Thank you & a Happy New Year

Lovelies,

Now that 2011 is almost over (in some countries it already is), I want to thank you for your part in making the last months so wonderful. I've said it before, but I will say it again: Blogging about books has turned out to be so much fun and I'm looking forward to 2012 as a year of awesome books and I'm hoping to get to know even more awesome book-lovers and bloggers. 

Since April 5th, 2011 I have posted 291 posts on this blog, including 94 reviews! You have commented 2888 times, 964 people have followed this blog via GFC. When I started this blog I never thought it would be this much fun and that so many people would be a part of it.

Sometimes I wish I wasn't living in Germany, but maybe the UK or the US, so I could meet some of you guys! You're awesome and I'm very glad I've met you. I hope 2012 will be fabulous for you! 

Happy New Year! ♥

Carina

Short Story Review: Things About Love by Jackson Pearce

Things About Love by Jackson Pearce
in Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions
Publisher: HarperCollins
First published: September 20th, 2011
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Pages: 78 - 106

Short Summary:

This short story is set in the universe of Jackson Pearce's novel As You Wish. We meet Lawrence who has been assigned Juliet, a genie and his new guard. While Juliet wants to find out more about human emotions and, most importantly, what it's like to love, Lawrence wants to fall in love himself - but he can't seem to find the right candidate.

My Rating: 5.0 / 5

What I thought about it:

This is definitely my favorite short story of this anthology so far. It made me want to read As You Wish and others of Jackson's books immediately. Her writing is fantastic and I was pulled into this short story immediately.

Lawrence and Juliet are very intriguing characters, who are very easy to relate to. This short story is told from points of view and makes it a lot easier to understand the reasons for their behaviour and their background stories.

As the title already suggests, this is a story about love. About finding out what it feels like and about wanting to feel it. It's beautiful, it's heartbreaking and it's hopeful. Things About Love is a wonderful short story and makes this anthology even more special.

Other short stories from this anthology which I've already reviewed:

Giovanni's Farewell by Claudia Gray
Scenic Route by Carrie Ryan
Red Run by Kami Garcia

Have you read any of Carrie Ryan's novels? What did you think about them?

Carina

Review: CRIMES IN SOUTHERN INDIANA by Frank Bill

Crimes in Southern Indiana: Stories by Frank Bill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You might try to comfort yourself by thinking that Frank Bill's exaggerating for dramatic effect in these short, tightly written tales of country meth addicts, domestic brutality, dog-fighters, unpredictably vicious rednecks, and rural ultra-violence. You might try to tell yourself that things this grim and lurid could never happen in real life. But I can tell you, they do.


This is not a book for the faint of heart; it's pure distilled essence of redneck noir, and there are few happy endings. But the quality of the writing keeps you coming back for just one more page, then another, until it's all gone, like a bottle of cheap whiskey that you can't put down and that's gone all too soon.


I got this book for Christmas, and Frank Bill just made it to the top of the "Buy As Soon As It Comes Out list."


View all my reviews

Top 10 Books I'm looking forward to in 2012

Top 10 of 2011 is hosted by Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic, Lisa from A Life Bound by Books, Jamie & Patricia from Two Chicks on Books and Rachel from Fiktshun. It's a great opportunity to go back and remember all of the books you've read in 2011. For more information go here.

This is the last week for this "challenge" and I'm almost sad to see it end. It was so much fun to put together lists even though it's almost impossible to limit them to ten books / characters only. Today's list has proven to be just as difficult as the last four ones. There are definitely more than just ten books I'm looking forward to in 2012!

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Expected Publication: January 24th, 2012

(HarperCollins / Balzer + Bray)

Luckily I already have an eARC for this one, because I'm dying to read this. It sounds absolutely fantastic and almost everyone who has already read it, loved it!

Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Expected Publication: May 2012
(Entangled Publishing)

It's almost impossible to describe how much I loved Obsidian. Oh, Daemon, I'm already missing you! I definitely need this second installment in this series as soon as possible!

In Too Deep by Amanda Grace
Expected Publication: February 8th, 2012
(Flux)

Oh, I'm dying to read this one as well. It sounds a little bit dark, but I was immediately captivated by its summary nonetheless. In my opinion, everyone should add this to their to-read lists!

The Selection by Kiera Cass
Expected Publication: April 24th, 2012
(HarperTeen)

Even if the summary didn't sound so good, I'd probably be tempted to buy this just to drool over the cover. I really need this book! Is it April yet?

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
Expected Publication: May 8th, 2012
(Margaret K. McElderry)

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
Expected Publication: November 2012
(Margaret K. McElderry)

Okay, this is the part where I officially start to cheat. But Cassandra Clare's books are so easy and fast to read (I devoured five of them this year) that two of her book can count as one. I haven't even read CoFA, but I know that I'll probably be dying for CoLS which is why I'm trying to wait. I also really loved the second book of the Infernal Devices series and need the third installment now!

Revived by Cat Patrick
Expected Publication: May 8th, 2012
(Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

I absolutely loved Cat's other book Forgotten and can't wait to read more of her work. Revived sounds very unique and like a very exciting novel. Need this one now, too!

Timepiece by Myra McEntire
Expected Publication: June 12th, 2012
(Egmont USA)

The first book of this series, Hourglass, has been featured on a few of my previous 2011 lists and I can't wait to find out how this story continues.

The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead
Expected Publication: June 19th, 2012
(Razorbill)

Adrian! Do I need to say more?! I've been missing him ever since I've finished reading Bloodlines and I can't wait to see / read about him again.

Until I Die by Amy Plum
Expected Publication: May 8th, 2012
(HarperCollins)

I loved the first book, its very refreshing paranormal aspects and the fantastic characters. Can't wait for the second installment!

And (sadly) this list won't survive without
Honorable Mentions:

Illuminate by Aimee Agresti
The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg
Dreamless by Josephine Angelini
Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

(and since it has no cover yet)
Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

... and many many more ...

Please feel free to link your own lists below and share your love for some awesome 2012 releases. It looks like my bank account will hate me next year. But it will be quite an amazing reading-year!

Carina

Review: A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton

A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton
Series: Winter #1
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Expected Publication: January 5th, 2012
Source: Received from publisher
Format: ARC
Pages: 346

Goodreads Summary:
Anna Winterson doesn't know she's a witch and would probably mock you for believing in magic, but after moving to the small town of Winter with her father, she learns more than she ever wanted to about power. When Anna meets Seth, she is smitten, but when she enchants him to love her, she unwittingly amplifies a deadly conflict between two witch clans and splits her own heart in two. She wants to love Seth, to let him love her – but if it is her magic that's controlling his passion, then she is as monstrous as the witch clan who are trying to use her amazing powers for their own gain.

Although a perfect fit for the paranormal romance genre, A WITCH IN WINTER avoids fangs, excessive body hair and submissive female leads, and tells the heart-wrenching story of a couple meant to be together, but being forced apart. Seth is utterly irresistible and Anna is an empowered, proactive young woman with unimaginable magic inside her. This is fast-paced, sensuous writing with believable incantations inspired by Warburton's research into witchcraft legend and old English.

My Rating: 4.0 / 5

First thoughts:

This is a very magical book about witchcraft, first and true love and about dealing with the consequences of your own behaviour. Seth and Anna are a beautiful couple to watch as they grow closer and realize that they care about each other. This is a beautiful story and I'm looking forward to find out how it continues, hoping that all questions will be answered and all wishes will come true.

More detailed:

My favorite aspect about A Witch in Winter is the magic we get to experience. Like I've already said above, this is a truly magical book. The spells Anna encounters and uses are creepy and completely different from what I was used to from, for example, Harry Potter. But this is the best part of this novel since it's quite special.

Anna's story in Winter starts off creepy when she practices magic in which she doesn't even believe in. But when she binds Seth to herself all of sudden she has to believe in the impossible. Her journey from unbelieving to finally accepting her powers is wonderful to witness and it's very obvious how much she changes and developes until the end of this book.

Sadly at some points the character and relationship development is a little bit too sudden for me. Yes, sometimes magic is involved, but certain conversations become serious very quickly. I'm sure that most people won't be disturbed by that (it seems more like a personal preference to have longer conversations) and especially towards the end those scenes almost disappear completely.

Besides that, I truly enjoyed A Witch in Winter. It's very exciting with lots of action scenes - especially towards the end -, very relatable and diverse characters I'd love to find out more about (one name: Abe!) and a truly magical gift that has turned a beautiful love story into a very complicated one. All in all, I can definitely recommend this novel and advice you to pick it up if you're looking for a great story about witches.

Books in this series:

1. A Witch in Winter (Jan 5th, 2012)
2. A Witch in Love (July 5th, 2012)
3. A Witch Alone (n/a)

Have you read A Witch in Winter? What did you think about it?

Do you plan to read it?
Carina

Top 10 Characters in 2011

Top 10 of 2011 is hosted by Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic, Lisa from A Life Bound by Books, Jamie & Patricia from Two Chicks on Books and Rachel from Fiktshun. It's a great opportunity to go back and remember all of the books you've read in 2011. For more information go here.

Just like the previous three posts (Top 10 Books I've Read in 2011 // Top 10 Covers of 2011 // Top 10 Book Boyfriends in 2011), this is a very hard post to write. When I first thought about my favorite characters, all of my book boyfriends of yesterday's list came to my mind. Then the heroines from my favorite books. Needless to say, this list could be endless.

So I'm trying something different to try and stick to ten characters only. I've created a few categories and will tell you my favorite characters that fit into them, so I won't repeat yesterday's list.

My favorite villains:

Warner from Shatter Me

Roman from Blue Moon

It's hard to explain why I like these two so much, especially since it's been a while since I read Blue Moon (beginning of 2011, even before I started blogging). It's probably because they are very hard to hate or maybe because I love to hate them. Whatever it is, I'm looking forward to see more of them.

My favorite heroines:

Lola from Lola and the Boy Next Door
Emerson from Hourglass
Rose from Vampire Academy

These girls are unique in the YA world. I love their wittiness, how they're able to fight for themselves and the things they believe in and how much they care about others.

My favorite "messed-up" characters:

Mara from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Cole from Linger & Forever

I don't think it's a secret that Mara Dyer is a seriously messed up character, but considering the things she is experiencing I think it's appropriate; it's what makes this novel so special. And Cole is definitely messed up, too, but I always enjoy reading the chapters from his point of view the most.

Characters who never fail to make me smile:

Magnus Bane from The Mortal Instruments / The Infernal Devices
Puck from The Iron Fey
Adrian from Vampire Academy / Bloodlines

When these characters appear, I squee like a little girl. They're special and I love them soooo much. I know that Puck and Adrian already appeared in my Top 10 Book Boyfriends list, but I just needed to mention them again - they're that awesome.

Please link your lists below so I can check out your favorite characters! Were you able to stick to ten people only or did you give in to your love for them?

Carina

Cover Comparisons #34: Hourglass by Myra McEntire

Living in Germany gives me the perfect opportunity to compare original covers with the ones German publishers choose. Sometimes they're gorgeous, sometimes they make me cringe, but it's always interesting to see different covers for the same novel.

Cover Comparisons is a weekly feature here at Fictional Distraction.

Last week's winner is the US cover of Falling Under by Gwen Hayes.

---

Hourglass by Myra McEntire
(US / GER)

Wow, Hourglass has won the cover lottery! Both of these are soooo gorgeous. While I still prefer the US cover because its colors are a bit more cheerful, I absolutely adore the photo of the German cover and placement of the title!

Which version do you like best?

US GER

pollcode.com free polls

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Carina

Reading Challenges for 2012

When I started blogging in April 2011 it seemed as though it was too late to enter any of the challenges. But ever since I have been looking forward to join a few of them for 2012 and here is my post to tell you about them:

Of course I'll join the Debut Author Challenge which is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren. For more information check out this post.

01. Everneath by Brodi Ashton
02. Halflings by Heather Burch
03. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
04. Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale
05. Destiny's Fire by Trisha Wolfe
06. Illuminate by Aimee Agresti
07. Slide by Jill Hathaway
08. The Selection by Kiera Cass
09. The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg
10. Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler
11. Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig
12. Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

I'm sure this list will change many times and probably a thousand more books will be added during 2012. But I'm already dying to read the books I've listed above!

I'll also join the 2012 YA Mythology Challenge which is hosted by Tiffany from For Those About To Read. I love mythology novels and I'm definitely looking forward to read a few of them! For more information check out this page.

01. Fury by Elizabeth Miles
02. Goddess Interrupted by Aimée Carter
03. Dreamless by Josephine Angelini
04. Abandon by Meg Cabot
05. Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout
06. Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout
07. Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs
08. Sirenz by Charlotte Bernardo
09. Siren by Tricia Rayburn
10. Ember's & Echoes by Karsten Knight

I'm sure that this list will change quite a bit as well, but I like what it looks right now. Definitely an awesome bunch of books! :)

I'm also joining the YA Contemporary Challenge 2012 which is hosted by Katie from Katie's Book Blog. I'm going to start by listing five books (level 1), but maybe I can change that list into ten books later in 2012. For more infomation about this challenge check this page.

01. In Too Deep by Amanda Grace
02. The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols
03. Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
04. Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale
05. Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig

I'll also join the 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge to finally reduce my reading pile. This is hosted by 10 (!) different bloggers: Evie from Bookish, Nicole from All I Ever Read, Bonnie from Hands and Home, Donna from Book Passion For Life, Caitlin from WatchYA Reading , Rie from Mission To Read, Vicky from Books, Biscuits & Tea , Christa from Hooked On Books, Jenna from Fans Of Fiction, Angel from Mermaids Vision.
For more information check out this page. I'll start with level 2 - A Friendly Hug, 11-20 books.

01. Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs
02. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
03. The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff
04. Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey
05. Wither by Lauren DeStefano
06. Angel by L.A. Weatherly
07. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
08. Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep
09. Eve by Anna Carey
10. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
11. Awake at Dawn by C.C. Hunter
12. Soul Thief by Jana Oliver
13. My Soul To Take by Rachel Vincent
14. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
15. This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
16. Fateful by Claudia Gray
17. Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson
18. Falling Under by Gwen Hayes
19. Sirensong by Jenna Black
20. Betrayed by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

I can't believe that all of these (and more) are sitting on my shelf right now and I haven't read them yet! Shame on me. I think this is a very necessary challenge for 2012. Especially considering all the other books I want to buy.

These are all of the challenges I'm planning to participate in. Will you be a part of any of these? What do you plan to read in 2012? 

Carina

Top 10 Book Boyfriends in 2011

Top 10 of 2011 is hosted by Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic, Lisa from A Life Bound by Books, Jamie & Patricia from Two Chicks on Books and Rachel from Fiktshun. It's a great opportunity to go back and remember all of the books you've read in 2011. For more information go here.

While this series of posts is so much fun, it's also very difficult to limit these lists to ten books or, in today's case, boyfriends. Check out my previous lists Top 10 Books I've Read in 2011 and Top 10 Book Covers of 2011. Originally I wanted to post pictures of actors / models who look like I imagine the characters to look like, but I sadly don't have enough time. But I'm sure you'll enjoy this list of awesomeness nonetheless! 

Adrian from the Vampire Academy / Bloodlines series

Puck from the Iron Fey series

Jace from the Mortal Instruments series

Étienne from Anna and the French Kiss

Tucker from the Unearthly series 

Irial from the Wicked Lovely series

Cricket from Lola and the Boy Next Door

Cole from the Wolves of Mercy Falls series

Will & Jem from the Infernal Devices series

Daemon from Obsidian

Originally I had planned another huge section of honorable mentions. And actually I should be adding it, because there are still so many male characters that need to be appreciated (e.g. Noah from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, Henry from Catching Jordan, Kaleb from Hourglass or Jules from Die For Me). But I'm trying to be strong here and stick to ten book boyfriends. 

Please link your lists below! We need more posts of book-boyfriend-awesomeness (even though these fictional guys are totally ruining me for real life guys).

Carina

Waiting on Wednesday #39: The Story of Us by Deb Caletti

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Story of Us by Deb Caletti

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Expected Publication: April 24th, 2012

Pages: 352

Goodreads Summary:
Cricket’s on a self-imposed break from her longtime boyfriend—but she’s picked a bad week to sort out her love life. For one thing, her mother’s romance is taking center stage: After jilting two previous fiancés, her mom is finally marrying Dan Jax, whom Cricket loves. But as wedding attendees arrive for a week of festivities at a guesthouse whose hippie owners have a sweet, sexy son—Ash—complications arise:Cricket’s future stepsisters make it clear they’re not happy about the marriage. An old friend decides this is the week to declare his love for Cricket. Grandpa chooses to reveal a big secret at a family gathering. Dan’s ex-wife shows up. And even the dogs—Cricket’s old, ill Jupiter and Dan’s young, lively Cruiser—seem to be declaring war.
While Cricket fears that Dan is in danger of becoming ditched husband-to-be number three, she’s also alarmed by her own desires. Because even though her boyfriend looms large in her mind, Ash is right in front of her....

There are days when I'm really in the mood for a good contemporary and today is one of these days. This sounds like a very intriguing read and I'm definitely looking forward to get my hands on a copy of this. 

What are you waiting for this Wednesday?

Carina