Happy New Year! 2013 Wrap-Up, 2014 Plans

Boy, has 2013 had gone by with a flash! I am looking forward to our new year!

2012 was a shaky year for me towards the end, so my New Year's resolution for 2013 was to read less (yeah...I know) so I could enjoy life more. I set my reading goal down to 60 books (I read 101 the previous year). I needed to be more social, so I hoped to be able to go out more often and meet new people. 

I was not able to party as I was thinking, but I was able to really get into my dance more. I participated in many wonderful dance workshops with master dancers of Egyptian dance. I got to meet many new wonderful people who share the same passion as I do when it comes to dance. Belly dance really took up my attention for 2013.

Last Minute Read-a-thon 2013: Wrap-Up

The Last Minute Read-a-Thon of 2013 hosted by by  A Night's Dream of Books and by Vonnie's Reading Corner has come to an end!

I want to thank all of you who have participated in this read-a-thon and thank you for making it a fun event.
I really hope all of you were able to get your goal accomplished, or at least knocked off half of it. I especially hope that you enjoyed yourselves!
 
Don't forget to link up your "wrap-up" post in the linky below so we can all get a look at your accomplishments!

RAK Wrap-Up

 

I have participated in Book Soulmate's RAK many times so I was delighted to have participated in their Christmas Edition.

 

 I was assigned to Kathrin @ Stacked'n'Painted to send a Secret Santa gift. She lives in Germany so I was able to send her the following from the Book Depository:

 

Review- Credara: Rise of the Kraylen by J.E. Henderson

CREDARA: Rise of the Kraylen  by J E Henderson

After the Kraylen, fallen angels cast out of Heaven after the Great War, rise up against God and mankind for revenge, a reluctant young monk learns that not only is he God’s chosen warrior, but discovers that the leader of the Kraylen uprising brutally murdered his entire family during his youth. Now, he must grow beyond his seething anger and his desire for vengeance and into the warrior he was destined to be. While harnessing the immense power of the Credara, he must lead a Godly army to defeat God’s purest enemy, and save mankind from a fate worse than death.

Last Minute 2013: Updates

We are nearing the end of the Last Minute Read-a-Thon of 2013 is hosted by Maria over at A Night's Dream of Books and by me. (Visit here for more info.)

The only challenge for you now until the end of the read-a-thon will be to finish your last minute reads. Once you are done, you can create a "wrap-up" post and come back to share your link.
 
I will be posting my wrap-up post towards the end of the 30th, along with the linky code, that way I have a chance to finish up my reads as well.  

I hope all of you are having fun and getting many books knocked off!

Audiobook: The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

Read by Dan Stevens

Synopsis: In Mitch Albom's newest work of fiction, the inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years.

Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time.

What's in a Name 2014

Hosted this year by Charlie @ The Worm Hole

I participated for the first time in 2013 and I thought it was neat. So I'm going to try it again for 2014.

The challenge runs from January 1st to December 31st, 2014.

The categories (examples of books you could choose are in brackets):

Audiobook: 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass

Read by Kathleen McInerney

Synopsis: It's Amanda's 11th birthday and she is super excited---after all, 11 is so different from 10. But from the start, everything goes wrong. The worst part of it all is that she and her best friend, Leo, with whom she's shared every birthday, are on the outs and this will be the first birthday they haven't shared together. When Amanda turns in for the night, glad to have her birthday behind her, she wakes up happy for a new day. Or is it? Her birthday seems to be repeating iself. What is going on?! And how can she fix it? Only time, friendship, and a little luck will tell. . .

Last Minute 2013: Rembering 2013 Challenge + Update

The Last Minute Read-a-Thon of 2013 is hosted by Maria over at A Night's Dream of Books and by me.

For more information on this read-a-thon just visit here.


Today's challenge is:

2014 Audio Book Challenge!

 Audio Book Challenge is hosted by Teresa’s Reading Corner.

I participate in the audio book challenge for 2013 and had fun. I am doing it again for 2014 with the same goal: 25+

"This challenge is for Audio Book lovers as well as those who are brand new to them.
There are five levels to the challenge

• Flirting-Listen to 6 Audio Books
• Going Steady- Listen to 12 Audio Books
• Lover- Listen to 25 Audio Books
• Married-Listen to more than 25 Audio Books
• You Define the Relationship- Create your own challenge (choose your own name and level starting as low or going as high as you’d like)

Review: The War Inside by M. Kircher

Title - The War Inside
Author - M. Kircher 
Genre - YA Dystopian/Paranormal (With Romance elements)
Release Date: July 28, 2013

The end of the world is only just the beginning. So eighteen-year-old Thea discovers when her solitary life on a dying Earth is shattered by a mysterious dream, a devastating choice, and a strange gift that propels her on a journey towards the restoration of all mankind.

Thea is bitter and alone, just like everyone else left eking out an existence on a sunless, cloud-covered Earth. A terrifying dream convinces her to save the life of sixteen-year old Viviana, who has a deadly infection, as well as a freakish patch of glowing skin over her heart. When this light spreads to Thea, causing her palms to glow, she is forced to trust Caden, an arrogant, lazy, and annoyingly handsome boy she utterly despises. Caden has a map to the last city on Earth, and the only place that might have a cure for both Viv's infection and the strange light on Thea's hands. As the trio embark on a journey through the barren wilderness, Thea and Caden discover, and try to fight, their mounting attraction to each other. Along the way they are joined by Rain, Naomi, and Enoch who explain that the light is not a curse, but a powerful gift meant to heal the polluted Earth and reconnect the remnants of humanity. When the group learns that Viv is the key to this planet-wide redemption, and that there are deadly shadows who will do anything to keep humans in the darkness forever, they each must make the difficult decision to help Viv fulfill her destiny...and save the world.

Last Minute 2013: Love It or Hate It Challenge + Update

The Last Minute Read-a-Thon of 2013 is hosted by Maria over at A Night's Dream of Books and by me.

For more information on this read-a-thon just visit here.


Today's challenge is:

Last Minute 2013: Rainbow Book Spine Challenge with Progress

The Last Minute Read-a-Thon of 2013 is hosted by Maria over at A Night's Dream of Books and by me.

Haven't signed up yet for the read-a-thon? Don't fret. There's still time. Just visit here.


Today's challenge is:

Rainbow Book Spine....
Grab books from your shelf that have the following spine colors to make a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, & violet.

Friday Post, 12/27/13

This hop is hosted by Billy over at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer. Every week bloggers answer a question and then visit other blogs that are participating.  This week's question is:

What books are you looking forward to reading in 2014?
  

Last Minute Read-a-thon: 2013 Launch Post + Giveaway

The Last Minute Read-a-Thon of 2013 has finally started! Woot woot! This is hosted by me and by Maria over at A Night's Dream of Books.

This is the launch post where we get to share what our goals are for the next five days. Make sure you link up below.

Haven't signed up yet for the read-a-thon? Don't fret. There's still time. Just visit here.

A Mermaid for Christmas by Nochole Chase

Synopsis: A short story from NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Nichole Chase.

What does a mermaid ask Santa for at Christmas? Follow young Meena and her father to find out!

Approximately 3,000 words

My Thoughts: I wanted to read another mermaid book, and what's better than one that takes place during Christmas? This was a very short novella but it was full of warmth and happiness.

Audiobook: Who Could That Be at This Hour? by Lemony Snicket

 

Read by Liam Aiken

Synopsis: In a fading town, far from anyone he knew or trusted, a young Lemony Snicket began his apprenticeship in an organization nobody knows about. He started by asking questions that shouldn't have been on his mind. Now he has written an account that should not be published, in four volumes that shouldn't be read. This is the first volume.

 

My Thoughts: I have greatly enjoyed Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. When I saw that he had a new series out and I saw that the audiobook was available at my library, I quickly took the chance. Lemony Snicket's quirky style was still there bringing back memories of his other books but sadly, I was disappointed with this audiobook.

Review: Into the Deep by Missy Fleming

 Into the Deep by Missy Fleming

No one understands the fury of the ocean like Zoey.

Ten years ago, she lost her leg in a freak shark attack. The night after her sixteenth birthday, she has yet to accept her awkward prosthetic limb or the fact she will always be different. Wary of the sea, and its hidden threats, she ventures to a bonfire at the beach. She’s mesmerized by its awesome power, wondering what she ever had to fear, until a rogue wave sweeps her into the cool, salty water.

Teaser Tuesdays #70

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

My Teasers:

Bout of Books 9.0 SIGN-UP!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 6th and runs through Sunday, January 12th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 9.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Don't Forget to Sign-Up for the Last Minute Read-a-Thon!

Maria over at A Night's Dream of Books is helping me host the second Last Minute Read-a-Thon of 2013! Woot woot!

Where has the year gone by?!

Do you still have books stacked up that you were hoping to finish before the year ended? How about reviews that you promised to post? Or are you simply looking for another challenge?

Then this read-a-thon is for you!

 

Requirements:

Reading Cram Read-a-thon: Wrap-Up

The End of the Year 2013 Reading Cram was hosted by Juliababyjen's Reading Room and Dana Square.

 

 

I was hoping to get a lot reads accomplished but unfortunately I didn't. I actually did horrible in this read-a-thon. I hardly read. *Sigh* Life just couldn't be ignore.

 

Here's what did get crossed off my list:

 

Audiobooks

Audiobook: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

 

Read by Judith Ivey

Synopsis: Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who adored him completely. And then, one day, he was lost. . . .

Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. Along the way, we are shown a miracle -- that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.

Friday Post, 12/20/13

This hop is hosted by Billy over at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer. Every week bloggers answer a question and then visit other blogs that are participating.  This week's question is:

Holiday Edition: 
 What is your favorite book set around Christmastime?
 

Spotlight: A Hero's Heart by Amber Daulton

A Hero’s Heart by Amber Daulton

Ten years ago, Jarrett Brandt left home and abandoned everyone of importance. After a hard reality check, the irresponsible young man matured into a ballsy DEA agent with a kickass Harley Davidson and a million-dollar bounty on his head. Ordered by his superior officer to take refuge at a safe house just days before Christmas, he headed back home to Washington State, instead, to make peace with his deceased brother’s memory.

#ReadingCram: Song Challenge

^^Click on the banner above to sign up for the read-a-thon^^

 

If this sounds like something you'd like to join, visit the hosts blogs for more info on how you can sign up! Dana Square and Juliababyjen's Reading Room.

Tanya @ Book Loving Hippo is the host for this challenge.

 

Dec 17 Song Challenge 

Pick any book read in 2013, and choose a song(s) that best describes the book. You can even create a playlist if you want!--post links to songs (youtube, spotify, etc)

I'm going to put my Galaxy phone on shuffle and try to match books with the random songs that pop up. It'll be hard since I have a lot of Egyptian/belly dance music. Here goes!!!

1st Song:

Teaser Tuesdays #69

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

My Teaser:

Review: What Once Was One by Marc Johnson

What Once Was One by Marc Johnson

In the land of Northern Shala, the dark wizard Premier raised an army of foul creatures from the Wastelands and led them against the ancient guardian city of Alexandria. Hellsfire, a young farmhand turned apprentice wizard, defeated Premier and saved Alexandria, but not before the battle claimed his mentor’s life.

Hellsfire, now a full-fledged wizard, must finish what he started by hunting down Premier and seizing the source of the wizard’s dark power and corruption—the Book of Shazul. He must travel deep into the Wastelands, through Premier’s home territory, dodging the scattered remnants of a defeated army lusting for blood and vengeance.

#ReadingCram: Seasonal Reads Challenge

(Forgot to publish this yesterday)

 

^^Click on the banner above to sign up for the read-a-thon^^

 

If this sounds like something you'd like to join, visit the hosts blogs for more info on how you can sign up! Dana Square and Juliababyjen's Reading Room.

Michelle @ BookBriefs is the host for this challenge.

 

Dec 14 Seasonal Challenge 

 

Recommend a book good for a snow day

Audiobook: Comfort and Joy by Kristin Hannah

Read by Sandra Burr

Synopsis: Joy Candellaro once loved Christmas more than any other time of the year. Now, as the holiday approaches, she is at a crossroads in her life; recently divorced and alone, she can’t summon the old enthusiasm for celebrating. So without telling anyone, she buys a ticket and boards a plane bound for the beautiful Pacific Northwest. When an unexpected detour takes her deep into the woods of the Olympic rainforest, Joy makes a bold decision to leave her ordinary life behind—to just walk away—and thus begins an adventure unlike any she could have imagined.

Last Minute Read-A-Thon Sign-Ups!

Maria over at A Night's Dream of Books is helping me host the second Last Minute Read-a-Thon of 2013! I'm very excited!

This year has blown by super fast for many of us leaving little room for our reads. Do you still have books stacked up that you were hoping to finish before the year ended? How about reviews that you promised to post? Or are you simply looking for another challenge?

Then this read-a-thon is for you!

 

Requirements:

Tale of Despereaux by Kate DeCamillo

Synopsis: Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other's lives. What happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.

My Thoughts: What a cute and delightful read! I picked this up to read with a small group of students not realizing how much I was going to like it. I quickly fell in love with the characters and was enchanted with the world that Kate DeCamillo created.

Audiobook: The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti

Read by William Dufris

Synopsis: Twelve year-old Ren is missing his left hand. How it was lost is a mystery that Ren has been trying to solve for his entire life, as well as who his parents are, and why he was abandoned as an infant at Saint Anthony’s Orphanage for boys. When a young man named Benjamin Nab appears, claiming to be Ren’s long-lost brother, his convincing tale of how Ren lost his hand persuades the monks at the orphanage to release the boy and to give Ren some hope. But is Benjamin really who he says he is? As Ren is introduced to a life of hardscrabble adventure filled with outrageous scam artists, grave robbers, and petty thieves, he begins to suspect that Benjamin not only holds the key to his future, but to his past as well….

Teaser Tuesday #68

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

My Teasers:

Progress: End of the Year 2013 Reading Cram Read-a-thon!

 

Juliababyjen's Reading Room and Dana Square are hosting a Read-A-Thon from December 9th to December 22nd! I'm very excited about this last Read-A-Thon.

                   

         HERE'S WHAT I GOT GOING ON:

My Goals/TBR

Spotlight + Giveaway: Spell Fire by Ariella Moon

Tour Schedule

 

 

Spell Fire, The Teen Wytche Saga #3 By Ariella Moon  

New school. New friends. New reputation. High school sophomore Ainslie Avalon-Bennett works hard to hide her Crazy Girl past. But as long as her best friend’s disappearance remains unsolved, she can’t shake the depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder that once landed her in a mental ward.   Ainslie’s tenuous control over her life shatters when her warring parents ditch her at Christmas. While they take a cruise to “work things out,” Ainslie must spend the holiday in Palm Springs with her aunt and uncle, owners of a struggling Mystery School and occult store. Plunged into the world of fire fortunes, dragons, entity eaters, and an ailing spell book, Ainslie is well beyond her comfort zone. Then she meets a boy who spikes her pulse and calms her OCD. But will she lose him once he discovers her past? Or will his deadly secret, hidden in plain view, be their undoing?

Blog Tour: Review + Giveway of Desire by B.L. Wilde (18+)

Genre: Erotica
Cover Design by Jo Matthews
Scheduled Release: December 6, 2013

 

Jade has worked as a Seductor in a secret organization for five years now. Her main job? To earn the trust of her targets and secure the object or information her company was hired to steal—by any means necessary. She’s damn good at it, too. With five years left on her contract, she is handed an assignment that turns her world upside down.

Oliver Kirkham is the attractive, young CEO of Kirkham Industries, a weapons manufacturing company, and is currently in possession of some very important blueprints—blueprints that could change the way war, as we know it, works. He’s extremely focused and doesn’t have time to date, at least until he comes to the rescue of a shy but very alluring Jade Gibbs.

Author Interview with Jamie Baywood

Interview with Jamie Baywood, author of Rooted in New Zealand

1. Welcome to Vonnie’s Reading Corner. Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself in one sentence?

I’m a sarcastic, wanderlust, accidental author trying to find my place in the world. (Good thing the world has many places for you to find yourself.)

2. You moved from California to New Zealand. What inspired you to move?

Teaser Tuesday #67

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

My Teasers:

Interview with Keith Maginn

 

Interview with Keith Maginn, author of Turning This Thing Around

 

1.     Welcome to Vonnie’s Reading Corner. Can you please tell us what your book is about in one sentence?
 
Thank you for having me, Vonnie. Turning This Thing Around is an inspirational memoir about overcoming personal struggles.

2.     What inspired you to write Turning This Thing Around?

When I started writing what eventually became Turning This Thing Around, I had no plans of ever publishing it. I wrote for myself, for my own sanity. But what started as a personal diary evolved into something that I wanted to share with others.

2013: November Wrap-Up & December's Plans

What another eventful month. Not only was I able to spend time and stuff myself with delicious food over the Thanksgiving holiday, but I started the month with a full week of dancing. I had 16 hours of dance workshops with an amazing master dancer from Cairo and we had a huge show at a Mediterranean restaurant to honor him. Here are some pictures:

Review: SIA by Josh Grayson

 

SIA by Josh Grayson

 

When seventeen-year-old Sia wakes up on a park bench, she has no idea who or where she is. Yet after a week of being homeless, she’s reunited with her family. At school, she’s powerful and popular. At home, she’s wealthy beyond her dreams. But she quickly realizes her perfect life is a lie. Her family is falling apart and her friends are snobby, cruel and plastic. Worse yet, she discovers she was the cruelest one. Mortified by her past, she embarks on a journey of redemption and falls for Kyle, the “geek” she once tormented. Yet all the time she wonders if, when her memories return, she’ll become the bully she was before…and if she’ll lose Kyle.

Friday Post, 11/29/13

This hop is hosted by Billy over at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer. Every week bloggers answer a question and then visit other blogs that are participating.  This week's question is:

Do you leave a link back to your blog when you participate in weekly memes?
  

Review for Cruentus: Rise to Power by L.S. Broomfield

Cruentus: Rise to Power
Book 1, The Cruentus Series
By LS Broomfield

A prophecy of old continued to burn in the embers of time; long left dormant until the Cruentus family rose above all others as darkness ascended the lands. Greed and deception were the name of the game, and Arturo Cruentus would stop at nothing as he concocted the ultimate scheme to get everything he wanted. No price was too high. The scene was set, the pieces strategically placed. The Gallo family could not come against him, and in the end Guido and Palmiria Gallo would come out the biggest losers, watching their only daughter, Emiliana, be taken away to render a debt settled.

Young Emiliana Gallo, a victim of circumstance, was thrust into a world she did not understand and forced to marry a man she did not know. But what no one expected, not even Arturo, was that Emiliana and his son, Donato, would fall in love against all odds. For Arturo, love made one weak, but for his son, it was love at first sight. Donato became an opportunist in his father’s dirty schemes and did everything in his power to ensure the woman he admired for so long not only took his name in marriage, but also fell in love with him. Donato wanted it all, his gamble paid off richly, and he achieved both marriage and love. However, on the day they said ‘I do’ and the Cruentus and Gallo families were joined, Emiliana was ripped from their home like a thief in the night.

End of the Year 2013 Reading Cram Read-a-thon! Sign-Up

 

Juliababyjen's Reading Room and Dana Square are hosting a Read-A-Thon from December 9th to December 22nd! I'm very excited about this last Read-A-Thon so here's what it's all about:

"If you are anything like me you have a huge stack (or even bookcases) full of book you haven't read. Did you have a goal for how many books you wanted to read during the year? Are you behind like I am? Then this is the perfect time to read as much as you can before the new year!" Why should you participate? 1. To chisel off some of your TBR pile. 2. Do all the fun challenges and win some prizes. 3. Encourage others to read like a speed demon (and yourself) + reading with others is loads of fun.

So let's get in our last books of 2013 together in the #ReadingCram!"

                      
           Want to join the read-a-thon? Then click here.