Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tyngas Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. Including books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Hey book nerds! :D How are you all doing today? :) One of my neighbours dogs had a litter of puppies two weeks ago, and I was allowed to go see them yesterday afternoon! They're so cute and adorable. They've not opened their eyes and are just flopping around on their tummies to get fed by their mum. ;_; Cuteness overload! I really want one.. ^^; Unfortunately, my mum won't let us get another dog. Oh well. :3 As for my reading status, I finished reading My Soul To Save yesterday and I absolutely loved it! I'm now currently reading Boys, Girls and Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman, and I'm really enjoying it so far. Anyway, that's it for today - I hope you all had a great week! :D

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Photos And Book Information
Icons (Icons, #1) by Margaret Stohl.
The Arrivals by Melissa Marr.

A BIG thanks to Harper Collins, and the imprint of HP, Harper Voyager for sending me these two books for review! ^.^ I can't wait to start them. :)

Wake (Dream Catcher, #1) by Lisa McMann.
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson.

I could hardly believe my luck when this copy of The Name of the Star came in the post and it was signed! :D *Squeals*


Girl Parts by John M. Cusick.
Two Truths and a Lie (The Lying Game, #3) by Sara Shepard.

Envy (The Fury Trilogy, #2) by Elizabeth Miles.
Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler & Maira Kalman.

E-books Bought

Tell by Carrie Secor.
Shelter (Blood Haze, #1) by Tara Shuler.
Wicked Games (Games, #1) by Jessica Clare.
Awaken Me (Connected, #1) by Emily Gossett.

Wicked Fate (Wicked, #1) by Tabatha Vargo.
Sky Song (Sky Song Trilogy, #1) by Sharon Sant.
Just Remember To Breathe by Charles Sheehan-Miles.
Death Is Just The Beginning (Infectious, #1) by Steven J. Davies.


I love the looks of all of these books. There's not much else to say. :P I'm really excited about my signed copy of The Name of the Star, I squealed like a little girl when I saw it! :D I'm also really interested to start the rest of them; I've heard some awesome things about all of them. :) As for the eBooks, like always, they were all freebies on Amazon! Go check them out, maybe they will still be free. :3 Have you read any of these books? Let me know! ^.^


What books did you get this week? Leave me a comment or a link to your blog post and I'll be sure to check it out. ^.^ Happy reading! (:




Title: Professor Gargoyle.
Series: Tales from Lovecraft Middle School, #1.
Author: Charles Gilman.
Publication Date: September 25th, 2012.
Publisher: Quirk Books.
Format: Hardback, 168 pages.
Source: Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:



Strange things are happening at Lovecraft Middle School. Rats are leaping from lockers. Students are disappearing. The school library is a labyrinth of secret corridors. And the science teacher is acting very, very peculiar. Robert Arthurt knew that seventh grade was going to be weird, but this is ridiculous!

With the help of some unlikely new friends, Robert discovers there's more to Lovecraft Middle School than meets the eye. Can he uncover the secrets of the school before it's too late?


First off, can we take a moment to appreciate the awesomeness of the holographic cover? I’ve never seen anything like this on a book before! If you’ve not seen in real life before, on this one; the man is normal, but when you move, he turns into a creepy demon! Moving onwards...

I’ve personally not read a whole lot of middle grade novels, even when I was a younger kid; I went straight from reading kids books to reading young adult books and the Harry Potter series. I’ve never really been sure of the reasoning for this, maybe it’s because, even as a kid, I was way more mature for my age than anyone else I knew. So, when I found out Quirk Books were wanting people, including me, to review their middle school series, I jumped at the chance.

I was, however, a little wary about what I would think of the characters and the writing style. Usually younger characters really irritate me, this is because they’re usually portrayed as really immature (they’re kids – and kids are immature in general) and it just irks me. I’m really glad to say that I was very pleasantly surprised when I started reading Professor Gargoyle, because neither the characters nor the writing style was like that! Professor Gargoyle was such an amazing, quick and fun read. The book is primarily aimed at the younger age group, but I think even adults would really enjoy reading it as well.

Robert is our main protagonist; he’s twelve years old and lives with his mum who is constantly working. I loved his character - he was a little shy at first starting his new school, but generally quite funny, forgiving and such an innocent and relatable character. Roberts’s old School bully ends up attending his new middle school, and even though Robert had hoped the tormenting would have ended by now, he was wrong. I know exactly how it feels to be bullied, as I was bullied since I was a little kid, right up into adult-hood. I’m sure that pretty much everyone has been teased a little at least in their life-time, kids are just cruel and mean a lot of the time – and I found it really interesting to see Robert’s reaction to being bullied again. The anxiety of the possibility of having to see that person again, and feeling like you’re not able to stand up for yourself – all these emotions were played out really well in the book, creating a very relatable atmosphere.

The illustrations throughout the book were really beautiful and well done. I thought that they added a touch of personality to the book and made it really interesting just to look at in general. Charles Gilman’s writing style was great and such a joy to read, and I loved pretty much everything about the book. Although I did think the ending was a little too rushed – I also thought that it was finished really well, leaving the ending perfectly open for the next book in the series to continue on from.

Overall, I really loved reading this book - it was great to read something quick but fun and different from what I usually read for a change. I’ll definitely be continuing on this with series, because it feels impossible not too! I gave the book 4/5 stars, and I think it really deserved it - the extra star wasn’t given, mainly because of the shortness of the book, the rushed ending and how apprehensive I was about starting this series in the first place. I need to read more of this story as soon as possible – hopefully I’ll start reading the sequel, The Slither Sisters sometime soon!


Quotes
Robert looked from left to right and back again. Both girls had fair skin and long red hair. They looked so similar, they could have been sister.
In fact, they looked virtually identical.
“Wait a second,” he said. “Are you two-”
“Twins,” they said simultaneously, almost sighing, as if they were tired of answering the question. Page 24.

Then there was a hideous snapping sound, and the bottom half of Goyle’s jaw collapsed. It fell open like the mouth of a ventriloquist’s dummy, revealing sharp white fangs and a gaping black maw. Goyle lowered the hamster between his lips and swallowed it whole. - Page 84.

“You’ve been a real jerk to me, Glenn. All the name-calling, the pushing, the shoving, the gummy worms. I used to wish that a giant monster would come out of nowhere and swallow you whole. I never thought it would actually happen.” - Page 110.




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

Hey Book Nerds! :D How are you all doing? I have a question for you guys, I've been debating about picking up a copy of Game of Thrones, but the synopsis of the book doesn't really appeal to me. I know it's supposed to be really good, so should I just pick it up and give it a chance or not? :) I really can't decide. xD I've not got a whole lot else to say today, except I starting reading the second book in the Soul Screamers series, My Soul To Save, by Rachel Vincent yesterday and I'm loving it so far. The first book, My Soul To Take was one of my favourite reads from last year. Hopefully this one will be just as good. :) I hope you all have a great rest of the week!






Title: Where the Stars Still Shine.
Author: Trish Doller.
Expected Publication: September 24th, 2013.
Publisher: Bloomsbury.
Format: Hardback, 352 pages.



Stolen as a child from her large and loving family, and on the run with her mom for more than ten years, Callie has only the barest idea of what normal life might be like. She's never had a home, never gone to school, and has gotten most of her meals from laundromat vending machines. Her dreams are haunted by memories she’d like to forget completely. But when Callie’s mom is finally arrested for kidnapping her, and Callie’s real dad whisks her back to what would have been her life, in a small town in Florida, Callie must find a way to leave the past behind. She must learn to be part of a family. And she must believe that love--even with someone who seems an improbable choice--is more than just a possibility.

I'm so excited for the release of this book! I love books like this, because you can never tell what kind of direction they're going to go. :3 As for the cover, I think it's absolutely gorgeous! :D I love the fonts and blurred background effect. It's so pretty. ^.^ What do you guys think of the looks of this book, have you heard of it before? :) Let me know! ^.^



What are you "Waiting On" this Wednesday? Leave me a comment or a link to your blog post and I'll be sure to check it out! :D Happy Reading. (:



Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Hey Book Nerds! :D How are you all doing today? I hope you've all had a great weekend - mine was good. It was my Brother's 24th Birthday yesterday, so on Sunday evening we had a family get-together with cake and drinks. :) I don't get to see a lot my family that often, so it's great when I get the chance. Anyway, moving on - as you can tell, I'm starting a new meme this week! I've been interested in doing Top Ten Tuesday for a little while now, but just haven't managed to get round to doing my own post - so I'm really pleased to have finally done one! If I don't feel like doing one of these every Tuesday (or I don't like the weeks post) then I'll probably post a Teaser Tuesday - but until then - I'm looking forward to participating in this new meme. ^.^ Now, onto the meme!

Top Ten Books I've Read So Far In 2013

1. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa.
At first I was a little hesitant at picking this book up, but I was soon drawn into the amazing storyline and world Julie created. It was such an amazing book and the writing is absolutely wonderful - I couldn't put it down! It’s quickly become one of my favourite books and I can't praise it highly enough. It's one of those novels I wish I could rate higher than 5 stars.


2. Die For Me by Amy Plum.
I absolutely adored this book! The entire thing blew my mind and I loved every minute I spend reading it. It was an extremely hard book to put down and had such a unique and interesting plot. The characters were lovely and the writing beautiful - it's a definite must read for anyone who loves books with paranormal aspects. (Plus, it's set in Paris!) I can't wait to devour the second novel in this trilogy.


3. Pretty Girl Thirteen by Liz Coley.
I raved about this book so much to my mum, that she went online and bought herself a kindle copy - she loved it too! Pretty Girl Thirteen has to be one of my favourite books I've read so far - not just this year. It was such an incredible book, and beautifully written - I loved reading every minute of it. The whole storyline was just fantastic and I've never read anything like it before. I'd recommend this book to anyone, even if you're an adult, I'm sure you're going to love it!


4. Hollow Pike by James Dawson.
I've not read a whole lot of books about Witches, and I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about the whole sub-genre. However, after reading Hollow Pike, I was completely swayed! Although the book doesn't focus on the whole aspect of witch craft, it's mentioned and woven into the story along with a lot of mystery. I loved this book so much; James Dawson's writing is flawless and captures the audience within the first few pages. I was such an incredible book and I'd recommend it to anyone!


5. Partials by Dan Wells.
Wow. That's all the words I can muster for this book - I loved this book so much, that I can barely find the words to type this short paragraph, let alone a review. This book was really phenomenal! I've never read anything like it before, and it was just an incredible, post-apocalyptic novel with paranormal aspects of sorts woven in. The writing is incredible and the characters such a joy to read about. Why can't I rate it more than 5/5 stars?!


6. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting.
As many of you all know, I'm a huge sucker for murder mystery novels and this book was right up my street! Not only was there murder, but the main character has a special ability to find dead bodies - isn't that so awesome and unique? This novel was really fantastic and I devoured it in one of two sittings. I don't care if you don't like mystery novels - go read this one - you won't be disappointed, I swear!


7. Vesper by Jeff Sampson.
This was a pretty quick read for me; I read it in one sitting because I just couldn't put it down! I'd heard mixed reviews on this novel, but was excited to start it - and oh my gosh - it was incredible. The story is being told by the main character to another character. At the end of each chapter, the pair discusses what has been said in the chapter. It sounds confusing, but it was really easy to read - and I definitely wasn't expecting a lot of the things that happened. It was just an incredible book that keeps you on edge and I loved reading it!


8. Clarity by Kim Harrington.
Our main protagonist in this novel, Clarity, sees things when she touches objects - things like secrets and lies. Then a murder happens and Clary is asked to help with the investigation because of her gift. Throw in a hot new guy and an ex-boyfriend trying to win her back and you've got yourself the perfect novel in my opinion! I really enjoyed this book, it was so interesting and had a slightly different take on the whole psychic abilities. It was a fantastic book and the writing was absolutely wonderful. Bring on the sequel!


9. The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett
I'd been pining for this book for months and was finally granted access to it via NetGalley earlier this year, prior to the release date. The Nightmare Affair was extra-ordinary! I've read a lot of books with paranormal aspects, but nothing like this. The main character is a Nightmare. Literally. She can enter and control people’s dreams and ends up having to solve a murder. This incredible book combines two of my favourite genres to read about; paranormal and murder mystery! I loved this book so much and can't recommend it enough!


10. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare.
I'd heard so many amazing things about this book/series in general that I knew I had to purchase myself a copy. Before I could, however, my mum brought me a copy for Christmas as a suprise. Her friend had read it and suggested it to my mum. I fell in love with this book and the entire world Cassandra Clare created when I read it. Her writing is flawless and incredibly detailed and interesting.




What are your Top Ten Books You've Read In 2013? Leave me a comment or a link to your blog post and I'll be sure to check it out! ^.^ Happy reading! (:

E-Book Haul #4



Hey book nerds! :D How are you all doing today? :) I'm sorry that today’s post isn't going to be a STS psychical book haul, but I've had a busy weekend and couldn't get any footage filmed because I had my friend Sarah over for the day yesterday. :) It was great to see her; I've not seen her since before my birthday because she's been away at University for ages. As for my reading; I started reading Professor Gargoyle by Charles Gilman last night and I'm really enjoying it so far - I think I'm over half way done with it. ^.^ It’s such a fun book, and a really quick read as well. :) I'm also working really hard on my new blog layout and coding, but like I've said before, it's taking a while, so you'll have to be patient. :P Anyway, I hope you've all had a great week! :D


E-books Bought

Stitch (Stitch Trilogy, #1) by Samantha Durante.
Fighting Destiny (Central Coven, #1) by K.D. Carrillo.
New Girl (Anti-Heroes, #1) by Louise Bohmer & K.H. Koehler.
Shattered Promises (Shattered Promises, #1) by Jessica Sorensen.

Funny Tragic Crazy Magic by Sheena Boekweg.
Empath (The Empath Trilogy, #1) by HK Savage.
River's Recruit (Sanctuary, #1) by Charlotte Abel.
Grey Eyes (The Forever Trilogy, #1) by B. Alston & Quinteria Ramey.

The Forever Contract by Avery Sawyer.
Mesmerized by Julia Crane & Talia Jager.
Origins (Zombie Games, #1) by Kristen Middleton.
Concealed Power (The Healers of Meligna, #1) by K.J. Colt.



I'm really excited about all of these eBooks, they all look like really fun and interesting reads - I can't wait to get around to eventually starting them. :) At the time of the purchase, all of these books were free on Amazon. If you're lucky, some of them may still be! :D And if they're not now, maybe they will be again soon. ^.^ I'm not sure which one I'm most excited to start reading, but they all have gorgeous covers! :D I love the cover for Drawn, it's so pretty. :3 I also really like the cover for Concealed Power, it's really cool and I love the colouring. :) SO MANY AWESOME E-BOOKS! :D Have you read any of these books? Or have you heard of them? Let me know! ^.^



What books did you get this week? Leave me a comment or a link to your blog post and I'll be sure to check it out. ^.^ Happy reading! (: