Feature & Follow

Feature & Follow is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read ~ Gain new followers, make new connections, and learn a little bit about your fellow book bloggers.

I've got Winter Storm Nemo creeping in ~ already almost an inch of snow out there, and two to three feet still to go! ~ so I'm hoping this won't be my last post for a little while... We usually lose power in my neck of the woods, so wish me luck!


This week's question:

Q: Happy Mardi Gras! If they were throwing the HOTTEST books off of a Mardi Gras float — what would you do to have them throw to you…?

Never had the Mardi Gras experience firsthand, but I can tell you that my ninnies are staying right where they are. Don't have anything against people taking advantage of the tradition, it's just not my thing. I'd jump around, dance, yell and pray that a book might be thrown my way, but my clothes are staying where gravity keeps them: down. If there's a book I really want, I'll just suck it up and buy it :). 

Happy Reading Everyone :)

~ Keely ~

Feature & Follow

Q: What is the last book that kept you up late into the night just to finish it?

One of my current reads, Oxford Whispers by Marion Croslydon. I haven't finished it yet, but I've been consumed by it the past two days and have fallen asleep with it in my hands the past two nights.

Madison LeBon is dead set against the dead. 

Her fresh start at Oxford University is a brand new beginning. She finally has a chance to turn the page on her psychic powers and cumbersome voodoo heritage. Snakes, dolls, ghosts, and spirits: Farewell…

Not quite.

When the tragic lovers in a painting—the subject of her first history class—begin to haunt her, she must accept her gift before life imitates art. The lovers warn her against their own nemesis, a Puritan from the English Civil War. Unfortunately, said nemesis is now going all homicidal on Madison. 

College becomes more complicated when she falls hard for Rupert Vance, a troubled aristocrat and descendant of one of the characters in the painting. With the spirit of a murderer after her, Madison realizes that her own first love may also be doomed…

Happy Reading Everyone :)

~ Keely ~

Feature and Follow Friday

What New Years blogging or writing resolution have you placed on yourself?

I have quite a few. I want to increase the quality of my posts, get more involved with other bloggers, review and promote more books, and set aside two days a week to working on my novel. I'd love to write every day, but between life and everything else, that is all I would be doing ~ which doesn't sound so bad when I put it that way, but I have a lot of goals this year, so I have to manage my time in order to fit everything in!

Happy Reading Everyone :)

~ Keely ~

Feature and Follow Friday

Q: Q: WHAT IS THE LAST BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY? TELL US ABOUT THE SCENE…

The last book that had me grabbing for my box of tissues was The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen. There are so many emotional scenes in this book, I'm having difficulty in finding a place to start... 

Hmmm... Okay... Got it...

Ella is on the floor of her blood-stained bathroom, crying. Her mother took her own life in that room, and Ella hadn't been there since. Micha finds her, and she's a wreck ~ blaming herself for what her unstable mother did. Ella's afraid she might turn out exactly the same way, which is why she runs away... why she wants to become someone else... and Micha says that one perfect thing... "I love you, Ella May and nothing will ever change that. You can push me away - run away - and I will still love you." Pile that beautiful confession on top of a lot of pain, guilt, and suffering, and you have a big ball of raw emotion. Get's me every time.... *sigh*

Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~

Feature and Follow Friday

Feature and Follow is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read in which we bloggers form new connections, make new friends, and gain more followers.

Q: What writing device or trick most irritates you when reading a book? For example, if an author employs an omnipotent narrator that is sometimes considered bad form.

There are a couple of things that peeve me... I wouldn't say they would stop me from finishing or even enjoying the book, but they'd definitely earn a few negative comments in a review...

• Insta-love ~ can't stand it. There's really no such thing in the real world making it very difficult for readers to relate to. Some slow, steady, steamy romance tops smashing two characters with a cupid's arrow and calling it love any day. 
• Artificial dialogue ~ You know, those strained conversations between characters that make you think, "C'mon, no one would actually say that." Comes across as cheesy and is a total turn off.
• Omniscient narrator ~ Not a good time for this reader. I don't feel a connection to the characters, or the story for that matter, when an author uses this tool. You can't really relate to the emotions of the characters because you're hearing about it from someone else. I usually feel outside of the story in these cases, when I'd rather be completely absorbed in that world. Not good.
• Gushing ~ I really don't know how else to put it. When a girl falls for a guy, usually the reader knows this. We don't need every other paragraph to be about how "his presence is god-like," "his chiseled jaw made her squirm," or "how his dimples instilled butterflies in her stomach." A little bit is good, because we are kept up to speed on the character's feelings, but everyone other sentence is complete overkill and I usually find myself skimming past most of the book in that case.

Wow, it felt kinda good to get that off my chest :). 

Happy Reading (and HAPPY FRIDAY!) Everyone :)

~ Keely ~

Feature & Follow Friday

Feature & Follow is a lovely meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. It's a weekly tradition where book bloggers can connect, gain followers, and learn a new tidbit about each other.

Q: What is the BIGGEST word you’ve seen used in a book lately – that made you stop and look it up? Might as well leave the definition & book too.

Haha... I'm a tad ashamed to admit this, but it is what it is... kinda makes me feel...mildly illiterate.... but I actually had to look up the word moniker. Not a big word, but it was irking me that I didn't know exactly what it meant. I thought it was referring to a sign you see in front of a building... I wasn't too far off, so that was comforting :).

: mon·i·ker : 

noun Slang

A person's name, especially a nickname or alias

It came from one of my new reads, Ephemeral by Addison Moore...

The last thing Laken Stewart remembers is the oncoming car, then bursting through the windshield. 

Two months dissolve without her knowledge and she finds herself in unfamiliar surroundings with strangers who not only profess to know her but insist she’s someone else entirely. 

Laken discovers her long dead boyfriend, Wesley, has been thrown into this alternate world as well. He is quick to inform her she suffered a horrible fall and that her memory hasn’t fully returned. According to Wesley the other life she had—her name, her family, they were simply a side effect of her brain trauma. 

In her quest for answers she meets Cooper Flanders, the son of her psychiatrist who readily believes every word she says. 

Laken Stewart knows she died on that hot July afternoon, but now she’s alive—or is she?

Hopefully your word was BIGGER than mine... LOL

Follow me, I'll follow you ;)


Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~

Feature and Follow

Feature and Follow is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read in which we book bloggers get to know a little more about each other while gaining new friends and followers..

Q: What hyped up book do you think was worth all the talk?

hmmm... this is tough... I think I'd say The Caster Chronicles by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl... I think these books are at the top of my mind lately because there is so much frenzie about the movie coming out in February... I know there are mixed reviews, but I enjoyed (and continue to...) the hell out of it ~ one of my favorite series :).

Follow me and I'll Follow You :)


Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~ 

Feature & Follow

Feature & Follow is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. It's a fabulous way for book bloggers to meet, make connections, and get to know a little bit more about each other.

Q. What book(s) are you reading right now? What do you think of it?

I'm reading a few books at the moment and I've started listening to an audiobook to get me through the drive to work, cleaning the house, running, etc.

• The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee ~ I have simply fallen in love with this book. The characters are so intense and the spook factor is pretty high :)
• Undeadly by Michele Vail ~ I'm diggin' this book... reapers, zombies, and Egyptian lore.. what's not to love?
• Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J. Bick ~ I wish I had more time to get through the pages of this one more quickly. The writing style is simply incredible and Jenna Lord, our main character, is profound and darkly hilarious.
• Eve by Anna Carey ~ this is the audio book I'm listening to. I don't know why I've put this one off for so long, but I'm glad I gave in to my impulse to give audio books another try. Very emotional and...just the difficult situations the characters have to endure...it's astounding...

Whew... Sometimes I wonder why I do this to myself ~ reading so many books at one time, but I can't help it. If I don't have my current read in hand, I'll grab another and just go at it, then I'll get hooked and the rest is history. Maybe one day I'll be able to focus on one thing at a time, but for now, looks like I'll constantly have a pile of books I'm currently reading on my nightstand.

What are you reading right now? Follow me, I'll follow you :)

::other news::

Don't forget to enter this month's giveaway! It's a fabulous hardcover copy of Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen... Don't wanna miss out on this read.. :) Enter here... 

Happy Reading Everyone :)

~ Keely ~

Feature & Follow Friday

Feature & Follow is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Parajunkee and Alison Can Read in which we book bloggers get to know each other a bit better and increase the number of our friends followers.

This week's question asks:

Worst cover? What is the worst cover a book that you've read and loved?

Welllll, it's not really a bad cover, it's just really kinda plain and generic ~ not saying much about the content of the book. It's actually a trilogy, but I'll go with book one ~ Torn by Amanda Hocking. I read this book back when she was still unknown, promoting her book for a whopping $0.99 on Amazon. I think the fact that it was under a buck caught my eye first, then the synopsis, then the ratings ~ one thing's for sure...it wasn't the cover.

Comparison ~ Then & Now

I loved this series ~ it prompted me to read the rest of Amanda's books, creating an avid fan. The new cover rocks, too. If you haven't read it, what the heck are you waiting for?

::other news::

Today's the last day to enter the giveaway for Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols. Enter here! Just thought I'd throw that out there ;).

Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~ 

Feature & Follow

Feature & Follow is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Each week, these two feature a book blogger and pose a question ~ it's a way to get to know each other, encounter awesome blogs, and gain new followers.

This week's question asks:

What blogger inspires you? It can be any kind, it doesn't have to be a book blog.

Ultimately, every blogger offers inspiration. It's a lot of work getting a blog started, from hours of design (and if you're like me, watching youtube videos to learn how to do.. well.. everything) to finding your voice and developing a rhythm with posts. That, and putting your honest thoughts out for everyone to see can be scary. I couldn't possibly pick just one blog because every site I visit has taken work, dedication, and loads of time to create and keep up with.

BUT, if you scroll down a bit further, you'll find my collection of buttons of blogs I follow consistently, including my blogging bff's :). All great blogs ~ all tons to offer :).


Follow me, I'll follow you!!

::other news::

Swing on over to the giveaway pages! Today's the last day to enter to win a copy of Michael Sussman's Crashing Eden (review here). ALSO, there's still time to toss your name in the hat for Jennifer Echols' Such a Rush (review here). 

Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~

Feature and Follow Friday

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Each week they feature a fellow book blogger and ask a question so we can all get to know each other a little better and build a solid network of bookish friends :).

Q. What would you do over if you were to start your blog again from scratch?

Hmmm.. Well I would never start again from scratch, I can tell you that much, but I'm finding my blog is never finished or just the way I want it, so I don't need to start all over. I'll just work with what I got. I'm totally rockin' the For Dummies books, learning xhtml, css, and web design right now, but I'm in the very beginning stages. As I progress, I make changes, getting ever closer to how I want my blog to look.

As for the blogging itself... I don't know as I would do anything different. My blog is one of my favorite places to visit (besides the inner pages of a good book, of course), and I don't think there's anything I would change. Maybe I would try to stay on top of bookish news such as new releases, cover reveals, and book trailers. I'm still a day or two late stumbling upon those, but I do try with what limited time I have. 

Wow, I'll spare you any further reading and allow my rambling to cease. Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy Reading Everyone :)

~ Keely ~ 

Feature and Follow Friday

Feature & Follow is a weekly meme hosted on Fridays (the BEST day of the week) by the lovely Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Bloggers earn followers (thus make new friends and connections), find new books to add to their TBR pile, and learn a little bit about each other in the process. Good times :)

Q: Do your reading habits change based on your mood? Do you read a certain genre if you are feeling depressed or happy?

I guess I kinda do... I like books with a little darkness in them, but I've been known to read a 'feel-good' romance once in a while. I read a few books at a time, and I try to pick very different types so I always have something to read based on..well...where I feel like being at the time. Do I want to know what a world would be like with zombies? Sure! I'll just pick up Something Strange and Deadly (current read)... A crazy "what-if" story involving myths, legends, and religion, I'll flip through Crashing Eden. Tough heroine who secretly blushes in hopes of a little lovin'? Scarlet will do just fine..  

Honestly, though, I think the books I read pick my moods, not the other way around. It's rare that I pick one book over another based on my mood. I usually just grab the one I see on my way to my favorite recliner and go for it. :)

What about y'all??

You know the drill! Follow me, I'll return the favor, friends!

OO and don't forget to visit my giveaway of Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols!! (Review and giveaway can be found here....)

Happy Reading Everyone :)

~ Keely ~

Feature & Follow

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Feature & Follow is a weekly tradition hosted by the lovely Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Gain new followers, friends, connections, books, etc. by hopping through the list of amazing blogs and adding yourself to their list of followers... Of course, they'll return the favor :)

Each week, a book-related question is asked, allowing us to learn a little more about each other. Good stuff :)

Q: Summer Reading. What was your favorite book that you were REQUIRED to read when you were in school?

Without a doubt, it would be Shakespeare's Macbeth. If I remember correctly, we received the book on a Friday, I read it all on Saturday, and was all too happy to be re-reading it aloud with the class daily. Everyone thought I was nuts... but I LOVED that book...

Follow me, I'll follow you :) Have a GREAT weekend!!!

Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~

Feature & Follow Friday

HAPPY FRIDAY!! I hope everyone had a fabulous week, even though I'm sure we're all glad the weekend is upon us :). And Friday means Feature & Follow hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, a wonderful weekly tradition where book bloggers connect and learn a little bit about each other.

Let the hopping begin :).

Q: Christmas in July! Someone gives you a gift card for two books (whatever that costs). What two books will you buy?

Definitely feeling torn here.. (I was thinking "only two," but then I realized that's completely book selfish...especially since they are to be gifted..) I guess the two books that are high on my list to read in the next few weeks are:

I've seen Once (Eve #2) everywhere, and as that caught my attention ~ the covers alone are spot-worthy ~ I knew I needed to start this series soon.

The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

AND...

Deborah Harkness completely enveloped me in her imaginary world in A Discovery of Witches. The only problem I had with her was that it took FOREVER for the second book in her series to be released. But here it is, in the flesh!! And I want my hands on it...soon. :)

"Together we lifted our feet and stepped into the unknown"—the thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestseller A Discovery of Witches

Deborah Harkness exploded onto the literary scene with her debut novel,A Discovery of Witches, Book One of the magical All Souls Trilogy and an international publishing phenomenon. The novel introduced Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and reluctant witch, and the handsome geneticist and vampire Matthew Clairmont; together they found themselves at the center of a supernatural battle over an enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782.

Now, picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending,Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.

Deborah Harkness has crafted a gripping journey through a world of alchemy, time travel, and magical discoveries, delivering one of the most hotly anticipated novels of the season.

Happy Reading Everyone :)




~ Keely ~

Feature & Follow Friday

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly tradition hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. They feature an awesome book blogger and post a question ~ we learn a little bit about each other. You gain new followers, make new friends, and discover new books ~ something to look forward to every Friday :).

Q: What drove you to start book blogging in the first place?

I've always loved to read ~ been reading since before I can remember ~ and I was at a point in my life (a never-ending point, it seems) where I needed to do something I was passionate about, something I loved. I work in banking ~ yawn ~ while painstakingly combing the wanted ads for jobs that will actually put my Art History degree to work, and I was am just completely BORED. Then all of a sudden it hit me ~ I had an epiphany ~ I should write about the books I read! Why didn't I think of that before!?! So I did some research, played with some blog hosting sites, and have been learning as I go. Book blogging keeps me sane, gives me something to look forward to every morning, and allows me to meet people who are as addicted to books as I am. It has completely become my passion.

Follow me darlings, I follow you :)


Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~ 

Friday Feature & Follow

Feature & Follow is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Hop from book blog to wonderful book blog, meet new bloggers and readers, and make new connections :)

Q: Jumping Genres: Ever pick up a book from a 

genre you usually don’t like and LOVE it? Tell us 

about it and why you picked it up in the first place.

Yes, this definitely has happened to me in my lifetime of reading. It actually started all this obsession with things outside the realm of reality. I was browsing the bookshelf at... Walmart, I think it was (We didn't have a nice bookstore where I lived)... and I saw the shine of a freakishly colored eye. It was The Host by Stephenie Meyer. It sounded way sci-fi, and I'm usually not a science fiction fan ~ Star Wars, Star Trek.. no thanks ~ but there was something about the cover that made me have to have this book. I ended up not being able to put it down, and, of course, I had to read the rest of Meyer's books, which led me to Twilight and the rest, as they say, is history. :)

Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~ 

Feature and Follow

#FF is a weekly tradition hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The bottom line is we get to meet and connect with other book bloggers and learn a little bit about each other :).


This week's question is:

Birthday Wishes — Blow out the candles and imagine what character could pop out of your cake…who is it and what book are they from??

Holy wow, how do I even begin to choose? Okay, okay... I've joined all the hype recently, and I'd have to say Christian Grey from the notorious Fifty Shades of Grey. I'm such a sucker for broody, complicated-on-the-verge-of-tortured men. I can't help it ~ he's just too sexy to resist, twitchy palm and all :).

Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~

Feature & Follow Friday

TGIF! Feature & Follow is a weekly tradition hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Rules of the game: Follow our lovely hosts, Follow their feature, and Follow other bloggers. Gain followers and meet other bookies/new friends that are as obsessed as you are...or I am.. whatever.. :)

Q. Happy Father's Day!! Who is your favorite dad character in a book and why?

Parajunkee calls it a *dork alert*, and I guess it is what it is, but my first thought was Charlie from Twilight. I love him! He's hilarious and completely accepting, loving Bella unconditionally as any pops should.

Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~

Feature & Follow: Celebrating 100!

So I just jumped on the bandwagon with this one about a few weeks ago, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Parajunkee's and Alison Can Read's meme dubbed Feature and Follow will be celebrating it's 100th week. If only we could all live that long.

In honor of turning 100, this week's Feature & Follow will be a little different and way more fun. See, this time, there will be a fountain of giveaways by those participating (held from June 7th-June 13th), and what's more, each avid bookie that comes aboard will be featuring another fellow blogger. So recognition and prizes. Didn't I say this would be fun?

So as a newly loyal participant, I guess I will start off with my feature, aka my favorite, not that I pick favorites or anything. The first time I read her blog, I nearly peed myself. No exaggeration. It was just that funny. I wish I could have gotten a hold of her to ask her the traditional feature questions, but I guess a mention and a little gushing will have to do.
Seriously, check out The Bawdy Book Blog. Always interesting, always a laugh. I promise.


So now that you've checked out another awesome blog, you're probably wondering about those giveaways that I mentioned. Well, there will only be one giveaway here, but you can check out the links by visiting Parajunkee and Alison Can Read or by scrolling down a little further for more features and giveaways. The more you enter, the better chance you have at winning ~ free ~ books.

So here at Realms of an Open Mind, the giveaway will include a softcover copy of The Mayfair Moon by J.A. Redmerski. Why did I pick this particular book? One, it has werewolves. Two, I love the cover. Three, it's based in Hallowell, Maine (a stone's throw from me, and from what I've seen, Maine can be as creepy as it gets). Four, I love the writer's blog (which can be visited ----> here). Have I read it yet? In the process... My thoughts most of the time consist of four words: Didn't see that coming. Frickin' awesome, creepy, and mysterious.. Official review coming soon.

After a nightmarish encounter with a werewolf, seventeen-year-old Adria Dawson loses her sister, but gains the love of a mysterious young man and his legendary family.


Strange and tragic things begin to happen in the small town of Hallowell, Maine: residents come down with an unexplainable ‘illness’ and some disappear. In the midst of everything, Isaac Mayfair is adamant about keeping Adria safe, even from her sister whom he has warned her to stay away from.


As unspeakable secrets unfold all around Adria, impossible choices become hers to bear. Ultimately, no matter what path she takes, her life and the lives of those she loves will be in peril. As she learns about the werewolf world she also learns why her place in it will change the destinies of many.

Yup. I knew you'd want it. So enter here (I hate conditions, but I have no choice ~ U.S. shipping only please my dears):

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Happy Reading Everyone :)


(p.s. Good Luck in the Giveaways!)


~ Keely ~

(p.p.s. Check out the links below to meet tons of awesome book bloggers and enter even more giveaways!)

Follow Friday

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly book meme hosted by none other than Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.. It's a weekly blog hop in which fellow book bloggers can connect and get to know each other a little better :) 

This week's question asks:

You are a matchmaker ~ your goal: hook up two characters from your two favorite books. Who would it be? How do you think it would go?

Love this question! Took some thought and some help from my pen and notebook... Here's what I came up with:

I would have to choose Lena from Beautiful Creatures and Po from Graceling. Lena has two different colored eyes and is completely different in a world that expects normal. She's constantly at war with herself, always trying to discover if the evil within her will outweigh the good. Po also has two different colored eyes, so Lena wouldn't feel so alone. He's also different in a world that wants to use his power for its own gain. He keeps his secrets, as does Lena, to protect himself and those he loves. He's strong, sure of himself, and sees the good in other people. (Sorry Katsa, but Po already convinced you that your powers could be used for good...) Ethan is a good guy, but I think Po would be stronger at holding his own against the wrath that Lena can cause and convincing her that she doesn't have to give in to her darker side.

So, how do I think it would go? Well the two are from different times and different worlds, so I think it would be pretty funny at first. Lena would be more powerful than any Graceling in Po's realm, so I think he'd be taken by surprise. Most of the people we meet in Lena's world are either human or related to her, so I think she'd be relieved to meet someone with powers and strangely colored eyes outside her trusty little circle of family Casters. I think they'd notice each other, definitely. Whether or not they take it beyond friendship... hmmm... :)


Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~