Book Comfort: May 2011

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Teaser Tuesdays {12}

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!

"No. I kind of accepted it, in a way. That saving you was worth losing what we might’ve had."

Page 317, Hardcover

Sunday, May 29, 2011

In My Mailbox {12}

In My Mailbox is an amazing weekly meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren that features the books we have received during the week.

Here are the books I bought this week:

Divergent by Veronica Roth

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.

In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.

Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.

The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.

Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

Before I end my In My Mailbox post, I've got some kinda crazy news for all of you... I got featured in Book Lover Discovers AND it's my first time to be featured by another blogger... so I'm kinda ecstatic about it! LOL! Please check out my original post HERE and get to know me better at Book Lover's weekly feature HERE. Have a great week ahead you guys!

What do you have in your mailbox?

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 487 pages

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books; 1^st edition (May 3^rd 2011)

Language: English
ISBN-10: 0062024027
ISBN-13: 9780062024022
Source: Purchased from Fully Booked

First Sentence: "There is one mirror in my house."
Favorite Line from the Book: "'I might be in love with you.' He smiles a little. 'I'm waiting until I'm sure to tell you, though.'"
Book Summary: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

There are two kind of books - the one which doesn't live up to the hype and the one which can and did. Divergent definitely lived up to my expectations AND to its hype.

This is a fast read for me and it has 487 pages! This book is just so engaging and action packed that reading it will just take a breeze. With every turn of the page, I felt that I was being sucked into the world of future Chicago.

Divergent is set in a undetermined future in Chicago wherein people are divided into factions: Candor (honest), Abnegation (selflessness), Dauntless (daring), Erudite (knowledgeable), and Amity (peaceful). At the age of sixteen, teenagers are given the chance of choosing which factions they will go to. Take note though that ones you choose your faction you want to be with, you will make that faction your life, your family, your identity: "Faction before blood." Different factions have different ways on how they conduct their rigorous trainings to the initiates. Not everyone passes and those who didn't make the cut will be fanctionless.

What I love best in Veronica Roth's writing is that even though the setting is futuristic, the characters are still real. You can get to connect with each of them. Even the relationships with each characters are not forced nor stiff. All their reactions to the situations presented to them in the novel are so genuine that you wouldn't think that you are with them living in a futuristic world. I love how Veronica Roth developed Tris. I like her. I love her attitude and even her flaws. The author was able to build her, slowly at first, but as the story progresses, Tris as a character, grows too. Four on the other hand, I totally adore. He is such a tough guy on the outside, but has lots of beliefs and feelings which he wouldn't let anyone see. I love the mysteriousness which was mixed in his character.

All in all, the story is well developed. The twists are shocking and the climax was totally awesome. The ending to this book has just the right amount of perfection to make us want the second book.

Here's the book trailer:

Rating

Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 264 pages

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1^st edition (April 5^th 2011)

Language: English
ISBN-10: 0525422943
ISBN-13: 9780525422945
Source: Purchased from Power Books

First Sentence: "Every morning I wake up and I tell myself this: It's just one day, one twenty-four-hour period to get yourself through."
Favorite Line from the Book: "But I'd do it again. I know that now. I'd make that promise a thousand times over and lose her a thousand times over to have heard her play last night or to see her in the morning sunlight. Or even without that. Just to know that she's somewhere out there. Alive."
Book Summary: It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future–and each other.
Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

Just like If I Stay, this companion novel had me preoccupied for about a couple of hours and when I say preoccupied I am the kind who cannot be bothered or talked to coherently. It means that my mind is totally else where... it means that I was in New York following Adam's and Mia's story. That was how engrossing this book is. Unlike If I Stay though, Where She Went is not as emotionally packed novel (simply put, I didn't choke with tears), but still heartbreaking and intense. This novel is told in Adam's point of view and took place three years after Mia woke up.

This is Adam's story, his journey to life with Mia and without her. The book is centered around Adam's state after three years of Mia leaving him. Just like If I Stay, the novel still gives us flashbacks of the memories of Adam and through that we see his devastation, broken heart, watch him rise to fame, and see him trying to cure his wounds through writing music and watch him struggle to get over each day without Mia.

Mia on the other hand is still coping up with the loss of her family and through the author's writing, I felt how hard it would be if I am in Mia's shoes. I might as well end up making the same decisions as hers and even let go of that one person whom I love deeply.

I love how the author was able to write such a powerful and intense book. After reading If I Stay, I had my reservations about this book. I mean, can Gayle Forman top If I Stay with this sequel? My answer after putting down this book is a resounding YES! She was able to yet again engulf me in the world of Mia and Adam and she was able to envelope me with the emotions of both characters.

Where She Went is a book about selflessness, sacrifices, moving on, acceptance, closure, and forgiveness. Any person who will read this book will get a feel of how it is like to live your life day in, day out knowing that you have this entire hole in your being and only one person can fill it in.

Here's the book trailer:

Rating

Book Lover Discovers... ME!

I know I haven't been actively posting this past couple of days. Real life caught up to me. I had been so stressed at work and I couldn't open up my computer anymore once I got home. I still have a couple of book reviews to finish, but I'll try to squeeze those in this weekend. I sure miss reading the thoughts and reviews of my fellow book bloggers out there!

Anyway, so I got up real early today (it's only 2:46AM here in Manila) and started reading the blogs I follow. As I was reading through the new posts in Google Reader I was surprised to see this...

I am featured in Book Lover Discovers... This is the very first time I got to be featured... yay! Please check out Chloe's post to get to know me better.... ^_^

Book Lover Discovers Post... CLICK ME!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Teaser Tuesdays {11}

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!

"'Do me a favor,' he says, 'and don't call me that.' 'What should I call you, then?' 'Nothing." He takes his hand from my face. 'Yet.'"

Page 287, Hardcover

Monday, May 23, 2011

Cover Crazy Monday {11}

Cover Crazy is a weekly meme that was created by Tawni over at The Book Worms to show which cover(s) you are absolutely going crazy over!

This week I can't get my eyes off this book, The Girl In The Steel Corset by Kady Cross which will be released this week, May 24th.

What I love:

I absolutely love that red gown. Let's just say I'm a little drawn to covers with red dresses, but that is not the only thing that I like about this cover. Look at her right hand. She has this thingymajig attached to her finger or is it her finger? I want to know what that is and if that thing plays an important part in the novel. I also love the expression on her face. She looks like someone who knows a secret and the look on her face tells me that she'll use that to her advantage. Good thing the book will be released this week, I'll get to know how this cover comes to play with the story. I'm extremely excited about it!

What about you? Which book covers are you lusting over?

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 196 pages

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1^st edition (April 9^th 2009)

Language: English
ISBN-10: 0525421033
ISBN-13: 9780525421030
Source: Purchased from Book Depository

First Sentence: "Every one thinks it's because of the snow."
Favorite Line from the Book: "And that's just it, isn't it? That's how we manage to survive the loss. Because love, it never dies, it never goes away, it never fades, so long as you hang on to it."
Book Summary: In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...

A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

If I Stay had me reading until the wee hours of the night. I finished the book in only one sitting. Although this novel is quite short as compared to the other YA books, the book can give you a mean punch.

Mia is your typical seventeen-year old. She has a bright future awaiting her and planning on attending Julliard once accepted. She is a cellist. She has a family which everyone might wish for (I especially fell in love with her younger kid brother, Teddy). Mia has a boyfriend that utterly loves her and a bestfriend who will never leave her and is very much loyal.

One snowy day, a tragic event changed all these. And as Mia lingers in ICU, looking at her comatose self, she tells us her story.

I am at awe at how the author wrote this heartbreaking novel. I cannot imagine myself in Mia's situation and I cannot even predict what I will choose in the end. Dying is part of this novel, but the author didn't present it in a morbid way. She has written the novel in such a way that can make you understand the reason behind the difficult predicament that Mia is in - to move on along with her family or to stay.

The title of the book is very apt to the story. It clearly defined the state wherein Mia is in. It is a lingering question... full of uncertainty and pain, full of hesitations and what-ifs. Eventually Mia chose something in the end (I am not going to tell which one as there might be others who hasn't read this yet) and it left me reeling from pain.

If I Stay had me in tears during the last 4 chapters or so. It is just so heartbreaking and I applaud the author for writing such masterpiece which simply sucked you in. If I could just describe this in three words, they will be - intense, moving, and definitely heart wrenching.

P.S. If you decide to read this novel and I definitely recommend you to... be ready to have a box full of tissue.

Here's the book trailer:

Rating

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Review: We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 288 pages

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1^st edition (April 26^th 2011)

Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416995587
ISBN-13: 9781416995586
Source: Purchased from Book Depository

First Sentence: "On Wednesday nights when I was little, my mom and I would watch old musicals."
Favorite Line from the Book: "There are moments in every girls life that are bigger than we know at the time. when you look back, you say that was one of those life-changing fork in the road moments and I didn't see it coming and then there are the moments that you know are big that whatever you do next there will be an impact. Your life could go one of two directions, DO or DIE."
Book Summary: It's been two years since Conrad told Belly to go with Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah have been inseparable ever since, even attending the same college-- only, their relationship hasn't exactly been the happily ever after Belly had hoped it would be. And when Jeremiah makes the worst mistake a boy can make, Belly is forced to question what she thought was true love. Does she really have a future with Jeremiah? Has she ever gotten over Conrad? It's time for Belly to decide, once and for all, who has her heart forever.

All I can say is that this third and final installment of the Summer series is truly the ultimate conclusion to the love story of Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah.

I learned about this series early this year when I started hogging other book blogs. I suddenly had the realization that I have been missing out a lot by not reading the series. When I started reading The Summer I Turned Pretty, I just couldn't stop. If you think after I read It's Not Summer Without You made me stop reading... Think again. I read We'll Always Have Summer twice! These books by Jenny Hann made me feel young again. They made me look back to my childhood dreams and fantasies. They made me remember how it was to fall in love for the first time.

The third book in the series is all about choices, repercussions, consequences, growing up, love, and letting go. It is not as tear-jerker as the first and second book, but all the scenes leading up to Belly's and Jeremiah's big day were just so heart-wrenching that I could even feel the pain. If the second book gave us glimpses of Jeremiah's thoughts and feelings, in this third book, it was Conrad's turn. I love knowing Conrad more. I honestly rooted for him since the second book and I always, always wished that he and Belly would end up together. Seeing a part of him made me love him more.

The ending of the book and the series is perfect. I am not going to spoil it for you by telling how it ended... but one word will describe it... perfection.

Jenny Hann made me part of the lives of the characters. These books made me feel that I grew up with Belly, Conrad, Jeremiah, and Steven. The ending was definitely bittersweet. I will miss Cousin's beach and I will definitely pick these books up just to re-read them over and over again.

Rating

In My Mailbox {11}

In My Mailbox is an amazing weekly meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren that features the books we have received during the week.

Here are the books I bought this week:

The Espressologist by Kristina Springer

What’s your drink of choice? Is it a small pumpkin spice latte? Then you’re lots of fun and a bit sassy. Or a medium americano? You prefer simplicity in life. Or perhaps it’s a small decaf soy sugar-free hazelnut caffe latte? Some might call you a yuppie. Seventeen-year-old barista Jane Turner has this theory that you can tell a lot about a person by their regular coffee drink. She scribbles it all down in a notebook and calls it Espressology. So it’s not a totally crazy idea when Jane starts hooking up some of her friends based on their coffee orders. Like her best friend, Em, a medium hot chocolate, and Cam, a toffee nut latte. But when her boss, Derek, gets wind of Jane’s Espressology, he makes it an in-store holiday promotion, promising customers their perfect matches for the price of their favorite coffee. Things are going better than Derek could ever have hoped, so why is Jane so freaked out? Does it have anything to do with Em dating Cam? She’s the one who set them up! She should be happy for them, right?

With overtones of Jane Austen’s Emma and brimming with humor and heart, this sweet, frothy debut will be savored by readers.

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

In the self-contained world of young Gilded Age Manhattan socialites, Elizabeth and Diana Holland reign supreme. Or so it seems. Scratch the surface, though, and you can detect festering jealousies that threaten to topple them. Elizabeth suffers a more literal fall when her carriage overturns and she is carried away by the swift East River current. That's only the beginning of the action and suspense in The Luxe, the launch volume in a teen series by Anne Godbersen's.

What do you have in your mailbox?

On My Wishlist {7}

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

I haven't read any books with ghosts in them and I plan to remedy that ASAP. I really want to read The Ghost and The Goth series by Stacie Kade. I've heard so many wonderful things about the first book and I just need to get a hold of that!

The Ghost and The Goth by Stacey Kade

Alona Dare–Senior in high school, co-captain of the cheerleading squad, Homecoming Queen three years in a row, voted most likely to marry a movie star… and newly dead.

I’m the girl you hated in high school. Is it my fault I was born with it all-good looks, silky blond hair, a hot bod, and a keen sense of what everyone else should not be wearing? But my life isn’t perfect, especially since I died. Run over by a bus of band geeks—is there anything more humiliating? As it turns out, yes—watching your boyfriend and friends move on with life, only days after your funeral. And you wouldn’t believe what they’re saying about me now that they think I can’t hear them. To top it off, I’m starting to disappear, flickering in and out of existence. I don’t know where I go when I’m gone, but it’s not good. Where is that freaking white light already?

Will Killian–Senior in high school, outcast, dubbed “Will Kill” by the popular crowd for the unearthly aura around him, voted most likely to rob a bank…and a ghost-talker.

I can see, hear, and touch the dead. Unfortunately, they can also see, hear and touch me. Yeah, because surviving high school isn’t hard enough already. I’ve done my best to hide my “gift.” After all, my dad, who shared my ability, killed himself because of it when I was fifteen. But lately, pretending to be normal has gotten a lot harder. A new ghost—an anonymous, seething cloud of negative energy with the capacity to throw me around—is pursuing me with a vengeance. My mom, who knows nothing about what I can do, is worrying about the increase in odd incidents, my shrink is tossing around terms like “temporary confinement for psychiatric evaluation,” and my principal, who thinks I’m a disruption and a faker, is searching for every way possible to get rid of me. How many weeks until graduation?

The Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade

After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare - former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead - finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this - ugh - “helping of others” is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she’d like.
Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will’s “friend” or “more” status, though, she discovers trouble at home. Her mom is tossing out Alona’s most valuable possessions, and her dad is expecting a new daughter with his wicked wife. Is it possible her family is already moving on? Hello! She’s only been dead for two months! Thankfully, Alona knows just the guy who can put a stop to this mess.
Unfortunately for Alona, Will has other stuff on his mind, and Mina, a young (and beautiful) seer, is at the top of the list. She’s the first ghost-talker Will’s ever met—aside from his father—and she may hold answers to Will’s troubled past. But can she be trusted? Alona immediately puts a check mark in the “clearly not” column. But Will is - ahem - willing to find out, even if it means leaving a hurt and angry Alona to her own devices, which is never a good idea.
Packed with romance, lovable characters, and a killer cliffhanger, Queen of the Dead is the out-of-this-world sequel to The Ghost and the Goth.

What about you? What do you have on your wishlist?

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday {10}

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases you are eagerly anticipating.

The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore will be released on August 23rd 2011 and I am excited to read this because I simply loved I Am Number Four - both the book AND the movie. I can't wait to know what happens to Four and Six in their quest to find the others.

I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me . . . he's one of us.

Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed.

I am Number Seven. One of six still alive.

And I'm ready to fight.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 372 pages

Publisher: Dutton; 1^st edition (December 2^nd 2010)

Language: English
ISBN-10: 0525423273
ISBN-13: 9780525423270
Source: Purchased from Book Depository

First Sentence: "Here is everything I know about France: Madeline and Amelie and Moulin Rouge."
Favorite Line from the Book: "How many times can our emotions be tied to someone else's - be pulled and stretched and twisted - before they snap? Before they can never be mended again?"
Book Summary: Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?

So I just finished reading this book... and I read it TWICE! It was that wonderful!

Anna and the French Kiss is a love story... BUT it is definitely not the "love at first sight" or "i'm in love 'coz you're such a hunk" or even "too good to be true" kind of love story. The love story of Anna and Etienne was wonderfully written and slowly building. The first few chapters of the book was really dedicated to Anna's struggle in her new school at a totally different country. With this part of the novel, we see Anna build friendships, come out of her shell, and even become passionate again about her love of theaters. It was very well written that you can picture the world of Anna - Paris, the lovers' capital, the most romantic place on earth. The author was able to vividly capture Paris and seemed like she was able to deliver the city to me right through the book!

Anna's and Etienne's friendship is just so true and pure and seeing them slowly fall in love just made me giddy and made me really smile. But, what I admired about how the author wrote this second part of the story was that it is not all about just falling in love and showing all the wonderful things that love can do to you, but she was also able to include the awkward moments, the insecurities, the denial, and the unpopular, bad decisions. All of these are so realistic that I could feel what Anna was feeling. I could very well relate to her. The scene which I love best and I still cannot (will not) forget about is when Anna finally realized that she's in love with Etienne. It was so raw and heart-breaking and yet so beautifully written and felt like a light-bulb moment for Anna. I even imagined her to be Cher in Clueless when she suddenly realized that she fell in love with her ex-step-brother, Josh.

Overall, I ultimately loved (still love) this book! This novel is not only about romance, but also about building friendships. This is not only about glamorous Paris, but also about a girl trying to survive alone at one of the most wonderful cities in the world. This is about growing up, self-discovery, making bad decisions and facing their consequences, and above all, self acceptance.

For anyone who hasn't read this yet, let me tell you that you are missing out on something really, really great!

Rating

Teaser Tuesdays {10}

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!

"I wish friends held hands more often, like children I see on the streets sometimes. I'm not sure why we have to grow up and get embarrassed about it."
Page 310, Hardcover

Monday, May 16, 2011

Cover Crazy Monday {10}

Cover Crazy is a weekly meme that was created by Tawni over at The Book Worms to show which cover(s) you are absolutely going crazy over!

This week I can't get my eyes off this book, Wither by Lauren De Stefano.

What I love:

I am assuming that the girl in the cover is the main character, Jessa. I love the background. I haven't been to Italy yet (let alone outside the country!) and I have always dreamed to go there someday. Jessa looks so hopeful in the picture as she gazes through the Italian buildings. She looks so happy, liberated even. That's the reason why I fell in love with this cover! It's simple yet full of wonderful meanings and possibilities.

What about you? Which book covers are you lusting over?

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Review: It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 288 pages

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1^st edition (April 27^th 2010)

Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416995552
ISBN-13: 9781416995555
Source: Purchased from Book Depository

First Sentence: "It was a hot summer day in Cousins."
Favorite Line from the Book: "I will never look at you in the same way ever again. I'll never be that girl again. The girl who comes running back every time you push her away, the girl who loves you anyway."
Book Summary: Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach?

It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.

But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started--at Cousins Beach.

I was blown away by this book. I read this in less than four hours and it left me breathless. I was in an emotional roller-coaster ride all throughout reading this novel. I even got teary-eyed from the first chapter of the novel until its end.

This novel is about the life after Susannah passed away. It centered on how the lives of Belly, Steven, Conrad, and Jeremiah each changed. It also let us see how Lauren, Belly's mom and Susannah's best friend, copes up with her friend's demise. Grief was very evident in this book, thus inflicting raw emotions from its readers, me particularly. Jenny Han once again, gave each character different ways on how to deal with this situation and I loved how she has written this.

The story is presented in such a way which still has Jenny Han's signature style - the flashbacks which makes you understand the characters and the situations more. I appreciate this as I get to know more where each of them were coming from. It gave me more avenues to get to know them. I also like that I get to read Jeremiah's point of view. It made me feel that he truly loves Belly and will do anything for her, who loves her no matter what.

Belly's confusion is still here. She is presented with a choice - to continue loving Conrad even though she knows deep in her heart that it is unrequited or to start a relationship with Jeremiah, her best friend and Conrad's brother. Jenny Han created a very wonderful conflict that you can really feel that you are fully immersed in the story. You can feel how Belly's heart is being torn apart.

The ending is perfect. It definitely opened different possibilities where its readers will think who Belly will end up with.

I loved "The Summer I Turned Pretty," but I definitely loved "It's Not Summer Without You" more!

Rating

Pages

Currently Reading

Followers

I'm a Member of

Check Out the Book Blogger Directory!

Blogs I Stalk!

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Monday, May 23, 2011

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Monday, May 16, 2011

Sunday, May 15, 2011

About Me

Grab My Button

Weekly Memes

Rated Reviews

Blog Archive

Recent Posts

Labels

Total Pageviews

My Wishlist!

Disclaimer