{Top 10 of 2013} Books I’m Looking Forward To In 2014

And now for the final installment of the Top 10 of 2013: the top ten books that I am looking forward to in 2014. There are a LOT of books coming out next year that I can't wait to read, which made narrowing the list down really hard. Here is what I managed to pick out:

 

  

 

  

A couple other books I can't wait to read include:

Untitled (Penryn & The End of Days #3) by Susan Ee

Rain (Paper Gods #2) by Amanda Sun

What else would you add to this list?

{Top 10 of 2013} Best Villains of 2013

Merry Christmas! Today's topic was bloggers choice, and I decided that it would be more fun to chose the best villains that I've encountered this year through my reading. Luckily, this list can refer to villains from any book I read this year, not just the ones released in 2013. This means I have a better pool of villains to choose from! Here are some of the best villains that I came across this year (in no particular order):

Lex Luthor 

(Superman: Last Son of Krypton by Elliot S! Maggin)

Lex Luthor was all sorts of fun to read about in this book! He's always been one of my favorite DC villains, and Maggin portrayed him fantastically in this novel.

Lucian

(Demon: A Memoir by Tosca Lee)

How creepy would it be to have a demon stalking you? Plus, you never knew what form he would take, since he was able to possess all kinds of people.

Lola LeFever 

(The Girl Who Would Be King by Kelly Thompson)

Lola LeFever was all sorts of awesome, and totally batshit crazy. I loved reading from her POV - she was a good comic book villain.

The Angels

(World After by Susan Ee)

I know, I know - I picked them last year, but they were still as crazy as ever in the second book, so I had to list them again. Especially that scene at the party where they rip apart the humans to shreds.

Long John Silver

(Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Long John Silver is a very notable villain, and for good reason, too. It's hard not to like him because of the friendship he develops with Jim Hawkins, but he is quite a fearsome pirate, and fun to read about.

The Slashers

(Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster)

(Tarnished Knight by Bec McMaster)

These guys are sick! They take people off the streets and drain their blood to sell to members of the Echelon, and they're ruthless.

The Vampire

(Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster)

Definitely not sparkly or beautiful, the vampires in this novel have pretty much been reduced to basic carnal instincts, and they have brute strength and strong senses to boot. Very scary, since they truly are monsters.

Mrs. Patterson

(Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks)

Mrs. P makes this list because she's a freakin' teacher's aide, and she (just out of nowhere) decides to kidnap an autistic child and keep him locked in a hidden room in her basement. People like that are insanely scary.

The Mutated Zombies

(The End Games by T. Michael Martin)

I don't know what possessed T. Michael Martin to mutate the zombies in his novel like he did, but those things are FAST - and creepy as hell.

Blanche & Her Sister

(Siege by Rhiannon Frater)

They make the list just for being the biggest b*tches I've read about this year. Nobody wants to be around self-entitled holier-than-thou psychos during a zombie apocalypse. Ain't nobody got time for that!

{Top 10 of 2013} Best Book Covers of 2013

There were so many great book covers for 2013 releases that it was really hard narrowing them down. Knowing me, I'll probably seeing a bunch of my favorites that I'd long forgotten about featured on other posts, and then curse myself for not remembering them. At any rate, here are ten of my favorite 2013 book covers, based on what I can remember off the top of my head:

 

 

 

 

 

{Top 10 of 2013} Best Books I've Read In 2013

  

Top 10 of 2013 is a five day, end-of-the-year blogging event that is being hosted by Fiktshun, Two Chicks on Books, and Magical Urban Fantasy Reads. Each day will feature a different top ten list, starting with today's list: The Ten Best Books I've Read In 2013. Luckily for me, this list is for books read in 2013, not just those which were published in 2013. This means I have more books to choose from! Now, without further ado, here are the ten best books that I've read this year:

   

 

   

In case any of you are curious, my number one spot this year goes to The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick, which was utterly amazing! I'm glad that I read it before deciding to watch the film, since I really did not like the movie at all - I felt that the characters fell flat, whereas in the novel they were fantastic! 

{Blog Review + GIVEAWAY!!!} Class of '98 by A.L. Player

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Jackie Dunn and Matt Stewart barely knew each other in high school, back when she was a blue-haired alterna-kid and he was a preppy jock. High school rules dictated they'd never hang out, or sit at the same lunch table, or God forbid, date.

But when a weird storm transports them from their ten-year reunion back to senior year, they have to work together to figure out a way to get back to 2008.

Stuck in high school, Jackie and Matt agree to tough it out. They agree to do everything exactly as they remember, even though that means staying with the boyfriend Jackie knows will betray her, or playing nice with the girl that will someday be Matt’s ex-wife. Soon, they come to rely on one other, even become friends.

Jackie’s just starting to get used to curfews and term papers again, when Matt hits her with the biggest surprise of all: he’s fallen in love with her. He’ll change the past however he has to if it means a future with Jackie. But Jackie’s terrified they’ll not only alter their lives, but the lives of everyone around them.

Back to the Future meets She's All That, Class of '98 is a young adult/adult crossover that will appeal to teens and adults.

This was an interesting book. I have always found time travel to be a fascinating topic, so I'm glad that I got to read this in exchange for an honest review. What was really intriguing to me was the fact that Jackie and Matt never really figured out what had happened to them or how they ended up literally re-living their high school days. The "time travel storm" was truly just part of the background in the story, despite having repercussions that were a main plot-line in the book. That wasn't a bad thing, really, since it kept the reader guessing.

I thought that the characters were pretty interesting, and I liked that they defied their stereotypes - Jackie had blue hair as a teenager and was described as "alternative," but she was really book-smart and compassionate; Matt was a jock and football star, and a popular "prep" student, but he was also a really nice guy who didn't care about what others thought of him. The two of them had cute chemistry together.

But I must say that Jackie really got on my nerves sometimes. Despite having the chance to start her life over again, she actually chose to relive it in exactly the same way, even though it made her unhappy. I know that she only did that because she was hoping that she could go back to her normal life in 2008, but I really doubt that others in her situation would do the same. Jackie also tended to complain a lot to herself while continuing to make those bad decisions, so I couldn't really sympathize with her. At least things eventually worked out for her. 

Overall I'd say this was a good story, and as a child of the 90's (I was born in 1989) I really enjoyed a lot of the pop culture references. This was also a light, quick read. I will warn you that the ending was rather abrupt, and could have been better (in my opinion), but it was worth a read. I say give it a shot. Even though Jackie's choices were sometimes unfavorable, it was still refreshing to encounter a character who actually deviated from the way you wanted her to be. Nice job!

About The Author

A. L. Player teaches middle and high school English in Atlanta, GA. She lives with her guitar-playing, English-teaching husband and their three crazy rescue dogs. Her last name gets about the reaction you'd expect. CLASS OF '98 is A.L.'s first novel.

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{Book Review + Giveaway} Northern Bites by Nikki Jefford

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Love bites.

Probation sucks.

Thanks to Dante’s recklessness, Aurora is now partners with Valerie: the redheaded, backstabbing vixen.

Dante is in full flirt mode. Fane’s tactics are more ruthless. Something carnal has awakened in Aurora and neither boy is helping tame her cravings.

When a member of the unit’s team is found dead, Aurora and Valerie are sent after a vampire in Sitka, but Aurora suspects the killer’s much closer to home.

*Book 2 in the 'Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter' series*

Another great story from Nikki Jefford! I enjoyed the first Aurora Sky novel so much that I was glad to get the chance to participate in another blog tour and read the sequel. In this book, Aurora and Fane are no longer together, and we get to see more of Aurora with Valerie, Dante, and also her mother. I don't think I have to tell you how rare it is to see a parental figure show up so much in a YA or NA novel - it was refreshing. And I enjoyed seeing Aurora's interactions with Valerie, too, since we got to see Valerie in a different light than just as the man-eating, boyfriend-stealing bitch she's usually made out to be.

I just love that Aurora is such a strong character - she's very multifaceted, and she's grown a lot since the first novel. I also like that she has seriously been re-considering her relationships to those around her, rather than just remaining stagnant with her feelings. Though she really cared for him, Aurora never considered Fane to be the "one true love" of her life, and she is actually aware that there are other options available to her. Bravo! Her world didn't end because she broke up with a boy! Though whether or not she still ends up with him has yet to be seen...I'm not the only one rooting for Dante, am I?

Like the first book, this was a quick read, and it was also well-written. The plot moved at a steady pace, and if I had started this book on the weekend rather than on a work day, I know I would have easily finished it in one sitting. There was a lot going on in this novel, plot-wise, but that's part of what kept it interesting! There was never a dull moment, and I'm curious to find out what happens in book three. If you like paranormal romance with characters that don't fall flat, then I highly recommend this series!

Check Out My Review of Book One:

Nikki Jefford is a third generation Alaskan who found paradise in the not-so-tropical San Juan Islands (Wash.) where she is once more neighbors with Canada in a town without a single traffic light. She loves fictional bad boys and heroines who kick butt.

When she's not reading, writing, working, or out on a nature walk, she's out riding her Suzuki DRZ400SM.

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