Moving into 2012

I succeeded in reading 200 books this year; in fact, I'm close to 250 with a few days to go. Unfortunately, due to responsibilities at home, at uni and at work I didn't manage to review even a quarter of them. I think I gave up around the 50ish mark. In fact, I haven't published much since March.
Pathetic, I know. I'm definitely going to keep the blog going next year. It has been a real asset and helped me get a 6 month internship with a Melbourne based Women's magazine. So, in order to keep my writing skills up to date, I will be creating a review schedule. My NYE resolution will not be to read a certain number of books (and kill it) but to post regularly and with more variety. 2012 will start on a Sunday and so will my posting schedule. 
Sunday: Weekly ReviewMonday: In My MailboxTuesday: Top Ten TuesdayWednesday: Waiting on WednesdayThursday: RestFriday: From Page to ScreenSaturday: Rest
I'll hopefully be posting some early reviews of ARC's and participating in blog tours, but I need to work on my blog first. It will be undergoing some renovations in the next few weeks as I get my brother to do some design work.
Something else I'll be introducing will be monthly genres. Each month will have a theme and the reviews will reflect that theme. I might post a few extra reviews, but it means I won't be as overloaded trying to catch up. I only have four reviews to stick to a month. Here's the monthly schedule:
This year Raiding Bookshelves will have a new format. At least four reviews a month, published every sunday. Each month will have it's own genre.I will also be publishing extra reviews on soon to be released ARCS.
January - Debut AuthorsFebruary - Romance and Bodice RippersMarch - Dystopian April - Young Adult and General FictionMay - FantasyJune - Jane Austen and RegencyJuly - AdventureAugust - Action and ThrillerSeptember - Science FictionOctober - Non-fiction and biographicalNovember - Fables, fairy tales and mytholoyDecember - Picture books and Children's literature
I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and enjoy your New Years Eve.

Falling In Between Blog Tour

 "Finally! A private conversation. And all I had to do was throw myself off a cliff, drown in a pond in my undies and let him put his hands on my breasts to bring me back to life. Yay me…(yeah, that’s sarcasm)." 

Yep, that pretty much sums up the most craptastic night of Jenna Baker’s life. She drowns after jumping off a cliff, meets a hotty named Chance in the pearlescent in-between and is brought back to life by her soon-to-be boyfriend Robert. 

Just when things start to move forward with Robert, the guy she'd been crushing on for a year now, in walks the man of her dreams – literally. Chance suddenly appears in her dream every time she closes her eyes. So it's Robert by day and Chance by night. One in the real world and one in the dream world. What could possibly go wrong? 

Absolutely nothing – until she comes face to face with the guy she met in the in-between, and realizes her romantic rendezvous with Chance may be more than just her imagination. 

Note: Jenna's coming of age story is a little edgy. There is mild language and some sexual content. 

I'm participating in Devon Ashley's 'Falling in Between' blog tour starting in 2012. Pop by on January 31st for my review of Falling In Between and again on February 9th for secret Devon Ashley Top Ten.

Stay tuned!

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.

Original Language: English
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Country: USA
Publication Date: May 3, 2011
ISBN: 9780062024022
Page Count: 496 


Veronica Roth's debut is a fantastic and thrilling new addition to the genre of YA dystopian novels. Divergent could rival The Hunger Games for my new favourite in the genre. I'll wait for the series to end before I make the decision though.

Roth has created a charming and unique heroine in Beatrice 'Tris' Prior. She is honest, courageous, intrepid and curious. Her insecurities make her real, and easy to relate to while her determination to be strong and overcome her previous identity as an Abnegation, or a 'Stiff' as her new Dauntless faction family call her.

 Tris is different from most new sixteen year old initiates - when she undergoes her test to find out which faction is most suited to her, she finds out she is Divergent. Candor (the honest), Erudite (the knowledgeable) and Amity (the kind) are immediately ruled out, but Tris could belong equally to her family faction Abnegation (the selfless) and Dauntless (the fearless). Her decision to leave Abnegation for Dauntless is enough to keep all eyes on her, but her Divergent identity will make her life very dangerous.

 The romantic interest isn't forced, but develops slowly though the book. Four is daring, and almost emotionless at times. His dedication to the Dauntless initiates, and disgust with the current Dauntless leadership (and their aggressive tactics) make him super attractive. The way he tries to protect Tris and shows such an obvious weakness for her makes him twice as sexy.

 The setting of a dystopian Chicago is a perfect background to Tris' adventure, while the growing dissension between the five factions makes for a fascinating plot. While Divergent acts mostly as a whole lot of background information for the next books, it manages to stand up on its own as a fantastic debut novel.

Divergent will stand out in my mind as one of 2011's best YA reads. The sequel Insurgent is due out in May 2012.

Raiding Bookshelves Rating

Judging by the cover: I quite like the cover - it isn't as gorgeous as some other 2011 YA releases but it suits itself. As an Abnegation Tris was used to being selfless and bland, and as a Dauntless she began to understand how to use what she was given. I like the simplicity of the cover but the fiery symbol shows there is more to it than meets the eye.