Jenuine Cupcakes

  Author: Jodi Meadows Publication: January 31, 2012 By: HarperCollins 4 Stars!   Is the worth of a person's life or their soul connected to how many years they've lived?  The longer you've lived, the more you're worth?  Is a soul really strong enough to transcend time and rebirth?    In the land of Range, reincarnation is the norm.  The cycle of life, death and rebirth has been happening for thousands of years - until Ana is born.  She's the first Newsoul in Heart and her birth has thrown their world into a panic because it signifies the end of another's chance at rebirth.  Forever.   For most people, including those closet to her, Ana represents a curse and is living a life that doesn't belong to her.  There is one person though, who believes she's good and wants to help her find out how she came to be.  If he can get Ana to see her worth, he might be able to convince the rest o...

Author: Carla Neggers Publication: January 31, 2012 By: Mira 2 Stars Thank you Netgalley.   The cover is really pretty! This was my first novel by Carla Neggers and while I found it to be well written and the way she wove two different story lines of love and romance into one mystery, interesting, this book wasn't for me.  I found it slow in places and the main character, Olivia somewhat irritating.  I'm not a plant or herb person so any time the story veered in that direction, my attention was lost.  No one book is going to satisfy all readers and that's my opinion of this one.  Just because this doesn't make my list of favorites doesn't mean it won't make someone else's.

I had to go to the Post Office today to mail some cupcakes ARC's. (Advanced Reviewer Cupcakes - this is a play on the book ARC) I was already nervous about this process because I feel like my cupcakes are in a way, a reflection of me and I want them to taste good ALL THE TIME.  As I left, my husband said, "Don't let the glove lady make you cry!"  Gee, thanks, I think.   Who is this masked hand creature who reduces grown women to tears?  Well, she's our local USPS NIGHTMARE!  She's the expert of all things postal and as of today, all things cupcake.  (I do not *hearts* her)  In fact, I will let people butt in front of me just to avoid having to deal with her but since I was the only one in line today I had no choice.   My exchange with her went like this... USPS lady : (looking at me as if I am the dumbest person on earth) You're shipping cupcakes ? Me (smiling): Yep ! Her: (Disgusted noise) Well, we're rough w/our packages. Idk what...

What's waiting for me in my book basket thanks to YABooksCentral & Netgalley...  

Author: Michael Morpurgo Publication: November 1, 2011 By: Scholastic 5 Stars! An epic, heartwarming tale of a horse and his boy that will have even the least of horse lovers reaching for the tissues.  Spanning the years of World War I, War Horse is told from the point of view of Joey, a red-bayed horse whose journey begins as a young colt on a sheep farm and chronicles his adventures into becoming a decorated soldier.   Joey and his young master Albert are inseparable, each sharing a mutual love and respect for one another but when Albert's father sells Joey both of their lives are forever changed.  Click here to read full review  

Author: Moira Young Publication: June 7, 2011 (read Jan. 16, 2012) By: Margaret K. McElderry 5 Stars ~ A MUST READ! "To escape she will have to fight."  "To survive she will have to lead." This was like mixing The Hunger Games, Gladiator, True Grit and Romeo & Juliet all together to make one AWESOME book!  I fell in love with Jack and Saba is my new hero! Eighteen year old Saba has spent her entire life at Silverlake with her twin brother Lugh (pronounced "Lou") her Pa and nine year old sister "Emmi".  It's a hard life in the dusty wasteland although not a bad one.  She's happiest when she's with Lugh, her golden brother with his blond hair and eyes as blue as the sky. (Everyone says Saba's the night to Lugh's day with her black hair and dark eyes.)  Saba and Lugh do everything together, always have since before they were born.  She can't imagine living her life without him around or living anywhere but ...

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."  ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Author: Therese Fowler Publication: May 3, 2011 (Read Jan 12, 2012) By: Ballantine Books 4 Stars! This was like a modern day Romeo and Juliet tale with the topic of sexting at it's core. (A surprisingly relevant subject for both teens and parents.) Amelia and Anthony are young, in love and have big plans for their future but her father's need to control every aspect of her life forces them to keep secrets.  They do plan on telling her parents about their relationship but think it's best to wait until after graduation, after she turns eighteen and will legally have the freedom to make her own decisions.  But everything they've worked hard to protect shatters in an instant when Amelia leaves her laptop sitting on the kitchen counter one morning. When her father, Harlan decides to test his computer hacking skills out "just for fun", he gets more than he bargains for.  He expects to find Amelia's school projects but instead, he stumbles upon pictur...

Author: Beth Revis Publication: January 10, 2012 By: Razorbill 4 Stars Stars! How the frex am I supposed to wait another year to find out what happens with Amy and Elder?!  *sighs* There's always pressure for an author to deliver a follow up book that's just as good if not better than the first and "A Million Suns" does not disappoint. This sequel has it all, action, adventure, romance, even a mystery to solve that could change the fate of everyone aboard the Godspeed.  As Elder continues to solidify his role as Godspeed's new leader, he's met with resistance especially now that Phydus is no longer in use.  The fact that there are many who view Amy as a threat doesn't help, and things only get more complicated after Elder uncovers a shocking secret, one that will have he and Amy searching for clues that could affect everyone on board. The more time they spend together, the less they're able to deny the feelings that are developing b...

Author: David Levithan with Jonathan Farmer Publication: September 13, 2011 (Read Jan 2012) Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers There are people we know in a casual sense and then there are those with whom we share a connection.  Those we share our hopes, dreams and fears with; who know us better than we know ourselves.   I s it possible to spend years with a person, having revealed the darkest parts of yourself only to discover you didn't really known them at all?   Evan thought he and Ariel knew each other best but he begins to question the truth of their friendship after a series of cryptic photos start showing up after she's gone.  Attached to the photos are notes suggesting that there is someone else who knows the details surrounding Ariel's disappearance and the role Evan played in it.  In order for him to reconcile his guilt, he'll have to figure out where the pictures are coming from and how well that person knew Ar...

Author: K.C. Neal Publication: October 15, 2011 (Read January 10, 2012) Publisher: Stonehouse Ink 4 Stars! Let's start with some cover love shall we? So pretty! This was a fun, magical, mysterious, romantical story, unlike anything I've read within the paranormal genre recently.  (Btw, if you've never heard of "romantical" before it's because I just made it up. I do that sometimes. Make up my own language.)   Corrine Finley, a Sophomore at Tapestry High School appears to be your average teenage girl with a BFF, an after school job at her Dad's cafe and feelings for a guy who had major boyfriend potential until he was caught kissing her arch nemesis after the Winter Solstice Dance.  (Boys...*sighs*)  As she tries to put him behind her, life begins to go from so-so to interesting when the goodies she bakes for a school fundraiser (using some of her late grandmother's food dye) sends all the guys into a frenzy making her the object of their a...

COVER REVEAL!!! The Kane Chronicles Book 3  Rick Riordan Expected Publication  May 1, 2012

Author: Christina Mandelski Publication: May 2011 (read 1/8/2012) By: Egmont USA This story had me at "cake".  Why?  Well, my nickname isn't "Cupcakegirly" for nuthin'!  I've been "all about cake & cupcakes" since I can remember and baking and decorating 'lil cakes 'o love is what I do when I'm not reading. (If I could live in a bakery with books I would be in Heaven!) This really is a sweet read. (Let that sink in for a second) Sheridan Wells is a girl with passion.  A passion for the town she lives in, the cakes she creates and a passion for finding the mother who walked out on her when she was 7.  She's lived her entire life in St. Mary's, Michigan with her Dad, the infamous Chef Donovan Wells and her Nanny who owns the bakery, "Sweeties" where Sheridan spends most of her time.  She's dubbed, "Cake Girl" by her peers but beyond spending time with her two BFF's, Jack and Lori, she ...

Mortal Instrument fans have been anxiously awaiting the cover reveal and HERE.IT.IS... Jace & Clary  (I had hair the same color as Clary's once but it wasn't on purpose and it definitely wasn't as purdy.)   Prologue from City of Lost Souls : Simon stood and stared numbly at the front door of his house. He'd never known another home. This was the place his parents had brought him home to when he was born. He had grown up within the walls of the Brooklyn row house. He'd played on the street under the leafy shade of the trees in the summer, and had made improvised sleds out of garbage can lids in the winter. In this house his whole family had sat shivah after his father had died. Here he had kissed Clary for the first time. He had never imagined a day when the door of the house would be closed to him. The last time he had seen his mother, she had called him a monster and prayed at him that he would go away. He had made her forget tha...

Author: Holly Cupala Publication: January 3, 2012 By: HarperTeen   A MUST READ!   Another beautifully written book by Holly Cupala that's heartbreaking, gritty and real.  Everyone needs some breathing room in their lives but for Joy, it's become a struggle of life or death.  Each breathe leads her one step closer to suffocation or one step closer to freedom.  Freedom from her parents constant worry, freedom from her boyfriend Asher's control and freedom to figure out who she's meant to be.  If she can manage to escape, to find the homeless boy who offered to help her, maybe she'll be able to breathe again.   Joy, a life-long asthma sufferer is literally suffocating in her life. Her family suffocates her with their constant worry about her health - is she taking her medicine?  Does she have her emergency inhalers?  Will the next coughing fit land her in the hospital again, or worse, will this be the time she stops breathing for good?...

Happy New Year!! 2012 Reading Challenges I've signed up for  Goodreads 2012 Challenge   75 Books is my current goal...    I'm already getting started with this purchase from Barnes & Noble today.  I was SUPER excited because it's not even supposed to be out for two more days!!  Nook still has it on pre-order but I couldn't wait. :)