Recap of the 1st Annual(?) Ontario Blog Squad Meetup

After days of anticipating 'the big day' as if it were Christmas, it finally happened! It's amazing to see how when a few people say "hey we should all meet up" it can quickly turn into something huge! A big thank you to the fellow Blog Squad members Jackie, Liz, Nicole, Christa, Wendy, Angel and last but not least, Jen.

The Blog Squad Team

It was awesome to see the enthusiasm for the meetup. The 37 free tickets were snagged up within a week; totally not anticipated. Who knew that there were this many eager bookworm bloggers in and around Toronto? But what was even more awesome was the support we received from all the publishers: Random House Canada, Harper Collins Canada,  Simon & Schuster Canada, Hachette Book Group Canada, Scholastic Canada, Penguin Canada and Kobo! Another big thank you goes out to the participants and publishers for making this event beyond our wildest expectations!

Ok, let's get on with the show...Our day started off early, the organizers all met up at 10:30...we had the big (and exciting) job of putting together the goodies bags! Thankfully we had two cars to lug all the bags, but let me tell you the one block walk from where we parked to The Duke of York pub was painful. Carrying all those books was backbreaking work (there were five books in each bag and 38 bags)!

The Loot Bags

We arrived to see a few bloggers beat us there. Yes, there was excitement all around. Each person attending received a bag full of goodies: books and swag, including a mega size coffee mug! It was an afternoon full of mingling, putting faces to blog/twitter names and snacking on yummy nachos & quesadillas (generously provided by Jen)! Thanks to the donations, we had trivia questions to win t-shirts and raffle draws for rare ARCs, bookish goodies...and the grand finale was a Kobo Touch, generously donated by Kobo!

Here is a picture of my goodies!!! (jumps for joy)

Thanks so much to everyone for an awesome bookish day, we need to do this again :D

Review: Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon

Paperback, 342 pages

Released: October 4, 2011

Publisher: HarperTeen

Other places to find the book:
Goodreads.com
Amazon.com
Chapters.ca

Their love was meant to be.

When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRís.

But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction.

My Rating: 4 / 5

My Thoughts:


Megan's latest move is  from Boston to Ireland for her Dad's new job. On her first day of school she notices a boy watching her and finds herself instantly captivated by the mysterious Adam DeRis. After all the moving around she had never gotten close to people, until now.

If you enjoy stories about mythology, the lore behind the story was fabulous. We learn about Druids, a secret world full of history and power and how when the the four elements (air, earth, fire, water) are together they have the power to transform the world! At times it was a lot to take in so pay attention.

I adore the idea of people being brought together by fate but lately I haven't found one that really worked. It's hard to make people instantly fall in love and for it to be believable. I think Leigh Fallon did a good job making this one work. What for me was lacking was a bit more romance/connection without being cheesey, and to be honest, I didn't get enough of the Irish setting, I wanted more! Megan's acceptance of her new found role was too sudden. She did not fear or question it as I think most would have. After finishing the book, I wonder why the school friends were even there, for me their presence didn't really add anything extra to the Mark storyline. That being said, I see book two as the opportunity to really develop all the characters, now that the world building has taken place. Maybe one of them may surprise me?!

Carrier of the Mark was great debut, I can't wait to see where Meagn and Adam go from here! Did you know Leigh Fallon was discovered on Inkpop?

Waiting On Wednesday - November 2, 2011

This weekly event is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Expected publication: March 6, 2012

Publisher: Simon Pulse

from Goodreads:
Gabby Gardiner wakes up in a hospital bed looking like a cautionary ad for drunk driving and lacking a single memory of the accident that landed her there. What she can remember, in frank and sardonic detail, is the year leading up to the accident.
As she takes us through her transformation from invisible girl to on-trend Girl Who Dates Billy Nash (aka Most Desirable Boy Ever), she is left wondering: Why is Billy suddenly distancing himself from her? What do her classmates know that Gabby herself does not? Who exactly was in the car that night? And why is Gabby left alone to take the fall?

Putting the pieces together will take every ounce of Gabby's strength. As she peels back the layers of her life, she begins to realize that her climb up the status ladder has been as intoxicating as it has been morally complex...and that nothing about her life is what she has imagined it to be.

Books about memory always fascinate me and it's truly amazing how life can change dramatically in an instant! I also have to admit that this cover is eye catching, I love it!


What are you waiting on?

Review: Variant by Robison Wells

Hardcover, 356 pages

Released: October 4, 2011

Publisher: HarperTeen

Places to find the book:
Goodreads.com
Amazon.com
Chapters.ca

Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.

He was wrong.

Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.

Where breaking the rules equals death.

But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape—his only real hope for survival—may be impossible.

My Rating: 5 / 5

My Thoughts:
Not your typical boarding school book, Variant takes the idea of school as a prison to a whole new level.

Benson receives a scholarship to Maxfield Academy and having been through many foster families he's used to new schools. Only given an envelope and a contact name for inside, he is driven to the school and dropped off at the gate. It's odd to see a school surrounded by wire razors and with many cameras. As soon as he arrives, kids are running, hanging signs in windows and he begins to wonder just what he has gotten himself into....and he should. This is not your average school. Benson discovers that there are only three rules to follow, no teachers or adults, there are tests but you never see your score and detention means you may never come back!

 The 'students' have learned that to avoid a fate similar to the kids of Lord of the Files, they must work together. Three groups are formed: Society (the rule followers), Havoc (want to rule) and the Variant (everyone else) and contracts are made so work can be done and rewards earned. The kids are put through stressful situations, many that are strategy based games. Paintball plays a big role in this book and I loved it! As a mom to boys, I am ecstatic when I come across a book that appeals to both girls and boys. Full of action and intrigue, Variant was a wild ride as we follow Benson on his mission to bust out. It keeps you guessing and trusting no one!

Review: Everything We Ever Wanted by Sara Shepard

Paperback, 352 pages

Released: October 11, 2011

Publisher: Harper Paperback

Places to find the book:
Goodreads.com
Amazon.com
bookdepository.com

How do you choose between your family and your history?

Emotional and compelling storytelling from Sara Shepard, author of All the Things We Didn't Say.

A late-night phone call on a Sunday evening rarely brings good news. So when Sylvie, a recently-widowed mother of two, receives a call from the head teacher of the school she's on the board of, she knows it won't be something she wants to hear. The school was founded by her grandfather, and she's inherited everything he strived to build up - a reputation, a heritage, the school and the grand old family house. And with this inheritance comes responsibility.So when her son Scott is whispered to be involved in a scandal that led to the death of one of the boys he coaches at the school, it throws the family into chaos: Sylvie has to decide between her loyalty to the school that has been part of her family legacy for years and her son who she feels wants nothing to do with her. She starts spying on the dead boy's father, making an unlikely connection.Sara Shepard's compelling new novel tells how hard it can be to really, truly connect to people, how making quick, easy judgments can come back to haunt you, and how the life you always planned for - and always dreamed of - often doesn't always turn out the way you imagined at all...

My Rating: 4 / 5

My Thoughts:
Yes, this is a book written by THE Sara Shepard, but no it's nothing like Pretty Little Liars. It is an adult book and one where life experiences come in handy.

Mrs. Bates-McAllister comes from old money but we soon learn that when you dig deeper under the surface, money does not mean pure bliss. She recently lost her husband, and quite suddenly. Her two, grown sons have their own issues as well. Charles is married and Scott is the wild one, but both are dealing with issues of belonging. Charles and his father never clicked and he never understood why. Scott, the adopted son, always felt out of place and that people never expected anything from him. It was a phone call that sparks a new beginning for everyone and sets the tone of the book.

While I didn't necessarily feel a connection to any one particular character, I found the arc of the story and what the characters learn, enjoyable. I think everyone can relate to parts of each character here: doing things for ones family instead of what you want, believing the grass is always greener on the other side, feeling trapped, to name a few. Part of growing up is listening to what you're told, but there comes a time when one has to take control of their life, it just takes some time and bumps along the way to figure that out.

A story of assumptions, expectations, and regrets, it moves slow but with purpose. This is a realistic look at life and living. Life is short so the earlier you lose that layer of resentment or weight that bogs you down and is doing you no good, the better your chance of finding happiness. Sometimes life puts you in a funk, but as Sara shows us, there is hope after all.