Kristi Chestnutt's Blog, page 17

The Wednesday Review

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Ok, so I'm probably the LAST ONE to finish reading this, but I want to join the masses in saying how much I loved it.

This book was full of awesome!

If I had to pick my favorite thing about it, it would definitely be a tie between Evie's often spot-on-humor and Lend. Because, well, Lend's character was just *sigh*. Yeah. So, so sweet.

The interactions between the characters felt real and well paced, and I ended up falling in love right along with them. I only wish I could've had Lend all to myself.

The world Kiersten creates in this book is also very original, and described so well, that it sucks you right in. Her creatures are fun and seem to have a fresh twist, especially the Faeries, which are downright creepy at times.

All in all, a VERY fun read, and I can't wait for the next book!

View all my reviews

What about YOU?  Have you read it? 
 

In which my son tries to kill me!

The crime scene:
Note 1: Contact case on counter (complete with contacts)Note 2: Burts Bees Handcream (which has nothing to do with this, but it has magical dry skin healing powers that I thought you should know about.)
Exhibit A:
Sure, he may look harmless enough at first glance, but trust me, at 5AM when you happen to wander into your bathroom, the world a blur because your contacts are still on the counter, splash water on your face, brush your teet, and turn around, this is the LAST thing you are expecting to see hiding in the corner.
The most disturbing part:  Apparently I'm not a screamer. No sound came out of my mouth. Sure, I gasped (think dramatic intake of breath that is barely audible), and jumped. And had he decided to talk at that very moment, I may have even passed out. Yes, I know, VERY courageous.
So all those times I made fun of people in the horror movies for not screaming or running have finally come back to haunt me.  Apparently those are my kind of people. Who knew?
Apparently Mickey, that's who.
An overactive writer's imagination is definitely NOT to my advantage in this kind of situation. And because Mickey happens to work better on tile than carpet, this may not be the last time it happens, but atleast now I'm on alert. Nightly bathroom checks have been enforced and I've removed Mickey from the premises twice since the "incident".
Who needs horror when you have a toddler around?

TGIF!!!

I don't know about you, but for me, this weeks been LOOOONNNNGGG.
Glad to have the weekend in front of me and the possibility (never definite with a toddler around) of sleeping in tomorrow! 
If you haven't already, please drop by my new site, booKrushed.com, and say hello...the girls and I LOVE visitors.

 AND we have a contest going on.
Looksie: Hope you each have a GREAT weekend!

The Wednesday Review!

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


First order of business ~ I.LOVE.THIS.BOOK!

And trust me, that gushing is tamed WAY DOWN. I actually took a few days after reading this before writing my review, just so I wouldn't feel the need to squeal and say incoherent things about how hot I think Prince Ash is and how he stole my heart. See how that worked for me?

Seriously though, this book suprised me in a lot of ways and I needed those few days to ask myself, why this book? Why the mad love? And I think I found the answer.

When I was younger, I read the entire Chronicle of Narnia series. Besides my Nancy Drew books (love them), it was the first taste of fun reading I had and I became an addict. The sense of adventure, the creativity, the MAGIC. This book, for me, brought me back to that feel. It's the first faerie book I've read, so that may have something to do with it as well, but the characters felt real and honest, and the storyline swept me away. It made me forget I was reading and I became submersed (read: obsessed) in this world Kagawa created. I tore through this book at a rapid pace and didn't want to put it down.

Now I find myself in a dilemma. Hubs has banned me from buying new books until I catch up on the drawer full of new ones I have yet to read, but how can I read anything when the second book is in a bookstore waiting for me to pick it up? It's hard. And he KNOWS it's coming, we joke about it frequently. We're both waiting to see when I'll crack!

View all my reviews

Have you read it?  Did you love it as much as I did or was it just a case of the right book at the right time?  We're all so different....I LOVE hearing opinions!

Release Date for Across The Universe!

So, my 2011 book reading challenge officially begins today with the release of the first book on my list! 
What is it you ask?  Probably something on MANY people's ToBeRead list this year!
It's Beth Revis's Across The Universe!
HAPPY RELEASE DAY BETH!
Haven't heard of it yet?  Check out the book trailer:
Not enough for you?You can check out Beth talking about the book here:
Every time I watch this interview with Beth, I get more and more excited about the book.  She just such a great job describing it and showing us the passion she has for it and her characters...it's like a book behind the scenes! 
Still not enough?111 page excerpt will be posted (for a limited time) at 11:11 on 1/11/11on the following site:http://www.io9.com/
Other fun places to visit
Beth Revis Author sites:
*Website: http://www.bethrevis.com/ *Blog: http://bethrevis.blogspot.com/
*Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bethrevis

Penguin Teen sites:

*Website: http://www.penguin.com/teen
*Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/penguinteen
*Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/penguinteenbooks

Across the Universe sites:
*Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/acrosstheuniversebook
*website: http://www.acrosstheuniversebook.com/

I don't know about you, but I can't wait to dive into this book!

To get your hands on a copy, you can click here!

Psst...I have a secret!

Want me to spill?
'Cuz I really WANT to spill.
Over the last few months, the girls and I have been working on a new blog site, created and inspired by the Kritique group we began a little over a year ago!  Not familiar with my girls?  Pshaw!  Check them out...Kim Franklin and Kristin Rae are my co-conspirators!
TODAY, we are all announcing our pre-launch giveaway! The LOOT: 
a $25 Amazon gift card AND a copy of Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins!
For more details, check out booKrushed!
In addition, because it's the beginning of the year and we ADORE reading challenges, we are holding one of our own!  We are calling it 11 from 11 during 11!  We will be announcing more details in the coming months, but wanted to get the word out there early enough to start the challenge. 
We've each selected 11 books we want to read from 11 different authors that will be released in 2011! 

Here are my current picks in published date order:
Jaunary 2011 - Across the Universe by Beth Revis
February 2011 - Delirium by Lauren Oliver
February 2011 - Desires of the Dead (The Bodyfinder #2) by Kimberly Derting
March 2011 - The Dark and Hollow Places (TFOHAT #3) by Carrie Ryan
April 2011 - Bumped by Meghan McCafferty
June 2011 - Possession by Elana Johnson
July 2011 - Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater
July 2011 - Heartless (The Parasol Protectorate #4) by Gail Carriger
September 2011 - Supernaturally (Parnormalcy #2) by Kiersten White
October 2011 - Tempest (Hush, Hush #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick
2011 (no official date listed yet) - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

WOW...reading over them again...I really can't WAIT!
What about you?  Anything coming up you can't wait to dive into???

Happy Birthday to my baby boy!

Exactly three years ago today I was in the hospital and terrified out of my mind!
I'll spare you the details, but it was a day and a moment that will forever live on in my memory. 
It was the day I fell in love with the tiniest person imaginable and prayed I wouldn't screw him up.

I remember pulling away from the hospital and looking at my husband with wide eyes. 
The conversation went something like this:ME:  "Wow, there's a baby in the backseat.  How weird is that?"HUBS:  "I know, I can't believe they just let you take them home afterwards.  Seems strange."ME:  "We're not even really certified, do the birthing classes count?"HUBS:  "I hope not, we failed at swaddling."
AND then we just died laughing.  I'm pretty sure we laughed so hard we cried.  Because in all honesty, at that moment, even though we planned everything and prepared the way you were supposed to, we both felt in over our heads.
I like to think we've been doing pretty well since that day.  Sure, there's been a few bumps here and there, a few frantic unnecessary trips to the doctor and ER, but all in all, I feel like we've done a decent job.
And my little man is growing up before my eyes, making me more proud with each passing day.
There's a good chance I will cry at random intervals today.  Never expected that either, but it happens every year.  Please tell me one of you does this too.  Am I alone?
So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my baby boy.

Mommy loves you more than you know! 

The Wednesday Review

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I liked Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, but I LOVED Crescendo!


Her follow up novel, in my mind, was even better than the original. What can I say? I love bad boy Patch and Becca found a way to create some intense suspense and longing between her characters that kept me flipping through the pages at a frantic pace.

It was my last read of 2010 and definitely one of my favorites of the year!

View all my reviews


So, have you read it?  What did you think?

Happy New Year!!!

2011 has quite a nice ring to it, don't you think???

As I turn the pages of the calendar (and by turn, I mean throw out and start new), I can't help but wonder, where did all the time go? 

2010 was gone in a *FLASH*. 

Which brings me to the question of, how did I spend my time, and did I do it wisely? (Being an optimist, there's really only one answer here and I'll let you guess.)

BUT, the new year isn't as much about looking back as it is looking forward.  In the past, I've made specific resolutions and tried to keep them up, but like most of us, by February they are mostly dead in the water and by March, they are forgotten entirely.  This year, I think I want to be more general. 

YES, I want to take the opportunity to start fresh, with new thinking, a new attitude, new goals, BUT, it should really be things I want to focus on each and every day.

I want 2011 to be about more about the person I am, my actions, my thoughts. I want to be the wife/mother/friend/co-worker/blogger/stranger that is always there to help and lend a smile. I want to care ceaselessly and love wildly, no matter the costs. I want to practice patience and humility to the point that they come naturally, without gritted teeth, foolish pride, or hurt feelings.

This year, for me, it's a more inward look at myself and the person I want to be, the person I know I am, the person that in times I feel is lost in the day to day struggles of everyday life.

Um, not to say, I won't be participating in reading and writing challenges throughout the year,  amongst any other things that float my way, because, if you haven't noticed, I have an addiction to books. An addiction I totally find healthy and fulfilling.  (Even if the hubs has banned me from buying new ones until the piles begin to dwindle.  Bummer!)

So, what about you, friends?  What has the new year brought to your minds?  Resolutions?  Hope? Stress?

It definitely hits me as a magical time of reflection and all things new.  There's something special about this time of year, something in the air, do you feel it?

The holidays!

Where, oh where, did all the time go blogosphere???

If you're like me, it passed by in a flash, leaving you whip lashed, but smiling.

Work is still insane, but finally starting to settle a bit, so I just may get back into the swing of things soon.

::crosses fingers and makes wish::
A few of my favorite things/moments about Christmas 2010:
*The snow!  It's the first white Christmas I can ever remember having.
*Along with the snow, came snowman making with my little guy...a definite favorite of the holiday weekend.
*Having my entire family (all 9 of us) attend the Christmas Eve service at my church
*Catching up with old friends and their kids at my mother's Christmas Eve party
*Starting our own family traditions with the tot

*Staying in my fuzzy pants/PJ's for two days straight!
*Playing with all the kiddos toys!  (he got some seriously cool stuff)

What about you?  Any big moments this holiday that stood out? 

AND am I the only one getting random Japanese spam comments???