Day 2: A Week's Worth of Giveaways!

Rules:

• One entry per person

• US only

• 13 years or older

• Ends midnight, August 13!

In My Mailbox (21)

In My Mailbox is an awesome way to connect with our blogger and reader friends and share which amazing books we received, bought or borrowed during the week! This weekly meme is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.





Won:

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente (thanks to Lauren at Books From a Shelf!)

For Review: 

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Bought:

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate
The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen
The Dark and Hallow Places by Carrie Ryan
Vixen by Jillian Larkin
The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

Weekly Wrap-up:

Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday

Thursday: Review: Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Friday: Author Interview and Giveaway!, Meet My New Guest Blogger

Saturday: True Blood Book to Show Comparison, Day 1: A Week's Worth of Giveaways

Day 1: A Week's Worth of Giveaways!

I've decided to do a bunch of giveaways to show just how much I appreciate the blogging community and all my reader friends out there! I will be giving away a book a day for the next week! Even if you missed one day, they'll still be open for about a week after the last giveaway so you can always come back and enter!  I will also leave links for the previous days giveaways! Have fun guys!

Rules:

• One Entry per person
• Must be 13 years or older
• US ONLY!
• Ends August 13

Good Luck!

Guest Post- True Blood Book/Show Comparison

So to start I want to tell you what I think about the TV show. I really like the TV show. My friends and I try to get together every Sunday and watch it. I like most of the characters in the show, honestly Sookie is not quite how I pictured her from the book but she does play a good role. I think it's kind of funny how Bill gets better looking with each season. Eric is definitely my favorite character in the book and in the show, Pam is my favorite character.

So I started off watching the first season of True Blood and after I liked it I started reading the books. I even got my Mom hooked on watching the show. This season is so good that it keeps me waiting for the next episode.

Now to tell you a little about the books. I think the characters roles in the books are better told than in the show. The lives that each character lead are better in the books because the show puts little twists on each character. I'll cover that later when I compare and contrast the books and the show. The way Charlene describes Bill and what he did make you still feel for him and you want him to be happy and get what he wants (Sookie). It's like you feel sad for him and like him but at the same time don't want Sookie and Bill to be together. Its kind of funny because Sookie goes from dating no one to dating a lot of people since the world around her unfolds and she discovers the  true nature of others around her: Vampires, shapshifters, were's and many more. And the way Eric is described at first it's like you want to dislike him but you can't help but like him, he has little funny quirks and the things he does make you fall for him.

So thats basically how I feel about the books and show in a nut shell because what I really want to do is dive into is comparing the two. Lets start with Sookie: so far she is pretty on track. They make her the sweet, little innocent girl next door, but a woman of independence and can stand her ground and tell you what she thinks. Bill's character is correct because he tries to do what is right yet always having to answer to his maker, which is on track with the books. But in the books, Bill never made another vampire and in the show he made Jessica. That is actually one of the twists that I like because I have really grown to like her character a lot. Also Bill never became king and never killed the queen. In the books, the Queen dies a whole other way, because half her body was destroyed in the bombing of a hotel and then the king of Las Vegas decides to take over the Louisianna region and kills the queen while she is injured. Now Eric is pretty close to his character, being the sheriff of his region, the maker of Pam, and even his maker Godrick. But Godrick, his maker never met the sun (dies) which is obvious in the last book that was recently released, which makes me curious on how the show will play out.

Now Lafayette is a main character in the show but dies in the second book or somewhere early in the series. And Tara is correctly Sookie's best friend but she is not a main character in the books like she is in the show. She mostly just comes and goes. The background on her family the show tells with her mom could very well be true because the book says her mother was alcoholic. Also the fact about the vampire taking advantage of her was correct. Pam is the same in the book.  I like Sam in the show just as in the book, he is always such a good friend to Sookie, always being there for her. But it's his family in the show that's different. He has a brother and the show made a whole role for him and his family that is mostly kept out of the book. And Andy Bellefleur is not hooked on V in the book, but I think his role in the show is kind of funny and gives me a little chuckle when I see him. Also Sookie's brother Jason's part is true being with all the girls and stuff and it is true about him being bit by panthers but not for the reason they give. In the book one of Crystal's family is jealous so he kidnaps him and bits him. They don't bite him so that he can help impregenate the girls of Hot Shot.

Now to move on to Arlene: she doesn't date the crazy Irish guy and get pregnant.  In fact, he doesn't even come from the book. Actually, once the Vampires are revealed, she becomes a vampire hater and even joins with the Fellowship of the Sun. So her and Sookie do grow apart and she tries many things to get Sookie killed. But Arlene never has to worry about an evil child. Surprisingly though, I like that twist they gave in the show. I really like Hoyt's character in the show. In the book he's not that big. He kind of gets mentioned now and then like Tara does. The whole witch thing that is going on in the show right now does indeed follow the book because a big part of the books are about Eric loosing his memory and the witches verses vampires. I'm sure the show will go into more detail soon.

The character of Alcide, being the big bad (yet caring) wolfe is true. But I am so mad that in the show he is back with Debbie Pelt. There is a big part in the book that I was hoping they would keep and I am still keeping my fingers crossed for it. But Alcide shows a lot more interest in Sookie than in the show. And in the book you really like Alcide in the beginning and truly, I was hoping that they would get together. But later on so many things happen to Alcide that harden him and change him so much that you start to not like him as much. And there is one character in the book that I can't wait for them to introduce in the show because I really like him but I don't want to give a name and give too much away.

Well I hope you liked my little compare and contrast between the movie and book. Please feel free to correct me on anything I got wrong or give your own opinion. I would love to know what you think. When I watch the show with my friend we always discuss how it compares with the book. Thanks for reading! Oh and this is my first blog I've ever written so I hope you like it!

My New Guest Blogger!

Are you a fan of True Blood? Both the books and the TV show? Well, you've come to the right place! I would like you guys to meet my sister, Alyson, who has read all the books in the series so far and is a big fan of the HBO hit series True Blood.  Not much of a reader until recently, Alyson became interested in Young Adult fiction after picking up Twilight a little over two years ago.  She always believed recreational reading was equal to school reading: boring, hard and something that puts her to sleep, not the exciting, fantastical experience she has now come to love.  Among her favorite series are Twilight, Vampire Academy, House of Night and the Immortals.  When she's not reading or hanging out with her boyfriend, she's working at the Queen Mary or watching a John Travolta movie.  She has also agreed to do some guests posts where she will be doing weekly comparisons of the True Blood TV show to the books.

Alyson and I also love to go to author signings, hang out at the beach or the local bookstore and most recently we stood in line all day for the premier of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.  She's really excited about helping out with the blog but nervous about putting her words out there for everyone to read! But we hope you guys enjoy what she has to say and tomorrow her first guest post will go up and she will be comparing the first three seasons to the first three books! We hope you guys have a great Friday and come back tomorrow!

Author Interview- Aaron Patterson and Giveaway!

Today I have here at Elegantly Bound Books the author of the upcoming book Airel, Aaron Patterson! He was so great to do this interview and to giveaway an e-copy of his book!

Where did you get the inspiration to write about angels?

I got the main story idea from Genesis 6 in the Bible where there are two verses about these angels that left to be with the human women and after that not much is said about them. I thought it would make a great story and so here we are.

I really love the cover, it's just stunning! How much sway did you have in the process of creating the cover of the book?

I work with my cover artist closely and so I got final say on everything to the color to the feel it gives off. I wanted something that was irresistible and I think she did a fantastic job!

What is your favorite scene and character in the book?

I love the end as it has action, heartbreak and when I write it I get goosebumps so I hope it does the same for readers. I write for myself so if a story keeps me going as I write I figure it will have the same impact on most other people. Although I am a little weird.

How did you choose the name Airel for the main character?

Airel is the old Hebrew way of spelling her name. It is a old angel name so I thought it fit. As with every charater I write, each name has a hidden histroy and meaning. Every book I have written the names mean something so if you want to get really nerdy about them you can look up each one and try to figure out what I was going for.

The publishing process can be long and arduous, from writing the initial draft of a book to selecting the cover art to waiting for those first reviews to roll in. What the most exciting part of the process for you?

The first draft. I love getting the story out. After that I like to see how people respond even if it is bad. I try to write books that that get a reaction. Good or bad I want you to "Feel" something.

Are you ever surprised how a scene works out when you're writing it or how a character winds up acting in a scene?

All the time! These people are real and do what they want. In fact, sometimes I get mad that they did something stupid or didn't react like I wanted them to, but that is the goal, make them real so they write themselves.

It must be hard to find time to relax when you're so busy writing, but everyone needs a break. Is there a particular genre or author you enjoy read when you're not writing?

I read just about everything. I like Steampunk and thrillers. I also enjoy medical thrillers but my all time favorite series is the "Black, White, Red" series by Ted Dekker... it is amazing!

For more information on Aaron Patterson, you can visit his blog or follow him on twitter!


Giveaway

Rules:

• One entry per person
• Must be 13 years or older
• International participants accepted
• Ends midnight, August 5

Review- Crescendo

Title: Crescendo
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Series: Hush, Hush #2
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Find it here: Amazon, Goodreads
Source: Purchased

Nora Grey's life is still far from perfect.  Surviving an attempt on her life wasn't pleasant, but at least seh got a guardian angel out of it: a mysterious, magnetic, gorgeous guardian angel.  But despite his role in her life, Patch has been acting anything but angelic.  He's more elusive than ever and even worse, he's started spending time with Nora's arch-enemy, Marcie Millar.

Nora would have hardly noticed Scott Parnell, an old family friend who has moved back to town, if Patch hadn't been acting so distant.  Even with Scott's totally infuriating attitude Nora finds herself drawn to him--despite her lingering feeling that he's hiding something.

Haunted by images of her murdered father, and questioning whether her nephilim bloodline has anything to do with his death, Nora puts herself increasingly in dangerous situations as she desperately searches for answers.  But maybe some things are better left buried, because the truth could destroy everything--and everyone--she trusts.

My thoughts:

Before I read Crescendo, it had been almost a year-and-a-half since I read Hush, Hush.  I remember absolutely loving it and wanting to continue the series, but I was really fuzzy on the details of the story.  But Becca Fitzpatrick does not give enough background in the beginning of Crescendo and I found myself somewhat lost.

Then Nora breaks up with Patch and I was so upset! And I felt like they broke up over what Dane Cook calls the nothing fight.  The nothing fight is started over literally nothing just so the couple, who by this point pretty much hates each other, can fight so much until one party breaks up with the other one.  I'm not saying that Nora and Patch hated each other, but I could tell that Nora has some issues with Patch that were just piling up and she got to the point of the last straw.  I can't even remember what the flight was about in the book, but it just seemed like she had been ready to explode and she did over something that wasn't all that important.

Patch started hanging out and messing around with Marcie Millar and it pretty much makes me want to punch Patch in the face.  I think it's really low of people or guys to hook up with your mortal enemy after right after a break up.  Way to get her back, GEEZ PATCH!!!!

The mystery was great in Crescendo.  Patch was constantly lurking around corners, doing something that he couldn't talk about.  And since he wasn't speaking to Nora either, the reader had no idea what Patch was doing so it was like we were only getting one side of the story.  So then the ending just completely came out of nowhere and I was like, "WHAT!!!!"

The ending sure left it open for an epic conclusion in the third book! I'm so nervous for Patch and Nora and I hope that they will get the ending that they deserve!