Top Ten Tuesday: Surprises

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the wonderful ladies over at

The Broke And The Bookish!

This week, the topic is...
Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Love More/Less

Doesn't it feel great to read a book you thought that you would dislike, and actually really enjoy it?!  Here are some that I pleasantly enjoyed...

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown
Black Hole Sun by David Macinnis Gill
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
The Shade trilogy by Jeri Smith-Ready

Unfortunately, it can just as easily go the opposite way.  It sucks when you get so amped for a book, only for it to not meet your sky-high expectations.  So here are some that fell short for me...


The Bloodlines series (so far) by Richelle Mead
Lover At Last by J.R. Ward
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Black City by Elizabeth Richards
Rebel Heart by Moira Young

So guys, do you disagree with any of my choices? 

Much love, Samantha

Stacking The Shelves: Christmas Edition

Stacking the Shelves was created by Tynga's Reviews!

Why hello everyone!  I'd like to start by saying that I hope you all had a fabulous season thus far, whether you celebrate Christmas or not!  I had a lovely Christmas, and didn't even notice that 3 of my 4 scheduled posts failed to go live, because I'm not so bright some days.  Oh, well.  Now it is time to get back on track with life and blogging and normal eating...

I got a few other surprises, but all I really asked for this year was books.  If you can't tell, I kind of love them, and wanted to share the books I received with you guys!  Goodreads pages are linked in case you would like more info on any of these titles!

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Days of Blood & Starlight by Liani Taylor

Bitter Blood by Rachel Caine

Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

Mosby's Drug Guide For Nursing Students by Linda Skidmore-Roth

(completely recommend this drug guide if anyone is interested!)

Undeadly by Michelle Vail

Black City by Elizabeth Richards

UPDATE: I may have hit up a bookstore and picked up a couple more titles!

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

The Name of The Star by Maureen Johnson

Did you guys pick up any great books this holiday season?  Leave me a comment or link to your Stacking The Shelves post!

Much love, Samantha

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Black City

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating!

This week I am excited for...

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. (From Goodreads)

It seems to be a trend, here on Reading-AndCoffee, that my "Waiting On" Wednesday picks are books that many bloggers have already read.  I'm trying to avoid reviews of Black City right now, but what I have read is encouraging.

One, this cover is ah-may-zing!  It's gorgeous, and instantly grabs your attention.  It really reminded me of the Divergent cover, at first.  Two, the movie rights were sold this week.  I'll hold my opinion on this until I've read the book.  Three, it just sounds great, like a post-apocalyptic Romeo and Juliet story.  Y'all know I love action in books, and I'm not going to complain about a human-vampire war  Black City is set for release on November 13th, 2012, and I'm getting anxious to give it a read!

If you have been lucky enough to read Black City, what did you think?  If not, are you as excited as I am?

Much love, Samantha