Haunted Week: Day 8

October 31st - Beware of Book Review

To finish off a week of spook-tastic fun, review a scary story of your choice!
Boy how time flies! I can't believe it has already been a week, which means that today is the last day of Haunted Week =( Thanks so much to Cheyenne for putting this whole thing together!!!  It really was a blast!!  Okay, so I haven't read anything too scary lately but I didn't want to miss out on the last day of Haunted Week "Beware of Book Review," so I'm stretching the rules a little! 
The Raft is about a girl who's plane goes down over the ocean and she and one other survivor are stranded in the middle of the ocean on an inflatable raft. Not much else could be scarier than being stuck in the middle of the ocean, on a little raft, with sharks!!  You can check out my review in the post below =)

Book Review: The Raft by S.A. Bodeen

Title: The Raft

Author: S.A. Bodeen

# Of Pages: 240

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Publication Date: August 21, 2012

Source: Library

Level: Young Adult

Rating: 2 Hearts

Synopsis

(From Amazon.com)

Robie is an experienced traveler. She’s taken the flight from Honolulu to the Midway Atoll, a group of Pacific islands where her parents live, many times. When she has to get to Midway in a hurry after a visit with her aunt in Hawaii, she gets on the next cargo flight at the last minute. She knows the pilot, but on this flight, there’s a new co-pilot named Max. All systems are go until a storm hits during the flight. The only passenger, Robie doesn’t panic until the engine suddenly cuts out and Max shouts at her to put on a life jacket. They are over miles of Pacific Ocean. She sees Max struggle with a raft. 


And then . . . she’s in the water. Fighting for her life. Max pulls her onto the raft, and that’s when the real terror begins. They have no water. Their only food is a bag of Skittles. There are sharks. There is an island. But there’s no sign of help on the way.

My Verdict

My standards for this book were heightened by the fact that I just recently read Survive, which I loved and that was also about a girl who finds herself in a crazy life or death situation.

I found the main character, Robie, hard to care about, which isn’t good when you’re supposed to be rooting for her survival. She was immature, whiny, and selfish. When you’re stranded with another person fighting for survival wouldn’t you think it would bring the two of you together and you would take care of one another? Nope, that wasn’t the case. The only food on the Raft is a bag of Skittles but does Robie share them? NOPE. She eats them all while Max is sleeping, and later when she catches a fish once again she eats her share and leaves nothing for Max.

The “big plot twist” was easily guessed early on and when this “twist” was finally revealed at the end we are practically beaten over the head with it to make sure we fully comprehend what happened. This just frustrated me.

I did like that the ending wasn’t abrupt. It went further than just the conclusion of this horrible event, which I found very satisfying.

For a book where the main characters life hangs in the balance for most of the book it was way too easy to put down and forget about. I should have been enraptured in her fight for survival; instead I could’ve cared less.

Haunted Week: Day 7

October 30th - Written in the Tombstone

The epitaph is the inscription on a tombstone—you could say it's a person's last words. Today, quote the last line of five books. (No spoilers, please!)

" I love you. Remember. They cannot take it."

" It was a sign something exceptional was going to happen."

" This girl is starting now."

" Maybe I never was."

" And while Luce dreamed below of the most glorious wings unfurling--the likes of which she'd never seen before-- two angels in the rafters shook hands."

Do you think last lines are as important as first lines? 

What do you think of these last lines? 

Haunted Week: Day 6

October 29th - Tricked or Treated

Some books aren't at all what you expected—which can be good or bad. Today feature five books you read that were either a pleasant or nasty surprise.

Pleasant Surprise:

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

My first experience with fallen angel books wasn't a pleasant one so even though this series was on the New York Times Bestseller list I steered clear of them. Then one day I finally caved and decided to give it a try, and guess what? I LOVED IT!!

The Selection by Kiera Cass

I really knew nothing about this book going into it, except that it was dystopian, had a gorgeous cover, and there was a lot of hype about it in the blogosphere. 

I read it, I loved it, I can't wait for the next! 

Starters by Lissa Price

I had been seeing a lot of not so great reviews for this book, which dropped my expectations, but I still wanted to read it.  I'm so glad I did because I stinkin loved this book! 

Nasty Surprise:

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Gorgeous cover = lots of online hype.
This one just didn't live up to it for me. It was strange, Mara was crazy, there is random violence and Noah was a jerk.

Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols

Another book surrounded by a lot of hype (gorgeous covers tend to do that.) This didn't sound like my normal type of read but I wanted to read it anyways because everyone was talking about how much they liked it. I guess I should have stuck with my gut because this absolutely wasn't for me. The main character drove me crazy and the romance was just messed up.

What are some books that surprised you?

Haunted Week: Day 5

October 28th - It Came From the Web

You never know what's going to creep onto the web. Sometimes, however, you get a pleasant surprise. Today feature and link to five amazing book blogs you've found recently. 

1. Supernatural Snark

2. Forever 17 Books

3. Forever Literary

4. Late Nights With Good Books

5. Book Overdose

Have you discovered any book blogs lately?

Haunted Week: Day 4

October 27th - Back From The Grave
Get ready to dig up your past and bring some of your old friends back to life: Today feature five books you read and loved as a kid.

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR 

by Don and Audrey Wood

Just seeing the cover of this again makes me smile! I remember this was a book that my mom frequently read to me as a kid =) 

Small Fur by Irina Korshunow

I seriously used to return this book to the library, sit there and wait for them to re-shelf it and then check it out again! 

The Aunt Eater Mysteries by Dough Cushman

Another library favorite 

The Sword in the Tree by Clyde Robert Bulla

I honestly don't even remember what I loved about this book I just know that I LOVED it. 

 Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne
I still have the first fourteen books of this series on my shelf. I loved them so much as a kid I just can't bear to part with them. 

What were some of your favorite childhood books?

Haunted Week: Day 3

October 26th - Skeletons on My Bookshelf

Supposedly, everyone has a few skeletons in their closet—I think everyone has a few on their bookshelves, too. Today feature five books you've owned for a long time but never read.

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

I bought this book with a gift card I got for Christmas. It's practically Christmas again, and I haven't picked it up from the shelf even once. I almost forgot I had it. 

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

I honestly don't know what's wrong with me. I've heard nothing but AMAZING things about this set of books yet for some reason I still haven't read them!

The Arm of the Starfish by Madeleine L 'Engle

Another one that I bought with Christmas giftcards, and has been sitting on my shelf ever since.

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

I won this book from another blog over a year ago. I remember being so excited at the time but never actually got around to reading it...

Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay

Of all the verse novels I've read that aren't very well known, here is one that is wicked popular and I'm probably the only person left who hasn't read it. 

Have you read any of these books? 

If so which would you recommend I finally dust off and read?

Haunted Week: Day 2

October 25th - Bats in your Book Pages

Even the biggest book enthusiasts have some bats in their belfries about things in books that drive them insane. Today tell your readers about five things that drive you crazy in books.

When I first read todays topic of discussion I thought it was going to be hard for me to think of five things that drove me crazy, but once I started thinking I actually came up with a lot more than just five and had to cut my list down! 

So here are my top five pet peeves when it comes to books:

1. Profanity
When there are more swear words coming out of the characters mouths than anything else I usually stop reading. I just don't see the need for it. PG-13 movies only allow 1-2 F words before it becomes R, if books followed this same rule it would put a good chunk of YA books in the R rated category.

2. Explicit sexual content
I understand that this is young adult books we're talking about here, which are bound to contain sexual content on some level or another. I just don't want to read every excruciating detail of it.

3. Unnecessary Violence
I'm a pretty big wimp when it comes to blood and gore. Yes, I have read The Hunger Games (who hasn't?) And yes they were the most violent books I've ever read in my life. But violence was essential to the plot, without the violence there would have been no books. It's got to be essential to the plot line in some way, if it's just thrown into a story to make the readers squirm than I'm not going to put myself through it. 

4. Stereotyping
There nothing that disconnects me from a character more than stereotyping. I want the heroes and heroins of my books to be unique individuals whom I can relate with or look up to. I don't want some cookie cutter personality that I've read about a hundred times before. I find this happens most often with side characters, just because there not in the leading role doesn't mean they shouldn't be well rounded, and personable characters.

5. Insta-Love
I know I'm not alone on this one! Insta-Love seems to be one of the most loathed topics of YA right now. Almost any book review you read either says "No insta-love here" or "I really liked this book, except for the insta-love." Relationships take time, we want to see the characters slowly fall for each other not look into one another's eyes and head for the altar.

What is your biggest book pet peeve?

Haunted Week: Day 1

October 24th - Ghosts of Books Half-Read 

Ever had the feeling that someone was watching you? It just might the spirit of a book you haven't put to rest. Today feature five books you began but never finished. 

The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder

I hated the main character of this book within the first few pages. Her bucket list was full of not-so-nice things and her sarcasm drove me insane. After about 50 more pages of torture I decided it wasn't worth it. 

The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze

This was another one I gave up on fairly quickly. The writing just wasn't doing it for me, it felt hollow and lifeless. 

The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson

I felt like the writing of this was geared way more towards guy readers than girls. The way the main character described things that happened to him were like, "the commander in my head was screaming at the other technicians inside my body to repair the ripped tissue" it was weird to say the least.

Insanity by Lauren Hammond

I got sucked into this book because of the beautiful cover but let me tell you the inside is anything but beautiful. This "YA" was so sexually explicit it was ridiculous!  I've never felt so filthy while reading something in all my life. Once I stopped reading I wanted to burn my Kindle because it felt defiled.

You by Charles Benoit

The title says it all, this book was written in Second Person, where "You" become a part of the story.
This point of view is very uncommon in YA and I hadn't come across it before but it took only a short time for me to see why.

Have you read any of these books? Did you feel the same or differently? 

Let me know in the comments! 

Tune In Tuesday: Third Day

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly feature in which bloggers get to showcase another one of their loves, music! The feature is hosted by Ginger over at GReads! but until further notice you can find it over at Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands.

"Children of God"

by Third Day

I heard this song playing in the back of a promotional video for a charity and loved it. 

I searched some of the lyrics and found out it was "Children of God" by Third Day. I downloaded it yesterday and have been listening to it on repeat ever since. 

Learn more about Third Day:
Official Website
Youtube
Twitter
Facebook

Breathtaking Book Cover: My Life After Now

Todays Breathtaking Book Cover is...

My Life After Now

by

Jessica Verdi

Click image for Goodreads page.

Haunted Week: Announcement Post

Coming soon to a blog near you . . .

Starting this Wednesday, October 24th I'm going to be joining Cheyenne from {This Girl Reads} and countless others in Haunted Week. What is Haunted Week, you ask?

It is a week full of spook-tacular book topics to be discussed each day.
Here is the lineup:

October 24th - Ghosts of Books Half-Read 

Ever had the feeling that someone was watching you? It just might the spirit of a book you haven't put to rest. Today feature five books you began but never finished. 

October 25th - Bats in your Book Pages

Even the biggest book enthusiasts have some bats in their belfries about things in books that drive them insane. Today tell your readers about five things that drive you crazy in books.

October 26th - Skeletons on My Bookshelf

Supposedly, everyone has a few skeletons in their closet—I think everyone has a few on their bookshelves, too. Today feature five books you've owned for a long time but never read.

October 27th - Back From The Grave

Get ready to dig up your past and bring some of your old friends back to life: Today feature five books you read and loved as a kid.

October 28th - It Came From the Web

You never know what's going to creep onto the web. Sometimes, however, you get a pleasant surprise. Today feature and link to five amazing book blogs you've found recently. 

October 29th - Tricked or Treated

Some books aren't at all what you expected—which can be good or bad. Today feature five books you read that were either a pleasant or nasty surprise.

October 30th - Written in the Tombstone

The epitaph is the inscription on a tombstone—you could say it's a person's last words. Today, quote the last line of five books. (No spoilers, please!)

October 31st - Beware of Book Review

To finish off a week of spook-tastic fun, review a scary story of your choice!

Want to take part in Haunted Week? Just sign up @ {This Girl Reads}

Book Review: Tiger Lily by Jodie Lynn Anderson

Title: Tiger Lily

Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson

# Of Pages: 304

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: July 3, 2012

Source: Library

Level: Young Adult

Rating: 2 Hearts

Synopsis

(From Amazon.com)

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair . . .

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

My Verdict

As much as I like to think I enjoy fairy tale retellings, the truth is I’ve yet to really fall in love with any I’ve read so far. I guess it’s the idea of them I like the most.

Tiger Lily is a new twist on the classic tale of Peter Pan. I was excited for this story, as most re-tellings are of princess stories like Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast.

As someone who’s never actually read the original story, the only thing I have to go off of is the Disney movie =) As most of you probably know, Tiger Lily isn’t in that version of the story. While I was excited to read the story from a new point-of-view, I didn’t think I could actually hope for someone besides Wendy to end up with Peter, but by the end of it I did.

The story was told by Tinker-Bell as a sort of all-knowing Narrator. I haven’t read a book from the perspective of a narrator in awhile and I found it kind of awkward and distant. As much as I didn’t feel connected to Tiger Lily, I still found myself rooting for her and wanting things to work out with her and Peter, even though I knew they couldn’t.

I thought Neverland was supposed to be this wonderful place where kids never grew up, fairies went around sprinkling fairy dust, and mermaids occupied the lagoon. This version of Neverland, however, was painted a lot darker. It was a land that held many known and unknown dangers. Tiger Lily and her tribe were only allowed to go to certain parts of the island for the rest were deemed too dangerous, with unknown beasts lurking in the dark. They even made Peter out to be this horrible person that everyone should fear.

As for the characters, can I just say there were a lot of really crazy character names in this book?! Ex. Pine Sap, Moon Eye, Giant, Aunt Agda, Magnolia Bud.

• Tiger Lily was hard to understand at times, her actions were out of the blue and I wasn’t able to understand why she was doing what she was because we couldn’t get inside her head.

• Peter was very distant, I felt like we never got to see what he was really thinking or how he truly felt until the very end.

• Tik Tok (Tiger Lily’s father) was a character I felt was thrown into the mix just to add something mainstream to the story line. He wore dresses and took pride in doing up his hair in braids and other styles. It just didn’t seem to fit naturally with the story to me.

• Pine Sap was definitely my favorite character. He and Tiger Lily have been friends for years, and he would do anything for her. He endured so much from his family and tribe beating him down but he always put up with it unbelievably well and still remained so sweet.  I really wanted Tiger Lily to fall in love with him instead of Peter! (But I guess there would have been no story that way huh?)

Overall, Tiger Lily was a quirky, strange, yet entertaining read. 

Breathtaking Book Cover: The Reckoning

Todays Breathtaking Book Cover is...

The Reckoning

by

Alma Katsu

Click on the image to go to the books Goodreads page.

Author Interview: Lauren Morrill

Todays the final day of Meant To Be Weekend =( 

Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by over the course of the weekend.

I hope you've all enjoyed it as much as I have!

Here's how the weekend is going to go:

Friday: Author Mad Lib

Yesterday: Book Review

Today: Author Interview

Meant To Be is Lauren's first novel, which will be releasing on November 13th.

If her first novel is any indication of what's to come, Lauren is sure to have a long lasting career in YA.

Born Bookish: Who would play you in a movie?

I’m going to go with Kat Dennings, because she has the same gap in her front teeth as I do (just say no to braces, oh ye unique smiles of the world!)

Born Bookish: Your debut novel, Meant To Be, is due out in November. Is it hard to wait, knowing that it’s done but not available to readers for four more months?

OHMYGOSHYES. But I’ve learned that publishing is definitely a waiting game, and the sooner you can develop nerves of steel the better. It’s crazy, I’ve actually already turned in my second book, and I just got an email from my editor that the art department is working on the cover for it … and it won’t be out until early 2014!

Born Bookish: In your book, the main character, Julia, goes to London on a ten-day school trip. If you could spend ten days anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Ten days on a beach in Bali with a Kindle loaded up with books sounds like HEAVEN to me, but 10 days in France sounds pretty good, too … maybe a compromise? 10 days on a beach in France?

Born Bookish: The details of London were so rich, did you spend time there yourself or did you do an insane amount of book and internet research?

Believe it or not, I’ve never visited! I spent 10 days in Scotland for my honeymoon, so I had a bit of the UK feel, but for everything London I used an intricate Google map that I created for the book. I spent a lot of time on Google Street View, scouring historical maps, and flipping through travel books.

Born Bookish: Can you tell us a little bit about your writing process? Do you make yourself write a certain amount of words a day, etc.?

I am a champion procrastinator, so my writing process often involves going on serious writing binges where I crank out six or seven thousand words at a time. It can be painful, but it works! I wish I could be one of those writers who sits down and writes at least 1,000 words every day (My friend Kathryn Holmes, who is shopping her first YA novel, is like this, and I’m unendingly jealous of her discipline).

Born Bookish: Which character was easiest for you to write? Why?

Jason was easiest for me to write, because I liked him from the start. I liked that he was fun-loving and funny, clearly very smart, and yet had a lot of depth to him. Sometimes I loved to hate him (as Julia does!), but writing him was always fun for me.

Born Bookish: Do you find it hard to throw obstacles in your characters way or make life difficult for them?

Yes! I love my characters so much, and it pains me to see them hurt, or worse, embarrassed. But sometimes that’s the way the cookie crumbles, both in life and in stories.

Born Bookish: If you could choose any fictional character to come to life, who would it be?

Lola from Lola and the Boy Next Door. I want her to be my high school BFF, and I bet she’d be awesome to hang out with in her 20s, too!

Born Bookish: What is your favorite book of all time?

Just As Long As We’re Together by Judy Blume, followed closely by the Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty.

Born Bookish: And of course the question everyone wants to know… Twilight OR The Hunger Games?

Hunger Games, but if we’re being honest, HARRY POTTER!

Born Bookish: Do you have any new books in the works that you can tell us a little bit about?

I just turned in my second novel, and I haven’t been able to say much about it yet. It’s a standalone YA contemporary (no relation to Meant to Be), and I can give you an exclusive hint: It’s The Parent Trap meets The Cutting Edge. I love it so so so much and waiting a whole year for its release might just kill me!

Born Bookish: Here at Born Bookish I have a segment called Breathtaking Book Covers where I post the cover image of a book that I think is stunning. Is there a book cover that has ever taken your breath away? If so, what book?

I love quirky, unconventional covers. I think the cover for Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfeld is amazing (as was the novel!). The cover for The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith DEFINITELY made me pick it up (and I love that her follow-up cover is in the same vein.

 Thanks SO much for the interview Lauren!! I really enjoyed getting to know more about the brilliant mind behind Meant To Be! =D

Book Review: Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill

Welcome back to day two of Meant To Be Weekend!

Here's how the weekend is going to go:

Yesterday: Author Mad Lib

Today: Book Review

Tomorrow: Author Interview

I chose today for the book review because in exactly one month from today Meant To Be will officially be released into the world!

Title: Meant To Be

Author: Lauren Morrill

# Of Pages: 290

Publisher: Delacorte Books

Publication Date: November 13, 2012

Level: Young Adult
Source: Borrowed

Rating: 5 Hearts

Synopsis

(From Amazon.com)

Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question.

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").

But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.

Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.

My Verdict

Author Lauren Morrill bursts onto the contemporary YA scene with an unforgettable debut novel that will leave you begging for more.

Meant To Be is a lighthearted and humorous love story set against the beautiful backdrop of London. This was a read-in-one-sitting kind of book. I started it in the late afternoon and read until I could barely keep my eyes open, finishing at 1:15AM. It was THAT good!

I knew I was going to like this book as early as page 23. The writing style and main character’s voice was instantly likable and oh, so funny!

The chapter titles were really cute and under each one was a text message (texting plays a big role in this story).

The whole story takes place in the span of a 10-day school trip abroad to the city of London. The details of London were so vivid, and rich I loved reading about all the museums and places they visited for school. I mean who doesn’t want to visit London?!

The main character, Julia, is a rule follower. Her bag is full of travel guides marked with hundreds of color-coded sticky notes and her idea of fun is sitting home and reading Shakespeare. Julia was such a unique and totally awesome character! She may get made fun of for her obsessive organization and being a stickler for the rules but I found these things made me like her even more, maybe because I could relate. I would rather sit home and read than go out partying. My day planner is color coded, and I’m quite the rule follower myself.

As for the leading male, Jason, he’s loud, obnoxious, and a perpetual flirt. At first I really didn’t like Jason but soon enough I found myself falling for him just like Julia. He’s funny, adventurous, and even likeable one you get to know him.

In conclusion, this has been one of my favorite YA books of the year all time, and I recommend that everyone go out and get a copy right now! I've had my own copy pre-ordered since July, that's how good it is.