Zombies vs. Unicorns by Holly Black, Justine Larbalestier

Zombies vs. Unicorns by Holly Black, Justine Larbalestier
Publication Date: September 21, 2010
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Versions: hardcover, audio
Received from: publisher

Summary (from goodreads):
It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths-for good and evil-of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad-ass) side of zombies. Contributors include many bestselling teen authors including Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, and Margo Lanagan. This anthology will have everyone asking: Team Zombie or Team Unicorn?


Team Unicorn: edited by Holly Black: Meg Cabot, Kathleen Duey, Margo Lanagan, Garth Nix, Naomi Novik, Diana Peterfreund


Team Zombie: edited by Justine Larbalestier: Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Aleya Dawn Johnson, Maureen Johnson, Carrie Ryan, Scott Westerfeld


I know a lot of people are anxiously awaiting the release date of this book. After all, the premise is amazing and unique and there are so many great authors that take a part in this book. Zombies vs. Unicorns is stuffed with short stories featuring a lot of famous writers to debate which is better: the Zombie or the Unicorn. Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier battle it out at the beginning and before each short story-sharing their opinion. And in the middle are lots of fun, scary, and silly short stories that are either about zombies eating brains, falling in love, unicorns being held captive, trying to steal virginities and powerful horns.

I loved reading most of the short stories, and I most of all loved reading Holly's and Justine's banter which was pretty funny and insightful. Even though I am a Unicorn fan, the zombie stories were a little more interesting and held my attention longer. That being said-Carrie Ryan's story was one of my favorites. It was about zombie pirates and had a very great plot line.

Will I reread it?
Probably not, but I did enjoy it. This book is for any paranormal fan or lover of short stories. And the cover is pretty great if you ask me.

Return To Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Return To Paradise by Simone Elkeles (ARC)
Publication Date: September 1, 2010
Publisher: Flux
Versions: paperback
Received from: Star Book Tours


Summary (from goodreads):
Maggie and Caleb just went through the worst year of their lives. Hit by a car and starting life over with a limp, Maggie never thought she would forgive Caleb. But she did-and fell in love. What they shared was real. But Caleb wanted to be free from the past-a terrible secret: he wasn't the one who hit Maggie. So he left Paradise-and Maggie-forever.


When Maggie and Caleb run into each other in a different town, they can't deny their true feelings. Will Maggie leg Caleb get away again? Or will Caleb face the truth and return to Paradise?


For those of you who have read the first book in this series (titled Leaving Paradise) then you were probably mad about the ending which contained a huge cliff hanger. But in the sequel, Return to Paradise, Simone Elkeles clears up everything and more. It starts off with Caleb getting in trouble again for staying with drug dealers, and he either has to go to jail or join a group that goes around trying to persuade people not to drink and drive. But what's more surprising is that Maggie happens to be in the same group, and they reunite after not seeing each other for eight whole months. The whole time they fight their attraction for each other, but will it be enough to bring Caleb back to Paradise?


I really enjoyed this book, and devoured it in one sitting. I loved every minute when Caleb and Maggie were in the same scene, whether they were fighting, kissing, talking or touching. All of those scenes melted my heart and I never wanted the book to end. Unfortunately it did, and Simone Elkeles left me thinking it will be the end of Caleb and Maggie's story. Hopefully, she will continue on with this series though and maybe make a book just about Leah.


Will I reread it?
Yes, I loved this book and thought it had the perfect beginning, middle, and end after the disappointing ending of the first book. If you haven't yet read this series, I highly recommend you do so and when and if you do, you won't regret it!

Winner of the Re-Create Hunger Games Series Cover

I had all of you vote on which cover you liked the best (which was one of the challenges for today). I just added up all the votes, and there was a tie:

So Congratulation #3 and #4 which were the winners.

You will each receive an extra ten entries to win the prizes for today and don't worry about doing anything different in the form, I will add them myself. Congrats again and make sure everyone fills out the form for today.

Mockingjay Countdown Form (Day 3)

This event is officially over and I have had a lot of fun hosting it. I hope you all had fun participating in it and I hope it swirls up some emotions of why you love The Hunger Games so much. Here is the form for the last and final day of the Mockingjay Countdown. Remember that you have to fill it out by midnight tonight (August 27th) to be entered to win the prizes for today.

HERE IS THE FORM FOR DAY 3:


If the form for whatever reason is not working, please email me here: smittenwithbooks (at) hotmail (dot) com   or if you have any questions. I hope you had fun today and will read Mockingjay (if you haven't already) as soon as you can!

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 5 (Day 3)

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 5 (Day 3)

Remember that if you participate in this mini challenge, you will receive an extra four entries to win the prizes for today.

For the fifth and last challenge, I want you guys to state the one thing you love most about Katniss. I know everyone has a special spot in their heart for the character, and I want to know why. Please explain your answer. You can leave a comment below or you can create your own blog post with pictures and then leave a link in the comments below.

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 4 (Day 3)

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 4 (Day 3)

Remember that if you participate in this mini challenge, you will add an extra four entries to win the prizes for today.

For the fourth challenge, I want you to state which one of the hunger games books you liked the most. All you need to do is put the title of the book (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, or Mockingjay). Please don't explain why because we don't want any spoilers or any giveaways for those who haven't read one or the other books yet, especially Mockingjay. You can leave a comment below with your answer or you can create your own blog post and leave a link in the comments below.

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 3 (Day 3)

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 3 (Day 3)

Remember that if you participate in this mini challenge, you will receive an extra four entries to win the prizes for today.

For the third mini challenge of the day, I want you to name your favorite Hunger Games character and why you like them or admire them the best. Like always, you can leave a comment with your answer or you can create your own blog post, add pictures, and leave a link in the comments below.

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 2 (Day 3)

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 2 (Day 3)

On the first day of the Mockingjay Countdown-for one of the challenges, I had you recreate a book cover of either: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, or Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. So for this second challenge of the day, I am going to have you guys vote on which cover you like the best.

Here are the rules:
1. In a comment, leave what number cover you like best
2. The numbers will be printed before each cover
3. The voting will end at 6 PM Central Time

And like in all the other mini challenges, if you vote you will receive an extra four entries to win the prizes for today. And if your cover receives the most votes from now until 6 PM tonight, you will get an extra ten entries to win the prizes for today. So start voting!

1

2

 

3

4

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 1 (Day 3)

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 1 (Day 3)

Remember that if you participate in this mini challenge, you will get an extra four entries to win the prizes for today.


For this first mini challenge of the day, I want you to choose one actor who would be perfect for the role of Haymitch and then explain why. He is one of my favorite characters and I would love to know which actor you would want to play him in the movie. You can either leave a comment below with your answer or you can create your own blog post with pictures and then you can leave a link to your entry in the comments below.

Last Day of Mockingjay Countdown Begins Now

The first day and second day mini challenges and forms are now closed-you can no longer win the prizes for both the first day and the second day. And today, is the third and final day of the Mockingjay Countdown-and today I will be giving away my favorite prizes.

Here are the prizes one person will win today:

A hardcover copy of Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games inspired Katniss Charm Bracelet (made and bought from Cold Hands Warm Arts)


So make sure to come back throughout the day to participate in the mini challenges and then to win the two fabulous prizes-you will have to come back to my blog at 5 PM Central Time to fill out the form. If you don't fill out the form, you will not be entered to win the prizes for today. You will have to fill out the form before midnight tonight (August 24th) or else you will not be entered.

I hope all of you run to the store to buy Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins which is indeed out today!

Last Chance to Enter Mockingjay Countdown Day 1 + Day 2

Since it is 11 pm central time, there is only one more hour left to participate in all the mini challenges and to fill out the two forms for both days. After midnight tonight (August 23rd) you will no longer get a chance to be entered to win the prizes for both the first day and the second day.

Here is the form for the first day: Fill It Out

And here is the form for the second day: Fill It Out

You didn't have to participate in any of the mini challenges to enter and win the prizes, you get one entry for just filling out the form.

Make sure you come back tomorrow-because there is a third and last day filled with mini challenges and you can win the best prizes. But you also know what's happening in one hour? MOCKINGJAY BY SUZANNE COLLINS COMES OUT!!!!!!

I am so excited, and i hope everyone else is too.

Mockingjay Countdown Form (Day 2)

I hope you all had fun with the mini challenges for today-and now you can fill out the form to win the prizes. Remember that you have to fill out the form to be entered to win the prizes. And even if you participated in the mini challenges and do not fill the form out, you will not be entered. So fill out the form. And remember that you must have this filled out by midnight tonight (August 23rd) to be entered to win the prizes.

HERE IS THE FORM FOR DAY 2:



If you have any trouble filling out the form please email me here: smittenwithbooks (at) hotmail (dot) com

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 5 (Day 2)

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 5 (Day 2)

Remember that if you participate in this mini challenge, you will be given an extra four entries to win the prizes for today.

For the fifth and last challenge of the day (Day 2)-I would like you to tell me if you like the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer or The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins better. This is one of those questions that people have different opinions on, so it will be interesting to see which one you like better. I also want you to explain why you like one series better than the other. And like always, you can comment with your answer below or you can create your own blog post with which series you like better (either Twilight or The Hunger Games) and why, then you can leave a link in the comments below.
        

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 4 (Day 2)

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 4 (Day 2)

Remember that if you participate in this mini challenge, you will receive an extra four entries to win the prizes for today.

Since you have already chosen which actor/actress would be played for Katniss, and Gale, I want you to tell me which actor you would like to play Peeta in The Hunger Games movie and then you need to explain why you chose that actor. You can leave a comment below with your answer or you can create your own blog post with who you would cast for the role of Peeta and why, and then you can leave a link in the comments below.

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 3 (Day 2)

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 3 (Day 2)

Remember that if you participate in this mini challenge, you will receive an extra four entries to win the prizes for today

There are always book covers that are similar to another books, or remind you of another book. So for this challenge, I want you guys to choose a book that has a cover that is either very similar to or reminds you of one of these three books: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, or Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. You need to list the name of the book, the author, which book cover it looks like or reminds you of (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, or Mockingjay), and why it reminds you or looks like the books. But you can't use any of the other covers for  The Hunger Games like the swedish cover, or the chinese cover-your entry will not count then.

You can either leave a comment below or create your own blog post and leave a link to your entry in the comments below.

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 2 (Day 2)

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 2 (Day 2)

Remember that if you participate in this mini challenge, you will get an extra four entries to win the prizes for today.

For this second challenge, I want you guys to chose one animal that would best represent Katniss and explain why you chose that animal for her. You can leave a comment with your answer, or like always-you can make your own blog post with pictures and leave a link in the comments below.

Hint: The animal symbolisms may come in handy. Ex: Lion=Brave

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 1 (Day 2)

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 1 (Day 2) 

Remember that if you participate in this mini challenge, that you will add an extra four entries to win the prizes for today.

For this first challenge of the day, I want you to pick one actor who you think would be perfect for the role of Gale if there is to be a movie of The Hunger Games book. And then I want you to explain why. You can either leave a comment with your answer or create your own blog post with you would cast for the role of Gale and why. If you also create your own blog post on your own blog, you can add pictures and leave a link in the comments below.

Mockingjay Countdown Form Day 1

I am so sorry about the whole not being able to check more than one option if you spread the word or which challenges you did. And I thank you all for being so patient-I've been out of town and had no way to fix it until now, so I am very sorry about that. But I deleted the old one and here is the new one-only for DAY ONE.

Since I had a mess up with the form, all the mini challenges from day one will stay open until midnight tonight (August 23rd). So if you didn't get an opportunity to participate, make sure you do so to add extra entries. And this form is also open until midnight tonight (August 23rd)-so make sure you fill it out. And if you filled out the other one-you have to re-fill this one out-because I will not be using the other form to pick the winner. You will not be disqualified either so don't worry.

And make sure you still do the challenges for today (Day 2). They will be up a little later since I just got back but you can still participate in them and fill out the form for Day 2 by Midnight tonight to win the prizes for today.

SO HERE IS THE FORM FOR DAY ONE:


If I made any mistakes, or you can't fill it out for some reason-please email me here: smittenwithbooks (at) hotmail (dot) com

Mockingjay Countdown Day 2 Starts Now

Okay today (August 23rd) is the second day of the Mockingjay by Suzzane Collins Countdown. Once again, today there will be five mini challenges that you can participate in that will all end at midnight tonight (August 23rd). And all the mini challenges from yesterday (August 22nd) are closed-so you can no longer participate in any of those ones. And remember that if you do any of the mini challenges for today, you will add an extra four entries for each one you do to win the prizes for today. And if you create a blog post, twitter, or post on your blog sidebar-this will also add extra entries.

Here are the prizes that one person will win today:


A hardcover copy of Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games inspired Peeta backpack charm (made and bought from Cold Hands Warm Arts)

Make sure you come back at 5 PM Central time to fill out the form which will ask you which mini challenges you participated in, if you are a follower of my blog, and if you spread the word. If you do not fill out the form by midnight tonight (August 23rd)-you will not be entered to win the prizes for today, even if you participated in the mini challenges.

I hope everyone had a lot of fun yesterday and hopefully you will have a lot of fun today, too!

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 5 (1st Day)

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 5 (1st Day)

Remember that if you participate in this mini challenge you will add an extra four entries to win the prizes for today.

For this fifth and last mini challenge of the day, I want you guys to pick one song that most sums up, either The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins or Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. Make sure you tell me the name of the song, the singer or band, and which book it sums up below in a comment. Or like always you can create your own blog post about this, add pictures, and leave a link to your entry below.

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 4 (1st Day)

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 4 (1st Day)

Remember that if you participate in this challenge, you will add an extra four entries to win the prizes for today.

For this fourth mini challenge, I want you to tell me which of the The Hunger Games or Catching Fire characters you are most like. They can either be main characters or characters that are rarely in the book. And then I want you to explain why they are like you. You can either create a blog post on your own blog about this or you can leave a comment below with your pick of who is most like you and why. And like always, if you create your own blog post, you can add pictures and leave a link to you entry in a comment below.

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 3 (1st Day)

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 3 (1st Day)

Remember that if you participate in this challenge you will add an extra four entries to win the prizes for today.

For this third mini challenge, I want you to comment and tell me below if you are either: Team Peeta or Team Gale. And then I want you to explain why. You can also create a blog post on your own blog and leave a link to your entry below.

 

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 2 (1st Day)

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 2 (1st Day)

For this challenge, I am going to have you guys re-create the cover of either The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, or Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I got this idea from Princess Bookie (who does these a lot) and I decided to do one since everyone seems to really enjoy participating.

So the rules are as follows:
1. Create a blog post on your own blog with your re-created cover of either The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, or Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.
2. You then have to come back to this post and link it in the mister linkey below
3. You must create your cover and link before midnight tonight (August 22nd).

If you create a cover, everyone that does so will add an extra four entries to win the prizes for today (like every other mini challenge). And then on August 24th, I will have a voting, and the person's entry who gets the most votes will get an extra ten entries to win the prizes for the last day (August 24th).

So link your covers below:

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 1 (1st Day)

Mockingjay Countdown: Mini Challenge 1 (1st Day)

If you participate in this challenge, then you will receive an extra four entries to win the prizes for today. Here is what you have to do to participate in this first one:

Since there is some news for a The Hunger Games movie-I want you to tell me what actress you would cast for the part of Katniss. And then you need to explain why.



You can create your own blog post or you can leave a comment below with who you think would be perfect for the character of Katniss and why. And if you create your own blog post you can also add pictures and leave a comment below with your link.

Mockingjay Countdown Starting Line

Okay today (August 22nd) is the start date for the Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins Countdown. Today there will be five mini challenges that you can participate in-so make sure you watch out for those. They will each earn you an extra four entries to win the prizes for today. And remember if you are a follower and if you twitter, create a blog post, or post on your blog sidebar about this event-you will also earn extra entries.

Here is the prizes that one person will win today:

A paperback copy of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games Inspired Gale backpack charm (made and bought from Cold Hands Warm Arts)


Make sure you come back at 5 PM Central Time to fill out the form which will ask you which mini challenges you participated in, if you are a follower, and if you spread the word about this Mockingjay countdown event. If you don't fill out the form for the day by midnight Central Time tonight (August 22nd)-you will not be entered to win the prizes for today, even if you participated in the mini challenges.


I hope everyone has a lot of fun for the next three days and gets in the mood for the release of Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.

Mockingjay Countdown Starts Tomorrow

You can read more information about this event here. It will answer a lot of you questions. But if you have any other questions, please email me at: smittenwithbooks (at) hotmail (dot) com and I will gladly answer them for you.

This is a countdown for the book: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins which comes out on August 24th. So this event will take place from 12 AM on August 22nd and will end at midnight on August 24th.  Make sure you come back tomorrow because there will be five mini challenges put up throughout the day and if you enter them-you will receive four extra entries for each mini challenge you participate in. And at 5 PM tomorrow (August 22nd) I will post the form and you must fill this out to be entered to win the prizes for the day. It will ask you what challenges you participated in, if you are a follower, and if you have spread the word about the contests. So make sure you do fill it out else you will not be entered even if you participated in the challenges.

Make sure you do check out this post I created a few days ago because once again, it will answer all those questions you have and on it are the prizes you will be able to win for all the three days. And remember to come back to my blog, Smitten With Books, tomorrow bright and early for all the mini challenges you can enter.

The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff

The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff (ARC)
Publication Date: September 1, 2010
Versions: hardcover
Received from: One ARC Tours

Summary (from goodreads):
The absolute value of any number, positive or negative, is its distance from zero: |-1| = 1


Noah, Lily, and Simon have been a trio forever. But as they enter high school, their relationships shift and their world starts to fall apart. Privately, each is dealing with a family crisis-divorce, abuse, and a parent's illness. Yet as they try to escape the pain and reach out for the connections they once counted on, they slip-like soap in a shower. Noah's got it bad for Lily, but he knows too well Lily sees only Simon. Simon is indifferent, suddenly inscrutable to his friends. All stand alone in their heartache and grief.


In his luminous YA novel, Steve Brezeonoff explores the changing value of relationships as the characters realize that the distances between them are far greater than they knew.

This is one of those books that is very real and raw and worthy of a good read. Each five or ten chapters is told through one of these characters: Noah, Lily or Simon. They have been best friends for a long time and Lily also has feelings for Simon. Simon doesn't really notice and it drives Noah crazy since Noah likes Lily. They aren't known to be the best students due to them doing drugs but they are pretty good friends. And even though they all have their own things going on in their families-they stay friends and help each other out.

I liked that each character was so different. Simon was kind of the know it all and he just doesn't care about a lot of things. Noah is the sweet and kooky one who does a lot of weird stuff. And Lily is a girl who has a crush and also has insecurities with her body. Together they make good friends and even though their personalities clash at times, they understand each other.

Will I reread it?
I don't think so, but it is worth the first read. I would recommend this book to someone who is looking for something that will stand out.

Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

Wildthorn by Jane Eagland (ARC)
Publication Date: September 6, 2010
Versions: hardcover, kindle
Received from: We Love YA Tours!

Summary (from goodreads):
Seventeen-year-old Louisa Cosgrove longs to break free from her respectable life as a Victorian doctor's daughter. But her dreams become a nightmare when Louisa is sent to Wildthorn Hall: labeled a lunatic, deprived of her liberty and even her real name. As she unravels the betrayals that led to her incarceration, she realizes there are many kinds of prison. She must be honest with herself-and others-in order to be set free. And love may be the key...

This book was at first a little bit confusing but when I clicked with the different characters and the scenes, the story came alive. Louisa has always been different-liking the games her brother plays and wishing she could play them more often. But her mother doesn't approve of her behaviors especially when they lead to her destroying a doll and creating a few other experiments. But when Louisa is sent to Wildthorn Hall she is stunned-she shouldn't be at this place because she isn't crazy. And when they keep saying her name is Lucy Childs-she knows it isn't and they must have got the wrong girl. And when Louisa figures out why she had to go to Wildthorn in the first place, things start to make sense again.

This book jumps from the present to the past of Louisa's childhood where her mother is very un encouraging of her behavior. Her parents are very different and I enjoyed reading about them. Louisa is also a very strong character who knows what she wants and how she will get it.

Will I reread it?
I may have to. This was a very powerful book-one that you think about for a long time after you put it down. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a great read that will also haunt you.

Mockingjay Countdown Event

As all of you know, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins is coming out in about eight days-which is so amazing and exciting. And some of you may also know that I am hosting a huge Mockingjay Countdown Event here on my blog, Smitten With Books. This event is going to take place from 12 AM August 22nd and is going to end at Midnight on August 24th-which is of course the release date of Mockingjay.

Since August 22nd is right around the corner-I wanted to give you guys some more information.

1. Mini Challenges
There are going to be five mini challenges each day during this three day event. So there will be a total of fifteen challenges (all having to do with the Hunger Games trilogy) that you can end up participating in. You don't have to enter all of them if you don't want to and you don't even have to enter one if you don't want to-these are fun and will get you in the mood for the release of Mockingjay. But if you do enter the mini challeges, each one you participate in will earn you an extra four entries each day. So if you end up doing all the mini challenges for the day (five total) then you will get an extra 20 entries to win prizes. But each days worth of extra entries will only count toward that days prizes-and will not be carried onto the next day.

2. Following my blog, Smitten With Books
If you are a follower of my blog, Smitten With Books, you will also get an extra two entries each day. So on August 22nd you will get an extra two entries, on August 23rd you will get an extra two entries, and on August 24th you will get an extra two entries. Like the mini challenges extra entries-the follower entries will not be carried onto the next days.

3. Make a Blog post/Twitter/Blog Sidebar
You can also spread the word about this event either by a blog post, twitter, or posting on your blog sidebar. The last day you will be able to spread the word (and have the extra entries) is at Midnight on August 23rd (the second day of this event). And you may be wondering how many extra entries you will get since I mentioned them above.
Blog Post: 4 extra entries
Twitter: 2 extra entries
Blog Sidebar: 3 extra entries
You can do each one once only, and these extra entries will count toward each day of the events. So the total number of extra entries you could earn for each day is nine.

4. Prizes
You also may be wondering what you will be winning. Each day (August 22nd, August 23rd, and August 24th) will have a different set of prizes that you can win. And all your extra entries will be put toward winning that prize. Here is what you can win:

August 22nd (1st Day)
One person will win:

A paperback copy of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games Inspired Gale backpack charm (made and bought from Cold Hands Warm Arts)

August 23rd (2nd Day)
One person will win:


A hardcover copy of Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games inspired Peeta backpack charm (made and bought from Cold Hands Warm Arts)

August 24th (3rd Day)
One person will win:



A hardcover copy of Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games inspired Katniss Charm Bracelet (made and bought from Cold Hands Warm Arts)

Here are some of the questions that you may have:

Q: Can International (not living in the United States) participate?
A: Yes, of course. But unfortunately since I don't have a lot of money to spend on shipping right now, you will not be able to win any of the prizes. I am so sorry in advance for this.

Q: Can I post on my blog or twitter about the Mockingjay Countdown right now even though it's a few days away?
A: Yes, you can. This will get more people excited and will spread the word-so that would be great.

Q: How will you know that we are a follower, participated in the mini challenges, or spread the word about this event?
A: Each day (there will be three in total for all the three days) I will post a form that you will have to fill out so I know everything you have done. On it I will ask which mini challenges you have participated in, if you are a follower, and if you spread the word in any way (blog post, twitter, or blog sidebar)

Q: What if I don't fill out the form for the day but I have participated in the challenges?
A: Your entries will not count

Q: How will you choose the winners for all the prizes?
A: I will use random.org

Q: When do the mini challenges close?
A: The five challenges I post each day will close at Midnight on that day. So you will not be able to participate past that time.

Q: How will we know how to participate in the challenges?
A: I will post them throughout the day with instructions on what to do

If you have any more questions, please email me here: smittenwithbooks (at) hotmail (dot) com and I will gladly answer them for you. I hope everyone is excited for this event and the release of Mockingjay.

Winner of the Read Your Own Books Read-a-Thon Mini Challenge

The winner of the Read Your Own Books Read-a-Thon mini challenge is...

Darla

Congratulations, you have won an ARC of Firelight by Sophie Jordan. I have emailed you for your address. Thanks again everyone for entering my mini challenge and I hope everyone had a wonderful read-a-thon.

Read Your Own Books Read-a-Thon Wrap up

So, I guess you could say that I slacked (a lot) in this read a thon. I actually only read on Friday and that was only one book. This weekend was just so busy for me and I had so much going on plus I was hanging out with my friends on Saturday and Sunday so I didn't have any time to read.

So overall, this is what I read:

1. Wake by Lisa McMann

It definitely wasn't the ten books I was trying to get to. But there's always more read a thons and I hope I read more the next one I do. How was the read a thon for you?

Jump by Ginger Rue

Jump by Ginger Rue (ARC)
Publication Date: September 14, 2010
Versions: hardcover
Received from: Around the World Tours

Summary (from goodreads):
High school junior Brinkley Harper is beautiful, wealthy, admired, and powerful-until the day she wakes up in the body of a classmate she wouldn't be caught dead hanging out with.


Goth girl Miranda is everything Brinkley isn't: she won't leave the house in anything but black, her family life is in tatters, she's practically invisible at school, and she's hiding a dark secret. As Brinkley experiences Miranda's life from the inside out, she's forced to consider the world from a very different point-of-view. But this won't be Brinkley's last "jump," and each time she lives a day in another classmates body, Brinkley not only begins to feel empathy for others, she also begins to glimpse the fears, vulnerabilities and disappointments behind her own perfect facade. By experiencing the world as somebody else, Brinkley may finally learn to understand herself.


A contemporary fantasy featuring a gutsy heroine and fast-paced action, Jump explored the transformation of a girl who never knew she needed one.

Lets face the truth, Brinkley is one of the meanest and most unlikable characters I have ever read about in a book. But that was the point-so the author displayed this character really well. Brinkley is popular, rich and everyone knows it. She would never hang out with the less than popular group and she doesn't care about showing her mean side. Everyone hates her or fears her but she doesn't care. That is until she wakes up in another girls body. She can't stand Miranda, the goth girl at school, and she can't stand being in her body either. But soon she realizes that Miranda's home life is anything but normal and that not everyone is what they seem on the outside.

I guess you could say that Brinkley learns and grows a lot up until the end of the book, but I didn't feel any sympathy for her and didn't really care about her. The book was pretty funny though and I loved reading about what Brinkley had to do when she was in Miranda's body-like finding her locker and figuring out the combination for the lock.

Will I reread it?
Probably not, but I did enjoy the book. I'm kind of sick of the whole mean girl character because it's so overdone but Brinkley takes it to a whole new level. I would recommend this book to fans of the movie: Freaky Friday.

Read Your Own Books Read-a-Thon Update 1 (Friday)

The Read Your Own Books Read-a-Thon is hosted by Monica at the Bibliophilic Book Blog. You still have time to sign up so go here if you want to join in on all the fun.

I only got through one book yesterday, and it wasn't even on my list that I was going to read.

1. Wake by Lisa McMann

The reason I only read one book was that I babysat for about nine hours yesterday and I didn't have any time to read while I was with the kids. So I hope to make up for that today, and read a lot.

And if you are apart of this read-a-thon make sure you join my mini challenge to win an ARC of Firelight by Sophie Jordan. Go here to enter.

Read Your Own Books Read-a-Thon Mini Challenge

I hope everyone is having a wonderful read a thon. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, Monica from The Bibliophilic Book Blog is hosting this read a thon which starts at 9 AM Friday August 13th and ends at 9 AM Monday August 16th. And I am hosting a mini challenge for this read a thon.

Here is what you have to do:

Pick one book from the read a thon that you have read so far. And then choose three characters from the book (they can be major characters or characters that are rarely in the book-it's up to you). And then you have to find one actor or actress for each character that would be perfect if the book is going to be made into a movie. Overall you will have three actors or actresses picked out to represent your three chosen characters from the book.

And then in a post on your own blog or in a comment below this post, name the title and author of your book and then the names of the three characters you picked and which actress or actors you would pick to play them in the movie version of the book.

There are a few rules though:
1. If your book is already made into a movie-you can't just write down those actors or actresses-I won't count it then.
2. You have to live in the United States (sorry to the international bloggers, but I don't have a lot of money to ship international)
3. You have to be signed up for this read-a-thon (and if you haven't but want to, make sure you do so here). Make sure you don't lie because I will check if you linked your blog to the mr linkey on Monica's blog

Here is an example of what I want you to do, just in case my instructions weren't clear enough (you cannot use this example as your own-I will not count it if you do)

I chose the book Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty


1. Jessica Darling would be played by Evan Rachel Wood
2. Marcus Flutie would be played by Shane Kippel (Spinner from Degrassi)
3. Hope would be played by JoJo

And if you make your own blog post, you can also add pictures. And then leave a link in the comments. If you are also a follower of my blog, Smitten With Books, you get an extra two entries-so please write +2 follower if you are a follower of my blog. But you don't have to be a follower to enter this challenge.

You may be wondering what you will be winning. Well here it is:

An ARC of Firelight by Sophie Jordan. So start leaving comments. This challenge will run from 8 AM Friday August 13th until 8 AM Monday August 16th. So the giveaway will be closed at 8 AM on the 16th. Good luck to all of you and have a wonderful read a thon.