Updates!

Welcome to The Romantic Scholar, a book review blog. Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you enjoy your stay.

After an eight month long hiatus, I am back. And I could not be more excited about it.



***My comments are located at the top of my posts***

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Eli over at The Tainted Poet tagged me in this so I thought I'd give it a go. She found it at Words For Teens. I invite anyone to do this as well, it's pretty fun. :)


Using only books you have read this year (2009), cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. It's a lot harder than you think!


Describe Yourself: Goddess of the Night
How do you feel: Marked
Describe where you currently live: A Company of Swans
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Vampire Academy
Your favorite form of transportation: Into the Cold Fire
Your best friend is: The Lucky One
You and your friends are: Rebel Angels
What's the weather like: Barbarian
Favorite time of day: Moonlight
What is life to you: Project 17
Your fear: Deadly Little Secrets
What is the best advice you have to give: Love is a Many Trousered Thing
Thought for the Day: Stop in the Name of Pants
How I would like to die: The Summoning
My soul's present condition: Evermore

Tuesday, September 15, 2009


Ok, so I was gone for a while, and hadn't really kept up with my blog. Plus, I now have 20 followers! Lol. So, I was thinking that I would hold a contest. :D

The prize is...The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks plus a $5 gift card to the bookstore of your choice.

Ok, so here are the rules:
You MUST be a follower.
You MUST include your email address with your entry. No email, no entry.
Tell me your favorite romance pairing and why. (+3 if it's from a Nicholas Sparks Book)
This contest is open to US residents only. Sorry!

Point system:
+5 for already being a follower
+3 for becoming a follower
+3 for following me on Twitter
+2 for commenting on any of my Nicholas Sparks reviews (comment MUST be after this post date and you must mention the review you commented on)
+2 for linking my blog in your sidebar
+2 for mentioning/linking my contest on your blog(in a post or on the sidebar) or on twitter (you MUST include a link to each mention)
+2 for referring someone (they must give your name as a referral)
+1 for being referred (you must tell who referred you)

Contest Ends: October 4th, 2009. I will post the winner on the 5th. :)

Good Luck!!


Teaser Tuesday is brought to us by Should Be Reading. This weeks teaser is from Betrayed by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast.

"Okay, I'd been kissing and messing around with Erik some during the past month. Yes, I liked it. No, it hadn't gone very far. One reason was that despite recent evidence to the contrary, I didn't usually act like a slut."(148)

Okay, so, not my best teaser, but it'll do. :P Hope I didn't spoil anything! :)


Rules:
1) Grab your current read.
2) Open to a random page.
3) Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
4) 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!)
5) Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Friday, September 11, 2009

So, on Saturday I went to the Decatur Book Festival. It was a blast to meet the authors and get books signed. :) Sadly, I was unable to attend the Blogger/Author Breakfast that Vania over at Reverie Book Reviews set up, but I did meet up with everyone later at Aimee Friedman(Sea Change and The Year My Sister Got Lucky) and Jackson Pearce's(As You Wish) event on supernatural romance. I was so excited to meet Aimee Friedman. She is so sweet and really cute. And I got my copy of Sea Change signed!!! That totally made my day. I love that book, and for that to be her first time writing in the supernatural genre, she did an amazing job. Jackson Pearce is adorable too, I just wish that I could have gotten her book signed, but the book store took their copies for sale before I could get one, so maybe I can catch her another time. :)

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The second signing I attended was the event for Richelle Mead(Vampire Academy series) and Maggie Stiefvater(Shiver and Lament). This event was a Vampires and Werewolves smack-down. It was really cute to watch them both defend sides. During this event, I was able to purchase both of the books that these authors were there for. So now, I have a signed copy of Shiver and Vampire Academy! Both of these women are amazing, and so sweet. Oh, and super cute. It was so great to meet both of them and get my books signed.

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Another author that I got to meet was Jennifer Jabaley. She was just attending the festival and the Blogger/Author Breakfast. I haven't read her book yet, but I am really looking forward to getting Lipstick Apology. Jennifer is such a sweetheart and I wish I had gotten a picture with her, but I guess I'll just have to wait until I get another opportunity. It was so much fun getting to meet these authors and getting my books signed. I'm so glad to have met all of them! I'll definitely be attending next year. :)

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Tuesday, September 8, 2009


Teaser Tuesday is brought to us by Should Be Reading. This weeks teaser is from Rebel Angels by Libba Bray.

"It rises up and over them like a dark phoenix. A great black winged creature. The girls don't look, they don't see. But I do. It opens it's wings till they fill the sky, revealing the thing inside, a churning horror of faces crying out. And then I'm screaming." (p.415)

Hope I didn't spoil anything! :)


Rules:
1) Grab your current read.
2) Open to a random page.
3) Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
4) BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCULDE SPOILERS!! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
5) Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Sunday, September 6, 2009

I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to get this posted...

So, I have had another great week, well "week" of books. Hooray for adding to my pile!!! :) I'll get reviews up for you guys soon.

Purchased:
Shiver
By Maggie Stiefvater

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Summary:
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. Ithas to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

My Thoughts:
I have heard a TON of great things about this book, and can't wait to start reading. I'm really quite interested to see what unfolds for Sam and Grace.

Someone Like You
by Sarah Dessen

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Summary:
Life is and ugly, awful place not to have a best friend

Halley and Scarlett have been best friends ever since they met. Halley has always benn the quiet one, Scarlett braver and more outgoing. Halley has always turned to Scarlett when things get rugh, and Scarlett has always known just what to do. But everything changes at the beginning of their junior year. Scarlett's boyfriend is killed in a motorcycle accident; then Scarlett finds out that she is carrying his baby. For the first time ever, Scarlett really needs Halley. Now Halley has to learn how to be strong for Scarlett. It won't be easy, but Halley knows she can't let Scarlett down. Because a true friend is a promise you keep forever.

My Thoughts:
Another Sarah Dessen book to add to my ever growing collection. I can't wait to read it, it sounds like it'll be quite the heartwarming tale. And this book was chosen as an SLJ Best Book of the Year, as well as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults!

Vampire Academy
by Richelle Mead

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Summary:
St. Vladimir's Academy isn't just any boarding school–it's a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They've been on the run, but now they're being dragged back to St. Vladimir's–the very place where they're most in danger. Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy's ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi–the world's fiercest and most dangerous vampires–make Lissa one of them forever.

My Thoughts:
I have been told by a friend of mine so many times that I need to read this series, and I'm thinking that she might be right. It sounds like it'll be pretty good, so I can't wait to read it.

The Vampire Diaries
by L.J. Smith

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Summary:
A DEADLY LOVE TRIANGLE

Elena: the golden girl, the leader, the one who can have any boy she wants.

Stefan: brooding and mysterious, he seems to be the only one who can resist Elena, even as he struggles to protect her from the horrors that haunt his past.

Damon: sexy, dangerous, and driven by an urge for revenge against Stefan, the brother who betrayed him. Determined to have Elena, he'd kill to possess her.

Collected here in one volume for the first time, volumes one and two of The Vampire Diaries, the tale of two vampire brothers and the beautiful girl torn between them.

My Thoughts:
Well, since my boyfriend is gonna be in the show, I figured I’d go ahead and get it. :) From what I’ve heard, it’s a pretty good series, so I’m looking forward to both the book and the show!

Given:
Looking For Alaska
by John Green

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Summary:
BEFORE.
Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe at life home. His whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the “Great Perhaps” (François Rabelais, poet) even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

AFTER.
Nothing is ever the same.

My Thoughts:
So, my roommate gave me this book because she thought it sounded like me. I’ve heard a lot of great things about John Green and with this book being an award winner, I’m sure it’ll be great. I can’t wait to read it.


My Sister's Keeper
by Jodi Picoult

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Summary:
Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate – a life and a role that she has never challenged…until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister. So, Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable – a decision that will tear her family apart and possibly have fatal consequences for the sister she loves.

My Thoughts:
I have been told by so many people that this book is just like Marley and Me, in the way that it is a must read before you die. I really am looking forward to reading this one, as it seems like it’ll be one to make you think.


Borrowed:
Betrayed
by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast

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Summary:
Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird has managed to settle in at the House of Night finishing school. She finally feels like she belongs, even gets chosen as the Leader of the Dark Daughters. Best of all, she actually has a boyfriend…or two. Then the unthinkable happens: Human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the House of Night. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey’s old life, she begins to realize that the very powers that make her so unique might also threaten those she loves. Then, when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night, and Zoey must find the courage to face a betrayal that could break her heart, her soul, and jeopardize the very fabric of her world. Betrayed, the second book in the House of Night series, is dark and sexy, and as thrilling as it is utterly shocking.

Chosen
by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast

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Summary:
BLOODLUST AND DARK FORCES ARE AT WORK AT THE HOUSE OF NIGHT,
and fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird’s adventures at the school take a mysterious turn. Those who appear to be friends are turning out to be enemies. And, oddly enough, sworn enemies are also turning out to be friends. So begins the gripping third installment of this “highly addictive series” (Romantic Times BOOKreviews), in which Zoey’s mettle will be tested like never before. Her best friend, Stevie Rae, is undead and struggling to maintain a grip on her humanity. Zoey doesn’t have a clue how to help her, but she does know that anything she and Stevie Rae discover must be kept a secret from everyone else at the House of Night, where trust has become a rare commodity. Speaking or rare, Zoey finds herself in the very rare position of having three boyfriends, a situation with the potential to spell social disaster. Then vampyres start turning up dead. Really dead. But as Zoey and her friends find out, things are not always what they seem…


Untamed
by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast

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Summary:
LIFE SUCKS WHEN YOUR FRIENDS ARE PISSED AT YOU.
Just ask Zoey Redbird – she’s become an expert on suckiness. In one week she has gone from having three boyfriends to having none, and from having a close group of friends who trusted and supported her to being an outcast. Speaking of friends, of the two Zoey has left, one is undead and one is unmarked. And Neferet has declared war on humans, which Zoey knows in her heart is wrong. But will anyone listen to her? Zoey’s adventures at vampyre finishing school take a wild and dangerous turn as loyalties are tested, shocking true intentions come to light, and an ancient evil is awakened in P.C. and Kristen Cast’s spellbinding fourth House of Night novel.


Hunted
by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast

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Summary:
WHAT IF THE HOTTEST GUY IN THE WORLD WAS HIDING A NAMELESS EVIL AND ALL HE WANTED WAS YOU?

At the start of this heart-pounding new installment of the bestselling House of Night series, Zoey's friends have her back again and Stevie Rae and the red fledglings aren't Neferet's secrets any longer. But an unexpected danger has emerged. Neferet guards her powerful new consort, Kalona, and no one at the House of Night seems to understand the threat he poses. Kalona looks gorgeous, and he has the House of Night under his spell. A past life holds the key to breaking his rapidly spreading influence, but what if this past life shows Zoey secrets she doesn't want to hear and truths she can't face?

On the run and holed up in Tulsa's Prohibition-era tunnels, Zoey and her gang must discover a way to deal with something that might bring them all down. Meanwhile, Zoey has a few other little problems. The red fledglings have cleaned up well--they've even managed to make the dark, creepy tunnels feel more like home--but are they really as friendly as they seem? On the boyfriend front, Zoey has a chance to make things right with super-hot ex-, Eric, but she can't stop thinking about Stark, the archer who died in her arms after one unforgettable night, and she is driven to try to save him from Neferet's sinister influence at all costs. Will anyone believe the power evil has to hide among us?

My Thoughts…on this group (heh, I’m too lazy to do four of them):
So, after reading Marked from a friend of mine, I borrowed the other four books in the series to finish it off. I really enjoyed the first one so I’m really looking forward to these next four. Although I have heard mixed reviews on the last two, I hope I enjoy them because it really is a great plot line and I do like the characters.

Love Is a Many Trousered Thing
by Louise Rennison

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Summary:
The nub and gist is that I have accidentally acquired two Luuurve Gods.

Oh my giddy god! Georgia has somehow landed back in the cakeshop of agony now that Robbie the Sex God has returned and she has three potential snoggees. What's a proper girl to do? Hide, of course, and hope that she will be able to choose one before she ends up all aloney on her owney.

Stop In the Name of Pants
by Louise Rennison

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Summary:
Time to gird the loins and pucker up.

Blimey O'Reilly's trousers! When Georgia embraced being the girlfriend of a Rock Legend/Luurve God, she thought that was the end of her lovenosity woes. As usual, Georgia is the last to know what she is talking about. Now there's the small matter of a snogging accident involving her matey-type mate Dave the Laugh and some toasted newts in her undercrackers. Can Georgia lock up her red bottom and throw away the key?

My Thoughts…on the pair :)
Ever since I got the first book in this series, they have never failed to make me laugh. I absolutely love them. And I never expect any of them to not meet my expectations. I love how it’s written in the form of a diary, so it ends up feeling like you’re going over your own daily events. I can’t wait until the next one comes out in October!


Party Princess
by Meg Cabot

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Summary:
Princesses just want to have fun.

... And Mia does too, despite the fact that the student government over which she presides is suddenly broke. But Grandmère's got a wacky scheme to raise the money, catapult Mia to theatrical fame, and link her romantically with an eligible teen bachelor who's not her boyfriend. No wonder Michael seems to think she's a psycho, or worse: not much fun. Is it possible that Mia, soon-to-be star of the stage, president of the student body, and future ruler of Genovia, doesn't know how to party?

Princess on the Brink
by Meg Cabot

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Summary:
At last, Mia is a junior. An upperclassperson. So why is it that everything is going so terribly wrong? What is she doing in Intro to Creative Writing? When she has made it through Algebra and Geometry, why must she be faced with Precalculus? All this is nothing compared to the news Michael springs on her, however. Her beloved boyfriend could be leaving for Japan for a year—or more! Precalc has nothing on preparing for the worst separation ever!

Turns out there is one way she might convince Michael to stay. But will she? Or won't she? No matter what, Mia seems headed for disaster.

My Thoughts on the two:
I love the Princess Diaries series. They’re always the perfect pick-me-up for any bum day. I can’t wait to see how the book ending in the next two installments compares to the Disney rendition.


Sisters of Isis 1: The Summoning
by Lynne Ewing

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Summary:
Following the incredible success of Daughters of the Moon, Lynne Ewing has created an all new fun and hip teen fantasy series.

Based in Egyptian mythology and set in modern-day Washington, D.C., Sisters of Isis follows the lives of Meri, Sudi, and Dalila, three fifteen-year-old girls who have just discovered they are descendants of very powerful ancestors-Egyptian pharaohs. From these ancestors they've inherited magical powers of transformation, the ability to cast spells from the Book of Thoth, and, as they will soon learn, the responsibility of protecting the world from the evil forces of Chaos.


Sons of the Dark 1: Barbarian
by Lynne Ewing

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Summary:
Obie hates Los Angeles and all the junk that goes with it-especially trying to fit in at Thomas Turney High School. But with bounty hunters trying to capture him, his Renegade roommates urge him to lay low with his band and forget about ever getting back hoome. it's hard to blend in at school, though, when you've just made enemies with the football team. Obie can't keep away from Allison, the most popular girl in school and the girlfriend of the star quarterback, Sledge. And when his true love, Inna, shows up and pleads for his help, Obie must return to the one place he fears most.


The Naming
by Alison Croggon

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Summary:
In the classic spirit of epic fantasy in the Tolkien tradition, this FIRST BOOK OF PELLINOR chronicles the experiences of sixteen-year old Maerad, an orphan gifted in the magic power of the Bards, as she escapes from slavery and begins to learn how to use her Gift to stave off the evile Darkness that threatens to consume and enslave the land. This is the first in a projected quartet about Maerad and her brother, parted in childhood by tragegy, as they struggle to fulfill their unique destinies.

My Thoughts:
I have been told for the longest time that I would love this series. I just started it, and so far, it’s great. I can’t wait to finish it and read the other three in the series. I like the Tolkein spin that Croggon uses on the setting and characters.

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