Stuck in a Good Book Giveaway Hop!

Another giveaway hop! Sometimes I get overexcited and do things like more than one hop in a month, and clearly that's the case. :)

This time around I'm giving away the winner's choice of one of my favorite 2014 releases I've read this year (or a book in the same series, in the case of Cress). Here are your choices:

As for the fine print, you must be at least 13 years of age to enter. Giveaway is INTERNATIONAL so long as The Book Depository ships to you. The winner will be notified by the email provided in Rafflecopter and will have 48 hours to respond. Have fun hopping, y'all!

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10 Books That Have Stayed With Me

The wonderful Charlene from Bookish Whimsy has tagged me to do something that's been making the rounds on Facebook: talk about ten books that have stayed with me. Clearly no one I know in real life is especially bookish, because I've only seen it once or twice around--though I wanted to do it. This is obviously going to be the place to talk about this, though, since y'all appreciate books! :) Anyways, without further ado...

The instructions: List 10 books that have stayed with you in some way.  Don't think too hard.  They don't have to be the "right" books or great books of literature, just ones that affected you in some way.  

A lot of these are likely to be familiar to anyone who has read my blog for a while, because clearly I talk on a loop. :)

1. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

I don't even know how old I was the first time I read this book. All I know is that I've read this one more than any other book EVER, over and over and over again. I don't even completely know why I love it so much. Maybe it's the humor. Maybe it's the message. Maybe it's the wonderful characters. Maybe it's just everything! This is certainly the book that started my love of fairy tale retellings, and I haven't read many others that could even come close.





2. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

I first became interested in this one because of the movie, actually, but I read it first and ended up adoring the book while only liking the movie. There's something about this book that just entranced me. I couldn't quite tell what was going on at the beginning, but the slow unraveling of just who these kids you're following are and what the plan for them is is absolutely riveting. (Of course, it could have been spoiled ahead of time, which stinks.) It's bittersweet, hopeful, and dark.

3. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

Perhaps my first foray into real fantasy? It was certainly the first that really affected me. I can't remember a time before reading this one that I was so absorbed into the world that I couldn't pull myself out. It also left me desperately wanting to live a life like the heroine, one filled with magic and adventure.






4. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

I really can't imagine anyone who reads and who is close to my age NOT listing Harry Potter. It's one of those series that has so permeated this generation, which is in itself fascinating. It's a series that let us all believe in magic, that good would always win over evil, and that family doesn't always have to be blood (among tons of other things). Even now I read things about these books and just marvel at the creativity and planning J.K. Rowling took in these books. There will never not be a good time to watch a Harry Potter movie or give your favorite book a reread.

5. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

I've read this book once. (I've meant to reread for ages, but alas.) But, my reading experience with this one has stuck with me over at least ten years. I absolutely devoured this, turning page after page, and was absolutely stuck in the world. A dystopian before the word came into use, my love of this book showed just how much I'd love dystopian when it became a trend and was everywhere. Why hasn't this one become a movie? I'd be there in a heartbeat!





6. Atonement by Ian McEwan

I only read this one this spring, but it's totally going to count. Sometimes you just know the books that affect you, and this is absolutely one. When I read this earlier this year, I had kind of lost my zest for books that weren't young adult. In reading Ian McEwan's nuanced writing and complex yet beautiful story, I was reminded of what the right book can do for a reader. This was the book I needed at the time, and it made all the difference.

7. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

This feels kind of like an oddball on my list, but hear me out! Before reading Lola, I didn't think contemporary was a genre I could love. At times I'd found books that I liked, but it was Lola that made me see I could love a contemporary novel. I opened myself up to more (not to mention Anna and Isla, of course!) and have found so many books that I would have written off had I not opened my horizons. Thank you Stephanie Perkins!





8. The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

A play, I know, but I read it before I ever saw it performed (though, this is fantastic in performance). Sometimes I sit and marvel at Shakespeare as well (especially as I read more and more of his plays). He does so much in this play, but in the forefront is how he makes an utterly deplorable character sympathetic with just one speech. That's it! How many people can do that? H even goes back to being awful after, but the lingering effects of what he says stay through the rest of the play.

9. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

One of the first books that made me realize just how much I could love classics. Like any dutiful high school student who liked to read, I didn't mind reading the classics we were assigned. But it was reading Jane Eyre on my own that made me see that I could desperately love a book that had been published hundreds of years ago as a book that had been published relatively recently. I'd read  more modern classics and loved some, but nothing like Jane. I mean, no book I read that year count even come close.




10. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Again, I read this because of the movie. I wanted to see the movie, but in looking online at Chris McCandless' story I decided to read the book first. Best decision ever. Chris' story felt so real to me, and his journey was one that inspired me at the time. I was a senior in high school and struggling with the idea of leaving behind everyone I knew to go to a school by myself. I knew I needed to make myself branch out, to be somewhere different, but I'm a homebody to my core, so moving far away was a hard decision. I ended up going to college alone but not too far away, one state away. It was a perfect mix of heading out on my own but also staying close. No, it wasn't huge, but it felt like it to me--and Alabama was perfect for me. I loved every minute there. It was this book that made me feel comfortable with my decision, knowing I would meet so many new people who would change my life. It's certainly a less drastic story than Chris' own, but it made a huge difference to me.

So that's it! Because I wanted to be tagged and wasn't on Facebook, I'm going to tag anyone who wants to participate! All the tags! :) Thank you so much to Charlene for tagging me! This was actually way harder to put together than I thought it would be, but I love talking about why I love books (obviously). 

Blog Tour: The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco {Review + Giveaway}

Release date: August 5, 2014
Author info: Website | Twitter
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 267
Format: Egalley
Source: Publisher provided through Netgalley
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

The Ring meets The Exorcist in this haunting and lyrical reimagining of the Japanese fable.

Okiku has wandered the world for hundreds of years, setting free the spirits of murdered children. Wherever there’s a monster hurting a child, her spirit is there to deliver punishment. Such is her existence, until the day she discovers a troubled American teenager named Tark and the dangerous demon that writhes beneath his skin, trapped by a series of intricate tattoos. Tark needs to be freed, but there is one problem—if the demon dies, so does its host.

With the vigilante spirit Okiku as his guide, Tark is drawn deep into a dark world of sinister doll rituals and Shinto exorcisms that will take him far from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Japan. Can Okiku protect him from the demon within or will her presence bring more harm? The answer lies in the depths of a long-forgotten well.

The first synopsis I read for The Girl from the Well quoted my favorite poem, promised a high creep factor, and was accompanied by that awesome cover. How could I not be eager to read it? I'm admittedly a horror wimp when it comes to movies, but I have a lot more bravery when it comes to books; in fact, I count horror as one of my favorite subgenres in YA. Sure, The Ring scared the crap out of me, but a book based on the same story promised a great read. While The Girl from the Well features a writing style that's going to off-putting to a lot of people and requires a bit of acclimation, I found the story compulsively readable and fascinating.

As mentioned, the writing is interesting and full of quirks. Okiku is obsessed with counting, so often she'll describe scenes with quantities in parentheses. It's a rather jarring effect, but I thought it was also reminiscent of her thought processes--someone who compulsively counts isn't likely to have a smooth thought process, because she can't really concentrate on what's going on until she knows how many of things are in a room. There are also often points where the lines break up, again forming rather jarring stops and starts, and where the point of view seems to shift from first person to third person without warning. None of this caused me any problems once I got acclimated, but other readers aren't necessarily going to like it.

While I had some vague idea of her story, going into detail about Okiku's fate was heartbreaking and adds a lot of depth to her character and what she does. The retribution she enacts is dark, bloody, and violent (just the way I like it!), but you completely understand why she does it. (I will admit every time I got up from reading to do something I checked to see if Okiku was hanging from my ceiling.) Tark is purely a victim of his birth, a pawn suffering for the decisions of others. At first, he's hard to get a read off of, but he opens up and you see his humor and good nature, even while he's suffering at the hands of a powerful ghost trying to break free. You can't help but admire his bravery and his openness to Okiku.

Though I didn't find myself hiding under my covers at any point, The Girl from the Well is full of disturbing images and darkness. Even so, it's a story with an unflinching ray of hope.

About the author:

Despite uncanny resemblances to Japanese revenants, Rin Chupeco has always maintained her sense of humor. Raised in Manila, Philippines, she keeps four pets: a dog, two birds, and a husband. She’s been a technical writer and travel blogger, but now makes things up for a living. The Girl from the Well is her debut novel. Connect with Rin at www.rinchupeco.com.

Now, as part of the blog tour, I get to offer up to one lucky reader a copy of The Girl from the Well! This giveaway is open to US/CAN entries, and will end 9/25. The prize will be shipped by the publisher. What are you waiting for? You know you want this on your shelf!

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Waiting on Wednesday: Love, Lucy by April Lindner {62}

Title: Love, Lucy
Author: April Lindner
Release date: January 27, 2015

While backpacking through Florence, Italy, during the summer before she heads off to college, Lucy Sommersworth finds herself falling in love with the culture, the architecture, the food...and Jesse Palladino, a handsome street musician. After a whirlwind romance, Lucy returns home, determined to move on from her "vacation flirtation." But just because summer is over doesn't mean Lucy and Jesse are over, too. 

In this coming-of-age romance, April Lindner perfectly captures the highs and lows of a summer love that might just be meant to last beyond the season.

Italy? Romance? I'm in! :D

So what are you guys waiting on this week? :)

Teaser Tuesday: Get Even by Gretchen McNeil {88}

Title: Get Even
Author: Gretchen McNeil

Release date: September 16, 2014

The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars in Gretchen McNeil’s witty and suspenseful novel about four disparate girls who join forces to take revenge on high school bullies and create dangerous enemies for themselves in the process. 

Bree, Olivia, Kitty, and Margot have nothing in common—at least that’s what they’d like the students and administrators of their elite private school to think. The girls have different goals, different friends, and different lives, but they share one very big secret: They’re all members of Don’t Get Mad, a secret society that anonymously takes revenge on the school’s bullies, mean girls, and tyrannical teachers.

When their latest target ends up dead with a blood-soaked “DGM” card in his hands, the girls realize that they’re not as anonymous as they thought—and that someone now wants revenge on them. Soon the clues are piling up, the police are closing in . . . and everyone has something to lose.

My teaser, from 22% in the egalley:

Kitty's cell phone buzzed. She waited for a stoplight, then checked her incoming text. "Margot says that Bree successfully downloaded his hard drive and deleted the video," she said. "I'd say, phase one accomplished."

Olivia sighed as Kitty rolled up in front of her apartment building, visibly relieved that her role was over. "I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

"Absolutely," Kitty nodded. "Don't get mad."

Olivia smiled. "Get even."

Happy release day to Get Even! I still have yet to read one of Gretchen McNeil's books, but I am quite determined I'll be reading this one. I hear such good things about her! :)

I'll be visiting around and visiting back, so leave me links to your teasers! :) Happy Tuesday!

Review: Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini

Release date: September 2, 2014
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 384
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher provided for review
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily's other self in this alternate universe.

What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.

I'm wary of books about witches, because I think they can often come across as rather cheesy, so I'm selective of what I pick up when the W word is tossed around. Trial By Fire was intriguing because it not only promised witchcraft but also alternate universes and a bit of history thrown into the pile as well. While I had a rather tough start to Trial By Fire, it's an absolutely fascinating read that becomes more and more engrossing as you read.

Trial By Fire started off rocky for me because I didn't like a single character I met in the first couple of chapters, save Juliet, Lily's sister, who only briefly showed up. Lily was so obviously deluded by the attention Tristan was finally giving her that she'd be willing to take just about anything from him as an excuse, Tristan himself felt kind of skeezy, and even the secondary characters did crappy things. How does a book recover from that? Well, Trial By Fire had the perfect solution! Let's switch worlds, where everything is similar but also completely different. It's lucky this switch happened pretty quickly, or I don't know if I could have continued. From the moment Lily is taken into the alternate Salem, I was more interested in the story and characters with each turn of the page, leaving the characters I'd disliked so heartily in the back of my mind.

Quickly, I was overwhelmed by things I loved. The magic in this Salem is just fascinating, very elemental and science-based, which makes it feel very plausible and not magic-like. I loved each and every scene where Lily does magic, because I got a better and better sense of how it worked and was deeply intrigued by the mix of science and old world kinds of practices. Then add the ideas of the shaman and world-walking, the ability to transcend one's body and let your soul venture into other worlds, and there's just so much to take in! This isn't to mention the world's history, which we learn slowly and see how the witches were able to shape the course of history into something that can seem both behind and ahead of our world. Trial By Fire is seriously ripe with world-building and crazy interesting ideas.

While I didn't like how Lily was so bowled over by Tristan in her own world, she quickly redeemed herself once she got to the alternate Salem. She's never had many friends, aside from Tristan, so Lily is a little awkward, but she's got very strong convictions, and even her dire circumstances won't sway her from them. Over and over again she doesn't back down from challenging situations, and she feels the injustice of the world she's been taken into, and she wants to do something about it, not shy away because it technically isn't her problem. And the girl's got humor!

I don't often find my heart beating faster in romantic moments when I'm reading, but Trial By Fire did it. Rowan is one of those characters I instantly took to. Even though he's terribly mean to Lily at first, you can just tell he's got a strong sense of right and wrong, of what's just. He and Lily have a bumpy road to one another, but it's oh so satisfying.

Trial By Fire may have rang my witchy bells, leaving me alert for cheesiness, and started off rough, but it swept away any misgivings quickly and decidedly. The beginning to a new trilogy, I cannot wait to see what new heights this series goes to in the course of the next two books. A genre-bending novel with almost too many interesting ideas, great characters, a touch of surprising humor, and a romance that works so well but that doesn't take over, I wholeheartedly enjoyed Trial By Fire.

About the author:

JOSEPHINE ANGELINI is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in theater, with a focus on the classics. Originally from Massachusetts, she now lives in Los Angeles with her screenwriter husband and three shelter cats. Her debut series, Starcrossed, Dreamless, and Goddess, (Harper Teen) are all international bestsellers and have garnered the praise of various major publications, including the LA Times, and have twice won the Reader’s Choice Awards in Germany. Her next series, Trial by Fire, Book One of the WorldWalker Trilogy (Feiwel and Friends, Macmillan) will be out in the US on September 2nd.

Stacking the Shelves {85}

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we get to share the books we've bought, been gifted, or received for review!

How was everybody's week? Mine's been good! I'm finally getting to work both of my jobs, so that's interesting. I'm doing lots of learning, which leaves me pretty lazy when I get home. I've been SO slow at reading this week! I kind of slogged through The Miniaturist, which wasn't awful, so I'm hoping getting into some fun YA (I still haven't gotten to Heir of Fire!!) will jump start me this week. :) We'll see!

For review:

Poisoned Apples by Christine Heppermann
A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
Blackbird by Anna Carey
Echoes of Us by Kat Zhang

Thank you, thank you to Greenwillow, Swoon Reads, HarperTeen, and Harper for these! :D

A recap of the week here on Paper Cuts:
Monday - Review: Star Cursed (The Cahill Witch Chronicles #2) by Jessica Spotswood
Tuesday - Teaser Tuesday: Of Monsters and Madness by Jessica Verday
Wednesday - Waiting on Wednesday: The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler
Thursday - Review: The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
Friday - I Went to Disney World!

Books I read this week:
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

I'm currently reading:
Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini

So that's been my week! I'm pretty behind on comments, but I have plans to do that this afternoon, along with some general updating all over. I've just been completely uninterested in doing comments after getting home from work, but I had Saturday completely off from everything and got to go out to lunch with my best friend and watch football and Outlander all night so I'm quite relaxed. :D I'll do comments today! :) Have a lovely Sunday and a fabulous week!