Teacher Reflections: Halloween reminds me of Romeo and Juliet

Ahh...'Tis the season to be scary.  I think it is fair to say that when most people think of Halloween, they think of costumes, candy, and scary things.  Me on the other hand... I think of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.  Not only do I think of Romeo and Juliet because they see each other for the first time at a costume party...very fitting for the season.  During my first year of teaching we received our curriculum and were horrified to find that Shakespeare was in the second unit which ended, conveniently, at the end of October.

Results: Follower Appreciation Extravaganza

Results are in for the Follower Appreciation Extravaganza!!


Whoa we have gobs of winners today!!  But before I get into the winners, I just want to thank everyone for participating.  I had a lot of fun and I hope that all my followers know that I truly appreciate you from the bottom of my heart.

Here are the winners for the Follower Appreciation Extravaganza:

WWII Novels: Those Who Save Us & My Enemy's Cradle

Laurie Brown from FrugalWahms

Wishlist Giveaway:  Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray

Small Review

Diversity Giveaway: 

Angela Braun, Jennifer @ Fictitious Musings, & Livia @ Butterfly-o-Meter

Why I Love Giveaway: $5 Giftcard to B&N

Jade @ Sort of Beautiful

Dystopian Giveaway: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Jade @ Sort of Beautiful

Commenter Giveaway: In Search of Rose Notes

Missie from The Unread Reader & Sonia from My Awesome Bookshelf

Giveaway of the "Awesomes": Catching Fire

Mary Ellen Thompson from The Reader Shop & Jennifer Kalman

Follower Appreciation Giveaway:

Sierra from Happily Never Ending

Thank you everyone who entered my giveaway : )

The winners will have 48 hours to respond with their address and confirm their various prizes. If there is no response, I will choose a new winner. Thank you everyone for entering the giveaways. The winners was selected by Random.org.

Don't forget that the Audiobook giveaway for Goddess of Vengeance is still ongoing!

Review: The Demon Trapper's Daughter

The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Angels/Demons
Pages: 240 (Ereader)
Source: Purchased based on
Mariya from Mystifying Paranormal Reviews
cover reveal of Soul Thief (book 2 in this series)

Description:

It’s the year 2018, and with human society seriously disrupted by the economic upheavals of the previous decade, Lucifer has increased the number of demons in all major cities. Atlanta is no exception. Fortunately, humans are protected by Demon Trappers, who work to keep homes and streets safe from the things that go bump in the night. Seventeen-year-old Riley, only daughter of legendary Demon Trapper Paul Blackthorne, has always dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps. When she’s not keeping up with her homework or trying to manage her growing attraction to fellow Trapper apprentice, Simon, Riley’s out saving citizens from Grade One Hellspawn. Business as usual, really, for a demon-trapping teen. When a Grade Five Geo-Fiend crashes Riley’s routine assignment at a library, jeopardizing her life and her chosen livelihood, she realizes that she’s caught in the middle of a battle between Heaven and Hell.

My Rating:

NO RATING

(due to personal issue with book)

My Review:

You Can Find Me...Over There!

Button Created by Missie from The Unread Reader

You can find me over at The Unread Reader today, where Missie is showcasing a Halloween Edition of When I'm Not Reading.  Come see the Halloween pictures and stories a few of us have shared.

Why I Love Wednesdays...Book Settings

I am returning with my new feature... Why I love which takes place on Wednesdays. Today's proclamation of love concerns our Favorite Settings in Books

Why I Love...Well-Developed Settings

Ohhhh...this is such a difficult question to answer.  I've previously discussed how much I love books set during WWII but this time around, I'm going to be a big more...vague.  I love well-developed settings in books.  I think I'm kind of cheating (and kind of not) but I really don't have a strong preference of a particular time or place that a novel is set.  But I do care whether the setting is believable and well-developed.  I never like a feeling where I feel like something is out of place or I want the author to "tell me more!!" 

Teaser Tuesdays: The Summoning

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

My Teaser: Is from one of my #readathon (<--old habits die hard) books, The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong.  It's a little long but it made me laugh out loud so I had to share.

“Whatever it is," I said, "the point is moot because as long as I'm on these pills, I can't make contact to ask."
Derek ... snapped, "Then you need to stop taking the pills."
Love to. If I could. But after what happened last night, they're giving me urine tests now."
Ugh. That's harsh." Simon went quiet, then snapped his fingers.
Hey, I've got an idea. It's kinda gross, but what if you take the pills, crush them and mix them with your, you know, urine."
Derek stared at him.
What?"
You did pass chem last year, didn't you?"

Be sure to share a link to your teaser!

Review: Magyk (Audiobook)

Magyk by Angie Sage
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Septimus Heap #1
Narrated by : Allan Corduner
Length: 12 Hours 4 min.
Source: eLibrary

From Goodreads:

The seventh son of the seventh son, aptly named Septimus Heap, is stolen the night he is born by a midwife who pronounces him dead. That same night, the baby's father, Silas Heap, comes across a bundle in the snow containing a new born girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take this helpless newborn into their home, name her Jenna, and raise her as their own. But who is this mysterious baby girl, and what really happened to their beloved son Septimus? The first book in this enthralling new series by Angie Sage leads readers on a fantastic journey filled with quirky characters and magykal charms, potions, and spells. Magyk is an original story of lost and rediscovered identities, rich with humor and heart.

My Rating:

My Review:

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: Hours 13-24

The End...

Well guys.  I didn't make it.  I was sooo close too. I started slowing down in Hour 22, but when Hour 23 it, I thought I had it in the bag.  15 minutes in, I was out for the count.  I woke up six hours later. Grr...so close.  I had a blast.

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?  Surprisingly, the first few hours.  Once the here we go part wore off.  I was sleepy.  I don't usually get up that early and I didn't go to bed til 4AM...7AM came fast. 
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?  All my books were pretty high interest.  The Demon Trapper's Daughter and The Darkest Powers series were great.
3.  Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Ummm...I really like it is run. I think that we should ( and I said this in the mid-event survey as well) have more linkys so that we know who is still participating at that hour.  I think this makes cheerleaders' time more efficient.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? There were different mini-challenges it seemed and I thought they were great.  I also had more cheerleaders visit this time around.  
5. How many books did you read? 3.5
6. What were the names of the books you read? I read The Demon Trapper's Daughter and finished the first two books in the Darkest Powers Series and half of the book in the last.
7. Which book did you enjoy most? The Summoner by Kelley Armstrong.
8. Which did you enjoy least? If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? I wasn't a cheerleader. 
9. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Very Likely.  Reader.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: Hours 7-12

MOST RECENT UPDATES CAN BE FOUND HERE.

Here we go!  I don't want to flood your readers, so updates for the first six hours will be found here.  Whoot! Whoot!  Let's Get it.


If you are part of the readathon and drop by, please leave a comment so I can return the visit and cheer you on. I also want to shout out my Mom, she's participating today.  You can find her here.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: Hours 1-6

MOST RECENT UPDATES CAN BE FOUND HERE :)

Here we go!  I don't want to flood your readers, so updates for the first six hours will be found here.  Whoot! Whoot!  Let's Get it.

If you are part of the readathon and drop by, please leave a comment so I can return the visit and cheer you on. I also want to shout out my Mom, she's participating today.  You can find her here.

Here's the Plan (Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon)

It's almost here!!

There is a slight chance I won't be able to participate (I need to make a client visit in another county, but I'm hoping I can do that on Sunday...cross your fingers...I am).

Here's my book list.  I've finally settled on going the series route.  I need a little more motivation and I'm hoping these series will rope me in for some successful reading.

Giveaway: Goddess of Vengeance Audiobook

Great news!!  McMillan Audio has offered the audiobook for Goddess of Vengeance for one lucky US winner.  How fab-tastic is that?!  I definitely have an except for you to hear but I couldn't figure out a way to get it on a blog post.  If anyone knows how I can do this, let me know.  I'll get it up for you guys to hear.

You can find my review of this book here.

This giveaway will start today, October 20, 2011 and end October 27, 2011.  Open to US addresses only.  Just fill out the form below.
From Goodreads: 

Lucky runs a high profile casino and hotel complex, The Keys in Vegas. Lennie, her movie star husband, is still writing and directing successful independent movies, while Max, her stubborn and gorgeous teenage daughter is about to celebrate her 18th birthday, and her son, Bobby, owns a string of hot clubs. Lucky has everything. Family. Love. Life. And everything is exactly what billionaire businessman Armand Jordan is determined to take from her one way or the other. Meanwhile Bobby is dealing with shady Russian investors, while his girlfriend—smart and independent Denver Jones—is becoming a Deputy D.A. in the L.A. drug unit. And Max, Bobby’s seventeen year old sister, is busy embarking on a forbidden affair with a sexy young movie star. An affair they have to keep on the down-low lest Lucky finds out. The word is that “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” and what happens in Goddess of Vengeance will blow your mind!

For the giveaway, fill out the form below:

Why I Love Wednesdays...Types of Characters

I am returning with my new feature... Why I love which takes place on Wednesdays. Today's proclamation of love concerns our Favorite Types of Characters

Why I Love...Sassy and/or Witty Characters

This topic has appeared in one of my first Why I Love Wednesdays post.  And I couldn't help but describe how much I LOVE LOVE imperfect characters.  This time around, I just have to tell you how much I love sassy and/or witty characters.  I felt like I have to include both because sassy just isn't a very masculine description so I had to include both.

Some people like their characters to be a bit angsty and others like them to be swoon-worthy.  Me.. I like sarcasm and wit.  I love Katniss, Peeta, and Haymitch from the Hunger Games.  Without the witty interplay (and Peeta), that series would be beyond depressing.  Well it was still tough but these characters created fun and smiles in the midst of...gore.  Anybody watch House (the TV show)?  Okay that's certainly not a book.  I LOVE him.  He's so MEAN, but witty!  I want to be mad at him but I'm so...impressed.  Okay back to books.  I Love Morrelli and Ranger from the Stephanie Plum series.  They aren't over the top but they always have a witty comeback to match Stephanie's sassiness.

Review: The Love Goddess' Cooking School

The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 326 (Paperback)
Source: Purchased based on Kelly's @ Bookend Diaries Review
Author | Facebook | Twitter

From GoodReads:

Holly Maguire's grandmother was the Love Goddess of Blue Crab Island, Maine–a Milanese fortune teller who could predict the right man for you, and whose Italian cooking was rumored to save marriages. Holly has been waiting years for her unlikely fortune: her true love will like sa cordula, an unappetizing old-world delicacy. But Holly can't make a decent marinara sauce, let alone sa cordula. Maybe that's why the man she hopes to marry breaks her heart. So when Holly inherits Camilla's Cucinotta, she's determined to forget about fortunes and love and become an Italian cooking teacher worthy of her grandmother's legacy. But Holly's four students are seeking much more than how to make Camilla's chicken alla Milanese. Simon, a single father, hopes to cook his way back into his daughter's heart. Juliet, Holly's childhood friend, hides a painful secret. Tamara, a serial dater, can't find the love she longs for. And twelve-year-old Mia thinks learning to cook will stop her dad from marrying his phony lasagna-queen girlfriend. As the class gathers each week, adding Camilla's essential ingredients of wishes and memories into every pot and pan, unexpected friendships and romances are formed–and tested

My Rating:

My Review:

Reflection: How Do You Get Out of a Reading Funk?

I'm in a funk.  A reading funk.

Review: Confessions of an Improper Bride

Confessions of an Improper Bride by Jennifer Haymore
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Donavan #1
Pages: 342 (paperback)
Source: Won in a Giveaway
Author | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Description:

Serena Donovan left London six years ago, her heart broken and her reputation ruined by devilishly handsome Jonathan Dane. Now, with her family’s future in peril, she reluctantly agrees to return to England and assume her late twin’s identity. The price? Marry a man she doesn’t love and spend the rest of her days living a lie. Jonathan Dane, Earl of Stratford, has become an incorrigible rake, drinking, gambling-and trying to forget Serena Donovan. Yet the moment he’s introduced to the prim and proper “Meg,” he recognizes the sensual young woman who captured his heart. Haunted by his past mistakes, he refuses to lose Serena again. But convincing her to trust him is no easy task. Claiming his lost love means exposing the truth and destroying the life Serena has sacrificed everything to rebuild. With the future of all the Donovans at stake, and their undying passion capable of triggering yet another scandal, how much will Jonathan and Serena risk for a chance at tru
e love?

My Rating:

My Review:

Why I Love Wednesdays...Favorite Series

I am returning with my new feature... Why I love which takes place on Wednesdays. Today's proclamation of love concerns our Favorite Series

Why I Love...The WallFlower Series


This is certainly the fault of Alex @ A Girl Books and Other Things.  In the last couple of weeks, she has reminded me how much I love this series  You can check out her Retro Friday posts about this series here.  This historical romance has a basic but fun premise.  Four girls enter London society with a common goal, to find a husband.  They are all considered unmarriageable for various reasons.  So they have to stick their heads together and help each girl attain their goal.  I can't describe how much fun these girls are or the situations they find themselves in.  It is fantastically hilarious.  I'm not quite sure what makes this series stand above other historical romance novels set during the same period but they certainly do.

Teaser Tuesday: The Love Goddess' Cooking School

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

My Teaser:  Today's teaser comes from The Love Goddess by Melissa Senate.  I bought the book on whim after reading a review by a fellow book blogger, but when it came in the mail, I couldn't remember what made me make such a spontaneous decision.  So I put it on my shelf.  Fast forward a couple of months and I haven't, for the life of me, been able to get into any book I pick up and I know deep down it is me and not the books.  So I pick this one up from the shelf and settled in for a therapeutic read.  This is just what I needed.

"She'd always been trying to be herself, but she couldn't seem to pin down what that was.  Female was all she was certain about."

Be sure to share a link to your teaser!

Follower Appreciation Extravaganza (1000): Follower Appreciation!!

Thank you to all my followers!! This is the last giveaway for the Follower Appreciation Giveaway.  Oh and I reached 1000 followers!  How awesome is that?!  Yes, I have noticed that I might have passed that number.  But that is crazy and I can't process that right now.

The Prize: A winner can choose 2 books of their choice (Up to $20 total)

Who can win?  This is an International giveaway (as long as the Book Depository ships to you)

How Long do You Have?  This giveaway ends October 22.
Don't forget to check out the other 7 giveaways they end on October 15.  Find them here.

To Enter: Fill out the form below. You must be a follower.  There are no extra entries.

Review: White Witch Pond

White Witch Pond by Jody Kihara
Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 119 (Ereader)
Source: From Author, through Lightning Book Promotions
Author | Facebook | Goodreads

From Goodreads:

Shaya Solen’s walk home from school takes her past an eerie pond, where one day she finds an old bracelet made of raven feathers. Soon, strange events begin to unfold: a shadowy figure glimpsed across the water, ominous nightmares haunting Shaya, and rumors of a witch who once drowned in the pond. With the discovery of a strange family connection to the witch, Shaya is drawn into a mystery that must be solved before the approaching Halloween, which is the thirteenth anniversary of the witch’s death – and Shaya’s birthday.

My Rating: 

My Review:

Follower Appreciation Extravaganza (900): Giveaway of the "Awesomes"

I'm the first to admit that my rating system is a bit peculiar.  I rate books using faces because they express the emotions I feel after completing a book.  My lowest rating is Yuck and my highest rating is Awesome.  In between we have Meh and Good.

Yuck ratings usually mean that I am mad that I started the book and had to finish it (I finish all books I start).  It is also a rating that I give to a book where I feel like I utterly wasted my time and got NOTHING out of the experience.  This does not mean that there isn't someone else who wouldn't enjoy it.  It just means that I wouldn't recommend it.

Meh ratings mean that the book didn't do it for me.  Usually there is something so irritating or awful that it overwhelms all the positive things about the book.  I'm often indifferent about these books.  Again, I don't assume that others won't like it.  I just won't recommend it myself.  I may or may not feel like reading the book was a waste of my time.

Good ratings are the books that are really good.  I enjoyed them.  It was a pleasant experience and I would recommend it to people who like similar books.  Many of these books would fall into my favorites list.  There may be irritating things in the book but overall, the good outweighs the bad by a long shot.

The Awesome ratings are few and far between.  In my 9 months of blogging, there have been only 15 books given the awesome rating (This number may have changed...I am currently writing this post in September I have a whole month for those stats to change!).  These are books that I would recommend to all readers, regardless of preferences.  These are books that well-written, engaging, and often inspiring (but not always).  These books have the "it" factor.

Now for the Giveaway!!

This is a giveaway of books that have received the Awesome rating here at Reflections of a Bookaholic!!  I know that was a long-winded way to get to the point.  But there it is.

Mini-Review: Goddess of Vengeance

Goddess of Vengeance by Jackie Collins
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 516 (ARC)
Source: Publisher
Author | Twitter | Facebook

From Goodreads:

Lucky runs a high profile casino and hotel complex, The Keys in Vegas.
Lennie, her movie star husband, is still writing and directing successful independent movies, while Max, her stubborn and gorgeous teenage daughter is about to celebrate her 18th birthday, and her son, Bobby, owns a string of hot clubs. Lucky has everything. Family. Love. Life.
And everything is exactly what billionaire businessman Armand Jordan is determined to take from her one way or the other.
Meanwhile Bobby is dealing with shady Russian investors, while his girlfriend—smart and independent Denver Jones—is becoming a Deputy D.A. in the L.A. drug unit.
And Max, Bobby’s seventeen year old sister, is busy embarking on a forbidden affair with a sexy young movie star. An affair they have to keep on the down-low lest Lucky finds out.
The word is that “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” and what happens in Goddess of Vengeance will blow your mind!

Results for Banned Books Hop

RESULTS ARE IN!!

Congratulations to Ryan from Wordsmothonia. He has won a banned book of his choice.  According to the form, Ryan has chosen The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Thank you everyone who entered my giveaway : )

The winner will have 48 hours to respond with their address and confirm their book choice. If there is no response, I will choose a new winner. Thank you everyone for entering the giveaway. The winner was selected by Random.org.

Didn't win this time? No worries, The Follower Appreciation Extravaganza is STILL going on.  There are 6 giveaways posted and there will be a total of 8 giveaways.  Make sure you check it out.

Why I Love Wednesdays...Favorite Place to Read

I am returning with my new feature... Why I love which takes place on Wednesdays. Today's proclamation of love concerns our Favorite places to read.

Why I Love...The Bathtub!!


I LOVE reading in the bathtub.  When you are naked no one bothers you.  Plus...soothing warm water, bubbles, and wine.  What else do I need in life?  Oh I know!  An awesome book.   I do not take the Ereader in the bathtub :(  and ever since the accident where my laptop accidentally fell in the bathtub when I got up to get another glass of wine...it doesn't go in their either (In my defense, I was watching Bones on Hulu).  In the bathtub, I don't feel like there is something else I should be doing.  I don't feel like I should be reading for class, studying, or outlining.  I really get to read stress-free and without any guilt.  I LOVES it!

That's not my bathtub; that's my mommy's bathtub!!  I can stay in there for hours.  I wrote a previous post about my other favorite reading spot.

Follower Appreciation Extravaganza (800): Commenter Appreciation

I Love Comments!!  Getting comments on my posts NEVER gets old.  It is exciting every day.  This Giveaway is dedicated to commenters.  I want you to know that I love and appreciate you.  Really.  No really.

I also want to thank a few commenters specifically.  There is no way I can list all the wonderful people who have supported Reflections of a Bookaholic through comments but there are a few people that have been there throughout.

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: What NOT to do!

I'm so excited that we are in the month of October because this means that Dewey's 24 hour readathon is even closer.  I'm super excited.  My friend at Wall-to-Wall books created an awesome post with some tips on how to tackle this awesome challenge.  This will be her 6th time participating.  How fab-tastic is that?!

Well me on the other hand,  I can pretty much help you with what NOT to do.  Ha!  Yes, seriously.

Last April, I participated, had a blast, and fell asleep well before the end of the challenge.  Here's some things I recommend NOT to do, because I did it.

1.  DON'T choose to read books that you NEED to read.  Choose books you WANT to read.

I decided to read books from class.  Kill two birds with one stone right?  Not. Fun.  I also didn't read as many books as everyone else.  This year, I'm going to get my reading for class done ahead of time so I can fully enjoy my experience.  I'm also not reading any review requests.  I'm going to take the time to read books that I added to my list based on recommendations of other bloggers.  I always say "I'm out of the loop," well, time to get some wishlist reading done.  Whoot Whoot!  So excited :)


2.  DON'T forget the snacks.  Who doesn't like food.  Snacks make the read-a-thon fun and it helps keep you awake.  

Last time, I heard the word snack and I bought some grapes.  Bad. Idea. During the readathon people were posting pictures and information about their snacks.  I was so jealous and my mouth was watering.  What did I do?  Well I got in my car and drove to Chipotle.  Food was good but I wasted an hour and was not reading :) AND I was still jealous of the other snacks out there.

3.  Send the Hubby/Significant Other AWAY!!

I told my husband about the readathon and he was so excited for me.  BUT I can't tell you how many times he said, "just one more thing," and I can't tell you how I ended up riding to Best Buy with him because he said I could read in the store.  Nope.  This time he is banned.

If you haven't signed up yet, you need to do this RIGHT NOW!!  It is sooo much fun and I can't wait to participate with all my blogger friends.  Head on over to 24hourreadathon.com and sign up for the challenge today :)