Wicked Wildfire Readathon

It turns out you actually should write a post when you participate in a readathon. For some reason, this tiny, but important detail was lost on me these past few days. Then again, I also don't really have a good internet connection these days. You see, my router died last weekend & since I need the internet for research for a presentation, I am now going back and forth between Frankfurt and my parents' place. This means an approximatly 4 hour commute. Good for reading, not so good for actually having a functioning brain at the end of the day.

Without further ado: Today and through the weekend, there's the Wicked Wildfire Readathon, hosted by Rebecca @ Kindle Fever and April @ My Shelf Confessions.

I have not really set any goals for myself. I just want to read as much as possible and I don't even have a real pile specifically for the readathon. I will of course try to change it up between paper books and e-books, because I have plenty of both.

So far, on Day 1, I have read The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith and I started Lorelei James' All Jacked Up.

For Day 2, I got to 41% of All Jacked Up, but I'm taking a break. I'm not feeling "the love" for the book at all at this point, even though I wanted to know more about Keely. Well, maybe later? Instead, I started Susan Mallery's Summer Nights and so far I absolutely love it.

On Day 3 I was pretty busy. I was out and about for over 13 hours, and I only had about 2 of those hours to actually read. All the other time, I spent at work or at university. Once I was home, I was starving & just wanted to relax - but: I finished Susan Mallery's Summer Nights. I will try to get the review done soon, but I also have to think about the 2 presentations that are due within the next 8 days. What I want to read for the rest of the night? I don't know yet.

[48HBC] 48 Hour Book Challenge 2012

It is that time of the year again. MotherReader's 48 Hour Book Challenge is a go this weekend and to get some reading done despite all the university stuff I need to do, I am joining in.

It is pretty easy. You choose a 48-hour period sometime between Friday, June 8, 7am and Monday, June 11, 7am and read. Since I have to write a 2-page essay on Yes, Minister, I will only commit to 12 to 23 hours. I have to stay sane after all. University is already messing with that quite nicely.

I will start in approximately 5 minutes, which means 11pm on Friday - my time. I will update on Twitter (@stackednpainted) and occasionally in this post, so stay tuned!

My first book will be Jill Shalvis' Lucky in Love, which I started yesterday. I am currently on page 85.

Update, 12pm Saturday - 13hours in:
So, I lost the results from my stopwatch earlier today already. I was at around 1h 45mins the last time I checked and had already read some more when some dumb girl (might have been me, but I'm not sure) accidentally reset it. I am now going to add everything I read from here on out to the 1:45. I am still working on Jill Shalvis' Lucky in Love and enjoy it a lot.

Update, 10pm Saturday - 23 hours in:
A major headache doesn't help with reading, but I am now at 7h 47mins. I finished Jill Shalvis' Lucky in Love earlier today and am now reading Kendra Leigh Castle's Shadow Rising.

Update, 9pm Saturday - 46 hours in:
So, I got some more reading done last night and today. I am now at 12h 5mins. I tried to read Michael Lancaster's 0.4 (also known as Human.4, but it turns out it is not for me. It will go into a future "clear my shelves" giveaway. In general, the story is great, but the way it is narrated didn't appeal to me. I then switched back to Shadow Rising, which I finished. I will probably read some more during the remaining 2 hours (for me).

[ArmchairBEA] The Future of Book Blogging

Today's topic:

It's the final day of Armchair BEA and we want you to keep your passion for books and blogging about them going long after we've closed the event. Today we'll be sharing tips on keeping book blogging exciting and unique to your vision for your blog. Our suggested post for today is "Ask the Experts". If you have any burning questions for your fellow participants about book blogging now is the time to ask and if you don't we'd love for you to share your own personal tips about book blogging!

I had a hard time with today's topic. I may have been blogging for years now, but I am really no expert at all. I can't tell you how to maintain a good relationship with publishers, because I live in Germany and generally, publishers don't offer to ship ARCs here. I can't tell you how to gain followers, because I don't know. In fact, I am not a huge fan of that anyway. I don't even like the whole "you must be a follower to participate in my giveaways", even though I have done that myself in the past.

So you see, I am really not one to give you advice beyond the very common sense things like
1) Be nice!
2) Link back if you copy something or use it for inspiration.
3) Have fun doing what you do and take breaks when things get overwhelming.
4) Participate in memes you like, but don't participate in too many.

You see, these are pretty basic, commonsense things, so I don't really have to say much about it, right?

However, I have a questions for the experts out there:
How do you get people to comment? I have even tried asking questions in my blog posts, but to no avail, so I am a bit at a loss. I would really love to have some conversation in the comments and usually, I try to reply to comments, but when I don't get any comments... I'm at a loss here and it makes me sad. Any help and any suggestions are most welcome!

[ArmchairBEA] Beyond the Blog

I mentioned this in a separate blog post, but chances are you will only go to this blog post and not the entire blog, so: I had problems with my internet connections for most of the week. My router assigned my computer an IP address starting with 168 instead of 192. This meant my computer could not connect to the internet and I was offline. Otherwise I would have been a lot more active during ArmchairBEA. I will try to catch up later today & tomorrow, so if you want to come back, I would love and appreciate it!

Today's topic:

So, you enjoy writing do you? Would you like to be involved elsewhere on the interwebs or possibly start writing for your local paper? Perhaps you'd simply like to start drawing an income from your blog? Today we will be sharing tips that will help you move your blog forward or perhaps your own personal goals of writing and making an income from what you love to do. Today we'd love you to share your top tips for getting beyond your blog! Have you done any freelance writing? Are you monetizing your blog and how so? How do you make connections outside the book blog community on the internet?

Writing... I have a very mixed relationship with the process of writing itself. When I have a topic I am interested in, it is obviously a lot easier, but even then it takes a bit until I find the right way to start. This has always been the case, both with blogging and with writing for school/university papers.

However, while it is hard work for me to get started, I enjoy writing and if I had time left on a regular basis, I would love to write and earn some money at the same time. So far, the only way this has happened only in a very small, but very exciting way. As I mentioned before, I study literature. This has led me to get to know someone who works for a German publisher & also offers classes every now and then. Thanks to him, I had the wonderful opportunity to write a few reviews for them before they bought the books. It is nothing I do on a regular basis, but I love it and I wouldn't mind reading and reviewing for them more often.

In theory, I could monetarize my blog and I even use the Amazon partner program for all my pretty cover pictures and links to buy the books, but I haven't made a single cent from my blog in all the years. I don't even get that many review copies, simply because I live in Germany and take breaks from blogging whenever I need to. All my review copies this year have been via Netgalley and I am glad they exist. I still buy most of the books afterwards to have a paper copy, but it is nice to be able to read them on my Kindle. Mostly because with my Kindle I will always have a second book with me for after finishing my current read.

As far as making connections, I have to admit I don't have many friends in real life or online. The sad thing is, usually people end up disappearing out of my life once they're in a long-term relationship, no matter how close we were before and how often we used to hang out.

[ArmchairBEA] Decisions first, blogpost later (I promise!)

So, these last few days I have been without proper internet (not counting in my phone) because once again my router decided to assign me an IP address that starts with 168. I'm pretty sure you've seen IP addresses before and know they're supposed to start with 192. I just wish my router would know that as well *sigh*

Anyway, I am now trying to figure out whether I should rather reply to all the wonderful comments I got from you all first or start out with writing a blogpost about today's topic? Any thoughts? I would really appreciate it...

[ArmchairBEA2012] Introductory Interview

It's that time of the year again. A great number of book bloggers is in NYC for BEA. And I have to admit, I'm jealous. I would love to be there, like in 2010, but BEA always takes place in the middle of the semester, and I don't dare skip a week just like that. Not this close to being (hopefully, finally!) done with university.

But we have ArmchairBEA for all of us that can't go and still want to get together, if "only" virtually. For this weeklong occasion, we will all start out with an introductory interview, so let's get started!

Q: Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?
A: "Hello, my name is Kathrin and I'm a book addict!" That's what I keep thinking almost every day and actually it has been several times a day for the past weeks. It is true - and luckily I am not alone, although it can feel very lonely when I'm walking outside of the blogging world.
It feels lonely even though I major in American Studies with a minor in English Studies. You'd think all those literature classes I took so far would help me feel less lonely. The truth is, I feel it is frowned upon to read contemporary literature of (almost) any kind. I won't even go into the treatment of novels for young adults, romance novels, or the paranormal genre. It makes me sad that there is this a brandishing of a whole group of genres. There is a reason why these genres exist, they have a right to exist and my love for them does not make me a lesser person, within or outside of the academic setting. But tell that to the lecturers or even my fellow students!
I have been blogging for quite a number of years now. I believe I had my first blog in the early 2000s when I was still at school as I felt the need to have some place where I could keep track of what I was reading and a handwritten notebook never made me happy. (My handwriting kept getting sloppier the longer I wrote.) I doubt I will stop blogging any time soon because even though I have been scarce here, it will forever be my place to escape to when I want to tell someone, anyone, about the books I read. To me, my blog is now a place where I can express my feelings about books I read, whether I enjoy them or not. I don't mind telling what I didn't like about a book really, only, I tend to ditch them before I've finished...

Q: What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012?
A: Right now I'm reading Susan Mallery's Summer Days, which I am admittedly not enjoying as much as I had hoped. My second book is Meljean Brook's The Iron Duke, which I enjoy a lot more, but it's huge!
My favorite booka so far in 2012 are Veronica Roth's Divergent, Meg Cabot's Underworld and Jennifer Bernard's The Fireman who Loved Me (reviews to follow later this month).

Q: Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.
A: My books may be the biggest "collection" of mine, but DVDs are a close second. I don't have a TV at my place, but I watch DVDs a lot and also collect them. There are no good DVD rentals around here unless I want to go online. So I have separate shelves for all my DVDs. They are sorted by movies vs. series and then alphabetically! Is that too much geekery going on?

Q: If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why?
A: It's a close call between Jill Shalvis because she is the most fun person I have ever encountered online (Really, check out her blog (link above)!) and Mr. Darcy because it's Mr. Darcy!

Q: Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How?
A: Absolutely! When I first started keeping track of my books, I read almost exclusively mysteries and some thrillers. Then this phase stopped completely and I was hooked on young adult novels of (almost) all genres with some category romance over the summers.
Nowadays, I read what fits my mood without excuses. This usually means romance novels, novels for young adults (yes, they've stuck with me), but also chick lit and mysteries, paranormal and urban fiction, as well as books I would consider classics even though they might not fit the bill of popular classics.

[Minireview] Artist Arthur : Manifest

[paranormal YA]

You can buy it here:
Manifest (Amazon paperback)
Manifest (Amazon eBook)

Summary: (from the publisher)
Krystal Bentley is an outsider at her new high school, having just moved to a small Connecticut town. Lately she's been hearing the voice of a teenage boy in her head, and he has become her friend and confidant. The only problem is, he's dead...

Ricky Watson was killed a year ago in the alley behind Krystal's new school. The rumor mill is filled with stories of Ricky and his untimely death. Unfortunately, as a ghost, Ricky is unable to investigate his own murder, so Ricky needs Krystal to find the truth and she needs someone to listen. When Krystal befriends Sasha and Jake, both outcasts at her high school, the threesome soon discover that they have more in common than their outsider status. Each has a unique paranormal ability and an unusual birthmark in the shape of an "M." Jake announces that the M must stand for misfits, and so the three form an unusual clique. They soon realize that solving Ricky's murder can help them understand the mystery behind their powers and may reveal whether there are others like them.

My thoughts:

NOTE: This is mainly a summary of my thoughts as I read this book last year and and I still remember it quite well, but I may not remember all the details.

Krystal was not very happy when her Mom moved her away from her beloved home in order to move back to a small town in Connecticut and she had a hard time making friends. Once she stumbles across a ghost and a mystery, though, she meets Sasha and Jake, who seem to have a similar birthmark as Krystal.

After their initial difficulties, Krystal, Sasha and Jake build a team that works together. They form a connection that goes beyond your average high school friendship and it's obvious that despite their differences, they would pitch in for each other any time. It was this friendship despite the obstacle and odds, that made me enjoy Manifest even more. I enjoyed the mystery and the paranormal aspect of this book a lot. It kept me guessing throughout the book and while the mystery for the first novel was solved neatly, Artist Arthur left enough questions about the teen's paranormal abilities and their destiny to entice any reader to pick up the next book.

Rating:
4.25/5

FTC: I received an eGalley from the publisher via Netgalley.

[Bought & Finished] May 2012

And another month is over. I really have trouble keeping track of time, but of course my busy schedule (I have hardly any time left between classes & work) doesn't help. This post is supposed to help me keep track of my shopping sprees (not really, but you know?) and what I use up / read. So, let's go!

Up front, here's what I bought (picture spam first, list second):

Makeup:

1. Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clarifying Lotion
2. Allergika Lipolotio Urea 5%F body lotion - a recommendation from my dermatologist after dealing with perioral dermatitis
3. Essie Brazilliant
4. Essie Rock Solid Base Coat
5. Essie glass nail file
6. the content of my Douglas Box of Beauty: miniature flask of Christina Aguilera: By Night, Venus Body Scrub, Kings & Queens shower gel, a small Isadora lipstick, Be:Yu Cat Eyes mascara
7. Avène Couvrance liquid makeup in '01 Porcelain'
8. Avène Eau Thermale
9. Avène Lotion Micellaire

Books:

1. Meljean Brook: The Iron Duke - already started reading
2. Lisa Daily: Beauty
3. Joanne Greenberg: I Never Promised You A Rose Garden - a present from a dear friend
4. Kate Klise & M. Sarah Klise: Dying To Meet You - already read
5. Cassandra Clare: Clockwork Prince - discount, cost about €3.00 (please ignore the fact that it is on 2 pics!)
6. Jennifer E. Smith: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
7. Jeannie Lin: My Fair Concubine
8. M.C. Beaton: Death of a Dustman
9. M.C. Beaton: Death of a Celebrity
10. P.G. Wodehouse: Very Good, Jeeves
11. Leila Sales: Past Perfect
12. Meg Cabot: Underworld - already read
13. Veronica Roth: Insurgent
14. Sable Hunter: Cowboy Heat (eBook)
15. Lorelei James: Branded As Trouble (eBook) - already read
16. Lorelei James: Cowboy Casanova (eBook) - already read
17. Peter Anderson: Survivor 1.01: Blackout (eBook)
18. Peter Anderson: Survivor 1.02: Chinks (eBook)
19. Liz Crowe: Floor Time (eBook)
20. Bianchin/Darcy/Lee: Australian Bachelors - Masterful Magnates (eBook)
21. Nora Roberts: The Art of Deception (eBook)
22. Nora Roberts: Unfinished Business (eBook)
23. Lorelei James: Strong, Silent Type (eBook)

Used & Read:

Makeup:

1. 2x Bebe Young Care 3 in 1 eye makeup remover pads - nice, but I found something better
2. Bebe Young Care Holiday Skin Body Lotion - supposedly a self-tanner, pretty orange and sticky
3. Clinique Lash Building Primer - unfortunately way past it's time, so it had to go
4. Clinique High Lengths Mascara in brown - good & natural results, but there are cheaper mascaras with the same effect
5. Garnier Hautklar SOS Anti-Pickel-Stift - SOS anti-blemish stick with no significant results?!
6. Bare Minerals Prime Time sample from Sephora - very good, bought a full-size in the US
7. Clinique Acne Solutions Clarifying Lotion - very good, bought a new bottle already
8. Betty Barclay Pure Style perfume - has been my signature scent for over 2 years, I still have one bottle at home
9. Odol Med 3 Samtweiß - whitening toothpaste, I tend to switch, though
10. Catrice Lashes To Kill Ultra Black - cheap & with good result, but I have enough mascara
11. Alverde Repair hair mask Grape-Avocado - awesome, silicone-free & I will get a new one!
12. Nivea Reinigungstücher - has been my favorite for a long time, but I want to try other products
13. Nivea Pure & Natural Action Deodorant - a good product, unfortunately out of stock more often than I'd like
14. Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clearing Moisturizer - a backup is already in my bathroom

Books:

1. Kady Cross: The Girl In The Clockwork Collar (eBook)
2. Medeia Sharif: Bestest. Ramadan. Ever.
3. M.C. Beaton: A Highland Christmas
4. Richelle Mead: Shadow Kiss (Hörbuch)
5. Mischa-Sarim Vérollet: Das Leben ist keine Waldorfschule (english title: 'Life is not a Waldorf School' - eBook)
6. Amy Fellner Dominy: OyMG
7. Meg Cabot: Underworld
8. Jennifer Bernard: The Fireman Who Loved Me
9. Rachael Johns: One Perfect Night (eBook)
10. Carolyn Keene: Nancy Drew - The Hidden Staircase (audio book)
11. Caroline B. Cooney: The Face on the Milk Carton
12. Lorelei James: Branded As Trouble (eBook)
13. Tessa Radley: Lady in Rot (english title: 'Black Widow Bride' - eBook)
14. Lorelei James: Cowboy Casanova (eBook)
15. Brandi Evans: Seducing Jason (eBook)
16. Shona Husk: Summons (eBook)
17. Vivan Arend: Exotic Indulgence (eBook)
18. Caedem Marquez: A Boyfriend Before Christmas (eBook)
19. Melanie Marks: Fall For Me (eBook)
20. Melissa Schroeder: A Little Harmless S** (eBook)
21. Kate Klise & M. Sarah Klise: Dying To Meet You
22. Nora Roberts: Bed of Roses (audio book)

[Review] Nora Roberts : Bed of Roses

[romance]

You can buy it here:
Bed of Roses (Bride Quartet) (Amazon mass market paperback)
Bed of Roses (Bride Quartet) (Amazon eBook)

Summary: (from Audible.de)
Since she was a little girl, Emma Grant has always loved romance. So it's really no surprise that she has found her calling as a wedding florist at Vows. She gets to play with flowers every day and work with her three best friends in the process. She couldn't ask for a better job....

And on the surface, Emma's love life seems to be thriving. Slim and sultry, she brings color into every room she enters, just like the arrangements she creates. Though men swarm around her, she still hasn't found Mr. Right. And the last place she's looking is right under her nose.

But that's just where Jack Cooke is. He's so close to the women of Vows that he's practically family. But the architect has begun to admit to himself that his feelings for Emma have developed into much more than friendship. And when Emma returns his passion - kiss for blistering kiss - things start to get complicated at Vows.

Jack has never been big on commitment, though, while Emma yearns for a lifelong love affair. If the two are to find common ground, they must trust in their history - and in their hearts.

My thoughts:
Bed of Roses starts soon after Vision in White ended. This time, we watch Emmaline fall in love with long-time friend Jack. Nora Roberts is the Queen of Romance for a reason, and I believe that she shows exactly why that is the case with this novel.

I have come to love all 4 women in the first installment in this series already, so coming back to see more was a pleasure. With Nora Roberts' novels, it is usually a joint joy with my Mom, so I tend to wait, which is why I had a long break between books #1 and #2, but this did not affect my feelings with this or my memory of book #1 in any way. It was easy to dive back into the story.

Emma is a sweet woman and the chemistry between her and Jack is obvious from the start, even though they try to fight it, as they don't want to spoil their long friendship and the interaction within their mutual circle of friends. Both are very likeable characters and although you know from the getgo that they will be together at the end despite the obstacles, Bed of Roses still has a wonderful and romantic ending.

Narration (audio): (Brilliance Audio)
My copy was an unabridged audio with roughly 8 hours and 56 minutes. When I listen to an audio book, the narrator is of course very significant. Books usually stand or fall with the narrator, so s/he is important.

In this case, Angela Dawe did a good enough job. She was easy to understand and follow, narrated the story in a way that was entertaining and got me hooked. The one thing that bugged me, really, really bugged me, was that she changed her voice for the different characters. Usually, that doesn't bother me, but here, Dawe chose a tone for the male voices (and especially for Jack) that annoyed me. The men sounded like male macho bimbos!

Rating:
4/5

FTC: Bought with my own money - via my Audible subscription.