In My Mailbox (Christmas)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Sorry I'm doing this kind of late. I've had a little bit of a buzy week and my siblings are computer hogs.

Guess what I got? I woke up on Christmas morning and there it was. My very own kindle. I was so excited. I also got an Amazon gift card and a Barnes and Noble gift card.

Here are the books I got for Christmas:

Matched by Ally Condie

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

I also got some awesomely cool Harry Potter themed candy. It's a chocolote frog. I was seriously freaking out about that. I don't think I could go two minutes without saying something like "It's a chocolate frog! Isn't that the coolest thing ever dad?" I don't think my dad really knew what to say about this though. He hasn't read the Harry Potter books but he has seen the movies so at least it might have made some sense to him, but my mom hasn't seen the movies or read the books so she was probably wondering what was so exciting about it. But what's not exciting about that? It's comes with a collectable wizard card and everything (I got Professor McGonagall)!!!

I haven't used my gift cards yet, but I have some ideas on what I'm going to get. What did you get this week?

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!!! Hope it was good and spent with lots of family.

Review: The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner

Clever and head-turningly attractive, fourteen-yearold Yann is an orphan who has been raised in Paris by T�tu, a dwarf with secrets he has yet to reveal to the gypsy boy. It's the winter of 1789, and the duo have been working for a vain magician named Topolain. On the night when Topolain's vanity brings his own death, Yann's life truly begins. That's the night he meets shy Sido, an heiress with an ice-cold father, a young girl who has only known loneliness until now. Though they have the shortest of conversations, an attachment is born that will influence both their paths.

And what paths those will be! Revolution is afoot in France, and Sido is being used as a pawn. Only Yann will dare to rescue her, and he'll be up against a fearful villain who goes by the name Count Kalliovski, but who has often been called the devil. It'll take all of Yann's newly discovered talent to unravel the mysteries of his past and Sido's and to fight the devilish count.
As in the award-winning I, Coriander, Sally Gardner has masterfully combined the historical and the fantastical in this sumptuous, riveting adventure.
From goodreads.com

Review:

The Red Necklace is definitely an interesting read. I felt like there was never a boring part. It drew me in and kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happens next.

            I absolutely loved the relationship between Yann and Sido. Any scene in which they interacted with each other was always interesting. I also loved how everything was tied together. They met because Yann was performing at a party at Sido’s house and everything is tied to that night when they met. It’s the night when both of their lives get a little more dangerous. The characters’ actions were all very believable and I could understand perfectly well why they did what they did.

            I love that it took place, for most of the book, in France. I have always wanted to travel to Europe and France is towards the top of my countries to visit list, and of course, when in France I would want to visit Paris. However, the Paris from the French Revolution is scary. People feared for their lives and in this book that includes Yann and Sido. It definitely made the story more interesting for me.

            Overall, this book was a really enjoyable read for me. I’m so happy my friend recommended it to me. I give it 8/10.

I Survived Finals Week!

This last week was my first time ever taking finals. I was so nervous for just about all of my tests, but I think they all went well. Anyway, I really am going to start posing more this week because it is Thanksgiving break!! I'm so happy, I survived finals and my first trimester of high school!!! And now I get a nice little break from school.

2011 Debut Author Challenge

I have decided to participate in the 2011 Debut Author Challenge. What is it? Well, you can head over to The Story Siren to find out now! I was going to make a list of some of the books I want to read for it, but then, as I was starting to look at some of the debut author books, I realized that the list would be about 50 (at least) books long by the time I was done. So, rather than take another couple of hours to figure out which books I want to read more than others, I'm just not going to post a list yet. I do know that I am definitely reading Divergent by Veronica Roth, but that's about all of the narrowing down I've done so far. What 2011 debut author books are you looking foward to most?

Book Blogger Hop #9

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy For Books.

This weeks question is:
If you find a book that looks interesting but is part of a series, do you always start with the first title?

I usually try to start with the first title. There have been a couple of times when I thought it was the first one, but then turned out to be the second one before. However, I always try to start with the first one. If a book that comes later in a series looks interesting, the first one will probably sound interesting too. Who knows? Maybe you'll end up liking the first one even more. That's why I try to start with the first title when I read books in series.

If you're visiting from the hop, be sure to leave a comment!
Happy Friday!!!!!

Waiting on Wednesday #2

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm waiting on....

Delirium by Lauren Oliver!

Synopsis from goodreads.com:
Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -the deliria- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.


Sounds awesome, doesn't it? I really liked Lauren Oliver's debut, Before I Fall and cannot wait to read Delirium. Can't wait till February 1st!!!