Review & Giveaway: Sins of the Flesh by Caridad Piñeiro

Title: Sins of the Flesh
Series: Sins, #1
Author: Caridad Piñeiro
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Source: received review copy from publisher
Published: October 2009 by Grand Central Publishing

Caterina Shaw's days are numbered. Her only chance for survival is a highly experimental gene treatment-a risk she willingly takes. But now Caterina barely recognizes herself. She has new, terrifying powers, an exotic, arresting body-and she's been accused of a savage murder, sending her on the run.

Mick Carrera is a mercenary and an expert at capturing elusive, clever prey. Yet the woman he's hunting down is far from the vicious killer he's been told to expect: Caterina is wounded, vulnerable, and a startling mystery of medical science. Even more, she's a beautiful woman whose innocent sensuality tempts Mick to show her exactly how thrilling pleasure can be. The heat that builds between them is irresistible, but surrendering to it could kill them both . . . for a dangerous group is plotting its next move using Caterina as its deadly pawn.

READING CHALLENGE: The 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge [COMPLETED]

For 2010, I am joining The 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge hosted by J. Kaye's Book Blog.

Here are the rules:

• Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate. Non-Bloggers: Post your list of books in the comment section of the wrap-up post.
• There are four levels:
  --The Mini YA Reading Challenge – Read 12 Young Adult novels.
  --Just My Size YA Reading Challenge – Read 25 Young Adult novels.
  --Stepping It Up YA Reading Challenge – Read 50 Young Adult novels.
  --Super Size Me YA Reading Challenge – Read 75 Young Adult novels.
• Audio, eBooks, paper all count.
• No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.
• Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010.

 

Here is my list:

1. The Life of Glass by Jillian Cantor 
2. Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt 
3. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver 
4. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
5. Jonas (Beautiful Dead, #1) by Eden Maguire  
6. Arson by Estevan Vega
7. Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles
8. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
9. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
10. The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard
11. The Mark by Jen Nadol
12. I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
13. Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder
14. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan
15. The Season by Sarah MacLean
16. Ash by Malinda Lo
17. The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott (no review)
18. How to Steal A Car by Pete Hautman
19. Aces Up by Lauren Barnholdt
20. Restoring Harmony by Joëlle Anthony
21. The Ivy by Lauren Kunze & Rina Onur
22. Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
23. Minder by Kate Kaynak
24. The Julian Game by Adele Griffin
25. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
26. Matched by Ally Condie
27. Siren by Tricia Rayburn

CLOSED: I Can't Keep My Own Secrets

I Can't Keep My Own Secrets is a book of six-word memoirs by teens famous and obscure. This is a book with nearly 800 authors, all aged thirteen to nineteen, and 800 stories. What every story has in common is that each was written about the author's own life and that each story is the exact same length: six words. I am not going to review this book but I do want to share a few of the six-word memoirs from the book. I'll include my own six-word memoir in the mix.

Hung myself. Sister found me. Alive.

Never been drunk. Never been happier.

God abandoned me, so I reciprocated.

Spent more time reading than living.

I am more than just gay.

Read the thesaurus on the toilet.

Jack of all trades, none mastered. 

ADD, OCD. Sucks to be me. 

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

I am going to give away my ARC of I Can't Keep My Own Secrets. It'll be an easy, single entry contest but you will have to tell me your six-word memoir in order to enter. Comments are welcome on this post, however, do not leave your entry in the comments section - it will not be counted. There is a space on the entry form for your six-word memoir. Giveaway ends midnight, December 4th, 2009. Winner will be randomly selected, emailed and announced on my blog on December 5th.Good luck to all who enter!

Review: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Title: The Outsiders 
Author: S.E. Hinton 
Format: Paperback, 20th Anniversary Edition 
Source: Paperback Swap











Synopsis from the author's website:

According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for "social") has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang of socs for the sake of his fellow greasers--until one terrible night when his friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser.

My Thoughts: 
I think we've all at least heard of, if not read, The Outsiders. In some schools, it was a mandatory read. Unfortunately for me, it was not, which is why I haven't read it until now. It's one of those books that I had to read because everyone else had. I wanted to be apart of that club.

This book packs quite a punch for being only 156 pages long. Ponyboy, SodaPop and Darry are brothers just trying to survive since the death of their parents. Darry and Sodapop want nothing more than for their youngest brother to make it to college, something they never got the chance to do. The three brothers are part of the Greasers gang. All hell breaks loose when one of the Socs, their rival gang, almost kills Ponyboy. Ponyboy and his best friend Johnny have to run away from town, their families and most importantly the cops. This book takes us through Ponyboy's journey of drama, turmoil, tragedy and loss. Most importantly, we watch as Ponyboy truly finds himself.

The best thing about this book is that it's timeless. It was written in the 60s but still its message still holds strong and true in today's day and age. We are still dealing with, and battling, the same social dilemmas.

When I read a book and it intrigues me (and The Outsiders did just that) I go digging. I have to find out more about the author: Why did they write the book? What made them write the book? I was amazed to find out that the book was written by a teenage girl, S.E. (Susan Eloise) Hinton, and that it was her first published book. She wrote it back in 1965 when she was 15 years old. She used her initials instead of her name because the publishers felt that readers and critics wouldn't read a book about teenage boys written by a girl. She has since stuck with using her initials for her work to keep her professional life separated from her personal life. She is a very private person and has done such a good job at doing so that you really can't find much more about her other than she likes horses.

The Outsiders was made into a movie, that I'm sure most have seen. I am probably one of the few people who have not yet seen the movie but I definitely plan to.

The Book Vixen's Rating:

Author Website

On My Wishlist (3)

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every  Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't  actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an  event that you can join in with too - Mr Linky is always at the ready  for you to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. If you want to know more  click here.

 

 

 

What's on your wishlist?

Teaser Tuesday: Sins of the Flesh

“You’re not such a hard nut after all,” Caterina whispered before closing her eyes. Not such a hard nut, Mick thought, a wistful smile on his face as he considered a sleeping Caterina.

p. 199, Sins of the Flesh by Caridad Piñeiro


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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Book Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Shiver
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls, Book 1
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
Source: Goodreads First Reads
Published: August 1, 2009 by Scholastic

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

How Twilight Should Have Ended

I saw this over at VampChix and it was hilarious! I just had to share it.

 

Let’s go eat some people!

On My Wishlist (2)

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every  Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't  actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an  event that you can join in with too - Mr Linky is always at the ready  for you to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. If you want to know more  click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's on your wishlist?

Teaser Tuesday: The Outsiders

Two-Bit reached into his back pocket for his prize procession. It was a jet-handled switchblade, ten inches long, that would flash open at a mere breath.

p. 110, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton





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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

On My Wishlist (1)

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every  Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't  actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an  event that you can join in with too - Mr Linky is always at the ready  for you to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. If you want to know more  click here.

 

 

What's on your wishlist?

Teaser Tuesdays: Shiver

I remember lying in the snow, a small red spot of warm going cold, surrounded by wolves. They were licking me, biting me, worrying at my body, pressing in.

p. 1, Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater



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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is the first two sentences in the book. The first page sucks you right in.

What If . . . Everyone Knew Your Name by Liz Ruckdeschel

Title: What If . . . Everyone Knew Your Name
Series: What If…
Author: Liz Ruckdeschel
Genre: Interactive Fiction, Young Adult
Source: Mandy at Edge of Seventeen
Published: June 27, 2006 by Delacorte Books

Meet Haley Miller. She’s a 15-year-old girl of average height, average weight, and an average sense of style. Installed in her first public high school, Haley faces the toughest choices of her young life. And guess what? She’s all yours.

In this interactive novel, readers lead Haley through the halls of Hillsdale High for better or for worse. Until graduation do you part. Do you guide her away from the pitfalls of peer pressure? Or into the vortex of bad boys and parties? Send her to homecoming with the captain of the soccer team . . . or have her skip the dance to go on a road trip with the hot rebel. Give Haley a makeover or teach her to love herself the way she is. Pick which crowd she’ll hang with. Tell her how often to do her homework. And decide whether she drinks or inhales.

You determine her fortune. Her grades, her friends, her love life, her future. With Haley’s many positive traits, you should have no trouble achieving success . . . or will you? It’s all in the way you work, love, and play with Haley Miller, the girl with the most potential at Hillsdale High.