Daisy Chain Book Reviews

I'm sure that many of you know this by now, but Google is discontinuing the Google Friend Connect service for non-Google websites by March 2012. This change will affect everyone. Nobody wants to be following Blogger blogs with GFC and Wordpress blogs with something else. There is also no guarantee of Google keeping this feature around for anyone for much longer. The best thing for everyone who uses GFC to do is to find new means of keeping followers and also to keep following the blogs that we read. I suggest that, if you use GFC to follow blogs, you be sure to switch all of your subscriptions over to an alternative method of following/subscribing in order to guarantee that you do not lose any of those subscriptions or miss out on any posts. And if you are a blogger, then you will want to have some easy, alternative ways available for readers to subscribe to your blog. At Mimosa Stimulus, you may subscribe to blog posts in the following ways: Subscribe to RSS feed in a reader (su...

I'd like to welcome Miranda Kenneally to the blog today, as part of the Catching Jordan blog tour, to share some of her favorite books and authors with us! Growing up in Tennessee, Miranda Kenneally dreamed of becoming an Atlanta Brave, a country singer (cliché!), or a UN interpreter. Instead she writes, and works for the State Department in Washington, D.C., where George W. Bush once used her shoulder as an armrest. Miranda loves Twitter, Star Trek and her husband. Find Miranda on: Website | Twitter | Goodreads I read tons of books. I have an addiction! I love anything by Melina Marchetta ,  Sarah Dessen , Simone Elkeles , Kristin Cashore , Jennifer Echols , Sarah Ockler , C.K. Kelly Martin , Courtney Summers , and David Levithan . Here are some of my recent favorites: The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar And here some great books of 2012 I’ve already had the opportunity to read. You shouldn’t miss any of these: Trish Doller’s Something Like Normal , ab...

In My Mailbox  is hosted by Kristi at  The Story Siren . What's up bookish people?! It's that time of week for the sharing of the spoils! I snagged some awesome stuff this week. Here are the books that I've gotten since last time: For Review : After the Snow by S.D. Crockett (NetGalley) Life is But a Dream by Brian James (NetGalley) Various Positions by Martha Schabas (NetGalley) The Night She Disappeared by April Henry (NetGalley) Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta (NetGalley) Shadows on the Moon  by Zoë Marriott (NetGalley) Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald (NetGalley) New Girl by Paige Harbison (NetGalley) Allegiance by Cayla Kluver (NetGalley) The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen (ARC Tour) Other : Kindle Touch - an upgrade for my old Kindle 2 (I love it.) That's it for me this week! Did you get any bookish stuff this week as well? Let me know in the comments!

Title: Dancergirl Author: Carol M. Tanzman Publisher: Harlequin Teen Publication Date: November 15, 2011 Series: WiHi #1 Links: Amazon | Goodreads Source: NetGalley A friend posted a video of me dancing online and now I'm now longer Alicia Ruffino. I'm dancergirl—and suddenly it's like me against the world—everyone's got opinions. My admirers want more, the haters hate, my best friend Jacy—even he's acting weird. And some stranger isn't content to just watch anymore. Ali, dancergirl. Whatever you know me as, however you've seen me online, I've trained my whole life to be the best dancer I can be. But if someone watching has their way, I could lose more than just my love of dancing. I could lose my life. Dancergirl is a contemporary thriller with a bit of dancing and stalking and other things. Unsure of what to expect when I picked it up, I quickly realized that this little book was more than I thought it would be, and that was a pleasant surpris...

Title: Saving June Author: Hannah Harrington Publisher: Harlequin Teen Publication Date: November 22, 2011 Links: Amazon | Goodreads Source: NetGalley Everyone's sorry. But no one can explain why. Harper Scott's older sister, June, took her own life a week before high school graduation, leaving Harper devastated. So when her divorcing parents decide to split up June's ashes, Harper steals the urn and takes off cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going—California. Enter Jake Tolan, a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession, and an unknown connection to June. When he insists on joining them, Harper's just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanor and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what Harper needs. Except Jake's keeping a secret that has the power to turn her life upside down—again. Saving June is an emotionally engrossin...

Title: The Future of Us Authors: Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler Publisher: Razorbill Publication Date: November 21, 2011 Links: Amazon | Goodreads Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet. Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM. Josh is her best friend. They power up and log on - and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future. By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right - and wrong - in the present. Everybody wonders what their destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out... I hate Facebook a lot. And I'm not a big fan of pop-culture in books. And so I wasn't sure if I would like  The Future of Us.  But Facebook isn't as p...

In My Mailbox  is hosted by Kristi at  The Story Siren . What's up bookish people?! It's that time of week for the sharing of the spoils! It's been a couple of weeks since I posted one of these, so here are the books that I've gotten since last time: For Review : Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay Won : Possess by Gretchen McNeil (from Christy @ The Reader Bee ) E-Books for Review : Incarnate by Jodi Meadows Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig That's it for me! What books did you get this week? Let me know in the comments!

I decided that I am going to participate in the 2012 Sophomore Reading Challenge , hosted by Shanyn at Chick Loves Lit . I discovered tons of new favorite authors last year, and am really looking forward to reading some of their sophomore novels. And there are many awesome looking ones! The challenge is to read at least 10 sophomore YA/MG novels that are to be published in 2012. Here are some of the books that I would really like to read for the challenge: Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala A Million Suns by Beth Revis Hallowed by Cynthia Hand The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen Fever by Lauren DeStefano Perception by Kim Harrington Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard In Honor by Jessi Kirby Insurgent by Veronica Roth Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake Dearly, Beloved by Lia Habel These are just some of the sophomore novels that I'm looking forward to reading, and I'm sure that this list will change/grow throughout the course of the challenge! Are there ...

Title: Darker Still Author: Leanna Renee Hieber Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire Publication Date: November 8, 2011 Series: Magic Most Foul #1 Links: Amazon | Goodreads Source: NetGalley New York City, 1882. Seventeen-year-old Natalie Stewart's latest obsession is a painting of the handsome British Lord Denbury. Something in his striking blue eyes calls to her. As his incredibly life-like gaze seems to follow her, Natalie gets the uneasy feeling that details of the painting keep changing... Jonathan Denbury's soul is trapped in the gilded painting by dark magic while his possessed body commits unspeakable crimes in the city slums. He must lure Natalie into the painting, for only together can they reverse the curse and free his damaged soul. I'm not sure why but, looking at this book and its synopsis, I was expecting something like a froofy paranormal. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that Darker Still more of a dark historical fantasy containing black magics. Natal...

I'd like to welcome Mary Lindsey, author of Shattered Souls, to the blog today to tell us the ten things she loves most about being an author: About Mary Lindsey Mary's writing is a natural expression of her love of reading and a fascination with the flexibility of the human imagination. Books make the impossible possible. Prior to attending University of Houston Law School, Mary received a B.A. in English Literature with a minor in Drama from the University of Houston. She has taught drama and playwriting in a large public high school and English in a private school. Currently, Mary teaches acting to children and teens at a private studio in Houston, Texas. Mary lives in Houston with her husband, three kids, two dogs, her daughter's pet rats, an Australian Bearded Dragon and dozens of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. (The roaches are long story—don't ask.) You can find Mary on: Website | Twitter | Goodreads The 10 Things I Like Most About Being an Author: 10. Flexible...

Title: Virtuosity Author: Jessica Martinez Publisher: Simon Pulse Publication Date: October 18, 2011 Links: Amazon | Goodreads Source: Galley Grab Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better? Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doi...

I decided that I am going to participate in the 2012 Debut Author Challenge , hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren . This is my second time participating in this challenge. I am really looking forward to reading some amazing new authors, and 2012 looks like it's going to be a great year to do it! I am challenging myself to read at least 20 books by debut authors in 2012, but I am hoping to read a lot more. That shouldn't be a problem, since there are approximately eleventy billion 2012 debuts that I would like to read. Here are some of the books that I would really like to read for the challenge: Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi Cinder by Marissa Meyer Tempest by Julie Cross The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges Ditched by Robin Mellom Fracture by Megan Miranda Everneath by Brodi Ashton Incarnate by Jodi Meadows Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood Arcadia Awakens by Kai Meyer Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale The Catastrophi...

Title: Amplified Author: Tara Kelly Publisher: Henry Holt Publication Date: October 25, 2011 Links: Amazon | Goodreads Source: Macmillan (ARC) When privileged seventeen-year-old Jasmine decides she doesn't want to go to college, her father kicks her out. Left to fend for herself, Jasmine takes her savings and flees to Santa Cruz to pursue her dream of becoming a musician. She finds the ideal room in an oceanfront house, but she needs to convince the three guys living there that she's the perfect roommate and lead guitarist for their band, C-Side. Too bad she has major stage fright, and the cute bassist doesn't think a spoiled girl from Woodside can hack it. Amplified is a fun read about a girl who is determined to find out if she can make it in music before committing herself to college without attempting to follow her true dream. Jasmine is an interesting narrator because she's got aspirations, is terrified of trying to reach them, but is determined to try anywa...

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and features upcoming releases. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green January 10, 2012 Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too - post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind. Amazon | Goodreads The reason that I want ...

Title: Dearly, Departed Author: Lia Habel Publisher: Del Rey Publication Date: October 18, 2011 Series: Gone With the Respiration #1 Links: Amazon | Goodreads Source: NetGalley The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria - a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country's political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible - until she's nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses. But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing room civility, she's suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting "The La...

In My Mailbox  is hosted by Kristi at  The Story Siren . What's up bookish people?! It's that time of week for the sharing of the spoils! Here are the books that I've gotten since last time: For Review : Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi You Against Me by Jenny Downham Bought : Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel E-Books for Review : Cold Fire by Kate Elliot Everneath by Brodi Ashton Hallowed by Cynthia Hand Seraphina by Rachel Hartman E-Books Bought : Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien Ranger's Apprentice: The Lost Stories by John Flanagan That's it for me! What books did y ou get this week? Let me know in the comments!

Title: Something, Maybe Author: Elizabeth Scott Publisher: Simon Pulse Publication Date: March 24, 2009 Links: Amazon | Goodreads Source: Won Everyone thinks their parents are embarrassing, but Hannah knows she’s got them all beat. Her dad made a fortune showcasing photos of pretty girls and his party lifestyle all over the Internet, and her mom was once one of her dad’s girlfriends and is now the star of her own website. After getting the wrong kind of attention for way too long, Hannah has mastered the art of staying under the radar... and that’s just how she likes it. Of course, that doesn’t help her get noticed by her crush. Hannah’s sure that gorgeous, sensitive Josh is her soul mate. But trying to get him to notice her; wondering why she suddenly can’t stop thinking about another guy, Finn; and dealing with her parents make Hannah feel like she’s going crazy. Yet she’s determined to make things work out the way she wants - only what she wants may not be what she needs.... ...