...Too Early

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So, usually I don't drink coffee. But I think I could make an exception this morning...It's currently 4 am and I don't have to be up for another hour but my body says otherwise. And I only got four or five hours of sleep. I have a feeling I'm gonna crash later on. Oh well!

So, how have you been finding things on Reading Shy lately? I hope you've been liking everything so far! And there's some books that I'm going to start reading soon that I just cannot wait to dive into! And don't forget the blog tours as well. I'm really excited!

It seems time is going pretty quickly. One month and a week from now I'll be returning to my university and meeting my new roommate! Fingers crossed that that goes well. But from the sounds of things it really should!

There is one thing I'd like to address. I will never share a book through email, even if someone requests it. The author works hard to publish that book and I respect their work so if I do give you a copy of their book it will be a purchased copy through something like the Amazon Gift program. I will never send you the file of the book via email. I just wanted to get that out there. So please don't email me with such requests. I appreciate it.

Well, I'm going to go see if I can crash now. Or maybe find what I need to wear today. I'm really not prepared to face the day today, haha. Oh well, off I go. Later!

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It's Wednesday...Yet Feels Like a Monday

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So, remember how last month I was complaining about it not feeling like summer? Now it feels much too summery. Especially because I can't open my window and my door has to remain closed to save some pets from being eaten by our cats. Thankfully I have a fan but still it's super hot and muggy. 

Anywho, it's just been one of those days. You know the kind, where everything is going wrong and you're feeling all overwhelmed and you just want to go to bed but you can't because you have to work later on? Yeah, and I'm having issues with my insurance after having just fixed my health card problems and blech. Paperwork sucks. Let's just say that.

Also, boo the Montreal Canadiens didn't make it to the finals. :( But I guess it could have ended way sooner and at least they made it as far as they did. There's always next year! 

Speaking of that, does anyone know when the NHL draft is? I'm curious as to who the NHL will be drafting.

Anyway, I'm bored. I'm still working and I have a lot of shifts so that means money coming in but I've also got plenty of time to read and I can't find any new books to read. So, if you want to suggest any, feel free. 

I can't wait until June 10th when Toni Aleo's Breaking Away comes out! That's so exciting and I'm pretty sure I don't work till that night so I'm buying it as soon as I wake up and reading it all day! 

I think that's really all I wanted to say so I guess I'll sign off for now! Look for some new reviews to be posted soon and blog tours as well!

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Overworked and Underpaid....Not Really.

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So, little update on the life of Aly. It's finally looking like spring has come to Canada! Yay! On the downside, several of my coworkers are off work for various reasons so I've been picking up shifts like crazy. Which unfortunately means that I haven't been able to read as much as I'd like to(It's so terrible!!!). But I've got some reviews coming up that I think you'll love! Not to mention a blog tour stop or two, interviews and some teasers from one of my favourite authors, Toni Aleo, who has a new book coming out June 10th which I for one cannot wait for! 

If you didn't know she's doing a month of Assassin's(a hockey series which the new book is a part of) which means since May 10th she has been releasing different things about her series. To find out more about it check out her Facebook page. And don't forget to check out my review of Taking Shots, the first in the Assassin's series and her novella in the Seduced by the Game Anthology! Both of which are amazing, especially if you like hockey....and hot men.....yes, I have a problem and I'm not afraid to admit it. Haha.

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Hummingbird by Kay Causer

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"She tried to focus through the darkness but it was only a blur of colour." -Kay Causer, Hummingbird

Naomi has been called as a shadow weaver when there hasn't been need of one for 50 years. And yet dark spirits have started getting through and Naomi is needed. But when a shadow guide named Jesse finds her, will he be able to convince her of the truth that sounds like stories? Or will Naomi find herself in an early grave with no real explanation? Find the official description on Smashwords.

At first we are only given quick glimpses into the spirit world and it seems as everything is slowly coming to the reader, allowing them to soak in the information and yet still keep their attention. It isn't hard to get lost in the world as it's set in a familiar one that any person on Earth would at least know of from books and films. But when we start to get a glimpse into the supernatural world that surrounds Naomi it comes in slowly enough to allow the reader to get a grip on this new world within our own but also it isn't so slow that the reader loses interest. It's easy enough to get the necessary information from the book with very little confusion if any.

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Zero Alternative Blog Tour!

Zero Alternative
by Luca Pesaro
Publication Date: April 25, 2014 
Genres: Thriller 
Purchase from: Amazon 
Add to Goodreads.

Synopsis

Framed, hunted, betrayed…

Scott Walker is a fugitive from the quicksands of Finance, with one card to play – DeepShare, a silicon oracle coveted by billionaires, hitmen and hackers. As he fights for survival and vengeance, digging deeper into the dark heart of the global economy, one question torments him: what price will the world have to pay?

ZERO ALTERNATIVE is an action-packed conspiracy thriller that plucks at the base of human nature. When our grip on love, hope and morality starts to slide, the only future worth living is the one we choose for ourselves.

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Nowhere to Goa: Bhang Lassis, Rickshaws, and Holy Cows by Doug E. Jones

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"And, of course, he got in a jam." -Doug E. Jones, Nowhere to Goa: Bhang Lassis, Rickshaws, and Holy Cows

Scott is the twin brother of Mike, who is always finding trouble. Now he's found trouble that's landed him in an Indian jail and it's up to Scott to bring him back home. But when Mike leads him on a hunt through India and other lands, he finds himself wondering if he shouldn't live just a little. Find the official description on Goodreads.

The book is set in first person perspective from Scott's perspective. It was interesting and throughout the book Scott really has some character growth. It was interesting to read, and you found yourself questioning things that you might have always taken for granted. It was something that I enjoyed reading because it made you question things that had been set in stone. Not to mention you get to meet a lot of new people, of different religions and cultures. It gives you a good look into a new perspective.

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Things Seem to Be Hopping!

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So I just realized that it's been more than a week since I've posted my last little update post! How terrible of me! But no seriously, I apologize, it just seems that the beginning of May has been full of so many tours, and getting used to work and being back home that I completely spaced on writing a post like this. But how have you been finding the reviews and everything on the site? I hope you're enjoying them!

So, I feel like the picture up there is exactly how I feel right now, haha. I know I should go outside and soak up some sun but I just can never seem to work up the energy to actually go outside. Plus Canada has seemed to decide it doesn't want to give its citizens Summer, as it seems to be wanting to keep right at Spring until Fall comes along. Which is just so much fun. Although it has the added benefit of not having my family and I cursing the heat. So, maybe it's not all bad.

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Clonmac's Bridge by Jeffrey Perren

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"It made no sense to him, and things that made no sense bothered him in a very personal way." -Jeffrey Perren, Clonmac's Bridge

Griffin Clonmac has discovered something miraculous, a bridge that has been underwater for 1 200 years and yet is still intact. He wants nothing more to discover the secret to satisfy his curiosity. But there are forces behind the scene that would prefer he never get the chance to even look upon the bridge. How far are these mysterious forces willing to go? And will Griffin find his answers? Find the official description on Goodreads.

Jeffrey Perren is not afraid to jump right into the interesting things. And it shows in his book, Clonmac's Bridge. All we know at the beginning is that there is a discovery that Griffin has been looking for a long time. And one that he is willing to go to any lengths to discover. But we slowly uncover what he is looking for and the many different methods he takes to get there. The writing of the story was almost flawless and it was effortless to read.

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Carolyn Ridder Aspenson Feature, Part Two!

A Mother's Work is Never Done...

Carolyn Aspenson's (Unfinished Business) latest picks up the story of Angela Panther's dealings with her dead mom, Fran and the duo's dynamic is as delightful as ever!

Angela had her psychic gift under control until a traumatic loss shut it down. And now that Angela's daughter is in too deep with a boy and her best friend Mel's husband is cheating, she needs her mom more than ever.

Fran knows that when you're a mom, there's no such thing as till death do us part and she won't rest in peace while there's strife in her daughter's life. Using her nifty celestial superpowers, she's soon back in the game and helping out, regardless of her daughter's defunct gift.

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Birth of An Assassin by Rik Stone Blog Tour!

Hello, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Could you tell us a little about yourself as well as Birth of An Assassin?

What made you write about the Soviet, Post-War time period?

Relatives told me of their parents living in ‘The Pale’ (a barren strip of land where the Jewish population was forced to live – the reality of Fiddler on the Roof). They escaped the czarist pogroms of the late 19^th century. Some came to England, others to the US and Canada.

I looked into Jewish history in Russia and came up with an idea for a story, but it didn’t fit the time of the White Russians, so I trawled through the country's history until coming to the post-war period. Without getting too philosophical here, Jez (the hero) represents the whole of the Jewish population while Otto (the villain) is those people whose prejudice is all-consuming. Apart from it making a fit, I also took away the protagonists religion to demonstrate that it isn’t only about beliefs.

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New Look!!! And a Little Update

Check out my new look!! And Grab button, which is up at the top of this post! Isn't it pretty? Isn't it Springy and....green??? Yes if you didn't know green is my favourite colour. But thanks to the hard work of Debz over at Debz Bookshelf Reading Shy With Aly has a new look! And I'm very appreciative to Debz. I have very little skill with html at all, so it was really amazing for her to create this skin!

If you're looking for a new blog design, you should check out Debz Bookshelf. She is currently doing free blog designs, and Debz is really great to work with! She'll listen to what you'd like(if you know what you'd like) or she'll give you some ideas about what would look good. It was an interesting and stress-free process and I'm really happy with my results. So make sure to give Debz credit for this beautiful new look and I hope you guys enjoy it! 

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The Find by Gregg Bell

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"To watch Cessie suffer the way she had been was wearing Phoebe out." -Gregg Bell, The Find

Desperate, Phoebe does something she knows she shouldn't. But with a sick daughter and losing her job, what else can she do? But when things start getting heavy and people are getting hurt, what will Phoebe do to save those she loves? Find the official description on Goodreads.

Gregg Bell has created a very interesting novel, one that will get your attention and keep it. For those of you who enjoy action, this book has plenty. There's a mother who will do anything to help/keep her kids safe and a mobster as well as a gangster. That's pretty much guaranteed to cause trouble of the gun toting kind. Not only that but the plot is fascinating. 

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Well, Whatdya Know?

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So, all of my professors have been pushing paper due dates back and since I already have the papers done, I'm bored out of my mind. Enter Sherlock Holmes. I spent a whole day just watching the episodes again. LOVE IT! It's great. If you haven't checked it out, check it out! (BBC Sherlock)

Also, I've got some things up my sleeves, mostly blog tours, so expect a few of those in the near future. I'm extremely excited to share these with you! Plus, my first blog tours so wish me luck!

Now, books, let's get back to that subject.....what more can we say about books? Hmmmm.....

What about your favourite childhood series? What was the one series that you just loved during your childhood and just feel like it either defined your childhood or when you see it/read it, you remember reading it for the first time?

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Taking Shots by Toni Aleo

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In use on Toni Aleo's Website.)

“Whoever thought up the phrase ‘Absence makes the heart grow founder’ was an idiot." -Toni Aleo, Taking Shots

WARNING: This book is not for young adults. It contains swear words and Sexual Content.

When I first stumbled upon this book, I had ulterior motives. I've always been into hockey but just before I found the Assassin's Series, my brother had bought season tickets for a local major junior(or flip that, I can never keep it straight!) team. Which meant that when I'm home from university I get to go their games! This meant I fell even deeper in love with the game of hockey and as such I began looking for books that had that and romance. Because I'm just that kinda gal. But when I stumbled upon Taking Shots, I didn't think that I would fall in love with the character or series as a whole. But I did, and now I can't wait until June 10th when Breaking Away comes out! Seriously, it feels like a looooooong time away. Now as another warning for those of you who are rebels and ignore warnings in big bold letters, this book does contain swearing(which isn't really too bad anyway) but more to the point it contains sexual content, and this means that it is not for younger audiences. So please, don't read this book unless you're old enough to. Thank you!

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Just a Little Breather

Okay, so I just felt like it's been about a week or a little longer since I've started posting reviews! Which is great! And some of you have already started commenting on my posts, I love that, by the way! But I thought I'd just do this little post once a week where I ask a question or just talk about what's going on or books I'm looking forward to or things like that that might help me get to know you readers better! For today's topic, I thought we could talk about what kind of readers we are!

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Divergent by Veronica Roth

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Currently in use on Sarah Reck)

“We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.” 

-Veronica Roth, Divergent

In Divergent, we discover a world in which young adults have a difficult choice to make at age 16.  There are five factions, the sixteen year olds must choose between; Amity or peace, Candor or honesty, Edudite or knowledge, Dauntless or bravery and Abnegation or Selflessness. And yet there is another group, one that is not recognized by the government and in fact is destroyed when discovered. This group is called Divergent. These are the people that display high levels of traits from two or more factions. Our main character, Tris is divergent and the book is written from her perspective.

I don't know about you but I think it would have been impossible for me to choose at age 16 which faction I would fit best with. I just wouldn't know myself that well. 

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Small Update

Okay, so yes I realize that I have yet to post an actual post about books. But I'm working on it, I promise you! I just thought that I'd give you a small update on what my thoughts are going forward.

I thought I'd share a little of how I got started reading. I don't really remember when I first learned to read but since I was little, books always interested me. But it wasn't until the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling that I became addicted. My family always has this Christmas tradition where we all meet up and just celebrate being together. And they also have a present swap. So the way that would work is that the kids would choose from one hat with all of the kids names, and the adults would do the same except for the adults. Now, my cousin was the one who got my name and the only thing she could think of to get me was books. Up until now I had always said that I wouldn't read the Harry Potter Series, who knows why. But my cousin got me the first four books that Christmas and because it  was a present I felt obligated to read them.

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Here We Go!

Well, here we are. And this is something that I never really thought I'd be doing. Mostly because I always felt like I wasn't an English major and so had no right to create a blog. But you know what, why not? I love reading, and talking about books so why shouldn't I start a blog about my favourite thing?

Now, a few things about me. One, my name(or the one you'll know me by) is Aly. No it's not my real name, but you can never be too careful. I am nineteen turning twenty in a couple of days and I read, like a lot. I tend to prefer Romance over any other genre, so most of the books I'll talk about until I start getting suggestions are probably going to be about books that are Romantic in nature. Sorry if that's not your thing, but feel free to suggest books through the contact form.

I am a university student, but I'm a History major not an English major, so I apologize if my grammar or spelling or anything like that is not wholly correct. I do use comma splices without realizing that they are there, so I'm really sorry if that bugs you. I just thought I'd give you a heads-up.

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