DECEMBER BOOK HAULS!!

Alrighty, as many of you can probably tell (if only from the fact that the same Friday Face Off has been up for weeks now...), I'm behind at life. So here are 2 book hauls for December - 1 of which went up on YT a couple weeks ago, and was recorded a couple weeks before that...but like the whole stack of videos I have recorded and waiting, I just hadn't had time to edit and post it...
So up first:

THE BOOKS:
Defy | Sara B Larson
Tales From My Closet | Jennifer Anne Moses
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown | Holly Black
It's Not Summer Without You | Jenny Han
Code Name Verity | Elizabeth Wein

ALSO MENTIONED:
Liz @ Consumed By Books
The Summer I Turned Pretty | Jenny Han  [review]
Vicious  | V.E. Schwab

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And here's the 2nd of December's book hauls (and no, it's still not including Xmas prezzies. It was too long as is!)
Also, yes, I realize I already showed DEFY. It had been so long in between recording & editing that I couldn't remember, so I tossed it in just in case - and then forgot to check & edit it out... Oops!

THE BOOKS:
Defy (again - oops!)
The Winner's Curse | Marie Rutkoski
Burn for Burn | Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian
The Dead and Buried | Kim Harrington
Child of the Prophecy | Juliet Marillier
The Brides of Rollrock Island | Margo Lanagan

So, thoughts? Have you read any of these, or want to? And what awesome goodies have you added to your shelves lately?

Stack of Five (14): Cover Appeal

Alright, I know I've been missing for most of December (and I know that December's Stack Of Five didn't go so well, which you know if you follow me on Goodreads/Twitter...), but it's time to decide which book YOU want me to read and review for our first Stack of Five of 2014!
This month's theme is one I've been wanting to do for awhile, and that's PURE COVER APPEAL. I'm not talking about books that I think I'll like *and* which just happen to have awesome covers; no, I'm talking about the books that I'm a little dubious about, but yet still had to have 'cause they're so. damn. pretteh!
Take a listen, and if you want to know more, click on the book links below to help you decide. Then, tell me in the comments which book gets your vote! Voting is open until December 31st, and the winner will be announced in my January TBR.

Thanks for watching and happy voting!

THE BOOKS:
Shatter Me: http://amzn.to/1dGsDr4
Die For Me: http://amzn.to/1g5a5De
Once A Witch: http://amzn.to/1kKhBpY
Wither: http://amzn.to/RYEYxZ
Shattered Souls: http://amzn.to/12RUQZU

Friday Face Off: The Dead and the Buried

I just recently bought a copy of Kim Harrington's The Dead and Buried, and while I was shopping, I couldn't decide which of 2 versions I wanted to get. On the one hand, I generally prefer hardcovers (which is a big change from a few years ago, when I pretty much hated hardcovers...); on the other hand, another cover kept popping up in paperback, which I hadn't seen before (still not sure if it's the ARC cover or an int'l edition...). I like both, don't get me wrong — I love the use of light in both, and I love the clarity of the hardcover, and the dark mystery of the paperback. But I couldn't seem to decide between the two of them. (In the end, I went with the copy in better condition, as it was from a used book site; don't remember which won, but I think it was the hc.)
My inability to choose between the two meant I had to have it on FFO - and when I saw a 3rd version - the UK edition - with a completely different cover and title, I knew this week's bout would be an interesting one.
So take a look at all three versions below, hard/soft/UK, and let me know which you would reach for on the shelves. Which appeals to you more? Which would you rather have, which would you rather read in public, etc. In short,

Which one did it better?

Last Time on FFO: It's been a good long while since our last Face Off, due to life and things, so as a refresher: the original US and the deluxe version of Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane went head to head. Both covers had fans, but in the end, the deluxe version and its awesome slipcover managed to snag the win.
Winner -------->

DEMONGLASS by Rachel Hawkins | Review

This has gone up much later than intended, but here is the review for October's bonus Stack of Five winner, DEMONGLASS by Rachel Hawkins! This is book 2 in the series, so if you haven't read Hex Hall, you might want to wait on watching this one.
If you're sticking around, thanks for watching, let me know what you think, and all that jazz. =)

about DEMONGLASS by Rachel Hawkins:

Hyperion, First Edition, 359 pages
Published March 22nd 2011 by Disney
Get It | Add It

Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch. That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (a.k.a. witches, shape-shifters, and faeries). But then she discovered the family secret, and the fact that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie's a demon, one of only two in the world-the other being her father. What's worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will either destroy her powers for good-or kill her.

But once Sophie arrives, she makes a shocking discovery. Her new housemates? They're demons too. Meaning, someone is raising demons in secret, with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they're using Archer to do it. But it's not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

DECEMBER TBR | 2013

Enjoy this early morning, makeup-less, roll-out-of-bed-and-out-the-door video. Ugh.

Anyway, this is my chaotic December TBR. Not sure any of this will be read this month, frankly, though I will do my best to read the BIG BOOKS Stack of Five winner you guys picked (the biggest. Go figure.)

Let me know what you guys are planning this month. Thanks for watching, hope it didn't traumatize you... ;)

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell | Susanna Clarke
Defy | Sara B. Larson
The Geek's Guide to Dating | Eric Smith
Princesses Behaving Badly | Linda Rodriguez McRobbie
How Not to Be a Dick | Meghan Doherty
Morganville Vampires, Vol 3 (Lords of Misrule / Carpe Corpus) | Rachel Caine
Something Real
???? Something from my shelves