Feature & Follow (2)

Feature and Follow is hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read!  I love that I'm getting to meet a lot of new people here!

Question:  Worst cover?  Worst cover of a book that you've read and loved?

Hmm, this is slightly difficult for me to answer.  I don't really have a worst cover....I mean sure, there's books I've seen around that aren't very pretty or presentable, but I don't have a worst cover.  All the books I've read so far have pretty or decent covers, but none that I would blegh over.  I don't hate covers though.  I just dislike them sometimes.

How about you?

Starting My Junior Year/ Reading Update

Hey guys!  So a lot has happened in the past few days!  First off, I haven't been on as often as I would've hoped for these past few days.  School just started for me today!  Which means I have a lot of goals I'm planning on setting for myself, plus all the homework, quizzes and tests to deal with as well.  It's not summer anymore for me.  I have a lot of work ahead of me!

My first day was pretty good!  My AP English class is the first class of the day, and apparently my teacher gives us a lot of books to read.  I think we'll be reading The Great Gatsby which I've heard from a number of people is really good.  So I'm looking forward to reading that!

I won't be on as often as I would like now that my Junior year is starting, but I'll do my best to keep you guys updated and get more reviews on this blog :)

READING UPDATES:

I recently just finished two books, Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie & The Last Hope (Warriors:  Omen of the Stars, #6)  by Erin Hunter

Peter Pan Quick Review

Rating: 3/5

I thought the book was really well written.  I feel like it was used to appeal to kids and even adults too.  I felt nostalgic reading this.  As a boy who never grows up, Peter Pan was filled with life, love and adventure.  He represented the joys of being a child.  I swear I felt so nostalgic reading this.  I loved the book.  It also had a bittersweet ending that I feel needed to happen, though I would be sad about it.  Again, bittersweet ending.

The Last Hope (Warriors:  Omen of the Stars, #6)  Quick Review

Rating: 5/5 (FAVORITE)

Honestly, I don't think I ever cried so much reading a book before.  PERFECTION.  And I'm being honest when I say, I'm not exaggerating...at all.  This series has been a part of my life since I was in 6th grade.  It will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart.  Suffering from withdrawals.  I still look back on the memories when I first started the series and I remember them, and I wish I could relive those wonderful memories.  Warriors Series Forever <3  Great book with a bittersweet ending.

RECOMMENDED.  But start with Into the Wild (Warriors, #1).  It's the first book of the first series. (There's four series in the Warriors saga, 6 books in each series, not including super edition books, guides, or manga books)

Amazing, Epic ending to one of my favorite series ever (unless there's a fifth series coming...) There's at least 24+ books in the complete series :)

WHAT I'M READING NOW

I am reading Deep Down Popular by Pheobe Stone.  Goodreads Summary

So far it's alright.  I just started, so there's not much to say about it yet.

BOOK GOALS FOR MY JUNIOR YEAR:

• Read at least 37 books
• Read TMI series & PJO series
• Read a lot of the books on my bookshelf at home (it's overflowing with books I haven't read yet!)
• I need to read these.  I've been hearing good things about The Fault in Our Stars by John Green & Unwind by Neal Schusterman.  They happen to be on my school's "Read for a Lifetime" list.  It's a list of books that students can read throughout the school year, and if you read at least 4 of those books, you get entered to win prizes, even a nook (or kindle, I forgot which)!  Even though I already have a kindle.

Anyway, this is just a quick update on what's going on in my life and what I plan on reading.  I may or may not do a review for The Last Hope but if you haven't already, check out my review for The Truth About Forever if you have a chance! :)

Also, find me on goodreads!  (check my contact page)

Later in the week, maybe on Saturday, I will be posting my thoughts about the Catching Fire cast so far.  But let me just say, Sam Claflin is absolutely perfect for Finnick Odair.  I can't get over how gorgeous he is.  I mean, look at this:

I REST MY CASE.

Until then!

Top Ten Tuesday (2)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

So I've only had my blog for about a week, so there's not really much to put into a list...therefore, I am choosing a different (previous) topic to make up for it!

So the topic I will be using is "Top Ten Inspirational Characters in books"

1. Bethany Hamilton in her autobiography Soul Surfer.  She survived a shark attack while surfing, she lost an arm.  She was at her lowest point in life, but she got back on that surfboard, and became a pro-surfer, with only one arm.  Truly inspirational.

2. Neville Longbottom in The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.  At first he's awkward and seems week and fragile, but he ends up becoming one of the bravest characters in the series.

3. The Freedom Writers in The Freedom Writers Diary.  People thought that they wouldn't graduate, that they wouldn't live past the age of 14.  People thought they were a hopeless case.  That was until teacher, Erin Gruwell changed over 150 students lives and made them know that they were worth it, and that they could succeed.

4. Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins.  She volunteered for her sister and put her own life on the line.  She rebelled against the Capitol.  She's the Mockingjay.  ENOUGH SAID.

5. Anne Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank.  She was so brave.  She, as a Jew was the minority and she and her family hid in secret to protect themselves from the soldiers who would have taken them to a concentration camp.  Again, I'll say it:  she was so brave.

6. Stargirl in Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.  She was so awkward and different, but she didn't care what anyone thought of her.  She loved life and she loved the way she was.  And that was all that mattered to her, that she was happy and she made others happy.

7. Bailey in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares.  She had cancer, but she lived life as if she didn't.  Of course she cared that she had cancer, but she didn't let it drag her down.  She ended up finding a friend in Tibby, and she was happy.  Even with her cancer in the way.

8. Tris in Divergent series by Veronica Roth.  She was truly dauntless and she put others before herself, even though she put her own life in danger.  She wasn't afraid of anything (except for a few fears) & she showed no weakness.  Though she was vulnerable, she was absolutely brave.

9. Peter Pan in Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.  As a  boy who never grows up, he was full of life and love.  He  represents childhood and innocence.  With him, the adventure never ends.  (I felt so nostalgic reading it)

10. Percy in Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (preferably The Lightning Thief) by Rick Riordan.  There was no doubt that he was different, but his difference is what made him a brave, strong, and inspirational hero.  In the real world, it was hard to make friends.  But when he went to Camp Half-Blood, he was worth something.

How about you guys?

Book Review: The Truth About Forever

The Truth About Forever

by Sarah Dessen

 

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Release Date:  May 11, 2004

Pages: 374 (paperback)

Publisher:  Penguin Group Inc.

My Rating:  5/5

*NOTE* "The Review" & "Favorite Quotes" section may contain spoilers.  Read at your own risk.

Summary from Goodreads: 

a long, hot summer...

That's what Macy has to look forward to while her boyfriend, Jason, is away at Brain Camp. Days will be spent at a boring job in the library, evenings will be filled with vocabulary drills for the SATs, and spare time will be passed with her mother, the two of them sharing a silent grief at the traumatic loss of Macy's father.

But sometimes unexpected things can happen—things such as the catering job at Wish, with its fun-loving, chaotic crew. Or her sister's project of renovating the neglected beach house, awakening long-buried memories. Things such as meeting Wes, a boy with a past, a taste for Truth-telling, and an amazing artistic talent, the kind of boy who could turn any girl's world upside down. As Macy ventures out of her shell, she begins to wonder, Is it really better to be safe than sorry?

Quick Thoughts (for those who don't want any spoilers): 

At first when I started reading this, I wasn't sure how much I would have liked it. It seemed really slow in the beginning, but then it began to pick up. Then it came to the point where it was near impossible for me to put it down. I always get so sappy when it comes to romance, especially in books. I loved this book. It was such a page turner for me and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who's looking for a good romance novel.

The Review:

Well first off, the cover is really enticing and it's one of the many reasons I wanted to read this book.  The color scheme is just perfect.  I love it.  I feel like the beauty of this cover foreshadows the beautiful love story within the pages of the book.  Also a few of my friends had read it, and it seemed interesting to read.

I keep saying it all the time, I'm so incredibly sappy when it comes to romance.  The romance between Macy and Wes was beautiful.  Everytime I turned the page, I was waiting for something to happen.  A touch, a feeling, anything where Macy felt a connection when she was with Wes.  And I was really happy with what came about.  I feel like in almost every chapter after she meets Wes, she sees him everywhere, and she keeps getting a certain feeling around him.  Probably even more than she did when she was with Jason.  When Jason decided it was best that they take a break, of course I saw it coming, but it was just wrong the way he handled it and expected things to be better after the summer was over.  But Wes was always there for Macy.  He understood her past.  She understood his past.  They accepted each others past.  But they both never admitted to themselves or each other that they wanted to be with each other. 

I love how the game of Truth is put into the story.  It highlights what Macy and Wes have in common and their differences.  They both find out things they didn't know about each other, and probably even suprised themselves.  When they got stranded on the road and they started playing the game, and as the game continued throughout the book, my heart would not stop pounding.  It was one of the things that makes their relationship so unique, that they share something like that whenever they're alone.  I love how that game is what, in the end brought them together as a couple.  Again, predictable, but I'm glad it happened that way.  I wish there would've been a better close to the story after Wes and Macy kissed.  My goodness, I loved this part in the book when she discovers that Wes broke up with his girlfriend to be with Macy and she's running after him.  She asks to change the rules to Truth where she has to answer the question he didn't answer and she kissed him.  Though, I felt like it wasn't quite finished there.  I really hoped there had been more.  That's the only thing I was disappointed about.

In the book, there were other important characters that I feel brought the theme of the book to justice.  There were a lot of characters:  Macy, Wes, Bert, Kristy, Monica, Delia, Jason, Caroline, Amanda, Macy's mother.  Kristy and many of these characters highlight the theme of perfection.  Kristy was in an accident when she was younger and she lived her life with scars on her face.  And she also had to learn how to cope with being bald for part of her life.  At this point in time, Kristy has a full head of hair, scars on her face, and yet, she dresses like there's no tomorrow!  She doesn't let anybody's opinion of her get in the way of her being who she is.  She acts like it defines her.  It's like perfection has no meaning to her at all.  She loves the way she is.  And Caroline, her sister who's trying to pull the pieces of the family back together and she sees the brighter side of life.  She learned to get past her father's death, and she's trying to help Macy and their mother to get past it. Then there's Macy, who strives to please the people in her life.  People like her mother, Amanda, and Jason.  It was difficult for Macy to cope with her father's death at first, but it took a long time for her mother to deal with the idea.  She worked to get her mind off of things.  She didn't see the needs and wants of Macy and Caroline, as if she was blinded from what was going on.  Amanda, her co-worker at the library was simply a jerk.  Completely mean.  Macy tried to enjoy her job at the library and please her, but it was difficult, because she hated her.  Then there's Jason, who takes the break from the relationship because Macy didn't fit into his goals.  When she was with Jason, she probably felt like the perfect daughter/ girlfriend.  When he broke things off, and she met people like Wes, Delia, and Kristy, she changed, in a good way.  She realized there's no need to be perfect, as long as she's happy.

Favorite Quotes:

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Likes the quote "The choices you make now, the people you surround yourself with, they all have the potential to affect your life, even who you are, forever."

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“That was the thing. You just never knew. Forever was so many different things. It was always changing, it was what everything was really all about.”

“I don't get it,' Caroline said, bemused. 'She's the only one with wings. Why is that?'
There were so many questions in life. You couldn't ever have all the answers. But I knew this one.
It's so she can fly.'" 

“Wes wants to be with Macy. And Macy, whether she'll admit it or not, wants to be with Wes. And yet they're not together, which is not only unjust, but when you think about it, tragical!” 

^^^ 

(when I read this quote, I could feel my heart racing and my emotions of happiness, excitement, and longing just bursting.  I got a really bad case of the feels.)

OVERALL, this was a spectacular book.  I definitely recommend greatly.  I LOVED THIS BOOK.  Such a page turner and so many things.  I would probably say this qualifies as one of my favorite books.

Before I bore you with anything more, just one more thing..."Sawoon."

Thanks for reading!

Stacking the Shelves (1)

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

This is my first time doing this, so here's how I'll do it:  I'll have a book that I just read to give an update and I'll let you know if I'll be reviewing it.  Then I'll post books I've recently bought :)  And if I won any books, I'll put it down last, but I rarely join any giveaways or contests, so we'll see.

So this weekend, I didn't really have a chance to get any books because I was on a road trip and I tried to spend time reading the books. But last weekend, I went to the thrift store and ended up getting a few books :)

For Review:

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

I just finished reading this book which I got a couple weeks ago and I loved it.  I will be posting my review of it sometime today.

Bought:

Evermore - Alyson Noël, Savvy - Ingrid Law, Gregor the Overlander - Suzanne Collins

Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer, Lucky T - Kate Brian

 

I'm not sure when I'll be reading these, but I can't wait!  Until then!  Keep a look out for my upcoming reviews and updates.  Thanks for reading!

Feature & Follow (1)

Feature and Follow is hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read.  I'm excited, this is my first week doing this and I'm anxious to meet some new people!  I'm a new blog, so I'm pretty excited :)

Q: What blogger inspires you? It can be any kind, it doesn’t have to be a book blog.

One blogger that inspires me is actually a video book blogger on youtube, cassjaytuck.  She's very insightful when she does her book reviews and they're just wonderfully thought out.  She knows exactly what to say & is really careful with her words.  I just look up to her.  Book Nook Girl also inspires me.  A lot of you guys inspire me :)

Throwback Thursday (1): Into the Wild

Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by The Housework Can Wait and Never Too Fond of Books!

It’s the nature of book blogging to focus mainly on new releases, but there are thousands of great books out there that haven’t seen the “New Releases” shelf in years. We hope to be able to bring attention to some older titles that may not be at the top of the current bestseller list, but still deserve a spot in your To-Be-Read pile.

You don’t have to be a book blogger to participate! You can put up a Throwback Thursday post on your non-bookish blog, or if you don’t have a blog at all, just use the comments to tell us about a book you remember fondly.

Here’s how it works:

1. Pick any book released more than 5 years ago. Adult, YA, Children’s; doesn’t matter. Any book will do.
2. Write up a short summary of the book (include the title, author, and cover art) and an explanation of why you love it. Make sure to link back to The Housework Can Wait and Never Too Fond of Books in your post.
3. Link up your post at The Housework Can Wait or Never Too Fond of Books.
4. Visit as many blogs as you can, reminisce about books you loved, and discover some “new” books for your TBR list!

This week, (my starting week), I've decided to talk about one of my favorite series that I loved as a little 6th grader and I still can't get the series out of my mind.  It's something I just can't seem to let go.  I love the books and even though they were meant for children (8-12), I grew up with it and Ahhh, I still love it.

  Into the Wild (Warriors, #1) by Erin Hunter

Summary from Goodreads:  For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their warrior ancestors. But the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger, and the sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying-- and some deaths are more mysterious than others.

In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary house cat named Rusty... who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.

Why I love it:  Now, before you think, "Oh, a book about cats.  What do they mean by Clans?  What kind of nonsense is this?  Isn't this a childish book?", let me tell you guys what the book is to me.  It's a story about four different cat Clans living in the forest and Clans are like your family.  The Clan is first.  StarClan, the cat ancestors always have these different prophecies which sets up the main plot in the books, and there always happens to be a specific hero (a warrior of course) who saves the Clans.  These cats are called Warriors.  When I first read it, I was extremely confused about the names and how things in the Clan works, but after reading through it, I was able to get it.  And keep in mind, there's 6 books for each series of Warriors and 4 Warriors series, and everything is all connected.  It's like one of those tv shows where you need to start from the beginning to understand it. 

The series is just wonderfully made and even though it's about cats, well, it doesn't even matter to me.  This is the first book in the entire series and it's filled with adventure, romance, and everything in between.  I mean, sometimes I think to myself, "Why am I shipping cats together?"  But really, in the series, you hear the story from their point of view.  And it's like they're the humans, but they're not.  What I mean is, they have feelings as well and they have brains too. 

I just really love the series and I still fangirl slightly over it sometimes.  Even as a teenager, I'm still a child at heart :)  To me it's not just a children's book.


Question (IRRELEVANT):  How exactly do you position a picture?  For example, have the picture to the left of the screen, and everything else is shifted to the side?  I'm really new at this, and some help would be nice :)  By the way, thanks for reading!!!