Personal Update :)

So yesterday was another orientation specific to med students, I got to see a couple of my friends from school, about 10 of my friends from various schools and summer courses were accepted (what can I say, its a small country :P) It was really fun! We got little folders with a vocab book with medical terminology and a little dangly thing that says "I'm a Dr." that you hang from the rearview mirror on a car (not that I have one, I'm hanging it on the wall facing my bed so I can stare at it before sleeping :P) I'm super excited!!!

We're a week into Ramadan, school starts a week after it ends so I'm anxiously awaiting that! I'm a nerd, yeah, but thats what 4 months of summer will do to you...we've been on vacation since the end of may and won't start school till the end of september :( too big of a gap.

Stanza for iphone is an app that lets you read your ebooks in various formats on you iphone or (as in my case) ipod touch. Most of the books I read are e-books simply because a) i'm not allowed to order books online and b) there is no other way to buy newly released books here other than online :( so I usually go for e-books wherever I can get them. I used to read them on my old PSP (years and years ago..ah, the memories), had a phase where I printed them out (4 pt font with 6 columns on landscape mode...teeny weeny font, but a whole novel on only 8 sheets of paper front and back!) Now I alternate between reading on my Blackberry and my ipod. I usually go for my BB because its easier, even though the font is horrific and the screen only fits four lines of text at a time because it was so time consuming just to upload books to my ipod and it was tricky trying to save your place if you took a break. With Stanza, however, its so much easier and more organized. You can adjust your viewing mode and change text size, screen brightness and background color with a tap of a fingertip! You can bookmark your favorite passages and annotate or comment, and even buy ebooks directly from the app! I just thought this app was awesome and wanted to share it with you guys :)

Also I've updated my shelfari to be read shelf because it had too many books that were unavailable in ebook format and are nigh on impossible for me to get in the foreseeable future :( oh, well.

On another completely unrelated note, I've been experimenting with skincare products this week, having a lot of fun :) I've always thought that I have oily skin but it turns out I have combination! Now that I know what type I am, its alot easier to get proper products and I've been getting clearer skin! Being as over-excitable as I am, I've overdone the scrubbing and soaps and now have (for the first time in my life, may I add) three dry spots on my face! But I've managed to get excited about that as well :P it beats having pimples!

Well thats all thats going on with me! Hope you guys have a great week end!

Ever yours~

The Know-it-all

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

I've been wanting to read this book for ages but I never got around to it until now and it did not dissapoint! I loved this book, and I know I would definitely re-read it. Its earned a place in my favorites :) here's a pic of the cover:

Blurb from GoodReads.com:

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

My Review:

Oh, my, god. This book was AMAZING. I really, really loved it. It did have a lot coincidental similarities with Twilight, but I think they were just that: coincidental, not intentional.

I loved the characters, Patch was HOT and mysterious and develops throughout the story, we get to know him really slowly and we don't know whether he's really a good guy or a bad guy until the end. He reminded me of a mixture of: Edward Cullen (mysterious, with superpowers) Fang (image of black clad winged teenager), Peeves (yeah, :P impish trickster), Rob Wilkinson from 1-800-WHERE-ARE-YOU (motorcycle, leather jacket wearing hottie) and lastly himself, he gives his own unique twist to the cliched role of non-human-hero.

Nora starts out hating Patch, but they grow closer very naturally, it didn't feel like she was crazily attracted to a bad guy who had the ability to kill her (*hint hint* Bella) No, Nora knew he was trouble and tried to avoid him in the beginning. She wasn't a perfect character, she had flaws and she acted like a normal person would. I didn't always like her, because she doubted herself a bit too much but she was okay over all.

I loved the plot, it was original and unique (it wasn't another book about vampires) and I was really pulled into the story. The first chapter or so sounded a bit forced but the rest of the book flowed nicely. It was surprising and a wonderful read in general. When I got to the end of the book I blinked and flipped the page, wishing there was more.

It did have quite a few similarities with Twilight, now I'm not sure which one came out first but it was still weirdly similar. Here's what I noticed (highlight to read, a little spoiler-ey): They were biology lab partners, there's a baseball scene, he reads minds. Also there was a point where it seemed like Vee, her best friend had turned on her. I don't consciously read a book, its more like I'm watching a movie in my head. So when I read too fast, I get mixed up which is why, at one point I honestly thought that Vee was the bad guy, until they used the word "he" to describe what the guy was doing. Then I went "huh?" and re-read :P

The Verdict:

I'd give this book 5 stars, its on my favorites and I would reread it. I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel (Crescendo, coming out october 14 2010) and I'm wishing for my very own Patch. Suffice it to say, I love this book :) I'd suggest it to anyone who likes romance or fantasy or action or drama because it has all that and more. There's another book which is supposed to be similar to this one called Fallen, they seem to be competing for the new Twilight of 2010 :P I'll probably check that out soon, for now I'm moving on to Graceling.

Ever yours~

The Know-it-all

Waiting On Wednesday

So for this week's waiting on wednesday I'm choosing:

Drumroll please...

Crescendo!

This is the sequel to Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick which I've only just finished reading but I'm already waiting for the next one. It was such an awesome book and I can't wait to see what happens to Patch and Nora in the next one :) It comes out on october 14 2010 and I am counting down the days eagerly!

Ever yours~

The Know-it-all

BookSneeze?

While I was hopping away last friday I saw a little bumper sticker thing in the sidebar of one of the blogs I visited, it looked pretty cool so I clicked. It turned out to be about this website for book bloggers where they give you free books just so you'll review them! I think this is really cool, not sure exactly how it works yet but I'm interested. Lol, I havent done that many reviews yet so I think I'll wait till I have a little collection of book reviews to call my own before signing up. I'm starting "Graceling" which is supposed to be a really great novel. Its part of a series as I understand it but I'm not sure how many books are in the series. Seems like just the kind of book I'd love! I'm pretty optimistic about my review of this one! Posting Hush, Hush review tomorrow, hopefully so look out for that :)

Also, I added a little countdown (at the bottom of the page) for the release of Mockingjay thanks to the lovely Len of Musings of a Reader Happy so thanks! :)

August is passing by so quickly don;t you think? I mean it seems like it only just started! Only 7 days left till Mockingjay is out! Can't wait!