Kitties & Pretties is my version of the various weekend book haul show-off memes such as Stacking The Shelves, The Sunday Showcase, In My Mailbox, Owl Post, etc. It goes like this: I set up and arrange the various books I’ve received lately, wait for one of my curious kitties to come investigate, then start snapping pictures. Or I let my husband pick up Winky, my blog mascot, put her in a bag (she likes being carried around in a bag – she’s weird and awesome like that) and place her on the table next to said book haul. Which is what happened above. 🙂
(Kitties & Pretties is free for anyone to use, with a link back to my blog)
So. Guys. I won A TON of books in 2013, courtesy of my new found obsession: stalking following book blogs. I know that normal people post their book haul weekly, but since I didn’t get into blogging myself until close to the end of 2013, and seeing as I still want to show off thank all the awesome bloggers who gifted me these books, I hereby present my 2013 Kitties & Pretties Overview!
We’ll start with the books I got for myself, during the first half of the year. Bought with a combination of Christmas gift cards and the weekly online bargains at BooksAMillion. Wink is taking her duty as Official Book Presenter very seriously.
Books obtained include:
The Selection and The Elite by Keira Cass
The Chemical Garden trilogy by Lauren DeStefano
The Matched trilogy by Ally Condie
The Mortal Instrument series by Cassandra Clare
Beta by Rachel Cohn
Blood Magic by Tessa Graton
Immortal by Gillian Shields
Wings by Aprilynne Pike
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Lost Voices by Sarah Porter
Sweep: Volume 1 by Cate Tiernan
The Secret History of Elizabeth Tudor, Vampire Slayer by Lucy Weston
The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman
Next I’ll showcase the books I won during the first part of the year from awesome generous bloggers, authors and publishers. Wink is generously voting for The Adoration of Jenna Fox with her total adorableness.
Books won include:
The Jenna Fox Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson
The Testing and Indepedent Study by Joelle Charbonneau
Every Other Day and Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Cinder & Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancy
The Program by Suzanne Young
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Mermother: An Account of What Happened In The Sea by Elizabeth Jane Wolfe
Snow Whyte and the Queen of Mayhem by Melissa Lemon
Marking Time by April White
Winky’s tail and I also felt the need to point out how freaking awesome it is that I won a personalized copy of Incarnate by Jodi Meadows!
Yes, my first name is Julia. Rain Jeys is my pen name, though it’s also my middle/maiden name. 🙂
During the first half of the year, I also won Queen of Kings by Maria Dahvana Headley and Reaper by L.S. Murphy. I have to just use the Goodreads image, since I’ve lent both books out. 🙂
Next we have the awesomeness that awaited me when I arrived at my new house (well, kind of new – I lived here with my Grama as a kid) in California. After a certain date, I just had any books I won sent to my new address and my mom collected them into a book pile for me. Here they all are, lined up beautifully on the shelf of my new housewarming-gifted bookshelf!
Books awaiting me included:
Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
The Archived by Victoria Schwab
Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson
Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear
Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers
A Darkness Strange & Lovely by Susan Dennard
Of Beast & Beauty by Stacey Jay
Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo
If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan
Plague in the Mirror by Deborah Noyes
Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakely-Cartwright (and the movie!)
Also awaiting me in California was this unexpected present
I have no idea who gave it to me, but thank you!
Shortly after arriving in California, my amazing husband purchased these beauties for me
This next pile is displayed by my adorable assistant, Captain Jack (yes, Harkness), who seems to wish me to read The Burning Sky next.
I kind of forgot to divide these into piles (I was distracted by Jack’s immense cuteness!), but anyway:
The Sea Inside by Vickie Johnstone (won from the author’s blog)
Rampant by Diana Peterfreund (purchased)
The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas (purchased)
Marked, Betrayed, Chosen &Untamed by P.C. & Kristen Cast (gift from my husband)
And here is Vinnie, from atop his favorite perch, on top of the bookcase, and never too far from his penguin robe, to present the first book I’ve ever won from a Goodreads giveaway!
The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson
I was lucky enough to have won the grand prize for the Indelible giveaway, which was this beautiful real copper rose (as in a rose – coated in copper) and a feather quill, ink and inkwells. Gorgeous.
Vinnie says we need a close-up of the copper rose
I didn’t win the actual book though! Even though I really want to read it!
It would take half my life to thank each individual blogger for each individual book here (especially since I’m still typing one-handed), so instead I shall list each blog and author here. Thank you so much!
I Love to Read and Review Books
2013 was definitely the year of books, but I want 2014 to be even better! So I’m off now to read some more. Tell me your thoughts in the comments. Have you read any of these? Do you want to? Any you especially recommend? Some I’ve read already and some I haven’t. Either way, I love your input. Thanks for reading!
Rose Shadow Ink 
February 15th, 2014 at 7:10 PM
Wow!! So much awesomeness 🙂 I see so many books that I loved or want to read! I hope you enjoy all of your new lovelies.
February 15th, 2014 at 7:17 PM
The signed Incarnate was from you, from last year’s Fire & Ice hop, so THANK YOU!
I’ve definitely been enjoying them. 🙂
February 15th, 2014 at 8:12 PM
So many series! I have not finished Cass’s series (I read The Selection), or the Mortal Instruments (stopped after book four), or the Matched series (stopped after Matched). I’m curious about Ashes on the Waves! I hope you love all of your new books!
Thanks for visiting my blog!
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
February 16th, 2014 at 1:02 AM
I’m loving them all so far! Series are the best. Except when I don’t have the rest of the books and am dying. Which is why I’m waiting for the release of The One and City of Heavenly Fire. No excuses on Matched though, so I should get on that one.
Ashes on the Waves is amazing.
Of course. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
February 16th, 2014 at 12:48 AM
Wow, you got an insane amount of new books last year – did you read them all yet? 😉
There are some in there I absolutely love, especially House of Hades and Matched.
Hope you enjoy/have enjoyed all those fabulous new reads!
My Showcase Sunday from this week: http://www.pagetostagereviews.com/2014/02/sunday-post-21.html
February 16th, 2014 at 12:57 AM
I wish! I’m working on it, though. 🙂 House of Hades was phenomenal but I haven’t gotten to Matched yet. My hopes are high.
Thanks!
February 16th, 2014 at 1:28 AM
I’m absolutely in awe of all your books you got last year…wow! I really hope you enjoy them – I’ve been reading The Selection & The Elite this week so hope you like them too 🙂
Meg xxxxx
My Showcase Sunday if you’d like a look 🙂
February 16th, 2014 at 2:09 AM
I’m pretty in awe of them too, really. I’m waiting for The One to come out but I’m definitely excited for that series.
February 16th, 2014 at 5:46 AM
Haha I like your feline model.
February 17th, 2014 at 12:13 AM
She takes her modeling very seriously. Thanks. 🙂
February 16th, 2014 at 6:21 AM
Oh wow!!! So much awesome. Have fun reading them 🙂
http://bookloverslife.blogspot.ie/2014/02/showcase-sunday-24.html
February 17th, 2014 at 12:24 AM
I will indeed.
February 16th, 2014 at 8:16 AM
Wow! Looks like you definitely had a fantastic year! And your kitties seem to agree.
I’ve read a bunch on the ones you got there. Also have a bunch sitting on my shelves too.
Here’s to a great 2014 reading year!
Happy reading!
February 17th, 2014 at 12:29 AM
The kitties definitely agree.They love getting to sniff the new books Almost as much as I do…yes, I’m a book-sniffer. No apologies. 🙂
You too! Thanks!
February 16th, 2014 at 8:39 AM
This is an amazing haul, and I love the idea of showing off your cats as part of the feature!
I think my most unexpected favourites of your haul were The 5th Wave and The Program, both of which I loved much more than I expected to.
I hope you love all your books and that 2014 is just as great for you!
February 17th, 2014 at 1:01 AM
It’s fun doing the feature with my kitties.
I really want The Treatment to come out already so I can read them back to back.
I’m definitely enjoying them and I’ve gotten a few this year already that I’ll be showing off soon. 😀 Thank you!
February 16th, 2014 at 3:50 PM
OK, I’ll admit, I nearly had a heart attack when I saw your Book Haul, only later did I go back to the top and read that it’s more than just a week in books hahah, silly me! BUT STILL – amazing haul and you are one lucky duck to win all these pretties – can I have some of your luck, please? I can’t seem to win anything these days! 😛
I would love to comment on each and every single book, as they are all amazing, but I think it would take forever. Let’s just say that you’ve got a beautiful pile (and a lovely kitten). I always wanted to read the Fox books, so I hope you enjoyed /will enjoy them a lot. Indelible is awesome, I met the author at BEA last year and she is just a sweetheart!
Looking forward to your next hauls!! 🙂
Evie @Bookish
February 17th, 2014 at 1:21 AM
Oh no! Sorry about that! 😮
I was incredibly lucky, I know! Still can’t believe I won the Indelible grand prize! I still need to get the book and read it. Aww, hope you start winning soon! I was on a streak there this time last year but it seems to have tapered off – spreading the luck around, perhaps. 🙂
Thank you! I’m glad you like my kitties. 🙂
February 17th, 2014 at 8:56 AM
Loved the selection series! Your cats are so cute!
February 17th, 2014 at 7:51 PM
Thank you!
February 18th, 2014 at 2:51 AM
Wow! Amazing haul! I was totally taken over by TMI series by Clare, but her Bane series are terrible. Looking forward to the last novel. I was also disappointed by The Selection series, but still entertaining. I still haven’t stared Matched series or Shadow and Bone, must get on that soon. Same goes for Rae Carson’s books.
Great haul in all, and the swag and signed books, yay for those! 😀
Enjoy all these!
February 19th, 2014 at 6:48 PM
Too bad about the Bane series. I haven’t bothered with it since it’s just in ebook form right now, I believe.
I won the second and third of the Rae Carson books, but still need the first so I can start the series. And a definite YAY for signed books! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
February 18th, 2014 at 3:30 PM
Great haul. So many amazing books and many, many pretty kitties! I love all your pretty new hardbacks! I hope you enjoy all of your books 🙂 My STS.
February 19th, 2014 at 2:28 AM
Thank you so much! I really am. 🙂
February 18th, 2014 at 9:17 PM
Wow, that is a LOT of beautiful books! I like how you took your pictures. 🙂 I’m not even sure where to start on commenting on the books. There are just too many amazing ones here! Have fun reading them all!
February 19th, 2014 at 2:27 AM
Thanks so much! I definitely will. 🙂
February 19th, 2014 at 10:14 AM
Ohh! SO MANY BOOKS 😀 Jealous. ❤ I have loved so many of them. Shadow and Bone. Cinder. Cassandra Clare books. Sigh. I hope you enjoy everything 🙂
Thank you for commenting on my blog. ❤
Love, Carina @ Carina’s Books
February 19th, 2014 at 6:48 PM
I;m enjoying them so far! Thanks for commenting here. 🙂
February 21st, 2014 at 2:36 PM
Wow this is an amazing haul! I’m also influenced into splurging onto books by other bloggers, but I know that they can never steer me wrong! I loved The 5th Wave and Unearthly, so I really hope you end up loving them too! Happy reading! 🙂
February 22nd, 2014 at 2:24 AM
Thanks! I’m so glad I found book bloggers to point out which awesome books to splurge on. 🙂
February 28th, 2014 at 9:39 AM
Wow thats a lot of books acquired in 2013. I see you’re a YA junkie as well. I love YA but it only makes up half of what I read. I so have to have adult fantasy and SF as well because sometimes I want to smack some teenagers. lol. Love the kitties!!
March 3rd, 2014 at 1:06 AM
Definitely a YA junkie! I read some adult fantasy too. Honestly the behavior of adults in books tends to irritate me more than teenage behavior in books. I’m so glad you like my kitties!
March 7th, 2014 at 10:21 AM
The adult behavior IN ya books typically annoys me because I usually find it unrealistic.
March 8th, 2014 at 6:15 PM
Totally agree.