Merry Christmas!! Hope you all had a great holiday. I'm super excited because I got some new books that I cannot wait to read. :)

Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles

I absolutely loved this book!

Ellie: Normal high school girl who has the difficult experience of becoming pregnant in high school.

Josh: It was his first time and it definitely didn't go as planned. He can't seem to be there for Ellie even though he knows she needs support.

Corinne: As Ellie's best friend she struggles to help Ellie through this difficult time. She's certainly no expert with boys.

Caleb: Josh's best friend who finds out about Ellie for him. Through the whole experience he finds a relationship with Corinne.

I loved how the story was told through the different points of view so you really saw how Ellie's situation was affecting everyone. It was an emotional book, but I loved it all the same. I enjoyed how there was no twist at the ending for a change. I won't say what happened, but I liked how you were left on the edge of your seat not really knowing what would happen.

Hello hello :) I've finally found some balance at school so that I have a little time to myself to free read. I'm currently reading a Stephen King novel, it's just going slowly. Hopefully I'll have more to post soon :)

Sorry I didn't pull through on the 30 days of insight idea. Work got crazy and before I knew it I was headed back to school and this time to college. Unfortunately, because my workload is so heavy, I can't spend a lot of time reading for fun. There probably won't be any posts on here again until I go home for winter break. I'm currently trying to think of ideas for a new blog. Any ideas?

30 Days of Insight: Day 6

The earliest thing I can remember...

Hmmm...probably riding around my backyard in my Barbie Jeep with the two neighborhood boys from next door taking turns riding shotgun. I never let them drive :)




Yep. That's the epic Barbie Jeep, complete with a phone Barbie calls you on and car decals :)

30 Days of Insight: Day 5

A thank you letter to someone who has changed my life...

My thank you letter would be to my best friend. We'll say her name is Dana.

Dana,
Thank you for always being there for me. You're my other half and nothing will ever change that. You helped me through some of my worst times and me through yours. And through our other friendships we stuck together. I don't think I would have made it through high school without you. And I know we'll continue to be friends through college and after. I love you and I'm always here for you.

30 Days of Insight: Day 4

What I imagine paradise to be like...

Always warm with a breeze, sunny. I imagine that my paradise would be like an island. The shore would have nice soft sand and the water would be so clear that I could see everything in it.

30 Days on Insight: Day 3

5 Songs I would have with me on a desert island and why...

Well I'm not going to right my why for each song simply because they all have the same reason...they're a few of my favorite songs and I like them.

1. Their dance, your chance - Skyhawk Drive
2. Missing - Flyleaf
3. Brick by Boring Brick - Paramore
4. Ridin' Solo - Jason Derulo
5. My First Kiss - 3OH!3

30 days of insight: Day 2

Something that inspires you...

Music. It can really be any type. When I need to be inspired I usually listen to music and do yoga :)

30 Days of insight: day 1

My guilty pleasure...

Sour gummi worms :)

30 Days of Insight

We all follow blogs but what do we really know about the blogger? I found this on another blog and liked it so I'm going to give it a try.

30 Days of Insight:
Day 01- Guilty pleasure.
Day 02- Something that inspires you.
Day 03- The five songs you would have with you on a desert island and why.
Day 04- What you imagine paradise to be like.
Day 05- A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life.
Day 06- Earliest thing you can remember.
Day 07- Favorite cover of your favorite song.
Day 08- Someone you think would make a good president.
Day 09- Five things you want to see change.
Day 10- A dream you had this past week described in detail.
Day 11- Favorite picture ever taken of yourself.
Day 12- Your favorite musical artist’s life story.
Day 13- A memory that never fails to make you laugh.
Day 14- Best mashup you’ve ever heard.
Day 15- A moment, phrase, or song that has changed your life the most.
Day 16- Something that you want to do within the next five years.
Day 17- What you want to be remembered for.
Day 18- A picture that makes you feel.
Day 19- A passage from a book that has touched you.
Day 20- A band that you immediately liked and the song that made you like them.
Day 21- Your favorite medium of art.
Day 22- Someone you would give your life up for without question.
Day 23- Most awkward first impression you feel you’ve ever given.
Day 24- Something you did as a child that other people remember you for.
Day 25- Something you would do if no one stopped you or if you knew you wouldn’t fail.
Day 26- Your definition of love.
Day 27- Your definition of the meaning of life.
Day 28- A moment you remember being completely happy in and a description of why you believe you were. What is your definition of happiness?
Day 29- What you live for.
Day 30- Ways you believe you have grown over the past thirty days.

The Vampire Diaries The Return: Nightfall by L J Smith

Stefan has left an entry in Elena's diary that shatters her world.

My Darling Elena,
I knew you would look here sooner or later. You're able to take care of yourself now, and I've never seen a stronger or more independent girl.
And that means it's time for me to go. I can't stay any longer without turning you into a vampire again - something that we both know can't happen.
Please forgive me. Please forget me. Oh, love, I don't want to go, but I have to.
If you need help, I've gotten Damon to give his word to protect you. Whatever mischief is going on in Fell's Church won't dare touch you with him around.
I'll always love you....
--Stefan

Dark Reunion by L J Smith

Stefan and Damon head to Florence and begin to cope over their loss of Elena, but their time there is cut short when they are summoned by Bonnie. After Bonnie begins communicating with Elena in her dreams, she learns of an evil power trying to once again take over. Only Stefan and Damon can defeat this vampire. Klaus is one of the Originals and he is the one who turned Katherine. But everyone questions whether they are strong enough to do anything about it. By her good deeds, Elena is granted life on Earth again, but this time she has different powers.

The Fury by L J Smith

Damon and Stefan, along with Elena, band together to fight the evil power that is in Fell's Church. To their suprise, Damon and Stefan find that the evil power is none other than their ex-love, Katherine, who they thought was dead. After years of becoming evil, Katherine plans on killing all three of the vampires. Elena makes a selfless decision and sacrifices herself to kill Katherine. Both girls are killed while the brothers are left to grieve for the two girls they loved.

The Struggle by L J Smith

Damon tells Elena that he wants to make her his queen of darkness and that by the first snowfall she would be his. Elena doesn't want to worry Stefan so she doesn't tell him about all her encounters with Damon. Meanwhile, Caroline steals Elena's diary and tries to expose Stefan as a murderer to the town. Elena can't seem to get her diary back from Caroline, but she knows the consequences would be awful for Stefan if she doesn't.

The Awakening by L J Smith

Elena is queen bee at her school and the one boy she wants is the one who seems to not be interested. She wants the new boy at school, Stefan Salvatore. He's mysterious and very attractive. After some time, Elena finds out that the reason Stefan ignored her was because she reminded him of someone and because he liked her so much. Everything seems to be going perfect until Stefan's brother Damon comes to town. Damon is out to get back at Stefan and the one thing he wants is Elena. When Stefan goes missing, Elena knows that there is only one person who would know where he is...Damon.

Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales

These are the fairy tales we grew up on, but with a bit of a darker twist. I have to admit that the darker version of some of the stories is refreshing compared to the Disney happy endings we are so used to. Unfortunately I never got to finish all of them. I read the common fairy tales, but that's all I got to.

Some of the fairy tales include: Hansel and Gretel, the Frog Prince, Rapunzel, Cinderlla, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rumplestiltskin.

Sucks to Be Me by Kimberly Pauley

Miranda has always known her parents and Uncle Mortie were vampires, but she had no desire to become one. When the vampire council finds out that she is living in a house full of vampires, they tell her she needs to decide whether or not she wants to become one by her birthday. To aid her in her decision, she is also required to take vampire lessons. Through these lessons, Miranda learns about vampirism and makes some friends along the way. As her vampire lesson friends make their decisions, she is pressured into quickly making up her mind. Does she want to stay human so she can stay with her best friend or turn into a vampire so she can stay with her family?

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman

Miranda has heard the rumors of Selkie Island's merpeople, but has never thought twice about them. When Miranda goes to Selkie for the first time, to try and sell her grandmother's vacation home with her mother, she finds out more than she bargained about the rumors. Miranda meets a local boy named Leo. She really likes him, but can't help notice that he fits all the criteria for being a merman. None of the other boys Miranda has met have been right for her, but can she get past the fact that Leo could be what she thought was only a mythical creature?

Beastly by Alex Flinn

Kyle Kingsbury was the most popular boy at his school. He had the life everyone wanted. He lived in NYC, he was good-looking, his family had money, and his father was a big time news reporter. But because of all this Kyle was a jerk to anyone who wasn't like himself. On the night of his homecoming dance, A witch casts a spell on Kyle to teach him a lesson. Kyle is turned into a beast. But there's a catch. The only was he can break the spell is if he can find true love within two years. This true love needs to be sealed with a kiss and only then will Kyle return to his normal self. After a year has gone by and Kyle is no closer to finding true love, he begins to accept that he will always be a beast. When a man breaks into his house and offers his daughter in exchange for Kyle not killing him, Kyle begins to hope. Maybe this is the girl who can break the spell.

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

The sequel to Carrie Ryan's first book, The Forest of Hands and Teeth.

Gabry makes one decision that changes her whole life. If she hadn't climbed over the barrier, Catcher wouldn't have been bitten. Cira wouldn't be sent away. Gabry visits Catcher in the woods beyond the barrier only to find what she already knew. He was infected. She wouldn't let him spend his last hours alone. Meanwhile, her mother tells her she needs to go back into the Forest to find out what was left of her old home and friends. She wants Gabry to go, but Gabry is too scared and wants to stay with Catcher. After killing someone and breaking her best friend out, Gabry realizes she can never go back home. The only place they will be safe is the Forest, the one place Gabry told herself she would never go.

Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty

The fifth book in the Jessica Darling series.

Jessica hasn't seen Marcus in three years...until she runs him over (literally) at the airport. The story is told over a single day from the time Jessica misses her flight to that night. Through the hours of talking, both realize that the 3 year apart hasn't changed their relationship at all and that they both still want to be together.

Numbers by Rachel Ward

Ever since Jem was little she was able to see the numbers. It wasn't until her mother died that she realized that the numbers she saw when she looked at someone was their date of death. Because of this she kept her distance from everyone. That is until she met Spider. He only has 3 weeks to live, but they can't stay away from each other. In him she ends up finding a purpose, friendship and love. As they near his death day, Jem has to figure out if theirs any way she can change the number or if he has to die.

Hello hello! So i just signed up for J. Kaye's 100+ Reading Challenge. Basically the challenge is to try and read 100 books from January 1, 2010 to december 31, 2010. I know I've signed up a little late, but I'd like to see how close I can get.

1. The goal is to read 100 or more books. 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. To learn how to sign up without having a blog, click here.

2. Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, YA, Manga, Graphic Novels, Library books, Novellas, Young Reader, Nonfiction – as long as the book has an ISBN or equivalent or can be purchased as such, the book counts.

What doesn't count: Individual short stories or individual books in the Bible.

3. 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.

4. Crossovers from other reading challenges count.

5. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010. Books started before the 1st do not count.

http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-2010-reading-challenge-100-reading.html

The Real Real by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus

Jesse is picked to be part of the cast of a new hit reality show about the glamorous lives of the Hamptons, but Jesse's life is far from glamorous. She has a part time job she hates and shes not popular. When she loses her best friend because of the show, she debates quitting, but the $40,000 check they gave her would be void and she needs it for college. Jesse ends up making new friends and losing some and learning things about people she never imagined she would talk to. It turns out that a life of fame isn't as great as she thought it would be.

From the authors of the Nanny Diaries.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

I've never been much of a dinosaur fan but this book was amazing. As far as books made into movies go, the book and movie were pretty much the same.

Dr. Grant, a paleontologist and his partner, Dr. Sattler, a paleobotanist are invited by John Hammond to spend a weekend at a new park that was just developed. How can they say no to the man who funds their digs and and promises to continue funding them for the next few years.
Dr. Grant and Dr. Sattler have the suprise of their life when they arrive on the island and find out that dinosaurs have been created from the blood they find in fossilized mosquitoes. But everything starts to go downhill when they lose power and the dinosaurs start to get out of their cages.

Deadly Little Lies by Laurie Faria Stolarz

The second book in the Touch Series. 1st book is called Deadly Little Secret.

It's been 4 months since Ben left and news is he's coming back. Camelia starts experiencing some weird things and begins to wonder if Ben's psychometric powers could have been transferred to her through touch. She can sculpt things that mean nothing to her, but later find out that they predict the future in someway or relate to something that she would know nothing about. Ben does come back, but wants to distance himself from Camelia saying it's better for both of them. Meanwhile, Camelia starts to spend a lot of time with Adam the new hire at work. Camelia starts getting threats again, but this time they're showing things from Ben's past making him look like the one threatening her. Then, after a fight Camelia finds out that Ben and Adam have a past together and that someone's tricking her. She needs to find out who it is and who is threatening her before it's too late.

Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Zachary has been Miranda's guardian angel from the moment she took her first breath and he loves her. Loves her enough to become worried when he sees the shadow of death following her. Zachary shows himself to save Miranda from dying, but pays the price of becoming a fallen angel and having Miranda being captured anyways. While Zachary has to learn to live on Earth, Miranda is turned into a vampire. Zachary is given another chance to regain his status in Heaven by posing as the personal assistant to the Princess of Darkness, Dracula's heir, Miranda. Between trying to keep his disguise and plan on how to kill the Dracula, Zachary needs to figure out if he can save Miranda's soul because he still loves her, no matter what she has become.

Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Just as Quincie and her Uncle D are about to open their new vampire themed restaurant, the chef, Vaggio is murdered. Quincie is heartbroken because Vaggio was like family. At the same time, the murders clues point to her werewolf boyfriend as the murderer. Quincie puts up an ad for a new chef and finally finds what she thinks is the perfect match. Henry Johnson. He is an amazing chef and is able to fit in with the vampire theme perfect...a little too perfect.

Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr

3rd book in the Fragile Eternity Series.

Aislinn loves Seth, but is being pressured by Keenan that he and Aislinn should be more than just friends. Seth sees this and decides that he wants to become a faery so he can spend forever with Aislinn and be strong enough to take care of her. Aislinn, Keenan, and Niall won't change him. Seth seeks out the help of Sorcha the High Queen of Faerie to help him. He strikes a deal with her and she turns him into a faery. The deal turns out to be a little different than Seth imagined, but nonetheless worth it if it meant his life with Aislinn. Seth finally returns to Aislinn only to find that her and Keenan started dating in his absence. Aislinn wants to be with Seth, but at the same time doesn't want to make Keenan angry.

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

2nd book in the Fragile Eternity Series

Leslie is one of Aislinn's best friends...and unaware of the faery world that surrounds her. Leslie comes from a broken home and has had bad things happen to her in her past. She hopes that getting a tattoo will help her move on and start fresh. Only problem is she doesn't know what to get. When she picks a tattoo that Rabbit had hidden in his office, Leslie starts to become a little less human. Although she really likes Niall, she feels a strong bond to Irial. Leslie's tattoo turned out to be an ink exchange so that Irial could make his Dark Court stronger. Leslie is angry that the ink exchange was done against her will. Even though she's not a faery, she doesn't want anything to do with their world. Niall tells her there might be a way to remove the tattoo and unbind her from Irial and his court. Leslie needs to make the decision to either go with her impulses and stay with Irial, or let Niall help her and set herself free.

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

"In a world unseen by mortals, the forces of Summer and Winter are at war. Two Faery Courts have been seeking the Summer Queen for more than nine centuries--one to restore the power of Summer and the other to banish it in this gritty modern Faery tale."

Just as things in Aislinn's life start to fall into place, everything turns chaotic. The faeries that Aislinn normally sees and avoids start paying a lot of attention to her and two of them start stalking her. One of them, Keenan, puts on a human form and starts following her around and telling her that she has been chosen. That she is the Summer Queen and he is the Summer King. To accomplish this, she needs to accept to be his queen and restore order to the Faery Court and then take down the Winter Queen.

This is the first of three books in the Fragile Eternity series.

Blue Moon by Alyson Noel

The second book in "The Immortals" series.

Ever is finally adjusting to her new life. She has Damen, her true love, and she is learning more about her powers. But as her powers start to become stronger, Damens are becoming weaker. Ever thinks that the new kid, Roman, is to blame but she has no proof. When Damen becomes sick and forgets everything about his life, Ever has to figure out a way to get the old Damen back. At the same time, she is confronted with the choice of staying with Damen and saving him, or going back in time to before the accident and living with her family.

Evermore by Alyson Noel

This is the first book in Alyson Noel's "The Immortals" series.

After a devastating accident claiming the lives of her Mom, Dad, and sister, Ever is forced to go live with her aunt in Florida. Her aunt lives in a home she only could have dreamed of living in and she has everything she could possibly want. But Ever wasn't the same after the accident. She can now see people's auras, read their thoughts, and learn someone's life story just by touching them. She can also see and talk to her sister, Riley, who died in the car accident. She becomes an outcast at her new school. Then the new boy at school, Damen, starts taking an interest in her. Damen is gorgeous, but a little different. He is the only one who can silence the noise and chaos in her head. She doesn't know much about him except that she is falling in love with him. Throughout the story, Ever uncovers things that lead to finding out exactly what he is and what she is.

Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

A new twist on zombies. When some teenagers die, they aren't staying dead. They're coming back as zombies. They live among everyone else like the did before, but now they're slower and different. But society doesn't like the word zombies. They are now called "living impaired" or "differently biotic." The story is about a girl named Phoebe who befriends the differently biotic kids at her school. She even starts to fall for Tommy, the leader of the differently biotic kids. Her friends struggle to see her fascination for them. Def a great read. :)