Friday, December 31, 2010

Follow Friday (11)


HI! Welcome to my blog! I am participating in Follow Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View.
Hop on please leave comment, link your blog, and follow, and I will follow you as well.
This week's question is: 
 
"What re your new year's book blogging resolutions?"
I hope to be able to read more books than I did during 2011 and discuss them with you fellow bloggers. Reading other blogs is a wonderful way of finding out about new books so I also hope to have time to read a few more blogs.

Happy New Year

 
I hope you all have a wonderful New Year and that 2011 goes as well as possible for everyone.

Enjoy the day and have fun! :D

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Review - Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohen and David Levithan

Title and Author: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohen and David Levithan
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 26, 2010
Paperback: 260 Pages
Genre: Young Adult

Summary:
“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Review:
I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book and once I did, it did not disappoint me. This is a great holiday read and I loved the whole plot concept.
Lily encouraged by her brother leaves a red notebook on a shelf at the Strand, which is found by Dash. They start to communicate through the notebook and several dares they always manage to complete.
This book is the perfect holiday romance book. The story is sweet, funny and very well written. There are several moments well able to make you go “awww” and there’s also enough action to keep you interested.
Dash is a wonderful character. He’s sweet, funny, extremely intelligence, creative and maybe even a little snarky or, as Lily says, snarly. He’s a bit of a loner but, in my opinion, that only makes him even more interesting.
Lily is also a very well written character. She’s smart, a little dorky, sweet and somewhat naïve but in a cute way.
I loved both main characters and I have to say that the secondary characters were also great and added a lot to the story.
All in all, I enjoyed this book immensely. It is a funny, light and overall very enjoyable read I would recommend to anyone.

Rating: Must Read

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas!



I just want to wish you all a Meryy Christmas and Happy Holidays! I hope you are all enjoying some relaxing time with your family and friends.

I also hope Santa is very genrous this year and brings you all lots of books! :D

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Review - Fallen by Lauren Kate

Title and Author: Fallen by Lauren Kate
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: December 8, 2009
Paperback: 452 Pages
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Summary:
There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Review:
I had heard a lot about this book, both good and bad things, and I have to say it didn’t live up to my expectations.
After a horrible accident, Luce’s parents send her off to Sword & Cross, a reform school in Georgia. When Luce gets there she sees Daniel for the first, who seems to be just a little too familiar to her. Daniel is a bit erratic in his relationship with Luce, but she still feels inexplicably drawn to him.
There are about 200 pages in this book that I could have done without. I really liked the ending but I felt like the beginning and middle part of the book was a little bit boring.
I think my biggest problem with this book were the characters. I felt like they were forced. I couldn’t figure Luce out and I’m sure I would have liked her a lot more if she wasn’t so compelled to drool over Daniel every time she saw him.
The character of Daniel had some potential but was not very well developed. I couldn’t get a sense of who he was or what he liked.
The only character I thought was intriguing and interesting was Cam, especially towards the end of the book.
Luce and Daniel are supposed to be madly in love. Their love is supposed to be epic but there wasn't enough interaction between them for me to understand where they love came from. Why were they in love with each other? Why did Luce want to be with a guy who treated her badly at first? The fact Daniel was supposedly beautiful did not explain her infatuation.
One thing I felt Lauren Kate did well was describe Sword & Cross. That school was supposed to be a depressing place and the way it was described made you feel like it was indeed like that.
The end part of the book is great though, even if a little bit confusing. There are a lot of unanswered questions that were left like that on purpose.
All in all I can’t say I liked this book. It dragged on for a long while and only in the end was my interest spiked. The writing was good, though and so were the descriptions of the place but I felt this book could have been much better than it was.
Rating: Readable

Monday, December 20, 2010

2011 YA Reading Challenge

I'll be participating in another challenge in 2011: 


Rules:
  1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.  Create a post about the challenge and click HERE to sign up.
  2. There are four levels:
       * The Mini level – Read 12 YA novels.
       * The Fun Size level – Read 20 YA novels.
       * The Jumbo Size level – Read 40 YA novels.
       * The Mega size level – Read 50+ YA novels.
  3. Audio, eBooks, paper, re-reads all count.
  4. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.
  5. The Challenge starts on January 1, 2011 and goes until December 31, 2011.

I’m going for the Jumbo Size level (40 YA books).

The YA books I plan on reading during 2011 are:
01. The Secret Year - Jennifer Hubbard
02. Heartbreak River - Tricia Mills
09. His Eyes - Renee Carter
10. City of Fallen Angels - Cassandra Clare 
11. Boys Don't Cry - Malorie Blackman 
13. Wake Unto Me - Lisa Cach 
14. Other Words for Love - Lorraine Zago Rosenthal 
15. If I Stay - Gayle Forman 
16. Forbidden - Tabitha Suzuma
17. Die For Me - Amy Plum
18. You Agaisnt Me - Jenny Downham 
19. Hereafter - Tara Hudson 
20. Heavenly - Jennifer Laurens 
21. Overprotected - Jennifer Laurens 
22. Falling For Romeo - Jennifer Laurens 
23. The Truth About Forever - Sarah Dessen 
24. Crescendo - Becca FitzPatrick 
25. The Body Finder - Kimberly Derting
26. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist - Rachel Cohen & David Levithan 
27. Moonglass - Jessi Kirby 
28. Fixing Delilah - Sarah Ockler 
29. Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead 
30. Frostbite - Richelle Mead 
31. Shadow Kiss - Richelle Mead 
32. Blood Promise - Richelle Mead 
33. Spirit Bound - Richelle Mead 
34. Last Sacrifice - Richelle Mead 
35. Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins 
36. Teach Me - R.A. Nelson 
37. Sophie & Carter - Chelsea Fine 
38. Silence (Hush Hush 03) - Becca FitzPatrick 
39. Hunting Lila - Sarah Alderson
40. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer - Michelle Hodkin 

Sunday, December 19, 2010

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren


Christmas Gifts from Secret Santa:



Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
Love Is The Higher Law by David Levithan


Won and received:



Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohen and David Levithan
Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis
Tales From A Spanish Village by Richard Barrett


Bought:



The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie

Friday, December 17, 2010

Blog Hop (09) & Follow Friday (10)

Book Blogger Hop
The Book Blogger Hop is a meme sponsored by Jennifer at Crazy For Books.

This week's question is:
"What do you consider the most important in a story: the plot or the characters? "
This is a difficult question. When I choose a book to read, it's because of the plot but if I start reading it and the characters aren't dynamic and well developed I quickly lose interest. If you have a great plot and horrible characters, the story will flop. The same will happen if you have amazing characters and a poor plot so both are very important.





HI! Welcome to my blog! I am participating in Follow Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View.
Hop on please leave comment, link your blog, and follow, and I will follow you as well.
This week's question is: 
 
"What did you study in college, or are currently studying and did it lead to your current 9 to 5 or are you doing something totally different?"
I'm still studying! I studied International Relations and right now I'm working on my Master's Degree in Strategy.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Recent and Future Releases

December 1:


     Fixing Delilah
     Good Reads

December 3:


Anna and the French Kiss
        Good Reads

December 7:


   The Lying Game              Last Sacrifice                     Edges
     Good Reads                   Good Reads                 Good Reads

December 14:



           Vixen                         Rosebush                         Tutored
     Good Reads                  Good Reads                    Good Reads

December 28:


 Once In A Full Moon
     Good Reads

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Vampire Challenge 2011

I'm going to participate in the Vampire Challenge 2011 hosted by Parajunkee's View.

If you want to know more and join go to Parajunkee's View to sign up!















 Challenge goes from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011
 The challenge is to read 20 books that have a vampire as a main character, either protag or antagonist.

As soon as I know exactly which books I plan on reading for this challenge, I'll make a post about it. 

Books read:.
01. Dark Lover by J. R. Ward
02. City of Fallen Angels - Cassandra Clare 
03. Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead 
04. Frostbite - Richelle Mead 
05. Shadow Kiss - Richelle Mead 
06. Blood Promise - Richelle Mead 
07. Spirit Bound - Richelle Mead 
08. Last Sacrifice - Richelle Mead 
09. Crave - Melinda Metz & Laura J. Burns

Friday, December 10, 2010

Blog Hop (08) & Follow Friday (09)

Book Blogger Hop
The Book Blogger Hop is a meme sponsored by Jennifer at Crazy For Books.

This week's question is:
"What is the thing you like most about reading book blogs? Is it the reviews, author guest posts, erticles, giveaways, or something else entirely?"
All of the above! I enjoy being able to meet knew people, make some friends and talk about books with them.





HI! Welcome to my blog! I am participating in Follow Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View.
Hop on please leave comment, link your blog, and follow, and I will follow you as well.
This week's question is:
"Do you have an under-noticed author that you think we should all know about?"
Well, I really can't think of any right now! I'm sure I'll remember a name later, though.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Review - Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Title and Author: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Publication Date: August 31, 2010
Paperback: 479 Pages
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Summary:
Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all

Review:

I really enjoyed The Mortal Instruments series and, even though I was a bit reluctant to read this book, I have to say I was more than pleasantly surprised.
This book features the Shadowhunters once more, but this time the story takes place in Victorian London, instead of New York.
Tessa travels all the way from New York to London to find her brother but instead of being reunited with him as she hoped, she finds herself thrown into a world she never knew existed and doesn’t fully understand. Plus, she finds out she isn’t as normal as she thought she was and that she possesses a power that makes her different from everyone else.
There are a lot of great characters in this book that I felt were well developed and easy to like. Plus, you are reintroduced to some characters who had already made an appearance in The Mortal Instruments.
As the main character, Tessa, was easy to like. She is strong, smart and willing to fight for those she loved. One thing I really liked about her was the fact that always stood up for herself.
One character I really loved was Will. Just like Jace from The Mortal Instruments, he’s sarcastic, funny and cocky. He’s also very mysterious and maybe even a little dark. He doesn’t allow anyone to get too close to him no matter how much it hurts, not even Jem, but it is clear that he cares for both Jem and Tessa. It is also obvious that something happened to him. He’s damaged and whatever his secret is, it has the power to control him and dictate some on his actions.
And then there’s Jem. He’s kind, thoughtful, intelligent and sweet. He’s the one person who managed to get closer to Will than everyone else and while Will has a tendency to be impulse, Jem is very rational and careful. He too, cares very deeply for Tessa.
Now, if you’re wondering whether I’m team Will or team Jem, I’ll have to say that, for now, I’m team Will but I’m waiting to see what will happen next!Just when I thought that nothing could top The Mortal Instruments Series, Cassandra Clare goes and writes Clockwork Angel. I mean, come on, Shadowhunters plus the Victorian era. Can it get any better?

I absolutely adore all of the books that Cassandra Clare has previously written, and this one was no different! It takes place in the Shadowhunter world, just like The Mortal Instruments series, but this time, instead of present day New York, the story takes place in Victorian London.

The secondary characters are also great. There’s Charlotte and her mothering instincts, Henry, with his crazy inventions and Jessamine, who is a little spoiled and bratty but eventually grew on me.
All in all I really enjoyed this book. The writing was good and the characters very captivating. The plot is very interesting as well and I’m looking forward to seeing some mysteries being unraveled in the next book. You can definitely read this book without having read any of The Mortal Instruments books and, hopefuly, you'll like it just as much as I did.
...more

Rating: Must Read