holes In My brain

to the Storytellers:

2012-01-28T22:07:00.000-08:00

I just finished The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and it was one of those books I know I'll have a difficult time reviewing. I was completely enchanted (although there are a few factors preventing a full out gush-fest), especially by the prose-- which I found positively magical. I really did, and it will always be the thing that I'll remember most clearly about this wonderfully imaginative book.

Here's a quote that struck me as I was reading.. it's truth. Everything-- the importance, the listener, the magic in words.. I thought you guys would like it.

“I tell stories,” he says. It is the most truthful answer he has.

“You tell stories?” the man asks, the piquing of his interest almost palpable.

“Stories, tales, bardic chronicles,” Widget says. “Whatever you care to call them. The things we were discussing earlier that are more complicated than they used to be. I take pieces of the past that I see and I combine them into narratives. It’s not that important, and this isn’t why I’m here—”

“It is important,” the man in the grey suit interrupts. “Someone needs to tell those tales. When the battles are fought and won and lost, when the pirates find their treasures and the dragons eat their foes for breakfast with a nice cup of Lapsang souchong, someone needs to tell their bits of overlapping narrative. There’s magic in that. It’s in the listener, and for each and every ear it will be different, and it will affect them in ways they can never predict. From the mundane to the profound. You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone’s soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift…. There are many kinds of magic, after all”

Fever winner + #namethatbook Answers!

2012-01-24T11:45:00.000-08:00

Firstly, a HUGE apology for taking so long to tally results and get this post up!! School has started up again and I've been crazy busy, but that's no excuse :(

Without further ado, the winner of an ARC of Fever by Lauren DeStefano is...

Samantha R.!

Congrats!! I will email you shortly!

And thank you ALL for playing, I got a great response and would love to do it again soon. And of course, you must be dying to know the answers :p Here they are, how did you do?

BOOK #1: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

BOOK #2: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn (hehe snarl!)

BOOK #3: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

BOOK #4: Plain Kate by Erin Bow (Taggle!!!)

BOOK #5: Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard (love this book!)
(hint: author initials are KH)

BOOK #6: Every You, Every Me by David Levithan

BOOK #7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling (infinite hearts)

BOOK #8: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (and Siobhan Dowd)

BOOK #9: A Little Wanting Song / Chasing Charlie Duskin by Cath Crowley

BOOK #10: North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley (this book is awesome, folks)

thanks again to everyone who entered! I hope you had fun!

some YA contemporary mini-Reviews

2012-01-23T09:27:00.000-08:00

**I'll announce the winner + answer for my Fever contest soon! I'm sorry for taking so long!**

It’s become quite a troubling idea for me that I’m both procrastinating writing book reviews AND working. I mean, when has it become some sort of chore to write reviews? It makes me sad thinking about it, but as I stare at this brick of a textbook I’m supposed to read 100 pages in, I find myself turning back to my blog... And writing these little reviews for books I don't think I'm going to get around to fully reviewing.

Freefall by Mindi Scott (8/10)
~goodreads

Honestly, while I really liked it when I was reading it, this book is unfortunately forgettable. It’s for those quick engaging reads that keeps you in the story for the moment, but thinking back.. there’s not much I want to say about it. The characters, writing, and plot are all well done, and I greatly enjoyed reading it, I just don’t find it the most memorable of the bunch.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (8.4/10)
~goodreads

You have no idea how much I wanted to read this book, Anna and the French Kiss is one of my fave contemps of 2011, and I had equally high expectations for this sequel… which really proved to be my downfall. I think I expected too much and I couldn’t help comparing Lola to Anna (both person-wise and book-wise) and because of that, Lola and the Boy Next Door was.. all right. It had everything I could want though, the perfect formula for a quirky yet lovely story—interesting protagonist, the cutest boy ever, awesome parents, some angst—yet it wasn’t as awesome as I wanted (I know, I’m a demanding twat or something). I felt some of Lola's quirks were forced and I never fell head-over-heels for Cricket, despite him being so obviously charming (the pants!). So yes, this book is lovely and fantastic but ultimately, I couldn’t stop the Anna comparison and I enjoyed Anna a whole lot more, but Lola is worthy of the praises it’s been getting.

Saving June by Hannah Harrington (9/10)
~goodreads

I’ve been dying and lusting after this book for ages but it took me a while to finally buying a copy and reading it. It was what everybody said it would be—and here is where I would usually add “and more” for added effect—but not this time. It was frankly, what I was expecting (with some VERY high expectations, mind you) with heartwrenching scenes and beautiful quotes and boy I would definitely not mind road-tripping with. Harper’s a gorgeously drawn out character, as was her development through the book. Secondary characters were wonderfully done as well, but I think I wasn’t as blown away as I wanted to be. It was one of those books where I wanted to totally rave about it and declare my love for, but after letting those feelings simmer a little, I think I can just give this book a huge-ass shoutout but it’s not exactly my absolute favourite.
A “do not read in public” warning should be attached as well, I think I looked silly on the plane with my teary eyes and sniffles…

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (9.4/10)
~goodreads

I went out and bought it the day it was released and finished it shortly after. I was originally intending on writing a flat-out gush review with all my thoughts (I still might because I have a lot..) but for now, here’s the quick ‘review’ I wrote immediately after finishing on goodreads:

It's so much more than a book about cancer kids. It's about more than love and death and the Something that awaits, it's more than Amsterdam and An Imperial Affliction and the idea of sacrifice and nobility, the idea of heroism and the universe, the smallest quirk and the grandest, most metaphorical gesture. You've really outdone yourself here, John Green.

BR: Prized

2012-01-14T09:48:00.000-08:00

by Caragh M. O'Brien
Birthmarked trilogy; book II

It has been a while since I read Birthmarked, and I think that it was the lengthy break that made me hesitant to read the sequel. I didn't remember any of the plot details too well either, which I was concerned about.

Summary (goodreads)

Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime. In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole?

**
My Expectations: I remember hugely loving Birthmarked but since my memory was foggy, I was worried Prized would disappoint :/ Also, I've been reading mixed reviews.
Delivery: YESSS it was awesome!!
Put-down-ability: 2.5/10
**

I feel like whenever I give a 9 rating, it feels half-assed. At least an 8.9 is reaching for that precious 9, and the 9.1 is a stand-out from the rest of the plain 9’s, but that’s just it… 9’s are plain. But that doesn’t mean they’re bad, because bad is the farthest form of an adjective I’d give for Prized.

My Thoughts

Guys, Prized is fantastic. Almost as fantastic as Birthmarked (which was unfairly fantastic) and if you haven’t read this series yet, get your lazy arses off the computer and reserve it at the library or something, because I’m smacking myself in the head for waiting so long to getting around to reading this.

The big difference between this sequel and its predecessor is that there feels like a lack of action that I was accustomed to and fell in love with in the first book. It feels like a second-in-a-trilogy* with some astounding character development, and I really, truly mean astounding.

Gaia Stone. Ms. O’Brien, I truly applaud you for creating such a fantastic character and developing her so flipping well. Gaia is real, and she’s flawed and consistent and she grows so much through the book. There’s a specific part where she questions if she can trade who she is as a person, to trade pretty much her sense of self, for Leon. And it’s an in-your-face type of question that she tackles head-on and that choice really exposes who she is.

Her stubborn defiance towards the Matrarc as her freedom is stripped from her isn’t just a childish streak; it pretty much exactly pinpoints who she is. She’s loyal almost to a fault, and won’t break her own beliefs even when freedom is as close as a simple lie. Well.. at first… things get pretty interesting.

To say she’s faultless is just so far from the truth, because there is a scene between her and another character where the other person just rips into her and I see exactly where he’s coming from, because it’s true. Gaia tries so hard to do the right thing and sometimes it’ll come back and hit her in the face but the fact is, she tries. She’s a do-er. She’s curious and she wants to know more instead of settling into the passive role that had potential for happiness. And that’s really why I fell so hard for her character and this book, because I recognized all these small things that made her a dynamic, changing, and growing character.

I thought I’d mention here that there is a love square. SQUARE. I’m serious, and I thought I would end up being extremely exasperated, and I’m glad I didn’t. While I thought one of the tips of the square was kind of unnecessary, I didn’t hate it at all, which is such a bonus (though let’s face it, only one of those boys really stood a chance and any other result would be blasphemous).

Rating in HP Terms: Exceeds Expectations
Recommended for: All YA dystopian fans! :)
Acknowledgements: I forget.. I don't have my copy with me :(

9/10 – because it was just awesome. In addition to the character growth I raved about, the plot is tight and kept me more than engaged. I loved exploring the new world that O’Brien had created because it made me think and question this sort of gender role reversal. There was a mystery (yay!) and another code (yay!) and yes, a very swoony kiss, so this girl here is happy.

*which means the final book better be an adrenaline-filled book of kick-assery.

source: netgalley/publisher
author website

Another Cover: Rebel Heart by Moira Young

2012-01-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

Screw formatting, I just want to show the cover. I don't remember what any of my previous Another Cover posts were formatted like anyways.

Rebel Heart by Moira Young

Dustlands series; book II (sequel to the brilliant Blood Red Road)

So.. yeah. I *think* it's the real thing.

Blood Red Road cover:

I definitely liked the first book's style more. So, so much more. The bold font, the whole dustlands feel. I'm excited to see the Rebel Heart cover mostly because it feels like there has been no information about the book for the LONGEST time and I just loved BRR.

I wish they didn't have a huge picture of a hunky guy on the cover. The design is cool but I'm like.. "that's not a book I would like to read in public". I mean, come ON. I WANT TO GET RANTY HERE because sometimes I HATE the covers that are so "targeted at teen hormones" or WHATEVER, you don't need to have some hot guy or some girl in a pretty dress to get me to pick up your book. It makes me mad because I thought they completely got it RIGHT with the first cover and they went "LET'S GO COMMERCIAL" with book two and UGHHHHH. I hate it when it feels like it's SO FLIPPING COMMERCIAL and just like so many other covers out there, MAKE IT ORIGINAL NEXT TIME.

I dislike the blurb too, because can we just WAIT A MINUTE and STOP COMPARING EVERYTHING TO THE HUNGER GAMES.

PS- the book is called REBEL HEART and not DUST LANDS so WHY IS THE SIZE OF THE ACTUAL TITLE SO FLIPPING SMALL. which is another thing I find so funny because "Dustlands" doesn't even APPEAR on BRR so WHY ARE YOU ADVERTISING IT SO BIG WHEN PEOPLE WON'T EVEN SEE THE FRICKEN CONNECTION. I DON'T SEE ANY CONNECTION.

I swear I'm usually in a better mood.

Hey, maybe this is just a teaser cover and I'm still hoping for the real thing.

yeah, this post kind of got out of control.

OKAY. Let's rewind here. I'm not going to take back what I said but I did some more googling and it turns out they changed the theme of the covers when they went to paperback (released Feb 2012, which is why I haven't seen it around much) and also, I HATE IT WHEN THEY DO THAT. GAHHHH. I'm not going to bring up series (ohey there Nightshade, I am not a fan of your redone covers). Anyways, I'm totally capable of seeing I'm in the wrong but AGH I stand by my opinion but NOW I SEE THE CONNECTION. I DO. NOT A FAN STILL THOUGH.

WHYYYYYYYYYY.

BR: A Need So Beautiful

2012-01-07T18:16:00.000-08:00

by Suzanne Young
A Need So Beautiful series; book I

I picked this book up because of all the positive things that were being said about it, despite it being out of my usual preferred genre, I really wanted to give it a shot and have it prove me wrong.

Summary (goodreads)

We all want to be remembered.

Charlotte's destiny is to be Forgotten... Charlotte’s best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what’s really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.

But Charlotte never wanted this responsibility. What she wants is to help her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend's arms forever. But as the Need grows stronger, it begins to take a dangerous toll on Charlotte. And who she was, is, and will become--her mark on this earth, her very existence--is in jeopardy of disappearing completely.

Charlotte will be forced to choose: Should she embrace her fate as a Forgotten, a fate that promises to rip her from the lives of those she loves forever? Or is she willing to fight against her destiny--no matter how dark the consequences.

**
My Expectations: I thought it would be good, even great!
Delivery: hugely underwhelming :(
Put-down-ability: 5/10
**

My Thoughts

HYPE. I hate you.

Okay, here’s the deal: I didn't have any interest in this book until the blogosphere really exploded with adoration for it, then I was kind of intrigued. I reserved it at the library and when I got the chance, I finally read it. I really, really wanted to see what the hype was about—my curiosity got the better of me. Even when the summary was something I’d usually pass on, a little voice was telling me that I might be wrong, go for it! So I did.

And, man, was I underwhelmed.

Let me tell you, despite my complaints—the book is NOT bad. My reading experience was. It was just.. ugh… so extremely frustrating that there was that little cloud hanging over me showing me all these glowing reviews about how beautiful the writing was and how compelling the story was and how gorgeous the characters were. I wanted to see what they were seeing so badly and I so didn’t, which partially pissed me off because I was reading this for hours and getting absolutely nada from it.

So yeah. That’s my little spiel about hating hype and not enjoying the book. The premise itself just never caught me, I was hoping I’d totally buy into it when I started reading but I felt I had to trudge through the book to see what happens, and truth be told, I didn’t really care what happens. I personally felt no connection with the main character Charlotte, apart from occasional sympathy and frequent irritation.

The romance was a dud for me, again, I felt nothing for Harlin. The relationship has been pre-established (refreshing! I haven’t read one of those in a while) but I felt the basis of it sucked. It’s just completely unrealistic (who kisses a stranger in a hallway?) and there is only so much “I love you, Harlin” “I love you Charlotte” “I love you so much Harlin” “I love you too Charlotte” “I love you Harlin” “I love you Charlotte” I can take. Goddammit.

Okay, my pissy review is coming to a close. The writing was solid, I enjoyed it and it kept the narration flowing. I like how Sarah (her best friend) was depicted because it made it more interesting and made Charlotte’s ties to the ‘human world’ stronger—and this is more as in the “I see how the story is working and things are falling together” instead of “oh, I really enjoyed it”, do you know what I mean? The premise was creative and original, I was just never a big fan of it.

A Need So Beautiful was a huge disappointment for me, I didn’t hate it but I don’t see myself remembering any of these characters in a few months.

Rating in HP Terms: Poor
Recommended for: YA readers looking for a different take on paranormal.
Acknowledgements: lovely, 4/5

6.8/10 – because I can’t think of too many positives for this book. I was disappointed and underwhelmed with pretty much everything, and I just had this train of thought going “why did I read that? Why did I bother?” when I finished. This review makes me look like a bitch, but I’m just being honest, sorry. This was just not the book for me, at all.

source: library
author blog / twitter

Read the first 54 pages in HarperCollins BrowseInside!

BR: A Northern Light

2012-01-05T23:16:00.000-08:00

by Jennifer Donnelly

UK title: A Gathering Light

I have legit been meaning to get around to reading this for ages, especially after falling in love with Revolution last January. Linna's very awesome and positive response got me to finally stop mulling around and reading it.

Summary (goodreads)

Sixteen-year-old Mattie Gokey has big dreams but little hope of seeing them come true. Desperate for money, she takes a job at the Glenmore, where hotel guest Grace Brown asks her to burn a bundle of secret letters. But when Grace's drowned body is fished from the lake, Mattie discovers the letters reveal the grim truth behind a murder.

Set in 1906 against a backdrop of the murder that inspired Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy, this astonishing novel weaves romance, history, and a murder mystery into something moving, real, and wholly original.

**
My Expectations: high because of my love for Revolution, but I was nervous I wouldn't like it, which is why it took me so long to get around to reading it.
Delivery: Once I got into the whole setting and style of it, it was great. Some parts I didn't like, but overall, very pleasant :)
Put-down-ability: 4.5/10
**

My Thoughts

This is my effort to write a short review, and hopefully actually succeeding (I didn't).

Oh Jennifer Donnelly, how do you do this to me?

Mattie Gokey is the type of YA heroine that doesn’t get enough press. She doesn’t have crazy magical powers, hunt demons, or have an unnervingly attractive boy to fall back on. She has her family, her promises, her words, and her dreams. She’s afraid of getting stuck in her small town life and she’s the type of character who effortlessly becomes someone you care about; the way she tells her story, it broke my heart and gave me hope at the same time.

Donnelly manages to weave so many themes into this ambitious and well-deserved Printz book. The power and limits to choices and obligations, feminism, racism, sexism, inequality, and pursuing passions versus settling for second. And within this bubble, she includes a murder mystery as well, which I’ll admit I just never really got. I understand that Grace Brown’s murder was tragic, but I never really connected with it in the book despite the major role it played. I found myself skimming many of her letters and I think it was the only aspect of the book I’m not gushing about. I just found myself more invested in Mattie’s story, and I think I would have loved the book the same if the murder didn’t even play a role, because of how splendidly Donnelly wrote Mattie’s voice and how vivid and vital the role of setting played. Secondary characters were simply a dream, there isn’t a stereotype in site as each character, no matter his or her role, was complex and real.

There’s so much to say about this novel, there’s so much richness in this historical fiction that really makes it come alive and it’s refreshing and inspiring at the same time, to watch a heroine in a predicament that’s almost unimaginable in today’s society finding her way through her muddled life and never giving up and taking the easy path. The following part in this book stuck out to me, but mostly because of how much I agreed with it. I always concede that characters can be self-centered, but Ms Wilcox, her teacher says: “You are many, many things, Mathilda Gokey, but selfish isn’t one of them.” And I couldn’t agree more.

Rating in HP Terms: Exceeds Expectations
Recommended for: fans of YA historical fiction that is totally wonderful, or books that just sweep you off your feet.
Acknowledgements: show some heart! 2/5 for sounding like a scripted Oscar acceptance speech.

8.5/ 10 – because it was so excellent, minus the part about the murder which yes, I wanted to love and totally fawn over, but I just didn’t. There are books that build in your head and also books that fizzle out, but this one is the former. Sometimes I’ll write gushing reviews and think back later “what was I thinking? I can barely remember the plot of that book!” but I know this won’t be the case. A Northern Light is a beautifully told story about hardship and dreams and things that matter the most, whatever they may be.

PS~ I know this seems totally redundant and I look like a total and complete idiot for not reading more carefully. Basically A Northern Light has two timelines, the chapters with a dictionary word in the title takes place about four months previous in the spring, working up to the time when Mattie gets a job at the hotel. The untitled chapters are more ‘present day,’ taking place after Mattie has already worked at the hotel and Grace Brown was murdered. Just in case someone ended up as confused as I was..yeah..

source: purchased
author website / twitter

Fever Winner!

2012-01-05T10:20:00.000-08:00

Just quick post!

The winner of my first Fever (by Lauren DeStefano) giveaway is...

Sarika!!

I will email you shortly for your address, unless you see this first, then please email me! :)

Congrats, and please remember to review it because you are awesome! :D

And to those who didn't win.. there is another opportunity. Yep. You get ANOTHER opportunity to win a second ARC, and this giveaway is international! CLICKIE HERE.

Expect another post later (or very later) today, I just need to polish up a few reviews and such. Til then, happy reading!

Cinder release day + book Trailer

2012-01-03T13:29:00.000-08:00

Hello, my lovelies! I slept in til noon and no, I don't have a good excuse not to have a post for you guys. Luckily, I was contacted to do this trailer reveal for the novel Cinder by Marissa Meyer, and it seemed fun, especially with all the buzz this book has been getting. For example, this review mentions it's influenced by Star Wars, in which I can only do some fistpumping (which is really my only reaction this is fantabulous cover).

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

Summary

Even in the future, the story begins with Once Upon a Time…. Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.

Book Trailer

I think the voice-over and music gave this book quite a... Disney Show/One Tree Hill feel to be honest. However, I loved the animation with the cyborg eye and pretty much the entire premise of this book.

Cinder is released TODAY, Congrats Marissa!

To find out more, visit the author's blog / Facebook / Twitter (oh, and if you enjoy Twitter/Facebook parties of the like... mark your calendars for Jan 9th at 7 eastern time!)

Some reviews:
Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing
The Book Smugglers
Gone with the Words
Poetry to Prose

#namethatbook GIVEAWAY! (Fever by Lauren DeStefano)

2012-01-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

I love the #namethatbook twitter game created by Erin Bowman (see her twitter & website & most amazing review of The Scorpio Races ever) so complete credit goes to her!

I got extra ARCs of the book so I'm giving it away as the prize! You can always just enter (just for fun, because that's something I would do) and if you win, pass along the prize if you don't want to read it!

Prize: ARC of Fever by Lauren DeStefano (sequel to Wither, released Feb 21, 2011)

This game is really straight-forward: I'm going to give you 10 pictures and you have to name the book and author for each! Every correct answer give you one point (max = 10 points)

Apologies for the shoddy pictures, they were taken with an iPhone because I couldn't find my camera :(

Rules:
open internationally!
ends Jan. 14
one entry per person, and please don't cheat. You don't have to fill out every space.
fill out the form at the bottom of this post

BOOK #1:

BOOK #2:

BOOK #3:
(it's hard to tell, but the words are dark red!)

BOOK #4:

BOOK #5:
(hint: author initials are KH)

BOOK #6:

BOOK #7:

BOOK #8:

BOOK #9:

BOOK #10:

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Ta-da! Remember, you can play even if you don't want the prize :p I love playing trivia games :p

And if you desperately want an ARC of Fever and live in either US or Canada, you can enter this second giveaway I have (yeah, I ended up with multiple ARCs), which ends Jan 4.

[EDIT: to add a few things] Answers will be posted when the winner is announced! You can come back and answer the ones you didn't know before, but you must mention it in your name on the form (just write "your name + 2nd/3rd/etc attempt") so I know.
There is no need to tweet/spread the word, but I'd really appreciate it! I mean, you had fun, right? :)

hello, 2012! here Are My new Year's resolutions!

2012-01-01T12:24:00.000-08:00

WE HAVE SURVIVED ANOTHER YEAR, my lovely bloglicious friends. *cheers*

Firstly: I'll be posting a quick 2011 recap sometime within the next few days, along with another contest (of the #namethatbook variety, thus you should be excited).

Secondly: my reading and blogging new year's resolutions, which do have some repeats from last year, but *shrugs*

1. Book of the Month
I kind of slacked with writing reviews towards the second half of the year but I still chose a "book of the month" and featured it on my sidebar, which was something I really enjoyed! The idea originally belongs to Ticket to Anywhere.

2. Review Those Old Review Copies
I accept very few solicited review copies (as you can see on my policy on the sidebar) but I still have a bunch of old review books I want to get around to reading and reviewing, or I just feel guilty and I feel like I'm racking up the blogging karma...

3. Keep in touch with bloggers and be more social
Self-explanatory, I feel like sometimes I'm absent from commenting and I lose touch with my favourite bloggers :( I want to make sure that doesn't happen, plus I want to make new friends :)

4. Keep posting videos on TotallyBooksessed
I'm loving this collab channel with awesomesauce bloggers and making videos on Friday talking about YA books. I don't want to slack on my part.

5. Post somewhat consistently
I know I'll probably go *poof* when school starts, but I want to at least post 1-2 posts a week, even if I'm insanely stressed out. I realized over Christmas break how much I missed blogging, and I don't want to give up on it.

6. Read What I Want
A repeat of last year's resolution, it's important for me, and I've gotten pretty good at it. I know it means that sometimes review books don't get enough attention from me but I've found that the books I want to read are the ones I enjoy so much more. And sure, it means sticking in the contemporary genre a little while longer ;)

7. Improve my reviews
I feel that looking back at old reviews I thought I considered somewhat good, they weren't really that amazing. I really want to work on my reviews, whether it is just writing style or conveying my opinions more concisely, or just stream-lining my train of thought. Also, I do want to cut them a bit down on length, but I doubt I'll succeed.

8. Read older books
And by older, I mean like, pre-2010. Which probably concludes to reading my favourite authors' older/first books instead of being obsessed with the newest shiny thing. I think far too many blogs do that already :)

9. Read consistently
At least read a few YA books a month, because I know with school it's tough to get any enjoyment-reading done... yeah. But I usually reward myself when I finish a test/get a good mark with reading a YA book, so hopefully this trend can continue!

10. Stop complaining so much
Yeah... not gonna happen, I don't think

11. http://screensandscribbles.wordpress.com/
Yeah, I don't really know what I'm doing here. It might just be an winter-break-impulsive thing, but I've been wanting to comment on TV and movies for a while, plus see what the fuss about Wordpress is :p I still totally confused about wordpress.com /.org but... yeah... it's just for rambles. If I decide the blog is going anywhere, I might try and recruit some other bloggers! If you're interested, do let me know.

12. Be happy
I don't need to increase my follower count or get more review books or get an ARC of Insurgent (though I'd really like one...) I don't want to slave away trying to increase SEO (I still don't really know what that is) or my Klout score or whatever. I want to be happy about my blog and myself as a blogger, and not hate myself for not reviewing more or not reading 150 books a year or having a bazillion unique hits a day. Be happy. I'd like that.

I'd love to know what your resolutions are, and until then... Happy New Year, my lovelies :)

-Audrey

faves of 2011: the BOOKS

2011-12-31T13:15:00.000-08:00

The faves of 2011 series was hosted by Nomes at Inkcrush and ended like a week ago, but I wanted it to be my final list of the year, fittingly :) I hope you try some of the books I mentioned, and I had a fantastic reading year. I love you YA!

1. favourite book read in 2011

A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley.

This to me, is like the little book that took me by surprise and gutted me because it was so, so, so beautiful. It was simple and quiet and unassuming, but I absolutely, completely, and mesmerizingly loved it. I didn't think I'd be able to choose a favourite, to tell you the truth... but this is it

&

Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta

It’s fitting that I have a contemporary book there, but a fantasy? That one took me by surprise. Marchetta really pulled out all the stops by bringing the epic, and yes, that’s a thing. The book is powerful and twisted at time and intense with the most wonderfully crafted characters and delectable writing.

2. most powerful book

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Because Ness takes the universal feeling we all have and translate it so powerfully onto the page, it’s the type of book where I wonder “words can do this?” and then before I knew it, I was sobbing.

Honourable mentions: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, Raw Blue by Kirsty Eager (these books were flipping fantastic)

3. brilliantly funny

Oh, Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Because I think it was incredibly creative and brave to attempt a book like this, with fantastic and funny commentary on today’s society and such ridiculous characters. I had to put down the book and just laugh a few times at some of those footnotes.

Honourable mention: Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty. This book I read at the very beginning of the year and it does make me sad that I don’t remember it as well. I also can’t believe I haven’t read the third book in this series!

4. best ache-y, heart-breaking, tear-jerker read

The ache-y will go to A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley, because really, I ached for these characters.

The heart-breaking will go Raw Blue by Kirsty Eager. Carly just broke my heart over and over again, and this story was so powerful and engrossing, it’s definitely a read I won’t be forgetting soon.

The tear jerking will go to Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, because of the grim realities and sad truths of people who deserved to live but didn’t, and people who deserved to tell their stories but couldn’t.

A book that does have all three but does not come first in a category is Saving June by Hannah Harrington… oh dear.
Yeah, sorry Nomes for totally cheating on this category :p

5. most beautiful story
I'm cheating taking my pick from June.. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly.

becuase it really is a story that stuck with me and it was told in a gorgeous, imaginative fashion and I just fell for the characters. A trifecta of beautiful for me.

6. delicious rainy day comfort read

I’m putting Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally for this category. Because CJ was a fast-paced, funny, and downright awesome book that made me forget about stress and just get caught up in the story. The numerous boys in the book don’t hurt either ;)

7. adrenalin-fuelled, unputdownable award

Divergent by Veronica Roth.

Yay, you keep this award!! That is, from since the half-year faves list. I wasn’t exactly emotionally invested in characters, but I won’t deny this was definitely a thrill-fest that got my heart pounding and myself fist-pumping for Tris.

8. the beautiful prose award

There really are too many to name, and I decided I just can’t pick a favourite. So in no particular order:

The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan

A Little Wanting Song / Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Split by Swati Avasthi

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

9. most atmospheric and vivid setting

The most atmospheric will have to go to The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater… the aura and most compelling aspect of this book was probably the mood and atmosphere Stiefvater wrote, it was just gorgeous.

The vivid setting will to go to Blood Red Road by Moira Young…oh goshes. If you’ve read this book you’d know exactly what I mean.

10. i-so-want-to-go-there award

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard!

Self explanatory, I think (well… if you’ve read the book, which YOU SHOULD when it’s released in 2012). Hubbard makes the setting come to life—she really does. And it’s not just lush beaches and towering palm trees, it’s the sweat on your back and killer mosquitos as well. But I so want to go there.

11. most original and imaginative

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Because original and imaginative (and hilarious and smart ) would be my first and best adjectives to describe it.

Honourable mentions: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake, The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

12. best under-appreciated, hidden gem book

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

GUYS!! READ THIS BOOK!! It is charming, unique, and musical in a way with such a vibrant protagonist and a sibling relationship I just adore. And there’s a cute drummer boy too.

Honourable mentions: A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley, Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard, I’ll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan, Split by Swati Avasthi

13. i-had-no-idea-i-would-love this-so award

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I admit, I didn’t have the highest expectations for this one but I fell for it hard. That second half of the book was just brilliant.

Honourable mentions: A Little Wanting Song (again), Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins, Blood Red Road by Moira Young, Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake, Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

14. most haunting story

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Because the story itself is heartbreaking enough, but the writing and the characters just haunt the reader after finishing.

Honourable mentions: Raw Blue by Kirsty Eager, A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

15. outside my comfort zone but gosh how i loved it

I guess Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, because it’s an adult book and that’s not something I read often… but yeah, generally I don’t wander too far from my bubble of preferences, haha

16. series that i’m loving

Dustlands series by Moira Young (book #1 was Blood Red Road)

I recently reread BRR and loved it just as much as the first time around, and now I’m dying for the sequel!! Rebel Heart comes out in the second half of 2012!

Honourable mentions: The Demon’s Lexicon trilogy by Sarah Rees Brennan (it’s over! Waaah) and Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth

17. always recommending this book award

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

… obviously.

18. completely awesome premise award

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Okay, I’m completely unfamiliar with fables about these horses, but as someone who comes into the premise knowing, really, nothing—it really did take the cake. Killer horses and a November race on some nondescript island somewhere.. it’s all pretty awesome. And the writing is woah.

Honourable mentions: The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler, Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

19. would make the best movie

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Because I can already see it unfolding like a movie in my head when I’m reading it, there’s enough action but there’s also a complex plot that it won’t be straight-forward and boring.

20. want to re-read already

Split by Swati Avasthi

It’s one of those feelings that I just really want this book in my hands again.

Honourable mentions: Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta, I’m hoping to reread this over winter break and write a semi-coherent review. Where She Went by Gayle Forman, because I read this book in 2010, thus it’s not dominating all my lists. But trust me, this book was just brilliant.

***

And that's it, folks! I hope you guys had a stunning 2011, and have a safe and happy new year! Thanks to everyone who's visited and commented on my blog, I love you ALL SO MUCH. Mwah.

-Audrey

2 Videos To (almost) conclude 2011

2011-12-30T01:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted lately like promised, I have some draft reviews I have to polish up and post soon. I haven't been reading as much as I hoped, but I have some free time in the coming days (hopefully). That said, here are two videos.

The first, one of total cuteness and loveliness from two actors I'm just in love with. I've got a massive girlcrush on Zooey Deschanel (who doesn't? Okay, don't answer that) and I just want to marry Joseph Gordon-Levitt :) I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

The second is just my TotallyBooksessed video for this week, in case you're interested. It's just a quick mash-up of my 2012 life and blogging resolutions, I'll be making a more formal post on the first of January, as per usual :)

Tomorrow I'm posting my last "faves of 2011" post of the series (the BOOKS! Yay!) so I hope you check back! I can't believe 2011 is almost over, it's probably not the time to get totally sentimental. Have a great day, my lovelies :)

BR: The Scorpio Races

2011-12-27T22:57:00.000-08:00

by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver really wasn’t my thing, which was why I was so hesitant to read this book.. I’ve heard marvelous things about it though… but still…

Also, this review is kind of a mess... sorry :p

Summary (goodreads)

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

**
My Expectations: not really high, I thought I’d be the odd one out again and dislike it :P
Delivery: this one is odd, I wasn’t feeling it for the first chunk, but then I was swept away and it surpassed all my expectations.
Put-down-ability: Quite a slow start, but seriously addicting towards the end. 4/10
**

My Thoughts

About halfway through the book, I knew what I was going to write for this review. Well, I thought I did anyways. I was going to compliment the writing and the premise, I was going to say it was kind of interesting but the motivations were weak and the characters didn’t convince me. I was going to say I knew why everyone loved it, but again, it just wasn’t the type of book for me.

But then… something strange happened. I started to realize how much I was enjoying the book and how compelling it was. I realized I had started flipping the pages feverishly and that it was 2 in the morning and I really had to go to class tomorrow morning. I realized as I finished the book the next day when I was supposed to be studying for a test in 3 hours (that I hadn’t even studied for yet) that I loved it*. Truly and honestly, I did. It really is special, and in the best way.

Preface: this isn’t a book for everyone. And if you didn’t like it, I completely understand where you’re coming, heck, I was with you for part of the book.

Pre-pre face: I stumbled upon this post and it helped me understand a lot—it also shows you why it might be a miss book for you. As in, the author herself says she spends 2 pages describing what is summed up as “Sean gets into the truck with Puck, the dog goes in the back, and Sean and Puck sit in awkward silence”. I just wanted to share that and say ‘huh’ because it’s a TIL moment.

Anyway.

Back to the strange thing in which I started ~~liking~~ ~~really like~~ ~~adoring~~ loving the book. It’s unfair to have a review like this because I can’t excuse (can I?) a sub-par beginning but I also want to just sit here and rave about all the things that seemed to simultaneously grow on me. And a few weeks after this book is still swimming around in my head and I still have those distinct pictures of Sean and Corr or Sean and Puck in my head. The waves. The capaill uisce. By gosh, Stiefvater created one of the best atmospheres for her latest novel and it feels like it just built and built until I didn’t even realize how vividly I was experiencing the novel and imagining the long stretches of sand and water.

And the prose, oh my poor nerves, the prose is incredible, and it makes me sad that it took me so long to recognize it. It has a gentle rhythm that oscillates and pulses and it feels like the words are just poetry and chocolate. Words are used generously but it feels like every single one has its own perfect place, and I can’t figure out how to dole out higher praise. Through the writing, characters came to life and settings became real places, the race scenes rolled through my head like a movie and it was like a sensory overload that I was experiencing just through reading these beautiful words on a page. The author played with my emotions and eventually made me latch on to these characters she had created and care so effing deeply about the outcome of the predicaments… my poor nerves.

And here’s an odd tidbit: if you’re ever asked to analyze something for English class for poetic devices, let it be The Scorpio Races. It’s riddled with assonance and repetition, rhyme and alliteration… it’s easy to pick out the gorgeous metaphors and striking imagery… Stiefvater seriously is a talent.

So to wrap it up, I can say that the pacing wasn’t top-notch because I was disconnected at the beginning, but then I just got completely and utterly caught up with the story and fell in love. And part of me is still conflicted because I feel I might just be building it up in my head because of that ending, but I'll just ignore that part of me for now.

Rating in HP Terms: Exceeds Expectations / Oustanding
Recommended for: hmmm. Horse-lovers. Fans of nice prose, fables, interesting romances, unique premises.
Acknowledgements: 4/5

8.9/10 – because I loved the prose and the characters and the premise. The idea of these killer horses sets a new standard for unique, and Puck and Sean (in which I always refer to him as Sean Kendrick) were two of the more memorable characters of 2011. The problem I had with the novel was the pacing, and I think while much of the book was building up something—whether it was atmosphere, setting, mood—I just can’t justify it and I can say that it was just off. The beginning was too slow and it took quite a while to get into the story but I think when I flipped the last page, I couldn’t even remember that I was annoyed with the first 100.

*as you should now be able to tell after all its appearances on my faves of 2011 lists

source: Ontario book blogger meet-up (thank you!)
author livejournal / twitter

GIVEAWAY: Fever by Lauren DeStefano (ARC)

2011-12-24T14:09:00.000-08:00

So, I somehow ended up with multiple ARCs of Fever by Lauren DeStefano… which means I’m definitely giving them away because I know so many of you would love to read it.

The first giveaway for one copy is easy peasy, the second giveaway will be posted in a few days (#namethatbook funtimes, yes?) so stay tuned!

Prize: one ARC of Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Summary:

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion, but danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.

Add Fever on goodreads!

**
One big thing is that I ask you only enter if you've read Wither and you actually want to read and review Fever, not for the sake of "winning another contest" or getting your hands on a popular ARC. So yeah. Enter only if you mean it; I don't care if I only get 10 entries. I'm not a contest-nazi, I'm not going to cross-check your entries or anything.
**

Rules:
-US/Canada only (second giveaway will be international though!)
-Ends Jan 4th, 11:59pm
-Fill out the form below. No entries for following, but if you tweet something about the giveaway or book (something like “Dude, you know how excited I am for Fever by Lauren DeStefano?” is totally fine) you get extra entries.

Thank you for entering, and Happy Holidays!!

<3

2012 New Adult Challenge!

2011-12-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

My 'faves of 2011 books edition' will be posted at a later time... probably closer to the end of the year! :)
**

Given my awful/terrible/horrendous/sad/pathetic streak at reading challenges, I thought, "why not sign up for more?!" You can see it's this type of superb logic was how I got into university.

The New Adult Challenge is hosted by the lovely Danya from A Tapestry of Words!!

Having graduated from high school and going through my first year of university (and the somewhat extreme highs, lows, and stressful times), New Adult (with characters my age) has been a genre I've been looking into for quite a while and I'm always wishing there were more books in this 'genre'. I feel the reason I have been drawn to YA these years is because I relate to the story and the characters, so I'd love to read more about characters that are in situations like mine or are my age. This is such a rambly paragraph, let's just move on to the

RULES (taken from Danya's blog)

The book must feature a protagonist who is past the average age for graduation from high school (18 in most places). If they're sitting on the fence at precisely age 18, then you can make the judgment call on whether it is more YA or New Adult. (If the majority of it is set in high school, I'd classify it as YA.) The protag should be younger than 30, just to give a maximum limit as well (otherwise we're getting into Not-So-New Adult literature!)

This does *not* mean the book must be of the contemporary genre. If it's a fantasy or dystopian or something and there *is* no concept of "graduation" in that world, then just go by our world's standards in deciding if it counts.

The levels:

Just Graduated: read a minimum of 3 New Adult books
Moving Out: read a minimum of 6 New Adult books
Living On Your Own: read a minimum of 9 New Adult books
Fully Independent: read every single New Adult book you can get your hands on

You don't have to have a blog to participate, but you must post your reviews somewhere accessible online (eg. Goodreads).
For ideas of books to read, check out this Goodreads list (begun by Chachic of Chachic's Book Nook): New Adult Literature. And you might find this list helpful too.

The challenge will run from Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2012. Sign up HERE to participate in the quest to discover more New Adult books (and encourage authors and publishers to produce more!)

A HUGE thank you again to Danya who's hosting this challenge!

I will be attempting the level "Moving Out"-- reading 6 New Adult books... good luck to me?

AND YOU SHOULD TOTALLY JOIN BECAUSE YEAH IT IS AWESOME AND STUFF.

faves of 2011: the CHARACTERS

2011-12-22T01:28:00.000-08:00

The Faves of TwentyEleven series is hosted by Nomes at Inkcrush! It feels like everything so far has been a warmup (covers, randoms, scenes) but now it’s time to pull out the big guns.

1. favourite female main character

Charlie Duskin from A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley.

Because I loved her. You didn’t ask who wins the trophy for the best female lead or the strongest protagonist.. it’s picking favourites and she’s mine.

2. favourite male main character

It’s a three way tie between:

1) Froi from Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta, because she redeemed him from that awful act in Finnikin and so much more
2) the immortalized Sean Kendrick from The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater who I can’t get out of my head still.
3) the utterly charming, dangerous, and dishonest Alan Ryves from The Demon’s Surrender, because I think Angie said it best—“My love for this boy is utterly indecent”

Honourable mentions: Cas from Anna Dressed in Blood, Cassel from Red Glove, Jack from Blood Red Road, Jace from Split.

3. best couple <3

Charlie and Dave from A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley

It was hard to choose just one, but these two have won it all, apparently. They’re achingly good characters on their own and devastatingly good together. I loved their relationship and mishaps and subtlety of this romance that comes heavy with emotion instead of sex.

Honourable mentions (prepare yourself): Anna and Etienne (Anna and the French Kiss), Andi and Virgil (Revolution), Carly and Ryan (Raw Blue), Tris and Four (Divergent), Saba and Jack (Blood Red Road), Sin and Alan (The Demon’s Surrender), Kat and Hale (Uncommon Criminals), Lucy and Ed (Graffiti Moon), Bria and Rowan (Wanderlove), Puck and Sean (The Scorpio Races), Froi and Quintana (Froi of the Exiles), Harper and Jake (Saving June).

Wow.

Yeah. I know. I am a fan of YA romance. And there are more couples, seriously.

4. who i so want to be best friends with

I’ve gotta stick with my choice from my half-year list… Anna from Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.

Honourable mentions: Jordan (Catching Jordan) and Bria (Wanderlove)

5. who i fell completely in love with (new literary crush)

Oh hey there, Sean Kendrick (The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater), here’s the deal. At first, I was just checking you out from afar, you didn’t look so hot and I thought you were kind of an unimpressionable dick. And then somehow I ended up inside your head and everything started changing and I was getting caught up in your relationship with your horse of all things (your horse! Well okay, I admit, Corr is kick-ass) and then… yeah. I fell in love with you. It was odd, unexpected, but totally awesome.

6. worst (best & baddest) villain

Warner from Shatter Me

Was it weird that I wanted you in the book more, just so I could relish in your creepiness? I liked the fact that you weren’t just another stock villain, you were deliciously and charmingly unnerving.

7. best character twist (who you loved then hated or vice versa)

Emmi from Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Hey, Emmi! I wanted to kick you in the face at first. And now I really don’t. Nice job, girl.

8. best kick-arse female

Saba from Blood Red Road by Moira Young.

Because when it comes down to it, she’s more stubborn and flawed than Tris (Divergent). She’s more bad-ass than Anna (Anna and the French Kiss) and June (Legend), though maybe equally awkward. And okay, Sin (The Demon’s Surrender) can lie way better but you can’t have it all.

9. best kick-arse male

Four from Divergent by Veronica Roth

because damn I can’t stop thinking about you. I think you’ve made quite the lasting impression because I don’t remember thinking so highly of you when I was actually reading the book!

Honourable mentions: Alan from The Demon’s Surrender, Day from Legend, Froi from Froi of the Exiles, Cas from Anna Dressed in Blood (you have a sword, man).

10. broke your heart the most

Quintana from Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta

… if you’ve read the book, you’d know.

You’d know.

11. favourite pet/animal character award

Corr (The Scorpio Races)! A water horse. That’s red. And is amazing.

Super duper honourable mention: Nero from Blood Red Road, I didn’t ever think I could like a crow so much.

12. best YA parents award

Andy and Nathan from Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Infinite hearts for loving, involved, and overprotective parents.

13. favourite sibling relationship

Jace and Christian from Split by Swati Avasthi—it’s strained, tough, heartbreaking and beautifully done.

Honourable mentions: Jamie and Mae (The Demon’s Surrender), Nick and Alan (The Demon’s Surrender again!), Chase and Noah (Invincible Summer), Sam and Riddle (I’ll Be There)

It’s true, I like books about brothers

14. favourite best friends/friendship award

Kat and her awesomesauce crew in Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter. They just mesh together so freaking well, I love it! Plus, anything with W.W. Hale cannot be a bad thing.

15. best/worst character names

Hmmm, just some quick ones. I’m probably skipping the book titles, I’ll just give names.

Bad: Beatrice, Delores, Elder, Virgil, Wayland, Four, Leon, Mandy, Nailer

Good: Lucy, Piper, Finn, Cas, Andi, Bria, Rowan, Archer, Harper, Charlie, Archer, Mandarin,

On the fence: Riddle, Julliette, Sin, Froi, Mara, Gaia, Violet

Bonus: best love triangle

Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

because it wasn’t about the girl.

**

Whew, that was quite a list. It's hard to pick favourites, and I'm pretty sure that in a week I'll be kicking myself for forgetting someone (and I'm already planning on writing a post with 'new and improved faves of 2011' or something because there are more books to be read!

Anyways, this concludes the fourth segment of this awesome series, my question to you would probably be #6, who's your favourite villain of 2011??

faves of 2011: the SCENES

2011-12-21T00:10:00.000-08:00

The Faves of TwentyEleven series is hosted by the lovely Nomes of Inkcrush fame :) It's an awesome best-of/wrapt-up feature that I'm so excited to be participating in. Today, we're doing the SCENES!!
Previously: the covers, the random

1. best first chapter

Split by Swati Avasthi

Directly from my review: “Starting with one of the most captivating first chapters I’ve read in a long time” haha… oh man, it just set the tone and the essence of the book perfectly.

2. best climax

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, because it’s not the typical type of climax you would expect. It grows gradually and then suddenly it feels like you were punched in the gut and the wind’s knocked out of you and you’re crying and everything is just… oh.

3. best ending

I adored the ending for I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan… oh *le sigh*. It made me happy; definitely some much needed karma!

Honourable mention: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater.. was there anything more perfect (ish)? Also, Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins-- cliffhangers aren't usually my thing but this one was damned good.

4. best plot twist/revelation (no spoilers!)

Across the Universe by Beth Revis (I wasn’t a huge fan…though that was quite a twist)

In addition, Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta (this book is just full of plot twists, which just made it that much more awesome)

5. scariest/most disturbing scene

There’s some pretty messed up shit that goes down in Nothing by Janne Teller…

Honourable mention: Ordinary Beauty by Laura Wiess, because it was definitely disturbing—a no holds barred disturbing portrayal of a broken childhood.

6. steamiest scene (or sweetest/sexiest kiss award)

I just finished Saving June by Hannah Harrington.. so that Jake/Harper scenes is pretty fresh in my mind… ;) Tied with Saving June is Raw Blue by Kirsty Eager, which is pretty damn sexy as well.

And sweetest kiss probably goes to Piper and Ed in Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John… oh the swoon!!!!

7. best swoon-worthy moment

I think I’m giving this one to Charlie and Dave from A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley for the whole book… no, seriously.

Moment/scene wise…. I just finished rereading Blood Red Road by Moira Young, and there’s this one kissing scene which is rough, gritty and oh so swoony!

Honourable mentions: like everything in Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and all the Andi/Virgil awesomeness in Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

8. biggest nail-biting moment

I really loved the last race scene of The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater.. I was pretty tense and emotionally attached at that point. I feel obligated to mention my love for Sean and Corr in every recap, it seems.

Honourable mentions: all the intense scenes in Divergent by Veronica Roth, and pretty much the entirety of Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta. The cage moments in Blood Red Road by Moira Young were pretty damn fierce too.

9. most hilarious scene

Not a scene, per se, but definitely some of those letters from Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty!

Honourable mentions: Can I also add everything in Beauty Queens by Libba Bray? The footnotes were an especially awesome touch. In addition, there were some truly laugh out loud moments in Babe in Boyland by Judy Gehrman.

(yes, I do know that today’s category is ‘scenes’ but I’m having too much fun breaking the rules)

10. most heart-breaking/tear-jerker moment

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. I was in tears at the end, and anyone who’s read the book will know exactly what I mean.

Honourable mentions: In Saving June by Hannah Harrington, there’s a part at the very end in which the tears started flowing… In The Demon’s Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan, there’s also this scene between Nick and Alan that made me cry. A scene at the end of Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys in which you would think my eyeballs were taps. There were more than a few heart-breaking moments in Split by Swati Avasthi, as well as A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley.

Whew, that was quite a list!

BONUS: favourite meet cute

I feel like all the books I read have characters that meet in pretty intense circumstances (seriously, someone is always trying to kill the other)… I’m seriously drawing a blank here!

And stay tuned tomorrow where I list my faves of 2011: the characters edition! What I'd love to know from you is the answer to the bonus question (that I apparently couldn't think of an answer for!) What's your favourite meet cute in a YA book?

ps~ I thought you might be wondering why Where She Went by Gayle Forman... which is just brilliant... isn't on my lists! It's because I read it in 2010! Or it just might be dominating :P

faves of 2011: the RANDOM

2011-12-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

The faves of twentyeleven series is hosted by Nomes at Inkcrush!! Today I'm doing "the Randoms" which has like, the best categories ever :) I am doing the categories backwards, ending with the books as the big finale (which is why I'm doing 'the random' today while everyone else is doing 'the characters'... fear not, tomorrow we will match!). Have I mentioned how much I enjoy lists?

1. fave first sentence

It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die.

-The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

2. fave book title

Anna Dressed in Blood

by Kendare Blake

Honourable mentions: A Little Wanting Song (Cath Crowley), Like Mandarin (Kirsten Hubbard) and Between Shades of Gray (Ruta Sepetys)

3. fave reading experience (ie: created a great reading memory)

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Because I feel like I unknowingly fell in love with it.

Honourable mention: Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta and A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley, because every few chapters I would actually stop and think, "this book is amazing."
On a different note, I’d add Enclave by Anne Aguirre because I fell asleep a record 6 times while trying to read it… lol

4. book with the best food in it (made you so crazy-envious-hungry)

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally, hands down.

Oh my gosh, it just made me crave grease and carbs, om nom noms!

5. book with the most sensual weather (made you shiver/sweat)

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

I swear I could taste the dust in my mouth, does that count?

Honourable mention: Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard, you don’t call it the wild winds of Washokey for nothing…

6. most embarrassing book cover (feeling sheepish in public or just plain ugly)

Not that Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

Oh man, please get rid of that kissy face. UGH. Because that book was amazing.

7. can’t believe you waited this long to read the book (!)

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins!

Granted, it was only like a couple months but the worst decision ever; this book is just pure fabulousness.

8. book you'd give your mum/sister to read

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

9. book you'd give your dad/brother to read

Divergent by Veronica Roth

or Split by Swati Avasthi

Non-YA: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

10. book you'd like to give your past-self to read (ie, me, when I was 15)

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard (released in 2012)

It was the perfect book for me at the absolutely perfect time… so yeah, I sort of cheated for this question, heh.

11. book that lived up to (or superseded the hype)

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins!

12. book you stayed the latest to finish (confess!!!)

Split by Swati Avasthi

True story—I stayed up till 3:30 in the morning finishing it. On a school night!

13. book you were *dying* to get your hands on the most

Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta

-this book is brilliant.

14. fattest brick of a book you read (by page count)

Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta

--a 600 page BEAST

15. killer cliffhanger award

Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta—that ending was just cruel, woman!

Hounourable mention: Delirium by Lauren Oliver
…totally self explanatory for those who’ve read it!

***

So that's my list.. my question to you (and one of my fave q's of this list!) is #4... what's the book with the best food in it that YOU'VE read? I'd love to know!!!

faves of 2011: the COVERS

2011-12-18T21:17:00.000-08:00

Nomes at Inkcrush is hosting a Faves of 2011 feature that I'm so excited to be participating in! It's basically the wrap-up of 2011 that doesn't need much explanation. The categories that'll be spread out over five days are: the Books, the Characters, the Scenes, the Random, and the Covers! I'm actually doing my posts in reverse order (starting with the covers) because I like the idea of a grand finale ending with the books!

So without further ado...

MY 10 FAVOURITE COVERS OF BOOKS I READ IN 2011

10. BEAUTY QUEENS by libba bray

...for its humour

9. WITHER by lauren destefano

...for its beauty

8. BLOOD RED ROAD by moira young

...for its font

7. GRAFFITI MOON by cath crowley

...for its imagery

6. THE SCORPIO RACES by maggie stiefvater

...for sean and corr, even though it's puck on the cover :p

5. BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY by ruta sepetys

...for its simplicity

4. PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ by a.s. king

...for its colour and creativity

3. ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD by kendare blake

...for its strikingness

2. A MONSTER CALLS by patrick ness and siobhan dowd

...for its haunted illustration

1. I'LL BE THERE by holly goldberg sloan

...for its magical brilliance

There are a ton of books this year with gorgeous covers that I haven't read, so my list is kind of restricted. I think I'm still enamoured by the I'll Be There cover and it was the easy #1. I'd love to know what are YOUR favourite covers of 2011??

In My Mailbox (13)

2011-12-18T09:54:00.000-08:00

IMM is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren!
**

Helloooo!!! Here is my IMM vlog, for books I've gotten since like, November :)

Bloggers mentioned:
Nic @ Irresistible Reads
Nomes @ Inkcrush
Khy @ Frenetic Reader

Books mentioned:
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Saving June by Hannah Harrington
The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Every You, Every Me by David Levithan

Other things mentioned:
My TotallyBooksessed video about book presents you should get book lovers (and it's filmed in a bookstore!)

And I'd love to know what books you want to get for Christmas!! Leave it in the comments below :D

BR: Legend

2011-12-17T20:31:00.000-08:00

by Marie Lu
Legend series; book I

To say I was looking forward to this book is an understatement, I’ve had an eye on it since April and ahhh, it looked amazing. Seriously. And look at that cover!

Summary (goodreads)

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

**
My Expectations: SO high, it looked fantastic!
Delivery: Oh, I’m crushing so hard on this book.
Put-down-ability: read it all in one sitting! 2/10
**

My Thoughts

I feel like I just needed to take a deep breath after the exhilarating ride that was Legend. Where do I start?! There was so many things to love about Marie Lu’s debut, Legend really the type of book I’d rather be caught up in and not think about too much; honestly, as I was reading it was all just hitting me in waves with each plot twist and that just made an incredibly entertaining reading experience.

What got me for this book was that I had characters I could care about. Day and June are just likable, and through that I wanted to know what would happen to them, and I cared about what would happen to them. Some books I just find the character to be plain and unlikeable, which detracts from my affection of the book, but this was not the case. I loved Day (ahh, I always fall for the Robin-Hood-esque characters… they’re the best) and June was a worthy rival by any means. I did feel both characters never really reached a level of depth that I could have hoped for, but they did a great job leading the story.

I loved the way Lu wrote the alternating POVs— it was just delectable. As both Day and June are geniuses, they would analyze situations and approach situations in a smart, calculated way as opposed to running in guns blazing. I loved reading about how each would notice details about the other, and the romance was totally PG and totally cute; I have always had a special fondness of girls calling guys beautiful ;) I'm definitely feel there's a huge potential for character development in the following books which I'm hugely anticipating.

The dystopian world was well thought out, I thought there was a lot of attention to detail to things like buildings and the texture and layout of the city, which I definitely appreciated. Lu managed to create distinct pictures of both the slums and the center very well. A qualm I had was that I thought the whole oppressive/secretive government was slightly unoriginal, including the plot twist, which felt a bit anticlimactic.

And man, the pacing is fantastic. There are ups and downs so it doesn’t feel like a sprint from beginning to end, but there are plenty of action scenes (I was still wishing for more) along with down time for character development, which just works. Legend is a thrilling, fast-paced and engaging dystopian novel that has extremely likable leads that leaves you dying to know what happens next.

Rating in HP Terms: Exceeds Expectations
Recommended for: fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent, and those who want a futuristic YA that has awesomesauce dribbled all over it
Acknowledgements: lovely! 4/5

8.8/10 – because the reading experience was completely awesome, I was swept up with the story and the characters from the start, and with such likable narrators it wasn’t hard to finish the book in one sitting. Lu writes incredible action scenes, but I was a bit underwhelmed with the originality of the dystopian world created. However, I can easily say Legend is an exciting book that'll appeal to a broad audience and yes, it would make a great Christmas present!

author website / deviantART / blog / twitter

BR: The Future of Us

2011-12-16T20:31:00.000-08:00

by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

It's JAY ASHER. I was soo excited to hear he had a new book coming out! :)

Summary (goodreads):

It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long - at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail,his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.

By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right - and wrong - in the present.

**
My Expectations: I read reviews for this book… and as I was reading them, I was scratching my head thinking “how could you not love this? It’s JAY ASHER and it sounds amazing and and and…” but after reading it for myself (you should all read this book for yourselves, btdubs, don’t just listen to me) I get it.
Delivery: It was good. It was round and solid and good. But not great. I was underwhelmed
Put-down-ability: 3/10, read it in 2 sittings
**

My Thoughts

There’s some great stuff regarding The Future of Us, so let’s start first with the rather fascinating premise. I’ll admit, when I first heard of it, I was kind of skeptical… but then when I thought about it, I was completely won over and convinced it will be amazing. And it kind of was (kind of…). I loved the idea of 90’s kids* logging on to AOL** and discovering facebook. Because on one hand, I thought this was also an insight to the slight ridiculousness that follows Facebook and Emma and Josh point out things like that (the “why would I ever bother updating such a mundane status”) but it also offers the wealth of opportunities a glance into your future profile might be, and this essence was captured very well.

A big factor I thought would be hit and miss was the way Facebook was presented (things like wall posts, profile descriptions, etc) but this was handled very well. It was realistic (for a time like the present, which makes me question the timelessness of the book***) and was a great set-up for the story. I really thought seeing how small decisions could alter the future was interesting and thought-provoking in general, and may have sent me into a semi-neurotic mode considering every little action I do…

The main characters, Josh and Emma, never stood out to me, which was a huge reason I wasn’t completely won over by the book. Granted, this book takes place over the course of a week, which for me, made it less believable when I thought ‘big picture’ as opposed to ‘life changing week’. Josh and Emma’s interactions never had time to fester (as I usually find with most arguments), there was a lot of fight-and-make-up within 24 hours****, and it happened a bit too often for my liking. Another thing is that I just never cared about them. I found them pretty realistic and well rounded, but there just wasn’t something about them that made me sympathize or really actually like them, pulling my attention away from being completely immersed.

I did find their individual storylines were much more interesting, because I could more easily put myself in the character's shoes and see scenes and nervous thoughts, etc, playing out. The secondary characters didn’t do much for me either, they felt so… stock. It makes me genuinely sad saying this, but I just never felt any spark with them. It was like a pleasant subplot that I just brushed off whenever something else came up.

The writing style was also something I was kind of disappointed with***** because it’s been a while since reading 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, but I remember loving it. However, with The Future of Us, I found the sentence structure somewhat stilted, and it lacked flow and rhythm, and never for me, reflected a fully realized character.

Rating in HP Terms: Acceptable
Recommended for: most YA readers actually, this one can have a really broad audience!
Acknowledgements: LOL! Very funny and creative, though short :) 4.5/5

7.4/10 – because the more I think about it, the more I think that it just didn’t do it for me. It was a solid read that kept me mostly engaged, it had a very cool premise but the characters never engaged me, nor did the writing. I’m slightly put-off by my own reaction, and it isn’t because of high standards. Just overall, I’m disappointed that I didn’t like it more, but I would still be in a bookstore and happily point out “hey, this book is by great authors and it’s about Facebook! You should read it!” and I’m sure some teen will pick it up and love it more than I did.

* this book was categorized as historical fiction… there is slightly too much wtf-ery attached to that sentence because I feel ridiculously old and I’m still a teenager!! I'm sorting this into 'contemporary fiction, thank you very much.
**AOL!! You’ve got mail!! Welcome! Goodbye!
***I say this because I’m thinking if someone talked about a book focused on MySpace I’d scoff and probably not read it.
****multiple times
*****which is, of course, a totally personal preference

source: publisher
Jay Asher's blog / twitter
Carolyn Mackler's tumblr / twitter / website

book Oscars voting time! Yay!

2011-12-09T22:16:00.000-08:00

My lovelies!

*hides in corner*

*tries to survive all the intensive studying by procrastinating*

*last minute studying*

*and even more studying*

*study study study*

*chem. bio. sociology. chem. bio. sociology. and more and more and more*

So I have exams Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and then I'll be officially DONE my first semester at university! Needless to say, it's been kind of a crazy 4 months, and I'll have more book-updatey stuff but for now, I bring to you, the final voting form for the Book Oscars 2012 hosted by TotallyBooksessed! (you should totally click that link because it's awesome.

If you remember, few couple weeks ago I asked you guys to fill out a form with your nominations. Now the nominations are in and it's time to vote! It's easy! I promise! Clicky clicky clicky (I apologize for sounding more than slightly crazed in this post. It is exam season and I'm dreadfully unprepared and stressed out)

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

I have to say you guys nominated some pretty flippin FANTASTIC books, I can't wait to see who wins!!

The winners will be announced on the TotallyBooksessed channel the week of December 19th, so don't forget to tune in :)

Bye guys for now! If you're studying for tests too, GOOD LUCK!

PS- the omg-lovely-awesome Nomes from Inkcrush is doing a 2011 faves/wrap-up-list-meme-thing that will be fantabulous. I am totally participating and you should too! I mean, best of the year lists are always fun! And she included SO many categories this year, it'll be interesting to pick a single winner.

BR: Catching Jordan

2011-12-02T15:17:00.000-08:00

by Miranda Kenneally

It has the promise of football and boys. How could I say no? Plus the very, very lovely Madeleine completely raved about it so I knew I had to read it. And Miranda Kenneally has the best taste in books. Honestly, there were too many reasons.

Summary (goodreads)

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though - she leads them as the captain and quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team... and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate.

**
My Expectations: Pretty high. I thought I would adore it, but I might have been worried it’d be too… fluffy?
Delivery: I was actually surprised by how much I loved it.
Put-down-ability: Imagine this: middle of midterms. I have a few hours to spare so I thought I’d read the first few chapters. I ended up spending the entire night finishing… reading on my computer no less. SO SUPER LOW OMG. 1/10
**

My Thoughts

Do you remember the feeling that you should probably tackle the mountain of schoolwork you have but you can’t, because you’re so engrossed in a book? Yep. *points to self*. That was Catching Jordan for me.

I can’t even get over how much I was charmed by this book. With Jordan Woods and her ridiculously ~~attractive~~ awesome football team, poems, the food (okay, Ms Kenneally, you got me here. Best description of food and eating habits ever), her (imperfect) family, the setting, the writing style… everything.

Let’s start with Jordan, shall we? She’s kick-ass and vulnerable at the same time-- stubborn, funny, and authentic. I thought her voice was captured extremely well in the writing and it was this smooth and conversational style of narration that pulled me into the story right away. And this is partly because of the way she was written—sometimes you have books where the characters are so twisted or confused about their feelings that you’re just drowning in a pool of emotions, but this book is different because of the openness and honesty behind the main character. I'll admit sometimes her thoughts are just slightly too romance-centric (or maybe I was just cheering for someone else ;] haha). It was much easier to relate and care for her because of this, and trust me, I was pretty darned emotionally invested in her fictional life.

And can I just talk about how strong each of the supporting characters was? I loved the conflict she had with her dad, the relationship she shared with her brother, her completely present and supportive Mom, but above all I loved the dynamics of the football team (hehe). With such an interesting group of players it’s (almost) impossible to pick favourites (oh HEY, HENRY). Is it superficial to say that the abundance of holy-shiznit-hot boys is enough to pick up the book? And oh, it’s not all cute boys because some of them are totally lame but some of them are fricken golden so I’m like I WANT ONE. And I'm gonna say that I totally picked the best boy from the beginning ;)

Okay, I needed to stop that tangent.

I didn’t like a few of Jordan's choices throughout the book, but it just means that characters aren’t perfect. They were smaller aspects that didn’t ring true or consistent for me (and nope, I’m not including spoilers). There might have been a bit too much boy-craziness at times but hey, here's another fantastic thing: there are poems! They weren’t exactly swimming in heart-stopping prose, they reflected Jordan’s character and were a nice addition. Can I also add that yes, there is a teensy little love triangle that I wasn't put off by at all? Huge compliment, believe me.

Also, the football! She plays FOOTBALL, guys!! And NO, you don't need to know anything about football to enjoy this book because Kenneally has explored so many different themes in her debut that resonates, and it's books like this that keeps the standard for contemporary YA fiction so high. Okay, as I’m writing this review* I’m realizing I’m doing the book no justice and that it’s hard to explain the essence of awesome in this book, I really just think it’s one of those things that you should read for yourself.

Rating in HP Terms: Exceeds Expectations/Outstanding
Recommended for: contemporary YA fans, this doesn’t deal with those edgy, dark issues but it is just as good, I promise. Oh, and if you like cute boys and football (you don’t even have to like football, actually)
Acknowledgements: lovely!! 3.5/5

9/10 – because it kicked ass and looked awesome doing it. Catching Jordan is like a stress-reliever, and I think my frantic, panicked, and extremely stressed state of mind (when I was reading) that elevated my adoration for this novel. It was a great pick-me-up with an endearing heroine, loveable characters, cute boys, lots of swooning, a wonderfully complex but not too distressing main character, and a fast-paced and unique storyline. Totally lovely and totally recommended.

*and my review writing skills are unbelievably rusty… I’m so sorry! :(

source: netgalley/publisher
author twitter / website

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-11-30T09:42:00.001-08:00

hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine
**

I'm SO excited for this book. I'm not joking when I say I've been waiting on this before it got a cover. Before it got a new title. Before the summary came out. I've been dying to read this since discovering Trish's blog like years ago and reading some of the teasers... guys... *squee*

Something Like Normal
by Trish Doller

Summary

A powerful debut novel about a young Marine's return home from Afghanistan and the new life and love he finds while fending off the ghosts of war.

When Travis Stephenson returns home from Afghanistan, his parents are on the brink of divorce, his brother has stolen his girlfriend and his car, and nightmares of his best friend getting killed keep him completely spooked. But when he runs into Harper Gray, a girl who despises him for trashing her reputation with a middle school lie, life actually starts looking up. As Travis and Harper see more of each other, he starts falling for her and a way through the family meltdown, the post-traumatic stress, and the possibility of an interesting future begins to emerge.

His sense of humor, sense of his own strength, and incredible sense of honor make Travis an irresistible and eminently lovable hero in this fantastic and timely debut novel.

Something Like Normal is released June 19, 2012 from Bloomsbury
**

Contemp. Male POV. Plus he's 19, which is for some reason, is something I love. There are no words to express how much I'm dying to read this book.

ps- I think Trish has the best taste in YA books too. Her list of top YA guys in YA include Ryan (Raw Blue), Jonah (Jellicoe Road) and Brigan (Fire). And so so so many other amazing boys ;)

Add this book on Goodreads!
author website / blog / tumblr

Totally YA Book Oscars!

2011-11-24T22:46:00.001-08:00

My lovelies!!

As you might know, I'm part of a Youtube collab channel called TotallyBooksessed with Harmony, Bailey, Lauren, and Katie, and we are hosting the Book Oscars!! And yes, I really think you should keep on reading and then nominate your favourite books. SERIOUSLY. It is going to be FUNTIMES.

Super duper easy peasy RULES

only books published in 2011 are eligible
nominations end Nov 30 (in 5 days, so get on it!)
no need to follow/subscribe/anything
there will be a final voting round before winners announced the week of Dec 19

I really think you should fill out the form. Really. Plus it'll get your brains turning when you get around to making your best-of lists in December (oh I KNOW you guys are ALL making one, don't even try to pretend otherwise).

The form! Yay!

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

*HUGS*

Have an awesome (and safe!) Friday with hopefully either lots of books or lots of shopping. Or both. And if you tweet/spread the word about this I will love you doubly and send you internet karma.

BR: Graffiti Moon

2011-11-23T09:01:00.001-08:00

by Cath Crowley

I think the cover for A Little Wanting Song has completely flooded my blog as of July… hehe). I think I mentioned how much I was dying to read Graffiti Moon.. I think I bordered on physical pain in my need for this book. And GUYS. It’s on NetGalley!!!!

Summary (goodreads)

"Let me make it in time. Let me meet Shadow. The guy who paints in the dark. Paints birds trapped on brick walls and people lost in ghost forests. Paints guys with grass growing from their hearts and girls with buzzing lawn mowers."

It’s the end of Year 12. Lucy’s looking for Shadow, the graffiti artist everyone talks about.

His work is all over the city, but he is nowhere.

Ed, the last guy she wants to see at the moment, says he knows where to find him. He takes Lucy on an all-night search to places where Shadow’s thoughts about heartbreak and escape echo around the city walls.

But the one thing Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes

**
My Expectations: So extraordinarily high it’s kind of unfair to everyone.
Delivery: I bow down to this author, I was not disappointed
Put-down-ability: e-books on the computer isn’t really my thing, but the story was really engaging. 3/10
**

My Thoughts

Remember how sometimes I freak out and fangirl and go mildly spazz-tic and then ramble on and drown your twitter feed and all that about some book I fall in love with? Hi Graffiti Moon. You’re next.

Sometimes I fall into a review rut where I decide, screw the review. I just want to talk about the book from one book blogger and booklover to the next.

There’s something enchanting about this book. The night comes alive, and twisted into it is the art and the bare souls of these characters that Crowley mercilessly splashed across the pages. Through some incredible dialogue, art, adventures and a Free Love pink VW van, I’m transported into the night and caught up with the story of Lucy and Ed.

And really, this is the time when I realize sophisticated, distinct and smart writing is something I’m not exactly suited for.

Things I Loved About Graffiti Moon

-Lucy. Here’s a protagonist who you can cheer for, who’s authentic and slightly off-center and both idealistic and realistic and it’s just.. I really want to meet her and be her best friend.

-Ed Skye. I think I could go on and on about you and how perfectly imperfect you are as a character and how you have flaws and admirable traits and so many mysteries and sometimes when your art is described, I picture you instead and I’m blown away… again.

I liked how he had hair that was growing without a plan. A smile that came out of nowhere and left the same way. That he was tall enough so I had to look up at him in my dream sequences. I really liked his T-shirts. When he asked me out he was wearing this one with a dog walking a man on a leash. And there was also this space around him. The sort of space you’d queue to get into.

...PEOPLE. A smile that came out of nowhere and left the same way. Come ON, I can't be the only one who is just in LOVE with that line.

-the one-night time frame, yet the pace wasn’t forced. There was never a lull in my attention span.

-the writing. Oh my god, the writing is just to die for. It’s lyrical and poetic and so freaking graceful, it’s full of crescendos and decrescendos and beauty with some rough edges. It's absolutely my favourite thing about Cath Crowley books.

-the art. I absolutely loved the graffiti walls and the way Crowley described it. The writing made the image come alive and it felt like it was moving around in my brain as I was reading the words. It felt more than just ‘art’, it was magical and remarkable.

-Poet: I totally fell for you.

-the backstory with the breaking of the nose :)

-the search for Shadow

-Ed’s mum, a lovely character that doesn’t even make an actual appearance

-Leo and Emma

-Leo and Jazz

-the poems

-Bert

-Glassblowing

-the memory bottles

...and some parting quotes:

I should have been straight with her from the start, but it’s too late. No wall I can paint can take us back there. And if I only have five minutes left on the roof of the free-love van with her, then I want to spend them talking to her. Because I’ll miss talking to her tomorrow.

…let me tell him that I don’t care if he doesn’t have a job. Tell him he’s still smart and funny. Tell him that some of my most beautiful glass pieces have cracks running through them and I like them anyways because of the colors.

Rating in HP Terms: Outstanding
Recommended for: seriously?
Acknowledgements: 2.5/5

9.1/10 – because ALASDLKFJAIONEF IT WAS SO AMAZING.. It might be against the norm but I enjoyed A Little Wanting Song a bit more (oh, excuse me as I go fangirl it some more) but Graffiti Moon was incredible as well. I need more Cath Crowley in my life. And you do too.

source: netgalley
author website / twitter

sometimes Book trailers get it Right

2011-11-21T17:20:00.001-08:00

I stumbled upon this trailer for A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. Sometimes book trailers are flashy. Badly acted. Cheesy. A turn-off.

But I think they got it right with this one. (And yes, the illustrations in the book are just as dark, and gorgeous).

I don't usually post random stuff like this, but why not? :) I love this book, by the way. A Monster Calls was released in September, so you should read it.

The Hunger Games trailer (in case you've been living under a rock...

2011-11-14T06:47:00.001-08:00

...or under a pile of homework)

that is all.

BR: How To Save a Life

2011-11-09T10:22:00.000-08:00

by Sara Zarr

Two reviews in one week! I’m spoiling you guys, aren’t I? This book has only been totally raved about by Nomes from Inkcrush (I love that lady, seriously) so I knew I had to read it.

Summary (goodreads):

Jill MacSweeney just wants everything to go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she's been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends--everyone who wants to support her. You can't lose one family member and simply replace him with a new one, and when her mom decides to adopt a baby, that's exactly what it feels like she's trying to do. And that's decidedly not normal. With her world crumbling around her, can Jill come to embrace a new member of the family?

Mandy Kalinowski knows what it's like to grow up unwanted--to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, she knows she wants a better life for her baby. But can giving up a child be as easy as it seems? And will she ever be able to find someone to care for her, too?

**
My Expectations: I really liked Story of a Girl but disliked Sweethearts by Sara Zarr, but I had high hopes for this one.
Delivery: It was a good read. A solid, enjoyable book but I don’t think I was as emotionally affected as I hoped I would be.
Put-down-ability: 4/10
**

My Thoughts

How to Save a Life is an emotionally heavy, character-driven contemp that I think had the potential to turn me into a waterfall but just fell slightly flat. It always sucks for me to say that because I recognize the ‘what could’ve been’ but in reality, I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I hoped to, and in turn, I couldn’t commit fully to the story.

Zarr has a serious talent for writing her characters; it’s simply a fact. Both Jill and Mandy were complicated and three-dimensional in their own way, and I’ll admit I wasn’t fond of Mandy at all at the beginning, but in retrospect, it’s what makes her such brilliant character. Zarr understands that not every character needs to be immediately likeable, but when the reader begins to understand and sympathize with the characters, it builds that special bond (if you know what I mean). Jill on the other hand is still grieving and vulnerable, and there was something about her that drew me to her. Her relationships with Dylan (who I seriously adore) and Ravi were fleshed out and convincing, and I especially loved the tentative strings that formed between Jill and Ravi.

While there’s so much to love and admire about these characters, including the complexly caring Mrs. MacSweeny, I just couldn’t take that extra step and fall in love with them. Their stories are tragic, beautiful, heartbreaking, and so many different shades of grey, but I just never felt my own heartstrings tugging or my heartbeat beating faster. Really, I want to just say it’s not you, it’s me. Honestly.

I loved the writing style in the novel, I felt Zarr captured the essence of the two girls and I found the to alternating POVs distinct and extremely well done. There were times when both characters would be frustrating, but other times when I seriously wanted to just give them a hug and hot chocolate-- which in my mind, means the author has done her job :)

Lastly, there’s the plot, and I dunno, maybe it was this part that let me down. I’m trying to find a reason why, but it just comes down to ‘it just didn’t work for me’. What a cop-out, I know, but I found it hard to be invested in the outcome (and the ending, by the way, is… a bit too feel-good). I mean, the motivations are there, I can see the ripple effects of character interactions, and it was interesting… but I was kind of ambivalent throughout.

Okay, I see now that my review is all over the place, and I think when it comes down to it, it's one of the novels where I admire and appreciate a ton of the elements in it, but I just didn't love it for myself. The strongest part of the novel is no doubt, the characters (which in relation to that, Zarr's writing) but I didn't find myself cheering for them or loving them, which I guess means I was disappointed with my lack of reaction.

Rating in HP Terms: Acceptable
Recommended for: YA contemp fans, don’t miss out.
Acknowledgements: none in ARC

8.3/10 – because for me, it was pretty good but not great. I wish I could say I had a more positive, emotional response but maybe I’m a robot or something, but I recognized the beauty of so many parts of the novel, but didn’t feel personally affected. However, I’ll whole-heartedly say that the characters are well portrayed with exceptional writing, and the plot was interesting, so I have no problem recommending it.

source: publisher
author twitter / website
book webpage

publisher twitter / Facebook

In My Mailbox (12) ~ ontario blogger meet-up edition

2011-11-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren!

First, thank you again to ALL the ladies who put together the Ontario Book Blogger meet-up, you're all amazing!!!

Books:

Walking Home: The Life Lessons of a City Builder by Ken Greenberg

Deliciously Sinful by Lilli Feisti

What Comes After by Steve Watkins

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

What did you get this week? Happy reading, lovlies :)

BR: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

2011-11-04T20:41:00.000-07:00

by Laini Taylor
Daughter of Smoke and Bone series; book I

Since I’ve gotten into a habit of reading a book then waiting ages before thinking “hey, maybe I should probably review this, it might be a good idea” but then realize I don’t really remember anything about the book… here’s a review fresh off the press.

Summary (goodreads)

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

**
My Expectations: extremely high, I mean, have you seen the buzz?!?
Delivery: I really wish I liked it more, but it felt like just another paranormal
Put-down-ability: very low at the beginning, very high about 2/3rds of the way through. 5/10
**

My Thoughts

Daughter of Smoke and Bone was seriously one of the hottest titles around the blogosphere for a while, and this is coming from a girl who’s been primarily absent from the blogosphere for 2 months. I’ve read an abundance of absolutely rave reviews, and despite some trepidation with the paranormal genre, I went into this expecting to fully love it.

Honestly, I probably shouldn’t have had such extreme expectations, because it’s not the first time that it has worked against my favour. I was disappointed because I didn’t love it as much I expected to (partly my fault), and I’ll say it’s a good book with parts I disliked as opposed to a bad book with good moments.

Let’s start with the writing, which I’m sure everyone has already mentioned, is just lovely. It’s graceful and lyrical with some impressive (and maybe some overdone) metaphors that just made the book richer. I thought that the blend of realism, and then the progression towards a more fantastical premise was done really well.

One thing I noticed right away and disliked every time it appeared was that Taylor seemed to dedicate a paragraph to describing the looks of a character. I dunno, maybe I would have liked more subtle introduction to the characters’ physical aspects, but it felt like I was reading along and a concrete wall would come up and describe how omg-beautiful-with-perfect-body-measurements-and-eye-colour the character was, then the story would carry on. This seems like an odd part to point out in a review that should be more about the book but eh, I guess I’m out of practice.

Ooh, but can we comment on the premise? I have to say, at the beginning I thought it was one of the most creative and unique things with the chimaeras and the whole errands/teeth business that was just the perfect mix of mysterious and off-putting. However, I’ll admit as the story progressed and more paranormal twist was added, it was just about average, I thought it had so much potential at the beginning, which might have added to my disappointment. I want to say that looking back at it though, the mythology/premise is actually really interesting (I think I was more bothered by the pacing when I was reading it).

Next up: the characters! I liked Karou’s character the most because she had the most depth and I enjoyed reading about her inner turmoil and questions about who she is. However, I can’t say the same for the Akiva, he just fell into the perfect-and-more-perfect mold. Sure, he has a past (who doesn’t?) but I didn’t really connect with his character.

And SPOILERISH….

..who prefers romances to actually be developed instead of based on the insta-attraction-stalker-spark? Me. I still don't get why Karou liked Akiva so much...

***end spoiler***

Favourite character though? Brimstone, that guy is badass.

The pacing was something I also have issues with, and at risk of giving anything away, I’ll just say the I really liked the beginning half because it felt like the drama was just crescendo-ing, secrets were being revealed, lots of action, and I was looking forward to a killer climax. Then there were a lot of… non-action/backstory… and when I say a lot, I mean, a LOT that it felt the whole story’s flow just came to a screeching halt until the last 5 pages. And then cliffie! And I’ll be weird and say that was an awesome cliffie and just might make me continue this series. I want to say more about the ‘plot twist’ but I can’t because it’s too spoilery :p

But when it comes down to it, I just don’t think this is my type of book. I’m really particular about my tastes, and it feels like this book was just trying to do too much in terms of ‘epic romances’ and I just never really liked Epic Romances*. It’s just a personal preference, which is why I’m totally acknowledging that this book will be a favourite for many, just not for me.

Rating in HP Terms: Acceptable
Recommended for: paranormal fans
Acknowledgements: forgot to read :/

7.5/10 – because it’s one of those books where I just couldn’t fall in love with. There were moments I liked and parts I appreciated, but as a whole, it just feels like another read that won’t stand out to me in a few months. The writing is great, but I thought just plot-wise, it wasn’t for me. However, don’t just take my word for it, I think you should definitely read it for yourself!

*which is why I seem to love the contemporary genre so much…

source: bookstore
author website / twitter
series website

A VLOG UPDATE

2011-10-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

1) I'm sorry for being such an awful blogger these past few months.

2) Here's a vlog with me apologizing to you through the computer screen / talking about books

3) In the comments, I would LOVE to know what the last book you read was! Also, what is the best book you've read recently?! I'm so behind on the YA-times :(

d

ps- that thumbnail is purely by chance :p

BR: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

2011-09-26T05:30:00.000-07:00

by Michelle Hodkin
Mara Dyer series; book I

Uhm… have you seen this book around?!?! And dude, it has one of the best countdown widgets I’ve ever seen (and probably the most popular one as well)

Summary (goodreads)

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

**
My Expectations: extremely high. Like I expected fireworks and all that.
Delivery: I’m a sad panda, I was disappointed and highly annoyed.
Put-down-ability: Does setting down the book to eye-roll count? But other than that, the writing is engaging 3.5/10
**

My Thoughts

I think I started twitching every single time the word beautiful was used to describe Noah. Remember how everyone mocked Stephenie Meyer for “chagrin”, “granite/marble/whatever”, “velvet”, “topaz/yellow/golden/butterscotch/rainbow colored eyes” to describe Edward Cullen? Well, in The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer it’s “beautiful” and it’s one of those things that bugged me to no end. If I wasn’t twitching, I was eye-rolling or giving very heavy, exasperated sighs.

I don’t really know how to sort out my feelings but let’s just say, hypothetically, I split this book into 3 pieces. One piece is the mystery and the what-the-heck-is-going-on-with-Mara storyline. One piece is the subplots of school, family and all the woe-is-me that doesn’t fit into the second piece. The last piece is the romance storyline with Noah Shaw. And I was going to rate this.

WTF-ery + plot: 4.5/5
Subplots: 2.5/5
Noah/Mara romance: 1/5

So needless to say, I really, really enjoyed the bat-shit crazy stuff happening in this book and involving Mara. Okay, I’ll say it—the murders. Loved it, I loved how Hodkin created a tense atmosphere and the panic and the (sometimes too abundant) fade-to-black moments. It’s not really in the horror genre (I wonder why people say it is?) but anyways, it’s very well done. Every time something mildly ‘psychotic’ or just creepy happened, I was happy.

The sub-plots were average, though I will say the bright spots are her brother Daniel and her first friend at the cliché-boarding-school-with-cliché-blonde-antagonist, Jamie (and I was pretty upset when she didn’t even try to stick up for him in that one part.) I didn’t like the fact that there never really was a big climax at the end, or really any climaxes with the subplots. Things seemed to simmer then build a bit then… nothing much happens, the plot just moves on.

Oh then we move on to Noah. AGH. *headdesk* I’m SORRY but I just wasn’t a fan! Firstly, he just came off as too perfect. I strongly dislike perfect guys. It felt like the author was given a perfect-YA-boy-mold and spent three-quarters of the book sugar-coating his perfection (the constant mention of his appearance doesn’t help) and it’s just overdone. To me, he came off as hugely unrealistic, pushy (ie: “Have dinner with me” p116, ) and clingy (I will be with you every moment of every day forever and ever--paraphrased) and I hate pushy and clingy boys (in real life too!). At first, his whole ‘drop everything and start being the perfect guy’ annoyed me, but when it was explained (awesomely) I was glad. Every time he showed up I was just waiting for him to leave and for the Mara-mystery-plot to continue, though towards the last 50 pages, he did get a bit better. I get why people are swooning for him but he kind of drove me irrationally mental. I didn’t get much chemistry from Noah and Mara together, and I found Mara’s feelings really… clichéd. When she ‘declared’ her love for him, I audibly said “oh my god, shut UP” paired with excessive eye-rolling. It was unrealistic, I’ll be honest, it was the type of romance that I really don’t like and is far too common in the paranormal books I’ve read.

So yeah, I guess you can say my thoughts can be summed up by those 3 ratings above but also know that I actually had really high expectations going in to this book, which made it more of a disappointment than I think it would’ve been.

Rating in HP Terms: Acceptable
Recommended for: fans of paranormal-ish mystery! Actually, this one will probably be enjoyed by pretty much anyone—and it seems pretty much everyone will be reading this
Acknowledgements: I’m writing this review to late and I don’t have a copy :(

7.5/10 – because maybe I was hormonal or something but when I read it I just wasn’t a happy camper. A lot of little things grated my nerves and while the mystery and plot was extremely interesting, the romance just overwhelmed me. You ladies can have Noah, you’re welcome. I can definitely see the appeal of this book (and the boy) though, so I won’t hesitate recommending it to you guys.

source: publisher
author twitter / blog / website

BR: Shut Out

2011-09-17T07:06:00.000-07:00

by Kody Keplinger

The DUFF was actually one of the best debuts I read last year so Kody Keplinger has been an author I’ve been following for a while (I mean, she’s only like 19 or something!) I couldn’t wait to read her newest novel :)

Summary (goodreads)

Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention.

Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: she and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming.

Inspired by Aristophanes' play Lysistrata, critically acclaimed author of The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) Kody Keplinger adds her own trademark humor in this fresh take on modern teenage romance, rivalry and sexuality.

**
My Expectations: high but not extremely high. I wasn’t really sure of the premise but it sounded really interesting
Delivery: I feel like the author has already cemented her own style within the YA genre, as in the addictingly readable contemp novels.
Put-down-ability: when I say compelling and addicting, I mean I can’t put this down. 2/10
**

My Thoughts

Shut Out has a premise that makes you wonder how Keplinger thinks up some of these stuff (~~or, maybe it’s just my lack of knowledge—severe lack of knowledge involving all things Shakespeare~~ [EDIT: MY BAD, it's definitely not Shakespeare, I will be blaming the altitude of the flight in which I wrote this review, but honestly, MY BAD. My apologies, and thanks to casey for pointing it out]) but anyways, it’s based on a play I had no idea existed but definitely has themes that relate incredibly well to society today.

I want to start with the stuff that makes the author memorable in a great way—writing style. I feel there’s two types of ‘readability’, one where it’s simple and straight-to-the-point, the other is a complex yet compelling in a way that you don’t realize it’s been 2 hours and you haven’t stopped yet. The prose belongs in the latter and very much like I felt about The DUFF, it was so hard to put down.

And before I move on to anything else, I just want to point out that the friendships in this novel between Lissa and her friends and all the other frenemies/enemies-turned-friends, I felt the vibe of friendship, the silliness and exasperation and loyalty was all defined really well and definitely relatable. Both the good parts and bad parts of friendship was captured and I could definitely believe it. The romance however, was just average for me. I’m writing this review a few weeks after I finished the novel and I can barely remember who was involved, apart from the quarterback and some other really hot guy (too attractive? Maybe. Or maybe I just wanted another Westley…)

The plot is the sticky point for me, but it has a lot to do with personal preference than anything. Sex is a huge part of the novel both in exploring female empowerment and sexuality, and really, it’s just not something I'm able to realistically identify with. My high school wasn’t abound with everyone running around having sex (which in this book, it felt like that sometimes). I just remember feeling sometimes like “ohkayyy…. Does this really happen?” but again, just based on past precedent for me, I guess.

Rating in HP Terms: Acceptable
Recommended for: fans of more mature contemporary YA, it doesn’t really have that upper-YA feel to it, but more like a YA book that deals with older themes
Acknowledgements: urm, I don’t remember and I don’t have a copy with me :p

8/10- because it was overall an extremely engaging and enjoyable read (wow, alliterate those ‘e’s, will ya?). I loved being able to be instantly pulled in by the writing style and unique plot. I thought the themes were relevant but sometimes the execution was lacking. It felt like Keplinger had to resort to semi-preaching at times to ‘explain’ or explore the whole battle of the sexes thing. However, at a general level, it was definitely a great book that I’d easily recommend.

source: contest
author blog / twitter / website

totally booksessed?

2011-09-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

so... hi.

I SO should be doing homework of some sort right now, but I'm not. Ah shucks.

Harmony asked me to be part of this YouTube channel called TotallyBooksessed where a different blogger vlogs a day, 5 days a week! I'm Friday! However, the video is an epic fail on my part, so here's a list of stuff if you watch it on MUTE that you can do.

-watch me wave around an iPhone with covers on it
-watch me wave my hands around a lot
-admire my touque
-check out my awesome dorm room in the background and note on the lack of books

...and seriously, mute it, it's embarrassing. This week, we talked about covers we liked/disliked)

Monday: Harmony @ Radiant Reads
Tuesday: Jamie @ The Broke and the Bookish
Wednesday: Lauren @ 365 Days of Reading
Thursday: Katie @ Katie's Book Blog
Friday: me!

... until the next update of my non-bookish-related life in which I should be doing something bookish :)

bye!

A terribly late Update

2011-09-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

AAAHHHHH!

LIFE!

As in, life has been very hectic this past week, it was frosh week at my university so it felt like I was deprived of the bookish goodness I've become accustomed to over the summer. I've been completely gone from the internet, it feels like, but don't worry... hopefully this week can calm down and I can write a few blog/bookish stuff!

For now, the winner of the HADES by Alexandra Adornetto is: LINDSAY! I will email you shortly!

Bye lovelies, hope to see you guys soon and chat with you guys on twitter and such :)

After I clean up this mess of a room, of course.... :P

books I can't part With

2011-09-03T00:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who read and replied to my brain-spew yesterday :) Today I'll be running around doing some last minute shopping, etc (follow along on Twitter!) so I'm writing this at 12:18 in the morning so I won't feel so bad about not posting. I already made up my mind that I'll be writing a heck-load of reviews on the plane ride instead of reading (yes, I can be disciplined... I think).

However, before it comes to that, I had a post idea floating around for ages, and I initially wanted to do a vlog but I ran out of time. But a post should do just fine.

Here are a list of books I'm bringing with me to Toronto (I always have a ton of books as carry-ons because they're so heavy!) My mum bought a Sony Reader the other day (it says it's red but it's totally pink) and found out it didn't support Chinese characters! So I offered to trade with her so she can keep using the Kindle and I could struggle profusely in figuring out how the Sony Reader works (I *think* I have it working now...). I do prefer the Kindle (much better screen, reading quality, no glare) but I can't complain.

Anyways, ramble aside.... a list!

Books I Can't Bear To Part With

On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
-perhaps my favourite YA book ever. I have the Aussie edition (pictured) and I think I've praised this book endlessly since reading it. A must-bring... obviously

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
-A pick-me-up if I ever need one and she's far away from home, just like me! If only I could get a St. Clair of my own...

Books I'm Bringing 2000 Miles For Other Purposes

Can I just bring all my Sarah Dessen books? She's signing in Toronto September 21 and 22 and I'm definitely going to one of those!!!! I'm bringing Just Listen and Along for the Ride, by two favourites. And yeah, I know, I'll see if I have room for The Truth About Forever... I might just bring JL and TTAF because AFTR is a hardback.

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
-the sequel, Froi of the Exiles is released in October and I couldn't resist bringing this book to get caught up and refreshed on Lumatere. Have you read the excerpt for Froi? Uhm, ah-mazing.

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
-Revolution is still one of my favourite reads this year and I'm 90% sure I'll enjoy this one. It just looks amazing and everyone has the best things to say about it...

Freefall by Mindi Scott
-I got this as a RAK in July and I can't believe I haven't read it yet! I turn to it every single time it's time to pick up the next book but then pass over it for some lame reason... :p

Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams
-A Nomes from Inkcrush rec ;-) says it all. It looks simply fabulous.

^^ those are basically the books I'm expecting to enjoy the most :)

Review Books I'm Not Leaving Behind in An Effort To Be A Good Blogger

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch
-looks awesome! I can't believe I haven't zoomed through it yet (I'm about a third of the way through)

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
-because it's been on my to-review pile for about a month... :/ Sorry, Penguin!

All my NetGalley and GalleyGrab books :) Yay!!! The Iron Knight!

Witchlanders by Lena Coakley
-FML why haven't I read this yet?

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan
-I got this recently and it looks like a great sci-fi :)

Books I'm Not Bringing and Feel Like Crying About

The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta
-WAAAAAH. I wanted to. I wanted to SO badly but then I'd feel bad about not having Saving Francesca and I mean.. I can't bring the entire works of Melina Marchetta with me, can I? Well, I won't be passing security with such a heavy bag. Might I add I have the prettiest cover (pictured)?

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
-only because I have this on my ereader. Or I would bring this just to pet the words. No joke.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
-this book is perhaps my ultimate comfort read. I love it.

A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley
-*sobs* I reread the entire thing the other day, I just love this book.

Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker
-I won this in a contest and I was soooo stoked when it arrived a few days ago... however... it looks like I'm already bringing too many books :'( DAMN YOU WEIGHT RESTRICTIONS.

**

So it looks like I'm bringing 12 books, and I have a feeling I'll have to cut it down even more... *sobs* I hate parting with my books.

So my question to you is: if you're leaving for 4 months, what books do you HAVE TO bring with you?

August, lookin' back

2011-09-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

SUMMER IS OVER. *SOBS*

this is August in Review at holes In My brain

Reviews (9)

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Red Glove by Holy Black

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Babe in Boyland by Judy Gehrman

Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

4 mini reviews

Thoughts

YAYY! Lots of reviews! I thought it was overall a very decent reading month, there wasn't any books that I hated or were too upset with. Most of these books had a 8-9 rating, which is always good :)

Book of the Month

A really tough one this month.. the best books I haven't written reviews for (see below) but of the reviewed books... Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John (9/10). Just a refreshing, smart and lovely contemporary with great themes and awesome characters.

Honourable Mentions

Of the books I reviewed... Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz and Red Glove by Holly Black were absolutely excellent.
The best books I read but didn't review were a tough tie between Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley, Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard and Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Septys

Also this month, I...
*
Rambled about movies in my In My Mailboxes here, here, and here
*
wrote my Blogging Bucket List!
*
Posted about Comfort Movies :)
*
Collaborated with some awesomesauce bloggers to create the Ultimate-est Summer Reading List!!
*
listed my top ten underrated books
*
Swoony Boy Quotes part 3-- a fan favourite... I think ;)
*
Set out to return every single blog comment! I've got about 5 posts to catch up on, but I swear I'll get to it :)
*

Parting Thoughts

Overall, it was an okay month. I wish I've done more lists, discussion posts, etc, but I just never got the inspiration. Speaking of inspiration, I've had a really tough time writing reviews and it feels like I've got so many amazing books I wish I could just express my love for, but it's hard to sit down and write, you know? Eh, enough complaining from me :)

Looking Ahead

I could ramble about how I don't really know the future of the blog, and that's true. I don't know where this is going because university is starting and I gotta set my priorities! If I go on a hiatus I'lll definitely let you guys know, but just so you know, there will probably be less frequent posts. I'll get my butt in gear and write those reviews though :P

sometimes You'll see what I'm thinkin

2011-09-02T00:59:00.000-07:00

disclaimer: doesn't relate to books. feel free to skip.

Honestly, it feels like it’s been a few weeks since I’ve sat down and put some serious effort into making a decent blog post (reviews excluded, I actually do try really hard on my reviews, whether or not it’s apparent). It feels as if as university looms closer and closer and I’m hanging on to my friends while saying goodbye at the same time—and it’s hard. The blog has fell to the side and I’ve been concentrating on what’s out there instead of what’s inside my head, on the internet and on the page.

And sometimes it’s major events like this that remind me what’s important can be found in so many other places that’s not related to my laptop or the books or my blog or the reviews. I’m quite fond (a huge understatement) of the internet, but hanging out last minute with the people who taught me everything about friendship pulls me into reality. It’s giving me an in-your-face lesson on how tough it is to think that we won’t see each other, even with the promises of endless skype chats and texting. Maybe it’s just now that reality is hitting me. So why am I doing this? It’s not really because of schools or cities (I could be living in the gorgeous Vancouver if I wanted.)

Moving away is something that I’ve been planning since I started high school, it’s always been my plan to attend a university in the eastern side of Canada (I live in the west!) and I made sure not to back out when sending applications. I wanted to leave, I wanted to explore my independence and learn new things without a parental figure guiding me. I wanted to shed whatever shell I was put into during my high school years and discover what type of person I was and who I wanted to be, and I still believe that university is where I’m supposed to be.

And it’s tumultuous emotions like that that remind me why I read YA. I recently read Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard and I’m reminded why so many people say they relate to YA and YA helps them through tough times. Because I don’t know if it’s just Ms Hubbard’s talent or the genre itself, but sometimes all it takes is that book that reminds you that you’re not alone. That you’re just writing your own story.

A story that I can control and I can pour my emotions into and maybe look back after I have a fancy degree and a new outlook and think, “yeah, it’s worth it”. Self-discovery. You can just shrug it off as another predictable, clichéd theme that's present in my favourite young adult novels. Self-discovery.

But as I’m sitting here in front of my computer that in 2 days I won’t see my own bed for 4 months, it’s freaky and scary and stressful. I’m thinking about how relaxing my summer has been and if I’m prepared, both mentally and emotionally, for something that is going to take self-discipline, brains, and a whole lot of effort. It scares the shit out of me that I’ll be by myself, fending for myself … but as I sit here looking at the half-empty suitcase and the 6 pairs of shoes I plan on bringing, I can’t help but think that it’s going to be worth it.

This isn’t the most coherent post (very much like my state of mind) and quite frankly, it is lacking any type of flow whatsoever, along with some editing. But I just feel like it’s time to sit my ass down in a chair and reflect and write it down and sure, maybe I’ll delete this post next week but for now, I present to you the holes in my brain.

-audrey

Giveaway! HADES by Alexandra Adornetto

2011-09-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

In celebration of the release of Hades, the sequel to Halo, I've been offered the opportunity to host a giveaway!! I'm so excited, and I hope you guys are too! :)

Summary:

Heaven Help Her.

Bethany Church is an angel sent to Earth to keep dark forces at bay. Falling in love was never part of her mission, but the bond between Beth and her mortal boyfriend, Xavier Woods, is undeniably strong. But even Xavier?s love, and the care of her archangel siblings, Gabriel and Ivy, can?t keep Beth from being tricked into a motorcycle ride that ends up in Hell. There, the demon Jake Thorn bargains for Beth?s release back to Earth. But what he asks of her will destroy her, and quite possibly, her loved ones, as well.

**

The covers for these books are sooo gorgeous. And just as lovely is the book trailer:

Prize: 1 copy of Hades by Alexandra Adornetto

Rules:
-ends September 11
-open to US/Canada only
-fill out the form below!

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Easy, right? No tweeting required but I would definitely appreciate it :) And is it just me, or is Xavier like a super AWESOME name? (Yeah, I might've just watched X-men)

And maybe your city is a stop on the book TOUR!! See details here! Or become a FB fan of the author :)

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-08-31T00:59:00.000-07:00

hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine
**

First, I KNOW I am an absolutely sucky person, I've been horrible at returning comments this past week (since last WoW!). But I promise I haven't forgotten and I will go through every single one of those posts and visit the lovely people back!

Secondly, this week's pick I have a strong feeling will be EVERYWHERE today, well, maybe because this author is just so pure awesome she has landed herself a plus-one on the Holy Trinity of Authors. I'm not kidding when I say her writing is amaze-balls.

This Is Not A Test
by Courtney Summers

Summary

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up.

As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, everyone’s motivations to survive begin to change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life–and death–inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

This Is Not A Test is released June 2012 from St. Martin's Press
**

Uhm... ZOMBIES!!!!!
that is all.

source
author website / twitter

BR: Nevermore

2011-08-30T00:43:00.000-07:00

by Kelly Creagh
Nevermore series; book I

So many bloggers have said it’s definitely not the run-of-the-mill YA paranormal, something I avoid to an unreasonable degree* . And I know it’s unnecessary to build up my expectations but I jumped at the chance to read it (on a Kindle too!)

Summary (goodreads)

Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look.

Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.

As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares.

**
My Expectations: extremely high, I've actually only seemed to hear great things about it.
Delivery: I enjoyed it more than I usually do with paranormals, but I was slightly disappointed I didn't like it more.
Put-down-ability: 3/10 (yay!)
**

My Thoughts

Nevermore was solid. It has some really great parts and some forgettable parts, I thought overall it’s a book I enjoyed but won’t necessarily be eagerly recommending. The writing style is fantastic; it took me a chapter to realize that it was actually written in 3rd person (a pet peeve of mine) because I instantly connected with the main character Isobel and everything flowed so well. I thought despite some wildly clichéd plot devices (being partnered together for a project, for example) Creagh stayed away from cringe-territory and the story worked.

Isobel was a character I really grew to cheer for; I loved how she’s a strong character but not in the super-obvious way. She stood up for what she believed in and liked (such as saying she enjoyed cheerleading, but that didn’t make her vapid) and her romance with Varen became more believable and fun to read as the book went along. Declarations of love did lead to eye-rolling, but not excessively**. I'm just not huge on dramatics, I guess.

Now on to the paranormal aspect. It’s definitely unique and I loved the usage of Poe throughout the novel because it brought the eerie factor in, which was appreciated. I don't want to completely spoil what paranormal-ness it includes, but I really liked how it didn’t overwhelm the book, which is a big bonus. I liked the idea of the realms though I did feel sometimes descriptions of it was overdone and weighed down the scene. I felt like I had to trudge through parts to get to the focus of what was happening, and especially during action scenes. I liked it, but didn’t love it.

The pacing was something I think was based more on preference, but I thought the first half was a lot easier to get through than the action-packed ending. I’ll admit the 500+ pages is quite daunting and it did feel too long at times, but ultimately it’s not too terrible and it was enjoyable.

Nevermore spins a unique tale of blond cheerleader and goth boy, yet it defies stereotypes with strong characters and an interesting paranormal aspect.

Rating in HP Terms: Acceptable
Recommended for: eager and reluctant paranormal fans unafraid of long books! :)
Acknowledgements: lovely, 3.5/5

7.9/10 - because... I'll fill in this part later :P I'm dead tired and wanted to get a post up... Just read my review!

*oh hello, review pile, long time no see
**I’m cynical, deal with it.

source: bought
author website

BR: Anna Dressed in Blood

2011-08-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

by Kendare Blake
Anna Dressed in Blood series; book I

I don’t really read many ghost stories. Actually, let me reiterate, I don’t read ghost stories. I’ve never really had the urge to, they just never appealed to me, but I think when I came across this book, I felt that NEED to read it (doesn’t happen often, and it’s not a feeling I ignore) so I was so happy to receive an ARC! This book is released tomorrow (Aug 30).

Summary (goodreads)

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life.

**
My Expectations: High. Not terribly high because I wasn’t really sure what to expect, I just really wanted to like it.
Delivery: Ohh, it was just awesome. That ending! :)
Put-down-ability: It wasn’t extremely engaging for the first half but the second half was killer.. 4.5/10
**

My Thoughts

I feel like just sticking a sticker to every copy of this book saying “I am Awesome” because dude, this book rocked.

Cas is a ghost-hunter with a few issues and a heart of gold, so naturally… Hi. *creepy stares*. The POV narration started out slightly shaky for me; I wasn’t as convinced with Cas but I thought he grew into his narration (if that makes sense) and quickly became a lovable character. Plus he has this knife. Knives are sexy*.

I liked the secondary characters of this one; I thought that Blake kept us guessing with the relationship dynamics, especially with Carmel, Thomas and Will. First impressions are never what they seem, and this is true with pretty much every character—something I loved. They weren't the absolutely most fleshed out characters ever, but they were respectable and added their little oomph to the story. And I think I need to mention Anna. ANNA. Anna Dressed in Blood because I surprised myself to falling so in love with her character. I wish I could accurately pinpoint why, but just reading about her (especially the second half) just made me ridiculously happy. Now she’s a girl with issues, starting with the fact that she kills people and isn’t even alive. But still.

Which now brings me to the plot… love! I love the whole ghost-hunting plot, but I think I loved the Anna-Cas thing even more. Things are explosive, brutal and bloody as Blake doesn’t hesitate to tease with imagery. People die. And I feel bad saying this but I was kind of going “eff yeah, that’s how ghost story is supposed to go.**” The plot was intricate without being overwhelming and was filled with some amazing twists. The ending scenes? Omg. I need a KB fangirl t-shirt.

Rating in HP Terms: Exceeds Expectations
Recommended for: fans of paranormal/supernatural YA, readers looking for a unique ghost story, male pov
Acknowledgements: 3/5

8.8/10 – because I mean… *sputters*.. it’s so good! I was head over heels about the plot— it started off with a bang, slowed down a bit as pieces are being put together, then it accelerates and doesn’t seem to stop. Cas and Anna stole my heart, but I wasn’t in love with secondary characters though. The narration was solid and engaging, and the only thing I’m thinking now is… I want a sequel (yes, there is a sequel! It's called Girl of Nightmares***)!!

*just ask Nick Ryves ;)
**aka, there’s no chicken-shitting.
***source: twitter

source: publisher
author twitter / livejournal / website

In My Mailbox (11) - VLOG! + rambles

2011-08-28T09:45:00.000-07:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren, inspired by Alea!
**

The title says it all, folks. If you're just interested in what I got, you just have to watch the first minute and a half :p After that, I just talk about things I felt like talking about this week, don't feel pressured to watch the vlog!

In my mailbox: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Septys (library), The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch (for review), and Prized by Caragh M. O'brien (for review)

Other stuff mentioned (links to IMDb):
TV Shows: Sherlock, 24, Suits, White Collar
Inside Job (documentary)
Jane Eyre (2011 movie, I said 2010, my bad)
Edward Scissorhands (movie)

Friday's Finest (43)

2011-08-26T17:25:00.000-07:00

hosted by the awesome Justine at A Bookful of Thoughts
**

Sorry for not posting yesterday (and most of today), I really have just run out of post ideas and reviews. Anyways, I just finished this book and it was so beautiful and sad and definitely up there on the must-read lists.

Between Shades of Gray
by Ruta Septys

Quote:

He threw his burning cigarette onto our clean living room floor and ground it into the wood with his boot.

We were about to become cigarettes..

I hated them, the NKVD and the Soviets. I planted a seed of hatred in my heart. I swore it would grow to be a massive tree whose roots would strangle them all.

I would seriously judge you if you read this and wasn't emotionally affected. Hmm, I wish this post wasn't such a downer :(

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-08-24T01:06:00.000-07:00

hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine
**

This week's pick has been all over those lovely Aussie blogs that I adore and I've been just clawing desperately at to read. It's released in North America soon and it's on Netgalley! I may have started exclaiming about shitsticks when I found out on twitter, and I'm biting my nails, waiting (more like muttering murderously) for my request to hopefully be approved.

Saving June
by Hannah Harrington

Summary

‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going California.

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again.

Saving June is released November 29, 2011 from Harlequin (already available in Australia)
*add to goodreads

**

Road trip, grief, music, and secrets. Plus, upper YA.

And just read these reviews and try not to want it.
Nomes @ Inkcrush
Nic @ Irresistible Reads
Skye @ In the Good Books
Cinnamon @ A Thousand Little Pages
Allison @ The Allure of Books

BR: Red Glove

2011-08-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

by Holly Black
Curse Workers series; book II

I really liked White Cat, but I don’t know why I was so hesitant about reading the second book. But after this review, I knew I was missing out.

Summary (goodreads)

Curses and cons. Magic and the mob. In Cassel Sharpe's world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realized his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth—he’s the most powerful curse worker around. A touch of his hand can transform anything—or anyone—into something else.

That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she's human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, Lila's been cursed to love him, a little gift from his emotion worker mom. And if Lila's love is as phony as Cassel's made-up memories, then he can't believe anything she says or does.

When Cassel's oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit Cassel to help make sense of the only clue—crime-scene images of a woman in red gloves. But the mob is after Cassel too—they know how valuable he could be to them. Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. But where can he turn when he can't trust anyone—least of all, himself?

Love is a curse and the con is the only answer in a game too dangerous to lose.

**
My Expectations: Not that high to be honest, I don’t really know what to expect and how I’d react.
Delivery: Definitely surprised me by how good it was. SO GOOD.
Put-down-ability: 4/10
**

My Thoughts

It’s like Holly Black is running an inside joke on me or something, because it felt like as I was reading this and as curveballs were thrown at my face, she was looking over me with a smirk and an aura of cleverness. Because this book is smart. Smart in the way that I don’t appreciate enough, in the way that when I look back at the dropped clues that I couldn’t figure out (I’m usually good at stuff like that) and admiring Cassel, the way the plot moved, and the characters involved… to say I’m impressed is an understatement.

The characters of the novel are incredibly well done. I loved Cassel’s persona of the worker trying to do the right thing when the choices handed him form a Morton’s Fork, and when the girl he loves has been worked to love him back and that just sets off all sorts of moral alarms. I loved the way Black portrayed our protagonist and the authentic and delightfully complex relationships he had with his friends and family. Cassle Sharpe does make it to my most memorable characters list, and he can be joined by the equally awesome Lila, Sam and Daneca.

To continue with things that was unsuspectingly awesome… the plot! It’s exciting, twisted and clever, and it tricks the reader into thinking the opposite of what was happening. Supported by some shady yet brilliant characters, the mysteries and murders of the curse workers were shaped to form a precise and complex plot. The world-building by Black is also phenomenal because it feels so utterly convincing yet effortless, if that makes sense. The author doesn’t spend time explaining the way her world works, yet it just works.

Cassel’s voice is captured extremely well by Black’s writing; he makes one of the most authentic male characters in YA. I loved how he doesn’t fit into any stereotype because he’s so far from perfect, but there’s this charm to him that made me root for him and become invested in what happens.

Red Glove is an exhilarating sequel that taught me not to underestimate this series, I’ll be itching to find out how Cassel’s story continues in Black Heart.

Rating in HP Terms: Exceeds Expectations
Recommended for: Everyone! This series has great appeal because it's just so... awesome.
Acknowledgements: I recognized so many names! :P 3.5/5

8.8/10 – because it’s fast-paced, smart and exciting in the best possible sense. The plot rolled along easily as Cassel navigated the tricky position he was in with everybody trying to get a piece of his skills. The world created with the workers and the ethics surrounding them was done in a manner that entices thought and discussion as well as being entertaining. Cassel is a truly fantastic character and the diverse supporting cast made up of friends, the Feds, mob bosses, shady families and so many secrets makes the book just shine.

my review of White Cat (book 1)

source: library
author twitter / website / livejournal

Comfort Movies!

2011-08-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

It’s pouring outside today much to my dismay so I thought I’d write this list to make me feel better.

Comfort Movies

Definition: movies that I’ll watch over and over again and can either give me a fuzzy happy feeling or bring on the sad pandas. I’ve seen these multiple times and still love them, and they aren’t the best movies (sometimes far from it) but they're the ones that I’ll turn to when I’m feeling particularly emotional.

The Notebook

As pretty much any girl out there, this is perhaps, THE must-watch romance of my generation. Love, lost, heartbreak, tears, smiles, happy endings… it’s all there.

27 Dresses

I just watched this yesterday and a few times before that. It just popped into my mind that I had to watch it and it’s just as fun and romantic and lovely as I remembered. I remember rewinding that scene outside the bar after the engagement-party-meltdown.. I love you James Marsden!

A Walk to Remember

Call me crazy but I’ve always liked Mandy Moore! And while Nicholas Sparks isn’t high on my authors-I-admire list, I really love the story and… *sigh* and it’s sad and happy and sad and so lovely.

10 Things I Hate About You

I just watched this a few weeks ago and since then I’ve already rewatched it! I can’t believe it took me so long but trust me, don’t underestimate this hilarious beast of a movie featuring a young Heath Ledger and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. So funny, and I have watched this video more times than I care to admit.

The Devil Wears Prada

Meryl Streep!! I love her! And this movie, because it reminds me of how unfashionable I am. I don’t even know why I like this so much :p

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Hugh Dancy, why are you so adorable? And this whole movie is adorable, I saw it on TV the other night and watched the entire thing with this big sappy smile on my face. It’s funny and charming and totally cheesy but awesome.

Two Weeks Notice

Awh Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock! My mum loved this and I think it influenced me because it’s just so rewatchable.

Titanic

Ahhh I watched this movie, I swear, 10 years ago and I still get choked up. Just epic, and it’s not really my favourite or anything but it’s a must-watch.

Pride &amp;amp; Prejudice (2005)

Hate on Kiera Knightly all you want, but I seriously adore this movie. ADORE. I do prefer the 1995 Colin Firth version, but this one is the ideal movie if you need that 2 hours of escapism into Elizabeth Bennett’s world. And a nice dose of the Mr. Darcy that doesn't exist in real life.

She’s the Man

I can’t even express how awesome this movie is in the predictable, cheesy, silly, and HILARIOUS way but I’ve watched it at least 3 times and it never gets old. I mean, this?? *dies*

Mean Girls

I swear I can quote the entire thing. LOVE this movie.

Iron Man 2

Now for the action movie comfort movies, I regularly watch this because it’s so flipping awesome. I love the whole snarkiness of it (which my brother hates, but to each your own) and the one-line humour.

Star Trek

This movie is sooooo good! I haven’t watched any of the original Star Trek series before but I just love the movie. Great acting, special effects, and a storyline I can understand… deffs high up there on my ‘movies to watch when I’m bored/sad/upset’.

note: All images are from Tumblr!

So, what do you think? I have a few Honourable Mentions (movies I do think about rewatching and definitely fit the bill, but I haven't watched it again yet) that include: PS I Love You, Never Let Me Go, Bridget Jones Diary, Clueless, Chasing Liberty, Life As We Know It...

...I claim to not like chick flicks but I've seriously watched a ton of them :p

What movies would be on YOUR list?

In My Mailbox (10) + movies and traitor-ish feelings

2011-08-21T00:35:00.000-07:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren!
**

Oh guess what. OH GUESS WHAT. So.. I wanted to do a vlog so I could tell you guys this (non-exciting) story but ah well. My mom kept telling me my aunt wanted to get me a grad present (lucky me :D) and I was never really sure what I wanted. And I did tell my mom over and over again that I did NOT want an ereader. I did NOT want to let go of my physical books and my dream would to bring my entire YA collection with me to university.

Well, she didn't really listen and using her mother-common-senses (and telling me over and over again that "books are heavy"... pahh) she told my aunt to get me an ereader. Yes. A Kindle to be exact.

So now... yeah. And it has this really nice case (the book is Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard!).

I have read a book on it (plus I can put Netgalley ARCs on it, yes!) and yeah. I don't really have words because I feel like SUCH A TRAITOR *SOBS* *clings to physical books* *apologizes profusely*

I do like it. It pains me to say, but I do!

I'm leaning towards calling him Reid, after Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds (and honestly, what a clever punny thing, eh?) but I'm also considering Sheldon. Since Leonard is my laptop. Big Bang Theory anyone? (though to be honest, Leonard didn't inspire Leonard, I just thought the name was perfect)

haha, and no books this week!
**

other stuff

I decided in my IMM I'll also include random tidbits from the week. Such as movies I watched (since apparently I've stopped doing "Movie Thoughts").

X-Men: First Class

-loved it (and yes, I've watched all the X-Men movies, I'm surprised by how many people haven't)! James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender were awesome, I thought Jennifer Lawrence was great as well (and I love the Hunger Games casting, contrary to public opinion). The setting during the Cuban Missile Crisis/Cold War was really well done (and I felt smart because I took History in last year so I knew what was going on, hahaha). I loved to see this whole 'prequel' thing and the mutants and how Magneto and Professor X had their differing opinions. Acting was great, though thanks to Twitter, all I can imagine is James McAvoy touching his temple in his uber-concentrated gesture :P I thought the action was exciting and the evil guy definitely fit the evil bill! Overall, great film, definitely recommended. 8.5/10

Something Borrowed

-I'll admit, I have been wanting to watch this movie for a while now despite grand reservations. It surprised me! I couldn't get through the book (cue headdesking at the very thought) and yes, a lot of the annoyingness carried over (the super bitchy, self-centered best friend gahhhh and the annoying, chicken-shit Dex) but hey, whatever. John Krasinski (Ethan) was probably the gem of it all as he was both hilarious and down to earth (I LOVE HIM). And Colin Egglesfield (Dex) is so fine. But anyways, story itself was ehh but it was kind of nice at parts. Good, not great, very predictable, but if you're in the mood I think this movie will do. 7/10

**

I JUST MADE THIS. Because I have nothing else to do at 1 in the morning.

(click to enlarge)

Follow me on Twitter!

And sheesh, I always forgot to mention this, Linds at Bibliophile Brouhaha and Nic at Irresistible Reads are hosting KIRSTY EAGAR WEEK! YAY! As you might know, Linds let me take part in a tour for Raw Blue and I totally loved it (understatement) so I'm excited for this feature. You ladies rock!

**

And that's it! Leave a comment and I'll be sure to drop by. Let me know if you want me to write a post about the Kindle, but ehh, it's ultimately up to you guys. I finished Nevermore by Kelly Creagh this week (my reading has been in the dumps, despite the list of great books I'm looking forward to reading) so expect a review of that soon :) And I've got an awesome list idea coming up too! Happy reading lovelies!

ps~ dear parentheses, why are you EVERYWHERE.

BR: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour

2011-08-20T01:07:00.000-07:00

by Morgan Matson

Jenn from Books at Midnight chose this as her pick for the Summer Reading List, and her blurb could not be more right. Plus, it's definitely been on my wishlist since it was first released and it seems like everyone loved it!

Summary (goodreads)

Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew—just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn’t seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she’s coming to terms with her father’s death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road—diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards—this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

**
My Expectations: high! When I say it seemed like everyone loved it, I mean it. I expected the same.
Delivery: I definitely liked it, perfect for my mood, I think.
Put-down-ability: 4/10
**

My Thoughts

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour is the perfect book for summer, for beaches, for road trips, for sunny weather and for anyone looking for an emotional feel-good read. True story.

It feels like the grief novels I love to read are usually emotional and heavy and sob-inducing every other page, but this one kept a smile on my face and yet managed to make me slightly choke up a bit. The one issue I had with this novel is its two main characters. Okay, that’s a hefty chunk of the book but hear me out. I liked them. I liked the way they were crafted and how Matson fleshed them out, gave them backstories and motivations and a twisting road but I never got them. I never felt like I was in Amy’s shoes or that I was swooning for Roger (who is in his own right, a very swoony boy). Their personalities were there but also weren’t… I don’t know how to say it.

But that aside, I really loved the rest of the novel. It makes me crave a road trip despite a historic yet scarring family one (a good thing!... I think). I thought the epic detour was epic indeed with the places they visited being described in detail so it felt like the place comes alive. The emotional journey of both characters were well written but maybe stale in the originality department. That doesn’t mean I didn’t like it because I totally did.

Thinking about it, I liked the fact that the story was focused on two characters and their own journeys on the metaphorical and physical road trip because it made things more intense. I relished the appearance of all the secondary characters, I thought they were just scarce enough and with enough personality to really shine for their part of the story.

Lastly, something I absolutely adored was all the scrapbook notes, receipts and playlists (playlists! lots of them!!) in the book, they’re original and tons of fun to read. The postcard had me choking up and actually one of my favourite parts of the book.

Rating in HP Terms: Exceeds Expectations
Recommended for: those of ya’ll clinging on to summer :p
Acknowledgements: great! 3.5/5

8.6/10 – because it was a lovely read. I think it has that overall stamp of approval from me, I loved the plot and the writing style and I thought everything just felt fresh. I really liked the relationships Amy had with her mother and brother, no matter how strained, and the road trip was entertaining and definitely fitting, I can’t see you not liking this.

source: library
author twitter / website (her site's layout rocks!!)

Giveaway! All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin (audiobook)

2011-08-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

Guess what! A giveaway, that's what. I'm so excited to have the opportunity to host this giveaway for a book I'm dying to read. While audiobooks aren't for me, but I'm sure some of you guys will definitely appreciate it. Look at that cover! That summary! Dude, it looks so good :)

Prize: Audiobook of All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

All These Things I've Done
Birthright #1

Summary (goodreads)
In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidentally poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.

Rules:
-US mailing addresses only (sorry international guys)
-ends September 2
-fill out the form below

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Thanks for entering! All These Things I've Done is released Sept. 6, 2011 from Farrar, Straus and Giroux :)

a huge thanks to Macmillan for providing the audiobook

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-08-17T00:02:00.000-07:00

hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine
**

I just finished this author's debut, Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, and I really enjoyed it... then I found out about her second book and wow... it definitely seems like my type of book.

Second Chance Summer
by Morgan Matson

Summary (goodreads)

Taylor's family might not be the closest-knit – everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled – but for the most part, they get along fine. Then they get news that changes everything: Her father has pancreatic cancer, and it's stage four – meaning that there is basically nothing to be done. Her parents decide that the family will spend his last months together at their old summerhouse in the Pocono Mountains.

Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven't actually gone anywhere. Her former summer best friend is suddenly around, as is her first boyfriend. . . and he's much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.

As the summer progresses, the Edwards become more of a family, and closer than they've ever been before. But all of them very aware that they're battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance – with family, with friends, and with love.

Second Chance Summer is released May 8, 2012 from Simon & Schuster
**

Will you check out that cover?! I think it's rocking the perfect vibe. And I can't stop staring at it. And I absolutely adore the title as well. And the summary. Boy, this is a book that simply sells itself!!

author twitter

Ultimate-est Summer Reading List!

2011-08-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

My lovelies! Surprise!

On my feedback survey, someone suggested I post a summer reading list and an idea sparked in my little brain (as in, I thought it was a great idea). It feels like I've seen a few lists floating around already, plus, if I made a list, it'd be quite Audrey-centric, yes?

And since the blogging world and reading tastes are crazy diverse, I thought it would be a cool idea to ask other bloggers for their ultimate summer read. And then combine all these ultimate summer reads into the Ultimate-est Summer Reading List.

Oh, but a summer read is not necessarily a beach read. These recommended books can be emotional and intense, exciting and dramatic, sweet and fluffy, hilarious and smart... the cream of the crop.

So here it is. Twelve bloggers chipped in with which book or series they would most recommend (as in absolute favourites here!) for summer, and why they chose it-- perhaps it'll convince you to pick the book up :)

Aly @ FANTASY4EVA

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

No one captures those glorious days of summer when you're young, in love and bound to make a mistake or two. There's that first kiss, those butterflies in the pit of your stomach and the two boys you have known your whole life. It's engrossing and such a lovely read. I'm not much of a summer book reader but The Summer I Turned Pretty completely won me over.

Ashley @ BOOKS FROM BLEH TO BASICALLY AMAZING

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Written in verse, this book reads very quickly and it takes place on the beach. But the story is far from simple and the characters will pull you into their story and make you love them. It's full of emotion and this story will steal your heart. I've recommended this one to many, many people looking to try a verse novel for the first time and everyone so far has loved it. So go. Read it. Now.

Audrey @ HOLES IN MY BRAIN

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

It’s a feel-good contemporary story that has everything I want: summer vacation, swoony romance, character growth, bikes, a baby, beaches, and impromptu hot-dog parties. It manages to blend emotional themes with a bright setting and an unpredictable group of loveable characters to create the perfect summer read.

Cialina @ MUGGLE-BORN.NET

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

If you haven't read it already, now is the time to pick this up. This book is perfect for the summer. Why? Because you can put everything else on hold. Once you start this series, you will not be able to stop. Get ready for an unforgettable journey with Katniss full of action, love triangles, and pretty insane cliffhangers.

Danya @ A TAPESTRY OF WORDS

Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty

This is one of my guaranteed pick-me-up reads. It's quirky, upbeat, and very funny. Elizabeth Clarry is a heroine you can relate to and root for, as she deals with all the curveballs life throws her way — changing friendships, growing crushes, parents, teachers, and many, many letters. You'll breeze through it in no time and close the book with a smile, wishing it didn't have to end...kind of like summer.

Jenn @ BOOKS AT MIDNIGHT

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

The title Amy &amp; Roger’s Epic Detour already tells of its own awesomeness: an epic tale of a road trip filled with self-discovery, reconciliation, ex-girlfriends, White Castle burgers, and that crazy feeling we just can’t live without. With emotions as bumpy as the roads they travel, Amy and Roger define what a summer road trip should be in this feel-good novel, and together they prove that sometimes you do find the best things in life – you just need to be willing to take that detour.

Laura @ THE ZEALOUS READER

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

An amazing stand-alone fantasy novel inspired by the haunting ballad Scarborough Fair, Nancy Werlin grabs the reader's attention with beautiful prose. As Lucy tries to break the curse threatening to turn her mad she leans on her childhood friend Zach which eventually turns into one of the most heartbreaking and chilling romances I've ever read.

Missie @ THE UNREAD READER

Swim The Fly by Don Calame

It'd be easy to write off Swim The Fly as a story about the misadventures a girl-crazy teenage boy and his horny friends, which it is, but it's also so much more(ish). In a thoroughly effortless and enjoyable reading style, Calame personifies the shift from "just your typical 15 year old on a mission to see a naked girl" to "a kid who could actually turn out to become a pretty decent guy" in Matt. The only thing funnier that Matt's musings as he endures the relentless torture of drooling over the girl of his dreams but not actually being able to talk to her, are the situations he finds himself in. Believe me when I say that dressing in drag and poopy pants are only small nuggets of the hilarity that ensues in Swim The Fly, making it a most excellent choice for a kill yourself laughing summer read.

Nic @ IRRESISTIBLE READS

A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley.

Why? This is the perfect summer read because it is an exceptional coming of age story about friendships, first love (that is definitely swoon worthy), family, music that is set over a gorgeous Aussie summer! It also has beautiful prose, outstanding characters and a sweet yet realistic plot.

Nomes @ INKCRUSH

Beatle Meets Destiny by Gabrielle Williams

Beatle Meets Destiny is an Aussie YA cult classic. It's completely charming with its off-beat feel, whimsical yet sexy romance and huge belly-aching moments. This book is ridiculously good, refreshing, original and completely addictive. To me, it's perfect summer reading: just a whole heap of grinning fun, gorgeous, gorgeous (sexy-smile-swoon) romance, alternating male/female POV and lots of funky little omniscient asides (for something quirky and different). It's a brilliant book to curl up with for ultimate feel-good times. Oh my gosh, I love it so &amp;lt;3

Skye @ IN THE GOOD BOOKS

Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

Invincible Summer is the perfect summer read because it combines the typical beach setting and the typical lazy summer feeling with an atypically intense and dramatic story. Where most summer novels have fluff, Invincible Summer has heart-wrenchingly real characters and emotions.

Yahong @ YAHONG CHI

I Want To Go Home by Gordon Korman

Meet Rudy Miller and Mike Webster, two boys determined to get off Camp Algonkian Island and back to civilization, no matter how many camp counsellors they'll have to dump in the lake. Gordon Korman's trademark laugh-out-loud humour fills this summer camp novel with wild antics, imaginative escapades and characters you won't be able to stop guffawing with -- or at. I Want To Go Home is a hilarious and riotous read.

There you have it! The Ultimate-est Summer Reading List chosen by some amazing bloggers. I'd love to thank the ladies who participated and blurbed these books and to you readers: these should be the best of the best!

Lastly, what would be on your ultimate summer reading list?

In My Mailbox (9) + randomsaucity

2011-08-14T02:10:00.000-07:00

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, inspired by Alea!
**

Firstly, not much in my mailbox. Paid a visit to the library and came home with...

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Red Glove by Holly Black
Matched by Ally Condie (second time around... maybe I'll get past page 70, haha)

And now for other news!

1. LEVERAGE

Guys, I am addicted to this TV show. When I say addicted, I mean "I finished 2 seasons in 2 days" type of addicted, true story. And yes, I completely blame Ashley at Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing for this rec.

It's like Ocean's 11 meets Robin Hood with cons and thieves and so much fun stuff it's hard to stop watching (or maybe I just have no self control, because I have definitely proved that in the past)

Also, I signed up for the 1 month free trial on Netflix (to watch this show) and yes, I'm definitely recommending it. Super quick and easy to sign up (well, you'll need a credit card), easy to use, decent quality, great selection!

2. I haven't discussed movies in a while! I've watched quite a few lately and I know some people hate it when book blogs feature movies but ah well *shrugs* can't please everyone! Might post a "movie thoughts" post sometimes, but for now, these are the last 2 movies I watched...

Rise of the Planet of the Apes - it surprised me! I guess I had low expectations but I came out of it really pleased, this movie is awesome. It made me have that emotional connection with the characters and the apes, and might I mention James Franco is fiiine ;) The graphics were pretty incredible, and I'd definitely recommend this movie.

Pulp Fiction- On a late-night twitter recommendation (I love twitter because they recommend the awesomest things, seriously!) I watched this (I know, took me long enough!) and it was... great. Kind of twisted, trippy, extremely vulgar (too many F-bombs to count... or you can watch this *warning: lotsa swearing* ) but with some incredible acting and even better dialogue, I was entertained (even when I had no idea what was going on).

3. I love looking for upcoming/recent movies by looking at trailers (seriously, I can do this for hours), and here's two that caught my eye.

Like Crazy (Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence)
released: October 28, 2011

~Watch this trailer! And after that, I guess you can mock me all you want but I had that stomach-flipping feeling when I saw this and I know, I'm probably weird saying this but I'm just drawn to this. Or I love the trailer (I'm a sucker for well-put-together trailers with good songs). Plus I think Anton Yelchin is super awesome (have you seen Charlie Bartlett? And he rocked in Star Trek as well)

In Time (Justin Timberlake, Olivia Wilde, Amanda Seyfried, Matt Bomer(!), Cillian Murphy)
released: October 28, 2011

~Yeah, this is like a destined block-buster, but did anyone else get a slight reminder of Wither by Lauren DeStefano when they said people don't live over 25? The premise is interesting and with such a star-studded cast, this one's on my to-watch list.

And no, I had no idea these two are released on the same day until I checked :p

...what else is there...

4. Netgalley

I really don't like reading on the computer since I don't own an ereader, but there are some serious gems on Netgalley right now that you can't miss. Thank you Random House! XD

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley - GUYS. This got a 5 star goodreads rating from me, it's so freaking amazing. I did like A Little Wanting Song a bit more but this one is just as incredible and I really need to sit down and just gush out a review soon.

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard - I loved Like Mandarin and I think Hubbard is a seriously talented writer. Her second book I'm so excited for too, and it's got breathlessly-wonderful-gorgeous-beautiful written ALL over it.

5. Have a great Sunday (and I can't think of other news to round off the list, seeing as I've been a hermit and been watching Leverage for 2 days straight)

6. Ooh, never mind! I thought of another one

COMMENTING!

My lovelies! For the rest of August, I'm gonna do a personal challenge where I return every single comment on this blog. You comment here? I comment on your blog. Yes, even for memes, etc. Because I love you guys :) And I have lots of free time, haha. So get commenting, yes? It'll take me a few days to return comments though, and I'm just saying I'll try my very best so hopefully I won't fail.

That's all for now! Refer to #5!

BR: Babe in Boyland

2011-08-13T01:26:00.000-07:00

by Jody Gehrman

In my initial first draft of this review, the word count for the word "fun" was 7. Let's see if I can change it.

Summary (goodreads)

When high school junior Natalie - or Dr. Aphrodite, as she calls herself when writing the relationship column for her school paper - is accused of knowing nothing about guys and giving girls bad relationship advice, she decides to investigate what guys really think and want. But the guys in her class won't give her straight or serious answers. The only solution? Disguising herself as a guy and spending a week at Underwood Academy, the private all-boy boarding school in town. There she learns a lot about guys and girls in ways she never expected - especially when she falls for her dreamy roommate, Emilio. How can she show him she likes him without blowing her cover?

**
My Expectations: not high, to be honest :p
Delivery: Some parts surprised me and I did end up laughing at bits
Put-down-ability: 5/10
**

My Thoughts

Babe in Boyland isn’t something you should overthink. I use “should” because obviously you can but you’d probably be disappointed. I really think if you go into this with a bad attitude (yeah, I know, I can’t believe I’m saying this either) it’ll just be a crappy experience. There’s a ton of things you can nitpick and tear apart but honestly, don’t do that! Just let it be what it's supposed to be: slightly shallow, fun, and humourous.

Have you seen the movie She’s the Man with Amanda Bynes? Confession: I adore that movie and I’ve watched it more than 5 times, and it’s cheesy and predictable but funny. Some people may disagree with this, but for me, Babe in Boyland is basically the book version but instead of soccer it’s journalism and theatre (a great twist).

I was pretty ambivalent on Natalie’s character for most of the book, and never a fan of either of her best friends. I think I was unreasonably upset and annoyed when Nat was being a total bitch to her awesome geeky nerd friends at the beginning of her stint, but I obviously side with the geeky nerd friends 100% of the time :p Almost everyone, including the love interest, was forgettable, and character growth felt forced and even preachy at the end.

The plot though, now that was entertaining. I loved the shenanigans that Natalie found herself in, whether it was that scene in the closet where I was laughing a bit too hard or the Josh’s flatulence scene… oh gosh! The writing was easy to read and engaging and there was quite a bit of internal monologue that I came to adore.

This book is like a beaming smile and I’d definitely recommend it if you want an easy-going book.

“Hi.” I can feel everything in me shifting into flirt mode. My hip automatically juts out to one side and the word comes out soft and fluttery.

Tyler and the guy at the door both look at me like I’ve just farted.

“I mean yo, what’s up?”

Yo?

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It ricochets off the floor at an angle and slams right into my crotch.

All around me, the room goes, "Ohhhh!"

I look up. Every face is staring at me, contorted into winces. Right. Ball in crotch equals excruciating pain. I'm such an idiot! Too late, I double over in pain.

"Ouch!" I yell. I sneak a glance around. Nobody looks convinced, so I add, "My balls!"

hahaha oh Natalie.. :p

Rating in HP Terms: Acceptable
Recommended for: YA fans! I think just reading the synopsis will tell you if you’d be into this book or not, fans of She’s the Man ;)
Acknowledgements: Just a nice dedication. nuh-uh.

7.6/10 – because it’s a good book and perfect for the mood I was in (as in I just want to lay in the sun and not think too hard mood). It’s fun. It’s got hilarious moments. The writing is very fluid and definitely captures Nat’s voice. Storyline is predictable but there are definitely some priceless scenes. Characters aren’t the very best but.. *shrugs* And I'm not a fan of the term, but it's a very solid 3-hour-read chick-lit :) Sound like your type of book? Then you should read it!

source: library
author website

BR: Invincible Summer

2011-08-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

by Hannah Moskowitz

What’s there to say that hasn’t already been said? I’ve read dozens and dozens of reviews for this book, and it’s been flip-flopping on and off my wishlist... but after this awesome one from In The Good Books, I was like… I think I need to read this.

Summary (goodreads)

Noah’s happier than I’ve seen him in months. So I’d be an awful brother to get in the way of that. It’s not like I have some relationship with Melinda. It was just a kiss. Am I going to ruin Noah’s happiness because of a kiss?

Across four sun-kissed, drama-drenched summers at his family’s beach house, Chase is falling in love, falling in lust, and trying to keep his life from falling apart. But some girls are addictive....

**
My Expectations: Somewhere in the middle, I wasn't sure if I would be in the love or not-love camp :P
Delivery: Exceeded my expectations, I loved so many aspects of it
Put-down-ability: low! 2.5/10
**

My Thoughts

I’ll start with things that surprised me, and these things were stuff I expected to be bothered by and wasn’t. Camus. Many reviews mention how the Camus is overdone, pretentious, and unrealistic (ouch? It’s not as harsh as it seems.) but I enjoyed it. Sure, Chase quoting long passages word for word made me skeptical, but I didn’t feel too overwhelmed by its inclusion. I liked how Chase, Noah, and Melinda had Camus in common and it wasn’t Chase-exclusive. Also, the love triangle (of serious doom). I mean a girl and two brothers and sex and stuff (not together!)? I admit, I expected to hate it and be completely put off, but I felt that Moskowitz* used it as a very complex plot device** to advance the changing dynamics between the brothers as opposed to “hey, this sounds edgy, throw it in!”

Because. This is a book about family and I LOVE books about family. They’re right up there with grief books, and when books contain both I’m a happy camper. And the family—they are brilliant. The mom, dad, Noah, Chase, Claudia, Gideon, Newbaby… brilliant. The balance, the distinct personalities, the specific relationships, the brunettes and blonds, the hardships and the missing and the heartbreak, it was the family that made me love the book. The relationship between Chase and Noah is one of the most authentic ones, I think just the way Chase looked up to Noah and how his views changed with each summer just felt so real and relatable. My only minor complaint is that while I absolutely adore Claudia, I never felt she reflected her age, but that might be just me. Can I give Gideon a hug? PLEASE?

You know what? I really wanted this book to make me cry, I could tell something major was going to happen and I was expecting tears but… I guess the tears were on standby. I think there’s an initial shocker and it’s almost like a fade-to-black sex scene and then fast-forward to one shitty year later. Unlike most, I didn’t like the last summer as much as the others. I didn’t feel the conviction and raw realness as much as I did with the other summers, I thought actions and reflections felt, at times, forced. But I did feel a lot more emotionally affected, if that makes sense; Moskowitz’s writing style was one that makes me feel, but it didn’t always feel real.

Aah, the writing! I adored it, and I adored Chase because of it. The author captured his voice extremely well, especially the dialogue because the conversations between the siblings made up many of my favourite parts, whether it was playful banter or serious moments. I'd want to quote it all day. And my last comment will be on Noah, which, despite his occasional d-baggery, I really loved. He's complex and poignant, thoughtful, sometimes selfish, and memorable.

Rating in HP Terms: Exceeds Expectations
Recommended for: Contemp fans, people looking for a well done Male POV, summer-but-emotional read
Acknowledgements: 2.5/5

8.8/10 - because it was So. Good. One of the best books I've read lately about the bonds of family-- which really is my favourite aspect of the book. The writing is extremely good and Chase's voice felt authentic. I loved reading about the relationships between Chase and his family and the idea of the four summers at the same beach house. You're right, Ms Moskowitz, Claudia's the hero in this one, but wouldn't be the same without each of the characters.

*epic last name
**and not a lame, trite one thank gosh

author blog / twitter / formspring (which I stalk haha)

blogging bucket List

2011-08-11T01:25:00.000-07:00

So late last night on tumblr, I stumbled upon this post on effyeahnerdfighters (dftba!), then I tweeted “what I really REALLY want to do. annotate and scribble and highlight a book and then send it to the author. with some cookies.” (oh yes, I’m delightful like that on twitter #notreally) Then the wheels (I don’t have gears, apparently) in my brain started spinning.

And this is what it churned out (through the holes, obvs)

(things I want to do sometime in my blogging lifetime)

Let’s face it, I probably won’t be blogging for the rest of my life (ha!). I don’t even know if I’ll be blogging 3 years from now (because in all honesty, I frankly can’t picture myself in 3 years), but why not jot down a list of stuff, some stupid, some fun, some ambitious, some unlikely, some frankly impossible… stuff I dream of doing through the book blogosphere. Starting with #1.

1. Annotate and scribble and highlight a book I really loved and send it to the author. I’d mark my favourite quotes. Parts that made me cry and laugh and smile and ache.

2. Search for a book and an author worthy of #1.

Side note: I have contacted in my lifetime, 7 authors. Twice for an interview, three times to say something about their upcoming book, once to say how much I enjoyed a series she wrote when I was young, and twice to completely… it’s not really fangirling, but really, it was to say how much their books meant to me or how much I truly loved their books. (yes, the math adds up wonky, but ha! It’s a puzzle!). “How much I truly loved their books” really doesn’t equate, but you get the picture.

3. Find a book that makes me cry like a loser. Both when I’m reading and when I sit down and write the review.

4. Interview an author in my Holy Trinity (plus one, plus God, plus one) of YA authors. Melina Marchetta. John Green. Sarah Dessen. Courtney Summers. Markus Zusak. Patrick Ness.
And a good interview too. Not just some standard interview questions, I want to ask something thoughtful and note-worthy, and then be completely blown away by whatever answer I get.

5. Write a blog post ranting about inane things and stuff that will make people hate me. Look back on it and cringe, may or may not delete.

6. Do a vlog review. Shouldn’t be hard actually.

7. Send a fangirly email a book blogger who doesn’t know I exist.

8. Get as many people to read Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta as I possibly can. If you’ve read the book based on my recommendation, you make me happier and prouder than I can ever say (even if you didn’t like the book)

And somewhere along this list, the line between blogging bucket list and book-related bucket list blurs.

9. Leave a nerdfighter note or a fangirl-note or a buy-this-book-note or a this-book-sucks-note (yes, I’m not afraid of doing that) in books at a bookstore.

10. Randomly run into an author I know and recognize at a bookstore. Squeal and fangirl and be a fool and make a memory.

11. Browse bookstores and eat cheesecake and talk books (in real life) with a blogger.

12. Build my own bookcase. Paint it. Scrawl the titles of my favourite books or my favourite quotes all over it.

13. Name my kid after a fictional character. But that’s a big commitment, (the kid is, not the naming part) so how about a pet? And if all else fails, I’ll name a stuffed animal after one.

14. Read a book on a beach in Europe or Australia. Get sunburned but decide it was worth it because the book was brilliant. Take a picture.

I'd love to know what would be on your blogging bucket-list :) Make your own list if you'd like, you can never go wrong with lists.

-audrey

Waiting on Wednesday

2011-08-10T02:08:00.000-07:00

hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine
**

I hate it when I can't think of a book I'm lusting to feature :( Or maybe I'm just vastly unprepared for stuff like this because I'm waiting on books by my favourite authors that are missing titles/covers/summaries/etc so I can't feature them just yet... Anyways, why not feature an Aussie title (seriously, can I be an honourable Aussie? I only love your authors, love your books, love your accents, and love your fictional boys-- surely that's enough) that I'm dying to read.

Blood Song
by Rhiannon Hart
Lharmell series, book I

Summary (goodreads)

I wanted to turn but I was held captive by the song on the wind. I’m coming, I told the voices. Please, wait for me.

When her sister becomes betrothed to a prince in a northern nation, Zeraphina’s only consolations are that her loyal animal companions are by her side – and that her burning hunger to travel north is finally being sated.

Already her black hair and pale eyes mark her out as different, but now Zeraphina must be even more careful to keep her secret safe. Craving blood is not considered normal behaviour for anyone, let alone a princess. So when the king’s advisor, Rodden, seems to know more about her condition than she does, Zeraphina is determined to find out more.

Zeraphina must be willing to sacrifice everything if she’s to uncover the truth – but what if the truth is beyond her worst nightmares?

Blood Song is released September 1, 2011 from Random House Australia
**

I've read some seriously rave reviews of this book at some awesome blogs which have made me *dying* to read this. Does anyone know if the rights have been sold in North America? Anyways, definitely waiting on this book!

author blog / twitter