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Monday, February 28, 2011

My Thoughts: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.

I was ecstatic when I received an ARC of Wither by Lauren DeStefano from Simon and Schuster Canada. I had been coveting this book for a while and wasn’t sure if I could wait till release day (March 22nd 2011). Generally I don’t like dystopian novels. There is something terribly hopeless about them, very rarely is there a happy ending. Granted when I think of dystopian novels I think A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and 1984 by George Orwell. Wither is the first Young Adult dystopian that I’ve read, and I totally loved it! I am still in awe of how amazing this book.
I was little nervous to start reading this. The cover is gorgeous, really beautiful and the synopsis totally intrigued me. I was however a little scared it was going to be a little to Flowers in the Attic for me, and I am not a fan of VC Andrews. So Wither sat on my shelf for a couple weeks looking pretty.

I did not get into the story right away. I don’t know that it’s because it was slow in the beginning or if I was still under the impression that dystopian novels mean a great deal of sadness that are supposed to teach me a moral lesson that I never seem to understand. But for whatever reason it took me about 50 pages to be fully engrossed in the story, but after that I could not put the book down, not until I was done.

DeStafano is an amazing writer. I don’t say that lightly. Wither is her first novel to be published and the writing is flawless. The story ran smoothly, there were no bumps or plot holes, events and situations tied together beautifully. The writing was authentic and real. What really amazed me about Wither was how I forgot I was reading a YA novel. Because of the state of the world, men die at 25 and women at 20, kids are forced to grow up quickly, so all the characters in this story have an air of maturity about them.

Rhine the female protagonist is a lovely character. She is strong and determined to get free of this marriage she was forced into. She will do whatever it takes to get free. She is not heartless though, and finds herself starting to care for her sister wives and even her husband Linden. Linden is portrayed as this weak man who is so naive it’s painful. He comes off needy and dependent. I wonder if we will see that change in future books. Linden’s character grows and develops more personality through the novel, due mostly to the attention Rhine gives him in an attempt to become first wife and earn his trust. Of the two sister wives, Jenna and Cecily, Cecily is my favourite, she’s a child bride and the most eager of the three for their husband’s attention. Rhine’s “love interest” Gabriel was a little underdeveloped. I liked him and I liked the interactions between him and Rhine, however I think that he was a bit stale. We did not see much of him and when he disappeared halfway through the book I did not feel that him being gone took away from the story (I did not want him to be hurt or dead) I guess I just did not believe that there really was any romance between him and Rhine. We should be seeing more of him in books to come so maybe he’ll grow on me.

I really enjoyed reading this book and when I was done I was really eager to know what was going to happen to all the characters. I look forward to the sequels.

Happy Reading Everyone!


** I am giving away a Copy of Choker
By Elizabeth Woods. Check it out here.**

Sunday, February 27, 2011

The Bookish Type: A Bookish Blogoversary Bash!


Awesome Giveaway, everyone should look it up!
The Bookish Type: A Bookish Blogoversary Bash!: "<br /><center><a href='http://thebookishtype.blogspot.com/2011/02/bookish-blogoversary-bash.html' target='_blank'><img ..."

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Book Blogger Hop (8) Follow Friday (7)

Book Blogger Hop

Book Blogger Hop hosted by Jen at Crazy for Books.

This week's question:


"Do you ever wish you would have named your blog something different?"

Nope- I love the name of my blog. Ha, and that's about all I can say. I've never thought of changing it's name, or wish it was something else. 




Follow Friday is hosted over at Parajunkee's View.

This weeks question is...

Share your current fav television show! Tell us a bit about it...

I love so many shows! It's insane. But the one show that I won't miss, week in week out is Glee. I love that show! No matter how stupid it can get. I love how cheesy it is. It's great! I also love Supernatural, however this season is so freaking stupid it's hard for me to get into it. I've missed the past three episodes and I'm like 'Oh well, I'll catch up someday'. I also very much like America's Next Top Model, The Vampire Diaries, Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.  Now I don't watch these shows every week, I don't have time,  I usually watch them online when I have time.  Who has time for that much TV?!?!

Happy Reading Everyone!

**I'm giving away a copy of Choker by Elizabeth Woods.
Be sure to check it out here.**

Monday, February 21, 2011

My Thoughts: What Can't Wait by Ashley Hope Perez


Seventeen-year-old Marisa's mother has been saying this for as long as Marisa can remember. Her parents came to Houston from Mexico. They work hard, and they expect Marisa to help her familia. And they expect her to marry a boy from the neighborhood, to settle down, and to have grandbabies. If she wants a job, she could always be an assistant manager at the local grocery store.
At school, it's another story. Marisa's calc teacher expects her to ace the AP test and to get into an engineering program in Austin—a city that seems unimaginably far away. When her home life becomes unbearable, Marisa seeks comfort elsewhere—and suddenly neither her best friend nor boyfriend can get through to her. Caught between the expectations of two different worlds, Marisa isn't sure what she wants—other than a life where she doesn't end each day thanking God it's over.


I don't know how I feel about Ashley Hope Perez's debut novel What Can't Wait. I liked the writing, and I liked the characters-mostly- but something bothered me about this book.

Marissa is a great girl. She works hard in school and at her job, she also works hard to please her family, even when her family seems hell bent on destroying her future. I think that's what bothered me about What Can't Wait; here was this girl, who was smart and I mean really smart, and she had big dreams. She wanted to beat the odds of her family and get a post secondary education. She did not want to be like her older sister who had a baby at 17 and was now married to a dead beat. Her family however-mainly her mother and father- did not want this for her. To them Marissa's grades were of no importance. This made me really sad. Her father would get annoyed when she left her math book on the kitchen table.

I guess my problem with is how against university Marissa's parents were, I would assume that they would want the best for her. I don't understand this concept of striving for an entry level job. I guess I am one of those 'go to university to get a better education to get a better paying job' type of people. Marissa's parents did not think more schooling was important. They thought it was her duty to work and make an income so the she could contribute to the family. They also expected her to watch her niece whenever they asked regardless of any school work that needed to be done in order for her to graduate. This really irritated me, and I found it hard to read when Marissa was being told all of this, and how sometimes she would let it get to her. She would sometimes give up and not concern herself with school at all.

I DID NOT hate this book. I liked it well enough. I don't think that I wasted my time at all while reading this story. I just felt frustrated and annoyed at Marissa's situation. I assume there are some parents who are out there who don't care what they're kids do as long as it brings in the money. This upsets me.


Happy Reading Everyone!



** I'm giving away a copy of Choker by Elizabeth woods.
Be sure to check it out here.**

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

My Very First Give Away!

Hi Guys!

I've recently reached 50 followers! I think I actually have 52 now. But I think that this is pretty epic so I am giving something away!

I recently read Choker by Elizabeth Woods and liked it (My Thoughts). I have an extra copy hanging around and I want to give it to one of you. I really want to know what you thought of this book, so if you read it you have to comment on my review and tell me what you though.

Sixteen-year-old Cara Lange has been a loner ever since she moved away from her best and only friend, Zoe, years ago. She eats lunch with the other girls from the track team, but they're not really her friends. Mostly she spends her time watching Ethan Gray from a distance, wishing he would finally notice her, and avoiding the popular girls who call her "Choker" after a humiliating incident in the cafeteria.

Then one day Cara comes home to find Zoe waiting for her. Zoe's on the run from problems at home, and Cara agrees to help her hide. With her best friend back, Cara's life changes overnight. Zoe gives her a new look and new confidence, and next thing she knows, she's getting invited to parties and flirting with Ethan. Best of all, she has her BFF there to confide in.
But just as quickly as Cara's life came together, it starts to unravel. A girl goes missing in her town, and everyone is a suspect—including Ethan. Worse still, Zoe starts behaving strangely, and Cara begins to wonder what exactly her friend does all day when she's at school. You're supposed to trust your best friend no matter what, but what if she turns into a total stranger?



The Rules:

-Must be a follower to enter
-If you want extra entries- tell your friends to visit and follow they must leave a comment to tell me who referred them here.
-One comment entry per person-Lets make this fair
-Open internationally-Yay!
-Just leave an original comment-I'm not a fan of enter me's; they suck. Also leave your e-mail address so I know how to contact you if you win.
-Contest open until March 16th.
-And if you would be ever so kind as to spread the word- tweet this post, make your own post on your blog, I would be ever so grateful!

Winner will be chosen using random.org.

Thanks everyone, good luck!

**The amount of participation I get on this giveaway will help me decide how I will go about future giveaways, so I encourage you to take part.**

Monday, February 14, 2011

My Thoughts: Plan B by Charnan

Is this happily ever after? Lucy has her life planned out: she'll graduate and then join her boyfriend, Luke, at college in Austin. She'll become a Spanish teacher and of course they'll get married. So there's no reason to wait, right? They try to be careful. But then Lucy gets pregnant. Now, none of Lucy's options are part of her picture-perfect plan. Together, she and Luke will have to make the most difficult decision of their lives.
-Received through netGalley.

Recently I have become really interested in books that involve teen pregnancy especially after reading Amy Efaw’s book After. Teen Pregnancy has become a huge phenomena in the last several years and with shows like 16 and Pregnant and The Secret Life of The American Teenager which seem to be glorifying teenaged parenting, and giving kids the idea that perhaps parenting at 16 wouldn’t be so hard.

I recently had the opportunity to read Plan B by Charnan Simon, a story that talks about teen pregnancy and the confusing life changing decisions that come with the realisation that there is a person who is depending on you to make the right decisions. Plan B talked about the ramifications of teen pregnancy can have on your life, and your plans.

I liked this novel. I liked that it talked about the consequences that Lucy had to deal with, I liked the reality of her having to face this alone (although Luke her boyfriend came around in the end and made some very unrealistic decisions, but this is a novel and it needs a happy ending right?). I liked how it talked about adoption being an option. Adoption is not often an option that is considered. I liked how the author was able to show the genuine fear and confusion both teens were feeling at the time.

The one complaint I have about this book is that it was too short, only 100 pages, which is terribly short for such a heavy subject. But it was very well written and I read it in an hour. So for teens this may be perfect. A quick read with a valuable lesson.

Happy Reading Everyone!

Friday, February 11, 2011

Book Blogger Hop (7) Follow Friday (6)

Book Blogger Hop



Book Blogger Hop hosted by Jen at Crazy for Books.

This weeks question:


Tell us about one of your posts from this week and give us a link so we can read it (review or otherwise)!

I did not have a lot of time for reading this week- next week is going to be a bust as well. School has been so busy. I posted a funny video by Julian Smith called I'm Reading A Book, also the trailer for Water For Elephants. I did finish Jellicoe Road this week, and was able to get the review up last night. I loved that book, and I spent a lot of time on trying to express what I thought. You can read it here. So there you go, I was shameless and linked every one of my posts this week. If you have to only pick one to look at, Check out I'm Reading a book, it's really funny.





Follow Friday is hosted over at Parajunkee's View.

This weeks question is...


What is your favorite romance hero-type? Stereotype wise. Do you like the strong silent type or the brute macho man?

I am all about the strong silent brute macho man. Haha. John Matthew from JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood comes to mind when I think of my favourite romance hero-type. He's hella hot in Lover Mine. He's pretty silent- no pun intended- and reserved when he needs to be, but he pulls out the macho man when he needs to... whew, I'm swooning already. So yeah.

Happy Reading Everyone!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

My Thoughts: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

At age eleven, Taylor Markham was abandoned by her mother. At fourteen, she ran away from boarding school, only to be tracked down and brought back by a mysterious stranger. Now seventeen, Taylor's the reluctant leader of her school's underground community, whose annual territory war with the Townies and visiting Cadets has just begun. This year, though, the Cadets are led by Jonah Griggs, and Taylor can't avoid his intense gaze for long. To make matters worse, Hannah, the one adult Taylor trusts, has disappeared. But if Taylor can piece together the clues Hannah left behind, the truth she uncovers might not just settle her past, but also change her future.



There are so many reviews floating around about Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. People talk about it, saying it's the best book they have ever read and so on. Even with the all the raving reviews I wasn't convinced; I've been deceived before. Novels that people have gushed over and then I read them find that they are really terrible. So I wasn't overly eager to read this. I was at the library this past Saturday looking for I Am Number Four (which I did not find), when I saw Jellicoe Road and decided that I'd pick it up.

It is not often that I regret not buying a book, usually I wish I would have just borrowed them from the library. However I really wish that I would have bought a copy of this book. This is one of the best books I have read in a very long time, and I have read some really good books. But there is something special about Jellicoe Road. Although while you are reading it, there is no way to tell what is so amazing about it. Even now trying to think about it, and express it, I am having a hard time.

Marchetta writes a truly amazing story about love and friendship. A story about trust and truth. It's magical. She has this amazing mix of humour and heartbreak. She has a perfect blend of fun and fights. There are three communities that have mini turf wars, but I really loved how when it really mattered they were able to put aside their differences and come together. Her writing is beautiful. There is a story within a story and in some cases this is annoying as you would much rather being reading about the other story. However the second story is very much a part of the initial story. It's a very smooth transition.

The characters, I think, are what make this story. They are unbelievable. They work so well with each other. Taylor the female protagonist is a fantastic character. She is strong and independent, but she's afraid to give herself. She has not had the easiest life, and she has ample reason to not trust people. There are so many great characters and I can't talk about them all of them, but you cannot talk about Jellicoe Road with out mentioning Jonah Griggs. He is so cool. He's absolutely perfect for Taylor. I was reading a post the other day about which YA characters you'd most want to date, and Griggs made the list and my reaction was, no way man he belongs to Taylor- I felt silly for thinking that the moment I thought it, but you get what I mean- He is truly an amazing character.

I don't have a single bad thing to say about this book. Nothing bugged me or made me roll my eyes, I laughed, I cried. It made me feel sad sometimes, but it added to it's greatness. I don't know. Read it. All of you. You will not be sorry.

Happy Reading Everyone!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

From Book to Movie (5)



It's hard to see Edward (aka Robert Pattinson) in anything but Twilight. Every time I watch Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire I giggle a little bit. But here we have Edward (I cannot refer to him as anything but) in the movie version of Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants. This is a movie I would really like to see and a book I don't really feel called to read. Although I have heard it is rather amazing. The Movie is due out April 22nd so perhaps I'll feel inspired and read the book before that date. I wonder how Edward will do playing someone other then Edward in a big screen motion picture (Remember Me doesn't count) with someone more famous then Kristen Stewart. Hmmm...

Happy Reading Everyone!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

I'm Reading a Book



This made me want to die from laughing so hard, and with how true it is! I saw this posted over at The Reading Lark. It was to funny not to share. Hope Y'all enjoy!

Happy Reading.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Book Blogger Hop (6) Follow Friday (5)

Book Blogger Hop



Book Blogger Hop hosted by Jen at Crazy for Books.

This weeks question:


"What are you reading now and why are you reading it?"

I am not reading anything at the moment. I finished reading Iron King this morning which was pretty good. However now I have annoying task of deciding what to read next. There are a few I would like to read, and a few that I should read. and so on and so on.

I am either going to read:

-What Can't Wait by Ashley Hope Perez

-Selfish is the Heart by Megan Hart

-Shiver by Meggie Stiefvater

-The Girls by Lori Lansens.


*Help me decide by commenting below*





Follow Friday is hosted over at Parajunkee's View.

This weeks question is...

What is the book you are currently 'pushing'? (Pushing mean trying to get people to read it)

I am not one to really push a book. But I would really love people to pick up Megan Hart's Precious and Fragile Things. I really enjoyed it. Also I think people should take a look at After by Amy Efaw. It was a good book. I really enjoyed both and I haven't heard much about them from other people, and I like comparing what I thought and what other's though, especially when I really like it.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Many Books in a Year: January


Back in Dec I had decided to start counting the amount of books I read. Just Because I was curious. You can find that post here.
So in saying that, this is my January tally.

I read nine books last month (which is a lot, and I was pretty surprised) and they were...

1) I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey by Dr.Izzeldin Abuelaish
2) Naughty and Nice Anthology Feat- Shannon Stacey, Jaci Burton, Megan Hart, Lauren Dane (My Thoughts)

3) Choker by Elizabeth Woods (My Thoughts)

4) Hunger Aroused by Dee Carney (My Thoughts)

5) Taken by Midnight by Lara Adrian
6) Plan B by Charnan Simon (My Thoughts Coming Soon)

7) French Kissing by Catherine Sanderson (My Thoughts)

8) Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison (My Thoughts)

9) Sweet as Sin by Inez Kelley (My Thoughts)
So that was my list. I had a lot of fun reading all these books and I'm looking forward to Feb. Reading week is coming up and I am excited to have a break from classes to do whatever I want!
Happy Reading Everyone!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Teaser Tuesday #8

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
The Iron King By Julie Kagawa
"That is Ash, prince of the Unseelie Court. He tried to kill Puck, and he might try to kill you, as well. He is not sexy. He's not."
P.229
"So, please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install, a lovely bookcase on the wall."
— Roald Dahl