Design: The Fox Family.

I recently got my first request for blog design that wasn't from one of my besties. I was both thrilled and completely nervous.

Heather of The Fox Family was super easy to work with. She wanted a yellow, bright background - no pink though! I used Simply*Glamourous for the cursive, loopy font. I also used Trebuchet MS, Indy Pimp, and Sketch Block in her design :)

{click to enlarge}

Before:

After:

My Favorite Part:

I love how the Meet The Family part turned out - it definitely helps that she has 

such a photogenic family. Her two daughters are little dolls.  

Make sure you stop by and visit Heather's blog! :)

If you are interested in a design by me, please visit my design page and/or send me an email. I can do a bunch of stuff - header, social media icons, signature, buttons, and even a watermark for your pictures that matches your header! All for $20. I'm mostly using this as an outlet to prevent myself from changing my own blogs, not as a job :)

As I Wake [Review]

Stats:
224 Pages [Kindle]
Published 15 September 2011
ASIN: B005DIAVVM
Find on Goodreads


Synopsis:
What if you woke up and didn't know where you were?

What if you didn't know who you were?

And what if, when your memories started to come back--what if they didn't match the you that you're supposed to be?

Ava is welcomed home from the hospital by a doting mother, lively friends, and a crush finally beginning to show interest. There's only one problem: Ava can't remember any of them--and can't shake the eerie feeling that she's not who they say she is.

Ava struggles to break through her amnesiac haze as she goes through the motions of high-school life, but the memories that surface take place in a very different world, where Ava and familiar-faced friends are under constant scrutiny and no one can be trusted. Ava doesn't know what to make of these visions, or of the boy who is at the center of them all, until he reappears in her life and offers answers . . . but only in exchange for her trust.


My Thoughts:
The very substance of this book could make an amazing story, but the execution was poor. There were many parts that seemed out of place, unexplained, and awkward to the storyline. The characters all lacked substance. I also didn't feel any closure when I finished. I whipped through this book in no time at all, but then I was left with nothing but confusion. Did I only read half a book?


Previous Review:
Where the Truth Lies by Jessica Warman [here]


Linked up at...

Where the Truth Lies [Review]

Stats:
316 Pages [Kindle]
Published 28 September 2010
ASIN: B0040GJ5G0
Find on Goodreads

January TBR List

Books for January:

• Roseannearchy by Roseanne Barr
• Dry by Augusten Burroughs
• Four to Score by Janet Evanovich
• Crimson Frost by Jennifer Estep
• Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
• Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia [We Heart YA - General BOTM]
• Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor [We Heart YA - Theme BOTM]
• Plague by Michael Grant [We Heart YA - Series Read Along] 

In the We Heart YA Books! group on Goodreads, I am participating in a few reading challenges. My monthly challenges are to read 3 dystopia/apocalyptic books and to spell out NEW YEAR with titles. I will be working on a 3 month challenge to spell out NEW YORK. Lastly, I am working on an A to Z Title Challenge for the whole year.

I'm also joining in for I'm Loving Books' Random Reads again :)

Because of the holidays, I'm choosing just one (again) random book off of my massive list on Goodreads. And that book is...John Dies at the End by David Wong.

I'm participating in BOB again :) Hopefully I can pick off a bunch of my January books!

Bout of Books 6.0 Goals & Book List

It has been 5 months since the last BoB and I have been patiently awaiting for January 7 to roll around. I've decided to take what I did last time and try and stick with it, instead of attempting more. Because each time I attempt more, I don't quite get there :P So taking it easy! Maybe for Bout of Books 7.0 I can go crazy. I've also decided to read my January books FIRST and then start on my leftover books from 2012. This way I don't get behind on my books I have to read this month and stay behind all year.

The Goals:

• Read 300 pages each day.
• Finish 5 books
• Participate in at least 3 challenges - one down, two to go (Mon); did another (Tues); did my last today (Sun)
• Participate in one Twitter chat - participated in Monday's 1pm CST one :)
• Visit bloggers also participating and leave lots of comment love - every day!
• Beat my last readathon accomplishments: 4 books, 1251 pages

The Books:

• Roseannearchy by Roseanne Barr
• Dry by Augusten Burroughs
• Four to Score by Janet Evanovich
• Crimson Frost by Jennifer Estep (Netgalley)
• Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
• Gone by Michael Grant
• Hunger by Michael Grant
• Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
• *Added* Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia/Margaret Stohl

Total of 8 books and 3288 pages. To get all of these done, I would have to read over 400 pages a day. But I like to overchallenge myself. :) I at least want 5 books read and 300 pages each day. We'll see what happens!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal.  It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 7th and runs through Sunday, January 13th in whatever time zone you are in.  Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week.  There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional.  For all Bout of Books 6.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.
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Monday {updated 7pm}
Books read: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia/Margaret Stohl, Roseannearchy by Roseanne Barr
Books finished: 0
Pages read: 40 + 134 = 174 (Total: 174)
Other: Visited and commented on goal lists, participated in the Twitter chat today, did the challenge
Thoughts: I didn't get to read as much as I wanted to. I was very distracted by everything. Hopefully Tuesday will be a little better.


Tuesday {updated Weds}
Books read: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia/Margaret Stohl, Roseannearchy by Roseanne Barr
Books finished: 1
Pages read: 12 + 149 = 161 (Total: 335)
Other: Participated in one challenge
Thoughts: I've been going all morning long. I finally am about to sit down and read..but now I have to make lunch. Ick. Reading while cooking LOL


Wednesday {updated Thurs}
Books read: Crimson Frost by Jennifer Estep, Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Books finished: 2
Pages read: 384 + 29 = 413 (Total: 748)
Other: Visited the rest of my quota for goal pages
Thoughts: Today I have NOTHING to do, so I will be making up for lost time and the little pages I've managed to read in the first few days.
2pm: I'm already up to the amount I've read over the last two days, so I'm really happy that I've gotten a lot read today. Tomorrow is going to be rough with an all day long training going on and then an FRG meeting/bowling party.


Thursday {updated Fri}
Books read: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Books finished: 2
Pages read: 29 (Total: 777)
Other: I knew I wouldn't read much yesterday. But seeing 29 as a final page count makes me cringe. Guess I will spend Friday making up for that!


Friday {updated Sat}
Books read: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Books finished: 2
Pages read: 158 (Total: 935)
Other: I just sucked yesterday. Need to get with it Saturday and Sunday and destroy some books!

Saturday {updated Sun}
Books read: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver, Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia/Margaret Stohl
Books finished: 3
Total pages read: 199 + 52 = 261 (Total: 1196)
Other: Finished Pandemonium and now I'm gonna try and finish BC :)

Sunday {updated Mon}
Books read: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia/Margaret Stohl
Books finished: 4
Total pages read: 260 (Total: 1456)
Other: Hoping to finish BC today. I'm nearly to my page goal.
Mon: Finished BC!