January R.A.K. Wrap-up post

This month I participated in a Random Act Of Kindness program hosted by http://booksoulmates.com/ This was so fun and gave me such a great feeling whenever I gave R.A.K. 's. I will definitely be participating in this as much as possible.

Ok so here are the "R.A.K's" that I gave: (all sent via Amazon Kindle gifts)

Touch by Jus Accardo TO Dani @Refracted light http://refractedlightreviews.com/

The Fallen Star by Jessica Sorensen TO Lisa @ http://www.lisasgadgetworld.blogspot.com/

Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles TO Wanda @

http://booksarewonderfulmagic.blogspot.com/

Glimmer (Zellie Wlls, #2) by Stacey Wallace Benefiel TO Memrie @ http://www.darkangel88.com/

Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kadeto TO http://thebusybibliophile.com/

Enwined by Heather Dixon TO Lilibeth @ http://chicareader.blogspot.com/

The awesome R.A.K's I recieved: (all recevied via Amazon Kindle gifts)

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher FROM Dani @ http://refractedlightreviews.com/

One Black Rose by Maddy Edwards FROM Lisa @ http://www.lisasgadgetworld.blogspot.com/

Craved by Stephanie Nelson AND Glazed Murder: A Donut Shop Mystery by Jessica Beck FROM Lethea B. AKA @Luvdaylilies via twitter

Under My Skin (Skinned) by Jusith Graves FROM Memrie @ http://www.darkangel88.com/

I believe thats it. If I have forgotten to post any that Ive gived or recieved I apologize. I will be keeping a better track of this from now on. I wanted to post covers of all of the lovely books but my computer isnt agreeing with me. grr

I want to thank all of the lovely ladies that sent me "RAK's", THANK YOU.

My amazon kindle wishlist: http://amzn.com/w/2B1Q1DV8HK4RL

Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald

Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald is about a seventeen year old girl name Sadie, who for the past two years has had an obsession with her best friend, Garrett. She has changed her hair, her clothes, her music...everthing Garrett likes, Sadie likes. Of course the one thing she never tells Garrett is that she is in Love with him. (No offense to any male reading this, but men just can't take a hint) Forced to spend their summer apart, Sadie, with the help of her new co-worker friends, goes through Garrett Obsession Detox

Getting Over Garrett Delaney was such a great read. It totally brought me back to my high school years. I think we(male and female) have all had times where we've changed our likes because our "object of our affection" likes them, and we often dont realize it. I wish I had this book when I was in high school, it teaches such a good lesson

I recommend this fun clean contemporary read to anyone, expecially high school readers. I rate this 5 out of 5 stars.


I received an e-galley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews is about Greg, a slightly nerdy socially invisible high school student who's former friend is diagnosed with Leukemia.

Ok, so right there you'd think "Oh I'd better grab some tissues-this is going to be a sad one" and the answer to that is NOPE

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was one the FUNNIEST book that I've read in a very long time. I wouldnt recommend drinking any beverages while reading it because it will come out your nose from laughing too hard. I think I should right away say that my sense of humor is pretty odd and I can definitely handle "potty" humor. So, if you are sensitive and easily offended, I'm sorry to say that this might not be the best book for you. But, this hilarious book does have a good message

I rate Me and Earl and the Dying Girl 5 out of 5 stars, extremely original writing, GREAT characters, and an impressive debut book.

Addison Blakely: Confessions of a PK by Betsy St. Amant

Addison Blakely is about a 16 year old girl who around her small town is known as the PK (Preacher's Kid) I instantly thought of Ariel from Footloose but Addison is the likeable "nice, obey my father's rules" kinda girl. She meets a boy named Wes the "mysterious brooding tattooed motorcycle driving -I don't want a relationship" type of guy.

I thought Addison was a great character who has a little bit of sass and humor. This was a very cute, clean, and fluffy read! The book does have some christian themes to it but its not pushy or annoying. I am not a christian and it didnt bother me whatsoever.

I rate this 3 out of 5 stars, I did enjoy the book, it had great characters, however towards the end I started to loose interest, so I flipped to the last chapter to end it.

Overall, I do recommend this to the younger high school readers or anyone wanting something that is light and contemporary.

I received a galley via NetGalley, in exchange for a honest review.

Spin by Catherine McKenzie

Spin is about Kate Standford, aspiring music journalist and (unknown to herself) an alcoholic. The day before her 30th birthday she discovers that her favorite music magazine has an opening position. Still pretending to be apart of the college crowd, she decides to celebrate too much and blows her interview with a bad hangover. The magazine decides to give her an unusual second chance. Kate must go into rehab and do an exclusive story on another rehab patient- young celebrity starlet named Amber. If she succeeds, Kate gets the job. If she doesnt, Kate has to pay for her rehab. Kate jumps at the chance, thinking this will be a piece of cake. Boy was she wrong.

I loved this book. Spin got me out of a serious readers block. The moment I started, I couldnt put it down. It did remind me just a little of the Sandra Bullock movie "28 Days" but of course the plot was different. It had good humor, swoon moments, and also enlightening. The writing was fast paced and kept my interest throughout the entire book.

I highly recommend this book and will be looking for more from Catherine McKenzie

I had the pleasure of reading this galley via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever given or received a Random Act of Kindness?

So a few days ago I decided to join this group of other book bloggers who signed up to give Random Act Of Kindness towards each other (click this link if interested) http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com/2012/01/random-acts-of-kindness-january-2012.html

I have to say It has really gotten me in good spirits! The "RAK's" seem to be usually in book form (e-book and paper) but it looks like anything can be given.

Ive given "R.A.K's" out so far and have unexpectedly have received 2 "RAK's"! It has even given me an idea to surprise my mother. I sent her some cute strawberry stuff (pens paper etc) Even though we live only a few miles apart, I figured it would bring a smile to her face!

Anyhoo, I wanted to thank the RAK givers and thank Booksoulmates for hosting this!

A Little Night Magic by Lucy March

A Little Night Magic is about a Liv, a twenty-something wafflehouse waitress who is tired of the small town life, tired of loving a man who turns her down and ready for a life adventure. Little does she know that she doesnt have too far to travel.

I enjoyed this cute read. It was well written and had great characters. While pretty predictable (I guessed who was the bad guy from the start)this was still an enjoyable entertaining read. This was a light, fast read and highly recommend to anyone wanting something light. There was a little violence and short sexual content. This book is for adults but I think would also appeal to the older mature YA audience.

My favorite character has to be Gibson. I wont give any spoilers but I wish I had a Gibson,

I recieved a e-galley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I Declare January to be NetGalley month!

Between January 1st and January 31st, I am challenging myself to read as many NetGalley books as I possibly can

One Down (Halflings by Heather Burch) hopefully many to go

Halflings by Heather Burch

Thanks to NetGalley and Zondervan publishers,I recieved a galley of Halflings by Heather Burch.

Halflings is about a girl named Nicki Youngblood, who is being targeted by evil forces. She discovers that she is also being protected by 3 Handsome Halflings.. half angel/half man.

I rate Halflings 3.5 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed the unique concept of the story and the characters were well written but the execution was off. The writing seemed choppy and all over the place. I don't think I really understand why Nicki was being targeted in the first place and the love triangle seemed off.

Overall, I think that Heather Burch is a good writer who just needs to tweek things a bit here and there. Im very interested to see what she has up her sleeve.

http://halflings.ning.com/

Garden Botanika Lash Primer

Thanks to Influenster.com and Garden Botanika, I was honored to recieve a Garden Botanika Lash Primer complimentary to test through Influenster’s VoxBox program. If you haven't heard of Garden Botanika check out their website-www.gardenbotanika.com

Garden Botanika Lash Primer went on smooth. I applied two coats of the creamer primer, let it dry, and then applied mascara. The primer was just like lotion or conditioner for my eyelashes. It made them soft and flexible even after applying mascara. I did a test and applied the primer then masacara to one eye and then only mascara to the other eye. The primed lashes popped out more, were so flexible feather like, and had no clumps or flakes! I tested a little bit of the primer on the back of my hand and it rubbed in just like lotion!

Garden Botankia Lash Primer is $11.00 and contians Caranauba Wax, Glycerin and Panthenol. It does not contain fragrance, shellac, mineral oil or animal protein, and is water-rinseable.

Garden Botanika has a mission of creating products that are botanically based, cruelty-free, and gentle to the environment. They have a widespread of other products including skin care, bath & body, fragrances, and cosmetics.www.gardenbotanika.com

Via Influenster website - "Garden Botanika Lash PrimerTake lashes from fine to fabulous. Simply brush on bare lashes, let dry, then apply mascara. Makes even the skimpiest lashes look longer and fuller within minutes. Protective Carnauba Wax, Glycerin and Panthenol provide a strengthening base for lashes so mascara applies easily, resisting smudging and flaking. Check out http://www.gardenbotanika.com/ for more info and to se their full product line! *Does not contain fragrance, shellac, mineral oil or animal protein. Water-rinseable."