Excellent Reads

Today is day two of my most favourite week of the book blogging community- the Top Ten lists of 2012! This year's Top Ten of 2012 is hosted by Lisa from A Life Bound By Books , Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic , Jaime from Two Chicks on Books , Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads , and Rachel from Fiktshun ! Admittedly I had a lot of trouble coming up with what I consider to be the Top Ten Book Covers of 2012 (for some reason I can't think of a single cover that has really BLOWN me away, unlike in previous years)- therefore I decided to change things up a bit and make today's topic The Top Ten Book Covers of Books I've Read in 2012. *In no particular order* 1. "Easy" by Tammara Webber: If anyone knows this cover model or a guy like him feel free to send him my way! 2. "Fated" by Alyson Noel: While I wasn't an uber fan of this book I will keep it on my shelf solely for the cover. 3. "Illuminate" by Aimee Agresti: I am a su...

Today is one of my most favourite days of the book blogging community- the beginning of Top Ten lists of 2012! This year's Top Ten of 2012 is hosted by  Lisa from A Life Bound By Books , Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic , Jaime from Two Chicks on Books ,  Mindy from Magical Urban Fantasy Reads , and Rachel from Fiktshun ! 1) "Divergent" by Veronica Roth: I know, I know. I know what you are thinking, "Why is "Divergent" included on your 2012 list, Avery, when it was a 2011 book?" BECAUSE I AM A BOOGER- THAT'S WHY! Seriously, I had bought "Divergent" a few days after its release date in Summer 2011 and I didn't get to reading it until the beginning of this year- why? Mainly because I bought it solely because of the hype surrounding it, I literally had no idea what it was about (plus, I don't read synopsis') and I didn't think that it would really up my alley. WAS I EVER WRONG! After reading this book for the first t...

Today I am excited to have Evelyn Ink, author of "Ill-Fated" and "Sticks, Stones, and Dragon Bones" stop by the blog to tell us a bit about her writing process!  On Writing Fantasy and the Invention of Words One of the most fun things about writing Ill-fated was inventing words and place names. I have always loved writers who immerse you in their world with language (think of Tolkien’s use of Norse mythology and Rowling’s use of Latin). Whether they’ve invented new words, or brought back old, rare words with a twist, it definitely sets up the whole feel of a fantasy world; making it more vivid and real, or strange and surreal. While writing Ill-fated, I tried to invent words that sound like what they are, but with a poetic touch. For a long time, I kept a journal of words I just liked the sound of, and then paired them up with other words to create names for things like types of trees, flowers, potions, or places. A few of my favorite invented words were: Idlerile f...

Release Date: November 6, 2012 Publisher: Little Brown Pages: 528 From Goodreads: "Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war. This is not that world. Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it. In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life. While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope. But can any hope be salva...

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Title: "Infatuate"  Author: Aimee Agresti  Publisher: Harcourt Release Date: March 5, 2013 From Goodreads:  "Haven Terra is still recovering from an internship that brought her literally to the brink of hell when a trip to New Orleans leads to more trouble. Graduating early from high school leaves the spring semester free, so Haven and her friends Dante and Lance head to the Big Easy to volunteer with community service projects. But their true mission becomes clear when they run across an enclave of devils known as the Krewe. New Orleans is a free-for-all for these shape-shifting devils, who are more reckless and vicious than any Haven, Lance, and Dante have encountered. And they soon discover their French Quarter housemates are also angels-in-training, and together they must face off ...

Today I am excited to have author Julia Crane stop by the blog to share with usher latest release, "Dark Promise"- the first book in her "Between Worlds" series! From Goodreads: "Rylie has it all – great friends, dream boy, loving family. But on the eve of her sixteenth birthday, her perfect little world shatters. A stranger claiming to be her real mother appears with a secret: Rylie is a faery whose powers will be unleashed on her birthday. Captured and forced into a new life, Rylie struggles to keep everything she loves and discovers a terrifying truth: some promises cannot be broken." About the Author:  Julia crane is the author of the Coexist: Keegan’s Chronicles. She has a bachelors degree in criminal justice. Julia has believed in magical creatures since the day her grandmother first told her an Irish tale. Growing up her mother greatly encouraged reading and using your imagination. Although she’s spent most of her life on the US east coast, she curr...

Today I am honored to have author Hanna Peach stop by the blog to tell us the heartwarming story about how she became a published author! A sunflower & how I came to be published…  I wrestled with whether this story was too personal to tell, too soon to tell... I’ve been told, as writers, that we must ‘tell the truth’. So… …this is what happened. I had wanted to be a writer since I was seven, but for the lack of confidence in me, I was never serious about my writing. Instead, I dabbled, I hobbied, I busied myself with a ‘real job’. But always there was this sense that it wasn’t enough for me. In early 2012 I was accepted into a week-long writing Masterclass, where I met my writing mentor, the man who would change me as a writer forever. He was one of Australia’s most popular writers, having published (to date) 21 bestselling novels. For some reason he saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. I left that Masterclass with these words in my ear, “Keep writing, Ha...