Due to last week's blogging hiatus (not to mention a general case of head-up-the-ass), I didn't prepare for today's Friday Fives. Thank god for online book previews. Below you'll find some of my favorite beginnings*. "Are you still mad?" Alec, leaning against the wall of the elevator, glared across the small space at Jace. "I'm not mad." - City of Ashes, Cassandra Clare Why I Like It: I just reread the first three books in The Mortal Instruments so this scene is fresh in my mind. After spending one book already with Jace, Alec, and crew, you have a good idea of their personalities which makes the scene more fun. The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed. - The Gunslinger, Stephen King Why I Like It: I've blogged about this once before , but this sentence restored my faith in Stephen King. That withstanding, it's pretty intriguing. Why is this guy being followed across the desert? ...

Hello, friends! Miranda here. I'm hijacking the zombies to share more trapeze with you! But don't worry, the zombies will be back next week. What I want to talk about involves zombies, 2012, fear of death, and survivalism... a little too hefty to get my thoughts together for today. This week has been a pretty big one for me. I quit my job at the unnamed coffee company (my last day is Sunday), and will soon be working for Apple! This prospect is very exciting for me, as I type this blog on my Apple laptop. Woohoo! Not only did a I secure a new job, quit my old one, but I also went back for another round of Trapeze School. Like my first class, the second was also amazing. Possibly even better because this time I did not break any more toes (the other one is still healing). I even managed to learn a new trick called "heels off." This trick is where you hang on to the bar with your hands and have your heels hooked over the bar as well. When you do a catch, you release you...

Every Wednesday, YA Highway asks their readership a simple question to answer on your blog. Once you answer, you link your blog in the comments for other readers to hop on board. This is Road Trip Wednesday. Today's topic: What's the best book you read in July? Oh, this one is sooo easy. Goodreads blurb: Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home. As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited? What I Liked About It...