In My Mailbox (12) + ATBF

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren and explores the contents of our mailbox on a weekly basis.

• Swag from Dirty Little Secrets by O.J. Omololu (Post-cards + Signed Bookmarks) Thanks O.J!!!
  
• Swag from Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus (tons of bookmarks! + tons of mini-buttons + CD + print-out 1st Chapter of the book!!) - Anastasia, you're awesome!- She goes by Stacie by the way..
  

For Review:

• Fallen by Lauren Kate
  
• Gringolandia by Lyn Miller-Lachmann

Won:

• Candor by Pam Bachorz (Thanks Tina!)
  

Bought:

• Wake by Lisa Mcmann (Signed and Personalized!)
  
• Fade by Lisa Mcmann (This is my absolute favorite series and Cabel is my #1 book-crush ever!)
• Need by Carrie Jones (For the ATBF contest winner, YAN! 'signed and personalized')

Library:

• Hate List by Jennifer Brown
  
• Rampant by Diana Peterfreund
  
• Once was Lost by Sara Zarr
• The People of Sparks by Jeanne Duprau (book + audiobook)
• The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne Duprau (book + audiobook)

Here are some pics to share from Austin Teen Book Festival! (Sorry if you get bored of my face!) It was an awesome event!!!

Plus, I got to meet tenner Anastasia Hopcus author of Shadow Hills

News 4 Yabookaholics! (11)

N4Y Features recent news from the Young Adult book world!

Join the gossip and start spreading news -and joy- to the yabookaholics of the world.

• Lisa Mcmann is currently working on her new novel a stand alone called: Cryer's Cross. Read more on her blog here.

• Nancy Holder announced DreamWorks will be turning Wicked series into a movie! Read more here

• Libba Bray announced her Gemma Doyle's movie is not going to be made for now. Read more here
  

• Brightly Woven's first chapter is now available here

• Maggie Stiefvater was interviewed by MTV about Shiver the movie! See it here
  

• You can now browse inside Splendor: A 'Luxe' novel by Anna Godbersen here

• Check out ALA's 2009 Teen Top 10 here!

• Mandy Hubbard announced her two-book deal with Flux. Read about it here

• November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.org) - "is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30"
  

On sidebar: Easy links to this feature

Please, if there is any juicy news you'd like to add, email me at: crystalreviews[at]gmail.com

Living Dead Girl - Elizabeth Scott

Young Adult
Pages: 176 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: September 2, 2008

Once upon a time, I was a little girl who disappeared.

Once upon a time, my name was not Alice.

Once upon a time, I didn't know how lucky I was.

When Alice was ten, Ray took her away from her family, her friends — her life. She learned to give up all power, to endure all pain. She waited for the nightmare to be over.

Now Alice is fifteen and Ray still has her, but he speaks more and more of her death. He does not know it is what she longs for. She does not know he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her.

This is Alice's story. It is one you have never heard, and one you will never, ever forget.

This story was utterly disturbing; so powerful and so horrible at the same time. A moving story about a kidnapped girl who has been living with her captor for five years. It's painful to picture this, to acknowledge how unfair life is for some people. It was really hard for me to get through the pages, so helpless to do anything, just keep reading. Scott's incredible writing steals you away into this girls life, to her terror, it let you in in her fear.

The cover is just as disturbing as the book. I loved it. How messed up can a human being be? How can awful experiences change you, shape you? This book is for strong heart-ed people, but I dont have enough words to praise this book, it's just unbelievably amazing. I don't think you'll ever read anything so unforgettable. Definitely a must-read.

Goodreads / Amazon

Joy Preble's Signing

Tuesday night I had the honor to meet and chat with Joy Preble, author of Dreaming Anastasia. The signing was once again in my -new- favorite bookstore Blue Willow, in west Houston. I regret to say I got there late, so I only got to chat a little and sign my book! She was incredibly sweet and friendly. She even asked me to pose for a pic with her! So nice! (I hope that in her picture I look better than in mine, that's why I didn't post it, sorry!)

Joy answering questions

My book!

Waiting on Wednesday (14)

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

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

When her boyfriend dies a most untimely death, Aura--who can see ghosts--is forced to reconsider her relationship with the living and dead in SHADE.

Not much of a description but I figured, if Stephanie Kuehnert is anxious to read it, I am too!

Release Date: May 18, 2010

Goodreads / Amazon

YA Releases

This is a weekly post to spotlight (some) YA books that will be releasing during the week. You may find all releases at Teens read too, here.

Monday, October 19

• Front & Center by Catherine Murdock
  
• Goth Girl Rising by Barry Lyga
  
• The Other Side of Blue by Valerie O. Patterson
• Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan

Tuesday, October 20

• Dragonfly by Julia Golding
  
• Hold Still by Nina LaCour
  
• Haven by Beverly Patt
  
• A New Dawn - Edited by Ellen Hopkins (Your favorite Authors on Twilight Saga, Unauthorized)
  
• Never After by Dan Elconin
  

WTF - Peter Lerangis

Young Adult
Pages: 272
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: November 10, 2009

From the back of the ARC:

One Plan, Two Parties, Six Players:
Jimmy: the Driver
Cam: the connect
Byron: the know-it-all
Waits: the supplier
Reina: the conscience
MC: the crasher

On one friday night these six will test their limits to the extreme. Some are driven by lust, others by greed. One just wants to have fun, and another desires to be free. If everything goes as planned, they all get what they want. But within twenty-four hours, bones will break, bodies will touch, hearts will race, guns will be drawn, and everything will go oh so very wrong...

Whoa! I LOVED this book! I had SO much FUN reading it. I was so excited when I got it and it did not disappoint me at all. It's about one of those crazy party-nights when every single thing goes so very wrong. There are so many WTF moments and so many OMFG moments you just can't stop reading. I devoured it in one day!

The writing was awesome. The characters were cool, I felt I was watching a really fun movie. The plot was just so twisted and fun. Each chapter starts with the time its happening. It goes ahead and then back, switching from one character to the other, as you figure out and unravel what's really going on. As always, I fell for the worst in the crowd: Waits!

The cover is awesome! So urban and eye-catching and the title is so fitting, no better title for this book. It's entertaining/ funny/ modern/ light/ cool book that you just can not miss! Definitely recommended.

Goodreads / Amazon

** Book sent by publisher.

In My Mailbox (11)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren and explores the contents of our mailbox on a weekly basis.

• WTF by Peter Lerangis (Already read it! Its AWESOME!! :D Review up tonight!) -->i.e. I had been obsessing about this book for months.
  
• An infinite amount of Ankh tattoos!?! (from Secret Society by Tom Dolby)
  

Bought:

• Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines
  
• Soulless by Gail Carringer
• Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz (This was a gift for Vanesa, enjoy! But I'm reading it anyway)
• Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers

Photo credits: Agr, I spent hours trying to make my IMM pic look good, maybe something like Alea's but darn thing just looks awful anyway... It sucks being married to a photographer when he refuses to do a photoshoot for your IMM every week! :(