The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


  All I can say is...wow. When I first read the back of the book I was like hmm this sounds pretty interesting. Then I find that a book club that is meeting this Sun is reading this book, I went and grabbed on up so I could join..and just wow.
   It all starts on Rosie's ninth birthday, when she bites into her chocolate lemon cake, made by mom, and she tastes all her mother's feelings. You meet her brother Joe is distant from the family, always in his room, and just simply wants nothing to do with Rosie. You slowly find out how sadly dysfunctional and distraught the family is when Joe starts disappearing.
    I felt so sorry for Rosie, who had a mom who always looked for signs from above, and to find out that the sign that lead her to marry the father wasn't really a sign from above....but one the father carried out. To have a father who wasn't really good at the parenting thing. And to have a brother who wants nothing to do with her.
    It drove me nuts about how the mother thinks of Joe when he wants nothing to do with the family. That no matter what he did, in the mother's eyes he could do no wrong. Of course that changed on the last 5 pages when you find out what caused the disappearances.
   This book is just so heartfelt, easy to read and amazingly written. I definitely recommend this book.



View all my reviews
On the eve of her ninth birthday, unassuming Rose Edelstein, a girl at the periphery of schoolyard games and her distracted parents’ attention, bites into her mother’s homemade lemon-chocolate cake and discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother’s emotions in the cake. She discovers this gift to her horror, for her mother—her cheerful, good-with-crafts, can-do mother—tastes of despair and desperation. Suddenly, and for the rest of her life, food becomes a peril and a threat to Rose.
The curse her gift has bestowed is the secret knowledge all families keep hidden—her mother’s life outside the home, her father’s detachment, her brother’s clash with the world. Yet as Rose grows up she learns to harness her gift and becomes aware that there are secrets even her taste buds cannot discern.

What's cuter than a cupcake? A cake pop, of course! Wildly popular blogger Bakerella (aka Angie Dudley) has turned cake pops into an international sensation! Cute little cakes on a stick from decorated balls to more ambitious shapes such as baby chicks, ice cream cones, and even cupcakes these adorable creations are the perfect alternative to cake at any party or get-together. Martha Stewart loved the cupcake pops so much she had Bakerella appear on her show to demonstrate making them. Now Angie makes it easy and fun to recreate these amazing treats right at home with clear step-by-step instructions and photos of more than 40 featured projects, as well as clever tips for presentation, decorating, dipping, coloring and melting chocolate, and much more.

I had to pick this book as soon as I found it. I love any baking/decorating books since I'm in the process of becoming a pastry chef myself.

  Magic Burns by IIona Andrews

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Just finished this book today, and actually can't wait to start the next one. The 1st book in the series was okay, very hard to get through, but I liked the story line. Andrews creates an entire world and creatures to fill it. From shifters to vampires to reeves they're very creative. Now being a vamp fan ( I won't lie...I love Trueblood vamps..Eric drool drool)  I wasn't to sure I liked her vampires..just undead bodies being piloted by masters of the undead...and how she describes them...( again Erid Nortman....drool) But in this book I slowly became to like them a lil more.   Kate is powerful...but haven't found out what she is yet...and it is driving me crazy... I MUST find out what she is and why she has to burn anything that her blood comes in contact with.  And then there's Curran...the beast lord. I guess I'm a hopeless romantic because every time they talk to each other I hope they get together. I think they're just good together...even though sometime usually brakes...or they get into an agreement when they talk..but they understand each other at times.   All in all, I did like the book and will be starting the 3rd book in the series "Magic Strikes" tonight.  

View all my reviews >>



As a mercenary who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels knows how waves of paranormal energy ebb and flow across Atlanta like a tide. But once every seven years, a flare comes, a time when magic runs rampant. When Kate sets out to retrieve a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta's paramilitary clan of shape shifters, she quickly realizes much more is at stake. The stolen maps are only the opening gambit in an epic tug of war between two gods hoping for rebirth, and if Kate can't stop the cataclysmic showdown, the city may not survive.

Win an ARC of Torment at Shannon Whitney Messenger

http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com/2010/08/win-arc-of-torment-by-lauren-kate.html

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by  The Story Siren

This week I found an awesome used book super store were paperbacks are only 1.99, and hard covers are 2.99...to say the least...it was awesome.

GIVEAWAY! The Hunger Games & Catching Fire @ssalach21's Flipping Pages For All Ages , Ends 8/2!!!!

http://flippingpagesforallages.blogspot.com/2010/07/hunger-games-catching-fire-giveaway.html

  Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Frost has done it again, produced a sexy action filled book. Loved this addiction. I love the symbolization of the darkness that he visioned, and how you learned some more about Mencheres.And that throughout the book you got Mencheres' and Kira's point of view.I feel with Frost's writing, it's easy to picture whats going on.

View all my reviews >>

An immortal war has been brewing in the darkness . . .
And now one woman has stumbled into the shadows.

Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she's only imagined in her worst nightmares.
At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master vampire who thought he'd seen it all. Then Kira appears—this fearless, beautiful . . . human who braved death to rescue him. Though he burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life. Yet sending her away is unthinkable.
But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose either the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.

Shift by Rachel Vincent

    Marc or Jace? I still cannot choose, they're both so different by yet they're both the same.I know confusing.. In this book you really see Faythe's true potential to become the next Alpha. Her alpha instinct kicks in to put everyone she loves before herself. You get introduced to the rare thunderbirds, (who are shifters who shift into huge birds.) While war is on hand with Malone's pride, the thunderbirds come and attack Faythe's pride for revenge. Faythe is the only one who can clear her pride's name and make peace with the thunderbirds. This is by far is my favorite book in the series.

Being the first female werecat enforcer isn't easy. Scars accumulate, but I'm stronger in so many ways.
As for my personal life? It's complicated. Choices worth making always are. Ever since my brother's death and my father's impeachment, it's all I can do to prevent more blood from spilling. Now our Pride is under attack by a flight of vicious thunderbirds. And making peace with our new enemies may be the only way to get the best of our old foe.
With the body count rising and treachery everywhere, my instincts tell me to look before I leap. But sometimes a leap of faith is the only real option….

Prey by Rachel Vincent
 
The story picked up after the characters have had time to adjust to the changes thrust upon them in the prior book. Then it throws a series of curve balls, which gives everyone something to do and hold your attention. Faith is, of course, in the thick of most of it. This book held the most emotion turmoils so far. I've never been so angry at a fictional character (Malone) and couldn't stop crying at the end. It was one of those books where you want to stop reading to cool off...but you can't because you have to know what happens.

Sometimes playing cat and mouse is no game…
Play? Right. My Pride is under fire from all sides, my father's authority is in question and my lover is in exile. Which means I haven't laid eyes on Marc's gorgeous face in months. And with a new mother and an I-know-everything teenager under my protection, I don't exactly have time to fantasize about ever seeing him again.
Then our long-awaited reunion is ruined by a vicious ambush by strays. Now our group is under attack, Marc is missing and I will need every bit of skill and smarts to keep my family from being torn apart. Forever.

Pride by Rachel Vincent
    The series is definitely an attention grabber as it continues on from the first two books. Faythe Sanders is a rebellious werecat who goes against her father's order's to prove her worth. She stands out and doesn't allow the men of the pride to rule her life. It helps that her father is the Alpha and understands that she is not going to become as the other tabbies.

I'm on trial for my life. Falsely accused of infecting my human ex-boyfriend—and killing him to cover up the crime. Infecting a human is one of three capital offenses recognized by the Pride—along with murder and disclosure of our existence to a human.
I'm two for three. A goner.
Now we've discovered a rogue stray terrorizing the mountainside, hunting a wild teenage tabbycat. It's up to us to find and stop him before a human discovers us. With my lover Marc's help, I think I can protect the vulnerable girl from both the ambitious rogue and the scheming of the territorial council.
If I survive my own trial…

Rogue by Rachel Vincent
   Excellent Story. Marc and Faythe are great together. I wish she knew it though. She's a bit too stubborn for her own good and takes risks before thinking them thru. She seems to be in trouble before she knows it and has herself in a bad situation in this book.

I know that better than most. Since rejoining the Pride, I've made big decisions and even bigger mistakes: the kind paid for with innocent lives. As the first and only female enforcer, I have plenty to prove to my father, the Pride and myself. And with murdered toms turning up in our territory, I'm working harder than ever, though I always find the energy for a little after-hours recreation with Marc, my partner both on and off duty.
But not all my mistakes are behind me. We're beginning to suspect that the dead are connected to a rash of missing human women and that they can all be laid at my feet—two or four, take your pick. And one horrible indiscretion may yet cost me more than I can bear.…

    Man I'm getting behind. These past few weeks have been so hectic with leaving the military and setting up to move on to a new life....6more days and counting till we leave the island.
    And so unto catching up with the few books I have been able to read:

                                                         Stray by Rachel Vincent
     In the beginning I almost put it down. I honestly couldn't stand Faythe Sanders. She's whiny and selfish and I just wanted to smack some sense into her. But I kept with it and so glad that I did. This book starts her transformation from her selfish ways to whats best for the pride

I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds.
Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a Stray attacked.
I'd been warned about Strays—werecats without a Pride—constantly on the lookout for someone like me: attractive, female and fertile. I fought him off, but then learned two of my fellow tabbies had disappeared.
This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back…for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I'm no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever—and whoever—I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays—'cause I got claws, and I'm not afraid to use them….

Win an eReader or $100 Amazon.com GC.  International. Ends July 15th, 2010.
Check it out here: http://www.bibliophilicbookblog.com/2010/05/here-we-go-again.html 

 There's two Nightshade book giveaways going on at the moment.

    1st giveaway is at the blog Read My Mind who is giving away:
         *Copy of Nighshade by Andrea Cremer, signed by author
          Wicked Lovely series bookmark, signed by author Melissa Marr*
 Check it out here: http://aliseonlife.blogspot.com/2010/06/blowout-birthday-book-giveaway-6.html

     The 2nd give away is at An Avid Reader's Musings, who have two giveaways going on as well:

         1st giveaway: Included in this prize pack is a signed galley of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer, The Body Finder bookmark signed by the author Kimberly Derting, a Radiant Shadows bookmark signed by the author Melissa Marr and a High Court faerie court bracelet, inspired the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr.
http://avidreadersmusings.blogspot.com/2010/06/30-on-30th-prize-pack-1-nightshade.html
                                
        2nd giveaway: An ARC of Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Also included in this prize pack is a Dark Court bracelet inspired by Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series.                  
                   http://avidreadersmusings.blogspot.com/2010/07/30-on-30th-prize-pack-4-beautiful.html          

While other teenage girls daydream about boys, Calla Tor imagines ripping out her enemies’ throats. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Calla was born a warrior and on her eighteenth-birthday she’ll become the alpha female of the next generation of Guardian wolves. But Calla’s predestined path veers off course the moment she saves the life of a wayward hiker, a boy her own age. This human boy’s secret will turn the young pack's world upside down and forever alter the outcome of the centuries-old Witches' War that surrounds them all.

            Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.                                                          

Join in on the fun of "My -belated- Birthday Giveaway!" check it out here: http://kaydencebookblog.wordpress.com/2010/06/03/my-belated-birthday-giveaway/

The first winner will receive their choice of one of the packs below.  The second winner will receive their choice of a single book or the other pack.  For every 10 people who enter, I will add another winner and another single book.  Please let your friends know and increase your chances of winning and prizes available.

The packs are as follows:
The Uglies Series: includes Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras by Scott Westerfeld.
Books 1-4 in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan

The single books are:
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Maximum Ride (graphic novel)
Cut by Patricia McCormick

With this book the ending definitely came as a shocker! Yet again Jeaniene Frost shocks us with her twist to the typical vampire stereotype we're all used to.

Her deadly dreams leave her in grave danger
Since half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her undead lover Bones met six years ago, they've fought against the rogue undead, battled a vengeful Master vampire, and pledged their devotion with a blood bond. Now it's time for a vacation. But their hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when Cat awakes one night in terror. She's having visions of a vampire named Gregor who's more powerful than Bones and has ties to her past that even Cat herself didn't know about.
Gregor believes Cat is his and he won't stop until he has her. As the battle begins between the vamp who haunts her nightmares and the one who holds her heart, only Cat can break Gregor's hold over her. She'll need all the power she can summon in order to bring down the baddest bloodsucker she's ever faced . . . even if getting that power will result in an early grave.
 
The Night Huntress Series  deserves a 4 1/2-5 stars. I highly recommend these books for any vampire fan!!

 This book is Spade's (Bone's vampire life long friend) and Leslie's (Cat's good friend) story. Like her other books, I really enjoyed this and couldn't put it down. It's sexy, action-ed- packed, vampires, demons and zombies, what more could you ask for?

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Night Huntress series comes a breathtaking new journey to the dark side of desire.
The night is not safe for mortals. Denise MacGregor knows all too well what lurks in the shadows—her best friend is half-vampire Cat Crawfield—and she has already lost more than the average human could bear. But her family's past is wrapped in secrets and shrouded in darkness—and a demon shapeshifter has marked Denise as prey. Now her survival depends on an immortal who lusts for a taste of her.
He is Spade, a powerful, mysterious vampire who has walked the earth for centuries and is now duty-bound to protect this endangered, alluring human—even if it means destroying his own kind. Denise may arouse his deepest hungers, but Spade knows he must fight his urge to have her as they face the nightmare together . . .
Because once the first crimson drop falls, they will both be lost.

 This is the second book in the series and it was even better than the first! A lot of interesting details that are setting the stage for future plots. Lots of fun, good plot and sexy; immensely entertaining.

You can run from the grave, but you can't hide . . .
Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She's still using everything Bones, her sexy and dangerous ex, taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind.
Being around him awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline kick of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head—wanted: dead or half-alive—means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard she tries to keep things professional between them, she'll find that desire lasts forever . . . and that Bones won't let her get away again.


This book was one hell of a roller coaster ride! Every page you read brings a new twist and turn with it. The romance and thrills again, will keep you on your toes.

Some things won't stay buried . . . at grave's end

It should be the best time of half-vampire Cat Crawfield's life. With her undead lover Bones at her side, she's successfully protected mortals from the rogue undead. But though Cat's worn disguise after disguise to keep her true identity a secret from the brazen bloodsuckers, her cover's finally been blown, placing her in terrible danger.
As if that wasn't enough, a woman from Bones's past is determined to bury him once and for all. Caught in the crosshairs of a vengeful vamp, yet determined to help Bones stop a lethal magic from being unleashed, Cat's about to learn the true meaning of bad blood. And the tricks she's learned as a special agent won't help her. She will need to fully embrace her vampire instincts in order to save herself—and Bones—from a fate worse than the grave.

Like I mentioned earlier, I am participating in the 100 books in a year challenge and will be reviewing said books.

Start date: May 15 2010
End date: May 15 2011

I'm up to 10 books so far, 90 books left in 319 more days.


Book 1) Halfway to the Grave- Jeaniene Frost

    This book by far is my favorite vampire book series. Some books are slow to start in the beginning, but not with this book. It held my attention from the first page to the last. I really like how this author writes, it was very easy to picture everything as it happened without rereading sentences over and over.

Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father—the one responsible for ruining her mother's life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.
In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She's amazed she doesn't end up as his dinner—are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.
 

While Altus holds the answer to the location of the lost pages and one of the final pieces of the prophecy's puzzle, there are those who will not want us to reach its safe haven.

The Souls will not let us pass unchallenged.
And neither will my sister.

In this highly-anticipated sequel to Prophecy of the Sisters, sixteen year-old orphan Lia Milthorpe continues her quest to end an age-old prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other. Having now accepted the responsibilities tied to her role as the Gate, Lia journeys to the uncharted isle of Altus to continue her search for the missing pages of the Book of Chaos--the pages that could tell her how to end the prophecy. Along the way, her courage, strength, and soul are tested in ways she never could have imagined. What's also tested is her loyalty to James.

Meanwhile, twin sister Alice continues to hone her spellcasting abilities, completely ignoring the rules that govern the Otherworlds. Alice will stop at nothing to reclaim Lia's role of Gate, and that's not the only thing she wants. There's also Lia's true love, James.

The outcome of this battle between sisters could have consequences of Biblical proportion. And in the end, only one sister will be left standing.

The  Subtle Chronicler having a book giveaway....and you get to pick the book!! Check it out here: 
http://thesubtlechronicler.blogspot.com/2010/06/book-of-your-choice-giveaway.html

Nymfaux is holding a contest to give away the book, Lifted, *SIGNED* by Wendy Toliver  check it out at http://nymfaux.blogspot.com/2010/06/not-until-i-have-25-followers-contest.html#comments

So I decided to finally join the blogging world. At the moment I'm doing the 100 books in a year challenge and so will be reviewing said books.

And to kick start my 1st blog why not have a giveaway?  Up for grabs will be a book by the fabulous Rachel Vincent, Stray. I have recently just read this book and I highly recommend it. Though I wont lie, I almost put it down at first since Faythe Sanders starts out whiny and selfish, but I kept going, and I'm really glad I did. Faythe undergoes an experience that starts her transformation from her childish tendencies to a mature adult. There is 6 books in the series so far; Stray, Rogue, Pride, Prey, Shift, and Alpha will be coming out soon.

To Enter:
Comment on this post,
+1 for following this blog
+1 for following on twitter (vierelements)
+2 tweeting about this contest

Contest is open for US residents only. Contest ends July 3rd.

Let the contest begin!!