Fun or None? Shock Me Saturday

Day 7 of Fun or None hosted by Nikki @ Fiction Freak !

Participating bloggers:
Jessica @ Just a Booklover
Paulina @ Kissed/Bitten by books
Karis Jacobstein @ YA Litwit
Ria @ The Beaucoup Review

Dana @ DanaSquare

Shock Me Saturday ~ 5 random, surprising facts about me


~My favorite food is sushi. I am a sushi fiend!! <3
~I believe there could totally be a zombie apocalypse! :O
~I still prefer paperbacks even though I own a Kindle. :D
~I wish I had been in high school during the 70's. ;)
~No matter how many times I've seen these movies, I always cry at the end of 50 First Dates and Donnie Darko. :`(

What are some surprising facts about you?


Fun or None? Finally Friday!!

Day 6 of Fun or None hosted by Nikki @ Fiction Freak !

Participating bloggers:
Jessica @ Just a Booklover
Paulina @ Kissed/Bitten by books
Karis Jacobstein @ YA Litwit
Ria @ The Beaucoup Review

Dana @ DanaSquare

Finally Friday ~ Ten books I'm counting down the days until they come out and why!

I am so sorry to be late with this! It's obviously not Friday but just about Monday! Here are my ten anyway, not in any particular order--better late than never! :/

The Age of Miracles 

Karen Thompson Walker

Expected Publication: June 26 

I won an ARC of this earlier this year and was so excited to be one of the first to read it. It's an awesome book, and I can't wait until many many readers have the chance to devour it. I have a feeling this book is going to do very well. :D

The Casual Vacancy 

J.K. Rowling 

Expected Publication: Sept 27 

I'm dying to see what her next book will be like since it'll be for adults rather than younger readers.

Reached (Matched #3)

Ally Condie

Expected Publication: Nov 13

First of all, I just want to say whoa!! November is a long time to wait, and I'll probably end up reading the first two again to get back into the groove. I wish this was coming out in the summer! :D 

Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues (White Trash Zombie #2)

Diana Rowland

Expected Publication: July 3 

I bought the first book, My Life as a White Trash Zombie, just a couple of weeks ago. I can't wait to read it, but even though I haven't had a chance to read the first one yet, I'm already dying (pun intended) for the second one! 

Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2)

Marissa Meyer

Cover not yet revealed

Expected Publication: Feb 5 2013 

Once again, I haven't read Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1), but I am so excited to read both. I just know I'll love them; they sound like they're right up my alley. :D 

 Crazy

Amy Reed

Expected Publication: June 12 

Not too many days from now, this book will officially be out, and I've heard so many good things about it. Plus, I can relate--I'm a little crazy myself. :D 

 Something Strange and Deadly (Something Strange and Deadly #1)

Susan Dennard

Expected Publication: July 24 

I love the cover! The plot sounds really good, too! Can't wait for this one to come out.

 Drain You

M. Beth Bloom

Expected Publication: July 24 

This book had me at Diet Coke and "gangs of the undead."

Glitch (Glitch #1)

Heather Anastasiu

Expected Publication: Aug 7

Wow, this sounds like it's going to be an awesome series. I can't get enough of these! :D 

Inbetween (Kissed by Death #1)

Tara A. Fuller

Expected Publication: Aug 14

This series is about a reaper and a young girl who fall for each other. I'm excited for this one--I love the cover, the plot sounds good, and the characters seem like they're gonna be awesome. :D

What soon-to-be-published books are you anxiously waiting for?

Fun or None? Trilogy Thursday!

Day 5 of Fun or None hosted by Nikki @ Fiction Freak !

Participating bloggers:
Jessica @ Just a Booklover
Paulina @ Kissed/Bitten by books
Karis Jacobstein @ YA Litwit
Ria @ The Beaucoup Review

Dana @ DanaSquare

Trilogy Thursday ~ I pick three trilogies to rate and write about three things I love about each of them.

1. The Hunger Games trilogy

I can't help it--this was the first one I think of when I hear "trilogy." These books are well written, have strong, well developed characters, and just enough romance and heartache without going over the top. :)

2. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Dawn of the Dreadfuls, and Dreadfully Ever After

These three books were so kick ass! I love these "mash up" books, where the classics are given a dose of zombies, or sea monsters, or vampires, or werewolves. My favorite character was Elizabeth--she was fearless and killed zombies left and right like she was born just for that purpose! Best of all? They refer to zombies as "dreadfuls." How hilarious is that?? :)

3. The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Dark and Hollow Places

I must admit, I haven't read the third book, and I'm not even sure if there's only going to be three of these books. I loved the first two books, though, and am definitely going to read the third. They give a fresh perspective on the zombie/dystopian/apocalyptic genres, the plotting was well thought out, and the suspense was awesome. I had no idea what was going to happen next. I love that!! :)

What three trilogies would you choose and what do you love about them?

Fun or None? Mash up Monday!

Day two of Fun Or None hosted by Nikki @ Fiction Freak !

Participating bloggers:
Jessica @ Just a Booklover
Paulina @ Kissed/Bitten by books
Karis Jacobstein @ YA Litwit                   
Ria @ The Beaucoup Review

Dana @ DanaSquare

Today is Mash up Monday, where I'll pick out characters from two different books that I'd love to see in the same book.

I'd like Sookie Stackhouse (from the books by Charlaine Harris that the HBO show True Blood is based on) and Evie Tremain from the novel Fated (Fated #1) by Sarah Alderson.

Image from goodreads.com

Image from goodreads.com

When I began reading Fated, I couldn't help but think there are some things Sookie and Evie have in common--they're both waitresses with concerned bosses and are surrounded by the supernatural, sometimes with their lives in danger.  And they're also more than waitresses--Sookie can read other people's thoughts, and Evie is a demon slayer.   

I always felt that Sookie could've used an awesomely cool female friend she could trust when she needed to just vent. There weren't too many female characters that got along with her throughout the series of books, and anyone she did think was her friend ended up betraying her. Maybe with Evie to hang out with, Sookie would have more to do on her days off than laundry and going outside to tan. :P

Together, they could kick a lot of ass! Sookie ended up in hand-to-hand combat with different "supes" from time to time, and Evie entered into training once she found out she was a demon slayer. (How's that for a revelation???) The two of them together would give "supes" everywhere nightmares. Yep, this needs to happen. ;)

Fun or None? Salutation Sunday!

This is a week long blog hop hosted and created by Nikki Wang @ Fiction Freak  for May 27 - June 2. She has chosen a topic for each day that all of us will post along with our thoughts. Make sure to come back everyday to see the new day's topic! :)  Thanks so much for the invite, Nikki! Any comments or thoughts about the day's post? Please share them below. They're always appreciated! :D

Participating bloggers:
Jessica @ Just a Booklover
Paulina @ Kissed/Bitten by books
Karis Jacobstein @ YA Litwit
Ria @ The Beaucoup Review

Dana @ DanaSquare

 

Today's Topic: Salutation Sunday

Almost 31 years ago I was born (my birthday's coming up in July!!), and....wait, I won't make you go through my entire life so far in flashbacks! That would just be mean, and I'll spare you the boring moments of which there have been many--I live in a tiny town--basically a cornfield to people from anywhere else. :P

 

In sixth grade, I decided I wanted to become a counselor, and in junior high, I narrowed it down to grief therapy. I hurried through high school to get out of there! I went to college and earned my B.A. in Psychology by the skin of my teeth (I should've gone for a B.S. for all the good my degree is; that would be more accurate, hahaha). I plan on going back to college and getting my Master's in Mental Health Counseling.

 

Literally from kindergarten, I knew I wanted to become a writer. I'm working on that, too. Any free time I have is spent reading and writing, just about anything and everything.

 

I'm married (we've been together for almost eleven years!), and we have two children--a 9 year old girl and a 2 year old boy, two cats, and a puppy. Our family keeps on growing! :) I'm currently a full-time parent and feel super lucky I can be the primary person taking care of my kids.

 

Plus, my sister will be having a girl the beginning of August, and I can't wait to be around a tiny baby again. Only this time, when the baby starts crying, I can hand her back to her momma, except when I'm niece-sitting of course. :D 

 

That's it for me for today! Come back tomorrow to see what the next topic will be! Don't forget to visit all of the blog sites listed above! :D