Top (slightly more than) Ten Books When You Need a Light & Fun Read

1.  HEIST SOCIETY and UNCOMMON CRIMINALS by Ally Carter
2.  THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER and ALONG FOR THE RIDE and WHAT HAPPENED TO GOODBYE (and really any other book) by Sarah Dessen
3.  CLARITY by Kim Harrington
4.  THE LIAR SOCIETY by Lisa and Laura Roecker
5.  THE MEDIATOR series by Meg Cabot
6.  THE GHOST AND THE GOTH by Stacey Kade
7.  HEX HALL by Rachel Hawkins
8.  DEMONS AT DEADNIGHT by A and E Kirk
9.  OH MY GODS and SWEET VENOM by Tera Lynn Childs
10.  THE PRINCESS DIARIES series by Meg Cabot

Yes, I cheated. My list has way more than ten books, but I couldn't resist! It was too challenging to choose only ten! ;)

What books do you read when you need something light / fun? 

Image from and Hosted by THE BROKE AND THE BOOKISH

Top Ten Books On My Fall TBR List

TTT is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish!

TOPIC: Top Ten Books On Your Fall TBR List

1.   Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes - High fantasy novels are my weakness. I have high hopes for this one. 

2.   The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater - It's written Maggie Stiefvater, so it belongs on my TBR list.

3.   The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski - This book has a fascinating premise, so I'm excited to start it! 

4.   Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor - I'm very eager for this one to release! Laini Taylor has such lovely writing. 

5.  Ten by Gretchen McNeil - Ten teens, three days, one killer, on an island - I'm sold. 

6.   The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - The ending to Unbecoming about killed me. I am pretty much counting the days until this novel releases. 

7.   The Lies That Bind by Lisa and Laura Roecker - The first novel was filled with mystery, fun, humor, and so much more amazingness. I hope this sequel won't disappoint!

8.   The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson - If there's one thing I learned for The Girl of Fire and Thorns, it's that Rae Carson knows how to write a surprising story. I just hope she doesn't kill off another character I like though...

9.   The Torn Wing by Kiki Hamilton - Can't go wrong with a story set in London, 1872. With faeries. 

10.   The Diviners by Libba Bray - Libba Bray novels are usually (1) amusing, (2) awesome and (3) unique. Hopefully this one will be all three! 

Waiting on Wednesday (times two!) (75)

WOW is hosted by Breaking the Spine

Throne of Glass
Sarah J. Maas
August 7th, 2012

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Reading this one now, and it's great! I'm glad to that the model looks like how I imagine Celaena. The eerie castle backdrop is perfect!

The Lies That Bind

Lisa and Laura Roecker

December 1st, 2012

Kate Lowry thought she’d retired her pearls for good. But that was before Taylor Wright fails to show up for school Monday after the biggest party of the year.

Kate realizes soon enough that the party and Taylor's disappearance are connected--only not in the way everyone thinks. And as if it’s not hard enough to find a missing girl, Kate is forced to team up with the one person she has worked so hard to avoid--not to mention the one person with the potential to come between her and Liam.

As usual, Kate has her hands full searching for the truth amidst many layers of lies.

After all, things are never what they seem at Pemberly Brown.

The Liar Society was so much fun, I can't wait to see what happens next (and see if Kate's rocking blue hair like in the cover)!

What are you waiting on?

Image + Summary from Goodreads

Best of 2011

My 11 Best Books of 2011(in no particular order)
1.  Delirium by Lauren Oliver2.  Clarity by Kim Harrington3.  Divergent by Veronica Roth
4.  Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
5.  Blood Red Road by Moira Young
6.  The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton7.  Across the Universe by Beth Revis8.  Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
9.  The Liar Society by Lisa & Laura Roecker
10.  Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
11. What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Best Female Main CharacterKarou from Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Best Male Main CharacterCas from Anna Dressed in Blood
Funniest Main CharacterSophie from Demonglass
Most Realistic Main CharacterTiki from The Faerie Ring

Best Supporting Male CharacterFour from Divergent
Best Supporting Female CharacterAnna from Anna Dressed in Blood
Most SwoonworthyFour from DivergentRieker from The Faerie Ring
Best HorrorAnna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Best Villain (Orion) from Across the Universe
Best Sci-fi & MysteryAcross the Universe by Beth Revis
Best FantasyDaughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Best DystopianDivergent by Veronica Roth

Best Romance & WritingDelirium by Lauren Oliver
Best HistoricalBetween Shades of Gray by Ruta SepetysThe Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton
Best ContemporaryRival by Sara Bennett WealerMoonglass by Jessi Kirby

Best Verse NovelThe Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Best Ending to a Series/TrilogyThe Forgotten Locket by Lisa Mangum
Best SequelUncommon Criminals by Ally CarterDemonglass by Rachel Hawkins
Most UniqueBlood Red Road by Moira Young

Most SurprisingAnna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

 

Best Cover of 2011Possession by Elana JohnsonAcross the Universe by Beth Revis

The Must-Read Book of 2011Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Considering the amount of ties I gave (seriously, it was so hard to narrow it down!), I'd say 2011 was an epic book year. 
What was one of the best books you read in 2011?

Waiting on Wednesday + iClue

WOW is hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine

But I Love Him by Amanda Grace (aka, Mandy Hubbard)

Release: May 2011

Summary:

Tonight was so much worse than anything before it. Tonight he didn’t stop after the first slap.

At the beginning of senior year, Ann was a smiling, straight-A student and track star with friends and a future. Then she met a haunted young man named Connor. Only she can heal his emotional scars; only he could make her feel so loved-and needed. Ann can’t recall the pivotal moment it all changed, when she surrendered everything to be with him, but by graduation, her life has become a dangerous high wire act. Just one mistake could trigger Connor’s rage, a senseless storm of cruel words and violence damaging everything-and everyone-in its path.

This evocative slideshow of flashbacks reveals a heartbreaking story of love gone terribly wrong.

This one sounds like it could be a touching, intense read - I've definitely got this one on my wishlist! 

Click pic for info about winning the books!

On another note, Mandy Hubbard is one of the authors who joined with Lisa & Laura Roecker, Beth Revis, Lee Nichols, Kimberly Derting and Adelle Griffen to bring iClue to the blogosphere: 6 Authors, 6 Mysteries, 6 Chances to win an iTouch. Considering the amazing authors behind this (like the hilarious LiLa's - who have the most amusing blog ever, not to mention a mysteriously fun novel), it's bound to be amazing. 

Intrigued? Go check out the website for more info on how it works, prizes, et cetera...and be sure to check out the first mystery! 

What are you waiting on this week?

-Lea

Win an ARC of The Liar Society

Contest Policy

Winner will receive my ARC of The Liar Society, plus a few bookmarks! Perhaps even an extra surprise...who knows! ;)

Enter the form below to enter:

Check out my review of TLS and my interview with the authors if you need more convincing to enter! ;)

And feel free to share your answer to my "favorite detective" question in the comments!

Blog Tour Interview w/ Lisa & Laura Roecker

Today, I'm honored to have two very awesome authors here to answer some questions about their debut novel - The Liar Society (which I adored - click to see my review). So prepare for the amazingness that is Lisa and Laura Roecker: 

Quick! Describe The Liar Society in 7 words or less!

Dead BFF emails, Kate searches for truth.

Awesome answer! I was stunned by how seamlessly you two wrote The Liar Society. What was the experience like writing together, and how did you two share the work? 

Woohoo! Seamless is such a fantastic word. The best word to describe the experience of writing together is FUN. Basically, we play hot potato with the manuscript. Lisa writes the first chapter, Laura edits her work and adds another chapter, Lisa edits her work and writes the next. We continue on until we have a finished book. It's fun because we get to be both readers and writers at the same time and you never know quite where a book will take us.

What inspired you both to write The Liar Society? 

Lisa lost someone close to her and used to send him emails. In The Liar Society, Kate has lost her best friend Grace and sends her emails. The only difference is, Grace writes back.

Who are your top favorite sleuths from books/movies/tv shows? 

Nancy Drew all the way. We grew up devouring Nancy Drew books. We've heard Veronica Mars is amazing, but sadly never watched. One day, we'll have a marathon.

There's a mystery you two need to solve -- What three things would you need and who would you want to help you solve it? 

Lisa's phone (Laura's is basically the equivalent of a Jitterbug), one of our laptops and a car. Kate has to ride a bike everywhere and that kind of sucks. We'd definitely want Seth as our sidekick. He has all sorts of random information in his brain that would come in very handy. Although, not sure he'd be interested in hanging out with a bunch of thirty-somethings! Creeper!

Lol! Is there anything else you'd like to add?

We hope everyone enjoys The Liar Society--we had so much fun writing it!

If you found this interview entertaining, you are going to love, love, LOVE The Liar Society so much more!! 

Also, don't forget about the big contest LiLa's are having -- info below on how you enter: 

"And if you want to enter The Liar Society Blog Tour of Awesome contest, and really, who wouldn't want to enter!?! There's a $100 Amazon gift card up for grabs! Just click here and enter the super secret password, MYSTERY, for an entry. Remember you can enter one time for each stop on our blog tour, so be sure to click here and see where else we're visiting this month to maximize your chances of winning."

In My Mailbox 48

For Review:

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

My Life, The Theater, and Other Tragedies by Allen Zadoff

Birthday Gifts (Printed Books):

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

Chime by Franny Billingsley

Birthday Gifts/Giftcard (Kindle eBooks):

The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker (Review)

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale ($1.99 wherever eBooks are sold)

Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer (Review)

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard 

Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley 

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Agency: A Spy in the House by YS Lee

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Rachel Hawkins/Sarwat Chadda's Tour Stop:

Won a book bag w/ the covers of Demonglass and Dark Goddess on it! Who knew asking questions could bring about a cool reward?

(And I got my copies of Hex Hall + Demonglass signed!)

From Pretty Little Liars "A":

Small clover plant

Thank you to Jennifer from Goodman Media, ABC Family, my family, as well as a big thanks to those of you who left sweet birthday messages on my Facebook page!