Review: The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge

Released: February 22nd 2011

"There are Seventeen madhouses in Lovecraft. I've visited all of them."
     Aoife Grayson is counting down the days until her sixteenth birthday; the day that, according to family tradition, she will go mad, just as her mother and brother before her. In the city of Lovecraft, the necrovirus is to blame for the madness,  the dangerous and terrifying creatures that lurk in the night and just about everything else considered Heretical. The Proctors rule, burning Heretics (those who believe in or conduct witchcraft) and ensuring the great Engine, the heart of the city that churns beneath Lovecraft's streets, is in perfect working order and that no one escapes the "safety" of the city. But after Aoife receives a mysterious message from her bother, Conrad, she plans to do just that: escape Lovecraft and find Conrad before the necrovirus claims her mind and her future.

In My Mailbox #2

As I feel like poopie today and my throat does not allow me to talk louder than a whisper, my IMM this week will not be a video. Instead here's a post that would resemble what my video would be like .

 

Under a War-Torn Sky by L.M. Elliot

   This is  a World War II historical fiction novel about Henry Forester, the youngest, but best flier in his Air Force squadron at the age of nineteen. His plane is shot down on a mission behind enemy lines and he has to find a way back to safety in one piece.

 If you are participating in the 2011 YA Historical Fiction Challenge, you may want to check this book out.

   A Model Summer by Paulina Porizkova
  According to Barnes and Noble and Goodreads, this is not a Young Adult book. But I feel that sometimes books in the Adult genre can sometimes be suitable for young readers. So I will read this and post here what makes it okay or not okay for a young adult to read this.
    This book is about a fifteen year old girl who gets invited to Paris to try modeling and finds it isn't as glamourous as she dreamed. It is written by a model, so this should be interesting....




That was In My Mailbox this week. Look forward to these reviews soon and tell me, what's in your mailbox? Hope everyone has a great book week!
      ~ Marriah

One Lovely Blog Award!

Hello Readers,

I am excited to announce that I was awarded the One Lovely Blog Award by Janine at Me the BookNerd. Check out her blog, because it is awesome!
  However, I am even more excited to announce the blogs I am awarding this award to:

Books are a Girl's Best Friend       
The Story Siren      
 Locket Stories

       Ya Bliss       
ChapterChicks   
Gripped into Books       
  The Book Hour

Annamarie's Reviews       
 Wonderful Writing Website                  
 Book Soup         
Books Like Stars            
Recovering Potter Addict   
 Black Fingernailed Reviews         
Down the Rabbit Hole  
   Green Bean Teen Queen
  
Here are the rules for this award:
 -Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

-Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered.

-Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Be sure to check out all these lovely blogs ! Thanks for reading and have a great book day!
             ~Marriah~  

In My Mailbox #1

Hello Readers, here is my first ever In My Mailbox video, which I plan on doing every Saturday night if I have a reasonable number of books to show. Do enjoy and look forward to all these reviews!
       Marriah
Also, here are the links mentioned in the video, aside from the one to my blog, because you're kind of already here...yeah.
    The Story Siren Blog
    Random Buzzers

Review: Orchards by Holly Thompson

Release Date: February 22nd, 2011
     Kana is sent to live in Japan for the summer with her family there after one of her classmates, Ruth, commits suicide. During the school year, her and her "cliquey friends" had said some careless things about Ruth. Her parents hope this trip will force Kana to reflect on her behavior as she labors for hours in the hot, Japanese sun, tending to her family's mikan orange groves. With her half-Japanese, half-Jewish American heritage , Kana learns how hard it is to fit in as she is criticized by her extremely traditional grandmother, who never approved of Kana's American father. Kana begins to really understand and process the damage she and her friends have done, registering the pain and guilt for what it is. When more bad news reaches her, Kana wonders how can she mend herself and those around her. Told in an easy-flowing verse with a first person narrative and accompanied by cute illustrations, Orchards is sure to open every one's eyes to what a few thoughtless words can do.

Review: Loser Queen by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Cammy Hall has always been a loser. With her only friend, Gerdi, the Danish foreign exchange student by her side her goal is to get through Junior year without doing something drastically embarrassing. At Homecoming when she flashes her Christmas print "granny panties" she fails to complete this mission. Days after the incident she gets a mysterious and anonymous text  with instructions on how to get revenge. After ripping down the most popular girl in school, with the planning from the texter, Cammy begins to rise up the high school social food chain. But how long can Cammy's popularity last with only the support of lies and secrets?

Review: Assassin by Anna Myers

 John Wilkes Booth is a name infamous for the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. But what do we really know about the man behind the crime? Booth was an actor; charismatic and a favorite among the ladies. his original plan was to kidnap the president. But what if there was more to the story; an accomplice we don't know about?

Review: Animal Farm by George Orwell

Many of you may have read this book in high school or it may be on the curriculum for the future, but either way, you must have heard of this classic, or at least its author. George Orwell wrote many political allegories, or stories whose character or events are symbolic. Animal Farm is only one of them.

Review: Meridian by Amber Kizer

Book One in the Fenestra Series
Age Group: Young Adult

Level of Romance: Medium. It doesn't dominate the story, but it is something of an important factor.

Summary: As a child, Meridian woke to dead bugs and animals on her pillow. Until her sixteenth birthday party she believes she is death. But after a mysterious car crash in front of her house, she's shipped off to live with her Auntie Meridian, her namesake, in Revelation, Colorado. There her aunt tells her she's a Fenestra, the windows that ferry souls on to the next life. But arriving in Revelation, Meridian was stepping into a battle bigger than she could have imagined.
      Review: This is a fast-paced book, for the most part, but perhaps too fast when it comes to when it matters most. Overall a great base for a interesting and,  no doubt, crazed over series. Definitely something to read for those who want a new, fresh approach on the paranormal romance. It's interesting and a bit daring how Kizer confronts religious beliefs and the possibilities about the transition between life and death.

Rating: 4/5

Hi There!!!

Hello fellow readers,
    It must be obvious that I am an avid reader if not an obsessive compulsive one. But, if it's not, you now know. I have a confession...I am addicted to books. I can't get enough, no matter how many I own, read, or hear about. But, I've noticed it's a common condition among the blogging community. I finally don't feel alone! But really, living in a small town doesn't really give one much to do but read, write, take part in illegal acts, and hike or other outdoors thing. I live in a town so small, it's not on a map, but many have heard about the neighboring cities and it's region; the Adirondack Mountains. I'll admit it may be the most beautiful place I've ever been, but perhaps I'm a bit biased. But my love for books started at a much younger age in the somewhat large city of Austin, Texas. I was six when we moved away from there, but before that, I practically lived on the public library as my older brother volunteered there. To make this complicated story short, I spent a lot of time around books and people who encouraged me to love books, so naturally I can't live without books. Even now, 9 years after my original infatuation, I spend way more time in libraries and bookstores than should be allowed. Which could explain why my reading list is never ending...
    Anyways, I've read so many books that I know what's good..or at least what I like. So I've turned to reviewing books, sharing my opinion of books with others. I already do this in reality, constantly searching for books my friends will love and reviewing all the new books in the libraries. But life is about expanding your horizons, right?
   I hope you enjoy what you find in the posts on this blog and maybe even find a few books you'll love. Look for new features that will certainly come. Suggest books for review. Good Luck and Happy Reading!
                 Marriah