15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 3

I've been so fortunate to meet so many awesome people because of blogging, and even more fortunate for some of those online friendships to be able to transfer to real life :0)

Jenna @ Jenna Does Books (Formerly Making the Grade): Jenna was my first online blogger friend whom I got to meet in real life. It was the book launch for Kristen Simmons debut 'Article 5', which also happened to be my first author event. I might have talked Jenna's ear off about how she should read more contemps, we chatted about other book nerdy things, and a friendship was born. Since then we've met up multiple times at other book events and other times just because. Jenna is pretty darn awesome and I feel lucky to count her as a real life friend :0)

Jenna and I at Trish Doller's launch for 'Something Like Normal'

Sarah @ The YA Rebels and SarahNicolas.com: Besides sharing a name, Sarah and I also share a home state. We met for the first time in Miami at a Spring into the Future event. We got to hang out more, and get to know each other better, at the Olde City, New Blood convention earlier this year, where we were both moderators. Next years incarnation, Coastal Magic, will be even cooler because Sarah will be there as an author for her books under the pen name Aria Kane.  Sarah is one cool chick and I'm so excited for her and am glad to have her as a friend :0)

Sarah and I at the Olde City, New Blood convention!
 

Shanon @ Escaping with Fiction: This one is a little different situation. Shanon is actually my real life BFF and I've known her since before I had this little blog here. My book blogging was actually the inspiration behind Shanon starting her blog. It's so much fun having a best friend who is just as into books and blogging as I am, not to mention there is always a built in buddy for book events :0)

Shanon and I at Trish Doller's launch for 'Something Like Normal'

I love these ladies and I can't wait for more fun bookish, and otherwise, adventures with them :0)

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 2

The Book Life's bedtime reading ritual :0)

A Cup of Tea




My cat, Chuck Norris. For snuggles :0)

And a good book :0)

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 1

A good friend, and fellow blogger, just posted this challenge on her blog and it looks like fun. I've been kind of lax on new content as of late, so if I don't have new books to talk about all the time, I figure I can at least share a little about the person behind The Book Life :0)

The 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge originated over at Good Books and Good Wine. Head on over there to check out all of the official information, and if any of you decide to participate, they'll have a linky each day for you to add your posts to!

The Book Life's book related confessions:

* Before blogging, my bookshelves were mostly filled with books I only bought because I thought people would be impressed that I owned them.
It's true, I used to be that girl. Back then I didn't read for enjoyment, or really read at all, for that matter. Once I started really paying attention to what I wanted to read, my bookshelves got a lot less pretentious.

* Twilight is the sole reason I started reading YA.
On the rare occasion I did read, I only read chick lit novels. One day I happened upon Twilight and I just couldn't devour those books fast enough. They sparked my desire to read more YA, and for that I am grateful, but I made the mistake of re-reading the series and discovered just how terrible it truly is.

* I sometimes get overwhelmed by the amount of books on my shelves and have to purge.
I routinely go through phases where I feel suffocated by the amount of books that have taken over my space and I have to weed them out a little. Most of the time the books I get rid of are ones I haven't even read yet.

* I absolutely hate 'Romeo & Juliet'.
Everyone loves this play and waxes poetic about how romantic it is, but I can't stand it. I get so angry when I start talking about, in fact I'm feeling a little agitated while typing this, because there is nothing romantic about this story. I think it gives people a warped view of what love is supposed to be.

* I will not crease a spine on any book and I feel personally assaulted, as a book lover, when I see other people doing it.
I completely understand that this is absolutely ridiculous, but I can't help it. I will do whatever I can to make sure that no crease ends up in the spine when I am reading a book. This is probably a good reason why my e-reader and I are a perfect fit.

* I don't organize my bookshelves.
I always tell myself I am going to do something cool, like organize them by color or by author, but it just doesn't happen. Right now they are sort of separated by contemporary and not contemporary, but they are already co-mingling.

* I almost never read a book before seeing the movie.
Unless I read the book years before it was even thinking of becoming a movie. If a book wasn't on my radar previously, and I see that it's got a movie coming out, I'll usually just wait and see the movie.

* I have a one-click addiction.
I just recently got a Nook HD and with that the ability to download the Kindle app and read Kindle books. Amazon has so many amazing deals and freebies, I can't stop one-clicking, even though I literally have more books that I can likely read in my lifetime.

* I DNF books all of the time.
There are so many books on my shelves (real and digital), so if I'm still not feeling a story after the first 50 or 60 pages, I don't bother trying to make myself finish it. I have enough books to choose from, that I don't have any reason to waste my time on something I'm not enjoying.

* I never thought I would enjoy reading erotica, but I actually really enjoy it.
I've always loved me some trashy romance novels, but I never thought I would enjoy reading the stories that went full on sexytimes. Turns out I quite like reading them from time to time, and I'm not even embarrassed to admit it.

* Some days I stalk blogs looking for new book recs, when I should really be reading one of the many books I already own.
I can't be the only one here...

* I can't stand mermaid stories and I'm usually pretty reluctant to pick up stories about fae.
There isn't one specific thing that makes me dislike these particular types of books, but I've not found many stories in either group that have been able to get and hold my attention.

* I own three e-readers.
Because I'm weird like that.

* I like a bad boy, but I love a geek.

* I can't stand audiobooks.
In theory, audiobooks are great, but in reality they just don't work for me. As much as it's nice to have someone read to me, I get so impatient listening to audiobooks, because I know if I was actually reading the book I could have it finished in a third of the time.



What are you're book blogger confessions?

A glimpse of what I love about Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller

 

Release Date: September 24th, 2013

Publisher: Bloomsbury

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Stolen as a child from her large and loving family, and on the run with her mom for more than ten years, Callie has only the barest idea of what normal life might be like. She's never had a home, never gone to school, and has gotten most of her meals from laundromat vending machines. Her dreams are haunted by memories she’d like to forget completely. But when Callie’s mom is finally arrested for kidnapping her, and Callie’s real dad whisks her back to what would have been her life, in a small town in Florida, Callie must find a way to leave the past behind. She must learn to be part of a family. And she must believe that love--even with someone who seems an improbable choice--is more than just a possibility.

I want to share with everyone how much I loved this book, but it's still a little too early for a proper review, so you get a mini, gushing, fangirl glob of Trish Doller love. If her books aren't on your radar, then please do yourselves and favor and get thee to a bookstore (or online bookstore website) and order her first book as fast as you can. And while you are at it, get your pre-order on for this one :0)

 

I make no secret of my love for Trish Doller's debut Something Like Normal. I loved that book so much, I read it twice before it was even released. So, naturally, I was crazy excited to get my hands on Where the Stars Still Shine, and I wasn't disappointed. Trish spins a tale like no one else and she really knows how to create characters. I loved Callie, flaws and all, and I just wanted to follow her on this journey no matter where it took her. There are a lot of things happening in her world, and a lot of new people whose lives she is suddenly a part of, but Callie's life has not been an easy one and nothing about her story is simple.

 

My first instinct after reading this book was to go pre-order it, and I urge all of you to do just that, but I had to make myself hold off. Why, you ask? Trish Doller and I share a home state, which means that no matter where in Florida she decides to throw her launch party, I will be driving my happy butt there to congratulate her, cheer her on, and stand in line like a giggly school girl to get mine signed :0)

 

I hope you guys love Callie, Alex, Kat and the whole gang as much as I do. If' you've already read it, let me know what you think!

 

Find Trish!

 

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THIS LOVE by Nazarea Andrews Release Day Launch: Excerpt + Giveaway!

 

 

 Hey guys! We've got another book birthday today! Nazarea Andrews THIS LOVE! Check it out below for an excerpt from the book and at the bottom of the post we've got an awesome giveaway!

 

 

 

 

She wants a summer job and a ride to a wedding.

He wants an assistant and a distraction from the mess his life had become.

They didn’t know they needed each other.

Avery Emili needs two grand. Two grand and a plane ticket–her sister is counting on her to get to Jamaica for her wedding. But the semester is over, and tutoring college freshman and high school students has dried up until the fall.

Atticus Grimes needs help–the messy split with his wife left the twenty-eight year old professor scrambling to keep things together as the semester winds down. Now he’s got a research grant he has to actually do research for and all he wants to do is drown himself in a tall bottle of bourbon.

When Avery sees his ad for an assistant, all she’s thinking is a summer job. But as they spend time together, in the office and out, both of them begin to realize something is there. Something that can’t happen–he’s a professor and she’s a student. And both of them have histories, pasts that won’t let go. Can two broken people pulled apart by expectations find a way to be whole?

 

 

Excerpt:

 

No one calls me. Nik used to, but her calls ended months ago. My sister emails me; the only time my phone rings is when Dane is checking on me. But he's here, so what the hell?

My phone rings again, a different number.

I answer it. "Who is this?"

"I'm calling about the job you listed on Craigslist."

The girl's voice is like warm scotch, sliding around me with just the hint of a bite, and even in the midst of my hangover, I can't help the surge of interest. Then her words make it through the Jaeger induced fog and I groan.

"I'm going to kill Dane." I mutter.

"Excuse me?" She sounds startled and a little amused, and I flush.

"Look, sweetheart, my roommate is being a dick. I'm sorry."

"You don't need a research assistant? Because I'm actually really good at this and I have better qualifications than most people."

Her voice. God, it's too early—that has to be part of the reason I'm getting aroused just listening to her talk. "What kind of qualifications?"

"I'm a double major—history, with a specialty in ancient civilizations, and secondary education. I planned on spending the summer researching graduate schools."

"You should stick with that," I advise.

"Can't. And I don't really want to spend the summer waiting tables—although I will."

There's something about her voice that makes me think she's telling the truth. And it tells me something about her: she's serious. There's a work ethic I don't often see in undergraduates, and it makes me pause.

"I'm sorry," she says, sounding frazzled—I can hear a male voice in the background—and music and laughter. "You said it's not really a position. I'll let you go. Get back to your morning."

"Wait," I say, startling both of us into silence. What the hell am I doing? "How about you meet me, and we'll talk. It can't hurt, right?"

She hesitates, and then, "Look, I'm not trying to do a job that doesn't exist. I appreciate it, though."

"Coffee. Please. Just to talk about it."

"Ok," she says, reluctance clear in her tone. "Hill of Beans at five?"

I nod. "I'll see you then."

We hang up, and I stare at my phone. What the hell am I doing?

 

 

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Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog.

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nazarea-Andrews/43623123516

Twitter: www.twitter.com/NazareaAndrews

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3486225.Nazarea_Andrews

This Love Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17706171-this-love

Website www.nazareaandrews.com

Blog: www.nazarea-andrews.blogspot.com

 

 

 

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SUBJECT TO CHANGE by Alessandra Thomas Release Day Launch + Giveaway!

 

 Hey guys! Today is Alessandra Thomas' book birthday for SUBJECT TO CHANGE! We've got all the info on the book, the author, where to buy it, and an awesome giveaway!

 

 

Joey made her dad a deathbed promise that she would become a doctor, and dedicate herself to fighting the very cancer that took his life. There’s just one problem -three years into her pre-med classes, she's struggling to stay on top of the curve, let alone prove she's dazzling enough to earn a spot in an Ivy League medical school. In a Hail Mary move, she throws a basic Business 101 class into her semester schedule, banking on a perfect score to boost her GPA.

 

That is, until she’s paired for a final project with Hawk, the bartending, motorbike-riding, gorgeously bedheaded loser who falls asleep in class and communicates in one-word sentences.

 

Hawk does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, which sets Joey on edge – in every possible way. As they get to know each other, her urge to scream at him is curbed only by her fantasies of tearing his clothes off. Soon those fantasies become reality, and Joey realizes Hawk makes her feel more fully herself than any of the rich boys her mother and sorority sisters approve of.

 

But the promise to her father hangs over her head, and the harder Joey tries to succeed in her chosen career, the faster everything falls into a hopeless tailspin of bad grades, broken promises and guilt. It doesn't help to have Hawk sitting like a devil on her shoulder, insisting she should be free to live however she wants to live - like he does.

The only thing Joey knows is that her neatly organized life is crushing her - and Hawk's bad attitude might be the only thing that can save her.

 

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Alessandra Thomas is a New Adult writer who swears she was in her twenties yesterday. Since she's not, she spends her time looking back on her college years fondly, and writing sexy stories about guys and girls falling in love and really living life for the first time. When she's not writing, you can find her with a spoonful of ice cream in one hand and the newest New Adult release in the other.

Website: http://authoralessandrathomas.wordpress.com/

Author Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6906315.Alessandra_Thomas

SUBJECT TO CHANGE Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17706061-subject-to-change

Twitter: www.twitter.com/AuthorAless

 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/alessandra.thomas.98?ref=ts&fref=ts

 

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