Badass Bookie

Here is my list for 2011: start Jan 1 and end Dec 31. N = Novel Na = Novella M = Manga GN = Graphic Novel Short Stories are listed at the bottom January 1. Ash by Malinda Lo (N) 2. Bride of the Water God , volume 6 by Mi-Kyung Yun (M) 3. Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong (Na) 4. Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Peterson (GN) 5. Fables 14: Witches by Bill Willingham (GN) February 6. Pretty Souls by Julie Particka (N) 7. Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr (N) 8. Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll (N) March 9. I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (N) 10. Resolve by Melissa Marr (M) 11. Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 by David Peterson (GN) 12. The Ghost of Vampire Present by Seleste deLaney (Na) 13. In the Storm by Karen Metcalf (Na) 14. Spice and Wolf , manga volume 2 by Isuna Hasekura (M) April 15. Spice and Wolf , manga volume 3 by Isuna Hasekura (M) 16. Graveminder by Melissa Marr (N) 17. Pale Demon by Kim Harrison (N) 18. M...

And the winner, of one copy of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is... Kare *I was going to give away two copies, but due to the low number of entries, I'm giving away one now and will save one for a giveaway later

Braden was born with witch eyes: the ability to see the world as it truly is: a blinding explosion of memories, darkness, and magic. The power enables Braden to see through spells and lies, but at the cost of horrible pain. After a terrifying vision reveals imminent danger for the uncle who raised and instructed him, Braden retreats to Belle Dam, an old city divided by two feuding witch dynasties. As rival family heads Catherine Lansing and Jason Thorpe desperately try to use Braden's powers to unlock Belle Dam's secrets, Braden vows never to become their sacrificial pawn. But everything changes when Braden learns that Jason is his father--and Trey, the enigmatic guy he's falling for, is Catherine's son. To stop an insidious dark magic from consuming the town, Braden must master his gift—and risk losing the one he loves. I was really looking forward to Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey. My best friend had talked about how much she was looking forward to it in 2010 that I imme...

THE SLEEPING ARMY By Francesca Simon 256 pages. Profile Books Ltd. £9.99. (Ages 8 and up). ISBN 9781846682780 Rating: 5 Stars       This book is about a girl named Freya who when she blows a horn at the British Museum is taken to Asgard, the realm of the gods.       This book is about a young girl called Freya who blows a Viking horn and wakes up four chess pieces Rovska, Alfi, Sleipner and Snot. All five of them are then summoned to Asgard and told to get Iddun the goddess who used to guard there apples that made them stay young and that if they didn't they would turn to stone and wait for the next hero to blow the horn. Freya is just terrified and wants to go home, Alfi is cheerful and happy and helpful, and Snot and Rovska just want to get it done with. What happens when Loki steals the apples back from them when they find them? Will they get them back in time or will they all turn into stone? ...

A MONSTER CALLS By Patrick Ness. Illustrated by Jim Kay. 216 pages. Walker. £12.99. (Ages 12 and up). ISBN 9781406311525 Rating: 5 Stars       This book tells you about a young boy who is visited by a monster.       It is about a twelve year old boy called Conor who one night sees instead of a yew tree through his window a monster. Another time the monster grabs him, takes him out, and tells him that he shall tell him three stories then he shall then tell the truth and afterwards when he had left and Conor woke up he found poisonous red yew tree berries scattered across the floor. What happens when it finally comes to telling the truth? Will Conor tell it and be rid of the nightmare or shall he live inside the nightmare forever?       My favourite character is Conor because he is fearless. My favourite part is the scariest part, when Conor is inside the nightmare. Although my parents think th...

THE BIG SNUGGLE-UP By Brian Patten Illustrated by Nicola Bayley 32 pages. Andersen Press Ltd. £10.99 (Ages 0+) ISBN 9781849392082 Rating: 4 Stars This book tells you about an old scarecrow and lots of animals in a house. It is about a scarecrow and nine animals going together in a house. First an old scarecrow and a mouse go in the house. Then a robin and a butterfly go into the house. After that a squirrel and a rabbit come into the house. Next a cat and a dog come into the house. Then a fawn, a lamb, and a donkey came into the house. Lastly a heron, a fox, and an owl came into the house. My favourite character is the dog. My favourite part is when the donkey comes in. I think the pictures are amazingly real. I think ages four and five should read this book. I think this book deserves four out of five stars. also on Guardian Children's Books Site (communicated by Agustinia ligabuei ; written by Bellusaurus sui )

EARWIG AND THE WITCH By Diana Wynne Jones 144 pages. HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks. £6.99. (Ages 8 and up). ISBN 9780007416851 Rating: 4.5 Stars       This book tells you about an orphan girl who is taken home by a witch.       It is about a young orphan girl named Earwig who one day is actually chosen to be taken home by someone. Although that someone is a witch plus a tall, skinny, fiery young man. The minute Earwig walks into the witch's home her whole life changes going from getting whatever she wanted to to being a slave for an ugly old witch. What happens when Earwig starts to take her revenge? Will she finally be rid of this witch and win or shall she be defeated by the witch and live the rest of her life as a slave?       My favourite character is Earwig because she is quite brave. My favourite part is the funniest part, when two hands grow on the witch one on the face and one on the ...

Happy birthday to me! On December 23 actually. So I'm giving away two copies of one of my favorite books: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. If you want to win a copy, you must: 1. Follow my blog via GFC. 2. Be 13 or older. 3. Have a US mailing address. (Sorry, I can't afford shipping out of the US at this time.) 4. Leave a comment on my blog about why you want to win Speak and your email so I can contact you.

I went down to Bethesda Maryland last night to meet Cassandra Clare and Michelle Hodkin at an event at the library. When I got there, the room was packed, and I got in line to buy my books. Then this conversation happened.  Me: I'd like The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer . Bookstore Lady: There are no more.  Me: What do you mean there are no more?  BL: We didn't think many people would want this one.  Me: Every time I come to a signing here with a stack of books you all are unhappy that I'm not buying books from you. Then I come here to buy from you, to support your indie store, and you run out. Next time I'll make sure I buy my books in advance.  So then I walked out. It was a bit more dramatic then intended. And I was aware people were watching the conversation. I don't do dramatic, but I was annoyed. Because these people always lecture on supporting the indie, which I'm happy to do. And I had Cassie's signature in a couple of books already, so I was mostly the...

Orphan Hugo Cabret lives in a wall. His secret home is etched out in the crevices of a busy Paris train station. Part-time clock keeper, part-time thief, he leads a life of quiet routine until he gets involved with an eccentric, bookish young girl and an angry old man who runs a toy booth in the station. The Invention of Hugo Cabret unfolds its cryptic, magical story in a format that blends elements of picture book, novel, graphic novel, and film. Caldecott Honor-winning author-illustrator Brian Selznick has fashioned an intricate puzzle story that binds the reader like a mesmerist's spell. I have seen The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick on the shelves of book stores for a while now. But I must admit that I had never really paid attention to it until I realized a movie based on the novel would soon be hitting theaters. When I checked it out on Goodreads I found a review by one of my favorite authors, Maggie Stiefvater, who said she loved the book. So I checked it out f...

Witchin' ain't easy. Jules has a rebellious streak, a massive crush on Connor, and the abilities of a Revealer witch. By day, she and her coven friends seem like typical high school seniors. By night, they have the power to make werewolves, vampires, and ghosts reveal themselves, so they can destroy them. It's not exactly cheerleading, but at least the girls know they're doing the world some good. One by one, Jules's friends turn eighteen and are initiated into the coven's inner circle. And one by one, they are getting completely freaked out. Jules is the youngest, and though her friends are too scared tell her what's going on, something's clearly not right. As her birthday approaches, Jules realizes she's got to find out what's behind the shadows of her coven before it's too late to save her friends...and herself. But what she discovers may be too powerful for even the toughest witches to defeat. I was pleasantly surprised by Revealers by ...

Fall into YA is officially over. : ( But it was fun while it lasted. Thanks to everyone who participated. Congrats to FreakChiq for winning. And also congrats to runners up Spav, Rebecca T, Midnight, and Allie. And to Sandy from Scribing Shadows who didn't know the answers and I made her take the quiz for fun since she's not allowed to win the book she's giving away. =P YA Quiz Answers 1. Perfect 2. Shut Out 3. Delirium 4. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 5. Stolen 6. The Girl of Fire and Thorns 7. Kelley Armstrong 8. The Pledge 9. He kills the dead 10. Voices of Dragons 11. Wicked Lovely 12. Magnus + Tessa/Camille 13. If I Die 14. House of Night 15. Mockingjay #10 seems to have been the hardest question. Only one person got it. Congrats, Spav! Here is the picture of the little dragon hiding under it's beautiful cover Dragon! There are lots of books with fun things hiding under the dust jackets. Check your shelves to look beneath the dust jackets of The ...