Teaser Tuesdays (Dec. 13)

This is a day late, but better late then never!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here's how it works..

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentances from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share does not give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author too so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here are my teasers:

"There was nothing." "How did the world come out of nothing?

 p. 212, Sea Changes by Gail Graham

"How to Buy A Love of Reading" by Tanya Egan Gibson

How to Buy A Love of Reading

by Tanya Egan Gibson
389 pages

Short Version: Carley Wells does not like reading, so for her sixteenth birthday her parents buy her an author to write a book that will change her thoughts about reading.

Why I Read It: The title of this book is what got my attention. I love to read, so I wanted to see how someone would buy that love.

The Book: From Goodreads
Asked to name her favorite book, sixteen-year-old Carley Wells answers, "never met one I liked." Her parents are horrified and decide to commission a book to be written just for her. They will be the Medicis of Long Island and buy their daughter The Love of Reading. At first, Carley's sole interest in the project is to distract Hunter, the young bibliophile she adores. But as Hunter's behavior becomes increasingly erratic, Carley begins to understand the importance of stories-and how they are powerful enough to destroy a person. Or save her. 

My Thoughts: Overall I enjoyed this book. It was an easier read which is what I needed after some crazy work. Carley Wells was one of those characters that I would get mad at when she wasn't making the right choices, but I was happy for her when she finally did. She is obsessed with her best friend Hunter, yet no one knows why since he is the most popular and good looking guy while she is overweight and not cool. At first I thought their friendship was great. Hunter was supportive of her and making her feel good about herself. My opinion quickly changed when Hunter started making bad decisions and just using Carley. The author hired for Carley's book is not the typical one you would think of to write a young adult book that would make Carley love to read. However, both Carley and the author learn about each other and themselves through the writing of the book. (There is a book within a book in How to Buy A Love of Reading). The ending was slightly predictable but had an element of surprise. I won't say anymore about it because I don't want to spoil anything.

3.5/5 stars

Know Me Better

Know Me Better is a weekly blog hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. Each week 5 questions are picked to answer so your readers can get to know you a little better. Click here to join! Then just grab the image and the questions and answer the questions on your blog.


Pet Peeves?
I don't like when people are late. I'm almost always early so to have to wait for those who are late is not fun. That is probably my biggest one- I can't really think of any more off the top of my head.


Give us a glimpse into a typical day in your day starting when you wake up till you lie down again.
This is hard for me to do because with my job no day is ever the same. I travel for corporate groups and help execute their meetings, events, and incentive trips. One day I could be working only a few hours then out on the beach or exploring the city I'm in. Another day I could be working from sun up to sun down and never see outside. When I am home I usually wake up with the dog around 7am. Watch a little news and get ready for the day. If I have errands to do I like to get them done early. In the afternoons I catch up on emails and computer things then read until the bf gets home. We usually grab dinner together maybe watch some TV and he goes to bed early (it sucks having to go to work super early) and I stay up and read until my eyes can no longer stay open. My life definitely does not have typical days haha.


Pizza or Pasta?
This is a tough choice! I love both. I probably eat more pasta because my family makes it all the time. But I have pizza quite a bit too.


Finish the sentence- one book I wish I had written is....
The Night Circus I am in love with this book right now!


Favorite Sport?
I don't keep up with many sports but I do enjoy watching hockey and baseball. And of course I have to mention I'm from St. Louis, home of the 2011 World Series Champions!

Teaser Tuesdays (Dec. 6)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here's how it works..

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentances from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share does not give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author too so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here are my Teasers...

"But what had happened to Gretchen last night had set a new benchmark for humiliation."

And...

"Like so much of life, Carley figured out last night backward, unraveling it from end to beginning." 

p. 224, "How to Buy a Love of Reading" by  Tanya Egan Gibson

"The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern
387 pages

Short Version: A fierce competition between two magicians is held within Le Cirque des Rêves; the mysterious circus that travels around the world and is only open at night.

Why I Read It: After reading a few reviews about The Night Circus I had to see for myself what it was about. The idea of a circus only being at night piqued my curiosity.

The Book: From Goodreads
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amusements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. 

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

My Thoughts: I LOVED this book! The imagination put behind it all is amazing. I felt like I was an onlooker of this exotic circus while reading. And when the book came to an end, I was disappointed like the circus just left town. The plot took a while to really get going but Morgenstern's writing is so beautifully done that this did not bother me. There are a couple story lines going on in the book, but they all revolve around the circus. Celia and Marco, the competing magicians, are part of the main story being the center of the competition. The second storyline follows Bailey, a young circus attendee, who returns to Le Cirque des Rêves as a young adult. The third storyline has the reader as a guest of the circus in modern day. I have to admit it took me a couple chapters to get the story lines straight. I was not sure if I should be paying attention to the location an date at the beginning of each chapter. I think my favorite part of this book was going inside the circus tents and feeling like I was experiencing them first hand. I was worried how the ending would turn out but it turned out amazing. Not what I was thinking would happen, which was great (I don't like when I can predict what happens). I would recommend this book to everyone no matter what their reading preferences are!

5/5 stars

 

Know Me Better

Know Me Better is a weekly blog hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. Each week 5 questions are picked to answer so your readers can get to know you a little better. Click here to join! Then just grab the image and the questions and answer the questions on your blog.

If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?

     I'm not sure exactly but it would have to do with my traveling adventures. I have acquired some pretty good stories on the road.

If you could have a signed copy of any novel what would it be and why?

     "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt. This book has been #1 on my list since I read it. I have not been able to find a book to compare yet and I recommend it to everyone!

Horror or Romance?

     Romance, but every now and then I like a little Horror

If you could choose only one time period and place to live, when and where would you live and why?

     My dream is to live in Hawaii. I love the lifestyle, the food, the beauty of the islands, all of it! As far as the time period, I would not want to go too far back but I would not mind a bit of a simpler time with less technologies to take up all of my time!

Do you prefer a bunch of small gifts or one big expensive one?

     I could go either way on this one. A bunch of small gifts are always fun to open because there are more of them! But a big expensive one is always really great too!

A Little Bit of Christmas

The 1st of every month is like a little bit of Christmas for me. Why? Because I get my schedule for the next month and find out what awesome places I may get to go next! Today's schedule was for January 2012 and I will be heading to Dallas, Washington D.C., and New Orleans. I am VERY excited for D.C., and New Orleans because those are both new destinations for me. If anyone has recommendations on places to see or especially places to eat, send them my way!