cute vampire academy video by annareads

Hey guys I found this cute video about Vampire Academy. It was made by Anna Reads, you can check out her blog here: annareads.

Anyways I hope you enjoy the video as much as I did!
p.s. Happy Sunday to everyone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3qpsJZNH7Y&feature=player_embedded

Blue is For Nightmares series by Laurie Faria Stolarz * 4.5 out of 5 stars*

Since I haven't been reviewing books for a while, I've decided to review a series that I really enjoy. The Blue is For Nightmares series is a great read. They're short, suspenseful and just plain awesome. This series had me hanging onto my eyeballs because they were going to pop out of my head. (In a good way though) These books had an eerie feel to it as well. There were times when I just wanted to close my eyes or shield myself with a blanket, but of course I couldn't because I had to know what happened. This series was so fantastic, I really liked it a lot; even though it gave me nightmares, but it was all worth it.

So here is a synopsis of the first book from B&N:

"I Know Your Secret . . ."

It started with weird e-mails and freaky phone calls. Now someone's leaving Drea white lilies—the same death lilies that have been showing up in Stacy's dreams. Everybody thinks it's just a twisted game . . . until another girl at school is brutally murdered.

There are no witnesses. Worst of all, no one has a perfect alibi. With everyone as a potential suspect, Stacy turns to the one secret weapon she can trust-the folk magic taught to her by her grandmother. Will Stacy's magic be strong enough to expose the true killer, or will the killer make her darkest nightmares come true?

- If you guys end up reading it or if you already did tell me your thoughts. I love knowing your opinions! Alright thats all for now. Goodbye guys, have a great Saturday!

Happy Friday!

It' time to party because Friday is here once again folks! I hope you're just as excited as I am. I will be spending my Friday with my awesome and lovely friend Karen because she is so fantastic and cool. What are you guys up to this tonight? You are welcome to leave messages. I love them very very very much!

*Now onto something book related. :)

I just stumbled upon this cool site for teen writers called, inkpop. Maybe I'll even try my hand at writing? I don't know, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. But anyways they have some good stories on there written by teens for other teens.  Here's a little more info from Harper Collins editor:

What’s your story?

Love to Write? Connect with other teen writers like yourself. Read and vote on what others write. Talk about novels, poetry or a book you love. Write a post for the community. Connect with other literary teens like yourself. Make the Top Pick list and your writing will be read by a HarperCollins editor.

Alright that is all for now. Bye guys and I hope you have a super fantastic Friday! :)
-Veronica

Only 4 Days left to enter The Hunger Games giveaway!

Hey guys I just wanted to let everyone know that there's only 4 days left to enter my giveaway. Let your friends know so they can sign up too. Alright good luck! :)

You can enter here. Click me.

P.S. I just wanted to give a shout out to my good friend Maryam. I love you buddy!

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. So if you want to join click on the link above. :)


Right now I am waiting on many books but this is probably the one I'm most excited about. The book is called Demon Kissed by H.M. Ward. 

I am very excited about reading this book! It sounds really interesting and I have high hopes for it. Plus the cover looks cool don't you think? Also the author put out the first chapter of this book and it is very good so far. You can read it too when you click here. :)

Here is a little summary about the book from Goodreads:
DEMON KISSED is a young adult paranormal-romance novel, by American author H.M. Ward. It tells the story of Ivy Taylor, a seventeen year old girl, who is claimed by both the martyr marked (people chosen to protect humanity from evil), and the demon kissed (soulless servants of hell).

While learning to survive in this new reality, Ivy discovers that she is at the center of a prophecy that foretold of her unleashing unprecedented evil into the world. Ivy relies on her friends, and finds herself in a forbidden romance, while trying to save the world.



Alright that is it for today. Goodbye pals!

My trip to the library.

Greetings to everyone out there, I hope that you are all very swell this evening. I signed up to help out at the soup kitchen today and it was very nice. I got to cut some carrots and help serve food, the people there were very nice and extremely helpful. I wish I could have done more to help though. I'm thinking this could become a regular thing that I could do perhaps?

Anyways moving on. Before helping out at the soup kitchen, I went on a magical adventure this place called the library. It was fantastic. I love the library, it's probably my second favorite place to go besides home. My time there was awesome like always. My only problem with the library is that they have too many books that I want to read. Here are some books that I went home with today. (Hopefully I'll be able to read and review all of them before I have to return them. Wish me luck guys!)

Books from left to right: ( I'll put a little synopsis for each)
1. Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales:
The higher you aim, the farther you fall…. It’s Violet’s junior year at the Westfield School. She thought she’d be focusing on getting straight As, editing the lit mag, and figuring out how to talk to boys without choking on her own saliva. Instead, she’s just trying to hold it together in the face of cutthroat academics, her crush’s new girlfriend, and the sense that things are going irreversibly wrong with her best friend, Katie.
When Katie starts making choices that Violet can’t even begin to fathom, Violet has no idea how to set things right between them. Westfield girls are trained for success—but how can Violet keep her junior year from being one huge epic failure?

2. Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford:
The Sullivan sisters have a big problem. On Christmas Day their rich and imperious grandmother gathers the family and announces that she will soon die . . .and has cut the entire family out of her will. Since she is the source of almost all their income, this means they will soon be penniless.
Someone in the family has offended her deeply. If that person comes forward with a confession of her (or his) crime, submitted in writing to her lawyer by New Year's Day, she will reinstate the family in her will. Or at least consider it.
And so the confessions begin....

3. Amy and Rogers Epic Detour by Morgan Matson:
Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn’t seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she’s coming to terms with her father’s death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

4. Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow:
Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you’re traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.)
Then her dad turns up dead—but still walking—and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever—or whoever— is hunting her?

Well that's all for today folks! I'll see you next time. (probably tomorrow) ;)

P.S. Many of you have probably noticed that I changed my name from "book it" to "read books have fun" I did that because that's what my url link before was and I kept getting confused so I changed my name. Sorry if I caused any inconvenience.

Finals Finals and Graceling by Kristin Cashore 3 out of 5 stars***

Hi friends! Right now I should be studying for my finals, but I've decided to give you guys a book review instead. Plus the day is still young so I'll have plenty of studying time later.
I finished reading the book, Graceling by Kristin Cashore two days ago and I am sad to say that I was a little disappointed by it. I met the author at a book fest in Boston and I loved her! She seemed very down to earth and modest. This made me very excited to read her book, but all the more disappointed when I didn't fall in love with it. It's not a bad book don't get me wrong, but I just don't see myself re-reading it for fun. I will mention that the plot of this book was very intriguing and that Kristin Cashore is very creative. The world she created had a lot of potential but  the climax was short-lived. I think I will give Fire, the sequel to this book a chance though.
All in all I will give this book a 3 out of 5 stars. ***

Synopsis by

The New York Times - Katie Roiphe

In the course of her dark and eventful tale, Cashore plays with the idea of awkwardness, how at a certain age gifts and talents are burdens, how they make it impossible to feel comfortable in the world. And in this she writes a fairly realistic portrait of teenage life into the baroque courts of her outlandish kingdoms…In many respects Graceling is a study of mysterious angers: it offers a perfect parable of adolescence, as its characters struggle with turbulent emotions they must learn to control. The consequences are more tangible than they usually are in more mundane settings—if Katsa loses control, she breaks someone's jaw by accident—but the principle is the same. The teenage characters in this novel, like some we may know in life, grow into their graces. They realize that their monstrous individuality is not so monstrous after all.

Lets end the week on a positive note.

Hey guys, I just got out of piano lessons and I don't know about you guys but I love learning how to play new songs. (especially Disney songs) I'm still a beginner though, so I hate getting books that are too complicated for me. So on that note I've decided to review some music books that I've been using. I hope that they help you as much as they've helped me! :)

The first one I will review is my probably my favorite book. It's called,

The Disney Collection (Easy Piano Series) by Hal Leonard Corp.

This book has a lot of good songs. Though there aren't many popular Disney songs in here like Aladdin, Hercules, Beauty and the Beast or Mulan. They still have some by The Little Mermaid, Dumbo, Bambi, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, and etc. You can find a list of the songs here. I really enjoyed this book, It was a lot easier to read.

I'm going to give this book 5 out of 5 stars.*****

The next book I will be reviewing is another Disney book but a lot more complicated. This book is for the more advanced folks out there. It's called: 

New Illustrated Treasury of Disney Songs (Piano/Vocal/Guitar Songbook) by Hal Leonard Corp.

I found this book to be really frustrating because this it was too complicated for me. Though I'd give this book an A plus for the variety of songs listed. This book probably has every single Disney song you could ever think of. (too bad I couldn't play any of them) This was the first piano book I bought. After seeing how difficult it was I went out and bought the easy version that you can see above. I soon hope to be able to play from this book as I progress with my piano lessons. 

So right now I'll give this book a 2 out of 5 on a playable scale for beginners. **

Next are some non Disney books that are fun and very simple to play.  

Piano Literature Book 1 (revised edition) by Faber & Faber.

This is the first book that I started learning out of. This book has a collection of very nice and simple pieces  for beginners. I really enjoyed this book. It made me feel like a pro at the piano. (ha-ha just kidding but it helped me to improve.)

So I'll give this book a 5 out of 5. 

If you want to check this book out on Amazon, just click here.

Piano Literature Book 2 (revised edition) by Faber & Faber.

This book was a step up from the first one. It was a bit harder to play but not too difficult. I found the songs on here to be very fun. Here are a list of the songs: King William's March, Bourree, Minuet in G Major, Menuet en Rhondeau, Air in D Minor and etc. (sorry guys I am too lazy, but I hope that gave you a general idea?)

I'll give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. ****

Classics To Moderns In the Intermediate Grades by D. Agay

I am using this book right now and I love it! Though I'd say that this book is more intermediate. The songs on here are really fun to play if you like classical music. You can find the list of songs on this link.
I will give this book rating a 5 out of 5 stars *****

So I hope you've enjoyed a change from my usually book reviews. I'll try to do a few more of these in the future. Anyways lets end the weekend doing something unforgettable! :)
Later Gators. I love you all!

The Cool Girl's Guide to Knitting by Nicki Trench * 4 out of 5

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. I believe that weekends should be spent doing something you like. For me that would most likely be reading or making little crafts. So here is a little book review for all you knitters out there or those of you who would like to learn.

The Cool Girl's Guide to Knitting by Nicki Trench, is a great book for beginners. It is filled with all sorts of designs that are easy to follow and understand. There are also step by step pictures as well. This book has helped me with many projects, and has given me many useful techniques for the future as well as a little history about knitting.

 

 

This is the only knitting book that I own but if you guys have any other suggestions please leave a comment. I also crochet as well. :) Alright bye guys, have a splendid weekend!

Snow Day #2 in the northeast

Hey guys I hope you're doing great today. We had another snow day today in the northeast. This is a good thing because that means NO SCHOOL. :) Yay. But here's a funny story about why we should always check the news for school cancellations:

My mom left to bring my little sisters to school without checking to see if it was canceled. So as a result their car got stuck in the snow and they had to pay a lot of money to get themselves towed out. (bummer) The funny part of this story is that I knew there wasn't going to be school today but I fell asleep before I could tell them not to leave. Whoops haha. I feel a little guilty about that but who wouldn't check the news before going out in weather that looked like this:

The last picture is a picture of my dad shoveling snow so that my mom can get back in. (sigh) Anyways how are you guys? Any good news? Feel free to leave comments below( i love them to infinity and beyond.)


p.s. If you still haven't signed up for my giveaway of the book The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins,  you should soon the contest ends on Jan. 31, 2011. You can enter by clicking on my link giveaways, just under my header. Alright that's all for now goodbye you awesome people!

Books I will soon review! :))

These are just a few of the books that I will be reviewing soon! I am currently reading Graceling right now by Kristin Cashore and it's pretty good so far. Let's cross our fingers and hope that the ending is going to be just as great as the beginning! Those books are in no particular order ( gosh it took me so long to try to arrange them so I gave up and still there's a space between those last two books) haha anyways enough ranting for now I'll try to update more as the week ends. Goodbye my fellow follwers I love you all! :)

P.S. If you haven't signed up for my giveaway yet you should do so. To enter you can click on the icon "giveaway" under my header. :) okay peace out guys!

First Giveaway!!

The first giveaway is going to be The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins!! I hope you guys are as excited as I am. :)

 Here's a little summary for you folks out there:

Sixteen-year-old Katniss is smart, athletic, and fast. She can take down a rabbit with a bow and arrow, hitting it straight through the eye. Will these skills be enough to survive the Hunger Games?

Suzanne Collins, the author of the middle-grade fantasy series The Underland Chronicles begins anew, exploring a future landscape that will be familiar to devotees of science fiction's dystopic strain. In a nation called Panem, which occupies the landmass that is the present United States, a parasitical fascist Capitol dominates 12 conquered districts. There was a thirteenth district but it was obliterated during a rebellion. The totalitarian government keeps the subjected populations in line by threatened devastation, starvation, and brutality.
Here are some rules though. :(


1. You have to follow my blog.
2. You have to be a U.S. resident (sorry I don't have that much money for shipping but if I did I would send items around the world.)
3. You should post a link of this giveaway to your blog.


By the end of this month (Jan. 31, 2011) I will randomly select a winner. If you win I will contact you somehow (don't worry I'll find a way!) so you can tell me where to send the book. Alright that's all for now, have fun guys!


To enter:

Just fill out this form!
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFVsY0xsTm5CZFRaT1VDTzJhS2NxUXc6MQ

Smart Boys & Fast Girls by Sophie Davis *4 out of 5 stars

  

After a long day of snowboarding today, I've decided to review a short novel that is perfect for sitting by the fire. Fast Boys & Smart Girls by Stephie Davis is perfect for this situation, it's short  and sweet. I really enjoyed reading it when I was in middle school and I still enjoy it now, there were elements in this book that were funny and romantic and so much more. Plus the book is really small it might even fit in your pockets! (okay not that small but it'd be a close one)

So here it is the synopsis(from Stephie Davis):

ON YOUR MARK
Natalie Page is overlooked and unappreciated.
Yeah, sure, she can run fast.
Yeah, sure, all the boys love her...as a buddy.
Yeah, she has plans every weekend night...with her friends and their boyfriends. GET SET
It's time for the world to sit up and take notice. When Natalie makes the varsity cross country team, it seems like the fast track to being cool. The popular girls notice her, the hunky captain of the boys team is giving her rides home. Natalie Page is off and running.
Then she starts to fail geometry. She has to get a tutor: a very annoying boy who thinks sports is for idiots. A very smart boy who thinks she's stupid. A very cute boy who already has a girlfriend and has no interest in her. A boy she told her parents she was dating.
GO!
Natalie Page can run. Now she has to decide how to finish.

Firelight by Sophie Jordan * 3.7 out of 5 stars*

I picked up this book at B&N because I thought the cover looked cool. ( I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but this book was actually pretty good!) I didn't like the main character very much but the plot was exciting and fresh. I've never read a book about dragons before and I found it to be a step out of the realm of all the vampires and werewolves etc. I'd probably call this a cross between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dragon Tales? (sorry I can't think of anything else with dragons but I swear its not a kiddie book, it's more like Dragon Tales for teens?) I really liked the ending of this book, though there was a HUGE cliffhanger. Good thing there's going to be a second book coming. :) Let the waiting begin.

Synopsis from B&N:

A hidden truth.
Mortal enemies.
Doomed love.

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.
Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.
Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins *3.5 out of 5 stars*

Hooray I just finished reading this book last night! I've really enjoyed this series so far but sadly it has finally met its maker. Unfortunately I wasn't really interested in reading this book, which is strange because I loved Catching Fire and The Hunger Games. Perhaps it's because Katniss annoyed me in this one, did anyone else find her really whinny and annoying? Maybe I'll go back and reread this book in the future. But I liked how the book ended at least. :) I recommend this book to everyone whose enjoyed reading the the 1st and 2nd books. Hopefully your experience with it will be better then mine. Happy readings!

So now onto the synopsis!(taken from B&N):

The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Who do they think should pay for the unrest?

Katniss Everdeen.

The final book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins will have hearts racing, pages turning, and everyone talking about one of the biggest and most talked-about books and authors in recent publishing history!!!!

Paperbackswap.com!!

I don't know about you but I like to save money and buying books all the time can get expensive.
So I've decided to share with you guys this website called paperbackswap!
This site is fantastic, I find it very useful and efficient. There are thousands of books to choose from and not only are you saving money on books, but you are also helping the planet by ridding books out of landfills. You know what they say, one mans trash is another ones treasure. I've been a member for about a few years now and I don't regret a minute of it. Getting started isn't hard either ( I would know because I am hopeless with the the internet) but they have step by step instructions to help you along the way. So if you want feel free to go check it out.

http://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard " 4 out of 5 stars"

I was very excited to start reading this book by Sara Shepard, because I really enjoyed reading the Pretty Little Liars series. Though I can't really relate to the characters or find any of the things that happen to them believable, this book still made for a fun read. There were parts that blew my mind ( in a good way) and kept me holding on for dear life. This book did not disappoint me in anyway, it was suspenseful, mysterious and very daring. I can't wait for the next book!

Synopsis from Goodreads:
  I had a life anyone would kill for.
Then someone did.

The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.
Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me—to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?
From Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars books, comes a riveting new series about secrets, lies, and killer consequences.
Let the lying game begin.