Starting in just one week, we will be discussing A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. The Bucket List has done a few discussions through the years (Fallen by Lauren Kate, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, and Divergent by Veronica Roth). This will be the first discussed where both, my friend (Jackie) and I have not yet read the book before the discussion. Thus, it will be a blast reading/discussing our first impressions with all of you.

Come join us in all the fun! After each post, there will be a few questions to get the conversation started in the comments. I can’t wait to hear all of your thoughts on the book.


Further Reading: 5 Essentials to Participate in a Book Discussion

The discussion will last a total of 13 weeks from March 1st to May 24th, reading about 30 pages per week. Each week's post will go live on Thursday. So go grab a copy of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab and read along with us! Let's talk about the book together; the schedule is below:


I do know the schedule looks a bit overwhelming. However, since page numbers sometimes differ between editions, I thought it best to give you chapters instead. If you have questions about the schedule or anything book discussion-related, feel free to message me on Twitter, Instagram or right here.

If you miss a post, this schedule post will be updated each week to have the most current link of each discussion post:

Week 1: Part 1, Chapter 1 - 3

Giveaway!

And it wouldn’t be an official The Bucket List book discussion without a giveaway. I will be giving away a copy of the paperback edition of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. US mailing addresses only. The deadline to enter the contest is May 25, 2018.  On May 25th, I will email the winner of the book. (The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize from that date.)

Please see the giveaway policy for more details. To enter to win, fill out the Rafflecopter below:
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Sparks of Light by Janet B. Taylor

About Janet B. Taylor:

Giveaway Details:

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I am so excited to be a part of this blog tour! Thank you so much to Rockstar Book Tours for hosting this fabulous tour! Be sure to check out all of the amazing blogs that have participated:

Tour Schedule:

Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: October 6, 2015
Pages: 368
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble

Cammie McGovern follows up her breakout young adult debut, Say What You Will, with this powerful and unforgettable novel about learning from your mistakes, and learning to forgive. Told in alternating points of view, A Step Toward Falling is a poignant, hopeful, and altogether stunning work that will appeal to fans of Jennifer Nevin, Robyn Schneider, and Jandy Nelson.
Emily has always been the kind of girl who tries to do the right thing—until one night when she does the worst thing possible. She sees Belinda, a classmate with developmental disabilities, being attacked. Inexplicably, she does nothing at all.
Belinda, however, manages to save herself. When their high school finds out what happened, Emily and Lucas, a football player who was also there that night, are required to perform community service at a center for disabled people. Soon, Lucas and Emily begin to feel like maybe they're starting to make a real difference. Like they would be able to do the right thing if they could do that night all over again. But can they do anything that will actually help the one person they hurt the most? -- Goodreads

A Step Toward Falling by Cammie McGovern sounds fantastic.  I was able to snag an extra copy of this book to give to you.  You all know McGovern's other book, right? Say What You Will was an amazing book so if this book if anything like her other work... it will be awesome.

Open to US only
One winner will receive an ARC copy of A STEP TOWARD FALLING by Cammie McGovern
Contest ends November 13
For more information, check out my policy page!

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Publisher: Balzer and Bray
Publication Date: September 15, 2015
Pages: 384
Source: BEA
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . . until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.
Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.
With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine— Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart. ---Goodreads

Self-proclaimed fat girl, Willowdean, has everything in order.  She knows who she is and what she likes.  However, when her attractive coworker, Bo, sets his sights on her, Will is not sure what to do about it.  She thought she knew how the world worked and boys like Bo weren’t supposed to fall for girls like her.  It confused her, to say the least.  Determined to change the wallowing doubt in her mind of not being good enough, she joins a teen beauty pageant with the mindset of “go big or go home.”  Dumplin’ is an empowering, sassy novel that will leave you in fits of laughter.

Publisher: Capstone
Publication Date: September 1, 2015
Pages: 306
PreOrder It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Ever since she was created, Wren has lived in an idyllic garden with her friends. Wren's deity Dot ensures the trees are laden with fruit and the water in the lagoon is crystal clear. Wren and her friends have everything they could possibly need right there, in Dot's Paradise.
If only Wren could stop the strange, disturbing visions she's started having. Do these visions make her less worthy of Dot's love? And what does Blaze, the most beautiful and mysterious of Dot's creations, know about what's going on in Wren's head?
Wren is desperate to feel Dot's love, just like everyone else. But that's harder than ever when a creation she's never met before arrives in the garden. He claims to be from outside and brings with him words and ideas that make Wren's brain hurt.
Gradually Wren and Blaze uncover the truth: they're part of a clinical trial of an ominous drug called Grace.
And as she deals with this disturbing knowledge, Wren confronts a horrific secret from her past. Now she must decide whether to return to the comforting delusion of faith or fight for the right to face the very ugly truth. --Goodreads

This book sounds good! Switch Press gave me a copy for review but, unfortunately, I won't have time to read it.  So I want to pass it along to you.  Enter for your chance to win.  Happy reading!

Open to US only
One winner will receive an ARC copy of STATE OF GRACE by Hilary Badger
Contest ends September 1
For more information, check out my policy page!
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After the Red Rain by Barry Lyga, Peter Facinelli, and Robert DeFranco

Publisher: Little Brown
Publication Date: August 4, 2015
Pages: 400
PreOrder It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

A postapocalyptic novel with a cinematic twist from New York Times bestseller Barry Lyga, actor Peter Facinelli, and producer Robert DeFranco.
 On the ruined planet Earth, where 50 billion people are confined to megacities and resources are scarce, Deedra has been handed a bleak and mundane existence by the Magistrate she works so hard for. But one day she comes across a beautiful boy named Rose struggling to cross the river--a boy with a secretive past and special abilities, who is somehow able to find comfort and life from their dying planet.
 But just as the two form a bond, it is quickly torn apart after the Magistrate's son is murdered and Rose becomes the prime suspect. Little do Deedra and Rose know how much their relationship will affect the fate of everyone who lives on the planet. --Goodreads

 As it turns out, Barry Lyga is one of my automatic-read authors.  No matter what he is writing, it will be read by me.  He could be writing a cooking book and I would still pick it up because he is awesome,  I'm giving away a copy because I was able to snag an extra copy at my office (I got a bookish internship for the summer!). I had the pleasure of meeting Peter Facinelli, best known for his role as Carlisle in Twilight, for my 16th birthday (it wasn't that long ago)-- it was an exciting time, considering I almost got thrown out by his bodyguard (just kidding).  This book is a sign-- look at the authors, I must read this book.  I am not so much into postapocalyptic or sci-fi so we shall see how it goes.  Barry Lyga, when I met him at BEA told me that if I didn't like the book, then I should blame Peter.


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It’s officially summertime!  Do you know what that means?  That means plenty of things.  Nice weather.  No classes.  Plenty of reading time.  Time on the beach- which would be awesome if I really had a beach to go to but since there’s nothing for miles, we’ll have to make due to my back yard.  There are some downsides to summertime like summer jobs and daily chores but let’s focus on the good stuff.  Because, hey, my semester is over.  Summer is beginning and I want to start it off with a bang!

A new breathtaking novel from Natalie Standiford about love and trust during the Cold War.
Laura Reid goes to Leningrad for a semester abroad as Cold War paranoia is peaking in 1982. She meets a young Russian artist named Alexei and soon, with Alexei as her guide, Laura immerses herself in the real Russia--a crazy world of wild parties, black-market books and music, and smuggled letters to dissidents. She must keep the relationship secret; associating with Americans is dangerous for Alexei, and if caught, Laura could be sent home and Alexei put under surveillance or worse. At the same time, she's been warned that Soviets often latch onto Americans in hopes of marrying them and thus escaping to the United States. But she knows Alexei loves her. Right?
As June approaches--when Laura must return to the United States--Alexei asks Laura to marry him. She's only nineteen and doesn't think she's ready to settle down. But what if Alexei is the love of her life? How can she leave him behind? If she has a chance to change his life, to rescue him from misery, shouldn't she take it?--Goodreads

  Remember to pay special attention to the Contest Policy and the rules below.

• Contest is open to anyone with a US mailing address, due to shipping costs.
• Contest ends on 8.23.13
• Winner will be chosen by Random.org on 8.24.13
• Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
• Only one winner per household!

When you can’t trust yourself, who can you believe?
Everything about Anna’s life is a secret. Her father works for the Branch at the helm of its latest project: monitoring and administering treatments to the four genetically altered boys in the lab below their farmhouse. There’s Nick, Cas, Trev . . . and Sam, who’s stolen Anna’s heart. When the Branch decides it’s time to take the boys, Sam stages an escape, killing the agents sent to retrieve them. 
Anna is torn between following Sam or staying behind in the safety of her everyday life. But her father pushes her to flee, making Sam promise to keep her away from the Branch, at all costs. There’s just one problem. Sam and the boys don’t remember anything before living in the lab—not even their true identities.
Now on the run, Anna soon discovers that she and Sam are connected in more ways than either of them expected. And if they’re both going to survive, they must piece together the clues of their past before the Branch catches up to them and steals it all away.--Goodreads

 Remember to pay special attention to the Contest Policy and the rules below.

• Contest is open to anyone with a US mailing address, due to shipping costs.
• Contest ends on 1.20.13
• Winner will be chosen by Random.org on 1.21.13
• Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
• Only one winner per household!

A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war.
In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable—they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash’s long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re caught, they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong.
When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.--Goodreads

  Remember to pay special attention to the Contest Policy and the rules below.

• Contest is open to anyone with a US mailing address, due to shipping costs.
• Contest ends on 11.20.12
• Winner will be chosen by Random.org on 11.21.12
• Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
• Only one winner per household!

After 450 years of living, Nastasya Crowe should have more of a handle on this whole immortal thing....
After a deadly confrontation at the end of Darkness Falls, the second Immortal Beloved novel, Nastasya Crowe is, as she would put it, so over the drama. She fights back against the dark immortals with her own brand of kick-butt magick...but can she fight against true love? In the satisfying finale to the Immortal Beloved trilogy, ex-party-girl immortal Nastasya ends a 450-year-old feud and learns what "eternally yours" really means.
Laced with historical flashbacks and laugh-out-loud dialogue, the Immortal Beloved trilogy is a fascinating and unique take on what it would mean to live forever.--Goodreads

 Remember to pay special attention to the Contest Policy and the rules below.

• Contest is open to anyone with a US mailing address, due to shipping costs.
• Contest ends on 11.20.12
• Winner will be chosen by Random.org on 11.21.12
• Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
• Only one winner per household!

Endangered by Eliot Schrefer

The compelling tale of a girl who must save a group of bonobos--and herself--from a violent coup.
The Congo is a dangerous place, even for people who are trying to do good.
When one girl has to follow her mother to her sancuary for bonobos, she's not thrilled to be there. It's her mother's passion, and she'd rather have nothing to do with it. But when revolution breaks out and their sanctuary is attacked, she must rescue the bonobos and hide in the jungle. Together, they will fight to keep safe, to eat, and to survive.
Eliot Schrefer asks readers what safety means, how one sacrifices to help others, and what it means to be human in this new compelling adventure.--Goodreads

 Remember to pay special attention to the Contest Policy and the rules below.

• Contest is open to anyone with a US mailing address, due to shipping costs.
• Contest ends on 10.01.12
• Winner will be chosen by Random.org on 10.02.12
• Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
• Only one winner per household!

Find your voice.
Hopeless. Freak. Elephant. Pitiful. These are the words of Skinny, the vicious voice that lives inside fifteen-year-old Ever Davies’s head. Skinny tells Ever all the dark thoughts her classmates have about her. Ever knows she weighs over three hundred pounds, knows she’ll probably never be loved, and Skinny makes sure she never forgets it. 
But there is another voice: Ever’s singing voice, which is beautiful but has been silenced by Skinny. Partly in the hopes of trying out for the school musical—and partly to try and save her own life—Ever decides to undergo a risky surgery that may help her lose weight and start over.
With the support of her best friend, Ever begins the uphill battle toward change. But demons, she finds, are not so easy to shake, not even as she sheds pounds. Because Skinny is still around. And Ever will have to confront that voice before she can truly find her own.--Goodreads

Remember to pay special attention to the Contest Policy and the rules below.

• Contest is open to anyone with a US mailing address, due to shipping costs.
• Contest ends on 10.01.12
• Winner will be chosen by Random.org on 10.02.12
• Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
• Only one winner per household!

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”
It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.
Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.
His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.
From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of theShiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.--Goodreads

Remember to pay special attention to the Contest Policy and the rules below.

• Contest is open to anyone with a US mailing address, due to shipping costs.
• Contest ends on 9.18.12
• Winner will be chosen by Random.org on 9.19.12
• Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
• Only one winner per household!

Can you believe that this week The Bucket List will hold its annual birthday bash.  Bigger and better than ever before.  Because this week, we are turning two years old!

You have got to see what I am offering up for grabs because they are some awesome reads.

Katie's Hellion by Lizzy Ford

Katie didn't send her boyfriend to Hell, but she's going there to bust him out! 
Katie thinks she’s going crazy when a baby angel and death’s personal assistant appear on her doorstep. Both claim she’s destined for something great. If she can survive, that is. She’s drawn into a world filled with immortals like Rhyn, an outcast who claims her as his mate in a show of defiance to his brothers. Katie rescues Rhyn from Hell, and he discovers fast just how special his little human is. With Death counting his days on one hand, Rhyn must learn to love, before his own time is up and Katie becomes the first human casualty in the brewing war between immortals. Will the love between a gifted young woman and an immortal outcast save the world-- or destroy it?--Goodreads

Far From the War by Jeffrey David Payne

Economic ruin and partisan rancor have pushed America to the brink of a new civil war. Esther is caught in the middle, serving as a page in the United States House of Representatives when rogue politicians and military leaders stage a modern day coup d'etat. When the coup turns violent, she abandons Washington, D.C. for home. She must learn to survive on her own as transportation and financial networks fail, as the war disrupts food and water supplies. The result is a cautionary tale about political extremism and the true cost of war.--Goodreads

Hostage in Time by Linda Lauren

 For photographer Amanda Lloyd, being hired to film the historic Serenity house, home of Thomas Edison's patent attorney Jonathan Brisbane, is a straightforward gig. Filming during re-enactment day, Amanda begins to explore the home, including the prohibited third floor. Suddenly and without warning, Amanda finds herself transported back in time to 1884 where, because she is brandishing her camcorder that he mistakes for a weapon, she is accused by Brisbane himself of being a spy in search of Edison's secrets. Immediately placed under house arrest, she finds herself a hostage to history. She quickly becomes accustomed to the lifestyle and routine of the time and begins to grow closer to Jonathan. The quiet of their growing love is shattered when a scorned traitor sets them up, forcing the pair to work together to unravel the secrecy of missing documents before Amanda is arrested for treason and history is changed forever. With the help of a spiritualist medium, they are able to find and understand their destiny but is it already too late?
An exciting, mind-bending trip down the time-travel rabbit hole, Linda Lauren's debut novel is a seemingly never-ending series of twists and turns that constantly keeps you guessing. Full of romance and intrigue, the juxtaposition of times and cultures serves as an extraordinary reminder that time and place matter little when it comes to human nature despite technological advancements, changes in politics and sophistication, in our essence, we remain the same. At its core, this spiritual journey to find the truth of self is a quest for reconciling our past with our present, our heart with our minds, and the knowledge that who we are is not transient, but fixed, regardless of the gadgets at our disposal. Deftly capturing the mysterious spiritual journey while simultaneously building romantic and life-threatening tensions, Hostage in Time will leave you guessing until the final climactic sequence.--Goodreads

The Last Seer and the Tomb of Enoch by Ashland Menshouse

 Do you believe? Can a ghost haunt more than your home? Can a Sasquatch track more than footprints? Aubrey Taylor's quaint and cozy life in the subdued, Appalachian town of Lake Julian had never been exceptional. Shouldered by his lifelong friends, Buzz Reiselstein and Rodriqa Auerbach, he quietly endured the puerile punishments of a persistent pack of pesky bullies that included the most-feared kid in school, Magnos Strumgarten, and his own obnoxiously, well-accomplished brother, Gaetan. Comfortable in his humdrum niche of the absolutely average, Aubrey never pushed back. Until...fate dug a little too deep...and the unseen darkness of unspoken places rattled his mediocrity. When spurious specters and elusive mountain men battle for a tomb of Watchers, buried in ages past, only those who choose to look beyond the surface feel the grip of the ancients' revenge. Unusual disappearances, a colorful cadre of insightful townsfolk and a whirlwind of blunders and mishaps exposes the struggling forces that transform Aubrey and his friends into more than spectators amidst the oldest war of all. Prepare yourself to see the unseen as you've never seen it before.--Goodreads

Eyes in the Mirror by Julia Mayer

 Samara is a troubled and lonely adolescent, prone to cutting, who desperately craves both intimacy and escape from her unfulfilled life . . . until she meets her reflection, Dee, the seeming answer to all her problems. With dual--and dueling--points of view, "Eyes in the Mirror" provides a perspective from one girl's life and from her freer, wilder reflection.--Goodreads

The Fifth Specter by T.S. Welti

 Thirteen-year-old Parker Chance has suffered from hallucinations for most of his life. He has been ridiculed and expelled from public school on account of these hallucinations. When his adoptive father destroys a picture of his birth mother, Parker decides to run away from home. He soon finds himself whisked away to a village of superhumans where he discovers he is one of them. Parker’s new power puts him at the center of a deadly mystery and he soon proves he is much too curious for his own good. The Fifth Specter is a funny and enchanting fantasy that will stay with the reader long after the final page is turned.--Goodreads

Queen of Swords by Katee Robert

 When the cards tell Ophelia Leoni she's supposed to marry the Prince of Hansarda, the gunrunner grits her teeth and boards the starship that comes for her. It doesn't matter if the ship's commander is the gorgeous stranger whose bed she just spent a wild, drunken night in. As a Diviner, she’s painfully aware the cards don't lie. Ever. 
Boone O’Keirna knows Ophelia is trouble the second he sees the way she moves. Not about to let the deadly little hellcat marry his sadistic half-brother, Boone pretends to be the Prince’s emissary and kidnaps Ophelia. Too bad they can’t be in the same room without him wanting to throw her out an airlock–or into bed. 
Even as they fight each other–and their explosive attraction–Ophelia and Boone sense something is wrong. Too much is going their way. Soon, they realize while the cards may never lie, the truth is sometimes hidden between them…and the future king of Hansarda is not one to take defeat lying down.--Goodreads

• Contest is open to anyone with a US mailing address, due to shipping costs.
• You must be a follower to enter.  
• Contest ends on 9.10.12
• Winners will be chosen by Random.org on 9.11.12
• Winners will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
• Only one winner per household!