vlog review of Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Hey everyone,

First off, can I just say "Ooops!" because of not posting. I thought that I had some scheduled posts but apparently they were just drafts. So, again "Ooops!". I'll try to figure out a way to make it up to you guys.

So I haven't abandoned my blog, I was just really busy with starting school (and a big "Ooops"). Life has been hectic with being at a new school. Hopefully I'll get into the swing of things soon. But for now, here's my FiveAwesomeYAFans video from two weeks ago where I reviewed Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld:








I also need to choose the winners of my recent contest, so I'll announce that later this week!


More later,
~Genevieve

Wishing For Wednesday (18)

Hey Everyone!


So I decided to do my own version of Waiting on Wednesday. Waiting on Wednesday is a way to showcase books that are not yet released but excited to see they are coming out. It's hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. My version isn't for just books that haven't come out yet but any book that I am wishing to get. Each week I'll put up a book that I'm "Wishing for" or "Waiting on". I just kind of like the name Wishing for Wednesday better. : )

This week is a book that I'm "Waiting on":

Ice by Sarah Beth Durst

"When Cassie was a little girl, her grandmother told her a fairy tale about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth. Now that Cassie is older, she knows the story was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, is determined to become a scientist, and has no time for make-believe.

Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face-to-face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned at the ends of the earth. And he can bring her back — if Cassie will agree to be his bride.

That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairy tale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal forest, and on the back of the North Wind to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Before it is over, the world she knows will be swept away, and everything she holds dear will be taken from her — until she discovers the true meaning of love and family in the magical realm of Ice."

Release Date: October 6, 2009

This book sounds pretty good and it comes out next week. Too bad I'm trying not to buy books! I'll have to put it on my wish list for Christmas. : )

What are you Waiting on or Wishing for this week?

~Genevieve

I've got a problem...

My problem is I want to read the last book in The Hunger Games trilogy!

THE HUNGER GAMES and CATCHING FIRE ARE SOOOO GOOD!!

Who told me to go and read The Hunger Games? Because I love and hate that person. Catching Fire had such a cliff hanger that made me want to pull my hair out (figuratively, of course). They were both such good books and I was amazed at how awesome they are. I'll probably read them again soon! And Catching Fire had me crying, around page 60 I had tears streaming down my face-- I rarely cry when it comes to books. I almost wish that I had waited until the last book comes out because I want to read the next book SO BADLY! I haven't felt like this with a book series since Harry Potter. Anyways, I'll have to post a proper review later.

I'm now off to go read about Italian Opera, Avante-Garde Theatre, and Global Ideologies for school.

Until next time,

Genevieve


P.S. Don't forget to check out my contest HERE for Sophomore Switch.

Contest: Sophomore Switch + swag

Hey everyone,

Today is my 1st day at a new school! I'm starting at UC Santa Barbara as a junior, where part of the book Sophomore Switch takes place.

Sophomore Switch
by Abby McDonald

Summary from Barnes and Noble.com:

"Take an administrative snafu, a bad breakup, and what shall heretofore be known as "The Hot-Tub Incident," and you’ve got two unprepared sophomores on a semester abroad. For American party girl Tasha, an escape to Oxford may be a chance to ditch her fame as a tabloid temptress, but wading Uggs-deep in feminist theory is not her idea of a break. Meanwhile, the British half of the exchange, studious Emily, nurses an aching heart amid the bikinis and beer pong of U.C. Santa Barbara. Soon desperation has the girls texting each other tips — on fitting in, finding love, and figuring out who they really are."


I read Sophomore Switch and loved it! I've grown up in Santa Barbara my entire life so it was fun reading about my hometown. Some of the UCSB college life was very accurate, but some of it wasn't. Overall it was a good book! In honor of me starting at UCSB I'm going to give away one copy of Sophomore Switch and some UCSB swag (I'll add pics after I buy some).

How to enter:

1. Leave a comment and make sure I can a way to contact you via e-mail. No e-mail address, no entry. Or e-mail me at: caprubia(at)gmail(dot)com
   

Please put all of the entries in one comment and tell me everything you did with links and your e-mail address.

How to get Extra Entries:

1. +1 entries for blogging about it. Make sure you give me the link. Sidebars are okay. (No limit to number of places you post it at)
2. +2 entries for being awesome! Tell me why you're awesome. (basically this is a freebie for anyone who actually reads all of these... but you have to give a reason why you're awesome.)
   
3. +3 entries for following me (make sure you let me know)
   
   OR
   
   +4 entries for my current followers (as of 9/28)
   
4. +5 entries for joining the Five Awesome YA Fans Ning (make sure you let me know if you did, and what your user name is there!)

Please put all of the entries in one comment and tell me everything you did with links and your e-mail address.

Ends: You have until October 28th midnight PST to enter.

Open to: Open addresses in the United States ONLY (Sorry, I'm just a college student!)
Good luck!

~Genevieve

Vacation, sunburns, and books!

Hey Everyone,

So right now I'm on vacation with my family (NOTE: Actually, I wrote this while on vacation, I'm now home). I'm having a great time! Although, I have this annoying sunburn on half of my face. I don't burn very easily and when I do, it is pink but it doesn't actually hurt. This sunburn doesn't hurt but it looks SO funny. I had asked my mom to put the sunscreen on my face because I didn't have a mirror and she'd be able to rub it all in. Well... apparently she didn't put enough sunscreen on the left side of my face (and nose) and I was in the sun for more than 5 hours on Tuesday. Luckily it doesn't hurt but next week I have to get my ID card for school and I really hope that I wont have a half burnt face in the picture.

Anyways, I've been able to get some reading in while on vacation. Can you believe that I actually took an ARC on the beach? Yeah, I did! I was so worried that it would get ruined but I didn't want to stop reading. I was going to write up some reviews but I realized that I didn't have any word program on my new netbook and had to wait until I found some free wifi before I could download Open Office.

Right now I'm going to start to read The Hunger Games! Can you believe it! FINALLY. I can't believe that I've had Catching Fire since the end of May but wasn't able to read it because I hadn't read The Hunger Games. Well, now I have my very own copy of The Hunger Games sitting on my lap right now. I would have gotten the book sooner but I didn't want to buy a hardback book.

So, this brings me to my main idea of this blog: why I'm glad that I am friends with a 6^th grader. My boyfriend's sister, Jenny, is in the 6^th grade. She is a cute kid and loves to read. I've been friends with her ever since I played 100 games in a row of Connect Four with her 3 years ago. Neither one of us has ever wanted to play Connect Four. I love that she loves to read, I've loaned her so many of my Meg Cabot books and a few other YA books. Last month she was looking through the Scholastic catalog that they give elementary school kids and I got really excited because I wanted to see what she was going to buy. Then I saw it, I saw that they were selling paperback copies of The Hunger Games for $7! I was totally jazzed. I went through the catalog and decided on The Hunger Games (for $7) and Among The Hidden (for $1). I told Adam that his sister could get a copy of The Hunger Games for a pretty cheap price and he bought himself a copy. Then I made Jenny promise to show me the Scholastic catalog every time she got them. Yes yes, I know that I'm 'using' a 6^th grader to get books but hey, she was excited to help me out. And yes, I've seen hardcover copies of The Hunger Games online for reasonable prices but I like that I bought it through Jenny.

Well, I have to go now but I hope that you're having an awesome day!

More later,

~Genevieve

P.S. Look forward for a new contest soon!

Wishing for Wednesday (17)

Hey Everyone!


So I decided to do my own version of Waiting on Wednesday. Waiting on Wednesday is a way to showcase books that are not yet released but excited to see they are coming out. It's hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. My version isn't for just books that haven't come out yet but any book that I am wishing to get. Each week I'll put up a book that I'm "Wishing for" or "Waiting on". I just kind of like the name Wishing for Wednesday better. : )

This week is a book that I'm "Waiting on":

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Summary from Barnes and Noble.com:

"There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything."

Release Date: December 01, 2009


I've been seeing this book around the blogosphere and I can't wait for it to come out. It definitely sounds like a good read. I know that Beautiful Creatures was at BEA in late May and we didn't get a chance to pick it up. Now I wish more than before that I didn't miss grabbing a copy. Oh well, December isn't too far off.



What are you waiting on?

~Genevieve

Busy busy busy!

Hey everyone,

So things have been pretty darn busy around here. I am getting ready to start school on the 28th, hopefully it'll be great! Here are the highlights of my life from the past few weeks:

• I made an new YouTube account, I didn't like my old one as much. It's called genevievevlogs. Nothing is there right now but I hope to be making a few videos. : )
• I have a new computer! It's an HP Mini netbook. I've decided to name it Minnie, not too original but it fits! I'll still be using my main computer and Minnie will be for school, it's less than 3lbs! Sadly it doesn't have a CD drive but it's was worth the price (I got it for $300 with tax!).
• I also bought three cute pairs of shoes. I loooove shoes. The a nice thing about recessions is sales. I got this one pair for $12 and they were normally about $150! Pretty nice, right?
• I read Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick last week and it was amazing. I loved it. I don't even know where to start because it was really good. A review is bound to come, but it might take me a while to form my thoughts.
• I just started Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev. So far it's pretty good. : )
• You know that new computer I mentioned? Yeah, it came with Skype. So I have a Skype account now! I don't have a headset but I'm working on that. Message me if you want my username to chat.
• I signed up for a fencing class! It's going to start in a few weeks, 2 times a week for 10 weeks- $45 in total! Pretty good deal. I can't wait. Fencing sounds like a lot of fun, and I've heard that it's a great work out. I'll update you more after I take the class.
  
• I need to work out some interviews with bloggers and authors for Friday's Featured Friend. Hopefully we'll have a nice interview this Friday! (again, contact me if you would like to participate.)
  
• Tomorrow I'm going to get my hair cut. I have decided that I'm going to get short hair. Okay, okay... not short short. But closer to my sholders. Like an inch or two longer than my sholders. And trust me, that is short for me. I haven't had it that short since I was 12 years old. We'll see if I follow through or chicken out.
  

Well, that about sums up the important highlights in my life. Okay, there were some more important things over the past week like making sure my school tution was paid for, and luckily it was! But those were stressful things that we don't need to talk about anymore.


More later,

Genevieve