100 Follower Giveaway Winner!

Hi Guys! I just wanted to let you all know how much I appreciated you participating in my 100 Follower Giveaway! You all rock and I can't wait to host another giveaway later in the summer! Now... for the winner:

Wendy H.!

Wendy's already been contacted, but thank you all so much for stopping by! 

The Shapeshifter's Secret by Heather Ostler (Blog Tour + Interview)

Title: The Shapeshifter's Secret
By: Heather Ostler
Publication: June 12, 2012 by Cedar Fort Books
Format: E-Book
Genre: YA Paranormal
Cover Rating: 4/5 Stars

From Goodreads: Julia is finally discovering what–not who–she is.
Like any sixteen-year-old, Julia's used to dealing with problems. From her overprotective father to her absent mother to a teacher who definitely has it in for her. But everything changes when Julia's reactions become oddly vicious and angry---more animal than human. This action-packed adventure has it all: humor, romance, and a plot that will keep you guessing to the very last page.

My Thoughts: First of all, I would like to say a huge thank you to Cedar Fort Books for giving me an advanced reader copy of this great story via Net Galley!

Julia seems to be your average teenage girl: over-protective father, awesome best friend, and top it all off by adding in a slight streak of rebellion to the mix. But alas, nothing is what it seems, and where Julia is concerned, everything is far from normal. In fact, Julia is a were-cat and she's about to learn that her whole life has been a ploy to keep her safe against the Guild, a corrupt group in her homeland, Oassi, lead by someone who wants to use Julia and throw her away. But staying in the US is no longer safe for Julia. Her and her father, along with family friend, Liam, and his son Caleb, quickly escape to Lockham Castle. There, Julia can be safe and learn all about her true nature with her peers, while her father leads the Soldier Union against the Guild. But staying safe isn't as easy as it sounds, especially when the one person who wants to destroy you the most is the one person who connects to your very being...

I loved it! Gripping from the first page to the last, Heather Ostler has created one magically awesome tale reminiscent of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter, but with a twist! Enchanted never-ending castles, complex alternate worlds, and spell-binding magic, The Shapeshifter's Secret will leave you wanting more.

Julia is a wonderful heroine and easy to relate to. Even though she believes she's just normal, deep down there's something extra special about her that makes her stand out as a character.

And how could I forget hotties Caleb and Terrance?! Trust me, you don't want to miss out on these soldiers! 

The Shapeshifter's Secret has it all: Magic, Romance, and Action! This is one story you do not want to miss out on!

My Rating:

_________________________________________________________________________________

Interview With Heather Ostler

• Where did you get the idea to write about this whole new world of Ossai? 
  
  It’s a pretty in depth world, I know that had to have taken some major planning out. I used to go swimming when I was younger and imagine the pool was a water portal. I’d dive in and think, wouldn’t that be cool if this water led to another world? Over the years I envisioned what the different world would be like, who would live there, and why it would be kept a secret.  Eventually that world became Ossai.
  
•  I gotta ask, with all the shape-shifting creatures available, what made you decide on a Were-cat for Julia?
  The werecat idea sort of found me. I was playing around on the internet researching different paranormal creatures when I stumbled upon werecats. Instantly I knew that was what Julia was going to be. I liked that it was a bit more unique than most shapeshifters, and there wasn’t a lot of young adult stories that had covered werecats.  
  
• A lot of authors use music to help them write these days, is there a specific song you would use for a certain “scene” in the novel? Or a general theme song?
  I know it’s kind of funny, but I loved listening to Shewolf by Shakira when I was first writing The Shapeshifter’s Secret. That song makes me think of Julia when she’s finding out that she’s a werecat. The lyrics talk about a girl living a normal life, but secretly being a fierce shewolf at night. It reminded me a lot of what I wanted Julia to be. She’s an average teenager, but then she has this ability to shapeshift into something strong, tough, and vicious.

•     What are your own top three favorite novels (or series)?
  I love Ella Enchanted, The Series of Unfortunate Events, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and The Twilight series. (Okay that was four!) 
  
•         I read you’re a hot cocoa fan, what’s your all-time favorite brand/flavor?
  
  Yes, I love hot cocoa! Stephens brand is my favorite, and their dark chocolate is SO good. I think I need to go make some right now actually…
• 
  
•         If the book ever got picked up for a movie, who would be your dream cast for Julia, Caleb, Terrance, and Sierra?
  That is so much fun to think about. I think David Henrie would make a great Caleb, Alex Pettyfer would be Terrence, Victoria Justice would be awesome for Julia, and Naomi Scott as Sierra.   

Don't forget to purchase your copy of The Shapeshifter's Secret!

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Find the next stop on the blog tour here: Next Stop

Heather's Website

Heather's Blog

Cedar Fort Blog

Cedar Fort Facebook

Cedar Fort Twitter

Follow Friday #7

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee. They ask a question, in which you answer on your own blog, and then you link back up with them. After you post, you can go back to the other links to discover new blogs and friends!

*Feel free to follow me in one or any of the available networks on the right of my sidebar. Let me know in a comment how you are following me and put in your own blog link so I can follow you back in the same way(s)!*

Q: Summer break is upon us! What would be the perfect vacation spot for you to catch up on your reading & relax?

Ohhh, this is an easy one! If we're talking fantasy, I would love to go to an Italian beach, somewhere like Capri or the Amalfi Coast. I would lay out on the beach (under an umbrella, of course- don't want to get burned!) and go get yummy gelato when I need cooling off (it's something I desperatley miss about Italy [I went to Rome in 2005])!

Looks like bliss, right?!

The Bookish Bucket List Blog Hop

My Bookish Bucket List!

1. Plan and play a prank with the Weasley Twins!

(From Harry Potter)
Out of all the characters in Harry Potter, the Weasley Twins are my favorite! I love how fun they are, but at the same time, just as reliable. They always came through for The Order and Harry!

2. Go to Fangtasia and offer up my neck to Viking god Eric Northman!

(From the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampires Novels)

I am in love, IN LOVE, with Eric Northman. Number 1 fictional book boyfriend. End of story. He's the ultimate Man- I mean, hello, you can't get any more manlier than a Viking!

3. Work off a trace with Daemon!

(From Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux Series)

Mmmm... Daemon! Arrogant, yet vulnerable, Daemon is definitely on my list of book boyfriends to make-out meet with!

4. Dream walk with Adrian Ivashkov!

(From Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy [and Bloodlines] novel)

Okay, let's get one thing straight- Dimitri sucked compared to Adrian! ...Or maybe I just have a thing for the bad boys? (Obviously!)

5. Attend a Magnus Bane party with Jace!

(From Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instrument Series)

I have a feeling, Jace is the one you want to bring to a party. And since there are no parties like a Magnus Bane party, what better place to bring him?!

6. Go to a Travis Maddox boxing match!

(From Jamie McGuire's Beautiful Disaster)

Actually, I wouldn't mind going home with Travis afterwards too! Ultimate Romance Novel, Beautiful Disaster's Travis Maddox, is extremely hot... and a bad-boy... um... I starting to see a theme.

7. Fight off Zombies with Catcher!

(From Carrie Ryan's The Dark and Hollow Places)

I LOVE Zombie flicks/reads, so when I got a hold of Carrie Ryan's trilogy, I fell in love! ...and maybe a little bit with Catcher too!

8.  Train to be a Shadow Hunter with Will Herondale!

(From Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices)
Will is delicious! And if I'm going to be attending Magnus Bane parties, I have a feeling I need to train up to be a shadowhunter first!

9. Go horseback riding in the Nevernever with Prince Ash!

(From Julia Kagawa's Iron Fey Series)
Every girls dream: tall, dark, handsome...and a PRINCE. Okay, so maybe he is the Unseelie Prince, but still! I definitely wouldn't be returning him to Meghan! 

10. Slow dance with Edward Flippin' Cullen.

(Seriously, everyone should know who this is)
Sigh. I don't care. From the moment I read Twilight there's been only one thing I've wanted to do- romantic slow dancing with Edward! Cheesy, I know- but honestly what part of those books aren't?! 

So, there's my list! I guess I probably should have called it "The Bookish Boys I wanna... er, meet, List" instead, uh?

*And Don't forget, while you're here to head over and enter into my 100 Follower Giveaway!*

"Across the Universe" by Beth Revis

Title: Across the Universe
By: Beth Revis
Publication: January 11, 2011 by Razorbill
Format: Hardback
Genre: Science Fiction (w/ Romance)
Cover Rating: 5/5 Stars

From Goodreads: Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.


Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.


Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.


My Thoughts: When Amy's family gets chosen to be part of special mission to explore and inhabit a new plant, she knows that she will have to say goodbye to everything, and everyone, she loves- including her boyfriend Jason. Because this trip isn't just a hop to the moon... it's 350 years away. Set in the not so distant future, Amy and her parents have been selected to be cryogenically frozen to make the trip to centauri earth- the new planet that has the resources humans require to survive. However, while Amy's been frozen for hundreds of years, a whole society has been living on and operating Godspeed, the space ship carrying the frozen future citizens. Abruptly, and dangerously, awoken 50 years too early, Amy has to come to terms that she is stuck on a space ship filled with a community who thinks of her as a freak because of her differences. Not to mention the tyrant, Eldest, who rules them and seems to loathe Amy's very presence. The only confident she has is Elder, the future leader of Godspeed, and his best friend Harley. But someone on the ship isn't done unplugging the frozen members, leaving Amy's parents and the future race of Centauri-Earth at risk. Floating utterly alone in space, Godspeed and it's populace is in for a shocking revelation that will cause disastrous results.

 I LOVED this intensely creative novel! And it's not just for Trekkies and Space Geeks like me, it's got something for everyone. It's not just a romance, or just a science fiction novel. It's got everything- murder, mystery, romance, science fiction, and coming of age. It just flows perfectly together, creating one hell of an entertaining ride through space.

Overflowing with originality on every page, Across the Universe, is told in alternating POV's from Amy and Elder. The more I read these types of narrations, the more I fall in love with them. To me, it gives the story a more three dimensional quality when I can get the fuller picture.

This book is definitely one of a kind and not to be missed! Beth Revis is a genius and I am just itching to get my hands on the next installment!

My Rating:

The Sunday Post #2

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news and to re-cap the past week, showcase books, and talk about what is coming up in the week on our blogs!

This Sunday Post is a day late because I've been super busy with work/ other more awesome things! So, let's get down to what happened last week, and all the fun up coming events for this week!

Friday night I got to met the lovely and amazingly sweet Amy Plum, author of the Die For Me trilogy! Amy is a fellow Alabamian herself, so I was extremely ecstatic to be meeting her. It's always awesome to met someone who comes from home and who's made something of themselves- especially when it's in the profession I hope to one day enter into! Anyway, the signing was loads of fun. The public library we were at offered up free coffee and some yummy desserts, some of which Amy brought all the way from France! 

Amy and Me (I look god awful- I just came off from working a nine hour shift at work)

A set of these bookmarks is being offered up in my giveaway.

After the book signing I came home to discover Lit Girl had FINALLY hit 100 followers!!! So, I did what any normal sane person would do: I stayed up until 1:00 am organizing my very first giveaway! I'm so appreciative of everyone who keeps tabs on my blog and reads all my rants/ rave reviews. You guys are amazing, and I honestly don't know why you do it, but I'm thrilled that you do.

Earlier in the week, I participated in Top Ten Tuesday's weekly meme were I made a list of ten of my favorite quotes from novels I had read. You can find that here. I was also pretty excited because the lovely debut author Heather Ostler commented on that post as well (Heather wrote The Shapeshifter's Secret, which will "tour" here on May 21st).

And finally, on Wednesday I started reading Beth Revis' Across the Universe. And let me just say, it's flippin' AMAZING! I'm a huge scifi nerd, so a book about space and cryogenics is totally up my alley. 

That pretty much recaps my week, but here is a sweet upcoming event to keep an eye out for...

Today started off The Bookish Bucket List Blog Tour which features some of my GReeps (Goodread's Peeps) blogs. Trust me, this is one tour you don't want to miss out on. Besides fantasizing about Barrons, Harry Potter, or Daemon from Obsidian, you will also have a chance to enter in daily giveaways! All of these blogs will feature witty and cleaver creators, so make sure you check them out and follow them!  You can find the list here.

I hope you guys had an excellent week/end and I can't wait to here what you've all been up to as well!

Bookish Bucket List Blog Hop!

BOOKISH BUCKET LIST BLOG HOP

A week filled with bookish bucket lists and tons of great giveaways! 

Urban Dictionary defines a Bucket List as a list of things you want to see or do before you "kick the bucket" (die). What is a bookish bucket list? A list of things derived from fiction books that you would like to see or do (if anything was possible!) before you die.

May 14th

Kate @ Epic Chocolate Fantasy 

*Giveaway*

May 15th

Tiffany @ A Purrfect Read

*Giveaway*

May 16th

Alison & Daphne @ Winged Reviews

*Giveaway*

May 17th

Kayleigh @ K-Books 

*Giveaway*

Guest Post by Renée on A Purrfect Read

May 18th

Sonnie @ Lit Girl

*Giveaway*

Guest Post by Lindsey on Epic Chocolate Fantasy

May 19th 

Chris @ Reading is FUNdamental

Guest Post by Wendy on Winged Reviews

May 20th

Jen @ At Random

*Giveaway*

100 Follower Giveaway!!!!

I just want to let all of you guys know how much I appreciate you following and keeping up with Lit Girl! It's grown so much since I first started it a couple of months ago and I love being able to converse about awesome books with you all! So, after reaching the 100 Follower Mile Stone, I have decided to host my very first giveaway! Here is all the awesome swag you can get:

TWO (Until I Die and Die For Me) SIGNED bookmarks from Amy Plum!

ONE Onyx (the purple) signed bookmark from Jennifer L. Armentrout! (Sorry, the rest has been claimed... by me! lol)

ONE (unsigned) Innocent Darkness bookmark from Suzanne Lazear

And your choice of ANY $10 (or under) book from The Book Depository (or if you're a US res then Go Hastings is also available) OR e-book from Amazon or B&N!

Giveaway is open internationally, as long as The Book Depository ships to your country! The bookmarks will be mailed off separately.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow Friday #6

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee. They ask a question, in which you answer on your own blog, and then you link back up with them. After you post, you can go back to the other links to discover new blogs and friends!

*Feel free to follow me in one or any of the available networks on the right of my sidebar. Let me know in a comment how you are following me and put in your own blog link so I can follow you back in the same way(s)! Additionally, please do not just comment and say "Following you via ___. Here's my blog____".  I don't blog for numbers, but for genuine interests in books and conversation. Let me know you at least read my post ;) Thanks guys!*

Q: This Sunday in the U.S. is Mother's Day. In celebration, what are some of your favorite books with strong mother/child relationships?

Ohh, this is a hard one! Most of the books I read the relationship between the mom and the daughter are terrible! lol. But I have to say, I really like the relationship Mia from If I Stay had with her mom. That whole family, actually, had a fantastic bond with each other.

Top Ten Favorite Book Quotes

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This weeks topic is one of my favorites! I adore quotes and actually have a notebook filled with them that I've kept since I was 16 (that was 8 years ago!). 

1. "...but whatever came she had resolved never again to belong to another than herself."- Kate Chopin, The Awakening.

2. "Sometimes I wondered if I was seeing the same thing through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through theirs. Maybe there was a glitch in my brain."- Stephenie Meyer; Twilight.

3. "I'm not frightened, I'm not frightened of anything. The more I suffer, the more I love. Danger will only increase my love. It will sharpen it, forgive its vice. I will be the only angel you need. You will leave life even more beautiful than you entered it. Heaven will take you back and look at you and say: 'Only one thing can make a soul complete, and that thing is love'."- Bernhard Schlink; The Reader.

4. "You love me, real or not real?"

I tell him, "Real".- Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay

5. "If you stay, I'll do whatever you want. I'll quit the band, go with you to New York. But, if you need me to go away, I'll do that, too. I was talking to Liz and she said maybe coming back to your old life would be too painful, that maybe it'd be easier for you to erase us. And that would suck, but I'd do it. I can lose you like that if I don't lose you today. I'll let you go. If you stay."- Gayle Foreman, If you Stay.

6. "Catherine Ernshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living. You said I killed you- haunt me then. The murdered do haunt their murderers. I believe- I know that ghosts have wondered the earth. Be with me always- take any form- drive me mad. Only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh God! It is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!"- Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights.

7. "It does not do to dwell on dreams, and forget to live."- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter.

8.  "I grabbed my book and opened it up. I wanted to smell it. Heck, I wanted to kiss it. Yes, kiss it. That's right, I am a book kisser. Maybe that's kind of perverted, or maybe it's just romantic and highly intelligent."- Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

9. "Everything has to evolve or else it perishes."- John Knowles, A Separate Peace

10. "You're right. I shouldn't have bothered! Turns out love isn't enough after all. It doesn't make men out of animals, or turn cowards into heroes, or make spoilt little girls grow up!"- Ted Naifeh, Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things.

The Sunday Post #1

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news and to re-cap the past week, showcase books, and talk about what is coming up in the week on our blogs! 

I have lots of wonderful news to share with you guys this week! 

First off, for all of you Jennifer L. Armentrout fans out there, how excited are you that we finally know what the Daemon Invasion is?! Meeting JLA herself would be BEYOND awesome and to top it all off we get to meet the cover models as well! I'm going to try my best to get off work to drive over to Georgia on June 8th (I live two hours away) and go to the signing. Anyway, I'm on street-team Daemonite! Here's a list of all the other members:

 Kayleigh (team leader) and Lolita @ K-Books

Taneesha @ A Diary of a Book Addict

Terri @ Scribbler's Sojourn

Donna/ Jess @ Book Passion for Life

Jen @ At Random

Renee @ Novel Nutcase

Pavan @ Loves Books 96

Emma

Next, I want to talk give-away! I'm SIX followers away from 100! As I understand it, this is a pretty big mile marker for us bloggers- the first one anyway. I have some ideas of what I'm going to be doing for it and trust me, it will be awesome. So keep an eye out!

Now on to the real good stuff... books! I've been pretty short on cash these past two months, but since I just started a new job all of that is about to change! ...Well, until I move out next month anyway ;)

Here's what all the awesome stuff I've got recently (please excuse the boring/generic internet photos, my memory card walked off the face of the planet and has been MIA. I really have to get a new one!):

From my lovely friend Ash for my b-day! 

My pre-order for the new Obsidian cover! I'm also getting some swag from JLA for my purchase!

I haven't received it YET, but I did pre-order this for only .99 with BONUS material for my Kindle!

And finally, I bought this from the fantastic GoHastings website for only $4!

So there it is! I hope you guys had a fantastic weekend! And good luck for the rest of the week!

Follow Friday #5

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee. They ask a question, in which you answer on your own blog, and then you link back up with them. After you post, you can go back to the other links to discover new blogs and friends!

*Feel free to follow me in one or any of the available networks on the right of my sidebar. Let me know in a comment how you are following me and put in your own blog link so I can follow you back in the same way(s)! Additionally, please do not just comment and say "Following you via ___. Here's my blog____".  I don't blog for numbers, but for genuine interests in books and conversation. Let me know you at least read my post ;) Thanks guys!*

What is one thing you would wish to tell your favorite author?

This is a hard one! I have so many favorite authors, I don't even know where to start! Wait, yes, I do!

*Ahem* Steps on soapbox*

Dear Stephenie Meyer,

For the love of all that is holy, please stop being a diva and finish/ publish Midnight Sun already! 

Sincerely,

Fans Everywhere.

p.s. It'd be nice to update your site every once in a while as well!

LOL. No seriously, I love Twilight (the books, not the crazed school girl fandom) and they really got me into the whole PNR and UF genre (kinda like a gate-way drug!). And I understand that her story got leaked and that was devastating for her. Really, I do. I write all the time and if someone even sneaks a peek at my work I freak out. BUT, I think she should finish Midnight Sun for her fans. There's been enough time to where things have settled down. She has been blessed with a huge following and I feel like she doesn't present herself as being very grateful for it, which sucks because I enjoy her writing immensely. But that's just me.

*Steps off soapbox*

Additionally, I honestly love Stephenie M. and her writing, I don't care. No twi-shame here (as another reader put it). I just think she should let her fans know that she knows we still exist! lol

Top Ten Books to be Made into Movies

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

1. The Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead.  There's been some talk of VA being made into a movie, but I don't think anything concrete yet!

2. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. Um, Patch on the big screen? YES, please!

3. The Darkest Powers Trilogy by Kelly Armstrong. Necromancers, DSi's, and a bunch of "unstable" kids on the loose? Oh yeah, it's begging to be made into a movie.

4.  The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. As far as I know, there's serious talk of a movie deal. Thank God. Because I am so ready to see V'lane!

5. In The Woods by Tana French. Or really just any of her novels. While it's not PNR or UF (it's mystery/thriller) it was an amazingly awesome read. Definitely give it a go if your a first timer to the Mystery section.

6. The Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. If this series was ever made into a movie, I would sincerely hope they get the model on the cover to play Daemon!!!

7. Pendragon Series by D.J. MacHale. Although, I think this would be better suited for a TV show (there's ten books in the series). 

8. The Mortal Instruments. Which IS being made into a movie starring the yummy Jamie Bower.

9. The Hollow Trilogy by Jessica Verday.

10. The Forest of Hands and Teeth Trilogy. As big as zombies are right now, this should be made into a movie ASAP!

And there you go! There's my top ten wished to be made into movies! What are yours?

p.s. Don't forget to follow me via GFC! When I reach 100 followers I'm going to be hosting an awesome give-away! And if you do follow, make sure to leave your own blog URL in a comment so I can follow back as well! Have a great Tuesday!