Clean Sweep ARC Challenge May 2014

Hi, guys. My ARC pile is getting out of control (both the physical and the e-pile) and even though I have my own Better Late Than Never ARC Challenge going on, I figured it could not hurt to get a little more motivation. So I signed up for the Clean Sweep ARC Challenge hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Angela's Anxious Life. The challenge begins May 1 and ends on May 31. I don't have a set list of books I want to read just yet and am just going to try to read as many review books as possible during the month.

Wish me luck. My reading has been so slow lately due to my work schedule and I am hoping that this will get my butt in gear. If you're interested, you can still sign up here.

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Manicure Monday (60): Heart of Steel

Hi and welcome to Manicure Monday, a feature that combines my love of reading and nail polish. Each week I will showcase one of my current reads along with a matching book manicure. Enjoy!

Hello again. I am very sad that the weekend is over. Nothing really exciting is happening this week so I just plan to chill out (and work of course). April was a super crazy month and I am glad that it's over and things are finally calming down. This week's MM features Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook. This is the second book in the Iron Seas series and I am loving it. Brook is a really fantastic writer I love that there is so much incredible world building as well as great romance. I really hope that Brook comes out my way someday so that I can meet her. Anyways, let's check out this manicure.

For my index and middle finger I wanted to mimic the look and texture of the cover. It's mostly made up of dark browns and blues so I started off with a base Essie Cocoa Martini (dark brown). Using a makeup sponge, I lightly dabbed Fingerpaints Artistic Azure (metallic blue) over the nail unevenly to mimic the mottled look of the cover. 

Next I used a stamping plate and Wet N Wild Grey's Anatomy to stamp on the gears. I used Cheeky plate CH-33 which I also used in my original manicure for The Iron Duke. There aren't really a ton of steampunk stamping plates out there. After stamping the gears, I went back in with the makeup sponge and lightly dabbed over it with the blue again to help the gears blend in.

Next I wanted to create a stormy sky on my ring and pinkie fingers. I started with 2 coats of Essence Movie Stars (med grey creme). Then I used a makeup brush to sponge on Cult Nails Tempest (white creme) to create the clouds. I put on top coat while it was still a little wet to help blend the colors together. After that I used acrylic paints to paint the airship. It's the best airship and it kind of blob-y but it was the best I could do. :)

For my thumb I wanted to do something a little different and my eye was drawn the the leather armband on the cover. In the book, these are used to ward of zombie bites. I used 2 coats of OPI 4 In the Morning from the Gwen Stefani collection as my base. It's a black with a satin finish which was perfect for the leather. Then, using a dotting tool and OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby (gold), I dotted on the studs in a V formation.

I like this manicure a lot even though my airship is kind of sad. I did this one really on the fly and wasn't really sure what I was going to do with it until I did it. The book is awesome as well and I am happy to have a manicure to commemorate it.

I hope you guys liked today's manicure. Have you read this series yet? If you haven't, you really, really must. I love it so much and I think it has something for everyone. Go get it. Now. :)

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Stacked (104)

Inspired by Pop Culture Junkie and The Story Siren, Stacked is a weekly post where I share with you the books that I've bought, borrowed or received for the week.

Hi, everyone. I am off to a bit of a late start today. Spent most of yesterday volunteering for the Pasadena Teen Book Festival. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw some pics that I posted. It was a really cool event and I'll probably be blogging about it over at Read Now Sleep Later in the next week or two. But I showed amazing restraint and only purchased one book yesterday. Let's see what I got this week!

Bought

This is the one book I bought at the festival. It's There Will Come a Time by Carrie Arcos. I had a chance to chat with Carrie yesterday and hear her speak and was just really impressed by her. I was also intrigued because the book from the point of view of a Filipino-American male. Carrie herself is not Filipino and when I asked her about why she chose to write the character as such, she said that she thinks that there needs to be more diversity in YA and that she, as a writer, was someone who could try to do something about that. There was more to it, but I thought that was really cool and it's also set in Eagle Rock, which is close to where I live. He also has a twin sister and, having a twin brother myself, any stores featuring brother/sister twins always interests me. 

I bought the entire 4-book Hearts of Anemoi series by Laura Kaye for less than $2 this week. Yes, you hear that right. The bundle for books 1-3 was on sale for $0.99 and book 4, which just came out this week, was also $0.99. I am not sure if the prices will still be this low when this post goes up, but you should definitely get these books if they are. I have heard really good things about them and am really excited to have all 4 now.

For Review

The Last Good Night (Parts I - V) by Tiffany Reisz - Another entry into the serialized book format. But this one is from one of my favorite authors so I had to request it.

Arrow by Monica Murphy - I am not usually into Highland romances but this one caught my eye on NetGalley. I mean, look at those abs.

And the book I am most excited about....

The Saint by Tiffany Reisz!! I was really surprised to see this one up on NetGalley this week. I downloaded it ASAP and can't wait to start. I have a couple of things to read this weekend but am hoping to begin this one next week.

That's my book haul this week. Have a lovely Sunday!

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What Does the Bookworm Say?: The Change-Up - The Wolves of Mercy Falls

Hi and welcome to a new feature here on Nite Lite called What Does the Bookworm Say? that I am doing with my friends at The Reader's Antidote, Books Unbound and The Windy Pages. This week's topic is a recurring topic about cover changes. We are talking specifically this week about the recent announcement that The Wolves of Mercy Falls (aka Shiver) series will be getting a cover makeover in anticipation of Sinner, a new companion novel to the series.

So let's take a look at the original covers.

No I've been a fan of the original covers for a long time. Shiver is my favorite but I love all of them. I really like that they are illustrated and how they all go together but are still different. Each book also has text printed in a different color to match the cover, which is really cool. In my book, these covers are great and did not need updating.

Now let's take a look at the cover for Sinner and the re-vamped covers for the rest of the series.

As you can see, they have kept elements of the original covers, such as the trees, silhouettes and even the colors. But even though they are similar, I can't help but think that the new covers are so much more generic and cheesy looking. They look a little bit like a homemade Photoshop cover. Some of those can be awesome but look really flat and boring to me.

As you can see, I much prefer the old covers to the new ones. While I understand the desire to have continuity with the new novel's cover, I don't like the new style and I think they could have done without the revamp. That's my two cents. Let me know what you guys think of this cover change in the comments below.

And be sure to check out what The Reader's Antidote, Books Unbound and The Windy Pages thought of this topic as well. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, just leave it in the comments below. Thanks!

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Uncovered (105): Jackaby

Hi guys! Happy Friday to you. I don't know about you but this week has gone by so slowly for me. I am super excited that it's finally Friday and that the weekend is almost here. I'll be at the Pasadena Teen Book Festival tomorrow if you're there so come say hi.

This week's Uncovered post is about Jackaby by William Ritter. I found this one while browsing Edelweiss the other day. Yes, I totally troll review sites for new books and great covers. This cover immediately caught my eye. The double image profile short has been done before but I like the style and they all seem a little different. This one has a very vintage look with the hazy image style of dress. I like that the blue is bright but not too bright and the splash of red is a nice accent. This is a historical detective story ala Sherlock Holmes and looks like it's going to be a really good read.

Have you guys seen this one yet? Are you sick of profiles or do you dig them like me?  Thanks for stopping by today. Have a wonderful weekend and hope to see you in Pasadena tomorrow.

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Audiobook Review: The Black Echo by Michael Connolly

Title: The Black Echo (Harry Bosch #1)

Author: Michael Connolly
Publication Date: December 1, 2002
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Adult Mystery/Thriller
Find It: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Audible
Source: Library

For maverick LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch, the body in the drainpipe at Mulholland Dam is more than another anonymous statistic. This one is personal...because the murdered man was a fellow Vietnam "tunnel rat" who had fought side by side with him in a hellish underground war. Now Bosch is about to relive the horror of Nam. From a dangerous maze of blind alleys to a daring criminal heist beneath the city, his survival instincts will once again be tested to their limit. Pitted against enemies inside his own department and forced to make the agonizing choice between justice and vengeance, Bosch goes on the hunt for a killer whose true face will shock him.

When a body is found in a drain pipe in the Mulholland Dam, Detective Harry Bosch knows it's more than just the tragic fate of a homeless man. The victim is from someone from Harry's past and the investigation leads him down a dark and winding road that will test him in more ways than one.

I don't usually read a series out of order but that's what happened and I read Nine Dragons, book 15 in the series a couple of years ago. It had good points but I didn't love it and put off reading more in the series until now. The first book in Michael Connolly's popular Harry Bosch series is gritty, twisted and full of surprises. I listened to this audiobook in one week while commuting and it was great at helping pass the time while stuck in traffic. Bosch is a throwback to the grizzled noir detectives of the past. He's smart and unrelenting and has a hard time with authority.  He can be gruff at times but it's clear that he cares the victims in his cases. I also enjoyed that the story was set in LA (where I live) and the city was great backdrop for the unfolding mystery.

The story was well paced and full of twists that I did not expect. It was also really interesting to see how Bosch meets Eleanor Wish, a character who comes back later in the series. Dick Hill is the narrator for the audiobook and he has a great voice that embodies Bosch well. There's a grit to it and a sort of wariness in the voice that fits the character well. I wasn't as big of a fan of his female voices - Eleanor comes off as a bit high pitched and breathy - but he is a very good narrator overall.

I am glad that I returned to the beginning of this series. While I don't think I will be rushing out to get the next book but it will be on my list of books to read when I am in the mood for a well written mystery. Recommended for fans of noir and hard-boiled detective stories and mysteries.

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Visit the author online at www.michaelconnelly.com/, Facebook and follow him on Twitter @Connellybooks

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LA Times Festival of Books - Day 2 Recap

Hi, guys. I am back with my recap of Day 2 of the LA Times Festival of Books. Shout out to my friends Kimberly at The Windy Pages, Nicole at The Reader's Antidote, Crystal from Books Unbound, Laura N and Aly from Kidlit Frenzy for hanging out.

My first top of the day was the Mrs. Nelons's book who was having a signing with Marissa Meyer, Robin Benway and Sarah J Maas. I brought my copy of Cress for Marissa to sign. She was a sweetheart as always and I was so glad she was at the fest.

I did not have any physical books for Sarah to sign but was getting some signed for a friend, so I was able to chat with her for a bit, too. She was lovely and I think my friend saved her by giving her some sunblock. Sarah's seat was right in the full sun.

Here is Robin Benway looking glam and beautiful.

I really wanted to go to the Somewhere in Time panel with Ann Brashares and Melissa de la Cruz but the signing line took too long so we missed it. But we were able to run over to the signing line before it got started as I had a copy of The Ring and the Crown for Melissa to sign.

Melissa isi always fun to see and she told me that she is currently working on the next book in the Ring series. While in line for Melissa, I took a few drive by photos of the other panelists. (Note that I do a lot of drive by photos when I don't have time to get in a line.)

Here is Eoin Colfer. He's a very handsome and distinguished looking man. I haven't read any of his books but I think I need to change that.

And here is Ann Brashares signing many books. I wanted to get a copy of Her Name is Memory signed but they did not have it for sale at the fest.  After the signing I stopped by the panel with Ava Dellaria and Steven Chbosky. Ava was there to talk about her new book Love Letters to the Dead. No pics of this one since it was dark and I was way in the back. Really interesting panel though. I have heard lots of good things about Love Letters and hope to read it soon.

Next we went back to Mrs. Nelson's for a signing with Amy Tintera and Emery Lord.  Here is Amy signing Kimberly's copy of Reboot. Amy was super nice and I kind of love her hair. 

Next up was Emery Lord, whose debut novel Open Road Summer is garnering a lot of buzz. After meeting her I really want to read her book.

More signings were next and we hightailed it to the Pages booth to see Rachel Hawkins and Stephanie Perkins. 

Our next mission was food but the food truck lines were insane. I really wanted a boba drink from The Boba Truck though.  So I waited in line for that and it was so worth it. :) 

Drive by photo of Ava Dellaria.

But I didn't just stalk authors all afternoon. There were some great panels at the YA Stage and I was able to catch two of them. The first was Young Adult Sci-Fi: Fantastical Tales with Leigh Bardugo, Cecil Castellucci, Sarah J. Maas, Marissa Meyer and moderated by Andrew Smith. This was a great panel with lots of interesting tidbits and funny moments.

Sorry for the awkward pic but we were way to the side of the stage and I could not get a really good angle. I also stopped by the YA Stage Told From the Heart Panel withmoderator Amy Spalding and featuring Stephanie Perkins, Emery Lord and Joanna Philbin.

 

It was a very fun panel as you can see above and a great way to end the day. Right before we left we swung by the Chronicle Books booth where everything was 50% off. You can met I bought some books from them. :)  This year's Festival was super fun and I had a great time. Can't wait for next year!

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Manicure Monday (59): Also Known As

Hi and welcome to Manicure Monday, a weekly feature where I combine my love of nail polish and reading to show you one of my current reads as well as a matching book manicure.

Hello, again! I hope that you all had a nice Easter weekend. I don't really celebrate Easter but it was nice to have a relaxing Sunday. A lot of stores are closed on Easter so it really forced me to just chill out. This week, I am reading Also Known As by Robin Benway. I just saw Robin at Bookfest last weekend which prompted me to move this up in my pile. It's a lot of fun so far and I hope to finish it soon.

I wasn't sure what to do with this cover at first but, after a little bit of thinking, came up with some ideas. First I painted all of my fingers except my pinkie finger with 2 coats of Zoya Holly, a vibrant metallic green. Next, using Zoya Lara (hot pink creme) and a small nail brush, I painted the letters AKA to match the title font. It was a little hard getting the pink to show up on the green but I went over it a couple of times, which helped. 

On my pinkie finger, I used 2 coats of Zoya Raven (dark metallic black) as a base. I then used a long, skinny nail brush and Zoya Dove (light grey creme) to create the pinstripes of the cover skirt.

For my thumb, I wanted to do something a little different and found inspiration on the back cover. The back cover is taken up mostly by a large magnifying glass which I recreated with Barry M Mint Green for the middle and Zoya Dove again for the metal parts of the magnifying glass. I added a couple of white lines to make it look reflective and that was it!

This manicure was pretty easy to do and I liked the results. Hope you guys liked today's manicure. Have you read Also Known As yet? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Have a good week!

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