"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

        

 

Bound by Flames

(Night Prince, #3)

by

Jeaniene Frost

Publication date:  

January 27th, 2015

Play with fire, pay the price.

Leila’s years on the carnie circuit were certainly an education. What she didn’t learn: how to be a vampire, or how to be married to the most famous vampire of them all. Adjusting to both has Leila teetering on a knife edge between passion and peril, and now the real danger is about to begin…

Vlad must battle with a centuries-old enemy whose reach stretches across continents and whose strength equals his own. It isn’t like Vlad to feel fear, but he does…for Leila, because his enemy knows she is Vlad’s greatest weakness. As friend and foe alike align against him — and his overprotectiveness drives Leila away — Vlad’s love for his new bride could be the very thing that dooms them both…

 

 

 

 

What are you waiting for this week?

  

Leave me your WoW links!

  

It's time for Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon.
  

As always, the read-a-thon for me starts at 2 pm on Saturday, and ends at 2 pm on Sunday.

  

And this will be my 10th time participating.
 

This time, I have a mix of full-length novels, collections, shorter novels, novellas, graphic novels & rereads. I hope to read a lot, and participate in some of the memes & challenges, too. As for goals, last time I read for almost 8 hours & read 450+ pages, so this time my goals are to read for at least 8 hours & to read at least 500 pages.

    

HAPPY READING EVERYONE!!!

   
   

Opening Meme:

 

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

- As always, from Skopje, Macedonia (that's in Europe, on the Balkans).

 
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

- Even though it's a reread for me: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I wanted to read it again for a couple of months now (it's one of my fav books, and I always reread it in around this time period), but I've been keeping it for the read-a-thon.

 
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

- Nothing particularly a.k.a everything. I only bought things I love! I got lots of snacks this time, both sweet & savory, and I already delved into them this morning, (couldn't resist), so everything ;)

 

  4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

- I'm Aleksandra, last weekend was my birthday (so I was happy that the read-a-thon wasn't last weekend), and I adore Neil Gaiman's books. I really admire him & I'll never get enough of rereading his books!

 

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to? 

- I participated last time, and the different thing is that last time I read only full-length books, and this time I have a nice mix of different potential reads!

Update #1:

  

So far, it's been going great! It's almost midnight here, so almost 10 hours passed from the start of the read-a-thon, but I did participate in 2 challenges: Quotable Quotes & Recommend Me a Book, though I did the Opening Meme, so it's actually 3 challenges so far. I also read these 3 books:

   

My Stats:
 

- Books read so far: 3

- Pages read so far: 469

- Time spent reading so far: 5 h 38 min

- Challenges/Memes done: 3

  

 

End of Event Meme:

 

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?

- It was around hours 13 & 14. I was feeling sleepy, but I wanted to keep reading, but when I realised how much slower I'm reading than usual, I decided to get some sleep, which I think it was a good choice, since after I woke up, I read until the end, all refreshed, and back to my usual reading tempo ;)

 
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

- Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, Ernest Cline's Ready Player One & The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling.

 
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

- Not really, it was another good read-a-thon.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

- I checked out all of the challenges, and they were great & seemed like lots of fun. I wish I could've done more of them, but in the end, I had to choose between them & reading, and the reading won.

 
5. How many books did you read?

- I read 6 books.

6. What were the names of the books you read?

- Out of Sight, Out of Mind by Marilyn Kaye; The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling; The Boy in the Cemetery by Sebastian Gregory; The Kissing Season by Rachael Johns; The Last Temptation by Neil Gaiman & Breaking All Her Rules by Maisey Yates.

7. Which book did you enjoy most?

- I actually enjoyed all of them, but I loved the most The Last Temptation graphic novel, and The Boy in the Cemetery is one of those rare unforgettable reads that stay with me long after I've finished them.

8. Which did you enjoy least?

- As I said, I enjoyed all of them, but according to my ratings, the book that got only a 3 of 5 is The Kissing Season, though I still really liked it. 

 
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

- No, I wasn't a cheerleader.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

- For 5 years, twice a year, I've participated every time, and my answer was always that I will definitely participate again. But, this time, I don't know. For the first time, my answer is maybe. I might participate again next time, then again, I might not, and this might be my last Dewey Read-a-thon.

 

 
 

Final Update & Wrap Up:

Since my last update, I read 3 more books:
 

    
I did went to bed, slept around 5-6 hours, and I had quite a successful read-a-thon, especially because I read for over 12 hours.
 

My Stats:

- Books read since my last update: 3

- Total number of books read: 6

- Pages read since my last update: 348

- Total number of pages read: 817

- Time spent reading since my last update: 6 h 29 min

- Total time spent reading: 12 h 7 min

- Challenges/Memes done since my last update: 1

- Total number of challenges/memes done: 3

 

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

  

 

Fairest

(The Lunar Chronicles, #3.5)

by

Marissa Meyer

Publication date:

January 27th, 2015

In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told. 

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all? 

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.

Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series.

  

  

 
With every sequel, this amazing series keeps getting better & better, and I was in love with it from the first book. So, as the (probably stunning & amazing) finale approaches, I'm excited about reading Levana's story. Who wouldn't? And I know Marissa Meyer has created another unique fairy tale retelling, and I can't wait!

 

 

What are you waiting for this week?

  

Leave me your WoW links!

Title: One in a Million

Author: Jill Shalvis

Series: Lucky Harbor, #12

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Publication date: October 14th, 2014

My rating: 5 of 5

(Book read on August 6th, 2014,  from the eARC received from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review.) 

 

Summary:

As the brains behind wedding site TyingTheKnot.com, Callie sees it all: from the ring to the dress, the smiles...to the tears. It's that last part that keeps her single and not looking. Getting left at the altar will do that to a girl. But when Callie returns to her old hometown, she finds that her sweet high school crush is sexier than ever. And he makes it hard to remember why she's sworn off love...

Tanner is a deep-sea diver with a wild, adrenaline-junkie past-and now his teenage son is back in his life. How can Tanner be a role model when he's still paying for his own mistakes? It's hard enough that gorgeous Callie has appeared in town like a beautiful dream, challenging his best-laid plans to keep his heart on lockdown. Though there's something about being around her again that makes him feel like he can be the man she-and his son-deserve. Little Lucky Harbor holds their past; can it hold a beautiful new future?

My Thoughts on the Book:

When I found out that this last trilogy will be the last one in the Lucky Harbor series, I was sad, because I didn't want it to end. I'm a big fan of the series, and I especially loved books 10 & 11, so I got even more sad about the ending, yet I couldn't wait to see what will happen next. But, One in a Million is the amazing finale that the series deserved, and I loved it so much, that in the end, I didn't mind that the series is over. There's always rereading ;)

As the last book in the last Lucky Harbor trilogy, I already knew the main characters - Callie & Tanner, so I was excited about reading their story. And of course, there's the unforgettable & funny Lucille. I loved learning more about her, and seeing a lot more of her, and she made the finale of the series even more special & amazing!

The story was so much fun, and so sweet & charming, and so funny, and full of heart, and I just adored every second of it. I loved both Callie & Tanner as characters, and I loved their interactions, the way they got close, it was so sweet & so entertaining, and they're so good together.

I can gush about this book, and about the series & all the characters quite a lot, but I'm stopping myself. All I'm going to say is that the finale was perfect, and if you still haven't tried the series, what are you waiting for? 

I highly recommend the Lucky Harbor series to every fan of funny contemporary romances, as well as Jill Shalvis's books. They're among my top favorites, and I know I'll go back to them again & again!

 

 

 

Challenges: 

2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge

2014 Series Enders Reading Challenge

My True Love Gave to Me

Twelve Holiday Stories

edited by

Stephanie Perkins 

 

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Publication date: October 14th, 2014

 

  

My rating: 3.5 of 5

(Book read on August 14th to August 18th, 2014,  from the review copy received from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review.)  

 

 

Summary:

 

 

If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you're going to fall in love with My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by twelve bestselling young adult writers (Holly Black, Ally Carter, Matt de La Peña, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Myra McEntire, Rainbow Rowell, Stephanie Perkins, Laini Taylor and Kiersten White), edited by the international bestselling Stephanie Perkins. 

Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or Kwanzaa, there's something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love.

 

 

My Thoughts on the Collection:

My True Love Gave to Me is a nice collection of holiday stories, perfect for the season. Even though I read it in the summer, it definitely brought me in a wintry holiday mood. I enjoyed the mix of fantasy & contemporary stories, and I loved the mix of the different type of holiday stories. And there's something in this collection for everyone. Even though I didn't fall in love with every story (yes, unbelievable, but there were some I didn't like, and from authors I've enjoyed before), there are some gems of stories that were worth it, and they made me glad that I read this anthology. So, I recommend this collection to every fan of holiday stories, because even though it's a subjective thing, I know that every reader can find a few stories in it, that will make him/her fall in love with them. And of course, I must mention the lovely cover. I love the fact that all the couples are represented on it, and I loved searching for them after reading each story, so it has the perfect cover. That being said, I'm going to share my thoughts on every story, too.

  

 

Midnights by Rainbow Rowell 

 

Midnights is a great story set on more than one New Year's Eve. We follow best friends Mags & Noel - the way they met, how their friendship developed, and the possibility for something more. I really liked them as characters, their story was sweet & fun, and it was pretty much the perfect beginning to this anthology. So, yes. I loved this story, and Rainbow Rowell has done it again.

My rating: 4.5 of 5

 

The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link

  

This is a Christmas story with a touch of fantasy in it. I really wanted to enjoyed it, but it started slow, and it was hard for me to get into the story, or like the main character, and it was a little bit weird, but in the end it turned out ok. I quite liked the ending. In the end, the idea for this story was interesting enough, I just wasn't a fan of the way it developed.

My rating: 2 of 5

 

 

Angels in the Snow by Matt de la Peña

 

Angels in the Snow is another Christmas story, though this one a contemporary one. I have to admit that at first I didn't like it. My problem - the main character Shy. I couldn't connect with him, I found him to be quite unlikable & unrelatable at first, but before this story was over, I understood him, and I really, really liked him as a character, and I really liked the story. Haley was likable as a character, too, but what I liked the most were the interactions & the connection that developed between them both. Overall, it was sweet. The story was a little bit sad, and it made me teary-eyed, so it was heartbreaking, yet at the same time it was heartwarming. So, overall, a nice story that I really enjoyed. I'll have to check out some of the author's full-length books.

My rating: 3 of 5

 

Polaris is Where You'll Find Me by Jenny Han

Ok, I'm going to say it - I didn't like it! The setting was imaginative & maybe the idea was interesting enough, and I guess the possibility for the main character's future I liked, but the "love" story - really, really didn't like it. I didn't care about the characters, too, so I didn't care about the story. Just not a story for me.

My rating: 1.5 of 5

 

  

 

 It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins

Stephanie Perkins' story is everything you would expect from her, if you've already read her books. The characters are really likable, their interactions are sweet, fun & charming, and the story itself is funny, and will make you feel all warm inside. At least, that's what happened to me. I actually had a smile plastered on the face from the beginning until the end. So, yes, I loved everything about it, and it's one of my most favorite stories in this anthology!

My rating: 5 of 5

 

Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan

    

I'm sad to say that I really, really did not like this story. I've read books by David Levithan before, and really enjoyed them, but not this one. And even though when I finished the story, I thought that the idea about belonging was quite good, I just didn't enjoy the execution. Before I realise what it's about, I thought that it's quite pointless. I didn't like the MC - just couldn't connect or care about him, and I didn't like the story. Really wanted to, but it didn't work for me. Sometimes it happens, and unfortunately this time it happened to me. I guess Your Temporary Santa just wasn't a story for me.

My rating: 1 of 5

 

Krampuslauf by Holly Black

It took me a while to get into Krampuslauf. It just felt a little long, but in the end it turned out to be quite fun, and definitely cool. It was really entertaining, and after I finished it, I thought - a typical Holly Black story. I mean, the kind of story I would expect by her, before you know it, you've been totally hooked, and you haven't even realised. So, I enjoyed it a lot, and definitely one of the good stories in this collection!

My rating: 4 of 5

 

What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman

 

 

Gayle Forman's story is so, so amazing, I loved it so much! I loved Sophie as a character - she's sarcastic, and so funny & likable. I also loved Russell, too. He's fun, and so nice & charming - and I loved the interactions between them both. Their story is funny, sweet, charming, and it left me all happy & hopeful inside, so overall - amazing! Gayle Forman has done it again!

  

My rating: 5 of 5

 

 

 Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire

This story is set around a nativity pageant. I've never really understood those, I mean what's the point? So, that didn't help. But, my biggest problem was that I couldn't see the point of the story - I think it was pointless, and I really, really did not like the main character. Or anything else, to be honest. So, yes, I guess this just wasn't my kind of story.

My rating: 1 of 5

 

Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White

I loved this one. It was so good! It was fun, sweet, charming, funny, and I had a smile on my face while reading it. And on top of that, one of the MCs (Ben) is a chef, and there was lots of cooking (and I have a thing about cooking & chefs in fiction), so definitely my type of story. I really liked the interactions between Ben & Maria, and I loved that the story left me feeling all happy & hopeful inside. Lovely holiday story! 

 

My rating: 4 of 5

 

Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter

 

 

Overall, Star of Bethlehem is a nice story. It was both funny & sad, and I really liked it. The characters were likable, the connection that developed between them was sweet, and the story was fun and interesting.

My rating: 3 of 5

 

 

The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

  

The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer is the perfect finale to this collection of holiday stories. The writing was beautiful, and the story itself was so magical, and wonderful, and enchanting, and I loved the mythology in it. Just, so imaginative & unique, and absolutely beautiful & amazing. I loved the eerieness of the setting, and I loved the MC, and I loved pretty much everything in this story. If you've read Laini Taylor before, you know how mesmerizing her storytelling can be, and this story was just like that!

 

My rating: 5 of 5

 

Challenges: 

 

2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge