Winner of NOBODY and EVERY OTHER DAY

Congrats to:
Kate

a Rafflecopter giveaway

- she'll have one week to contact me or a new winner will be chosen.

Winners of signed THE ARCHIVED bookmarks

Congrats to the winners:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

- they will  have a week  to contact me and if I do not hear from them the contest will be redone.

Keeper - keeping it real

I'm having a lot of fun being a Keeper, gave away some more of the signed THE ARCHIVED bookmarks to a library.  


Gave away some more bookmarks today to:
 
- an employee from the Abrahams Branch of the Omaha Public Library.

"Waiting On" Wednesday - Fuse

"Waiting On"  Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm waiting on... 

Fuse by Julianna Baggott

* Book will be released February 19, 2013

Check out the description from Goodreads:

"When the world ended, those who dwelled within the Dome were safe. Inside their glass world the Pures live on unscarred, while those outside—the Wretches—struggle to survive amidst the smoke and ash.

Believing his mother was living among the Wretches, Partridge escaped from the Dome to find her. Determined to regain control over his son, Willux, the leader of the Pures, unleashes a violent new attack on the Wretches. It’s up to Pressia Belze, a young woman with her own mysterious past, to decode a set of cryptic clues from the past to set the Wretches free.

An epic quest that sweeps readers into a world of beautiful brutality, Fuse continues the story of two people fighting to save their futures—and change the fate of the world."

Pure was such a surprising book, the dark situations and plethora of characters made for a chilling/scary/addictive read.  Multiple points of view were used and really brought the whole story to life.  I can't wait to read what happens next and see where Fuse takes this engrossing/intriguing story.

Astute Asunder

Asunder by Jodi Meadows

* ARC won from the awesome people at Epic Reads 

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

Ana continues to be a strong character with a lot to prove.  Also I continue to find the whole act of reincarnating in this society to be really intriguing.  Some people in Heart have known each other since the beginning (almost 5,000 years).

There is plenty of new insanity in this installment of the story.  More is learned about newsouls and why everyone reincarnates over and over. Getting these answers though is not easy.  

Sam and Ana have quite the relationship.  He’s technically a heck of a lot older than her so there are some age issues he has to get over.  Ana is not the best at relationships either because she didn’t really have a loving childhood.  They take everything slowly but do really seem to grow as a couple.

The danger level is ramped up even more in this book, lets just say that you haven't seen the last of Janan.  There is violence and intrigue aplenty and of course plenty of mysterious behavior.  Ana has even more to care for and more to protect than she ever has before.

This book has an intense ending and is full of surprises.  I can’t wait to read the conclusion to see if Ana can figure everything out and know once and for all what’s going on.  I hope this series has a happy conclusion but I have a bad feeling that there’s going to be a lot of death in the future.


My Favorite Quote:
“People don’t want a lot of things, but they get them any-way.”  Such as newsouls, or roses of indeterminate color.  “I liked the roses for what they were.”

Sentence Sneak Peek - Asunder

Asunder by Jodi Meadows

The first sentence from each chapter of Asunder, it's a mini summary of what you can expect to read.

* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)
* ARC won from the awesome people at Epic Reads

“MY LIFE WAS a mistake.”

“DARK TENDRILS FLICKERED in and out of the light.”

“CRIS LEFT THE cottage as the sun rose.”

“SAM WAS ALREADY sleeping on the sofa when the noise came, a soft shriek of wind that sent splinters of fear through my chest.”

“AFTER MORE RESEARCH and note consolidation than I could stand, I slumped on the rickety bed to check my SED.”

“A COUPLE OF hours later, the sylph watched us go.”

“THE COUNCILHOUSE WAS an immense building with a wide half-moon stair spreading out from the front.”

“I WASN’T ALONE.”

“I’D BEEN RIGHT about the shift in Heart over the next couple of weeks.”

“IN THE MORNING, Sam and I headed to the Councilhouse, a firm plan in mind: deny.”

“WHEN I CAME out the side door, the market field was still busy with people walking around, chatting, and listening to music on their SEDs, but not as crowded as before.”

“THE TRUTH ABOUT newsouls?”

“CRIS SAID HE’D be happy to fit us in, so the next after-noon, Sam and I headed through the city, toward the northeast quarter.”

“THROUGH THE WINDOW glass, the sky turned velvet indigo as the sun hovered below the city wall and horizon.”

“NO SOUND EXISTED inside the temple, not even ringing in my ears, like silence after a loud noise.”

“BRIGHT WHITE SURROUNDED me.”

“THE WATER BOTTLE dropped to the floor, spilling open, and Meuric howled with laughter.”

“I MADE IT as far as South Avenue before my legs refused to work anymore, so Sam carried me.”

“AFTER TELLING SAM everything that happened in the temple, I didn’t have the energy to attempt translating the books, though I’d hoped to try.”

“AFTER EVERYONE FINISHED deciding who would do what for our market day demonstration, we broke into smaller groups.”

“THERE WERE THREE more explosions, each an hour after the one before.”

“WHEN I GOT up a few hours later, I started coffee and took care of all the chores.”

“INSIDE WHIT’S HOUSE, warmth prickled across my face as I unwrapped my scarf and pulled off my coat.”

“NO.”

“AS I LEFT his room, I wanted him to stop me.”

“DAYS LATER, WE walked to the street and South Avenue, past walls of snow rising as high as my shoulders.”

“I TUMBLED INTO the white chamber, all painful glow of everywhere-light and the deafening throb of Janan’s heart-beat.”

“MISTAKE.”

“AFTER STARTLING STEF and Cris into silence, I marched over to Meuric’s skeleton and kicked the skull.”

“I SCREAMED.”

“AFTER SPENDING A few days in the hospital, I was taken to the Council chamber.”

Top 5 Sundays - Fave On-Going TV Series! {Part II}

This feature was thought up by the awesome Larissa's Bookish Life
Rules:

1 - Write a post listing your TOP 5 choices within the theme I chose (or was chosen on a poll) for the week.

2 - Mention this Blog on the post and link back to it.

3 - Feel free to use the Features image

4 - After you've finished your post, add your link (of the post, not your blog's main page) to the Mr.Linky at the end of that week's post.

5 – If you don’t have a blog to post, just leave your list in the comments =)    


Top 5 Sundays - Fave On-Going TV Series! {Part II}

I participated in the first part of this list so here are my next top 5 favorite on-going TV series.

 

SpongeBob SquarePants is a show that I've loved since the very first episoede.  I think it's funny no matter how old you are.  There are so many great quotes and it is infinitely rewatchable.

 

Sherlock is so good and really makes me curse the fact that British TV seasons are so short.  There are only six episodes in two seasons so far. Each episode feels like a movie and the stories and characters are really strong.  I highly recommend this series because it brings Sherlock Holmes to modern times very well.

Futurama is another show that I've stuck with since the beginning and I was thrilled when Comedy Central started showing new episodes.  I love all the scifi-tastic elements and it's pretty darn hilarious.

NCIS is one of those shows that I only watched because my dad always had it on.  Now though I find myself watching it all the time too.  It's one of those shows that you land on while flipping through the channels that you just have to watch until the end.

American Dad is so much funnier than Family Guy.  The jokes and the characters just seem to connect so well.  I find myself actually laughing out loud at so many of the episodes.

A Keeper's Work is Never Done

Spreading The Word About The Archived

Me and Tiny Reverse Vampire ventured out to Barnes & Noble and The Bookworm.  

We left a special surprise (one of the signed bookmarks) in the only copy at Barnes & Noble at Crossroads in Omaha, NE.

We made sure to face out The Archived and put it on the top shelf.

 

The bookmarks that we gave to The Bookworm.

 

The awesome YA/Kids section worker that we found at The Bookworm.  They said they would order the book and it will be in next week.

Giveaway - Win NOBODY and EVERY OTHER DAY

* The publisher has provided me with a prize pack of a hardcover of Nobody and a paperback of Every Other Day.  Try your luck and see if you can win this awesome prize.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Noticing Nobody

Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

* ARC provided by the publisher for review

5 out of 5 gnomes

I adored this book with it’s teenage assassin, intriguing world, and crazy organization that needs to be thwarted.  

It’s told in dual perspective (having a dual perspective is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to see in a book.)  Claire and Nix are two very different people and their distinct points of view are very entertaining to read.  They seem like polar opposites at first and then everything just kind of snaps together when they actually meet.  They have a connection right away but it does take them awhile to figure out that they really shouldn’t be enemies.  

Claire seems to be just a rather nondescript girl at first but then finds herself in trouble and on a brand new path in life.  She is definitely more important than she ever thought she could be.

Nix changes for the better even though he had a rather less than ideal upbringing.  I really like his character arc through the book as he figures things out and really begins to grow as a person.

The whole mythology of nulls, nobodies, and sensors is a great concept. The nobody ability is even better than being invisible because people just automatically forget about you and sometimes can’t seem to see you at all.  The null ability is scary though because they can’t help but be noticed and crave power.  The sensors are intriguing too because they can find nulls and nobodies and usually have at least one enhanced sense.  

It was really refreshing to read a strong standalone book.  If you’re looking for a unique story with strong characters then this is definitely the book for you.

Nobody - My Favorite Quotes/Lines

* ARC provided by the publisher for review
* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)

 “The only way you can make a difference in this world is to kill.”

“With the amount of time she spent reading and watching television, she really should have been a better liar, or at least a more creative one.”

“Not again, Claire told herself sternly.  If you say great one more time, I swear to God, I’m never speaking to you again.”

“Even clandestine farts had the distinction of being smelled.”

“Oh, God.  I’m jealous of farts.”

“I’m worth saving, just a little.”

“The resurrection of a dream was almost as hard as watching it die.”

“You don’t leave something that matters.  You don’t throw that away.”

“Together, they were somebody.”

“He was killing her, and she wasn’t even watching.”

“If you just let things go on and on and on, the best doesn’t happen.”

“And Google, which sent chills of terror down his spine.”

“Even if there were things he’d done that could never be made up.  That meant he had to make up for the little things more.”

“He wanted to make me happy.  So he built me a bookshelf.”

“She smiled, brighter than sunlight ricocheting off a sharpened blade.”

“When you tame something, it is wholly and uniquely yours.”

“I am what I am.  I am what I want to be.”

Happy Book Birthday to THE ARCHIVED

To celebrate The Archived being released today I've decided to have a giveaway of 15 of the signed bookmarks that I as a Keeper was given. I'll be giving away 3 packs of 5 bookmarks, then I'm hoping that the winner keeps one and gives away the other four to help promote The Archived more.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Archived - I was chosen to be a Keeper for THE ARCHIVED

I was chosen to be one of the first Keepers of the Archive by Victoria Schwab, so you'll be hearing a lot about THE ARCHIVED which is being released on Tuesday.  

When I first heard the description for The Archived I knew it was a book that I had to read.  I loved Schwab's first book The Near Witch too.  I'm a Library Assistant so if a book features a library and an interesting twist I'm going to have to check it out.  I read the preview of the first 100 pages of this book when it was on NetGalley and knew after that, that I really wanted to support the book so I filled out an application and was chosen to be a Keeper and now I get to spread the word about how awesome this book is. :)

Here’s a picture from the first task I completed:

15 signed bookmarks and a signed tote bag were delivered to the YA Librarian at the Benson Branch of the Omaha Public Library.

I also have a lot more signed bookmarks that I'll be giving away here on the blog tomorrow.

I can't wait to accomplish more tasks and spread the word about The Archived.

Goodbye Grandma Lu

It's going to be a rough week because my Grandma Lu passed away yesterday.  Even when you know that someone doesn't have long, it's still hard when they actually go.

It'll be hectic here especially with my Mom having 10 siblings (which means it's going to take some planning to get everybody together). Then there's the planning of the actual funeral which should be an interesting process.  Because of all the craziness here Bibliognome will be on hiatus until Monday January 21st.

Grandma Lu was never the baking cookies type of Grandma, her most well known phrase was Dammit the hell.  She loved bowling, was known to more often than not curse like a sailor, and was a kick butt kind of lady in her own way.  You always knew that she cared and she would always try to give whatever she could.

 Here's one of the last pictures that the family has of her, it really captures her spirit/personality well.

My pic. from when we went to visit her and she had a rather unfortunate perm. :)

Grandma Lu and me at my high school graduation.

Grandma Lu and my sister at her high school graduation.

Sentence Sneak Peek - Nobody

Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The first sentence from each chapter of Nobody, it's a mini summary of what you can expect to read.

* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)
* ARC received from publisher for review

“One week earlier . . .”

“Have a great summer!”

“Nix’s quarters at the institute were eggshell white and completely bare.”

“Claire’s resolve to have fun and be sweet was wavering.”

“It was an aberration.”

“Claire was about ninety percent sure that she was asleep.”

“Claire is smiling.”

“Claire had, not surprisingly, imagined what death would be like.”

“Nix’s feet pounded against the ground.”

“It was one thing to think, during your worst moments, that you were unlovable.”

“Nix woke the next morning with a weight on his chest.”

“Situation: You wake up in the woods with no memory.”

“The décor in Ione’s office was all metal and sharp corners, glass tabletops and see-through chairs.”

“Less than shadow.”

“She’s better at this than she should be.”

“Middle of the middle.”

“Nix tried to concentrate on Claire’s question.”

“Faded, Claire flew.”

“White floors.”

“The world can’t touch me.”

“Claire’s being quiet.”

“Claire stared up at the ceiling, eyes wide open, Nix asleep beside her.”

“Nix wove his way in and out of the crowd, putting distance between himself and the Sensors, choosing his vantage point carefully.”

“Claire couldn’t dwell on the liquid ease with which Nix moved, the way his eyes narrowed in an almost snakelike fashion as his limbs fell into a blur of motion.”

“Society operatives had standing orders to self-destruct rather than risk exposure.”

“Claire let out a breath that she hadn’t realized she was holding.”

“White walls.”

“Claire pulled herself away from Nix.”

“Nix was about ninety percent sure he was unconscious.”

“Six months later . . .”