My Bookish Resolutions for 2015!

Lets just say that I try not to make personal New Years resolutions anymore; mainly because they just never pan out but, I could not resist to make a few bookish ones for the up coming year. Let's see how many of these I can get through in 2015. Well here they are....

Resolution # 1) Finish these dang blasted series that I have started in the past few years. One such series is the Beautiful Creatures one by Kami Garcia/Margaret Stohl. I also have to finish Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas and catch up on the Lincoln Lawyer series by Michael Connelly. 

Resolution # 2) Read more classic books; this should be easy because I found several digital copies on Oyster and in ePub format that I can read on the go. Not to mention iTunes U also has most of the classics as audio books. Right now I am listening/reading Sense and Sensiblity this way. It makes it ten times easier to get through the book quickly. And its calming; I know some would consider this cheating but, not really because I am also reading the words from from the page. I am averaging about 5 or 6 chapters a night. 

Resolution # 3) Read as many books by my favorite authors as possible. I have a small collection of J.J. Murray books that definitely need reading (I added three to my growing collection of his books recently - I am pretty sure I own them all). I also have the two Cormoran Strike books by Robert Gailbraith aka J.K. Rowling to get to.

Resolution # 4) Spend more time writing. It is my goal in 2015 to simply write more; to really be more creative with the talent God has blessed me with.

Resolution # 5) I will NOT join any reading challenges; including the one from Goodreads. I always set myself up for failure. I want to be able to really enjoy books; and putting a time constraint on myself will not help me.

Resolution # 6)  I will promote the Bookbabe even more. I will sign up for blog tours. This will allow my followers to find out about new authors and will help increase traffic to the blog. I will also (hopefully) be able to open a Zazzle store front to help buy for the books and giveaways. 

 Well there they are...my five Bookbabe Resolutions for 2015. What are yours? Feel free to share with me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/thebookbabeofde) or just comment below. 

Book Babe Book Blitz

Hey Book Nerds...twice every month I will be doing a book blitz. The blitz is a list of books that I have come in contact with on tumblr, amazon, the reading room and publishers newsletters. Each book featured will have a synopsis and their price (all prices will be from www.amazon.com).

The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima (8.99$ on Amazon) 
Here is the synopsis: 

Before he knew about the Roses, 16-year-old Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has to take daily and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from the other high schoolers. Then one day Jack skips his medicine. Suddenly, he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident than ever before. And it feels great - until he loses control of his own strength and nearly kills another player during soccer team tryouts.

Soon, Jack learns the startling truth about himself: he is Weirlind, part of an underground society of magical people who live among us. At their helm sits the feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose, whose power is determined by playing The Game - a magical tournament in which each house sponsors a warrior to fight to the death. The winning house rules the Weir.

As if his bizarre heritage isn't enough, Jack finds out that he's not just another member of Weirlind - he's one of the last of the warriors - at a time when both houses are scouting for a player.

The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler (12.61$ on Amazon)

Here is the synopsis:
Impressionable and idealistic, Esme Garland is a young British woman who finds herself studying art history in New York. She loves her apartment and is passionate about the city and her boyfriend; her future couldn’t look brighter. Until she finds out that she’s pregnant.

Esme’s boyfriend, Mitchell van Leuven, is old-money rich, handsome, successful, and irretrievably damaged. When he dumps Esme—just before she tries to tell him about the baby—she resolves to manage alone. She will keep the child and her scholarship, while finding a part-time job to make ends meet. But that is easier said than done, especially on a student visa.

The Owl is a shabby, second-hand bookstore on the Upper West Side, an all-day, all-night haven for a colorful crew of characters: handsome and taciturn guitar player Luke; Chester, who hyperventilates at the mention of Lolita; George, the owner, who lives on protein shakes and idealism; and a motley company of the timeless, the tactless, and the homeless. The Owl becomes a nexus of good in a difficult world for Esme—but will it be enough to sustain her? Even when Mitchell, repentant and charming, comes back on the scene?

A rousing celebration of books, of the shops where they are sold, and of the people who work, read, and live in them, The Bookstore is also a story about emotional discovery, the complex choices we all face, and the accidental inspirations that make a life worth the reading.

The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters (TBR October 14, 2014) (14.19$ on Amazon)
Here is the synopsis:
Olivia Mead is a headstrong, independent girl—a suffragist—in an age that prefers its girls to be docile. It’s 1900 in Oregon, and Olivia’s father, concerned that she’s headed for trouble, convinces a stage mesmerist to try to hypnotize the rebellion out of her. But the hypnotist, an intriguing young man named Henri Reverie, gives her a terrible gift instead: she’s able to see people’s true natures, manifesting as visions of darkness and goodness, while also unable to speak her true thoughts out loud. These supernatural challenges only make Olivia more determined to speak her mind, and so she’s drawn into a dangerous relationship with the hypnotist and his mysterious motives, all while secretly fighting for the rights of women. Winters breathes new life into history once again with an atmospheric, vividly real story, including archival photos and art from the period throughout.

Trust Me, I'm Lying by Mary Elizabeth Summer
(TBR October 14, 2014) (11.37$ on Amazon)
Here is the synopsis:
Fans of Ally Carter's Heist Society novels will love this teen mystery/thriller with sarcastic wit, a hint of romance, andOcean’s Eleven–inspired action.
 
Julep Dupree tells lies. A lot of them. She’s a con artist, a master of disguise, and a sophomore at Chicago’s swanky St. Agatha High, where her father, an old-school grifter with a weakness for the ponies, sends her to so she can learn to mingle with the upper crust. For extra spending money Julep doesn’t rely on her dad—she runs petty scams for her classmates while dodging the dean of students and maintaining an A+ (okay, A-) average.

But when she comes home one day to a ransacked apartment and her father gone, Julep’s carefully laid plans for an expenses-paid golden ticket to Yale start to unravel. Even with help from St. Agatha’s resident Prince Charming, Tyler Richland, and her loyal hacker sidekick, Sam, Julep struggles to trace her dad’s trail of clues through a maze of creepy stalkers, hit attempts, family secrets, and worse, the threat of foster care. With everything she has at stake, Julep’s in way over her head . . . but that’s not going to stop her from using every trick in the book to find her dad before his mark finds her. Because that would be criminal.

The Young Elites by Marie Lu (TBR October 7, 2014) (12.44$ on Amazon)
Here is the synopsis:
Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all. 

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen. 

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

They All Fall Down by Roxanne St. Claire (TBR October 14, 2014) (13.49$ on Amazon)
Here is the synopsis:
Pretty Little Liars meets Final Destination in this YA psychological thriller that will have readers’ hearts racing right till the very end!
 
Every year, the lives of ten girls at Vienna High are transformed.
All because of the list. Kenzie Summerall can’t imagine how she’s been voted onto a list of the hottest girls in school, but when she lands at number five, her average life becomes dazzling. Doors open to the best parties, new friends surround her, the cutest jock in school is after her. This is the power of the list. If you’re on it, your life changes.If you’re on it this year? Your life ends.

Review of Jesus Wants to Save Christians: Learning How to read a Dangerous Book by Rob Bell and Don Golden

Wow. All I can say is Wow. What an amazing book. Rob Bell really hit one out of the park with this one. I don't even know where to begin with this book. I will say that Rob Bell's examination of the Exodus and what it means for those the follow Christ. What really blew my mind is how Bell shows us that God is doing a "new thing" when Christ comes into the world. That Christ is ushering in a new Exodus. He is here to do what Moses did with the people in Egypt but on a much grander scale. Moses was just saving one group of people; through Jesus God is saving all of Humanity. I also was very taken with how Bell explains the role of the modern church and how we have lost our way. As the people of God we have some how become comfortable and so "blessed" that we are indifferent to the cries of those that are hurting. Just as the Bible teaches us; Bell explains that Christ is a servant to humanity. He was born to serve and so are we. That through serving others we are worshiping God because God tells us to "listen" to the cries of those that are needy. I would definitely have to agree with Bell; the modern church often misses the plot of the Jesus story and has become to comfortable with not sharing their faith with those that need it to most. As one once said; sometimes we are the only bible that anyone will ever see. This book is definitely now one of my favorites. One that I will be talking about for months and months.

Here are a few quotes that I loved
"God who is defined by action on behalf of the oppressed. God is about giving the good gift. Jesus is God's good gift for the healing of the world. The church is Jesus's body, a good gift for the healing of the world"

"A Church is an organization that exists for the benefits of nonmembers...this blessing extends even to our enemies"

"Everybody would understand their role as priests. That everybody would worship God by serving each other. That those wouldn't be two things, but one. This is why God continually mentions the widow, the orphan, and the refugee. Remembering them, caring for them, serving them is worshiping God"