Behind! So behind!

Okay so I'm a little late (a lot late) on a couple of things and I wanted to address them before they drive me crazy. So I'm sure you are all aware that the preorder for Catching Fire tickets has already gone on sale!! I can't tell you how excited I am for this movie! I'm definitely going to try and buy the tickets this weekend. Hopefully they have some left. Here is the site to order them from if you're looking for them in your area → Catching Fire Tickets

Myth

I'm not sure how many of you know of Danielle Q. Lee or if you've read any of her books, but since she's released the new cover art for her book Myth (which is gorgeous by the way and was made by S. Yordanova) I wanted to talk about her books for a moment. Well,I've only read the first one in the Dark World series,but I was blown away by how unique it was. I've never read anything like it. I found Dark World on my Nook and decided to read it because it was free and sounded pretty good.I definitely recommend checking this series out. I'll put an overview of the first two books down below. Also check out the other books she's written as well. I'm sure they are equally as good. As I said earlier Dark World is free on Nook as well as Amazon. The Devil inside which is the second book in this series is $3.99. Here is the link to her blog → Danielle Q. Lee

Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them

I just found out today that Warner Bros. has announced a spinoff series of Harry Potter!! Now,it won't be about Harry Potter or his children and it will not connect to Harry. It will however be set in the same wizarding community only 70 years in the past. It will be about the person that wrote Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them, Newt Scamander. Also J.K. Rowling will be writing the screenplay for the movie!! They are also making a Television series out of The Casual Vacancy! Here's the link to the article if you'd like to read it → Harry Potter Spinoff

Winter is Coming!

For most of us it's still pretty warm outside (me included), but I'm so ready for fall its ridiculous. So I've decided to put together some of my favorite finds for the fall / winter. This is going to be a long post because of the pictures and the fact that I'm a total dunce and can't make a collage of them together for you guys. Sorry :( Hopefully you'll look at it and enjoy all these great finds. (Oh, and if you got what the title of this post comes from you're awesome <3)

I so in love with this sweater! I love the hearts on the elbows!! The black is probably my favorite. There's only two colors though (Red or Black). I found this on Etsy. They always have such cute things. Clickity Click this link to take you to it → Stripes and Hearts Sweater.

How I Live Now Review

 
Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy.

As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.

Project Cain + Cain's Blood Review

Chapter one of Revealed has been released!

I was going through my email today and I don't know how I forgot to tell you guys about this. Chapter one of Revealed was released two days ago! If you haven't read it please click this link to the House of Night website and it will take you right to it. This just makes me even more excited for the book more than ever!! I really can't wait for October 15th! I know I can't be the only one excited for this lol and even if I am oh well. Have a great day everyone!

Cain's Blood / Project Cain

Today I received an ARC of Cain's Blood and Project Cain. I won this book from a giveaway on Goodreads. I'm totally excited to read it. I've been trying to get myself to read some different things recently. More towards the murder mystery side of things. These books are sort of in that realm and sort of not. This I took directly from Geoffrey Girard's website click that link and it'll take you there.

The Dead Zone Review

Shadow Falls After Dark!

So as many of you have probably heard C.C. Hunter has released the title's of the first two books in the Shadow Falls After Dark Series. Book one will be called Reborn and Book two is called Eternal. Reborn will not be out until next year,but if any of you have read the short stories she's written about Della Tsang, you know how awesome these books are going to be. And if you haven't please pick up the Shadow Falls series and start reading. You will not be disappointed :) Here's a link to C.C. Hunter's Blog

Important Release Dates

I know I've already put some of the books I'm excited to see coming out this year,I've recently gotten into another series of books so I thought I'd just make another one. This time though I've decided to put in some of the movies I'm also looking forward to seeing this year. So mark your calendars with all these awesome books and movies!!

J.K. Rowling has a new book out! or Should I say Robert Galbraith does.

I'm sure most of you know that J.K. Rowling has a new series coming out! It's not under her name though. She's using a pseudonym this time. Unfortunately she was outed. Not sure how or why. I'm kinda glad of it though. Yes,I am one of those people that will probably read everything she puts out just because she's J.K. Rowling. I'm not ashamed of that at all. I love her writing. Yes, I was a little disappointed with 'The Casual Vacancy'. But she had stated that book was geared towards adults. I'm not saying I hated the book,the ending chapters I enjoyed very much. I'm more than excited to read this book.

My Summer 2013 Music

I'm one of those people that has to listen to music on a daily basis. I'm pretty opened minded when it comes to music. If I like something then I like it. I have things I'm not a big fan of,but I won't say I hate the genre. Only because there is always that one song in ever genre that catches you off guard, and your like "Wow, that's a really good song.". That's happened to me quite a few times. Especially with country music. It's not something I listen to a lot, but when I do there's always a song(s) that catches my attention and then I fall in love with it. Most of the music I listen to isn't to everyone's liking. But just like everyone else I think that my taste in music is awesome. Even though you'd probably disagree. That's what I think is so great about music though. You may not be into a certain kind of music and then your friend introduces you to a band, and your whole musical world is turned upside down. Anyways, I wanted to make a short little list of songs that I've been listening to a lot this summer. I hope you enjoy them as much as I am. And if you have any songs you've been listening to or that have been your anthem this summer share them. I'd love to get into some new music :)

New Cover art for Harry Potter!

No unfortunately this isn't news about any new Harry Potter books. It is however news about the 15th anniversary of 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'. I feel so old hearing it's the 15th anniversary. I remember when these books first came out. I also remember every year they came out I would buy one the day it came out. There hasn't been a series yet that I've had to run out that day and buy the book. I've laughed and cried with these characters. They've become family to many of us. Even the movies have become family. So finding out that they are redoing the cover art for these books is pretty cool. It's only going to be for the paperback versions of the books. Here are two of the covers they have released so far :

Summer Reading

 Yes, I know the summer has already started for most everyone. I also know that most people could care less about reading during their summer break. But sometimes it gets so hot out that you have to stay in or the rain keeps you from laying going out. Also books are great to read by the pool, in the pool, or at the beach whatever you prefer. I'm putting a few books on here that I haven't read. So if you have the time please read some reviews on them to see if you would like to read them or not.  I know I'm kinda late on this, but I really hope you enjoy the books I've picked and if you have any you'd like to recommend please do so.

Delirium + Pandemonium Review

I'm really sorry for not posting anything this week. I did however finish reading these two books while I was away.

Jessica Sorensen is having a Thank You Giveaway!

If you don't know who Jessica Sorensen is then you need to look up her books. I have a few of them on my blog you could search for, but she has a lot more than just those few. She is an amazing writer! And I wanted to share this giveaway she's doing with all of you!! The Giveaway started July 4th and ends on August 6th! One winner will win everything in the pic below, which includes the following items:

Shadow Review

 Overview: Katie Greene’s worst nightmare comes true when her mother dies, and she’s devastated to learn that she will have to leave the only home she’s ever known. Desperate to find where she belongs, she must decide if she has what it takes to start a new life across the ocean.

For Yuu Tomohiro, every day is a nightmare. He struggles to control his strange ability, and keeps everyone at a distance so they won’t get hurt—even his girlfriend, Myu. At night, a shadow haunts his dreams, and a mysterious woman torments him with omens of death and destruction. But these haunting premonitions are only the beginning…

What's in a Series? Part 2

I'm doing a part two for all of the series I haven't finished reading yet. I love each and everyone of these series, but it just seems that they keep coming out with new books that look good. I can't help but start a new one with out finishing the other ones I have. I'm trying really hard to stop doing that, but it doesn't always work out. So here we go!

Thirst

 

Snow White Sorrow Review

Overview:  

Sixteen year old Loki Blackstar is no Prince Charming. 

His mother is a ghost. His only friend is a red Cadillac that sings

 to him through the radio. He looks like an Angel but acts like jerk.

 No wonder he has been banned from Heaven, 
which is the least of his troubles. Loki needs a job to pay for school 
and support himself. Still, Loki has a rare gift: He is a 
Dreamhunter. One of the few in the world who can hunt and kill immortal 
demons in their dreams so they never wake up again. When Loki is 

sent to kill a sixteen-year-old vampire girl the locals call Snow White 
Sorrow, he is pulled into a magical but dangerous world. The locals 
believe the monster to be Snow White. The real Snow White...
 living in the ruins of an ancient castle in a small town. She is 
described as horribly beautiful, terrifyingly enchanting, and wickedly 
lovely. What he finds instead is a beautiful monster girl filled 
with rage and hurt, who has an epic untold story to tell of things such 
like why the Brothers Grimm altered the fairy tale, who the Evil Queen 
really is, where the mirror came from, and who possessed it. 

Snow White has killed every person who has 

dared come near the castle where  she once lived with the queen. 

Mysteriously, she lets Loki live, and whispers two words in his ears; 

two words that will change his life forever.

Minimalist Book Covers

These are a few of my favorite minimalist book covers. I realized when I was looking through these that there are far more minimalist posters for movies than book covers. Which is really sad in my opinion. I love the minimalist look on things. It would be cool, if when the author released the book with it's original artwork and then a few years down the road want to put it out again with new artwork, they should do minimalist. It just looks really cool.

Beautiful Creatures

The Grimm Diaries Prequels Review

 These books were a very interesting concept. I loved the different take on all the fairy tale characters, but the writing wasn't as good as it could've been. Every single character sounded almost child like. I know that some of the characters are teenagers, but to me they sounded like small children. Even the story where the devil is telling the story, he sounded like a kid. I don't really like that. To me the devil is supposed to be super intelligent and knowledgeable about what is going on, on earth. The idea of these books is a great one. The execution however, was not well done. These books would be really great with some extra work. I really liked how gruesome some of the fairy tales were though. If you are distracted by writing style when reading a book then I wouldn't read these books.

Chosen at Nightfall Review

What's in a Series?

So I was thinking about doing a post about my favorite series of books (which I have a lot of). I'm also thinking that it might have to be in two parts. I have such a large number of series of books that I have read and that I'm currently reading, that I'm not sure where to start. I think I'll start off with the ones that I've finished so far. I'll also post an overview of the first book in each series. So you can decide if you would like to read it or not :)

I'm freaking out!

I don't know where I've been under a rock maybe, but I had no idea that Ann Brashares wrote a fifth book to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series! This is going to be a must get sometime in the near future!

The Grimm Diaries Prequels

I saw these books recently on Goodreads while I was looking for a different book. And these books look so freaking good. They're short stories that give you a look at what the The Grimm Diaries is going to be like. Kind of like a teaser. I'm seriously thinking about buying these. 

Books that I might be looking into soon

So I go around sometimes and look for free books that look decent or have an interesting excerpt. These are the few I've found. Not all of them are free but I will tell you which ones are free and how much the other one's cost.

Overview:"This is the Arena, and here we live to die."  These are the words carved into a holding cell where genetically-altered gladiators, the winged humans called Galdoni, are trained to fight. Kale, rescued by three high school students and nursed back from the brink of death, is given the chance to experience life as a human. When he is captured, he has to use what he learned in the world outside the Academy in order to free the other Galdoni and return to the human girl he loves.Dark and exciting, Galdoni pushes the boundaries of love in a world of violence. 

What I think: Most of these books covers catch my attention and there excerpts pull me in. This one pulled me in because it has a guy as the protagonist. For me that's a big deal, because most of the books I read have female's as the lead. If you'd like to check this out it's free on Nook!!

Evolution of Smooth

So I'm sure that most of you know what eos is. If not eos is the evolution of smooth. They make some awesome lip balm and body lotion. Although that's not what I'm here to talk about.

 I recently found a sample pack of eos wet or dry shave cream in my drawer in the bathroom. I didn't know that eos made shave cream. So I decided to try it out. I was going out so I decided to use it without water. I have to say that I'm in love with it. Best stuff I've ever used to dry shave. It's also moisturizing and smells really good. I definitely want to get a huge bottle of this stuff to take with me when I need to shave my legs.

Movies and books

Sorry I didn't post anything this weekend. It was my best friends prebirthday birthday because I won't see her on her birthday. But before I tell you about the movie we went to see I wanted to tell you about what came in the mail before I left. I purchased the first two seasons of Doctor Who (well the ones that started in 2005 that is)! I love getting things in the mail. Makes the day so much better.

Whispers at Moonrise Review

 Overview: Even at a camp for supernatural teens, Kylie Galen has never been normal. Not only can she see ghosts, but she doesn’t seem to belong to any one species—she exhibits traits from them all. As Kylie struggles to unlock the secrets of her identity, she begins to worry that Lucas will never be able to accept her for what she is, and what she isn’t…a werewolf.  With his pack standing in their way, Kylie finds herself turning more and more to Derek, the only person in her life who’s willing to accept the impossible. As if life isn’t hard enough, she starts getting visits from the ghost of Holiday, her closest confidante.  Trouble is, Holiday isn’t dead…not yet anyway.  Now Kylie must race to save one of her own from an unseen danger before it’s too late—all while trying to stop her relationship with Lucas from slipping away forever.   In a world of constant confusion, there’s only one thing Kylie knows for sure.  Change is inevitable and all things must come to an end…maybe even her time at Shadow Falls.



 What I thought: I just finished reading Whispers at Moonrise. I can not tell you how emotional I got at the end of this book. Okay, I'll try to explain it. I cried like a big baby lol. This book had me dying to know what happened next and now I'm dying to know how this series ends. As in everyone of these books the characters are developing nicely. The story moves at almost breakneck speed. And I'm so glad that C.C. didn't drag out what Kylie was for a 100 books (exaggeration obviously), because she very well could have. Things like that can kill a series for me. I really hope you guys pick this series up. I can't say anymore how much I love this series.

Nook Books for under $3.99

Here are some Nook books I recommend for under $3.99 

I hope you'll check them out! Happy Reading :)

Overview: When the disease spread through the world, people had no choice but to go into hiding. The Colony is hidden deep underground, far away from the vampires—humans that were transformed by the disease. The vampires are hideous, starving, and they will kill any human they come across.
Seventeen-year-old Kayla is a Bellator, a warrior that protects The Colony. In order to survive, there are three rules she must follow:
Rule #1—Never go out after dark.
Rule #2—Always carry a weapon.
Rule #3—No matter what, never EVER get bitten.
 
But what happens when the rules Kayla has always lived by can no longer apply? The Highers run The Colony and accept nothing less than perfection. One slip up can mean death. Kayla has always worked hard to follow the rules and strive for perfection. But during a moment of weakness, she lets her imperfections show. Her punishment is worse than death. She is chosen for The Gathering and is thrown out into a world full of starving vampires.  No one has ever survived The Gathering, at least that’s what Kayla’s been told. But when she runs into a group who insist they were once part of The Gathering, Kayla discovers the Highers have been keeping secrets. Secrets that could lead to a cure

What I think: Darkness Falls by Jessica Sorensen is a wonderful series there's a Free version and a $.99 cent version. I'm not sure what the difference is or if there is one. So check that out before buying. (also the second book Darkness Breaks costs $2.99)

Favorite finds on Etsy (Sort of Summery)

So I wanted to do like a favorite things type of post and lately I've been looking at Etsy a lot. So, I thought I would just do a post of my favorite finds from Etsy. So here we go!

True Blood & Tomb Raider

I'm sorry I didn't post anything yesterday. I went and bought the fifth season of True Blood yesterday and it sucked me in as only a few tv shows can do (well that's not true I watch a lot of tv lol).

 I went to a fish fry for a few hours yesterday as well and spent most of it playing the new Tomb Raider. Which is an awesome game! I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! Tell me what you did in the comments below! :)

So many books so little time...

I'm sure there are a lot of you out there ,like me, that have books just stacked up that you haven't read yet. I've gotten to the point now where if I go to the book store or am looking at buying a book on my Nook, that I'll just not look at any new books that catch my eye and try to stay with the many series that I have but still haven't finished. It's so hard to do that though. I know as of right now that I have at least fifteen unfinished series. It makes me feel like such a failure when I look at all of them like that, but then again when I do finally finish one I feel so accomplished. I was at a point a while back ago where I stopped buying books in a series until the series got finished. Now I only do that if I'm not super obsessed with the books. Like the House of Night series. I buy the new book exactly when it comes out. I was just as bad about that when the Harry Potter books where coming out. Do any of you have a series or multiple series where you have to have the new book as soon as it comes out? Tell me in the comments below! :)

Taken at Dusk Review

Overview:  Kylie Galen wants the truth so badly she can taste it. The truth about who her real family is, the truth about which boy she’s meant to be with—and the truth about what her emerging powers mean.  But she’s about to discover that some secrets can change your life forever…and not always for the better. Just when she and Lucas are finally getting close, she learns that his pack has forbidden them from being together.  Was it a mistake to pick him over Derek? And it’s not just romance troubling Kylie. An amnesia-stricken ghost is haunting her, delivering the frightful warning, someone lives and someone dies. As Kylie races to unravel the mystery and protect those she loves, she finally unlocks the truth about her supernatural identity, which is far different—and more astonishing—than she ever imagined.

Books coming this Fall

I'm getting excited for books coming out this fall! And others that are just coming out soon. 

 Overview: Drastically altered after her fall at the end of Hidden, Neferet is now more dangerous than ever—and her quest for vengeance will wreak havoc on humans, as well as Zoey and her friends. Chaos is loosed in Tulsa and the House of Night is blamed. Can Zoey stop Neferet in time to keep her anger from escalating to full-on war? Or will someone else have to step in to take the fall?

What I think: I'm super excited for the new House of Night novel Revealed! I mean take a look at that cover. It's just beautiful!! I really love these books. I am a little tired of them dragging out for so long, but I know when they're over I'll be sad. This book as of now is coming out on October 15th of this year. Really sucks to have to wait that long, but these books are always worth it. If you haven't read this series yet, you should definitely give it at try. The first book is called Marked. Go give it a look!

Born at Midnight and Awake at Dawn Review

Overview: One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world. Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart. Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

Hi, my name is...

Halston Blake (And yes that is my real name. I wouldn't have been able to pair those two names together even if I tried). And here is a little bit about me. I'm 23 and wandering around trying to find out what I want to do with my life. I have no idea what I want to do, but I do know who I am and what I like. So, I'm new to this whole blogspot world. Yes, I've been to Tumblr and LiveJournal but for some reason I could never really get something going the way I wanted to on either of them. So I thought maybe I could try this out. I know before I even being to explain what I'm planning on doing with this blog, that you'll have heard it all before. But I'm going to do it anyways. I want to share the things in my life that make me happy. Be it books, music, movies, video games, or just things in my everyday life. I hope you'll be there to experience it with me. I'm really excited about getting this started. Time, patience, and persistence.