Contest Reminder!!!

So July's almost over and you guys know what that means....the 200 follower contest is almost over!  The last day I'll be accepting entries for the contest is on August 1, 2010 and I'm cutting it off at midnight!  So if you haven't entered and don't know what I'm talking about here is what's up for grabs....

The contest is for followers only and is open internationally as long as the Book Depository will ship to you.

Other (Other, #1) by Karen Kincy

Seventeen-year-old Gwen hides a dangerous secret: she’s Other. Half-pooka, to be exact, thanks to the father she never met. Most Americans don’t exactly roll out the welcome mat for Others, especially not the small-town folks of Klikamuks, Washington. As if this isn’t bad enough, Gwen’s on the brink of revealing her true identity to her long-time boyfriend, Zack, but she’s scared he’ll lump her with the likes of bloodthirsty vampires and feral werewolves. 

When a pack of werewolves chooses the national forest behind Gwen’s home as their new territory, the tensions in Klikamuks escalate-into murder. It soon becomes clear a serial killer is methodically slaying Others. The police turn a blind eye, leaving Gwen to find the killer before the killer finds her. As she hunts for clues, she uncovers more Others living nearby than she ever expected. Like Tavian, a sexy Japanese fox-spirit who rivals Zack and challenges her to embrace her Otherness. Gwen must struggle with her own conflicted identity, learn who she can trust, and-most importantly-stay alive.

Forget You by Jennifer Echols

WHY CAN’T YOU CHOOSE WHAT YOU FORGET . . . AND WHAT YOU REMEMBER? There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four- year old girlfriend. Like Zoey’s fear that the whole town will find out about her mom’s nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. Feeling like her life is about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon. But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there’s one thing she can’t remember at all—the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug—of all people— suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life—a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug. 

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

Kayla McHenry’s sweet sixteen sucks! Her dad left, her grades dropped, and her BFF is dating the boy Kayla’s secretly loved for years. Blowing out her candles, Kayla thinks: I wish my birthday wishes actually came true. Because they never freakin’ do. 

Kayla wakes the next day to a life-sized, bright pink My Little Pony outside her window. Then a year’s supply of gumballs arrives. A boy named Ken with a disturbing resemblance to the doll of the same name stalks her. As the ghosts of Kayla’s wishes-past appear, they take her on a wild ride . . . but they MUST STOP. Because when she was fifteen? She wished Ben Mackenzie would kiss her. And Ben is her best friend’s boyfriend.

Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson

Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she's a werewolf. 

As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity, but also with a rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Claire's new life threatens her blossoming romance with Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. Now burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, Claire is struggling to feel comfortable in either skin. With her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever?

Glimmerglass (Faeriewalker, #1) by Jenna Black

Dana Hathaway doesn’t know it yet, but she’s in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, Dana decides she’s had it with being her mother’s keeper, so she packs her bags and heads to stay with her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl—she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie. 

Soon, she finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone wants something from her, even her newfound friends and family. Suddenly, life with her alcoholic mom doesn't sound half bad, and Dana would do anything to escape Avalon and get back home. Too bad both her friends and her enemies alike are determined not to let her go . . .

So head on over to the original contest post to fill out the form and just as a little side note, one of the questions on the form will ask you to provide a link for spreading the word, if you didn't no big deal, I accidentally made it required and didn't know how to change it (oops!) so just put "n/a" in that space if you don't plan on spreading the word.

Good luck and happy reading!

200 Followers Contest Updates!!!

So as you guys can see I've gone past my 200 followers mark and to show my thanks for following I want to share some updates with you guys regarding the 200 followers contest.

I've decided to add two more books to the mix....and I've decided to let the winners choose which book they'd like out of the prizes available.  So I'm sure everyone knows the drill but just to be clear, 1st winner selected will have first crack and which book he/she would like to receive, and so on and so forth.   Don't forget this contest is international (as long as the book depository ships to you) and I might just not stop at five books, ya never know...I am loving this contest!

So the two new books I've decided to add to the pile are:

Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson

Torn between two destinies? 

Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she's a werewolf.

As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity, but also with a rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Claire's new life threatens her blossoming romance with Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. Now burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, Claire is struggling to feel comfortable in either skin. With her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever?

And....

Glimmerglass by Jenna Black (my interview with her today inspired me)

Dana Hathaway doesn’t know it yet, but she’s in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, Dana decides she’s had it with being her mother’s keeper, so she packs her bags and heads to stay with her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl—she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.

Soon, she finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone wants something from her, even her newfound friends and family. Suddenly, life with her alcoholic mom doesn't sound half bad, and Dana would do anything to escape Avalon and get back home. Too bad both her friends and her enemies alike are determined not to let her go . . .

So hurry on over to the contest form and enter before the contest ends on August 1, 2010. 

(The form says it's required for you to post a link for the contest, that was a mistake but I can't change it so just type in "N/A" or something like it if you're not posting a link...sorry about that)

Contest Update

Looks like I've hit the 250 followers mark and everyone knows what that means......another book and another winner will be added to my 200 followers contest (I guess I could update the title, lol).

So here's what I decided.....I want to leave it up to you guys.....just leave me a comment below or send me an email (thebooksophisticate@hotmail.com) with suggestions of some books you would be interested in winning and I'll pick from one of your requests.  And as far as future updates go, if the followers keep growing I want it to be fair of course so I'll add another book and another winner to the list if I hit another milestone, so to speak.

So start making suggestions/requests and at some point next week I'll post an update with the new book addition.  As always good luck everyone and happy reading!

In My Mailbox (6)

This is a meme that I first heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren and immediately wanted to jump on board.

Every week we’ll post about what books we have received (whether they’re bought/borrowed, etc… you get the idea). This is generally done on Sunday, but I’m told that it’s really whatever day works for you; I’m going to be posting mine on Fridays because I tend to post less on the weekends.

Everyone participating will try and visit other lists to comment and possibly pine for the new arrivals everyone’s talking about. I’ve learned that it’s a great idea to really try and stop by at least two or three lists because I’m constantly finding out about new books that I’ve later added to my TBR list.

So this week I was lucky enough to snag some of the books I've been dying to read and to cross some off my TBR list (which never really seems to get shorter, only longer)!

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa (thanks to Harlequin Teen)

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron Fey, iron-bound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen.

But no one believes her. Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's alone in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

The Oracle of Dating by Allison van Diepen (thanks to Harlequin Teen)

No one at Kayla’s school knows she’s the famous Oracle of Dating—the anonymous queen of dating advice, given through her own Web site. Kayla doesn’t even have a boyfriend. Two relationship disasters were enough to make her focus on everyone else’s love life. But then her advice backfires on her own best friend. And Kayla starts to seriously obsess about Jared Stewart—the very cute, very mysterious new guy in school. Suddenly, the teen queen of advice needs her own oracle of dating--and she knows just where to find one... 

Burned by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

Y’all need to get yourselves together. Here’s a newsflash from the only High Priestess you have left at this dang school: Zoey isn’t dead. And believe me, I know dead. I’ve been there, done that and got the fricken tee-shirt. 

Zoey Redbird is the youngest High Priestess in House of Night history and is the only person – vamp or fledgling – that can stop the evil Neferet from raising all kinds of immortal trouble. And she might just have a chance if she wasn’t so busy being dead.

Well, dead is too strong a word. Stevie Rae knows she can bring her BFF back from her unscheduled va-cay in the Otherworld. But it’s going to take a lot more than hoping to bring Zoey back. Stevie Rae will have to give up a few secrets of her own . . .

I flew through this book so fast...loved every minute of it...check out the review I posted Wednesday.

And finally...Beautiful Malice:  A Novel by Rebecca James (won from First Reads at Library Thing)

So. Were you glad, deep down? Were you glad to be rid of her? Your perfect sister? Were you secretly glad when she was killed? Following a terrible tragedy that leaves her once-perfect family shattered, Katherine Patterson moves to a new city, starts at a new school, and looks forward to a new life of quiet anonymity. 

But when Katherine meets the gregarious and beautiful Alice Parrie her resolution to live a solitary life becomes difficult. Katherine is unable resist the flattering attention that Alice pays her and is so charmed by Alice’s contagious enthusiasm that the two girls soon become firm friends.  Alice’s joie de vivre is transformative; it helps Katherine forget her painful past and slowly, tentatively, Katherine allows herself to start enjoying life again. 

But being friends with Alice is complicated – and as Katherine gets to know her better she discovers that although Alice can be charming and generous she can also be selfish and egocentric. Sometimes, even, Alice is cruel. And when Katherine starts to wonder if Alice is really the kind of person she wants as a friend, she discovers something else about Alice - she doesn’t like being cast off.

So I've got some great reads to get through this week....what did you guys get this week?  Anything you'd wanna recommend I add to my TBR list?

And yes, it's Friday and you know by now what that means....it's Book Blogger Hop time!  I can't tell you how many great blogs I've come across and started following week after week thanks to Jennifer's weekly meme that gives everyone a chance to get their blog noticed...so head on over to Crazy-for-Books and let me know what you find.

Also...I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm getting such a great response on the contest I'm hosting that I decided to add another book to the pile and give the chance to a 4th winner as well!  I will be adding Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken into the possible winnings because after reading this book all I can say is that it's one that EVERYONE should read.  So if you haven't signed up click here to enter (and if the link doesn't work go to the Contest tab at the top of the page)!

Have a great weekend guys and Happy Reading as always!

Hexbound Details!!

So I'm all about the mini posts today apparently and have been searching the web for news and updates to share....I stopped by Chloe Neill's blog and found some exciting news....she's released the description for her sequel to Firespell, Hexbound...which is located on the back cover.  I loved Firespell and after reading the description, I can't wait for Hexbound to come out in January 2011!

Check it out...(taken from Chloe Neill's site)

Lily Parker is new to St. Sophia’s School for Girls, but she’s already learned that magic can be your best friend…or your worst enemy.

They say absolute power corrupts absolutely. Turns out, even a little magic can turn you to the dark side. That’s why Lily has to learn how to control her newly discovered paranormal abilities, on top of avoiding the snobs who think they run her school, nursing a crush on a cute sophomore with a big, werewolf-y secret, and fighting the good fight with her best friend Scout as they take on Chicago’s nastiest nightlife—including the tainted magic users known as Reapers.

Then Lily’s invited to a private meeting with Sebastian. He’s hot, powerful, and offering to help her harness the magic flowing in her veins in a way no one else can. He’s also a Reaper. Lily can’t hide her suspicions. But she’ll soon find out that the line between good and evil isn’t always clear…

If I find anything else on the net I'll be sure to update you guys throughout the day...has anyone found any interesting sneek peeks of their own?  I'd love to hear about them if you have.

Hitting the Shelves Soon!!!

Now that April is wrapping up, everyone (including me) is getting super excited for the new releases we've been anxiously awaiting to hit the shelves in May, but most readers already have their lists of what they're hopping to snag in May ready and raring to go.  What readers might not have is a list of what's coming out in June, so I wanted to share a few June releases that I can't wait to get my hands on!

Here's my top five June releases:

The Poison Diaries by Maryrose Wood (6/1/2010)

Jessamine Luxson lives with her father, Thomas, an apothecary, in an isolated cottage near Alnwick Castle. Thomas’s pride and obsession is his locked garden full of dangerous plants, which Jessamine is forbidden to enter. 

When a traveler brings an orphan to their cottage, he claims the boy has special gifts that Thomas might value. Jessamine is drawn to the strange but intriguing boy, called Weed. Soon their friendship deepens into love. Finally, Weed shares his secret: He can communicate with plants. For him they have distinct personalities—and some are even murderous. From the locked garden the poisonous plants call to Weed, luring him with promises of deadly power.

When Jessamine falls inexplicably ill, only Weed’s relationship with the Poisons can save her. But Thomas is determined to exploit Weed’s abilities, even if it risks Jessamine’s life—or drives Weed to the brink of madness.…

Everlasting by Angie Frazier (6/1/2010)

Sailing aboard her father’s trade ship is all seventeen-year-old Camille Rowen has ever wanted. But as a girl of society in 1855 San Francisco, her future is set: marry a man she doesn’t love, or condemn herself and her father to poverty. 

On her final voyage before the wedding, the stormy arms of the Tasman Sea claim her father, and a terrible family secret is revealed. A secret intertwined with a fabled map, the mother Camille has long believed dead, and an ancient stone that wields a dangerous—and alluring—magic.

The only person Camille can depend on is Oscar, a handsome young sailor whom she is undeniably drawn to. Torn between trusting her instincts and keeping her promises to her father, Camille embarks on a perilous quest into the Australian wilderness to find the enchanted stone. As she and Oscar elude murderous bushrangers and unravel Camille’s father’s lies, they come closer to making the ultimate decision of who—and what—matters most.

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce (6/7/2010)

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris-- the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead. 

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts fiercely alongside her. Now Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves and finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax-- but loving him means betraying her sister and has the potential to destroy all they've worked for.

13 to Life: A Werewolf's Tale by Shannon Delany (6/22/2010)

Something strange is stalking the small town of Junction… 

When junior Jess Gillmansen gets called out of class by Guidance, she can only presume it’s for one of two reasons. Either they’ve finally figured out who wrote the scathing anti-jock editorial in the school newspaper or they’re hosting yet another intervention for her about her mom. Although far from expecting it, she’s relieved to discover Guidance just wants her to show a new student around—but he comes with issues of his own including a police escort.

The newest member of Junction High, Pietr Rusakova has secrets to hide--secrets that will bring big trouble to the small town of Junction—secrets including dramatic changes he’s undergoing that will surely end his life early.

Blue Bloods: Keys to the Repository by Melissa de la Cruz (6/29/2010)

Lavish parties. Passionate meetings in the night. Bone-chilling murders. Midterms. The day-to-day life of Schuyler Van Alen and her Blue Bloods friends (and enemies) is never boring. But there's oh-so-much more to know about these beautiful and powerful teens.Below the streets of Manhattan, within the walls of the Repository, exists a wealth of revealing information about the vampire elite that dates back before the Mayflower.

In a series of short stories, journal entries, and never-before-seen letters, New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz gives her hungry fans the keys to the Repository and an even more in-depth look into the secret world of the Blue Bloods. Won't you come inside?

Don't these just sound great?  I can't wait...they've been on my TBR list for so long and June always felt like it was so far away but it's been creeping up on me and hopefully will be here before I know it!

Speaking of books everyone is anxiously awaiting...Rachel Hawkins announced the title to her new book, the Hex Hall sequel, drum roll please......Demonglass!  Spooky right?   Check out Rachel's full post here.

And don't forget to enter the contest I'm running...it ends May 21st...who would pass up a chance to win free books right?  Click here check it out!

Happy Reading!!!!!

My 1st Giveaway!!!

I can't think of a better way to show my appreciation to all my followers than hosting my very 1st book giveaway!

There will be 3 lucky winners to start out -- if the number of followers increases than I'll make sure to add a few more prizes to the pile.

The 1st place winner will get a signed copy of Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder and a companion bookmark that Maria was sweet enough to throw in!

The 2nd place winner will get a copy of the recently released Numbers by Rachel Ward.  I just finished this book and I loved it, my review will be up soon!

And finally the 3rd place winner will get a copy of Vampire Kisses "The Beginning" by Ellen Schreiber.  This volume contains the first three books in her series:  Vampire Kisses, Kissing Coffins, and Vampireville.  Her next installment, the 7th book in the series Love Bites, will be out on May 18th.  So if you haven't read her Vampire Kisses series, this is the perfect chance to jump in to the series from the very beginning!

This contest is for followers only, so if you're not a follower just click on the "follow" button on the sidebar to your right (Yes, I will be checking to confirm the winners)!

**Update**

I've added another book to the pile and decided to have 4 winners instead of 3!

Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken is now up for grabs...what a great read!

Now that you know what's up for grabs, just click on the link below to fill out the form and you'll be that much closer to being a winner!  This contest will end on May 21st so hurry up and enter and stay tuned for more updates!

Click HERE to fill out the contest entry form!

In My Mailbox (4)

This is a meme that I first heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren and immediately wanted to jump on board. Every week we’ll post about what books we have received (whether they’re bought/borrowed, etc… you get the idea). This is generally done on Sunday, but I’m told that it’s really whatever day works for you; I’m going to be posting mine on Fridays because I tend to post less on the weekends. Everyone participating will try and visit other lists to comment and possibly pine for the new arrivals everyone’s talking about. I’ve learned that it’s a great idea to really try and stop by at least two or three lists because I’m constantly finding out about new books that I’ve later added to my TBR list.

This week I tried not to burn a hole in my pocket like last week and stuck to purchasing one book for my collection:

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? Not like it's all that dangerous - the only neck I risk is my own. Until I accidently start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution. I should have just said no...

If I was only going to purchase one book this week...why did I choose this one do you ask?  Well it's because I have some very exciting news....I'm going to my 1st book signing on Saturday, and yes it's with Maria V. Snyder!  Maria will be at the Borders store in Lancaster, PA and I can't wait to meet her and experience a signing for the 1st time!  Maria's quickly become one of my favorite authors and I can't wait to read Inside Out.  Because of my excitement over the book signing and over having 39 followers (I love you guys!) I thought it might be time to host my 1st giveaway featuring....you guessed it - Inside Out.  There may be one or two more books thrown in as well since I want the first giveaway to be as exciting for you guys as it is for me to host it.

I'll have more information on the giveaway early next week so be sure to check back in for that, and can we please cross our fingers that I can figure out how to work Google Forms by then, lol!  Also be sure to check out the rest of Maria's tour schedule for Inside Out on her site and you'll also find that you can read the 1st three chapters of Inside Out there.

Having nothing to do with Maria V. Snyder but connected to the topic of book tours, I wanted to give everyone a heads up that Alyson Noel has just posted her tour schedule for her upcoming novel, Dark Flame.  Unfortunately she's not coming anywhere that wouldn't require me to get on a plane to see her or I'd totally be making my plans and mapping out my driving course, but if she's coming near you I think it would be a great opportunity for anyone!

And on a last note before the weekend....it being Friday it's of course Blog Hop Time!!!!  So don't forget to visit the Book Blogger Hop over at Crazy-for-Books and check out some great blogs that you may not know about. Since I've joined I've found some amazing ones and I can't wait to see who joins this week!

Happy Reading!

Cover Reveal!!!

I was going to wait to post this cover reveal tomorrow, but I just couldn't stand holding back.  After reading Firespell by Chloe Neill, I was of course anxious for the sequel to come out a.s.a.p.  But in the meantime while I'm trying to learn some patience, Neill was kind enough to post the cover image for Hexbound (A Novel of the Dark Elite, Book Two)!  

Isn't the cover awesome?  I'm even more excited to read it now and am growing less impatient by the day, lol!  But until it's release in January 2011 (which seems so far away) I'll have to make due somehow. 

Just A Little News

Hello Readers!  

To get through Wednesday I'm going to be surfing around and checking around for any news worthy of bringing to your attention.....

I wanted to let you guys know that Cassandra Clare and Holly Black will be touring soon, and Cassandra has been kind enough to post those dates along with a sneak peek of the BLADS (aka the shiny covers that go on hardbacks) that were sent to her...go have a look.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for my review of The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima!