Feature and Follow Friday (3)

        Feature and Follow is a weekly Meme hosted by Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read designed to increase followers and make new friends!

Today's topic:

What living author(s) would you like to have dinner with? 

Cora Carmack. I love her books. Anyone who can bring those quirky, awkward characters of her to life is my type of person and she just seems like this really awesome, fun type of person herself.

 Books written by Cora Carmack: (covers linked to GoodReads)

   

What author(s) would you like to have dinner with? 

Second Star Book Review

Second Star
by Alyssa B. Sheinmel
Expected Release: May 2014
Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Free copy received from Netgalley in exchange for honest review.

Summary from GoodReads:

A twisty story about love, loss, and lies, this contemporary oceanside adventure is tinged with a touch of dark magic as it follows seventeen-year-old Wendy Darling on a search for her missing surfer brothers. Wendy’s journey leads her to a mysterious hidden cove inhabited by a tribe of young renegade surfers, most of them runaways like her brothers. Wendy is instantly drawn to the cove’s charismatic leader, Pete, but her search also points her toward his nemesis, the drug-dealing Jas. Enigmatic, dangerous, and handsome, Jas pulls Wendy in even as she's falling hard for Pete. A radical reinvention of J. M. Barrie's classic tale, Second Star is an irresistible summer romance about two young men who have yet to grow up—and the troubled beauty trapped between them.

A short and sweet review:

Its the kind of kind of book that pulls you in like a siren's song. It begins with curiosity and wonder that leads to adoration and then drowns you in realization, but is nice a enough to bring you back to shore with a glimmer of hope.
I wouldn't go so far as to call this a modern Peter Pan retelling, but there's enough of the story there for any Peter Pan lover to appreciate. I had fun picking out all the cross overs.
I am definitely interested in knowing if there is going to be a book two.

A Week in Review (STS#2)

     Stacking the shelves is a weekly Meme hosted by Tynga at Tynga Reviews that's all about sharing the books that are new to your shelves of the physical and digital variety. I also take the opportunity to re-cap happenings of the past week. So, let's get started!

New to my shelves:

To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han 

And while it's not a book, it is new and does reside on my book shelves...

Bobble head Agent Phil Coulson!! Because who doesn't love Coulson. He's awesome. =D

Reviewed this Week:

The Here and Now by Anne Brashares 

(My Review)

And What's New:

This week I finished Rapunzel and Flynn Rider Faceless Fancy couple for a friend of mine.

 You can see more pictures posted to the Faceless Fancy Facebook in the Rapunzel album.

We made an art trade and in exchange for the dolls I was given this AMAZING Rapunzel pillow she made! 

I'm having such a hard time choosing between keeping it nice and safe on a shelf in the library where it can be admired because the work is just stunning, or cuddling it hardcore because its so darn SQUISHY!!

   You can check out more of her work on her Facebook page Silliness of Sewing or see what she has listed in her Etsy Shop! Which you totally should! Right now! But before you go, let me know what's new to your shelves this week in the comments below.

The Here and Now Book Review

The Here and Now
by Anna Brashares
Release: April 2014
Delacorte Press
I recieved a free cop of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary from GoodReads:

Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.

This is the story of seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins.

Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth.

But everything changes when Prenna falls for Ethan Jarves. 

My Review:

 I've been trying to think of a way to describe this book for a while now, but I can't. Not really. I went in believing I was going to really enjoy it and I did to an extent, but really I think i was just more disappointed. It felt like the story had such great promise. You're dealing with time travel and the big question of do you change the present to save the future?
While reading it held my attention. It made me wonder who's life was the one to alter the future. But once I put the book down it was a "wait, why did I enjoy that so much" moment.
Prenna seems like a nice enough character. She has the makings of greatness and is the kind of girl you see changing the future, but she felt to wishy washy. I had a secret hope a certain sweatshirt would have made a bigger appearance too.

Feature and Follow Follow Friday!

        Feature and Follow is a weekly Meme hosted by Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read designed to increase followers and make new friends!

Today's topic:

Share! Tell us about one of your hobbies that is NOT reading.

I love dabbling in crafts and DIY projects around the house, but I have to say a major hobby of mine that isn't reading is making art dolls I call Faceless Fancies.

Here are a few of my favorites:

(from Left to Right)
 - A doll modeled of of the cover of the YA novel Possess by Gretchen McNeil (hardback edition)
- A simply elegant design of my own making,
- Rapunzel and Flynn Rider
- Harry Potter and Dobby based off the book Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
- DC's Nightwing and Oracle complete with wheelchair.

Pretty neat huh? You can see more of them on the Faceless Fancy page here on my blog or on my Faceless Fancy Facebook page. (try saying that three times fast lol.)

The Hubbins and I also longboard in our free time. Mostly cruising local trails and streets. Its pretty relaxing.

So how about you? What are your non-reading hobbies?

In Review: Asylum by Madeliene Roux

Asylum (Asylum #1)
Madeleine Roux
Released June 2013
Harper Teen
Own/ Purchased

Synopsis from GoodReads:

For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, New Hampshire College Prep is more than a summer program—it's a lifeline. An outcast at his high school, Dan is excited to finally make some friends in his last summer before college. But when he arrives at the program, Dan learns that his dorm for the summer used to be a sanatorium, more commonly known as an asylum. And not just any asylum—a last resort for the criminally insane.

As Dan and his new friends, Abby and Jordan, explore the hidden recesses of their creepy summer home, they soon discover it's no coincidence that the three of them ended up here. Because the asylum holds the key to a terrifying past. And there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.

Featuring found photos of unsettling history and real abandoned asylums and filled with chilling mystery and page-turning suspense, Madeleine Roux's teen debut, Asylum, is a horror story that treads the line between genius and insanity.

   I'm so conflicted!! I really wanted to love this book especially for the creep factor. Hello, creeptastic pictures and the fact that it takes place in an old asylum what was converted into a dorm, by the why who would do that? It's just wrong. And it is creepy, but I think it was mainly because of the pictures and the fact that I was reading it at 2am with a small book light. In daylight hours I think it would come off as interesting at best.
   The story itself left something to be desired. Don't get me wrong, in general I liked the story. I liked learning about the history of the asylum and trying to figure out who was behind notes and murder (attempts), but I think the plot develops a little slowly. Instead of increasing the intensity of the story as you read it just repeats the same type of occurrences until the end when it's like BAM! Dan's next on the murder's list. Dan keeps receiving creepy notes and losing bits of time and his friends get angry a few different times without a real explanation. It left me with questions and not in the OMG I NEED THE NEXT BOOK NAOW! good way. What was real and what was staged by the murderer? Are these people really just crazy or are we dealing with something a little more paranormal...?
I say if you like creepy pictures and a little bit of mystery give it a shot.
  Sanctum  (book 2) comes out later this year. I will most likely pick it up to see where the story goes, but I don't think it will be one I race out to grab on release day. 

Other Books You May like:
 

 

Day 5 of the 35 Day Book Blogging Challenge

It's day 5 of the Book Blogging Challenge! You find out more about the challenge I made for myself by checking out the Book Blogging Challenge page.

Today's topic:

A Book That Made You Sad/Cry

   Ok, so I already answered this one on Friday with the Feature and Follow post which was about the last book that made you cry. You can see that post HERE. Like I said on Friday, I don't cry often during books. Movies however, my tear ducts have a freaking race to see who can land a tear on my chin first. However, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak did manage to claim a few tears. The feels at the end of the book! Oh, the feels!
   So, since I mention The Book Thief on Friday its only fair to bring up another book that while it didn't make me cry it came VERY close; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows by JK Rowling. You all know what I'm talking about. All the death, all the good byes! So sad! But the part that got me the worst was when you see Severus' memory that he gives to Harry and when you see what his Patronus animal is. Omg! I came so close to losing it. Surprisingly, though I didn't cry during the movies, which I was so sure I would.

So, how about you? What was the last book that made you sad or cry?

Waiting on Wednesday #1

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where each week You share a a book that you've been eagerly waiting on.

 

 This week I'm waiting on . . .

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige due out this April through Harper Teen.

I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.

What happened?
Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission:
Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.
Steal the Scarecrow's brain.
Take the Lion's courage.
Then and only then—Dorothy must die!

This sounds AMAZING!!! And there's a rumor floating around that the CW has picked it up for a tv show. WHAT?! Yes, please!

What are you waiting on this week?

Day 4 of the 35 Day Blogger Challenge

We're on day 4 and today's topic is ...

A Book That Made You Happy.

As soon as I read this topic I knew what book choose; This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith. Is that  a little too cliche? Yeah probably, but seriously guys this book is so loveable! I cheesy smiled so many times while reading. You can see my actual review HERE and I'll just  leave you with this. . .

What book made you happy?

Book Blogging Challenge Day 3!

So, I'm already a day behind, almost 2 days behind now, thanks to my laptop dying yesterday. It was such a trooper on Sunday too. We worked all day together and got so much accomplished, but i guess it had had enough of my shenanigans and decided it would rather be a glorified brick. Way to go laptop... but no worries after a sot to the heart and my bank account we're back in business.

So without firther ado, here is Day 3 of the 35 Day Book Blogging Challenge! You can find out all about the challenge by going to the Book Blogging Challenge page.

Today's topic:
What is your favorite series and your favorite book from that series?


Ooo! Topic why you gotta be so picky?! Ugh!
So, one of my favorite series that is actually completed and I have read all the books and they all live happily on my shelf is the Hush, Hush saga by Becca Fitzpatrick.

  

I love this series. I love Nora. I love Patch. Actually, at the moment I can't think of anything I don't like about the series. I'm sure there is, but... I'm drawing a blank. This is one of the few series where I enjoyed every book and it didn't feel like there was a slump in the middle or that any of the books were written for filler (I'm looking at you Origin in the Lux series!)
    The first book has got to be my favorite as is the case with a lot of book series. It's the first, my first love, the one that starts it all so it's naturally my favorite. Hush, Hush is also my favorite out of the four becuase of the relationship (or lack there of) between Patch and Nora. And Patch is such a bad a**, well he's still that way through out the books, but the first he seems a little more... wicked.

What about you? What's your favorite series and your favorite book from that series?

Top Ten Tuesday #1

Hello lovelies, today I decided to participate in Top Ten Tuesday!

 

 Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where each week you create a Top Ten list on a bookish topic. This week was a Rewind topic so I decided to go with . . .

 Top Ten Books You Loved But Never Reviewed (. . . Yet)

1. 5th Wave by Rick Yancey - You guys, I don't understand why I haven't reviewed this book yet. It doesn't make any sense because it's seriously my favorite book from last year (as mention in my post on Saturday for the blogging challenge) and quite possible one of my top three favorite books of all time. It's that awesome. READ IT!

2. All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terril - Series book hang over here. I had to keep myself from flipping back to page one after finishing the book instead of moving on to my next read. 

3. Arclight by Josin McQuien - This book is like woah!

4. Unbreakable by Kami Garcia - I enjoyed this book so much. It had a Supernatural vibe all over it (Supernatural as in the CW tv series) complete guns loaded with rock salt and Sam and Dean-esque brothers. Mhmm. I'm dying for book two!

5. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson - Ok, these kids go to school to learn to battle with chalk drawings that come to life! What?! It' awesome. Definitely worth the read.

6. Angelfall and World After ( book 1 & 2 of the Penryn & the End of Days series) by Susan Ee - Both of these books are awesome. I stumbled across Angelfall at a time where I was just totally over angel books. They kept popping up everywhere. It was like they were the new Vampires of YA. But I gave it a shot and  OH MY GOSH!! They're sooo good!

7. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Maeghan Spooner -  This book was wonderful. At first I was a little worried. I didn't quite get into like I had hoped in beginning and then BAM!! I was sold. There's more to this one than meets the eye. It's not about a girl floating through space in a billowing dress, it's about survival.

8. Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer - You guys, it's about girl and her fairy tale prince who talks to her from the pages he's written on! Jshefwirbvual! I want a book character to talk to me!

9. The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross - Actually the whole freaking Steampunk Chronicles series. Love, Love, Love. It's Steampunk, it's got a cute ginger female who is a rocking engineer, a girl who gets scarily angry and super strong she's practically a female Jekyll/Hyde (or a She-Hulk), plus two swoon worthy male leads (ones a duke and ones the "prince" of London's darker side). Amazing books!

10. Losing It by Cora Carmack - I don't always read New Adult, but when I do it's written by Cora Carmack. This woman is a genius. Losing It and Faking It are amazing NA reads. If you like Jennifer Armentrout (Jenn Lynn) then you must read Cora Carmack. I love how her books read like you're watching a movie and more intimate sides of the story aren't all gritty and x-rated, but still hot. And they're just plain fun!

Double Decker Review

Double Decker Reviews is where I review two books in one post. Mainly because those books are in some way connected to each other; sequels, companions, etc. 

This edition of Double Decker Reviews brings you two books by author Jennifer E. Smith, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and This is What Happy Looks Like. Both books are stand alone novels.



The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
By Jennifer E. Smith
Released January 2012
Poppy/ Little, Brown and Co.
Purchased (eBook)

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.(From GoodReads)

    I adored this book. It's just a simple, fun and totally cute love story. The kind of story that you just need to escape into once in while. It asks nothing of you and gives you everything in return. Plus, the main guy has an accent! Swoon! Lol. But seriously, if you're looking for a good love story or ever wondered if love at first sight truly exists then TSPoLaFS definitely worth your time.



This is What Happy Looks Like
By Jennifer E. Smith
Released  April 2013
Poppy/ Little, Brown and Co.
Purchased (hardback)

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds.

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs? (From GoodReads)

    You guys, not to be cliche or anything, but THIS is what happy looks like. Seriously. I loved this book. Once again Jennifer E. Smith takes this crazy-random-happenstance and turns into a simple yet totally adorable love story. I think I loved this one more than Love at First Sight only because it had so many more sweet  "aw scenes" I guess is the best way to put it. You know, those scenes that just make you cheese all over from sheer adorableness. Yeah, those scenes.
 For example, a piece of conversation between our leading lady and her gentleman caller at the beginning of the book.

"Of course. Until tomorrow...
Wait, is that your way of saying good-bye without really saying good-bye?
No. Actually, I'm not quite sure I've finished saying hello yet.
Me neither. Hello.
Hi.
Good Morning.
I already said that one.
Yeah, but it really is."

See? See?! Too cute, right? Maybe you'd have to have been there ... Anyways, if you liked TSPoLaFS then you NEED this book.

 

Good news for Jennifer E. Smith fans, she has another book coming out in this April! Yayyyy!!!

 The Geography of You and Me

Are you excited? Because I am!! I'm seriously loving these covers you guys.

Similar books you might also enjoy:

     

35 Day Blogging Challenge Day 2!

We're on Day 2 of the the 35 Day Book Blogging Challenge! You can find out more about the challenge on the Book Blogging Challenge Page HERE.

Today's Topic: A book you've read more than 3 times.

There's actually quite a few a of these. I'm going to kinda alter today's topic to comfort reads because tf it makes it past three full re-reads it becomes a comfort read. Whenever I'm in a book slump or don't want to dive into anything new these are my go to books. Here are my top four since i really don't know which book I've read more than the others.

Beastly by Alex Flinn

 I own two copies because I read the first one so many times it's falling apart. I LOVE Beauty and The Beast retelling. I think I love this one so much because its modernized and from the beast's point of view.

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

I adore Varen and Izzy's chemistry and watching the relationship unfold. What's not to love about the goth and cheerleader falling in love? And the world that Kelly Creagh created that bleeds into the real world from Varen's dreams is just really neat.

The Ghost and the Goth Series by Stacey Kade

I love this whole series. Sometimes I pick up one book depending on my mood and sometimes I'll read through the whole series. Just absolutely adore it. Will and Alona's banter is just great. Again what's not to love about the goth and the popular girl falling in love? Not only that, but it's a ghost story of sorts. Ghosts are one of my favorite reads and this one is really neat in where the story goes. And I'm totally in love with all three covers.

The Summoning (Darkest Powers Trilogy) by Kelley Armstrong 

I'm  not gonna lie. This series I read mainly to revisit Derek and Chloe's relationship. I love watching it change from fear/ dislike to something more. Whenever I reach for this series i always start with book one and read through all three just for Derek and Chloe.

What about you? What books have you read more than 3 times or consider your comfort reads?