Since I'm still on my book diet (aka book buying ban), I haven't purchased anything new. But I did enter a ton of contest and even won a few! This past week, I received two packages full of free books that I won! *dances*
If there is one thing I can't live without it is COFFEE! The warmth, the smell, the caffeine. It is all just so wonderful. In fact, my favorite thing to do on a Saturday morning is roll out of bed, boil some water in my little red kettle, and throw in some instant coffee so I drink cup after cup while lounging on my couch with a good book. Heaven!
Recently, I've been looking into getting a new coffee maker. One that can keep up with my addictive habit. To tell the truth, I'm kind of scared. I'm so dependent on my kettle. But, as much as I'm loving the convenience and deliciousness of the instant coffee packets from Starbucks, I also wanna try some of the new brew blends I've gotten, like Kona coffee and, of course, the Cafe du Monde coffee I picked up in NOLA. I even have a coffee blend from Guatemala that a friend brought me when he visited that has been sitting in my pantry because I have no way to brew it. Gah!
So I thought I would get y'all opinion on coffee makers. Is it worth it to spend a lot on a coffee maker? If so, what kind? Also, what is your favorite kind of coffee. Or do you got any recipes for yummy cold coffees, cappuccinos or frappuccinos. Please share!
I've got Bones on my mind this week! I wonder why? Anyhoo, Happy TGIF, Book Blogger Hop and Follow Fridays!! Here in my little corner of the blogosphere, I've still got a giveaway going on:
It's my first followers giveaway, and you can enter for your chance to win a custom blog design or a new book release! Also, check out the new meme I'm hosting every Thursday, When I'm Not Reading! Great way to find out what book bloggers do when they are not reading. I'd love to see you participate! Thanks for stopping by!
Crazy for Books asks: Who is your favorite new-to-you author so far this year?
For me, hands down, Cassandra Clare! I just finished reading Clockwork Angel (review here), and LOVED every word. Now I'm totally infatuated with Clare. I can't believe I have never read anything by her before! I could just kick myself!
Since I'm still waiting to be discovered as the next biggest pop star who can't sing, I've got one of those 8-5 thingies. It is where I spend the majority of my days, so it does take up a lot of my non reading time, but luckily for me I really enjoy my job! I'm a college counselor/advisor at the local university. And I work with the best majors, those in the College of Arts and Humanities! It's wonderful because everyday I talk shop about art, theatre, literature, philosophy, and history with brilliant young minds!
My office:
Yes, it is tiny, but that's okay with me. I don't need a lot of room. Summers are pretty busy at work because there is a lot to do for freshman/transfer orientations to make sure students get their classes!
I'm also pretty proud of the university I work at! Although it is on the smallish side, I think it is a great school with a lot to offer, and we serve a culturally rich community! Another reason I love my job is that I always feel encouraged to take classes, which is perfect for the geek in me!
Synopsis (Product Description):
Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.
When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London’s Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.
Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What’s more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa’s power for his own.
Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: Jem, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm’s length…everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world…and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.
Review:
I know I'm going to fail you. I know I'm not going to be able to adequately express how much I LOVED this book! I know I'm not going to be able to articulate with certain certainty how I think you need to stop what your doing right now and read this book! But I'm gonna try!
Clare is a literary genius!
That in itself should be enough, but I'll go on. From the moment I started reading Clockwork Angel I could not put it down, and I never wanted it to end! It is an epic adventure like one I have been longing for! Although I have heard many praise The Mortal Instruments series, I have not read any of those books. If fact, I just ordered and received them this month, and now I plan to read them immediately. Clockwork Angel is the prequel to the Mortal Instruments, but I never felt lost reading it. Regardless of its ties to The Mortal Instruments, Clockwork Angel is its own wonderful story that can be read without prior knowledge of the series.
There is no delay in action! Straightaway, Tessa Gray is thrust into a world like she had never imagined possible. She is forced to harness magic within herself that she does not understand. Soon enough she discovers the Shadowhunters, which bring about events that will change her life.
Tessa is the best kind of heroine! An ordinary girl with an extraordinarily power, Tessa is a book lover at heart, which marks her as very clever and lovable, but she was also not without faults. Her naivety felt very real. She struggled, but as she learned and grew into herself, so did the reader. And, I'm so in SWOON with the shadowhunter William Herondale. Will had me laughing out loud with his silly musings. Captivated as I was by him, I must have re-read his scenes a dozen times before I could stop gushing and giggling enough to move on. Yet his mysterious past kept me guarded, and he even broke my heart a bit. Will's best friend, Jem was also quite enduring. I don't know if I've ever admired a character more than I did Jem. There was a centered calmness to him that I couldn't help but wish I possessed in myself.
While the storyline was unique and unexpected, mirthful yet thrilling and dark, one could say the best bits were all the literary references, the poetry quotes and even the chapter titles! I love it all!
Please believe me when I say you must own this book in every format available. Keep a few copies for yourself and give the rest out as birthday presents! Totally best gift idea ever!
*le sigh* Although I fawned over almost everthing he said, I know I can't copy the whole book on this post so here are a few of my favorite William quotes:
"I have mastered many things in my life. Navigating the streets of London, speaking French without an accent, dancing the quadrille, the Japanese art of flower arranging, lying at charades, concealing a highly intoxicated state, delighting young women with my charms..."
Tessa stared.
"Alas," he went on, "no one has ever actually referred to me as 'the master,' or 'the magister,' either. More's the pity..."
~*~
Will looked horrified. "What kind of monster could possibly hate chocolate?"
Favorite Tessa quotes:
"One must always be careful of books," said Tessa, "and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us."
~*~
"Only the very weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry."
Favorite Jem quotes:
"I do not believe you can threaten people into goodness."
~*~
"Whatever you are physically," he said, "male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy - all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. All those other things, they are the glass that contains the lamp, but you are the light inside."
September 15th, 2010 7PM. Off-site location TBD. Hosted by BLUE WILLOW, Houston, TX
Kelley Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Alyson Noel, Holly Black, Sarah Rees Brennan, Margaret Stohl & Cassandra Clare
All these locations are at least a five hour drive away from me, but hello, Road Trip! It's gonna be so worth it!
Check out the tour deets and complete schedule here! I really hope the tour is coming to a city near you! And if you go, remember to take plenty of pictures to share your experience! It's gonna be something you won't want to forget! I'm already buzzing with nervous excitement, but I'm totally looking forward to embarrassing myself when I meet these authors and squee like a fangirl chasing down RPatts!
In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. To find out more about this meme or to participate check out the details on The Story Siren's IMM page.
Since I put myself on a book buying ban (*shifty eyes*) I signed up for an overload of tour books via Book It Forward. Little did I know that the books would be hitting me all at once! *races off to read, then mail them out*
Luckily, regardless of the ban, there is nothing I can do about books I pre-ordered months ago! Right?! *shrugs* Thankfully, the lovely people at Amazon, never ceasing to fail me, shipped them to my doorstep! It's like Christmas and my birthday all rolled up into one every single time I see that smiling box! *bounce 'n squee*
Now tell me, what did you get this week? I wanna drool and be jelly! And while you are here, check out my first giveaway ever: The New Me blog design giveaway! Ends Aug. 6th
by Cassandra Clare
series, I have not read any of those books. If fact, I just ordered and received them this month, and now I plan to read them immediately. 
