Books Read in 2011

January
1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. A Scattered Life- Karen McQuestion
3. This Girl is Different- JJ Johnson
4. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner- Stephenie Meyer
5. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares- David Levithan and Rachel Cohn
6. I Am the Messenger- Markus Zusak
7. Hate List- Jennifer Brown
8. You Killed Wesley Payne- Sean Beaudoin
9. The Keening- A. LaFaye

February
10. Fearscape- Simon Holt
11. Under the Dome- Stephen King
12. The Lens and the Looker- Lory S. Kaufman

March
13. Numbers- Rachel Ward
14. To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee
15. 1984- George Orwell
16. The Scorch Trials- James Dashner
17. Shine- Lauren Myracle
18. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya- Nagaru Tanigawa

May
19. The Gathering- Kelley Armstrong
20. The Cadence of Gypsies- Barbara Casey
21. Look Again- Lisa Scottoline
22. Favorite- Karen McQuestion

June
23. Awakened- P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast
24. Forgotten- Cat Patrick
25. I Am J- Cris Beam
26. The Bent Sword- Stephen Gashler
27. Divergent- Veronica Roth
28. Summer of Fear- Lois Duncan
29. Madame Tussaud- Michelle Moran
30. Bumped- Megan McCafferty
31. Logic of Demons- H.A. Goodman
32. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest- Ken Kesey
33. Witches of East End- Melissa de la Cruz

July
34. Life on Hold- Karen McQuestion
35. Huntress- Malinda Lo
36. A Separate Peace- John Knowles
37. Thirteen Days to Midnight- Patrick Carman
38. The Last Little Blue Envelope- Maureen Johnson
39. The Plague- Albert Camus
40. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close- Jonathan Safran Foer

August
41. Down a Dark Hall- Lois Duncan
42. Happyface- Stephen Emond
43. Centuries of June- Keith Donohue
44. Ruby Red- Kerstin Gier
45. Pregnant Pause- Han Nolan
46. Stranger With My Face- Lois Duncan
47. Josefina's Sin- Claudia H. Long  
48. Guardian of the Dead- Karen Healey 
49. The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald
50. Dark Parties- Sara Grant

September
51.  Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte
52. Ashfall- Mike Mullin
53. Sins of the Mother- Tara Hyland 
54. Fahrenheit 451- Ray Bradbury 
55. Circle of Fire- Michelle Zink
56. Girl Parts- John M. Cusick
57. The Golden Compass- Philip Pullman
58. Dark Angel- L.J. Smith 
59. All Quiet on the Western Front- Erich Marie Remarque 
60. The Chosen- L.J. Smith 

October
61. Soulmate- L.J. Smith 
62. Clockwork Angel- Cassandra Clare 
63. Winter Town- Stephen Emond
64. The Shattering- Karen Healey
65. Sweetly- Jackson Pearce
66. All These Things I've Done- Gabrielle Zevin
67. Shut Out- Kody Keplinger
68. Daughter of Smoke and Bone- Laini Taylor
69. The Death Cure- James Dashner
70. How to Save a Life- Sara Zarr

November
71. An Abundance of Katherines- John Green
72. Ship Breaker- Paolo Bacigalupi
73. Glow- Amy Kathleen Ryan 
74. If I Tell- Janet Gurtler
75. My Life Undecided- Jessica Brody
76. Red Heart Tattoo- Lurlene McDaniel
77. Graceling- Kristin Cashore
78. Legend- Marie Lu
79. What Happened to Goodbye- Sarah Dessen

December
80. Don't You Wish- Roxanne St. Claire
81. Destined- P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
82. The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls- Julie Schumacher
83. The Goddess Test- Aimee Carter
84. Replication- Jill Williamson 
85. Blood Red Road- Moira Young
86. Blue Bloods- Melissa de la Cruz
87. Linger- Maggie Stiefvater
88. Notes to Self- Avery Sawyer

Contest Saturday

Here are some contests that are currently going on right now in the blogosphere that are book related. Click the links to enter them. I will try to hold my own contest each month.

Win a copy of Daughter of Smoke and Bone HERE. Ends TODAY

Win a copy of Forever HERE. Ends TODAY

Win a copy of Tokyo Heist HERE. Ends TODAY

Win a copy of Bumped HERE. Ends TODAY

Win a copy of Pure HERE. Ends 1/3

Win a copy of A Discovery of Witches HERE. Ends 1/6

Win a copy of Dragonswood and Dragon's Keep HERE. Ends 1/6

Win a copy of Scarlet HERE. Ends 1/7

Win a copy of Fractured Light HERE. Ends 1/15

Win a copy of My Very Unfairy Tale Life HERE. Ends 1/23

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Title: Blood Red Road

Author: Moira Young
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Acquired: Bought
Age Group: Young Adult

Grade: 87% or B+

Buy It: Amazon

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives bearing four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on a quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

My Thoughts::
This was a book that I thought it would be a long time before I read. I read great reviews for it, and I wanted to read it pretty darn badly. But I was going to have to buy it myself, which is kind of difficult for me to do. Thankfully I was able to snag the last copy for half of the price when my local Borders closed.

At first I was a bit put off with how the book was narrated. It sounded so hickish...I usually have a problem with books that try to make me deal with the character's accent non stop. Can't they just tell us their accent and let us imagine it? Do we have to play the guessing game to decide what they're trying to say? But this book was different and I'm not sure how. It just sounded so natural and after a couple of chapters I didn't even notice it anymore. Something else that bothered me some was the lack of quotation marks. At certain points I was unsure about who was saying what or if they were even saying anything at all.

Saba was such a strong female character that annoyed me a lot. She was tough and usually had a good personality, but...I couldn't get passed some things. One being how she treated Emmy. I knowwww most of you go over this and sympathize with her. But guys, if this were a movie and they weren't on this horrible journey..I'd be saying some pretty graphic things to Saba over the TV. Way to eff up a kids outlook on her life for the first 9 years. Twisssted. She was also just way too stubborn and irrational. How many times does she have to be told the same thing? Uggh. Enough ranting about Saba. I loved Emmy and Lugh and Jack especially and pretty much every other character. They had me melting with their awesomeness.

Overall I think that Blood Red Road was an amazing adventurous dystopian read. It focused on the adventure and didn't rely on it being a dystopia. Though Saba grinded my gears, I found this book to be very exciting, heartwarming, and enjoyable.

Welcome to Bombarded with Books!

Hey guys!

As some of you know, I've been blogging on That Teen Can Blog since 2008..the summer before my freshmen year in High School. Now I'm a senior, and 18 years old. For the past 6 months I've been thinking about the blog a whole bunch and I decided that I want to keep it going strong throughout college.

Knowing that I'm going to be growing older with this blog, I had to change it to continue to encompass who I am. "That Teen Can Blog" didn't cut it anymore. When I started the blog I didn't know what I was going to do on it. Now I do know of course. I want visitors to know what they're coming for.

SO, that's why I changed the name to Bombarded with Books. I also hope you like the redesign. Everything else will stay pretty much the same. Explore a bit because some things are moved around, but the reviews and features will stay the same as they have been. Just easier to find.

Thank you for sticking with me! I'd love to read your thoughts!

-Amanda

Winner: Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop

And the winner of The Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop (Madame Tussaud) is....

Bookworm Lisa

Congrats Lisa! I have already e-mailed you. If you don't reply within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen.

Thanks to everyone who entered! I love participating in these Giveaway Hops!

2012 Finishing the Series Challenge

1) All books that are part of a continuing series qualify (i.e. Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove, Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, James Patterson's Alex Cross, etc. etc.)

2) It doesn't matter if you have 1 or 10 books in a series to complete it, it qualifies (i.e. if you only need to read one more Sookie Stackhouse book to complete the goal, that's fine) The goal is to complete a series from wherever you are up to until the last published book.

3) The qualification period is January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. Books must be read during this time frame to count.

4) Take the button above and post about it. Use the Mr. Linky below to sign up, but make sure you link it directly to your post about this challenge.

5) If you don't have a blog, that's fine. Just leave a comment to sign up and tell us what you are reading.

6) Any format of book counts - audio, ebook, etc.

7) You should choose the series you want to finish before the challenge begins, but it isn't necessary. It's fine to change series during the year - as long as you complete whichever series it is.
8) Choose a level....

Level 1 - Complete 1 series.
Level 2 - Complete 2 series.
Level 3 - Complete 3 or more series.

I'm going for level 3 baby!

1. The Wake Series by Lisa McMann.
Books to Finish: 1
Gone by Lisa McMann

2. Evernight Series by Claudia Gray
Books to Finish: 2
Hourglass by Claudia Gray
Afterlife by Claudia Gray

3. Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness
Books to Finish: 2
The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

4. Jessica Darling Series by Megan McCafferty
Books to Finish: 2
Fourth Comings by Megan McCafferty
Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Read in 2011

Top Ten Tuesdays is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's top ten is....

Top Ten Favorite Books I Read in 2011. With excerpts from my reviews!

1.  Divergent by Veronica Roth. "I couldn't resist for very long and decided to take the plunge.....and wow. This is like..the book of the year." Graded as 97%

2. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier. "I have to give props to any author who decides to tackle time travel. There are so many ways that you can contradict yourself and make mistakes, so far I've seen none." Graded as 97%

3. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. "Do I even have to mention how much I loved Jem? Ahhhhh, time to swoon. Sadly, Tessa seems to be going for the bad boy, Will. Not a problem there, he is pretty swoon worthy in his own right." Graded as 96%

4. The Death Cure by James Dashner. "Even after I finished, I felt a lingering feeling of doubt. This book really makes you paranoid and skeptical about everything you're told in it. This, let me tell you, makes for a very wild read." Graded as 96%

5.  Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. "The only thing that I really wanted to do after finishing this book was to read the next one! There is no way that there can't be a sequel." Graded as 95%

6. Graceling by Kristin Cashore. "Ooooooh Po...Po...I love him. Now I understand why people love him so much and why he is for some reason held on such a pedestal. I also now understand how crazy the people are who think that Peeta and Katniss could win in a fight against Po and Katsa." Graded as 95%

7. Plague by Michael Grant. "When I finished Plague I was left thinking about it for days afterward. Because even though some doors in the novel closed, so so so many more opened up. I have so much to think about now and it is very exciting." Graded as 94%

8. Ashfall by Mike Mullin. "Overall I found Ashfall to be a very gripping read with an intriguing setting and characters, even if they sometimes got a bit too lucky." Graded as 94%

9. Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan. "This is the first book that I read set in space, and it adds a new urgency to all problems. The solutions are no longer simple and the stakes are higher." Graded as 94%

10. The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong. "I'm also really enjoying the side characters. I'm trying to imagine what abilities they might have and what part they are going to play in whatever happens next." Graded as 93%

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

Title: The Goddess Test

Author: Aimee Carter
Publisher: Harlequin
Acquired: Received free for an honest review
Age Group: Young Adult

Grade: 85% or B

Buy It: Amazon

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

My Thoughts::
When this book came in the mail I knew that I was going to read it right away. I've heard good things about it, and I've been trying to read more modern tellings and takes on Greek and other kinds of mythology.

The book started out really sad and semi slow. I felt so bad for Kate, but since I read the description, every time things looked bad, I knew it was going to be okay..at least for a while. Besides that, it was really easy to get into. I was automatically intrigued by the whole situation and I was wondering who was going to be the person to make things happen.

There was so much unexpected mystery and secrecy in this book! It kept me very confused and on my toes. I wasn't sure what the tests were going to be, and I was especially unsure about why Henry was so hot and cold. I was expecting to totally melt when I met Henry, but I didn't. He seemed alright and everything...but he was just so..depressing and tortured. But I didn't read this book for Henry, I read it for Kate and the tests. Kate was a pretty average character. I liked her more than Henry and not just because of her mom. There were certain points in the book where I wanted to scream for Kate out of frustration, but she kept her cool most of the time which I hugely respect. It's annoying to read about a character that's over dramatic.

I wish I could say I was surprised by the outcome, but I had most of it figured out about halfway through. I'm not sure if this was the book's fault, or mine since I'm a very investigative reader. I'm really good at figuring out whats going to happen. Still, I was very happy with the way things turned out. And it didn't seem too perfect or too coincidental. It all made sense and it just happened to work out positively.

Overall I think that The Goddess Test was a creative and fun read. I can not wait to read the sequel to find out what happens next.

In My Mailbox

First of all, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

In My Mailbox is a post where I tell you the books that I received this week either by buying them from the bookstore, going to the library or from my mailbox. In My Mailbox was inspired by Alea and turned into a meme by Kristi.

Nothing this week!

Contest Saturday

Here are some contests that are currently going on right now in the blogosphere that are book related. Click the links to enter them. I will try to hold my own contest each month.

Win a copy of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer HERE. Ends 12/26

Win a copy of Don't Breathe a Word HERE. Ends 12/26

Win a copy of Obsidian HERE. Ends 12/27

Win a copy of Flyaway HERE. Ends 12/27

Win a copy of The Burn HERE. Ends 12/30

Win a copy of Obsidian HERE. Ends 12/30

Win a copy of Daughter of Smoke and Bone HERE. Ends 12/31

Win a copy of Forever HERE. Ends 12/31

Win a copy of Tokyo Heist HERE. Ends 12/31

Win a copy of Fractured Light HERE. Ends 1/15

2012 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge

 

Check out more information about the challenge here: Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge. Hosted by Reading with Tequila

The Rules:

• Challenge will run January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. Participants can join anytime throughout the challenge.
  
• Create an intro post, linking back to this post.
  
• Sign up with the MckLinky below. Please link to your challenge intro post, not your blog home page.
  
• Chose your own books from the list. You can decide to read books only on the Top 25 list or from the entire recommendation list. You do not have to make a list of books before the challenge begins.
  
• All forms of books acceptable (audiobooks, eBooks, etc.)
• Rereads do not count towards the completion of the challenge. The challenge is about discovering books that are new to you.
• You don't need a blog to participate.
• Reviews, while always appreciated, are not mandatory.

I am going to shoot for level I this year. I'll cross these off when I finish!

1. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
2. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
3. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
4. Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
5. The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler