Winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered! Winner of our 2nd Blogiversary giveaway is...

Dialma Jensen!

Thanks so much for reading and supporting our blog! Here's to another awesome year, and many awesome books!

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Reminder

Hey everyone! You have one more day to spread the word and sign up for our awesome giveaway!

And sorry there has been a lack of posting. My co-blogger Erin Writes has been having some internet and technical difficulties, so hopefully those will be resolved soon!

What have I been reading? Here's a quick note:
I read Anna and the French Kiss, and as Guinevere already reviewed it for you I didn't re-post about it. But I LOVED it! Really great contemporary YA. In fact it was very similar to the book I wanted to write! (My first manuscript ever that I think is being put aside anyway...but still...similar ideas). She did it so much better than me, though, which is why I can say, LOVED IT! ;)

Then I read an incredible ARC I received called EVERNEATH by Brodi Ashton. I'm not reviewing that yet since it doesn't come out until January, but again LOVED it. Check out Brodi's blog and get excited about this one folks!

And then life has gotten in the way of much else lately. What have you been reading?

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HAPPY ONE-YEAR BLOGAVERSARY NAP SNACK READ!!!

I can’t even believe it right now. I just cannot believe its been a whole year! I'm at the moment not at my house, and I'm not going to be there all night so I'm going to have to write something down quick. I am so proud of what has become of my blog this year, and I'm so glad my dad convinced me to do it. Around this time last year my dad was convincing me of writing down my opinions on my beloved books where everyone can see them. My sister, Victoria, gave me a name idea that would stick perfectly for me, and that is how Nap Snack Read came to be! Doesn't seem like much of a story does it? But it was. This blog is one of those things that I will work on for a long time, and even if one day I discontinue it I can never forget everything that's happened to me because of it. I know we still have a long way to go, but I’m happy with what has come out of it this year. I can't wait to see how this little blog of mine will grow in the future. To my 25 followers that I currently have right now I would just like to say thanks and I love you guys <3 and I can’t wait to see how many more will follow me in the years to come. Let's try to double it this year!

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Blogiversary Giveaway #2 -- Fantasy Pack

Okay, so these aren't ALL "fantasy" like dragons and elves, but I think that title could explain an element in all of these books. From dystopia to fairy tales, they all have an element of fantasy right? So here's what you're going to get!

MY UNFAIR GODMOTHER by Janette Rallison -- Signed paperback ARC!
TEMPEST RISING by Tracy Deebs -- paperback ARC
POSSESSION by Elana Johnson -- Signed paperback ARC!
A TOUCH MORTAL by Leah Clifford -- Hardcover

*If you are unfamiliar with the title, click on the title if it's a link for our review.

Giveaway is open until 11:59 pm EST on Thursday July 28th! USA and Canada addresses only please. Just fill out the form below!

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Author Interview: Janette Rallison!

I was very excited to snag this interview with the totally awesome Janette Rallison. I have been lucky to be acquainted with this amazing author for a few years now. She is uplifting, supportive and inspirational to be around! Not to mention she's just made of awesome. So enjoy!


1) How was writing this story different from writing the first "My Fair Godmother"?

JR: Writing My Unfair Godmother had a big built-in stresser: I’d set the bar high with My Fair Godmother. MFG had action, humor, romance, fantasy, time travel, quirky characters, twisted fairy tales, family problems, social commentary, a mystery, and a twist at the end. I didn’t know how I was going to be able to duplicate all of that and at the same time have a story that was different and original. I knew I wanted to have the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale as one of the fairy tales but I had no idea what else to do with the story or how Tansy was going to use her wishes. I gave myself writers’ block for a long time worrying that the story wouldn’t be good enough. Finally I just had to make myself write it. I was surprised that I had so much fun with the story and equally surprised when so many reviewers said they liked My Unfair Godmother even better than My Fair Godmother.


2) Tansy seemed different than some of your other teenage characters, she was more rebellious in many ways. How did you come up with Tansy's character and voice?

JR: I got the idea for a rebellious teen girl at a plot workshop I was doing at a school. The character had moved into a new school and wanted friends but was going about it in all the wrong ways. I liked the character so I decided to use her and her ill fated vandalism date in my story.


3) Are there plans for another "Godmother" book?

JR: Yes, there are plans, but I haven’t actually started writing the book. You see, there’s this built in stresser with a third book: I’ve set the bar high with MFG and MUG and so how am I going to come up with a story that has all the elements and is just as good as the first two? Also, I have contracts for other books I’ve got to write first.


4) What are you working on now?

JR: I’m revising a time travel dystopia that’s coming out with Harper Sept 2012 and I just sent a paranormal romance to my agent. I have a dragon slayer book (present day, dragons are coming back and some kids have super powers to fight them) which will be out in October 2011. I need to start the sequel to that book. And I have about three other books that I’m dying to start working on. If I just had about five extra hours a day, I think I could accomplish everything I want to do. Well, maybe.


5) What is your key to being a successful author with multiple books published?

JR: Don’t stop learning the craft. Read a lot and write a lot. All of those things are absolutely necessary.


6) What is your indulgence food that you have to have on hand when writing?

JR: Chocolate. I could live on Almond Joys.

Thanks so much Janette! Be sure to come back soon as I will be doing another blogiversary giveaway, including a SIGNED ARC copy of MY UNFAIR GODMOTHER!

Oh and I have to give credit where credit is due, since I know the awesome photographer who took that author photo for Janette. http://erinsummerillphotography.com/blog/

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Review: MY UNFAIR GODMOTHER by Janette Rallison

MY UNFAIR GODMOTHER
by Janette Rallison
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published April 12th 2011 by Walker Books for Young Readers

Placement in the Pile: Top Picks!

Summary:
Tansy Miller has always felt that her divorced father has never had enough time for her. But mistakenly getting caught on the wrong side of the law wasn't exactly how she wanted to get his attention. Enter Chrysanthemum "Chrissy" Everstar, Tansy's fairy in shining, er, high heels. Chrissy is only a fair godmother, of course, so Tansy's three wishes don't exactly go according to plan. And if bringing Robin Hood to the twenty-first century isn't bad enough for Tansy, being transported back to the Middle Ages to deal with Rumpelstiltskin certainly is. She'll need the help of her blended family, her wits, and especially the cute police chief 's son to stop the gold-spinning story from spinning wildly out of control. Janette Rallison pulls out all the stops in this fresh, fun-filled follow-up to the popular My Fair Godmother.

Review:
From the start MY UNFAIR GODMOTHER hooked me back into the crazy world of that haphazard fairy Chrysanthemum Everstar. This time around she is trying to raise her semester grade with an extra credit project, and chooses Tansy...poor girl.

Tansy is having a difficult time right now. Her mom has sent her to live with her father, whom she is upset with for leaving them years ago. She makes some rebellious choices in who she hangs out with and what she spends her time doing. Landing her in a situation worthy of needing a fairy godmother. Too bad she only gets a fair one.

Even more hilarious than the first, with a swoon worthy boy and an overall enjoyable read Janette has done it again -- and better!

If you haven't read Janette's stuff get off the couch and go get one. I love everything she writes. Be sure to come back tomorrow for my interview with Janette and another awesome blogiversary giveaway later this week!

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Consuming My Week

What else would be consuming my week other than the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part Two! Every year I do a party and get tickets for a group of us to go to the midnight show.



This year is the biggest group yet and I am very excited! From the few lucky ducks who have seen it I have heard it is amazing, and to bring tissues along!

What I love most is that this HUGE fandom came from someone's imagination. From someone putting "pen to paper" as it were, and sharing that with the world. Going through the grueling process of putting themselves out there and sharing their ideas with the world. Of someone being rejected over and over again, and never giving up.

Thank you JK Rowling for your amazing story! I can't believe it has come to an end!

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Updating . . .

Ok so there has been a new feature added to my site, but it's going to take some work to get people to participate. And by people I mean you. So I really hope you all help me out here. The new feature is a type of chat room feature that I'm testing out. In each chat room the topic will all be different, mostly about certain books. Consider it like a virtual book club! If anyone has any book requests they'd like to talk about just leave a comment or email me (napsnackread@yahoo.com)

Seriously people, contact me, it'll make my day

And while you're at it, try following me too, now that would also make me happy (;

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Blogiversary Giveaway #1!!! Historical Fiction Pack Winner!!!

Hey everyone! I hope you had a great weekend. Today we are announcing the winner of our first Blogiversary giveaway!

Kelly W!!!

Thanks to all who entered and shared about the contest! Keep on checking in for some awesome stuff in the next few weeks! We love our readers. Without you our opinions on books wouldn't matter. And we love sharing our love of books with you!!!

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The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare

This review is going to be a little different then the usual. So I’ve thought of how I would do this and decided to review these series as a whole rather than picking it apart one book at a time. That’s because The Mortal Instruments Series isn’t a series where it breaks off or starts new on the next book. It’s all one big mystery where the plot literally extends all the way through books 1-3. Now book 4 is a sort of extension to how the plot ends in the first part and this would be the beginning of part 2. I think that makes sense right? There are two more books to this series that are to come out in the future (and honestly I am dying for them to come out. So I am going to write my review first this time and bellow that will be the summaries for each of the books out to far.

**I would recommend NOT reading the summaries of book 2, 3, or 4 if you haven’t read the previous one because, lets face it, there are tons of spoilers in the summaries themselves**

REVIEW

FirstoffIhavetosaythatthisisSUCHanamazingseries!!! LOL ok now that I got that out of my system I’ll try to write something coherent without letting my excitement get the best of me. So where to start . . . hmmm . . . okidoki well I’ll start with the facts about this book.

FACT: these are big books

FACT: you will fall in love with these characters... just a heads up

FACT: chills will roll up and down your arms through the entire adventure, yes it’s that intense

FACT: funniest damn book series ever, I can’t even count the amount of times my family caught me clutching one of these books while I cracked up without a thought to the fact that people were staring at me.

And FACT: to be honest this series is pretty graphic; I think you need to know this before. There is lots of gore and demons etc

I first read the first couple of books about a year ago if I do recall correctly. That being said, I had to reread the entire series again when I bought the newest installment, City of Fallen Angels. In my excitement to read the fourth book I attacked the first three again with a vengeance. So I have all the books fresh in my mind. The whole first three books I would call “PART 1” of the series and book four and on “PART 2”. Simple enough, right? So PART 1 is all about this up coming war that the insanely evil rogue Shadowhunter Valentine is making to forever destroy all Downworlders (vamps, werewolves, faeires, warlocks) and will kill anyone who stands in his way, even if he has to recreate the Shadowhunters from scratch. The only people remotely close enough to stop him are Clary, Jace, Simon, and the rest of their friends. Having a hard time putting the books down is an understatement. It’s not just that it was an adventure worth holding on to. It’s not just the characters worth learning more about. It’s all of it combined, I think. My favorite part of the entire series had to be to wit and sarcasm the poured out of this book like a waterfall. It was incredible. The fact that no matter how bad the situation got, or how depressed everything was there was ALWAYS some funny remark by Simon or snarky comeback from Jace to lighten the mood. These people would talk like regular people. That sounds weird because they are people, but if you read these books and new them as well as I do, you would see that there is nothing regular about them. The characters had to be my favorite aspect of The Mortal Instruments.

I think the only thing that I can think of to say that I didn’t like about the stories had to be that sometime there were looooong, long moments where demons would come and it seemed kind of gory at times. Lots of blood scenes and gruesome parts. And because of the authors amazing way of putting you in the story, it did seem like I was on the battlefield with them.

Part 2 of The Mortal Instruments series is the aftermath of the Mortal War ending in the first part. That’s what you have to understand about Part 2. It continues, but now with a whole new problem and situation.

This is one of my favorite series, and because I am review this on the entire series I will give a rating as a whole. So, that said as a whole from 1-10? I am happy to give The Mortal Instrument a 9!!!

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Summaries

BOOK ONE: City of Bones

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder—much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing—not even a smear of blood—to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy? This is Clary’s first meeting with Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know . . .

Number of pages: 485

Book Two: City of Ashes

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what’s normal when you’re a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadownhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who’s becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn’t ready to let her go—especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary’s only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter, Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil—and also her father. To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings—and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?

Number of pages: 453

Book Three: City of Glass

To save her mother’s life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of Shadowhunters—never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhuntersmwho are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight. As Clary uncovers more about her family’s past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he’s willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City—whatever the cost?

Number of pages: 541

Book Four: City of Fallen Angels

The Mortal War is over, and Clary Fray is back home in New York, excited about all the possibilities before her. She’s training to become a Shadowhunter and to use her unique power. Her mother is getting married to the love of her life. Downworlders and Shadowhunters are at peace at last. And—most important of all—Clary can finally call Jace her boyfriend. But nothing comes without a price. Someone is murdering the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle, provoking tensions between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that could lead to a second bloody war. Clary’s best friend, Simon, can’t help her. His mother just found out that he’s a vampire and now he’s homeless. Everywhere he turns, someone wants him on their side—along with the power of the curse that’s wrecking his life. And theyre willing to do anything to get what they want. At the same time he’s dating two beautiful, dangerous girls—neither of whom knows about the other. When Jace begins to pull away from clary without explaining why, she is forced to delve into the heart of a mystery whose solution reveals her worst nightmare: She herself has set in motion a terrible chain of events that could lead to her losing everything she loves. Even Jace.

Number of pages: 424

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Video Interviews with Alyxandra Harvey!

As if you needed another reason to enter my current giveaway including HAUNTING VIOLET by Alyxandra Harvey. Check out these video interviews curtesy of Bloomsbury.

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Blogiversary Giveaway #1!!! Historical Fiction Pack

Hey everyone! As promised we're celebrating our 2 years of blogging with our first blogiversary giveaway! Our 4- book Historical Fiction Pack!

HAUNTING VIOLET by Alyxandra Harvey -- paperback ARC
REVOLUTION by Jennifer Donnelly -- Hardcover
FALLEN GRACE by by Mary Hooper -- paperback ARC
ANASTASIA'S SECRET by Susanne Dunlap -- paperback ARC

*Note, purple links go to our review of these books. Check them out if you aren't familiar with the title.

Just fill out the form below! Be sure to spread the word. The more you spread the more you can win.

Contest is open to USA and Canada addresses only, it will close on Tuesday July 12, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST.

Good luck!



*** if you tweet please use the @AubreyatMPB so I can verify it. Thanks!
**** secret incentive -- there might be an extra special giveaway item if we reach 300 followers this month. So the more you share, the better prizes you get!

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Blog Tour Review: HAUNTING VIOLET by Alyxandra Harvey

HAUNTING VIOLET
by Alyxandra Harvey
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published June 21st 2011 by Walker Childrens

Placement in the Pile: Reaching New Heights

Summary:
Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts. But they believe in her.

After spending years participating in her mother's elaborate ruse as a fraudulent medium, Violet is about as skeptical as they come in all matters supernatural. Now that she is being visited by a very persistent ghost, one who suffered a violent death, Violet can no longer ignore her unique ability. She must figure out what this ghost is trying to communicate, and quickly because the killer is still on the loose.

Afraid of ruining her chance to escape her mother's scheming through an advantageous marriage, Violet must keep her ability secret. The only person who can help her is Colin, a friend she's known since childhood, and whom she has grown to love. He understands the true Violet, but helping her on this path means they might never be together. Can Violet find a way to help this ghost without ruining her own chance at a future free of lies?

Review:
I was instantly drawn into this Victorian world of Spiritualism, skeptics, romance, class differentiations, and secret romance. Alyxandra Harvey weaves the historical nearly perfectly with the supernatural. Her era is spot on, her ghosts disturbingly believable.

I really enjoyed Violet's character and voice. She was strong from the start, she knew what she wanted, but was a bit helpless to change it. Her mother, a false medium, had raised her to be an actress, a fake, and she never wanted that. Then when her own real medium powers show up, it is nothing less than frightening.

This book is definitely worth reading. I always love a good historical fiction, and I love paranormal books as well. It was a perfect blend. Was it perfect? No, there were some cliche characters, some predictable moments etc. But in the end those minor things didn't matter so much, because I was just enjoying the story.

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Happy Fourth Of July!

For all my American readers, Happy Fourth of July! I hope you enjoy the day celebrating our country and it's freedoms. And always remember, freedom was not free!



Also, know that although I have been slacking on the blog the last few weeks, I have some big things coming this week and the coming weeks. A few reviews, a blog tour review (tomorrow), and some giveaways for my 2nd Blogiversary! (Which was technically on June 30th, but I celebrate in July)

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