Stacking the Shelves & blogging update

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews to showcase books we got during the past week, no matter how or what format they came in.


I bought:

Onyx, by Jennifer L. Armentrout
The Iron Queen (Iron Fey #3), by Julie Kagawa

The little key necklace you can see in the upper part of the picture is a very pretty piece of jewelry I won in a giveaway by A.G. Howard, the author of Splintered. Can't wait to finally read her book in January!


Furthermore, I got a free downlaod access to Ali Cross' first two books in the Desolation series because I voted for the title of the third book and was among the majority who chose 'Destined'.

Here are the first two books, click the covers to get to goodreads:




I also got my first review request! Check it out below:

 
She’s a halfbreed in hiding.

Rainbird never belonged. To one race, she’s chattel. To the other, she’s an abomination that should never have existed.

She lives on the sunway.

High above the ground, Rainbird is safe, as long as she does her job, keeps her head down, and never ever draws attention to herself.

But one act of sabotage is about to change everything.
For Rainbird. And for her world.





I love the cover! Her dancer's pose, high up in the night sky. Also, someone approached me to review a book! Not the other way around! I know many bloggers get dozens of review requests every week or so but this is a first for me, and the email exchange was a very positive one. I recently heard about all the terrible ways some bloggers get requested to review books (e.g. on twitter, facebook, generalized emails without sufficient info etc) and I'm glad it wasn't this way! I'm excited to read the book once I'm done with one or two NetGalley titles. It sounds very promising and like it could be a 'me' book.


Blogging update:
This is a confession of shame. Yes, I haven't been very active. I think this marks the second week of almost meme-only posts and no reviews, and I don't like it at all. I want to have actual content on the blog. But I've just been feeling very very drained - I do just enough to keep up with universtiy coursework. I've had a lot going on, and I just had a kind of review writing block. I also haven't written on my NaNo novel since Sunday. It all just feels wrong and I'm very discontent with how things are going. I've been pretty much off twitter, too. I've had little energy and motivation to write anything, but I think I'm past the worst part. I hope I can finally write my review for The Shadow Society tomorrow. It's not that I was in a reading slump (I don't think that has ever happened to me) but I just couldn't get my thoughts straight and into review mode. I really hope I can turn this around in the coming week!
If any of you have tips on this problem that they can share, ways to get motivated again... bring them on! I'd really appreciate it!

Otherwise, let me know what you think of my haul & link up your own in the comments :)

From the Review Pile: Blacker than Black & The Abhorsen Chronicles

From the Review Pile is a meme hosted by Stepping Out of the Page every Thursday. 

The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review (or if you don't receive review books, any book that you own and really want to read/review) but haven't yet got around to reading, in order to give the book some extra publicity. It is also inspired by 'A While on the Pile', a post by Rachel from Fiktshun / My Reading Pile.

 

 

I haven't done one of these posts in a long while but since it motivated me to actually go and read the book last time, I thought I'd give it another shot.

The first book that's been on my pile for a few months (July, I think) is Blacker than Black by Rhi Etzweiler. It was one of the first books I requested from NetGalley (it might have been a 'download now' one) and since it was already out, I kept pushing it back on the pile.

Release date: January 23, 2012
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Format: ebook, 360 pages

Apparently, my twin and I are two of York’s most notorious criminals. We’ve been Nightwalkers in the blue-light district since the vamps took over the world. Don’t know how many years it’s been. Long enough that a stream of fellow ’walkers have come and gone. Most don’t last long selling their chi. End up face-down in the gutter, or worse.

For us, one night and one sale change everything.

Monsieur Garthelle is the first john to hunt me down. He calls me a chi thief in one breath and offers absolution—servitude—in the next. Maybe I’m a sucker, but I like living and breathing. Strange that such a powerful vamp would show leniency to a mere human. And something’s not right with the chi I took from him. It won’t go away.

Neither will he, and he’s forcing us to spy on his peers. Then a vamp turns up dead, and we go from playing eyes and ears to investigating a murder. This isn’t what I signed up for. All I ever wanted was to sell a little chi, maybe steal some in return. I should’ve kept my damn hands to myself.

This is my story. Look through my eyes.

I don't know why exactly I've kept pushing this one back. I love Urban Fantasy and vampires and the world building seems promising. At the moment I have too many galley titles with 'expiration dates' on them though to get to it immediately. But I'm determiend to read it at some point.

The next one is a book I bought about a year ago. Actually, I first noticed this series at a bookstore when I was like 15... eight years ago. I loved the (German) covers. So it's kind of ironic that I ended up buying it with a cover I don't much care for. Having the whole trilogy in one book (omnibus) for a very reasonable price was a convincing argument though...



The Abhorsen Chronicles, by Gath Nix (Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen)

Release date: December 30, 2008
Publisher: Harper Teen
Format: Paperback, 1232 pages

Sabriel

Every step brings Sabriel closer to a battle that will pit her against the true forces of life and death--and bring her face-to-face with her own destiny.

Lirael

With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, Lirael must undertake a desperate mission under the growing shadow of an ancient evil, which threatens the fate of the Old Kingdom.

Abhorsen

The Abhorsen Sabriel and King Touchstone are missing, and Lirael must search in both Life and Death for some means to defeat the evil Destroyer--before it is too late.


I think the book I'd picked up was Lirael, which was one reason why I didn't buy it - they didn't stock Sabriel. I remember the description including something about everyone having mind powers (reading thoughts?) apart form Lirael, which alienated her. Not sure though... it was a long time ago. But I've heard so much about Garth Nix and really want to read one of his books. It's just... it looks so big and heavy ^^'' Hard to carry around. Takes long to get through. So many other books on the shelf. Yeah...

If any one has motivation to offer for starting to read either of these books, go ahead :) Have you read them? And what's gathering dust on your pile?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme by Jill at Breaking The Spine to showcase upcoming releases we're excited about.

This week's pick is:

Expected release: February 21, 2013
Publisher: Viking Children's
Format: Hardcover, 272 pages

Goodreads description:
That’s the day the trouble started.
The trouble that nearly ruined my life.
The trouble that turned me Dark.
The trouble that begs me for revenge.

Celia Door enters her freshman year of high school with giant boots, dark eyeliner, and a thirst for revenge against Sandy Firestone, the girl who did something unspeakable to Celia last year.

But then Celia meets Drake, the cool new kid from New York City who entrusts her with his deepest, darkest secret. When Celia’s quest for justice threatens her relationship with Drake, she’s forced to decide which is sweeter: revenge or friendship.

This debut novel from Karen Finneyfrock establishes her as a bright, bold, razor-sharp new voice for teens.


I saw this one on NetGalley a while ago and requested it, but didn't get approved. I feel like it could go either way, to be honest. It'll be either really stereotypical and bland and filled with angst and whining, or it could be absolutely amazing with a raw, honest voice. I'm hoping for the second.
What do you think of my pick? And please share the link to your own WoW so I can check it out :)

Teaser Tuesday: Poison Eaters and Dark Magic

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today I'm teasing you with two books. City of Dark Magic is an eARC I am currently reading and will be published by Penguin on November 27. The Poison Eaters is a short story collection by Holly Black, illustrated by her husband Theo Black.

This conversation takes place in the castle complex in Prague, between our protagonist Sarah and her new boss. They are discussing the history of the Lebkowicz family Sarah will be working for.

"What was Prince Max doing before he got his family stuff back?" Miles looked around as if the room might be bugged and leaned in close. "Officially, he was in banking. Really, he was the drummer in some sort of rock band in Los Angeles," whispered Miles. "But no one knows that and I didn't tell you."
[City of Dark Magic eARC, position 615 of 4563]

I don't know more about the Prince yet but I'm curious...
I'm loving the Prague scenery in this one. So many places I've been!

Matilda imagined Lydia and Julian dancing at the endless Eternal Ball. She pictured them on the streets she'd seen in pictures uploaded to Facebook and Flickr, trying to trade a bowl full of blood for their own deaths.
[The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, page 15]

I love this story. I already knew it from another anthology and re-reading just made me remember how awesome it was and long all the more for the full-length novel that will be coming... sometime... next year I think?
Holly Black's writing is just so gripping and courageous. I read her novel Tithe about 7 or so years ago, when I was 16, and it will stick with me forever. I got it at the library and read it twice before returning it. Since then I've read it about twice more.

Aaaanyhow, what do you guys think of my teasers? And what did you choose to tease the rest of us with this Tuesday? Link me up in the comments :)

NaNoWriMo update: week 2

For those of you wondering what NaNoWriMo is: it's the mad idea of writing (or at least starting) a novel by writing at least 50,000 words in the month of November. Find out more about it here.

Alright... first off, it's really a lot harder for me this year around. Unlike last year, my main problem is time. I have way more courses than last year and the work there will no longer be ignored.

Because of that, I haven't written a word since Friday afternoon. I'm currently at 13,723 words - around 5,000 words behind. I hate it. I had hoped that even if I can't exceed the goal like I did last year, I'd at least be able to keep up.

I haven't given up hope yet completely though. I hope that I'll find the time and the necessary pull to catch up, that I'll go into a writing frenzy and the words just tumble out. But last year's passion is slow in coming this time around, and that makes me sad. I'm having a hard time getting back in sync with the characters. I'm confused with my plot (or lack thereof). For once, I wish I was one of those people who write outlines. Having a written book in the back to go back to and link forward from seems to make things harder instead of easier, as I had thought it would.

So yeah, my motivation is a bit low at the moment. I feel like I should do a million things at once and am half-assing them all. All those things are important to me, and I don't like half-assing things. I don't know what else to do though. If one of you has one of those time-inverter thingies (don't know what they're called in English, read it in German) like Hermione in The Prisoner of Azkaban, I could need one.

On a more positive note, one of my main-but-not-THE-main characters is developing in an unexpected direction and sort of getting her own arc, and I really like what's happening with her. I mean it sucks for her because she's confused and hurting both physically and emotionally, but she's developing and something is going on with her and I feel she's gaining depth. So that's been my silver lining in the raincloud of what was my past week for the most part. I'll try to put in some words now. Half an hour till midnight...

How are you guys' projects coming along? Any tips or experiences to share? Similar problems, or other issues? Or are you lucky and everything is coming along amazing and you feel that buzz under your skin and constantly have a smile on our face and a spring in your step? Tell me about that too, maybe it will re-kindle last year's fire in me ;) Feel free to link me to your own NaNo post if you have one.

Stacking the Shelves: I won sweet and signed stuff

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme created by Tynga's Reviews to show off all the books and other book-related awesomeness we bought, borrowed, won, found or however acquired during the past week.

Since I decided that I was fed up with my book buying ban last week, I ordered quite a ton of stuff (bargains!) but not all of it has arrived yet. I'm also really sorry for the lack of reviews lately :( I'm really busy with university stuff, and now I have NaNoWriMo on top of everything... I'm always behind and feel like I'm running after my life and never able to quite catch up and basically half-assing everything by trying :/ I have to hand in an essay draft by Sunday and as of this morning, I didn't even know what to write on. I do now, but I still don't have a clear thesis, much less secondary literature or anything like an outline. And I'm working tomorrow and then leaving to visit family... yeah. I don't see this one working out either.

I got two physical books:

Days of Blood and Starlight, by Laini Taylor
Awake at Dawn (Shadow Falls #2), by C.C. Hunter

I was soooo happy when DoBaS arrived in the mail!!! It's so gorgeous, and... really big. Which means that the cover is even more stunning. Can't wait to get around to reading this one - the writing of DoSaB was so gorgeous!
I really enjoyed Born at Midnight, the first book in the Shadow Falls series, when I read it over the summer. I hope the sequel is just as addictive.

I also won two books in giveaways:

 

The Blemished, by Sarah Dalton
Affinity - Bird in a Guilded Cage, by Mary E. Merrell

Click the covers to get to the Goodreads pages.
I love both covers, especially the one for The Blemished. Purple is my favorite color ^^ (I'm sure you never would've guessed from my blog design...)

Furthermore, I just got this eBook from amazon for free:

The Light Tamer, by Devyn Dawson

I linked to amazon because the description there is better than the one on goodreads.


The list goes on... I got approved for two books on NetGalley:


Again, click to get to goodreads.

I requested The Stone Demon yesterday afternoon as soon as I read a tweet of Karen Mahoney's that it was on NetGalley! I love her Iron Witch Trilogy! To my total surprise, I was approved just hours later o.O
City of Dark Magic is a book I requested weeks ago and didn't really expect to hear back about anymore. I mean, it's Penguin. And my blog isn't exactly 'big'. When I got the email I expected a rejection, and was left blinking at the screen for a while when I got accepted instead o.O I started reading it late last night because it's out on the 27th and I really like the opening so far! The tone is very special.

And finally....

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!! I can't wait to read Black City!! I have it on preorder and can't wait for its pretty, hardcover self to make an appearance at my door! So I was super-excited to get an email from Elizabeth Richards that I'd won a bunch of SIGNED bookmarks for both Black City and its sequel, Phoenix!!
They are so so pretty! All shiny and smooth and gleamy and signed. The picture does not do them justice ^^

Also, because I don't need all of them for myself, you guys can expect a giveaway, problem along with my review ;)
 
Alright, I'm at the end of my haul. Have you read any of the books I got, or are they on your TBR? And what did you get this week?

Waiting on Wednesday: City of Dark Magic, by Magnus Flyte

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill from Breaking The Spine to showcase upcoming releases we can't wait for!


My pick this week is:

Expected release: November 27, 2012
Publisher: Penguin Books
Fromat: Hardcover, 464 pages

Goodreads description:
Cosmically fast-paced and wildly imaginative, this debut novel is a perfect potion of magic and suspense
Once a city of enormous wealth and culture, Prague was home to emperors, alchemists, astronomers, and, as it’s whispered, hell portals. When music student Sarah Weston lands a summer job at Prague Castle cataloging Beethoven’s manuscripts, she has no idea how dangerous her life is about to become. Prague is a threshold, Sarah is warned, and it is steeped in blood.      Soon after Sarah arrives, strange things begin to happen. She learns that her mentor, who was working at the castle, may not have committed suicide after all. Could his cryptic notes be warnings? As Sarah parses his clues about Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved,” she manages to get arrested, to have tantric sex in a public fountain, and to discover a time-warping drug. She also catches the attention of a four-hundred-year-old dwarf, the handsome Prince Max, and a powerful U.S. senator with secrets she will do anything to hide.
     City of Dark Magic could be called a rom-com paranormal suspense novel—or it could simply be called one of the most entertaining novels of the year.


I just realized that this one is actually coming out pretty soon. I requested it on NetGalley ages ago and never expected to get accepted because... Penguin. So I was totally surprised when I got the email that I was o.O It sounds so cool! I was in Prague in July and the city is magical indeed. Can't wait to revisit it through Sarah's eyes! Also, portals to hell? Time-warping drugs? Color me intrigued!
What are you waiting for this week?

Teaser Tuesday: Touch and Crash

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


At the moment I'm reading Touch by Jus Accardo as a paperback and Crash by Nicole Williams as an eBook.

"You left. I didn't know where you'd gone."
He stepped past Alex, stopping only when his shoulder brushed mine. "I left when I heard your father get up."
From the corner of my eye, I could see Alex watching us, eyes narrow. "What is he talking about?"
Kale, apparently feeling helpful, answered for me. "I stayed with Dez last night. We took off our shirts."
I didn't have to see my face to know it turned a bright shade of red. Kale and I were going to discuss the appropriate level of sharing. Soon.
[Touch, page 132]

Jude Ryder wasn't only trouble, he was trouble with a side of danger and a dessert of heartache. I didn't talk the lingo of stereotypes, but I knew the path Jude was on and the one I was on would never intersect unless of of us forfeited our individual one to join the other.
I'd worked too hard for too long to allow mine to dead end.
[Crash, page 20 / position 236 of 3663]

What do you guys think of my picks? Have you read any of those books? And what teases do you have on offer this week? Tell me in the comments :)