Book Nerds Across America

Have y'all heard of this event called Book Bash?! It is mad, crazy fun!! I remember hearing about after it happened last year. Basically everyone was telling me that I had to go, but that tickets sell out really quickly. One random day I'm bumming around online and see that they're going on sale. At this point, I don't have the hotel, or people to go with, or any sort of plan, but I decided: "I'll go ahead and buy the ticket and figure it out from there!" In the short amount of time it took to make that decision, they sold out -- but then one opened up and I snatched it! I was in!

Needless to say a plan did come together, and that's how I ended up waking up at 2:30 a.m. (you read that right!) to hit the road to Orlando. I had the honor of spending the weekend with these lovely ladies from Owl Always Be Reading and Once Upon a Twilight:

I love these ladies!

We got to the hotel where the event was being held right around 6 a.m. -- and we weren't even the first people in line! Crazy, right?! I love how people love books! Around 10 a.m. the bookstore opened. I was good and only bought one new book, but the highlight was finding these absolutely perfect shirts:

Seriously. Perfection.

The doors opened just after noon and we were off! For those of you who don't know, Book Bash is a one day signing in Orlando that has over 85 amazing authors. (BookBash.net and their Facebook page.) My first stop? Jennifer Armentrout. I had a book of hers that I'd gotten at BEA, but didn't get signed. Luckily, she remedied that:

Clockwise from top right: Maya Banks, Jennifer Armentrout, Tiffany King, Tammara Webber, Cora Carmack, Nichole Chase, K.A. Tucker, Colleen Hoover, and Katja Millay. Whew!

I thought about it and I love doing my end of the year "Top"s but its always so hard to go through a whole year of books!

So, why not do each month.

These are my books for January 2013

5. Sweet Oblivion by Bailey Ardisone

Goodreads Description:


I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.

Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her—her identity, her spirit, her will to live—pay.

Josh Bennett’s story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to.

The Sea of Tranquility is a rich, intense, and brilliantly imagined story about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances

Mary's Review:

I had this book forever on my Kindle, but like some others it got lost in the shuffle.  Finally, I got to it and I could KICK myself for not reading it sooner.

Best part of book:  This was such an amazing book! I loved it from the beginning to the end! Josh and Nastya are amazing and wonderful characters! Katja Millay kept this book going from the very first scene.  There were a lot of unanswered questions, but that was what kept me wanting more.  Nastya's "silence" throughout the book was an outstanding.  I loved her personality, courage and her determination to find "the guy".  At times, I just wanted to reach through the Kindle and hold her.  Josh is my new fictional boyfriend.  His "silence" is just as loud as Nastya at times.  Also, just like Nastya, there were times I wanted to reach with the Kindle and hold him too.  When their paths finally crossed I loved every interaction with them

Not so great about the book:  NOTHING!  This was so good!  It kept you questioning and wanting more!  I would recommend for everyone!

You can purchase the book here: