tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63763304932446747932024-03-14T14:40:50.651+03:00The Know-it-allI love to read, write,and (according to more people than I can count) am a smart alec, sassy, know-it-all and I'm here to tell you all about my adventures.The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-16853771912885461142014-07-20T19:00:00.000+03:002014-07-23T01:16:05.885+03:00Attachments<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1398982892l/8909152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1398982892l/8909152.jpg" width="213"></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<b><br></b></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>Blurb from Goodreads.com:</b><br>
<br></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . . "</span><br>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.</span><br>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.</span><br>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.</span><br>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.</span><br>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">What would he say . . . ?</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>My Review:</b></div>
<div class="p2">
<br></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> I absolutely loved this novel. It's perfectly balanced in every way, with just the right amount of realism to make it unpredictable and not cheesy, without being depressingly realistic. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> There weren't any annoying sentences where the grammar hurts your eyes. The conversations between Jennifer and Beth are so fun to read, they're funny and don't take themselves too seriously.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> I honestly don't know how to write a review that will give this book the credit it deserves without sounding like an advertisement. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> In short, it's a cute story that I think most people would enjoy, no sensitive subjects, really universal themes, great mixture of comedy, drama, and romance.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br></span></div>
<div class="p1">
Ever Yours~</div>
<div class="p2">
<br></div>
<br>
<div class="p1">
The Know-it-all</div>
</div>
The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-90326691332756440872014-07-19T12:43:00.002+03:002014-07-19T12:43:19.004+03:00Before I Go To Sleep<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358353512l/9736930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358353512l/9736930.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>Blurb from Goodreads.com:</b><br />
<br />
</div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">'As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I'm still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me...' </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love — all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Welcome to Christine's life.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br />
<b>My Review:</b><br />
</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Completely addictive, I just couldn't put it down. While I liked the idea and the writing style, there were too many loose ends that so conveniently tied together at the end that it didn't feel possible. I followed the story's timeline well enough, but I've heard many people complain that when the timeline slows down suddenly towards the last third of the book, it felt a bit jarring, especially since it's written in exactly the same style (like a journal entry), with no change to indicate that this is present day and not her actual journal. I did enjoy the novel, it really sucked me in and that hasn't happened to me to this degree with many books. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">But I also found that there were a lot of points that were completely unbelievable and they were kind of stuck in the back of my mind while I was reading, accumulating towards the end of the story, so the ending just didn't click.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I've written out a list of the things I didn't like. This isn't a summary+commentary, it's a randomly arranged list of things that I didn't like in the novel. If you haven't read the book and are still willing to risk the spoilers, chances are the following won't make much sense anyways, as I haven't written any sort of intro/summary/character list.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<b><i><u><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">B</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">e warned, spoilers ahead!</span></u></i></b></div>
<div class="p2">
<b><i><u><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /></u></i></b><span class="spoilerContainer" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><b>1. </b>Yes, her husband and son couldn't be expected to visit her regularly if it disturbs her and she can't remember them, but they can call the administration every once in a while to check that she's doing okay. Four whole months she was missing and none of her family or friends noticed?<br /><br /><br /><b>2. </b>The care house she was in discharged her (an amnesiac with no way of caring for herself) to a man who claimed to be her husband, without making sure it was actually him? And I don't buy the b.s. that she was found to be independent enough to check herself out, I mean, come tomorrow morning she isn't going to remember her own name, let alone where her home is, how she's going to eat etc. Also I'm assuming that there was some kind of contact info for the real Ben (or maybe Adam) in her file before Mike the impostor came around. Even if Mike told them that the information was outdated, wouldn't they call the old number to confirm it or something? Multiple holes in this part of the story,<br /><br /><br /><b>3.</b> Christine figures out that her husband is lying to her, about herself, about her condition, about her son, her best friend, everything, he is a known liar. She is in a vulnerable, dependent position with a man she knows lies to her regularly, why didn't she have Dr.Nash or Claire with her when she confronted him about it? She remember's Claire, she remembers how close they were, why doesn't she have some kind of backup, I mean she's suspicious enough, why not be safe too? Maybe I'm being too harsh on her, but she seemed smart enough once she calmed down about the amnesia and read her journal, she could function as though she had a normal memory.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><b>4.</b> The ending annoyed me. </span><span class="spoilerContainer" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">After all that reading, we don't even know if she actually made any progress or if the journal only made it seem like she did. We don't know what she was like before she started the journal, maybe she's always had the flashbacks but didn't have any way of linking them day to day. Arghh...I just feel like we deserved a more concrete ending after the rollercoaster of the book.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="spoilerContainer" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="spoilerContainer" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><u><b>All in all, I would recommend it to anyone who likes suspense and mystery, as this is hands-down the best mystery/thriller book I've ever read. </b></u></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Ever Yours~</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
The Know-it-all</div>
</div>
The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-82912116440466834952014-07-19T12:24:00.001+03:002014-09-19T11:26:24.370+03:00Everything and the Moon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327514751l/110390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327514751l/110390.jpg" width="196"></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<b><br></b></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>Blurb from Goodreads.com:</b><br>
<br>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><em>Seven years ago she broke his heart...</em> </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">When Robert Kemble stumbles across Victoria Lyndon in hedgerow maze, he can't believe his eyes. The girl who'd torn him in two, who let him plan on elopement and then left him standing by the side of the road, was suddenly within arm's reach, and even though his fury still knew no bounds, she was impossible to resist...</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><em>Seven years ago he left her all but ruined...</em> </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Victoria's father had told her an earl would never marry a vicar's daughter, and he was right. Robert had promised her marriage, then danced off to London while she suffered the shame of a foiled elopement. But even though Victoria doesn't particularly enjoy her new life as a governess, when Robert offers her a job of a different sort—his mistress—she refuses, unable to sacrifice her honor, even for him.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">But Robert won't take no for an answer, and he vows to make her his, through any means possible. Can these star-crossed lovers learn to trust again? And is love really sweeter the second time around?</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br>
<b>My Review:</b><br>
</div>
<div class="p2">
<br></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">The first 1/3 of the book really annoyed me, I agreed with Victoria's father wholeheartedly, stay the hell away from the rich dude who only meets with you in the middle of the night, he obviously doesn't have the best of intentions. In the "7-years-later" part it felt like I was reading about two totally different characters who just happened to have the same names as those in the beginning of the book, these characters were a lot less idiotic, but over time became equally annoying. The book did have some redeeming qualities, I enjoyed the banter between the h/H, I liked Ellie's sister...yeah that's basically it.</span></div><div class="p2"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br></span></div><div class="p2"><font color="#181818" face="Georgia, serif"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I wouldn't recommend this book to most of my friends, it was basically the story of a stupid girl who risked her reputation and future happiness on a spoiled rich guy. Sure, in the end it sort of paid off, but taking that risk in the first place was on a plane of idiocy all on it's own. I can't enjoy a book very much if I'm constantly disgusted by the characters.</span></font></div><div class="p2"><font color="#181818" face="Georgia, serif"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br></span></font></div>
<div class="p1">
Ever Yours~</div>
<div class="p2">
<br></div>
<br>
<div class="p1">
The Know-it-all</div>
</div>
The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-61447703381221673872014-07-19T12:11:00.002+03:002014-07-19T12:11:25.024+03:00Rakes and Radishes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1282036278l/8888539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1282036278l/8888539.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Blurb from Goodreads.com:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">When Henrietta Watson learns that the man she loves plans to marry London's most beautiful and fashionable debutante, she plots to win him back. She'll give him some competition by transforming her boring bumpkin neighbor, the Earl of Kesseley, into a rakish gothic hero worthy of this Season's Diamond.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">After years of unrequited love for Henrietta, Kesseley is resigned to go along with her plan and woo himself a willing bride. But once in London, everything changes. Kesseley--long more concerned with his land than his title--discovers that he's interested in sowing wild oats as well as radishes. And Henrietta realizes that gothic heroes don't make ideal husbands. Despite an explosive kiss that opens her eyes to the love that's been in front of her all along, Henrietta must face the possibility that Kesseley is no longer looking to marry at all...</span><br />
<br />
<b>My Review:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Good God! All of the characters (the secondary one's too) were annoying, the story moved along at a snail's pace, the interactions between the hero and heroine were stilted and unnatural. They're "best friends" with no apparent adult supervision throughout their friendship and yet they're about as familiar with each other as strangers. I just can't explain how much I disliked this book, might as well be titled "A Tale of Selfish Idiots and Whiney Fools". All the characters took turns either pining after someone, or being a reluctant pinee (seriously, Henrietta/Kesseley, Kesseley's mom/Lord Damien, Sara/Edward/Lady whatsherface...e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e.). They also all realized that they didn't know who they wanted, trading partners like pokemon cards. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">This opinion was formed completely disregarding the fact that I had to read the entire novel in a state of suspended disbelief, seeing as nothing that happened in the novel could possibly have happened in real life. No young, proper girl's parent's are going to let her romp around with a young man with no supervision all the time, no earl's parent's would let him spend all of his time with people of no social standing, no proper unmarried young woman would be allowed into a gaming hell, no Duke would beg a random gentleman he's only just met to marry his beautiful daughter who has no lack of suitors, etc. I could go on but won't, as it would be a waste of time...</span><br />
<br />
Ever Yours~<br />
<br />
The Know-it-all</div>
The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-10706952144445183422014-07-19T12:11:00.001+03:002014-07-19T12:11:06.310+03:00The Boy Who Sneaks in My Bedroom Window<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1398682775l/13628209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1398682775l/13628209.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Blurb from Goodreads.com:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Amber Walker and her older brother, Jake, have an abusive father. One night her brother's best friend, Liam, sees her crying and climbs through her bedroom window to comfort her. That one action sparks a love/hate relationship that spans over the next eight years. Liam is now a confident, flirty player who has never had a girlfriend before. Amber is still emotionally scarred from the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father. Together they make an unlikely pair. Their relationship has always been a rocky one, but what happens when Amber starts to view her brother's best friend a little differently? And how will her brother, who has always been a little overprotective, react when he finds out that the pair are growing closer? Find out in The Boy Who Sneaks In My Bedroom Window.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">My Review:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I don't think I've had this many issues with one book before. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">First off, the grammar was <b><i><u>atrocious.</u></i></b> Seriously, subject verb agreement errors? Was there no editing/proof-reading at all? I know some people don't care about grammar as much as the actual plot, but to me, if this book is being sold for actual money, I expect it to be edited well. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I didn't like Amber...like, at all. She came off as a supercilious, judgemental bitch 90% of the time, and a clueless airhead the other 10%. She is also the epitome of a Mary-Sue character, pretty but she doesn't think she is, "A" student, athletic, perfect body, no parental supervision whatsoever, the list goes on and on. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Liam is basically Amber's boy-toy/slave, he sleeps in her bed </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><u>every. single. night. for 8 years</u> </strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">to stop her from having nightmares, he makes her breakfast every morning, he drives her around, tells her she's the most beautiful girl in existence, but all this means absolutely nothing to Amber, because she </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">hates</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> "man-whore" Liam. This same "player" sleeps in </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">her</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> bed every night, not random girls' beds, but he's still a player somehow.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">The whole sexual abuse aspect of the story seems like it was added for the sole purpose of reeling people in when they read the blurb on the back of the book. Amber </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">says</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> she's traumatised but shows absolutely no sign of being so. She sleeps with a guy in her bed every night, cuddling up to him and his ever-present boner, has no problem at all with sitting around in her bra and</span><u style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">thong</u><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> in front of him (this was before they were together), has no issues with constantly making-out-with/dry humping him. Unless of course she remembers that she was molested as a child and puts a stop to the making-out/humping sessions. This happened twice in the entire novel, without any kind of conversation afterwards or progress or even an acknowledgement by Amber that she should see a psychiatrist and deal with her issues, or even that she has issues.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">There were too many misogynistic words/phrases thrown into the dialogue carelessly by the characters. I think one of the worst moments for me was when Liam, the guy who supposedly loves and respects Amber says "don't you worry your pretty little head", like in a serious tone, not being sarcastic, and she just accepts it.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">There were too many variations of "ho/whore/slut" used to describe basically all the females in the book...I don't think even one female character escaped unscathed.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Did I mention the complete and utter lack of parental supervision throughout the novel? They may as well have been college students, living on their own like that. I honestly don't understand why they had to be high school age if they didn't act at all like high school kids. No high school kids live with that little parental influence. No school would allow students to ditch that often without so much as calling a parent. Everything that happened at school sounded like it could have happened at the mall, there were no references to actual classes or actual teachers so much as the cafeteria and everyone ogling/fighting over/betting on the hot guys on campus. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Another thing I don't get is the mother, if she was abused by her husband for years and is basically cowering in fear every time he sets foot in the house, and then she is freed, he's gone, why didn't she report her husband to the police? Get a restraining order while she can without the threat of violence hanging over her head? No, she decided to get a job that keeps her out of town for 3 weeks per month, leaving her (then 15 and 13 y/o) teenagers alone at home for 3 week stretches while their abusive angry MIA father is on the loose. Totally rational.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Then there's the fact that the abusive (alcoholic?) father was</span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">chased out of</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> his home by a pair of 15 year old boys...I'm sorry, but I can't see that happening, ever.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Also, Liam and Jake are both supermodel-athlete good looking and have hordes of admiring female fans who follow them around because, being female, teenage, secondary characters, what else would they do at school? What do you mean attend classes? There are classes in high school you say? and teachers too? no way! </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Lastly, there were the completely random story arcs that didn't contribute a thing to the novel, except maybe to make it seem longer and more complicated. The whole pregnancy thing felt so out of place...like the author was planning on ending the book with a HEA+baby and changed her mind but decided to keep the chapters in there anyways. The Kate/Johnny/Jake love triangle-ish thing was distracting and ended up fizzling out. Multiple male characters waltz into the story, attempt to maul Amber, get intimidated/beaten up by Liam and waltz right back out. It just feels like a bunch of random things stuffed into the novel that don't get elaborated on and just exist to add to the word count.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">The only redeeming factor in the entire novel</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> is "night Liam", which is how Amber refers to Liam when he's being sweet and not a jerk, and the one star is for his sake alone. I'm using the term to refer collectively to all the cute things Liam does throughout the book. I can't honestly say that I liked Liam as a character because the author couldn't seem to make up her mind about his personality and he ended up coming across as having multiple personality disorder. One minute he's an absolute ass and the next he's comforting Amber.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px;">
Ever Yours~</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px;">
The Know-it-all</div>
</div>
The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-35412985695319286882014-07-19T12:09:00.003+03:002014-07-24T14:10:12.400+03:00Cry Wolf<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1310494063l/2355575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1310494063l/2355575.jpg" width="199"></a></div>
<div class="p1">
<b><br></b></div>
<div class="p1">
<b>Blurb from Goodreads.com:</b><br>
<br>
</div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Anna never knew werewolves existed, until the night she survived a violent attack... and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she'd learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. Then Charles Cornick, the enforcer—and son—of the leader of the North American werewolves, came into her life.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Charles insists that not only is Anna his mate, but she is also a rare and valued Omega wolf. And it is Anna's inner strength and calming presence that will prove invaluable as she and Charles go on the hunt in search of a rogue werewolf—a creature bound in magic so dark that it could threaten all of the pack.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br>
<b>My Review:</b><br>
</div>
<div class="p2">
<br></div>
<div class="p2">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I don't know if I missed something, maybe the prequel was essential to the storyline or something, but it felt like I was reading a sequel, not the first book. The story starts off suddenly, and picks up after a conflict, I felt like the past deserved to be told as a separate novel/separate preceding chapters. It was a bit jarring to start off with interactions between two characters who aren't really introduced. The first few chapters especially felt like I'd opened a book in the middle without reading the first half.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">The story itself really sucked me in, the characters are very likeable, the writing is really good and the history and world setting were wonderfully described. The only thing that really bothered me was the abrupt start, which doesn't really matter, I suppose, as the story goes on and things become clearer. But even when the book ends, there are still quite a few things that were left unsaid about the past.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Some of the <u><b><i>specific</i></b></u> (<b><i><u>Read: SPOILERY</u></i></b>) things that annoyed me:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span class="spoilerContainer" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><b><i><u><spoiler></u></i></b><br><div style="text-align: left; direction: ltr;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">-There is no real "flashback" about how Charles found out about Leo the abusive alpha after years of Leo going undetected.</span></div><div style="text-align: left; direction: ltr;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">-The entire past was kind of mentioned in passing but not in detail in one go, which kind of annoyed me, you have to piece together the shreds of information as you get them.</span></div><div style="text-align: left; direction: ltr;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">-We don't find out why their mating wasn't complete after sex and suddenly becomes complete after fighting the witch.</span></div><div style="text-align: left; direction: ltr;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">-Asil never tells Charles the stuff about being mated with an omega like he was planning to.</span></div><div style="text-align: left; direction: ltr;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">-It bugged me that Anna seeing her family again was mentioned so casually, I mean give it a proper scene with dialogue, the poor girl hasn't talked to them in 3 years!</span></div><div style="text-align: left; direction: ltr;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">-Basically the entire book was jarring, you're dropped in the middle of a story, no gradual introduction to the setting/characters, then you follow them around for what is essentially a single event (witch hunt) and *poof* door slams shut in your face. Any history you've managed to glean during your short stay with the characters is obtained purely by chance. If someone thinks about the past, you hear about it, otherwise you're kind of left in the dark.</span></div></span></div><div class="p2"><span class="spoilerContainer" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><b><i><u></spoiler></u></i></b></span></div><div class="p2"><span class="spoilerContainer" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br></span></div><div class="p2"><font color="#181818" face="Georgia, serif"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">All in all, I enjoyed this enough to read the prequel and sequel. The world-building is amazing enough that I added the author's other series set in the same world (the Mercy Thompson series) to my TBR list.</span></font></div>
<div class="p2">
<br></div>
<div class="p1">
Ever Yours~</div>
<div class="p2">
<br></div>
<br>
<div class="p1">
The Know-it-all</div>
</div>
The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-43021178917413888722014-07-19T12:08:00.000+03:002014-09-19T11:19:59.191+03:00Tall, Tatted, Tempting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1371580822l/18089551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1371580822l/18089551.jpg" width="213"></a></div>
<br>
<div class="p1">
<b>Blurb from Goodreads.com:</b><br>
<br>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">She’s locked up tight. But he might be the key.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Logan Reed is tall, tatted and tempting. Kit’s a woman with a mean right hook and a secret.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Kit wants a tattoo, but Logan sees more than she intends to share in the drawing of the tat she wants. He sees her in ways no one ever has.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Logan’s not disabled; but he hasn’t spoken in eight years. He hasn’t needed to. Until he meets Kit.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Logan doesn’t know everything about Kit. Kit doesn’t know anything about herself, until she has to sacrifice all she ever wanted to save what’s most important to him.</span><br><br>
<b>My Review:</b><br></div><div class="p1"><b><br></b></div><div class="p1"><b>WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!</b></div><div class="p1"><b><br></b></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">This book had the most anti-climactic, sudden ending I've ever seen. The buildup was enjoyable, but the ending was very underwhelming. So many annoying eye-roll moments, unrealistic plot points and magical solutions to unsolvable problems.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span class="spoilerContainer" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Kit annoyed the hell out of me, she was such a drama queen/martyr. Ok, you're homeless, you're scared of going home with this guy because you don't know what he expects in return. He hauls you over his shoulder, your response? Well I may as well just hang here like a sack of potatoes because he's deaf and wouldn't hear my protests. I can't argue with such faultless logic.<br><br>She mentioned that she's been away from home for "so long now" that she couldn't imagine going back? Imagine my surprise when her mother says it's been 6 months...that isn't a "long time" for a 19 year old to have run away for. I also don't get why she didn't just get a job at McDonalds or something and rent somewhere...why this absolute shutdown? Either I go to Juilliard or I'm homeless? There's no middle ground? Also she's a rich kid with her own trust fund etc. why not plan your escape more carefully? Withdraw enough money to keep you afloat, keep in with you in cash, that would still be untraceable to her father, but at least she'd be safe. If she's defiantly trying to prove to her family that she isn't stupid and that she's responsible enough to make her own decisions, this isn't exactly going to help her case. Endangering yourself when you have every opportunity to plan ahead and NOT put your safety at risk is stupid.<br><br>With the amount of worrying she does about people finding out about her true identity, I thought her dad was in the mafia or something. If her identity was such a secret, how did Paul know she was rich in the first chapter? "not one of us" and all that?<br><br>Also, Matt has cancer. Second round of chemo, he collapses, the doctor's say it's only a matter of time. But oh! Wait, there's this new magical treatment that can help an end-stage cancer patient and has a super high success rate! What mystical witchcraft is this? It's true, but it's expensive and will cost "hundreds of thousands of dollars". Yeahh..no. Such a hurried "perfect" solution, where nobody actually sacrifices/pays/learns anything screams of an impending deadline set by the publisher.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">That being said, this is still a perfectly acceptable fluff book. You know the kind, mood boosting light reading material.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br></div>
<div class="p1">
Ever Yours~</div>
<div class="p2">
<br></div>
<br>
<div class="p1">
The Know-it-all</div>
</div>
The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-83463438699963352692014-07-19T11:55:00.004+03:002014-07-19T11:55:51.036+03:00The Duke is Mine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1318293689l/9521508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1318293689l/9521508.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Blurb from Goodreads.com:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Tarquin, the powerful Duke of Sconce, knows perfectly well that the decorous and fashionably slender Georgiana Lytton will make him a proper duchess. So why can't he stop thinking about her twin sister, the curvy, headstrong, and altogether unconventional Olivia? Not only is Olivia betrothed to another man, but their improper, albeit intoxicating, flirtation makes her unsuitability all the more clear.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Determined to make a perfect match, he methodically cuts Olivia from his thoughts, allowing logic and duty to triumph over passion…Until, in his darkest hour, Quin begins to question whether perfection has anything to do with love.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">To win Olivia's hand he would have to give up all the beliefs he holds most dear, and surrender heart, body and soul…</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Unless it's already too late.</span><br />
<br />
<b>My Review:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="color: #181818;"> This is the third book in Eloisa James' Fairy Tales series, which is one of the better historical romance series around. I'd definitely recommend the series as a whole for people who enjoy historical romance as E.J. is, in my opinion, one of the best authors in this genre. In general, I enjoyed this book, probably more than I enjoy the average historical romance because of the polished writing style and the wry humour, which, despite my less than stellar review to come, I did appreciate. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="color: #181818;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="color: #181818;"> This book is all over the place, the author has a few witty phrases and clever ideas that she wanted to write into a book, so she smushed them all together into this one. Yeah, individually they were funny/entertaining/dramatic/good, but all in one book...can you say multiple personality disorder? So let's stuff a disabled character (who is first made fun of, then pitied, then taken advantage of, (highlight to see spoiler) </span><span style="color: white;">then killed,</span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="color: white;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">a "perfect" twin sister, a duchess exam type thing (princess and the pea element), Justin Bieber, dead loved ones (you have to give the characters baggage!), physical insecurities, Asperger's?, and top it off with a mission impossible-esque finale. Just...no. I thought there were just too many sardonic inside jokes (multiple Justin Bieber references for one thing) that distracted me from the main plot. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> Personally, historical fiction is my choice of escapism in literature, the lack of modern anything is one of the aspects that I enjoy because I can pretend that real life doesn't exist beyond the pages that I'm reading.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Ever Yours~</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">The Know-it-all</span><br />
<br /></div>
The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-77995786474947683632013-02-08T17:57:00.000+03:002013-02-08T17:57:37.322+03:00The Demon Lover<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1336505484l/11436723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1336505484l/11436723.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Thank you Netgalley for giving me an eArc of this book :)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Blurb from Goodreads.com:</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Since accepting a teaching position at remote Fairwick College in upstate New York, Callie McFay has experienced the same disturbingly erotic dream every night: A mist enters her bedroom, then takes the shape of a virile, seductive stranger who proceeds to ravish her in the most toe-curling, wholly satisfying ways possible. Perhaps these dreams are the result of her having written the bestselling book </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The Sex Lives of Demon Lovers</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">. Callie’s lifelong passion is the intersection of lurid fairy tales and Gothic literature—which is why she’s found herself at Fairwick’s renowned folklore department, living in a once-stately Victorian house that, at first sight, seemed to call her name.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But Callie soon realizes that her dreams are alarmingly real. She has a demon lover—an incubus—and he will seduce her, pleasure her, and eventually suck the very life from her. Then Callie makes another startling discovery: Her incubus is not the only mythical creature in Fairwick. As the tenured witches of the college and the resident fairies in the surrounding woods prepare to cast out the demon, Callie must accomplish something infinitely more difficult—banishing this supernatural lover from her heart.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><b>My Review:</b></span></div>
<div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I liked this book, but I wasn't blown away by it.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The protagonist, Callie, had an interesting background story, but didn't really feel fleshed out to me. She described her past and her family/bf with a kind of surgical indifference, like she was retelling a story of someone else's life, not her own. SPOILER, HIGHLIGHT TO VIEW <span class="s1"><span style="color: white;">When she discovers that she's a witch/faerie, she takes the news in stride, no big reaction, no doubts, nothing.</span> </span> I honestly cannot understand what is going on in that girl's mind, first she wants a fancy NYC career, then, unexpectedly decides to buy a house in the middle of nowhere. My main issue is basically that Callie's actions were not well explained, unless everything she did was based purely on instinct and had no logical thought process behind it.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The setting was beautifully described and I could see it clearly in my mind's eye. Fairwick was described in detail, the architecture and the landscape, everything was clear and I loved it. We get a bit of an intro into the fantasy side of their world when Callie does, but the dean is a bit absentminded/busy/tired and doesn't give Callie/the reader the entire story, which was disappointing plot-wise and kept nagging at me throughout the book (you don't know what you're doing Callie!!!) </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s3">I liked the phantom-prince character at the beginning of the book a lot, a shadowy knight in shining armor who comforts Callie in her time of need. When his motives became clearer though, I started to have second thoughts...SPOILER HIGHLIGHT TO VIEW </span><span style="color: white;">especially later on in the book when it's revealed that he betrays a previous incarnation of Callie to be with the faerie queen, and comes back anyways to try and suck the life of present Callie..knowingly! %$&*!$%^.</span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s4"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s3">The most interesting part of the book is the Faerie world, I'm intrigued by what we hear about it (very very little) and want to know more. So many questions! SPOILER HIGHLIGHT TO VIEW </span><span style="color: white;">Are the borderlands on the faerie side or the earth side of the door? Why are stuff stuck there? Can't they just go back to Faerie once they see that they can't get through to earth? Where is Liam and can/will Callie set him free? (I don't think he deserves it, but if he makes her happy, SHE deserves it)</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I will definitely be reading the sequel to hear more about Faerie and the borderlands.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px;">
Ever Yours~</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px;">
The Know-it-all</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-7688444892237255972013-02-05T21:49:00.003+03:002013-02-05T21:52:32.189+03:00Destroy Me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340398466l/13623150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340398466l/13623150.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Since this is only a novella between two books, I don't have much to say, but what I do have to say affected my opinion of the series as a whole.</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<b>Blurb from Goodreads.com:</b><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Perfect for the fans of </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Shatter Me</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> who are desperately awaiting the release of </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Unravel Me</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, this novella-length digital original will bridge the gap between these two novels from the perspective of the villain we all love to hate, Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In Tahereh Mafi’s </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Shatter Me</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Destroy Me</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Set after </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Shatter Me</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> and before its forthcoming sequel, </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Unravel Me</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">,</span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Destroy Me</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><b>My Review:</b></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">This really helped with the problems I found in the first book, it was a peek into their world in a way that we hadn't had in Shatter Me, and it clarified a lot. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">It really changed my mind about Warner, the kind of 180 degree turn that rarely happens with me. Mafi managed to completely revise my opinion on a character I thought I knew, without changing who that character was..I could see this new side of Warner in the old Warner that I knew, and it helped me understand the character better.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I'm impressed with the author even more than I'd been after reading Shatter Me and I can't wait to read the sequel.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px;">
Ever Yours~</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px;">
The Know-it-all</div>
<br /></div>
</div>
The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-78960689613269617402013-02-05T21:44:00.000+03:002013-02-05T21:52:39.740+03:00Shatter Me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1310649047l/10429045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1310649047l/10429045.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of my friends recommended this book to me, I'm so glad that she did :)</div>
<br />
<b>Blurb from Goodreads.com:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war– and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>
<b>My Review:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I loved the idea, loved the writing style too, very descriptive. Juliette is a bit...extreme..in her diary entries at the beginning of the book, but gets better, more coherent, soon after. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I didn't like that everything was so vague for a good-sized portion of the book. I didn't understand much about the world Juliette was living in because Juliette was going crazy and didn't tell me anything that wasn't completely vague and meaningless. Don't get me wrong, the writing itself was beautiful, but those first few chapters didn't contribute to the story very much in my opinion, just gave me a basic idea of Juliette's current mental health.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Mafi is really gifted at prose, she strings sentences together that I end up wanting to take a picture of. Seriously, or is just me who want's to clap when I read a perfectly formed sentence that manages to transmit an idea so accurately and eloquently? I love love love her writing style, but the story itself was too murky and confusing for me. I like the basic idea though, so the series has potential, as soon as the world around the character's starts coming into focus.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px;">
Ever Yours~</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px;">
The Know-it-all</div>
</div>
The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-76283400377467818112013-02-05T21:23:00.000+03:002013-02-05T21:52:39.370+03:00The Selection<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1322103400l/10507293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1322103400l/10507293.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Blurb from Goodreads.com:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself--and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.</span><br />
<br />
<b>My Review:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">It was an okay read, but there were a lot of eye-roll moments for me. It just seemed like a halfheartedly dystopian version of The Bachelor...I can't say I liked either romance interest, nor, to be honest did I really like the main character.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">It's not bad for a "fluffy" read, it was interesting enough, didn't bore me at any point. A lot of the characters were annoying though, and the setup of the selection process really bothered me; it seemed like the royal family/government was anti-feminist, endorsing/creating a "show" that stripped young women of their dignity <b>spoiler: highlight to read</b> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: white;">If they are chosen, they get instructions to give the prince whatever he wants, including their virginity, whether or not they reciprocate the feeling. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><b>/spoiler</b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> At the same time this "show" was intentionally being aired to the entire country, making the prince's love life a national affair (their future leader, mind you) with his family's permission! </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I don't feel like we got a true "dystopian" story, the focus was not on the caste system or the world they're living in most of the time. America was mainly obsessing over her love life/social life, we get a few tidbits of information about the world around her, but it's mostly about Aspen/Maxon or the competitive/aggressive behavior of the other contestants/girls. It really feels like the dystopian aspect of the story was an afterthought.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">At first, I thought America was just a typical lovestruck teenager, and that the irresponsible things she does at the beginning of the novel stemmed from that. Towards the end of the novel, my opinion changed a few times...she went from being irresponsible-lovestruck-teen to drama queen to naive pushover before </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">finally</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"> making it to dignified and acting like she'd actually thought her actions through beforehand. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Basically, I didn't like the plot (the bachelor meets semi-dystopian royalty imo), disliked most of the characters, but I'm giving this two stars because of character development, which I think was well done.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px;">
Ever Yours~</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px;">
The Know-it-all</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></div>
The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-53855095560695765032013-02-05T21:18:00.001+03:002013-02-05T21:52:37.072+03:00Divergent<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328559506l/13335037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328559506l/13335037.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I'd heard a lot about this before finally picking it up on my last run to the bookstore. The recommendations and raves were definitely well-placed with Divergent. This book really deserves all the attention it's been getting. It was a refreshing read in so many ways, the writing style, the lack of cliche characters, the detail. It was well-paced, and so engrossing that I finished it in one sitting. On to the review:<br />
<br />
<b>Blurb from Goodreads.com:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, 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.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating 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 unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.</span><br />
<br />
<b>My Review:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I really liked Divergent, it somehow managed to be original, dystopian, and relatable, without being depressing or annoying. I don't usually like dystopian novels because they always make the entire universe seem bleak and pointless, and the scenario's that make the world a dystopia rarely make any sense if you think about it. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">It's different in this book, it's a (reasonably) fair system, everyone has a choice. I appreciated the lack of a love triangle, they're so overused in series and it's refreshing to see a straightforward love interest. It had a perfect (in my opinion, of course) balance of action, dialogue, flash-backs, history, romance etc. The pace was perfect, not too fast, not agonizingly slow.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Roth really sucks you into the world she created, providing vivid descriptions and a detailed background story for the alternate universe where the story is set. At the same time the characters are well fleshed-out, their thought processes are understandable and realistic (illogical main characters automatically deprive me of any enjoyment I may have had from a book), and they're perfectly flawed (no Mary Sue's in sight thank god). Roth didn't rely on any of the stale YA cliches (love triangle, orphaned main character, drop-dead gorgeous main character, idiot characters, personal-grudge-bearing archenemy etc.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">In the end it was a very enjoyable read which left me anxious to buy the sequel :)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px;">
Ever Yours~</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px;">
The Know-it-all</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-26404377915779328612011-08-12T10:08:00.001+03:002011-08-12T10:09:20.368+03:00Forgive My Fins<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1251753267l/6710476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Forgive My Fins (Fins, #1)" border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1251753267l/6710476.jpg" width="212" /></a>This is a really nice book few people have heard about. I was browsing a list of books my friend recently read and the title intrigued me enough to go out and get it. The book is really one of a kind, an amazing read with a quirky likable main character. The book is filled with amusing sea vocabulary that draws you into the world the author has created. The cover is beautiful and completely appropriate for the mermaid romance.</div><br />
<br />
<b>Blurb from Goodreads.com:</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it’s not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but when you’re half human, half mermaid like Lily, there’s no such thing as a simple crush.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Lily’s mermaid identity is a secret that can’t get out, since she’s not just any mermaid – she’s a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn’t feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she’s been living on land and going to Seaview high school ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems – like her obnoxious, biker boy neighbor Quince Fletcher – but it has that one major perk – Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren’t really the casual dating type – when they “bond,” it’s for life.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When Lily’s attempt to win Brody’s love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily-ever-after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.</span><br />
<br />
<b>My Review:</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
I loved this book so much! The Protagonist, Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia (or Lily for short ;P), is a half human, half mermaid who goes to a regular highschool. She has a crush on Brody Bennet, the popular swim team champion at her school. Quince Fletcher is her annoying neighbor who's been making her life miserable for the three years she's lived on land. When she accidentally kisses Quince (thinking he was Brody) they both get more than they bargained for since the kiss instigates a "bond" between them. Lily takes Quince on an underwater journey trying to get the bond severed before its too late and they're joined for life.<br />
<br />
This book is amazingly detailed, with lovable characters, and beautiful descriptions. The only thing I didn't like about the book is the way the author describes Lily. She's really bad at schoolwork, she's shallow, and she's stubborn, and blind to what's right in front of her. She actually describes her using those words. Its one thing to perceive a character as being less than bright, but its another thing completely to have the author describe her as a love-sick fool, drooling over Brody instead of doing homework, Gossiping with her best friend Shannen for hours on the phone instead of studying. I'm not saying she should describe the studying in detail, but she mentions that Lily is bad at everything school related, and she's in a few extra-curriculars, but only the ones Brody is in. And then she's acts like a blind idiot. All in all, despite the fact that she's a very nice character, I was not impressed by Lily at all. I kept wanting to bang my head against the wall at her obliviousness. Quince is another thing altogether, he lives with his mother who struggles to make ends meet. Quince goes to school and has a part-time job to help his mother, he's also unfailingly polite to everyone but Lily, who he take great pleasure in annoying. Because of the bond, Lily gets to know Quince better, as they are finally forced to have a few real conversations. I spent the entire book getting anxious whenever their bond was in danger of being severed because as the book progresses you can see that they are perfect for each other.<br />
<br />
The Second book "Fins are Forever" came out last June. Planning to read that soon.<br />
<br />
As an added tidbit, This is how I imagined Quince looking like:<br />
<img height="320" src="http://images.starpulse.com/pictures/2009/06/03/previews/Cam%20Gigandet-BBC-005013.jpg" width="198" /><br />
Brody, but he should have longer darker hair:<br />
<img height="320" src="http://meghibberd.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/chris-carmack.jpg" width="240" /><br />
I couldn't find one I liked for Lily, but she has crazy untamable curly blonde hair and big brown eyes. I imagined her as really skinny and of medium/short height<br />
<br />
Ever Yours~<br />
<br />
The Know-it-allThe Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-55492347330667031412011-08-12T09:04:00.000+03:002011-08-12T09:04:44.146+03:00Demonglass<br />
<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Demonglass (Hex Hall, #2)" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1287677907l/7862667.jpg" /></div><br />
The second book of the Hex Hall trilogy, Demonglass has been on my TBR list before it even came out. I love how they used the same theme for the covers of both books, and both covers are filled with symbolism that foreshadows what happens in the novels.<br />
<br />
<b>Blurb from Goodreads.com:</b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;">Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.<br />
<br />
That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.<br />
<br />
Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.<br />
<br />
But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><b>My Review:</b></span></span><br />
<br />
Now if you're a fan of mystery, action, romance, and fantasy all mixed into one book, you'll love the Hex Hall series. Demonglass is the second installment of the Hex Hall trilogy, and I must say that I enjoyed it much more than its predecessor. The first book struck me as a bit more fluffy than this one, if you read my review on Hex Hall, I mentioned that, at first, Sophie is very whiny and annoying, and we see her mature throughout the book. Demonglass is like a continuation of that, she is a lot easier to like in this novel. Archer, her love interest, returns, and we learn a lot more about him than we did in the first book. Sophie is suspicious of him, after everything he did, and he's trying to get back into her good graces, so we get to see quite a few satisfying scenes. Archer really went up a few notches in my estimation. He's more real in this book, we learn more about who he is, instead of Sophie's (frequent) monotonous "OMGZ, He's like so hot!!11!!!!1" monologues.<br />
<br />
The setting really pulled me in here, Sophie goes to London, and the description is amazing! I'd can almost see the creepy mansion she lives in. And we learn a lot more about her great-grandmother (resisting urge to give spoilers). Also, an interesting new love triangle is introduced, but the author doesn't really go into it much. In fact, she brings in a LOT of new story lines that she barely goes into, so there are a lot of loose ends at the end of the novel. So basically, she resolves some of the cliffhangers from the last book and introduces about a gazillion new ones, which she leaves unfinished. I wish I had just waited until all three books were out before starting this series, because, honestly, the suspense is killing me!<br />
<br />
The last book of the trilogy "Spell Bound" is due to be released in March of 2012 (too long from now :()<br />
<br />
Ever Yours~<br />
<br />
The Know-it-all<br />
<br />
The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-23597464550590502162011-08-12T08:33:00.001+03:002011-08-12T08:33:30.236+03:00Hex Hall<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1259686913l/5287473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1259686913l/5287473.jpg" width="212" /></a> So I read Hax Hall ages ago and hadn't gotten around to reviewing it yet, so, since I've read Demonglass since then, I've decided to write back-to-back reviews.<br />
<br />
<br />
Hex Hall is the first book of a trilogy by Rachel Hawkins. Hex hall kind of reminded me of meg cabots novels with more action and fantasy. It was a pretty good book, and actually went quite a bit above my expectations. I'd gotten a lot of recommendations for this book, and I knew that it was a popular YA book so I put it on my to-be-read list. The summary and descriptions I'd read hadn't really pulled me in, that and the fact that the cover screamed "middle school" was why I wasn't really eager to start this book. Once I was past the first few chapters though it reminded me of a mixture of Meg Cabot and the House of Night series (which I am planning on reviewing soon). I loved the whole budding romance thing going on, but it was a bit creepier than I would have liked.<br />
<br />
<b>Blurbs from Goodreads.com:</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Hex Hall:</b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.</span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.4; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.</div><div style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.4; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.</div><div style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.4; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.4; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">My Review:</div><div style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.4; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">This book was a surprisingly nice read, I went in expecting a fluffy YA book, with no depth. And much as I like fluffy books (light reading is always enjoyable) this turned out to be quite a bit more than that. With a perfect balance of romance, action, magic, and history, I was really impressed. The main character, Sophie, is a bit annoying at times, always whining about everything that happens to her. She really evolves in this novel, she tackles her problems head on and resolves them herself. No knight-in-shining armour to be seen. I love a novel where the heroine is actually a <i>Heroine</i> instead of the usual whiney damsel-in-distress, and Sophie is definitely a <i>Heroine</i>. Her main love interest, Archer, is a bit of a disappointment really, he's such a cliche, dating the most popular girl in school (who is, of course, a total witch), macho guy, handsome, and Sophie feels a "connection" with him and thinks he should be with her. Personally, I think she's too good for him. The book is about Sophie's journey of self-discovery, and I ended up liking her more and more with every page. A word to the wise, though, expect a cliffhanger, so don't start this book until you have the sequel(s) in hand. </div><div style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Ever Yours~</div><div style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Know-it-all</div><br />
<br />
</div>The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-81714173348257327152011-07-03T05:55:00.000+03:002011-07-03T05:55:04.884+03:00Back for the Summer!Hey everyone!<br />
<br />
I know it's been ages since I last posted, but I've FINALLY finished with exams and waiting for my results to come out etc.<br />
<br />
I've also been reading up a storm in preparation for my return <img alt="smiley" src="http://elouai.com/images/yahoo/a20.gif" /><br />
<br />
I'll be spending this entire week writing up reviews on all the books that I've read since I've seen you all last, including:<br />
<br />
1) Hex Hall<br />
2) Demonglass<br />
3) Maximum Ride: Angel<br />
4) Anna and the French Kiss<br />
5) Graceling<br />
6) House of Night: Burned<br />
7) 13 Little Blue Envelopes<br />
<br />
Those are the books I'm planning on reviewing, but maybe I'll add a few in there I hadn't planned on adding.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Ever yours~<br />
<br />
The Know-it-all</span>The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-20108807311425697902011-01-06T01:11:00.000+03:002011-01-06T01:11:50.836+03:00What the BBC thinks you should read...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">So I found this meme on <a href="http://brookesboxofbooks.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-bbc-thinks-you-should-read.html">Brooke's box of books</a> and decided to try it out :)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I've finished 16 of these 100 books..I'm not counting the books I "read" for school because I most probably read three-quarters of the book myself (or less) and read the rest of the summary off sparknotes (guilty..but seriously..the books they assign SUCK) I've started or read an excerpt from another 14 of these...so that makes it 30 out of 100 that I've actually encountered...I think thats pretty good..especially since I have heard of and at one time planned to read a lot of the rest of the books on the list..</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Conclusion:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The BBC are idiots..I'm betting the reporter who wrote this only read 6 of the 100 books on the list..bloody illiterate..dont make generalizations</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Also, I am proud to say that most of the books I've read or tried to read on the list have NOT been school assignments, although I expected them to be..only 4 out of all of the books, read and not fully read, were school assignments.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><b>The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here. Click 'READ MORE'!!!</b></span><br />
<a href="" name="more"></a><b><br />
Instructions:<br />
• Copy this list.<br />
• Bold those books you’ve read in their entirety.<br />
• Italicise the ones you started but didn’t finish or read only an excerpt.</b><br />
<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen</i></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><i>The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien</i></b><br />
<i>Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte</i><br />
<b>Harry Potter series – JK Rowling</b><br />
<b>To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee </b>(NOTE: STRONG dislike of this title!)<br />
<i>The King James Bible - (I think I read the lk prologue or something once..I've also read lk separate psalms and stuff if they quote them in a novel..mehh I'm not christian so I think even this amount is surprising enough)</i><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte </i></b><b><br />
</b><b style="font-weight: normal;">Nineteen Eighty Four (1984) – George Orwell (assigned summer reading..never opened it)</b><b><br />
</b><b>His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman</b><br />
<b>Great Expectations – Charles Dickens </b><b style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Little Women – Louisa M Alcott</i> (I think my moms been trying to encourage me to read this since I was about 7...I hated it on sight..even more so after I watched the movie )</b><br />
Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy<br />
<i>Catch 22 – Joseph Heller (I read the first 3 chapters of this last year..can I say depressing?)</i><br />
<i>Complete Works of Shakespeare-</i> <i></i><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier</b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien </b><br />
Birdsong – Sebastian Faulk<br />
Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger<br />
The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger (does the movie count? I watched it in french AND english :P)<br />
Middlemarch – George Eliot<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell</b><br />
<b>The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald (This was actually pretty interesting...depressing though)</b><br />
War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy<br />
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams<br />
Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh<br />
Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck</b><br />
<b>Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll (Also throught the looking-glass..wonderful, though sometimes confusing)</b><br />
<i>The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame</i><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy</b><br />
David Copperfield – Charles Dickens<br />
<b>Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis (NOTE: I lovelovelove this series! I must have read The Horse and his Boy at least 6 times. I raved about it so much as a kid that my dad bought me the entire movie collection [the old 90's british one, not the new series..the old one didn't skip any of the books..*turns nose up at new movies*)</b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">Emma -Jane Austen </b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">Persuasion – Jane Austen </b><br />
<b>The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe – CS Lewis </b><br />
The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini<br />
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres<br />
Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden<br />
<i>Winnie the Pooh – A.A. Milne (do they mean the little kids books? I kinda doubt it..)</i><br />
<b>Animal Farm – George Orwell</b><br />
<b>The DaVinci Code – Dan Brown (can I say how much I admire Dan Brown's work??! I love reading his novels, I've also read Angel's and Demons, Digital Fortress and The Lost symbol..)</b><br />
One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez<br />
A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving<br />
The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins<br />
<b>Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery </b><br />
Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood</b><br />
<b>Lord of the Flies – William Golding (I hated this...)</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><b></b>Atonement – Ian McEwan<br />
Life of Pi – Yann Martel<br />
Dune – Frank Herbert<br />
Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen</i></b><br />
A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth<br />
The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon<br />
A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens<br />
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley<br />
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon (my english teacher was reading this..when she told me it was about a down's syndrome kid I just couldn't bring myself to read the back cover...I hate hate HATE sop stories..)<br />
<i>Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez (ON MY TO BE READ LIST!! I have the ebook uploaded onto my ipod! Something like 3 pages in right now :P planning on finishing it after my finals)</i><br />
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><b style="font-weight: normal;">Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov</b><br />
The Secret History – Donna Tartt<br />
The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold<br />
<i>Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas (I actually played a "seek-and-find" PC game based on the story and got so engrossed that I downloaded it..sounds awesome..but my computer got formatted within that week :( )</i><br />
On The Road – Jack Kerouac<br />
Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding</b><br />
Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie<br />
Moby Dick – Herman Melville<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens</i></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">Dracula – Bram Stoker</b><br />
<b>The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett</b><br />
Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">Ulysses – James Joyce</b><br />
The Inferno – Dante<br />
Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome<br />
Germinal – Emile Zola<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray</b><br />
Possession – AS Byatt<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">A Christmas Carol- Charles Dickens </b><br />
Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell<br />
The Color Purple – Alice Walker (didnt oprah produce the movie version of this? its supposedly sucky...no thank you)<br />
The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro<br />
Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert<br />
A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry<br />
<b>Charlotte's Web- E.B. White</b><br />
The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom (my friend read this for a report once...i dont like books about dead people either)<br />
<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (I dont know if mine was abridged...im pretty sure it wasnt, so I'll count it..)</span></b></i><br />
The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad</b><br />
The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery<br />
The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks<br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">Watership Down – Richard Adams</b><br />
A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole<br />
A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute<br />
The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas<br />
Hamlet – William Shakespeare<br />
<b>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl</b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;">Les Miserables – Victor Hugo</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Ever yours~</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The Know-it-all</span></span>The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-54488038466507172312010-09-19T19:48:00.001+03:002010-09-19T19:49:46.991+03:00Update/personal blog post :) Sorry for not posting for a while now, my laptop got splashed with some water recently and has spent the last week or so drying out in a sack of rice, it has escaped unscathed thankfully and is in full working order and is what I am currently typing on. I also had some issues with my internet connection, so yeah, back on track now, I've read <u>Hex Hall</u> and re-read Meg Cabot's <u>Missing You</u> as well as a new book I read called <u>One night for Lov</u>e by Mary Balogh which was recommended to me by a friend and I'll be posting reviews for both <u>Hex Hall</u> and <u>One night for Love</u> soon. I've been delaying reading <u>Graceling</u> for a while now, so that'll probably be the next book I read.<br />
<br />
On another note, today was my first day at university! I've been itching to start for a while now and I can barely believe I've finally started! I'm starting the "Pre-Professional Program" for med students at my uni, its designed to sort us out into medicine, dentistry and pharmacy students. I'm aiming for med, hope I can make it!<br />
<br />
I won't be too busy for the first couple of weeks so I plan on reviewing these books and testing the waters at school. To see if I'll have enough time to keep reading and reviewing or if I should take a break when it gets more challenging. Nothing for sure yet, hopefully it won't be too bad and I'll be able to post occasionally.<br />
<br />
Well, that all for now :)<br />
<br />
Ever Yours~<br />
<br />
The Know-it-allThe Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-71085899614576861572010-09-19T19:19:00.000+03:002010-09-19T19:19:23.601+03:00Bridgerton series by Julia QuinnI've been reading this series for, I think three years now, on and off, not in order, with many books in between. Yeah, I know its a long time to read a seven book series (they're pretty short too) but since I only have these in e-book format I kept losing track of them. First, our computer got a nasty virus, so we had to format it..it took me ages to find it again in my inbox, then my dad updated our system from windows xp to vista..so yeah..lost 'em again..and now, I've got my macbook pro, so I gathered all the one's I hadn't finished yet in one place and decided to get through them.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Now this series is purely Historical Romance..It isn't a YA book, but I love it anyways. I've read most of Julia Quinn's books during this three year period and I've loved them all. I like the rules of society in 19th century england, it reminds me of a lot of things that have been lost over the years that were just so cute :') </div><div><br />
</div><div>Julia Quinn's historical romances are better than most because she researches them better I think. I've read quite a few supposedly "historical" novels that have the characters speech so obviously modern. I don't mean that they aren't using doth and quoth and words like that (because really who would take the time to decipher that when reading a novel for pleasure?) but the lead male character swears with fuck..I'm pretty sure the profanity used back then was more along the lines of bloody hell..also the girls kept using "like" between every few words..very annoying and obviously non-historical :( In Julia's books on the other hand, every article of clothing has its own (accurate) name, she's up to date on the politics of the time period of the novel, she knows what the government was like and what was expected of both the men and the women.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I've decided to review them as a full series and not as separate books, since they're all pretty similar and I have pretty much the same thing to say about them all.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So here they are, in chronological order:</div><div><br />
</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" src="http://www.harpercollinscatalogs.com/TR/vlarge/9780380800827_1_Cover.jpg" width="123" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" src="http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n18/n91683.jpg" width="150" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" src="http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n18/n91673.jpg" width="117" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://jameslogancourier.org/media/Music%20and%20Movies/20080326-bridgerton.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://jameslogancourier.org/media/Music%20and%20Movies/20080326-bridgerton.JPG" width="124" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" src="http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n18/n91668.jpg" width="123" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" src="http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n18/n91670.jpg" width="123" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" src="http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n27/n138340.jpg" width="123" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" src="http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/bestsellers-2006/3653-1.jpg" width="123" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The books are about a family of eight. Named in alphabetical order, which I thought was cute. The Bridgertons are a very close knit family and all of the books mention their other siblings so its like their stories are all continuing until you finish the last book. There weren't any noticeable anachronisms, which are usually very annoying and obvious to me. Julia Quinn is usually very accurate when writing her historical novels and these are no exception. I'd suggest ANY of her books to a historical romance novel fan, but I think the Bridgerton series was the most interesting and well written of all her books.<br />
<br />
All their stories were unique and equally gripping, although I must say that when it comes to combining other themes with the romance, Judith McNaught is the better choice. I like her action filled historical romances, but she tends to have anachronisms and unrealistic scenes.<br />
<br />
Thats all I've got to say really, happy reading :)<br />
<br />
Ever Yours~<br />
<br />
The Know-it-all</div></div>The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-90111666231951426572010-09-02T20:11:00.004+03:002010-09-05T03:58:47.431+03:00Yay! Award! One Lovely Blog Award!<div style="text-align: center;"><i>A big thank you goes out to Brooke from "Brooke's Box of Books" thanks so much for giving me this award :)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; line-height: 17px;"></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; line-height: 17px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfw12IUm9jrrV5iZ9n7kH-q0aMiImT4bC4q0ZKEAzU1m3LmfEaNjn6MsYMGFhrA6tLykmlviqUtnlR252QjaQuJ87cfiV1WDu60i0C4-VHt8Zip8HK9WS5pS3mWYXLbbn71YewKLO3ytw/s1600/onelovelyblog1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888855; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfw12IUm9jrrV5iZ9n7kH-q0aMiImT4bC4q0ZKEAzU1m3LmfEaNjn6MsYMGFhrA6tLykmlviqUtnlR252QjaQuJ87cfiV1WDu60i0C4-VHt8Zip8HK9WS5pS3mWYXLbbn71YewKLO3ytw/s1600/onelovelyblog1.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 187, 153); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(153, 187, 153); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(153, 187, 153); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(153, 187, 153); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" /></a></div></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; line-height: 17px;"><br />
<b>Rules:</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>1. Accept the award. Post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>2. Pay it forward to 15 other bloggers that you have <span style="font-style: italic;">newly </span>discovered.</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>3. Contact those blog owners and let them know they've been chosen.</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>So, this award gets passed on to the following great blogs I've recently discovered:</b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal; line-height: 17px;"><b><br />
</b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;">1)http://brazilianbookworm.blogspot.com/</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;">2)http://shutupimreading.blogspot.com/</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;">3)http://maidenveil.blogspot.com/</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><i>4)http://novelobsession.blogspot.com/</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><i>5)http://onemorepage.tinamats.com/</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><i>6)http://lostinstories.blogspot.com/</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><i>7)http://underastarstuddedsky.blogspot.com/</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><i>8)http://atapestryofwords.blogspot.com/</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><i>9http://www.whatbookisthat.com/</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><i>10)http://booksaremything.blogspot.com/</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><i>11)http://mywordsateme.blogspot.com/</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><i>12)http://bookcouture.blogspot.com/</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><i>13)http://animegirlsbookshelf.blogspot.com/</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><i>14)http://thespacebard.blogspot.com/</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><i>15)http://amberinblunderland.blogspot.com/</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><i>16)http://xfillingthev0idx.blogspot.com/</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><i>Enjoy everyone! and remember to Pass it forward :)</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><i>Ever yours~</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"><i>The Know-it-all</i></span></span></div>The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-57101405075264177702010-08-27T22:55:00.002+03:002010-08-28T00:01:35.798+03:00Blogger Book Hop! Aug 27-29<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt34/crazybookblog/cfbmemebutton-2.png" alt="Book Blogger Hop" /></div><div><br /></div>Well, its friday again, time for another Blogger Book Hop!! yay!! I love hopping around, I'm looking forward to it especially this time because I expect a lot of people have put up their rants about Mockingjay by now. I've been reading other people's rants ever since I finished the book simply because I need to let off some steam :) Okay so here we go:<div><br /></div><div>This weeks question is:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Do you use a rating system for your reviews and if so, what is it and why?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Well, no not really..I mean I usually add a verdict at the end to say whether or not I'd recommend and to who, but I don't actually rate books on any scale..mostly beause its hard to give a book a rating with such finality. I'd prefer to point out the good and bad points of a book and suggest it to lovers of the genre it most fits.</div><div><br /></div><div>To blog hoppers coming over to my blog. First off, Welcome :) </div><div><br /></div><div>To those who are only interested in my reviews, there is a label on the sidebar called "Reviews" so you can filter out all my randomness..also please note that my post on Mockingjay is full of spoilers and is not my actual review (although this was my aim while starting to write it..it somehow turned into a long rant...so if you havent read the book yet..feel free to completely ignore that post. If you have, I hope that you (like me) need to blow off some steam, go ahead and post your own rant as a comment :) or link to your own review of mockingjay.</div><div><br /></div><div>So have fun! and don't forget to comment, I love hearing your opinions :)</div><div><br /></div><div>Ever yours~</div><div><br /></div><div>The Know-it-all</div>The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-55135907381564823682010-08-26T21:23:00.006+03:002010-08-27T16:43:37.718+03:00Mockingjay *WARNING! Spoilers!*<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpAIqwEJ2O9q5tvQ8qvNz8QvZ0joOAYBSRUzhY5rNjMMm1PLJWfLl9fJkntcstlPV-hDSvq1m4Mg9j28WWoRX8pjnuiMP5X8Ku7UiVsqemLRc6uyVhPwzpI98Ahqa1H2L5i-c2Ghb9EM/s1600/Mockingjay.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpAIqwEJ2O9q5tvQ8qvNz8QvZ0joOAYBSRUzhY5rNjMMm1PLJWfLl9fJkntcstlPV-hDSvq1m4Mg9j28WWoRX8pjnuiMP5X8Ku7UiVsqemLRc6uyVhPwzpI98Ahqa1H2L5i-c2Ghb9EM/s1600/Mockingjay.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> So I've just finished reading Mockingjay..I don't know what to think..I'll admit that I laughed out loud, cried (very noisily, with much sniffling) and stared at nothing in particular for a full minute after finishing. I'm not entirely sure whether or not I liked it but I'm sure this is one of the best written, most gripping books I've ever read.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">
<br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">First off, Blurb from GoodReads.com:</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; font-family:georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">
<br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My Review:</span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">
<br /></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">To be honest this is more of a rant than a true review....be prepared for spoilers because, honestly this book wrecked me..I don't know what to think. I'm not sure whether or not I like it and I didn't like the epilogue..I won't be able to fully express my thoughts without making comments and references to scenes in the book. Was it engrossing? Definitely. Realistic? Probably. Satisfying? I think not.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I got the book for a full day without reading any of it because I was already reading another book (which had an amazing, light, fluffy ending) So I was sort of floating on the effects of the previous novel when I started reading Mockingjay. A couple of pages in, however, and I was jolted into the intense, on-edge world of The Hunger Games. Now, something you should know about me is that I sort of whizz through reading, I read all the words and everything, I don't skip anything but I don't focus on the wording or the point of view or anything really, its like I'm watching a movie in my head (my english teacher calls this being an inactive reader :P) so at the end of a novel I don't know exactly what a character said, I don't get any sentences that stick with me afterwards or anything like that. All I have left at the end is the overall feeling I get, it affects my mood and leaves me reliving the scenes I loved over and over again in my head...I'm still fully under the emotional effects of this book and I'm feeling slightly depressed and am feeling the need to read a nice fluffy, stress-free Julia Quinn romance novel.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Onto the actual review now. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So we start out the novel at the ruins of district 12, you can tell immediately that Katniss is in shock, she's so detached, so cold, but I thought "Well, this is only the beginning, she's bound to get better eventually." Oh, boy was I ever wrong! Throughout the entire book I'm waiting for her to get better, to get well..more Katniss-like but I'm sorely disappointed :(</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> A lot of district 12ers are dead, including all of Peeta's family *sniff*. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The district 13 lives are very spartan, every mouthful of food is calculated, to achieve maximum health, they're OCD about everything, sparse furnishings, (reminded me of Uglies OCD-ness and reminded me of the underground lives of the rebels in The Host) I'll admit her time in the district 13 catacombs was one of my absolute favorite times of the entire novel, it was the least caustic section in the novel and had a couple of galeniss support scenes. She still has a concussion from the escape from the last games and she's disoriented and sounds a lot like Tally Youngblood from Uglies here..especially around the end, in Specials. She's turned cynical and half-demented, she has to keep reminding herself who she is, where she is and how she came to be there just to keep herself sane. It was unbearable, seeing Katniss, wonderful, brave, loveable Katniss, reduced to this shell of her former self. She starts to recuperate, very, very slowly but she seems to be returning to her old self a bit (with major scarring mind you, as would be expected) but she still manages to surprise me every so often with a long crazy monologue or a nervous breakdown.</span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">They rescue Peeta, whose memories of Katniss have been irrevocably changed, Peeta doesn't love Katniss anymore, he isn't the same Peeta anymore. Now, even I, who is an avid Galeniss supporter love the sweet lines and revelations that come from Peeta, he's a sweet guy but I don't think Katniss deserves him. Gale seems to be her equal, they've both got issues, they're perfect for each other.</span></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Peeta everyone loves has died forever unfortunately..he's changed, he doesnt talk the same way, he doesnt act the same way and he just isn't the same..its as though someone else is in control of Peeta's body :( </span></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The leader of the rebels, President Coin, isn't a very likeable person, she wants power, she seems to be a female version of President Snow, which is 100% true, as we find out in the end. It was depressing that there was no true "good guy" side but I guess it IS realistic..but to be honest I'm not a fan of the "its-good-because-its-realistic" notion...hell, the entire novel is complete and utter fiction!! Why does she feel the need to be realistic in the death and/or mental breakdown of all her characters????? Why can't they resurface relatively unscathed??? Just because its a dystopian novel doesn't rule out a reasonably happy ending (I'm not against killing off characters in general but in the end I'd like to have them in peace, living their lives, recovering from the past..a happy enough ending if you know what I mean..not perfect, just happy enough to make us feel better about all the horrors that happened) Just because its a dystopian novel doesn't mean it has to be a tragedy as well..they had the whole cruel, inflexible government, they went to war, they even WON for god's sake!!! Why can't they be happy now??</span></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I need to list the people that died in this one..just to clear it up in my mind because, honestly all I can think is "She's gone and killed or mentally handicapped all of her characters.." half of me doesn't want to believe it..but its true, the ones she left alive were all turned into nutcases :(</span></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So:</span></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Cinna: *wail*..why??? whats he ever done to you Collins??!!</span></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Peeta's family: You leave the poor boy half-insane and you have the heart to destroy his family too??</span></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Finnick: He'd just gotten married!! *sobbing* I seriously did NOT expect this..I expected the entire team that was with Katniss to die except her, Peeta and Finnick (I thought it would be the best way to finally determine who she would be with if Gale died here since she so obviously doesn't like him </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">that way</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">..just put us out of our misery here won't you? plus it fits that all the victors would come out alive) </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Prim: well..no real objections here..she's way too wise for a little kid..the few scenes she's been in during the entire series have her giving Katniss advice and acting like a grownup..It was really deep..the way this affected Katniss..I cried during the Buttercup scene near the end..where they both sit in her house in the Victors Village and cry it out together :'(</span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">President Coin: Woot!! Serves you right you manipulative BITCH!!!!!! I HATE YOU!!!</span></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">President Snow: Choking on his own blood...very creative to say the least..I like that we get to know a bit about him before his death..through Finnick's secrets and Snow's actual actions and dialogue..to be honest I liked that Katniss didn't kill him herself. I mean he was doing what he was raised to believe in..he wasnt the one who invented the hunger games..he was raised to be evil..President Coin, however, knew exactly what she was doing when she killed all those kids :( EVIL BITCH!!!!!!!</span></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Also, and this one doesn't count 100% since he is technically alive at the end:</span></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Peeta: How could you kill the boy we've all come to love?? He's unrecognizable in the end..he makes an effort and ends up with Katniss, true..but he isn't ever the same...the real or not real game freaked me out a little bit..</span></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Moving on to the epilogue:</span></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"></span></span></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">First I'd like to dedicate this rant to Gale, who I've been cheering on for so long only to be disappointed: </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I’ve always been a Galeniss supporter..but she’s made it kind of hard NOT to hate Gale at the end of this one hasn’t she? I mean he’s gone all cold and murderous and he was never even a tribute in any of the games!! And its inexcusable how he abandons Katniss at the end there! WTF ARE YOU DOUNG IN DISTRICT 2 GALE???? THAT 10 DISTRICTS AWAY FROM THE RIGHT NUMBER!! HUH?? WHY ARENT YOU GOING TO HELP KATNISS?????????? YOU ASS!!!</span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">(rant/)</span></span></p></span></div></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"></span></span><p></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I actually like having an epilogue in a novel, it's sort of the cherry on top, but for some reason the best authors come up with the worst epilogues! Take J.K. Rowling, Lemony Snicket and now Suzanne Collins. Thats not to say that all epilogues are bad, on the contrary, I've read loads of books with awesome epilogues that wrapped up the story quite nicely..I don't mean turn it into a happily-ever-after but the characters are healing..they're TRYING to go back to normal, whether or not it is possible for them to be totally normal ever again. Like I said before, I spent the entire novel waiting for Katniss to start acting like Katniss again..it never happened..the epilogue is set twenty years in the future where Katniss and Peeta have two kids...Katniss is still very dead sounding, cold, detached, and not..Katniss...she isn't living life, she's waiting for it to end. AND WHY ISN'T GALE THERE????? HE NEVER CAME BACK *sobbing quietly* he never came back for her..that just about broke my heart..</span></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"></span></span></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">WHY did her own MOTHER abandon her as well?? She should be sticking to her only living relative like GLUE!! WHY is everybody ABANDONING Katniss???? And poor Annie in the end! She had a kid to deal with along with her insanity without a husband...its like Tonks and Lupin dying and leaving Teddy alone in the world.. :'(</span></span></span></p></span><p></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I don't like epilogues set too far in the future, anything over a year away is too much for me...I can't see the character I've grown familiar with in the older version...I hated that she showed us that even twenty years in the future, they'll never ever recover :( way to kill my hopes and dreams! The thing I hated the most was that Katniss still seems..broken in the epilogue..irreparable..even after 20 years and two children, she was still cold and detached and mentally unstable..and she called her children "the girl" and "the boy" which seemed really cold and..unfeeling to me. The last line, where she says there are worse games to play really gave me chills!</span></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I think in the end, I liked the novel (please note that the above rant was all about the ending, not the actual events of the novel), it wasn't perfect and the ending sucked majorly but I can live with it..I'll just re-invent the ending so that Finnick, Cinna, Peeta's Family, Prim, Rue and Katniss' Father are all alive and well, living in district 14, Katniss and Peeta get better, Gale comes back to 12 and they're friends again, they discover district 14 and live happily ever after with all of their loved ones!! Totally unrealistic of me, I know, but hey a girl can dream can't she?</span></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">and I can't resist putting this in:</span></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">May the odds be </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">ever</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> in your favor</span></span></span></p><p style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.571em; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Know-it-all</span></span></span></p></div><meta charset="utf-8">The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-66240347690309412162010-08-25T03:21:00.003+03:002010-08-25T03:36:51.909+03:00MOCKINGJAY IS HERE!!!!<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div> Mockingjay is finally here!!!! I've got the e-book uploaded to my ipod and am having a mini-battle with myself whether to start reading it yet. I'm halfway through a book that I'm loath to put down (The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever) and I want to savor Mockingjay properly. On the other hand, My cousin, who is also a die-hard Hunger Games fan, has her copy of Mockingjay, if she finishes reading it before me there is a chance that there will be spoilers :( So..should I wait and finish my half-read book and savor Mockingjay? Or should I pick it up now and not risk getting the ending spoiled? I've extracted my cousins promise (more like she took pity on me and promised me anyways :P) not to start reading Mockingjay until tomorrow, by which time I'll have finished up my book and will be able to start Mockingjay!!!!!!!<br /><br />Here's the cover (although, yes, I have posted it before) of the long awaited final installment of the Hunger Games Trilogy:<br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpAIqwEJ2O9q5tvQ8qvNz8QvZ0joOAYBSRUzhY5rNjMMm1PLJWfLl9fJkntcstlPV-hDSvq1m4Mg9j28WWoRX8pjnuiMP5X8Ku7UiVsqemLRc6uyVhPwzpI98Ahqa1H2L5i-c2Ghb9EM/s1600/Mockingjay.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" /><div>Tell me if you've got your hands on a copy of this book! </div><div><br /></div><div>Ever Yours~ </div><div><br /></div><div>The Know-it-all</div>The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6376330493244674793.post-197588520872583092010-08-22T02:10:00.006+03:002010-08-22T04:25:07.932+03:00My Hunger Games Movie Cast<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:15.8333px;"> I heard this week that they cast Gale for the movie version of the Hunger Games. My friend told me that the actor's name is Steve Mcqueen. Well, when I googled him, all the pics were either black and white or the blurry color photos of the 70's..I clicked on one to enlarge it and the article it was in was about his 28th death-iversary..imaginemy surprise (not) when she sheepishly admitted that she hadn't been 100% sure whether or not it was official.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> So while I was surfing around looking for an actual official cast list, or really any information about the movie (which is supposedly coming out in 2011) I found out that nothing official has been announced, although loads of people have they're own cast lists. I think thats a really fun idea and I wanted to have a go at creating my own cast list, especially with the hunger games, because I have pretty well-defined images of the characters in my head. Then I saw this video casting and I totally agreed with all her choices except for Katniss, Rue and Gale. </div><meta charset="utf-8"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object style="height: 344px; width: 425px" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ENSeB6sMKYo"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ENSeB6sMKYo" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div>My choices:</div></div><div>
<br /></div><div>Katniss Everdeen:</div><div>
<br /></div><img src="http://www.igp-web.com/carlow/Saoirse_Ronan.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 375px;" border="0" alt="" /><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><img src="http://snarkerati.com/movie-news/files/2010/01/saoirse-ronan.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" /><div>
<br /></div><div>Saoirse Ronan</div><div>Age: 16</div><div>
<br /></div><div>She looks exactly like the Katniss in my head! She's been in another favorite of mine, The City of Ember. Saoirse (pronouced Seersha) is an irish actress and I absolutely love her name! I've actually read a book with a character named Saoirse in it and I loved the name, I didn't realize until today that the girl in The City of Ember was called Saoirse :P</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Gale Hawthorne:</div><div>
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://mypisamba3.com/uploads/bsabercrombie188/wallpapers/drew-roy-omgg_0.jpg" /></div><div>
<br /></div><div>Drew Roy: </div><div>Age 23, he seems to be a popular choice and I agree, he's perfect, although just a bit shorter than I imagined..I always imagined Gale as like above 6 ft..not that it matters</div><div>
<br /></div><div>
<br /></div><div>Rue:</div><div>
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTIxNTgxNjczMV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjc4MjQzMQ@@._V1._SX267_SY400_.jpg" /></div><div>
<br /></div><div>Lauryn Alisa Mcclain</div><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div>Perfect face for Rue! i always imagined her as dark skinned, not latino so I couldn't agree with the choice above :P</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Also choices she didn't mention:</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Prim Everdeen:</div><div>
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://twilightguide.com/tg/wp-content/themes/Aspire/graphics/cat/jodelle-ferland/jodelle-ferland-10.jpg" alt="'jodelle-ferland-10.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jodelle Ferland</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">She is tiny and fragile but still has dark hair like I imagined her..we don't really see much of prim so I doubt it matters anyways. I think she only had two scenes in the entire book, when we were introduced to the character and when she was picked for the games only to be replaced by Katniss..so yeah..</div><div>
<br /></div><div>President Snow:</div><div>
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/uploads/patrick-stewart2.jpg" /></div><div>
<br /></div><div><div style="font-size: 15.8333px; ">
<br />Patrick Stewart</div><div style="font-size: 15.8333px; ">
<br /></div></div><div>He's like the best bad guy ever! I mean he is ALWAYS the bad guy and he does it sooo well. Love this guy! He's in X-men, Star Trek, Prince of Persia and soooo many more.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Effie:</div><div>
<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://s2.hubimg.com/u/2765049_f260.jpg" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">Kristin Chenoweth</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">Her pixie like face is perfect for Effie I think :)</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:#666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px; font-size:medium;">Tell me what you think!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:#666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px; font-size:medium;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:#666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px; font-size:medium;">Ever yours~</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:#666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px; font-size:medium;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:#666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px; font-size:medium;">The Know-it-all</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#663333;">
<br /></span></span></div><div>
<br /></div><div>
<br /></div><div><div>
<br /></div><div>
<br /></div></div>The Know-it-allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08518016992874633466noreply@blogger.com0