Monday Must Reads...WITH OR WITHOUT YOU!

Monday Must Reads! is a feature I created to showcase books that I think you, well, Must Read! (ha!).

Today's Must Read is one that my good friend @MandieBaxter recommended to me (and loaned out to me) and I couldn't be happier that she did. This book, simply put, ROCKS. Here's the synopsis so you'll know what it's about...



With or Without You
by Brian Farrey

product description from goodreads.com



Eighteen year-old Evan and his best friend, Davis, get beaten up for being loners. For being gay. For just being themselves. But as rough as things often seem, at least Evan can take comfort in his sweet, sexy boyfriend Erik--whom he’s kept secret from everyone for almost a year.



Then Evan and Davis are recruited to join the Chasers, a fringe crowd that promises them protection and status. Davis is swept up in the excitement, but Evan is caught between his loyalty to Davis and his love for Erik. Evan’s lied to keep his two worlds separate. Now his lies are about to implode…and destroy the very relationships he’s been trying to protect.



Trust me when I say that you want to read this book. Superb writing and heartfelt characters are just the beginning. Hurry and snag a copy today, and get lost (like I did) in the pages of Brian Farrey's gritty world!

TGIF over at GReads!

The awesomeness that is Ginger (or G, as I like to call her) over at GReads! has created a great meme that is tons of fun. Each Friday, she poses a question for anyone to answer. Go check her out and join in!

This Friday's Question:

To Be Read:

How big is your TBR pile?
Which book keeps getting pushed
down the stack, but you keep
meaning to read it?

Thanks for putting us all on the spot, G! haha.

But seriously, if you're a book lover (I suppose if you're reading this you most likely are, which is awesome!) then you know all about the ever-rising TBR pile. If you're not a book lover, TBR means To Be Read (and also...why don't you love books? I mean look at them, they're so pretty and smell great and have awesome adventures and romance and horror and angst inside!). And I'm sure that like each of you it's insanely ridiculous how many books you have yet to read.

Currently my TBR list on Goodreads is 361.

361?! Come on, if I read a book a day it would take me more than a year to finish it. Oy. I mean, my TBR pile is so tall I had to install one of those flashing lights to warn aircraft. Yeah, it's massive.

And I'm also sure that like most of you, books do tend to get moved down the list (and to be fair, some get bumped up the list, right?) from time to time. I know that when I discovered The Hunger Games I had to move several books down the list, because I just had to read the next two books immediately. And that has happened countless times over the years.



So I don't know if I can pinpoint one book that keeps getting bumped down to the bottom of the pile, studiously working its way back to the top only to be bumped down again (that sounds like Book Abuse, which should totally be illegal--but I'm so glad it's not because I'd be in jail). One that comes to mind right now is Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, which I've had for a while now but I just haven't brought it out to read. I'm not sure why, since so many people rave about how great it is. But alas, I haven't read it.

And judging by some great books I've discovered lately that seem to have jumped right to the top of the pile, it may be a while before I actually do!*


*my apologies to Anna, Etienne and Stephanie, who I'm sure are all great.

Waiting on Wednesday: UNNATURAL

The lovely Jill (a fellow Alabamian!) over at Breaking the Spine created the Waiting on Wednesday meme for us bloggers to showcase books we're waiting on.

This week's choice is one that is already out, but is currently on its way to me via Barnes & Noble...so I really am Waiting on Wednesday! lol

It's YA (naturally!), it's paranormal (dur), and it sounds really good! If you've never heard of it, please check out my WoW pick...



UNNATURAL
by Michael Griffo
pub date 2/22/2011

product description from goodreads.com



In the town of Eden in northwestern England stands the exclusive boarding school known as Archangel Academy. Ancient and imposing, it’s a place filled with secrets. Just like its students…



For Michael Howard, being plucked from his Nebraska hometown and sent thousands of miles away is as close as he’s ever come to a miracle. In Weeping Water, he felt trapped, alone. At Archangel Academy, Michael belongs. And in Ciaran, Penry, and especially Ciaran’s enigmatic half-brother Ronan, Michael finds friendship deeper than he’s ever known.



But Michael’s only beginning to understand what makes the Academy so special. Ronan is a vampire—part of a hybrid clan who are outcasts even among other vampires. Within the Academy’s confines exists a ruthless world of deadly rivalries and shifting alliances, of clandestine love and forbidden temptations. And soon Michael will confront the destiny that brought him here—and a danger more powerful than he can imagine…


Vampires outcasting vampires? Oh yeah, awesome! Like I said this book (and the 2nd in the series) is already out and on it's way to me, so I can't wait to start reading it!

Tune in Tuesday (7)...Soundtrack Edition!!

Today it is once again time for Tune in Tuesdays, a really cool meme created by my friend Ginger (or "G" as I like to call her!) over at GReads! This is a super fun meme that is filled with all sorts of music sure to give you a boost of energy and make you smile.

And G has gone one step further for the month of October, creating the Tune in Tuesdays: Soundtrack Edition!. I'm so excited about this, because songs only enhance movies in my opinion, and there are countless soundtracks that I love! Oh, and I'm like Jim Carrey in The Cable Guy...I think life would be so much more fun if it came with a soundtrack! :)

To kick off G's Tune in Tuesdays: Soundtrack Edition!, I had to pull out the one that kick-started my writing career (well, the book did actually, but the soundtrack definitely helped!). Now, if you know me--or have read my bio on here--then you know that a certain book made me get off my rear and start trying to become published. And I am not ashamed to say that I love said book. And I am also not ashamed to say that I love the soundtrack that goes along with it!

So my choice soundtrack for today is none other than...

Twilight - The Motion Picture Soundtrack

If you've never listened to it, you should. It really does have some great music! And as a feature, I've chosen my favorite song from the album. It's very very popular amongst Twilight aficionados, but non-Twilighters like it, too! It is...

Decode - Paramore

I love this song, this video, the mood it creates...basically all of it! I hope you enjoy!

Monday Must Reads...TIGER'S CURSE!

Monday Must Reads! is a feature I created to showcase books that I think you, well, Must Read! (ha!).

I've only just begun today's selection, but I have to add it to the Monday Must Reads! list. The writing is excellent and pulls you in from the very first page and only gets better from there. With exciting characters and prose, I hope you'll enjoy...


Tiger's Curse
by Colleen Houck

product description from goodreads.com

The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she’d be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world.

But that’s exactly what happened.

Face-to-face with dark forces, spell- binding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.

Tiger’s Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

“. . . a sweet romance and heart-pounding adventure. I found myself cheering, squealing, and biting my nails — all within a few pages. In short, Tiger’s Curse is magical." -Becca Fitzpatrick, New York Times bestselling author of Hush, Hush

For fantasy, Tiger's Curse is one of the best. Go see for yourself!