lost but if you get lost it will be a special moment when you are found. 

What was your least favorite part of the book?

When he went to the toy sell because there were lots of old stuff like old records. (I bet she'll think they are cool when she grows up.)

Would you read the rest of the series?

Yes! Because it seems like everyone of them has a story to tell. Robin always finds a toy and his grandfather always has a magic spell that brings them to life and tell their stories! And that's exciting!

What do you think about the illustrations?

I like the details (she's showing me the details in the boy's face and the bee). 

Is there any words in the book that you liked?

Yes! The word mum. I like it because it's different and it sounds cool! (Now she's running around the house screaming "mum")

Virtual Chair #18: Aimm from Books and Crannies

Today sitting on the Virtual Chair is Aimm from Books and Crannies! Make sure to follow her blog and follow her on bloglovin! 

How long have you been blogging?

I have been blogging for about 6 months months now, i previously was on a wix website platform but found that blogger was a better option for me. Blogging has slowly turned into one of my biggest passions and i literally couldnt imagaine life without it now.

What language, besides English, would you like to learn?

I would learn italian. Mainly because my brothers side of the family is italian and it would be really interesting to me to learn all about their culture. 

What’s the last book that made you cry?

The last book that i cried at was City of Fallen angels by Cassandra Clare. Sometimes , i just have too much feeling while reading her books, and the moments usually happen on public transport, Typical!

Who’s you favorite princess?

I have two answers for this question. My favorite Film Princess is Ariel from the little mermaid, and my favorite book princess is Princess Marie from The ring and the crown by Melissa De La Cruz. This is because she isnt the typical princess you read about, shes strong and knows what she wants, i admired her because of that.

If you could marry a character, who would it be and why?

Wow, this one is difficult. I think i would marry Simon from the mortal instruments. In the first book, he was kind of geeky (which i love) But then as the books have progressed hes sort of turned into a sexy vampire geek which is very appealing to me. He almost a better Edward Cullen.

Bad book habit?

Im really bad with paperbacks. Every paperback book that i own is literally destroyed because i bend the pages back when i read them. So when i finish a book and i loved it, i have to go out and buy it in hardcover because then i know if i want to re-read it i will have paperback copy which is already destroyed and a nice hardback copy which is prestine on my shelf!

Have you ever bought a book just for its title?

I have. I bought the madmans daughter by Megan Shepherd. It sounded beautiful to me! so i bought it without knowing anything about it. Why Not haha


What’s your favorite sound?

My favorite sound is the sound of rain. I love it especially when im trying to sleep and its pitter pattering on my roof. It so relaxing.

Do you ever read the ending of a book before finishing it?

NEVER! i remember one i read a dust jacket of a book that i didnt realise was the second in series and i completely spoiled the ending of the first book. I cried, ALOT. I just dont think i could take the emotional strain from reading the ending. 

How far into a book can you tell if you are going to like it or not?

I have a 100 page rule. Usually if the book doesnt interest me in the first 100 pages, i know im not going to enjoy it. However i do not like not finishing a book if i start it, mainly beacause i feel like i havent given it a good chance. But most of the time the books i pick do interest me so its all good. 

Thanks Aimm for taking the time to answer the questions! It was awesome having you on the blog today!

Chaos by Sarah Fine Review

 

Amazon/Barnes & Noble/Audible

 

With Juri in control and everything in absolute chaos, Lela plunges into the depths of hell to free Malachi from creatures that have waited decades to exact their revenge. But the Judge has her own way of doing things, and Lela must work with Ana, the new Captain, who has a very personal mission of her own. Together, they infiltrate the most horrifying realm either has yet encountered in the Shadowlands—the bitter landscape ruled by the Mazikin.

The stakes could not be higher, and Lela must accept the help—and love—of people she barely knows or trusts. As alliances and loyalties shift and she realizes the soul she came to save isn’t the only one in need of rescue, can Lela summon the strength to see the fight through to the very end?

It’s over. This series is over. I’m happy and sad. I don’t remember how long it has been since I finished a series. Nowadays series are 100 books long so I haven’t had to worry about saying goodbye to some of my favorite series. It’s always sad to part with characters that you feel are real and that you have loved for years. In the other hand I feel this feeling of accomplishment. I finished a series! Not any series, but a series that I absolutely adore.

To tell you the true I think this book was my favorite in the series. I love the dark feel of the Mazikin city. There was not a dull moment in this book and I loved that. I also enjoyed the way the problems were solved. The conflicts and missions  Lela had to solve didn’t pile up until the end like it usually does in books. I feel like that helped the book’s pace. I wasn’t worried about situation A while situation F was happening because it was already over and done with.

We get a lot of romance in Chaos but it doesn’t overpower the plot. But I truly enjoyed the little kisses here and there because Lela and Malchi deserve that, and much more. I don’t want to forget to mention the awesome new characters that get introduce in this instalment!! Oh, and the bad, evil ones too! I actually didn’t trust anyone that I didn’t know, until the end. There was too much at stake to get comfortable and Lela wasn’t trustful of anyone either, which I approved of!

If you haven’t read this series you definitely need to. It’s such an easy, awesome and action full series that I feel that anybody would enjoy it.

Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by A.S. King: Review

Amazon/Barnes & Noble

Would you try to change the world if you thought it had no future?

Graduating from high school is a time of limitless possibilities — but not for Glory, who has no plan for what's next. Her mother committed suicide when Glory was only four years old, and she’s never stopped wondering if she will eventually go the same way... until a transformative night when she begins to experience an astonishing new power to see a person’s infinite past and future. From ancient ancestors to many generations forward, Glory is bombarded with visions—and what she sees ahead of her is terrifying.

A tyrannical new leader raises an army. Women’s rights disappear. A violent second civil war breaks out. And young girls vanish daily, sold off or interned in camps. Glory makes it her mission to record everything she sees, hoping her notes will somehow make a difference. She may not see a future for herself, but she’ll do everything in her power to make sure this one doesn’t come to pass.

In this masterpiece about freedom, feminism, and destiny, Printz Honor author A.S. King tells the epic story of a girl coping with devastating loss at long last—a girl who has no idea that the future needs her, and that the present needs her even more.

 When I love a book as much as I loved Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future, I’ll tell everyone about it. I don’t care if you like reading or not, I will tell you how absolutely in love I fell with this book. The thing is that when I try to explain what this book is about it does not make sense. It just doesn’t. It shouldn’t make sense, because I don’t know how the hell King incorporates so many things into a book and makes it work. It's just beyond me. Can she see into the future? How does she do it!? Did you drink a bat, King? I think I’m not making any sense. 

If you have read my about me page you definitely now that I’m a HUGE fan of A.S. King. I’ll read anything King writes. Anything *says in a creepy voice*. And I knew Glory O’Brien was going to be one of my favorite characters ever. The thing is that as soon as you read the first page you get this overwhelming sensation to protect and love Glory. I have to tell you guys that this girl doesn’t need anyone’s protection because she’s one kickass main character, but I couldn’t help but wanting to hurt anyone who would hurt her. This doesn’t surprise me. I always get these feelings for all of A.S. King’s characters. The growth Glory goes through in this book is one of the best I’ve witness in any book I’ve ever read.

As far as plot and writing go Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future was absolutely perfect. The fact that there were so many different elements to the story didn’t bother me one bit. It’s A.S. freaking King! She can write whatever she wants and it makes perfect sense and you’ll love it. But really, try to explain this book to someone. It would go something like this:

Crazy A.S. King fan AKA me: I just finished this awesome book and I think you should read it too!


Friend: What’s the book about?

Me: It’s about this girl that loves to take pictures and her mom killed herself when she was little so she and her dad are kind of sad and then she has this hippie friend that’s not really a good friend and they decide to drink a bat *breathes* and then the main character sees into the future because of the bat she drank and in her visions she sees a second civil war happening. So freaking awesome!

Friend: *looks at me with a weird look in her eyes* Wait, you said she drank a bat? B.A.T, bat? Was it like, an accident?

Me: How do you drink a bat by accident? Yes, it was a bat.

Friend: Why would you drink a bat if it’s not by accident? But yes, I’ll read it.

Me: You can’t borrow my copy because it’s signed.

So yes if you are reading this review I need you, yes you, to read this book. Or any of A.S. King’s books, because you are missing out BIG time!

The TBR Tag

 

The TBR Tag was created by Danasquare and

A Perfection Called, Books

 

I was tag by Joy from Joyousreads! Thanks Joy! I'm a little depressed after going through my TBR list and realizing I will never have the time to read all those books. LOL.  

How Do you Keep Track of Your TBR Pile?

I usually don’t. There’s no way in hell I can possibly read all those book.

Is Your TBR mostly print? Or e-books?

Hmm… I’m not sure. I would say my TBR list is mostly print. Although lately I’m opting to go for e-book or audiobooks.

How Do You Determine which Book to Read Next?

I try to get books for review out of the way first. I don’t like that horrible feeling of “YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK BEFORE PUBLISHING DATE” hovering around. And when I read those I just read favorite author books or books that blogger friend rave about.

A Book that’s been on Your TBR List the Longest.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I know I won’t read it. But I can’t bring myself to take it off the list.

A Book You Recently Added to Your TBR

Untitled (Throne of Glass, #4), Not a drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis, Radiance by Grace Draven

A Book in Your TBR strictly Because of its Beautiful Cover

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater, Kinetic by S.K. Anthony. I think Blue Lily, Lily Blue is one gorgeous cover!

   

A Book in Your TBR that You Never Planned on Reading

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover, The Jewel by Amy Ewing, Misbehaving by Abbi Glines. I fell out of love with 2 of these authors and I couldn't get into the other book.



An Unpublished Book in Your TBR that You’re Excited About.

Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Book that Everyone’s Read But You.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

I love this cover! Too bad I never got into the book :(

A Book on Your TBR that Everyone Recommends to You

The House of Night series by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

There's like 200 books in this series!!!!

A Book on Your TBR that You’re Dying to Read

Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

I LOVE this cover! Love it!

How Many Books are in Your TBR Shelf?

I’m kind of surprised by this number! I only have 197 books in my TBR list!


I'm tagging:

Kindlemom from My Guilty Obsession

Jessica and Carmel from Rabid Reads

Entreat Me by Grace Draven Review and GIVEAWAY!!!!

Amazon/Barnes & Noble

Afflicted by a centuries-old curse, a warlord slowly surrenders his humanity and descends toward madness. Ballard of Ketach Tor holds no hope of escaping his fate until his son returns home one day, accompanied by a woman of incomparable beauty. His family believes her arrival may herald Ballard's salvation.

...until they confront her elder sister.

Determined to rescue her sibling from ruin, Louvaen Duenda pursues her to a decrepit castle and discovers a household imprisoned in time. Dark magic, threatening sorcerers, and a malevolent climbing rose with a thirst for blood won't deter her, but a proud man disfigured by an undying hatred might. Louvaen must decide if loving him will ultimately save him or destroy him.

A tale of vengeance and devotion.

Most of the time I drag my feet to write reviews. There're times when I can't write a review even if I enjoyed the book. And most of the time I feel ok with not writing a review and keep that little gem of a book a secret (I don't do this often). BUT with Entreat Me not writing a review isn't an option, because I want YOU and you and you to read this lovely book. I need you to add it to your Goodreads TBR list! Because it would be a shame for you to miss out on this unique re-telling of The Beauty and the Beast. 

This book is for you if you: 
-Love reading. That's it.

Even if you are not a fantasy fan you'll enjoy Entreat Me because this book is more about the characters than anything else. And trust me, you'll fall in love with the heroine, Louvaen Duenda. I wanted to be her; I don't think I've ever said that before in a review. I loved Louvaen. I couldn't get enough of her honesty, and witty humor. She was an exceptional character, and I know that it will be a long time for me to find a character like Lou, and that makes me very sad. 

For me to be able to enjoy a book, it has to have great character. I knew a few chapters in that I was going to finish reading Entreat Me. To my surprise it had a great plot, and the pace was amazingly fast, which I was upset about because I didn't want to finish the book! It was like holding sand in my hands, impossible to hold on forever *sad face*. 

The romance melted my heart. Ballard was the cherry on top of this delicious sundae of a book.  Even before the curse he wasn't perfect. I loved his character because of him, what he stood for, and pretty much everything that made him Ballard. I never imagined him as a beast with ripped abs and tall and blonde fur. Even Lou admits that he's not handsome. I think we need more of this in books. We need realistic heroines with a little bit of weight on them and maybe a big nose. And we need heroes that aren't body builders. I don't mind abs; I'm just in need of something new. And this book gave it to me. 

I hope that maybe I made you look into this book and maybe I convince you to give it a try. I think Entreat Me was amazing, and I hope it gets disgustingly popular because it deserves to be in every Best Sellers list. It truly does.

I'm giving away 2 e-copies of Entreat Me. If you already read it then you can pick to get Grace Draven's Master of Crows (I'm reading this one right now and I'm loving it!). This giveaway is INT'l and will end 10/6/14. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Haze by Paula Weston Blog Tour and Review and Giveaway!

Amazon/Barnes & Noble

"But what if we can’t find Jude?"

He leans closer. His breath is warm on my ear. "We will."
"How can you be so sure?" I want to believe him so badly, but this is Rafa. The guy who’s all action and no plan. His smile is tired, knowing. An echo of a shared past I don’t remember.

"Because I’m not smart enough to give up, and you don’t know how to."

Gaby Winters’ nightmares have stopped but she still can’t remember her old life. Still can’t quite believe she is one of the Rephaim—the wingless half-angels who can shift from place to place, country to country, in the blink of an eye. That she was once the Rephaim’s best fighter. That demons exist. That Rafa has stayed.

But most of all, she can’t quite believe that her twin brother, Jude, might be alive.

And Gaby can’t explain the hesitancy that sidetracks the search for him, infuriates Rafa, and sends them, again, into the darkest danger.

I absolutely adored Shadows (the first book in the series). When the time came to read Haze, I was so excited to start reading it that I put everything aside to give the book my undivided attention. And I did. It wasn’t what I was expecting. I enjoyed Haze very much but Shadows is still my favorite in the series.

There were lots of things that I loved about Haze. One of them being the characters. Rafa and Gaby were my favorites. Their relationship was laid back, but you could still feel the sexual tension between them. One of the things that I really enjoyed was that Rafa didn’t try to take on the role of Gaby’s protector. He knew she was able to kick demon ass and even pushed her a bit to show her that she could be the badass Gabe she doesn’t remember. Also Maya! I loved her! She was so intense and a great addition to the story. I really want to see more of her in the upcoming books because whoa, she’s an awesome character. Another thing that made me a fan of the series is Paula Weston’s writing. She knows how to captivate the reader. Her writing style definitely help the book move along. I love how she brings to life these amazing characters and how different they are from each other. The fight scenes were a big plus too.

The problem I had with haze were unanswered questions. The things that I’ve been waiting to happen either didn’t happen at all or happened too late in the book, which was a little disappointing since I’ve been waiting for forever to find out what happened to Gaby and her brother Jude. What did they do a year ago? Who erased Gaby’s memory? And so on and so forth. GAH!! I was a little anxious to be honest. The waiting and wondering just killed me!!!! Can you tell I'm horrible at waiting? I can't watch suspense movies. Just tell me the ending LOL!

If you are a fan of the first book you'll definitely enjoy Haze. Readers will get plenty of Rafa and will get to meet new characters, which I think were one of the highlights of the book. Just know that maybe what you’ve been wondering about won’t get reveal until later in the book or maybe the next book in the series.

I took a little fun quiz to see which character I am like the most and:

This was so much fun! I love Maggie!!

Don't forget to visit the other stops on the tour!!

There's a giveaway going on too! All you have to do is comment on the tour posts to enter to win 1 signed hardcover set of Haze and Shadows!!!! More details here.

Ruthless People by J.J. McAvoy Review

 

 Amazon/Barnes & Noble

To the outside world, they look like American Royalty, giving to charities, feeding the homeless, rebuilding the city. But behind closed doors is a constant battle for dominance between two Bosses, cultures, and hearts.

Ruthless People is a romantic crime fiction set in modern day Chicago, and follows the life and marriage of Melody Giovanni and Liam Callahan—rivals by blood and leaders through fear. Their marriage, arranged by their fathers in hopes to end years of bloodshed between the Irish and the Italians.

Liam believes he’s getting a simple-minded wife, one he can control, one who bends to his every need . . . the complete opposite of Melody. She knows exactly what type of man he is, and would rather die than give up the power she has spent her life building.

The Mafia of the past has evolved, and with rival bosses gunning for them, Melody and Liam will have to learn to work as one to take down those who stand in their way.

1 Marriage x 2 Bosses = 3x the Chaos

So, I’ve been trying to write a review for Ruthless People for the longest time. The only thing that comes to mind right now is Holy Shift. I bought this one on a whim when I saw a post on Facebook of a reviewer raving about it. She was saying how different and how addicting the book was. I wish I remembered who it was because she was right!!! This book was not what I was expecting at all.

The main character Mel is kind of scary. No never mind that; she was terrifying! I’m not used to being intimidated by female main characters. I was little taken aback. This girl did not play. Which it’s understandable since she is a mafia boss and needs to prove herself to her crew just because she’s a female. I got to see a softer side of her in some parts of the book, but I wasn’t fooled. Her nature was to be cruel and ruthless. I can’t say if I liked her or not. I was surprised by the things she did, and she was definitely not a relatable character, but I did appreciate her attitude and how she knew she was the best at what she did.

Liam was a little bit predictable, and a little be softer than Mel. He still did terrible things, but he balanced the book. I definitely loved the way Mel and Liam clashed and the things they did to each other were borderline sadistic but you could feel the sexual tension sizzling between them. It didn’t hurt that they both had the same goal, which was to rule the world. The secondary characters were more likable they weren't as mean-spirited as our two main characters, and they had a heart. Something happened with one of Liam’s brother that actually pissed me off so much I had to put the book down for a few minutes to remind myself that this was just a book. It was kind of hard to remember that the people in the book were fictional because everything felt so real that’s one of the things I loved the most about Ruthless People.

I don’t know how most people will feel about this book. I was pretty much reading a book told by the villains' POV. I thought it was refreshing, and it made me feel all kinds of weird, but I loved it.

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty Review

Amazon/Barnes & Noble/Audible

Australian triplets Lyn, Cat, and Gemma Kettle are about to turn thirty-three and one is pregnant, one has just had her life turned upside down, and one is only just keeping hers from skidding off the fast lane. Meanwhile, their divorced parents have been behaving very oddly indeed.

In this family comedy by Liane Moriarty, we follow the three Kettle sisters through their tumultuous thirty-third year -- as they deal with sibling rivalry and secrets, revelations and relationships, unfaithful husbands and unthinkable decisions, and the fabulous, frustrating life of forever being part of a trio.

I really don't want to start a new book after finishing Three Wishes. I feel like I need to read more about these sisters. I feel so comfortable in their story that I don't want to let go. It's weird having these feelings. I usually can separate reality from fiction but while reading this book the difference kind of got hard to tell apart.

I think they way Moriarty writes her characters is key to why I adore her books so much. Although I may be a stranger to their lifestyles, her characters evoke this feeling of familiarity in me. It's like meeting old friends and then you are like, wait yeah I remember you! After finishing one of Moriarty's book I always feel sad because I won't be spending time with the characters, happy because I got to spend time with them and exhausted because I haven't slept properly in the last two days. I couldn't put this book down!

Three Wishes made me laugh and feel sad in a matter of a few pages. It was up and down with the sisters, but they loved each other so much that no matter what happened between them, in the end, they would still be there for each other. I wish I had a twin sister. I wonder how that would have gone. Free babysitter for sure! But, no, seriously you need to read this book.