Book Review: Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: February 2011
Pages: 336
Source: e-book from Library
For: Fun
Series: Wicked Lovely, Book 5

*Spoilers for the first four books in the Wicked Lovely series are inevitable*
With Keenan missing, Aislinn is struggling to run the summer court by herself, all while longing for Seth. Donia is working to strengthen her already strong winter court, against the coming war with Bananach. With the dark court in turmoil and no one quite sure what is coming next, will Bananach defeat all and turn the world to chaos?

Things I Liked:
I can't seem to get away from this series.  I usually have mixed feelings about them, but I can't seem to give them up.  I'm glad I got to the last in this series, because the ending was surprising and satisfying.  Marr has a skill with words and descriptions that can paint an entire world so vividly.  I loved how things progressed to the point that we wonder how she will extricate her characters, and then she does it in surprising ways.  It is a smart, beautiful, complicated series. 

Things I Didn't Like:
I don't care much for several of the main characters, notably Keenan and Aislinn.  I was more interested in what happened to some of the minor characters.  Still, I found it satisfying, if not mind-blowing and amazing.  A really good faery series that has an interesting and unique faery world.

Read-alikes:
The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa
Lament and Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@# 
plenty, some f-words

mrg-factor: XX 
mostly sensuality and off-page action

v-factor: ->-> 
quite a bit of gory fighting

Overall rating: *** 

What books can't you stay away from?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: January 2012
Pages: 416
Source: Review copy from publisher
For: Review
Series: Unearthly Series, Book 2

*Spoilers for Unearthly are inevitable*
After failing at her purpose, Clara is unsure what to do with her life. Her whole life seemed to lead up to that event, but now she's left without any, well, purpose. Her boyfriend, Tucker, is confused as ever and her mom is just as enigmatic about what she should do now. But when Clara starts seeing another vision, she is about to discover just what is most important in life.

Things I Liked:
I enjoyed the emphasis this book placed on Clara's relationship with her family - her mom and her brother especially.  It was nice to see the focus where it should be during difficult times.  Clara's conflict between the two guys vying for her was pretty well portrayed - it was hard for her and she didn't want to make any quick and thoughtless decisions or be cruel to them (though, whether she succeeded in that is another story).  I was impressed with how Hand ended the book, doing what I thought was pretty gutsy, though it wasn't exactly what I wanted for Clara.

Things I Didn't Like:
Honestly, I got bored with the book.  Nothing much seems to happen, though there are some interesting twists that surprised me near the end.  Most of the book goes on and on about Clara struggling with feelings and Clara wanting to do things, but not doing them.  It was just so slow moving.  And it never really picked up momentum, despite having some surprises and a little action.  I was also disappointed in the direction the love triangle went, mostly because she ends up with the boy I like least, so it might be a personal preference.  Basically, I think this book just disappointed me, because I wanted so much more from it.  I guess I'll be interested in reading the next book, but not anxiously awaiting it.

Read-alikes:
Start with Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Forbidden by Syrie James and Ryan James
Halflings by Heather Burch

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: ! 
maybe one or two

mrg-factor: X 
a bit of heavy kissing

v-factor: none

Overall rating: ***

When you're disappointed by a sequel, do you still tend to read the next book anyway?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Publication date: April 2008
Length: 11 hrs, 14 min
Source: Audiobook from Library
For: Fun

Ruby is used to her mom disappearing for a while. It's just been her and her mom ever since her older sister Cora left and never looked back. But when her mom disappears permanently, Ruby finds herself sent to live with Cora and her husband. She isn't sure what to do with this new life; she's ready to leave it all behind, until she begins to understand just what she wants and what she might be able to do for the people around her.

Things I Liked:
I liked the story.  I like how Ruby just acts a certain way and believes certain things because of her past and how things have been in her life.  She doesn't trust people and she doesn't plan to stick around.  But as the book progresses, she learns and meets people and discovers there are things she wants to change, only she isn't sure how.  But she does change.  I think Dessen does this well, describing the way a person can change both their circumstances and the way they act.  The story has heart and you feel it plucking at your strings and you want to hug the characters and make it all better.  It's real and it's good.  And now I know why people like Sarah Dessen.  I listened to this one on my interminable commute and the narrator, Rebecca Soler, did a spanking good job portraying the so-don't-care teen voice - she was spot-on for Ruby.

Things I Didn't Like:
It moved rather slowly at times, so much that I almost gave up.  I wondered where it was heading, after she kind of gets in a new rut in her new life.  It seemed like there wasn't anywhere else for her to go.  But then it picked up again and I enjoyed it.  I'm sure I'll pick up another Dessen, though I'm generally not a fan of this kind of book.

Read-alikes:
Um, pretty much all Sarah Dessen books, from what I understand

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@#$ 
plenty, though no f-bombs

mrg-factor: XX
a few incidents, nothing too descriptive

v-factor: none

Overall rating: ****

Is there a Sarah Dessen book I simply must read?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Prom and Other Terrors - A Giveaway!

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, I've got a fun spring giveaway for you.  April brings to mind flowers and showers and best of all - prom!  That crazy, fun, romantic, scary, depressing, you-name-it-emotion high school rite of passage.  I remember worrying so much every year about whether I'd go to prom.  It's amazing the feelings that still come when someone says the word "prom."  The anticipation, the worry that you won't get asked, the worry over dresses and boys and whether or not you'll get kissed (what can I say, prom for me was pretty innocent). 

And to celebrate this experience, HMH has four prom books to give away to one lucky reader!  You can find HMH on Facebook and on Twitter - go check them out.



Illuminate by Aimee Agresti
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
The Fashion Coloring Book by Carol Chu and Lulu Chang

The contest will end on April 22 and I'll announce a winner on the 23rd.  HMH will send the prize directly to the winner.  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, telling me one good or bad thing about your own prom experience (or lack of experience, as the case may be).  Then just fill out the form below.  US addresses only and you must be 13 or older to enter.  And if you're very lucky, I'll post a nice photo of my friends and myself dressed up with our "dates" (that ought to keep you intrigued for a few minutes anyway).  Good luck!

So, tell us your prom experiences!  The good, the bad, the ugly. 


If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Celebrating Libraries and Reading!

It's National Library Week...and I've got no planned celebrations.  Boo.  But, I thought I'd tell everyone to head out to a library this week.  Appreciate the services offered by them (and, you know, the librarians, cause they are awesome too :).

If you're looking to find out what great libraries are near you, check out these links from Find the Data to find and compare local public or academic libraries.  It's kind of fun to look at stats of the libraries nearest you.

Anywho, get out and celebrate libraries and reading, because it's Support Teen Literature Day today!  So if you want to Rock the Drop (ie leave a book lying around for someone else to enjoy) please do!  I think I'll take a few ARCs and leave them around my town for someone to discover.  Lots of great things to celebrate this week!  (And I have a giveaway coming up later today - be sure to come by later to find out more.) 
What do you plan to do to celebrate National Library Week or Teen Literature Day?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication date: February 2012
Pages: 304
Source: e-book from NetGalley
For: Fun (and review...and Debut Author Challenge)!


Will Scarlet is a member of Robin Hood's secret band of thieves, though most people don't know he's actually a girl. Scarlet is a tough girl hiding from a secret past that might just catch up to her when someone from the past shows up in Nottingham - looking to take down the Hood and his band.

Things I Liked:
I am in love with great historical fiction.  I know it doesn't seem like it, when I review so much fantasy, dystopian, and paranormal, but a really well-written, well-researched HF hits just the spot in my reading itch.  I loved the details and the language and Scarlet most of all.  She felt real, she was not glorified or perfect or even nice most of the time.  I honestly started saying "I were" and "it were" sometimes because I was so immersed in the story and the way it was written.  I'm also a big fan of the girl disguised as a boy thing, but I think this one did it better than many.  Not only was she not fooling those closest to her, she wasn't trying to.  I think it's much easier to fool the masses and people you don't interact with regularly and nearly impossible with those you live with every day.  And it doesn't hurt that it had a fabulous Robin Hood that I fell in love with.  There's something so fascinating about his stories and his legend.  Makes me want to read The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley that Suey and Angie have raved about.  Great stuff!

Things I Didn't Like:
The only thing I want is another story, a sequel (I know, great stand alones should be left that way).  Truly, though, I liked how it ended and things weren't instantly fixed.  But I want to know when and how they do get fixed.  I think people might not enjoy the story if they are annoyed by (intentially) poor grammar or if they don't like historical fiction in general. 

Read-alikes:
The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley
A bit like StarCrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@ 
most of it was religious exclamations

mrg-factor: X 
implied, but nothing described

v-factor: ->-> 
some action fighting and rather horrific stuff, but not truly gory

Overall rating: ***** 

Who's your favorite swashbuckling hero/heroine?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Top Ten Tuesday: Unexpected Books

This week's is Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, is the Top Ten Books that Deceived me, or I've interpreted it as books that were Unexpected, either good or bad when I expected the opposite.  I would like to note that often, this expectation was an incorrect assumption on my part, not necessarily the book's fault.  But that happens too.  Here are a smattering of those books:

Drought by Pam Bachorz 
This is one that I expected to be a sort of dystopian society that was dealing with a scarcity of water, but turned into a kind of paranormal something.  A case of me expecting it to be one thing and it being another.

Reckless by Cornelia Funke
I was pretty disappointed by this one, simply because the premise sounded like a fun middle grade fairy tale kind of book.  Turned out to be about an adult and not so fun in the fairy tale department.  A little misleading in its labeling, I think.


It Started with a Dare by Lindsay Faith Rech
This one actually was deceptive in its cover, which gives off a happy fun vibe.  The story is actually really kind of dark and twisted.  Definitely not what I expected, but then again they say not to judge a book by its cover :)

Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund
I was really excited to read a sci-fi story about this intergalactic society and an elite school for geniuses.  Definitely didn't deliver on that, since there was ridiculously little mention of anything space-like or sci-fi.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
I think this book came with so many expectations that it was inevitably doomed to not deliver on them all.  Also, the soft blue of the cover and the free bird seemed to imply a lighter sort of story than it gave. 

Sleepless by Cyn Balog
This book just didn't deliver on an interesting premise.  I thought it would be so cool to read about sandmen and the afterlife.  Instead, it was weird and had not enough detail to make it stand up.

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
This was surprised me with how good it was.  I expected to have the typical paranormal romance that was ridiculously overdone in the genre.  Much to my surprise, the heroine made interesting choices and I was happy to enjoy it.

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Just reading that title, doesn't that give you certain ideas about this book?  It's a mobster book, right?  So. Much. More.  Loved it from beginning to end, even if it was totally not what I expected.


Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
This book was also not what I expected from the description and cover.  I thought that it would be a fairy tale through and through.  I mean, it's a fairy tale retelling, right?  So when the first half of the book discussed realistic problems in a real world, I found myself a little let down.  Still a fabulous book, though.


Plain Kate by Erin Bow
This is another that I had an impression of based on the cover and maybe even the description.  It looked kind of like a light-hearted fairy-tale-esque story, featuring a cat.  It had most of those things, but turned out to have a depth and sincerity to it that made me fall madly in love with it.  So happy to report it exceeded my expectations.

What books were unexpected for you?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Listless Monday: Framed Books

Listless Monday was inspired by both Amanda at A Bookshelf Monstrosity's feature Books by Theme and Court at Once Upon a Bookshelf's Listed feature.  Be sure to check out their lists!

I wanted to do a Name That Book, but I haven't got the time or energy right now for it.  If you are wanting more puzzles like Name That Book, might I suggest you check out Mrs. Stakey's 6th grade class blog.  They decided to do some Name That Book puzzles and they are so awesome!  I love seeing other people's puzzles, so if you decide to do one, let me know and I'll link to yours (do link back to me, please). 

So, I simply decided on a whim today to do a Listless Monday featuring books with frames on the cover.  It's not really a common thing, but one that is unique and can make an interesting display. 

Framed Books



I'm completely open for suggestions!

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Tales of an Eighth Sibling

If y'all are interested to know a little about the younger me growing up in a big family, I guest posted today at my sister-in-law's blog, Penelope's Pad.  It's a pretty funny story, if I  do say so myself.  Stop by and leave a comment, if you want. :) And to convince you it's awesome, here's a photo preview:

Enjoy!

Book Review: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date: May 2011
Pages: 240
Source: Library
For: Printz Project

Cullen Witter has a lot on his mind - it's almost senior year and he's about to get the girl of his dreams, when his life is shattered by tragedy - his younger brother disappears. He must spend this summer trying to understand this new and different life, especially with the mania his small town experiences over a possibly extinct bird's reappearance.

Things I Liked:
Ok, that was probably the worst summary I've ever done, but this book is hard to explain. I'll talk about this more below, but I had a hard time getting into the book.  What I did enjoy was when I hit a point (probably around halfway) when the seemingly completely random and disparate story lines started to come together.  I was impressed with how Whaley brought them together and how they eventually made sense, especially because I was doubting it would at that point.  I loved the deep and complicated ideas the book discusses and the realistically portrayed teenage boy struggling to understand why his brother disappeared.  I think this one has a lot of merit and is skillfully woven.  I can see what elements drew the Printz committee (and Morris committee) to choose this one.

Things I Didn't Like:
As I said, I really struggled for the first half of the book.  I thought the completely different viewpoints and stories were too confusing, too random to interest me.  I only really cared about Cullen's story, so when the others would suddenly appear, I wanted to put the book down.  Initially, I really disliked the book, but I think it grew on me.  I especially hated the third-person weird zombie dreams Cullen had - totally distracting and confusing!  I'm not seeing this one having wide appeal and definitely it won't draw in reluctant readers with its slow and erractic beginning, but it does have a quiet power hidden in its depths.  And just the right touch of humor to balance it.  I guess it just didn't speak to me personally.

Read-alikes:
No idea.  Maybe a little like The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@# 
regularly throughout, one f-bomb

mrg-factor: X 
mostly off page things, but it's implied

v-factor: -> 
some zombie dream stuff and maybe a few other darker issues, nothing graphic

Overall rating: *** 

I'm really hit and miss with the Printz winners - doesn't it seem like they sometimes pick really odd books?
 
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Does Book Advertising Sway Your Reading Choices?

MOST EAGERLY ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR!!!
I've been wondering lately about book advertising.  I don't know if it's just that I'm more aware or if it's been increasing more, but what is with all the crazy and sometimes overwhelming advertising surrounding new books?  I've started to be annoyed with some of the campaigns; they just seem a bit over the top.  I think maybe it's a sign I'm getting old and grumpy or something. :)

There are so many superlatives (most, best) and adverbs (eagerly, highly) thrown out there describing new releases that they begin to lose meaning.  Does using these words/phrases actually make people want to read them?  Does this convince us as readers to seek out these books, describe our NEED for them, and otherwise blog about them well in advance of their release date?  I know I'm often convinced by the big campaigns, the flashy ads, and the "highly anticipated" description of a book.  But sometimes, most often lately, when I see those ads telling me a book is the "most eagerly awaited," I want to avoid it.  I almost wanted to avoid seeing the Hunger Games movie because the obnoxious Capitol products and advertising kind of annoyed me.  (I saw it, of course.  And it was good, of course.)

And what about those author blurbs?  If "NY Times Bestselling Author" said this book "made them stay up all night to read" or "made them green with envy over the writing" or was just "plain good," do you care?  Do you make you want to read it more or less?  What does make us want to get our hands on a book months before it will ever hit shelves? 

I admit, I've been swayed by all of those things.  Favorite Author said it was "Awesome?"  Bring it on.  Publicity is saying this is the Next Big [fill in the blank]?  I might be a bit more leary, but will keep my eye on it still.  Do you find yourself skeptical or eager when you see things like this?

I've discovered books on my TBR, added for whatever reason, that I honestly can't remember why I would have put it there.  It might have been some advertising/blogging/blurbing/something that caught my eye.  But, what makes a book go from TBR to actually read?  What moves things up on that list?  For me, I think it is a combination of things - plot, bloggers, and hype.  Yes, even the hype.  I am, unfortunately, not one of those cool enough to say "I won't read this book, because everyone says it's amazing and I want to swim against the current." 

Usually, I'll take the blog raves with a grain of salt, depending on the blogger raving.  There are bloggers who I know don't rave unless they find it absolutely necessary, and there are those who will rave about anything and everything, so long as it's popular and in their hands (I'd like to note that I think I'm somewhere in between these two).  Also, summaries, even though I don't usually religiously read them, will often be what attracts me.  I like a smart concept, sometimes even just a snippet like "future world where chocolate and coffee are banned" and that can  move a book right to the top of Mount TBR. 

But enough yapping, I want to hear your opinions.  What you think of ads touting the "best/most eagerly/exciting/acclaimed/award-winning" book of the year, blogger buzz, author blurbs, summaries, and anything else about books that make you want to pick them up (or throw them across the room)? 

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Classic Double Challenge: April

Sorry I'm late posting this month!  Hopefully some of you are making better progress on this challenge than I am, since I've finished one complete book, one unintentionally abridged book, and written no reviews.  If you'd like to sign up for the Classic Double Challenge, you still can.  Check out all the information at the Classic Double Challenge sign-up post.

I did pick a winner for last month's challenge, so I've sent an email to:


I'll hopefully get your package mailed out in the not-too-distant future (though, with my move, I'll have to find my books first :)

I've got a new link for those of you who read and review books for the challenge this month!  Remeber you get extra entries into the monthly drawing when you add a link.



And for your thought question this month, tell me what your favorite thing about retellings/sequels is - seeing your favorite characters in a new light, setting, etc.

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Publication date: January 2012
Pages: 384
Source: ARC provided by publisher
For: Review (and the Debut Author Challenge)
Series: Newsoul, Book 1

Ana is unusual, a newsoul, one who has not been reincarnated for thousands of years; she's living her first life.  Even worse, when she was born another old soul disappeared and everyone blames her for it.  Rejected by her mother, left by her father, she has had a cold childhood.  But now she's determined to find out about herself and why she might be here.  Traveling to the city of Heart, she encounters hostility nearly everywhere, except from Sam and a few of his friends.  In Sam, Ana finds someone who might be able to care about her, despite being a newsoul.  But will their kindling relationship have time to smoulder or will it be destroyed by the many forces in place driving them apart?

Things I Liked:
I think what makes this book stand out in my mind is the unique world and details.  I have read a few reincarnation books, though they were more focused on a couple being reincarnated, finding one another, and then being unable to spend even one complete lifetime together.  This is different and in a much better way.  I like Ana; she's a unique, new soul, one who is clearly at a disadvantage when compared with everyone else, but who doesn't dwell much on it.  As the book progresses, she learns new things, develops her own talents and ideas, and becomes even more unique.  I thought the relationship between her and Sam was well done as well, providing sparks and interest and even some doubt.  Admittedly, I got mad at Sam and Ana a few times, but that is inevitable in a realistic relationship.  Interesting concepts, unique book.

Things I Didn't Like:
I was a bit disappointed at the end.  I felt like none of the ideas and mysteries Ana was trying to solve were explained.  It just kind of ended with no resolution, or at least not enough to leave me satisified.  I'll be interested to read the next one, but I wish there had been a little more meat to this one.  There were quite a few incidents that happened in the last couple of chapters that were strange, different, and nearly left unexplained. 

Read-alikes:
Maybe a little like The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller
It also reminded me, for some odd reason, of Pegasus by Robin McKinley

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: ! 
some, not a lot

mrg-factor: X 
it felt sensual, but nothing actually happens

v-factor: ->-> 
there is some fighting action

Overall rating: **** 

What intrigues you about this book?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Bloggiesta...A Bit Like Foggiesta

Thanks to everyone for your encouragement this weekend, even though my participation in Bloggiesta was...spotty to say the least.  It felt like I was moving in a fog, hence the weird title :)  I am very hopeful that next time I'll have lots more time to improve and participate. 

First, HUGE thanks to our two fabulous first-time hosts: Suey at It's All About Books and Danielle at There's a Book.  You guys did great and things ran very smoothly, like you've done this for years!

-I was able to accomplish one complete task: updating my Reviews by Title and Reviews by Author pages. 
-I also started on getting internal links for those pages - you can see them on the Reviews by Title page - those links at the top that take you to the corresponding letter, so you don't have to scroll through the entire list. 
-In addition, I posted a short (and possibly confusing) tip on aligning your images in rows.
-Oh, and I'm working on getting some social media icons.  I'm kind of making my own, which might be a disaster. 
-And I also managed to move all our stuff from our apartment to our new house, clean said apartment, and start the daunting task of settling into the house.  You know, in my spare time.  :)

I am planning to spend the next weeks (months?) looking over those mini-challenges and learning new stuff, since I really didn't do any of them.  Maybe next time I'll do a little mini-challenge like my photos in a row one. 

What did you get done for Bloggiesta?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

How to Format Your Images Into Rows - My Bloggiesta Tip

I've actually had a few people ask me about formatting photos, which is totally surprising, considering I'm not exactly the most savvy of bloggers.  So, I thought I'd tell you a little about how I do it (obviously in blogger).  Plus, bloggiesta is the perfect time for that, even if I'm not really participating due to moving this weekend.

Want your images to line up like this?
First, nearly all of my book cover photos come from Amazon affiliates pages, so that's what I'll show first.  To get them all lined up in the middle, here's what I do:

I can usually only fit about three across (of the large sized covers) on my blog format, so that's what I stick to.  You can play around with yours to see how many fit on your blog.  I copy and paste the html from the amazon links (um, in html mode, obviously).  They generally come without any alignment formatting (ie not automatically centered), but with loads of weird extra code, so both good and bad.  I usually will paste the three photos all in a row, putting one space between their codes. 

Then, when I have all three together, I will center them, by putting the html text in instead of using blogger's centering feature (ie: <div style="text-align: center;">).  I've had issues with blogger's centering option when I try to get all three centered together, so typing the code myself is generally the easiest.  This puts the three images all in the same <div> and centers them all together in a row.  To do multiple rows, I generally do one hard return between each set (<br/> in html), but more space can easily be added either in html mode or compose mode.  Then I start a new <div style="text-align: center;"> for the next set of three and so on.  Here's what the code looks like (in html mode, of course):

<div style="text-align: center;">
<img 1 code> <img 2 code> <img 3 code>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img 1 code> <img 2 code> <img 3 code>
</div>

Now, for images that you add using blogger's insert image button, these will come automatically formatted, which can be good or bad.  They generally don't let you line up images neatly together, but put only one per row.  This is what the code looks like when an image is uploaded:

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="IMG LINK" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="192" src="IMG LINK" width="320" /></a></div>

Some of that extra stuff just gets in the way of what I want, so here's my method of fixing that:
Essentially, I will put the three images (or however many you want per row) all in one <div> - and I usually replace the <div class> code above with the shorter and simpler one from above, <div style="text-align: center;">  Putting multiple uploaded images in the same <div> will require you to delete the <div> code from the other uploaded images, since they all come with it attached (both the opening tag <div class, etc> and the closing tag </div>).  I also usually change the "margin-left" and "margin-right" to "0em", since I find it adds a little buffer around the edges of images that interferes with my alignment.  So here is what three uploaded images' code would look like:

<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="IMG LINK 1" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: right; margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="192" src="IMG LINK 1" width="320" /></a> <a href="IMG LINK 2" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: right; margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="192" src="IMG LINK 2" width="320" /></a> <a href="IMG LINK 3" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: right; margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="192" src="IMG LINK 3" width="320" /></a>
</div>

And that's it!  There is obviously other code there I could likely get rid of, but since I'm not sure what it all does, I figure it doesn't hurt to leave it :)  You can also change the size of the images from the code as well, but be warned it doesn't keep the height/width ratio the same, so they could look stretched. You can also put the images all together on the right or left by changing "center" in the <div> code to "right" or "left."

Anyway, hope this helps some of you align your images into rows!  Let me know if this was totally confusing or if you have any other questions.  

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