Showcase Sunday #3

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Books, Biscuits, and Tea!

Books, Biscuits, and Tea just started this meme a few weeks ago, and I'm very excited to be participating!

I didn't have anything to showcase last week because I was super busy with work and by the time I got home, I usually fell right asleep! But over the past two weeks, I have gotten books... even though I'm technically on a book buying ban. :(

I bought Insurgent by Veronica Roth. I was trying to find a signed copy, but none of the places she was touring was very helpful in finding out how to get one. Then, a week after I got Insurgent from my local bookstore, Barnes and Noble in NY called saying they saved me a signed copy. I was like, really? You told me you didn't have one. It wasn't inscribed, but it was going to cost $3+ to ship, and I didn't think it was worth it to have two copies, even if one was signed. It's not that I wouldn't love a signed copy, but it's not the end of the world. I'm sure they'll have them eventually at V. Roth's local bookstore. My copy of Divergent isn't signed, so it would throw off the collection, anyways! haha

I also bought Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi from Bookperks.com. They were selling signed copies with 20% off, and shipping was only $.91, so the book came out to $13.91, which I consider a bargain, so I bought it! It shipped really quickly, and I got it about 4 days after I ordered it. I love how she signs every book with "Be extraordinary" with her name. It's a good book catchphrase for the story!

I hate saying I've been too busy to read, but it's true! That's why I haven't posted any reviews or been on here lately. Memorial Day Weekend was our big first weekend out here where I live, and we had a lot of preparation and anticipation. For the past 3 days, I've worked 8:30am - 10pm, so the end of the day usually means bed time. I'm hoping to get back into Pure by Julianna Baggott soon enough. I literally bring it everywhere with me so that if I get a spare minute, I can read it, but that hasn't happened!

Happy Reading!

Still on my Mind #2

This Thursday weekly meme is hosted by Haley at YA-Aholic! It gives us a chance to reflect on a book/novel we had read in the past that still effects us today!

My pick for this week came out in 2006, and it is STILL on my mind! I was 17 at the time, and I went into it thinking it was something completely different, and it ended up being amazing and mindblowing.

The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman (link to Goodreads)
Released: January 3rd, 2006
Description from Goodreads:

From the bestselling author of Practical Magic, a miraculous, enthralling tale of a woman who is struck by lightning, and finds her frozen heart is suddenly burning.

Be careful what you wish for. A small town librarian lives a quiet life without much excitement. One day, she mutters an idle wish and, while standing in her house, is struck by lightning. But instead of ending her life, this cataclysmic event sparks it into a new beginning.

She goes in search of Lazarus Jones, a fellow survivor who was struck dead, then simply got up and walked away. Perhaps this stranger who has seen death face to face can teach her to live without fear. When she finds him, he is her opposite, a burning man whose breath can boil water and whose touch scorches. As an obsessive love affair begins between them, both are forced to hide their most dangerous secrets--what turned one to ice and the other to fire.

A magical story of passion, loss, and renewal, The Ice Queen is Alice Hoffman at her electrifying best.

What initially drew my attention was that the main character is a librarian. I went through a phase in high school where I could not get enough of the library (turns out, I never got over my love of libraries). I would be out of town and I HAD to visit the local library to see what it was like. Every new library I visited told me a lot about the town it was in, the people that lived there, and the community that frequented it. So when I read the blurb about this book by Alice Hoffman, who already was known for being a phenomenal writer, I requested it from my local library. But this story was not just about her occupation, it was about a serious event in her life that brought her to terms with other aspects of her life, as well as helping her find love in an unconvential place.

This story was a page turner, and I read it in one or two sittings, needing to know what was going to happen next. One of the main issues in the story is slowly unraveled, concerning the love interest of the main character, and when you find out, it's not a let down, it just made so much sense to me. I mean, I was 17 at the time and it was an intense love affair they had going on, so it was interesting just because of that, but it was dealing with lightning strike victims/survivors and it was something I had never been introduced to before.

Why is it still on my mind? Now that all these paranormal stories are coming out, it makes me think back to all the novels I've read in the past that could have been a paranormal story, if I had any say in it. Some adult novels are just considered a mystery or science fiction if it has a slightly different take on either human abilities or emotions. I felt that this adult novel by Hoffman was so abnormal and beyond what I was used to, it was almost supernatural to me. It's still on my mind because the material covered was not what I was used to and it opened the door for me into adult science fiction and paranormal stories. It's one of the stories that I am thankful I had read when I was younger because I learned from the experiences the main characters went through and it ignited my interest in other aspects of stories, such as relationships and the connections that bring people together.

What's On (your) Mind??

Happy Reading!

Behind on Schedule

Dear blog,

I don't mean to abandon you a week or so at a time. But I have a full time job, and you're my very special hobby! I love visiting you and all your friends, but sometimes, I have to focus on work so I can get paid (so I can then spend more time with you!) Money does not make the world go round (although economists would say otherwise), but it definitely helps me continue to buy books and pay for internet access so I can visit you as often as I like!

I am doing my best to get through Pure by Julianna Baggott. I bring it EVERYWHERE with me, in hopes of finding a few spare minutes to crack open the spine and dive into its pages, but that's becoming harder and harder as I pick up more and more shifts (I have school loans to pay off, you understand, right?)

I just need to find my groove again, even if it means staying up all night long into the morning hours, reading under candlelight (more like a book light), and getting a few hours of sleep only after I've finished the story. What do you say?

<3
Sallie

Happy Reading!

Still on my Mind #1

This Thursday weekly meme is hosted by Haley at YA-Aholic! It gives us a chance to reflect on a book/novel we had read in the past that still effects us today!

It came out in 2005, and I was so engrossed in this novel! I cried a few times, and even to this day, 7 years later, my mind goes back to how I felt when I was reading it and how the story continually effects me each time I read a new story.
More after the break!

Showcase Sunday #2

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Books, Biscuits, and Tea!

Books, Biscuits, and Tea just started this meme last week, and I'm very excited to be participating!

Unfortunately, my bookshelf is seriously filled to the point of BURSTING, so I haven't acquired any new books, physical or e-books. I'm also on a slight book-buying ban until I can get my finances in order. Or until I see a book that I just have to have!

This past week, I've continued to struggle with reading Pure by Julianna Baggott. It's not that I don't like it, when I can find the time and sit down with it, I breeze through chapters, but lately it's just not happening. :(
For this reason, I'm also glad I haven't gotten any new books because I am so behind on all the books I got in the past few weeks. Instead of looking at my bookshelf and being happy it's filled with amazing books, it's becoming stressful to see how much has piled up and how little time I've dedicated to reading. (I still blame this on working full time, so maybe after a couple more weeks, I can figure out how to fit reading back into my schedule.)

Until next week, happy reading!