tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85082741736935350702024-02-24T02:02:05.421+00:00Book Lover RecommendsBook Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.comBlogger115125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-3833265601773790532014-07-30T20:25:00.000+01:002014-07-30T20:25:32.809+01:00Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"></span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>A family with an ancient curse...</i><i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">And the girl who will change their lives forever...</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Tohru Honda was an orphan with no place to go until the mysterious Sohma family offered her a place to call home. Now her ordinary high school life is turned upside down as she's introduced to the Sohma's world of magical curses and family secrets.</span></i></span><h3 style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">My thoughts</span></h3>
<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><i>Note: This is a review of the whole series, but it won't include any spoilers.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">There are 23 books in this series and I can honestly say that I enjoyed and loved all of them! This was simply an amazing series and I had a hard time putting the books down, which meant I read all of them in a just few days.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337807470l/836606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="836606" border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337807470l/836606.jpg" width="135" /></a><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">The story follows Tohru who has recently lost her mother, and since her father died when she was small she had to go live with her grandfather. When her grandfather announces that he wants to renovate the house, Tohru has to find another place to live for a while. Not wanting to bother anybody, she ends up living in a tent in the woods. She soon meets to members of the Sohma family and when her tent is ruined in a landslide, they offer her a home in exchange for her being sort of a housekeeper for them. But all is not what it seems with the Sohmas and she soon learns that there's an ancient curse on the family and she might be their only hope.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">It sounds like a story we've all read before, but I really think it wasn't. Takaya has created an impressive and magical story that had an unexpected depth to it, and with characters so rich and lively. The first five or so books are very lighthearted, but later on it turns much darker and get a more serious feel to it. But even in the midst of this, there always seems to be a little to smile or laugh at.</span><br />
<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I really was surprised by the depth of it, and how relatable the story was. Sometimes I just had to stop and think about the thinks spoken and the truth behind the words. Like how we shouldn't constantly agonize about the unknown future, but just take a step at a time, and eventually everything is solved by itself. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406602461l/836607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="836607" border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406602461l/836607.jpg" width="136" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I loved, loved all the characters in the series. There's a huge cast of characters, but I was never once confused by who was who, and what their story was or anything the like. I was wondering who was my favorite when I realized that I simply just love them all equally. They all have their own stories and struggles and we get to see them all, so that we can truly understand every one of them. They made me laugh and cry, made me happy and worry, and generally just wanting to hug them all. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">The main character Tohru has to be one of the most loveable main characters in any story. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I know some people think she is a bit of a Mary Sue, and maybe she is, but I loved her and her ability to always smile and always be there for other people. She never, ever complains, although she has had a really tough time in life and has to face a lot with the Sohmas. </span><br />
<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Bottom line, this is one of the best series I've ever had the pleasure of reading and I sense a lot of re-reads in the future. I highly recommend this series, as well as the anime based on it. It has everything you could want in a story and much more. </span></span><br />
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="background-color: white; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">☆ </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">☆ </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">☆ </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">☆ </span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="background-color: white; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">☆</span></div>
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-44217950780678111472014-07-17T15:27:00.000+01:002014-07-17T15:27:22.146+01:00Howl' Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327887365l/6294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="6294" border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327887365l/6294.jpg" width="198" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">My thoughts</span></h3>
<i>Howl's Moving Castle</i> surprised me in so many ways. First of all I was surprised by how much I liked this book and really enjoyed it, since it's more of a children's book. But I couldn't stop reading it. I liked the writing, the characters and the magical world that DWJ has created. Then I was genuinely surprised by the story itself and how I couldn't guess all the things and basically know what would happen next. There were so many twists and turns I didn't see coming. All the secrets and mysteries were excatly that to me - mysteries. Maybe it's just me who is slow to catch on, but I really couldn't figure things out before they were revealed. It's kind of rare for me these days, so I'm so happy when it happens! I love guessing and second-guessing throughout a book. And I loved how all the little things and details each held a clue and some of them turned out to be really important for the story.<br />
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As I mentioned I really liked the characters. They were so fun and full of personality that I couldn't help care for all of them. Especially our heroine, Sophie. As the oldest sisters of three she isn't supposed to be the one to go out and seek her fortune, but duly stays behind in the hat shop, which she will eventually inherit. She never complains and never tries to acheive anything, because she is the oldest. However, one day the Witch of the Waste enters the shop and turns Sophie into an old lady. Now Sophie must go out to seek her fortune and try to get her normal, young shape back. With her change of body, her perception of things also changes, and now she is less afraid of things, and plunges right out on adventures. On the way she encounters the wizard Howl's moving castle and Howl himself who's rumored to steal young girls' souls and eat their hearts. But does he really?<br />
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Howl was an amazing and different character. He is the most eccentric, vain and impossible person, yet somehow turns out to be one of the most powerful wizards with a huge ego. In the beginning it's difficult to see past these very prominent traits of his, but it's slowly becomes clear that there's something different beneath all this. He somewhat reminded my of Numair from <i>The Immortal Quartet </i>by Tamora Pierce, which might be why I instantly liked Howl, because Numair just happens to be one of my favorite characters ever.<br />
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My only complaint about this book was the ending. I thought it was a bit rushed after all the built up, and I still had a few questions that I felt were unanswered. I will, however, be picking up the sequel in hope of a small glimpse of these characters and of course another adventure with DWJ.<br />
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Overall, a very enjoyable book that I can easily recommend if you're interested in fantasy, magic and great adventures.<br />
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-62346038132164609432014-07-12T09:29:00.000+01:002014-07-12T09:29:13.408+01:00Giving books a second chanceLately I have noticed that my taste in books has changed. It's like the more I read the more critic I become, so books I would priviously have loved don't interest me anymore. Also, I get tired of the same old same old. It seems most YA books are written after the same formula and therefore kind of blend together. Ever felt like that?<br />
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Anyway, this has made me branch out and try new kinds of books and different genres. It has also made me re-evalutate books I've tried to read before but didn't catch my attention the first time around. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood to read them at the time, or maybe I just wasn't interest in that specific type of book etc.<br />
So, I decided to pick some of those books up again, mostly those I couldn't quite <i>why</i> I disliked it and put it down (because there's always those books that just wasn't for you).<br />
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It actually started with <i>Daughter of Smoke and Bone</i> by Laini Taylor. I picked it up over a year ago and couldn't get into it, so I put it down without really having read much of it. All the hype for it didn't make any sense to me. Then in the spring this year all the buzz for the third and final book begun. It made me curious once again, and since I couldn't remember why I hadn't liked the book the first time, I decided to pick it up again. This time turned out quite different. I immediately fell in love with it and flew through all three books.<br />
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It made me realize that my first impression of a book isn't always right and sometimes you need to give a book a second chance.<br />
Re-reading books can sometimes do this for me too. Books I liked the first time, I might end up loving the second time, though sometimes the opposite happens too.<br />
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Now I plan to give more books another chance, especially those I might have picked up during a reading slump, because even an amazing book can seem dull in such a period.<br />
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Have you ever given a book a second chance and have it completely blow you away?<br />
<br />Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-45102104068027783172014-07-03T09:12:00.000+01:002014-07-03T09:12:33.447+01:00Lips Touch by Laini Taylor<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341175359l/6369113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="6369113" border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341175359l/6369113.jpg" width="216" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Three tales of supernatural love, each pivoting on a kiss that is no mere kiss, but an action with profound consequences for the kissers' souls:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Goblin Fruit</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">In Victorian times, goblin men had only to offer young girls sumptuous fruits to tempt them to sell their souls. But what does it take to tempt today's savvy girls?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Spicy Little Curses</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">A demon and the ambassador to Hell tussle over the soul of a beautiful English girl in India. Matters become complicated when she falls in love and decides to test her curse.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Hatchling</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Six days before Esme's fourteenth birthday, her left eye turns from brown to blue. She little suspects what the change heralds, but her small safe life begins to unravel at once. What does the beautiful, fanged man want with her, and how is her fate connected to a mysterious race of demons?</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">My thoughts</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">This is more of a mini-review since I can't quite collect my thoughts and proberly reviews these short stories that will do them real justice. Besides - and this might sound cliché - I really think you should go into Laini Taylor's book knowing as little as possible, because it will be all the more rewarding. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">This is a wonderful collection of stories. They were all very different though no less enchanting. They all revolve around a single kiss that changes everything. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Laini Taylor's writing is beautiful and even the smallest things becomes profound with the touch of her words. Even though the stories are short, Taylor manages to create a full story with characters that feel real, that you can understand and sympathize with.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The art in the book complement the stories so well and it is so incredibly beautiful. It adds well to the atmosphere the book and makes the reading experience even more fantastic.<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I liked all three stories, though my favorite was without doubt the second one, "Spicy Little Curses Such As These", but the first one "Goblin Fruits" was the one that made the hugest impression on me.</span></span><br />
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="background-color: white; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">☆ </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">☆ </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">☆ </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">☆</span></div>
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-70644473099402123962014-07-01T12:08:00.000+01:002014-07-01T12:08:07.406+01:00Losing It by Cora Carmack<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348459319l/16034964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="16034964" border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348459319l/16034964.jpg" width="212" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, Bliss Edwards decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible - a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">My thoughts</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">*mini rant*</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">I've been wanting to read this book in such a long time and read so many great reviews, so when I saw it very cheap on Amazon I instantly one-clicked it. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">I did not turn out well.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">I'll admit that I did laugh some throughout the book - which is why I gave it two and not one star - but I just about hated everything about the book.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">First of all, I wanted to smack the main character Bliss so many times that I quickly lost count. She was probably one of the most annoying characters I've ever read about. She did a lot of stupid and embarrasing things. I like books where the main character sometimes do or say something stupid or overly embarrasing because she's flustered or something, that's pretty normal, we all do. But Bliss...?! She does it all the freaking time, has no control over herself - despite in fact being described and proclaimed as a controlfreak. Certainly didn't show much! </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Second of all, I was not impressed with Garrick. I don't understand why everybody swoon over him. We don't really know anything about him, except that he for some odd reason likes Bliss. And that he is British and looks hot. That's it. Or maybe I just missed something. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Thirdly, I really didn't get the attraction between Bliss and Garrick. I mean, she leaves him naked for no reason in her bed, and yet he is still attracted to her - though at this point he doesn't even know her. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Then there was the love triangle. Of course. But since I didn't particularly liked Garrick and didn't see the great appeal, I was kind of rooting for the other guy, though I knew he had no chance. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Another thing that annoyed me to no ends was how she ran into him all the freaking time in the first half of the book. It felt so staged that it seemed unbelievable. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Overall, I did not like this book. Everybody was annoying or stupid. And I will definitely not be reading any of the other books in the series.</span></span><br />
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<span lang="ZH-CN" style="background-color: white; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">☆ </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">☆</span></div>
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-90980458057409834952014-06-29T09:06:00.001+01:002014-06-29T09:06:50.312+01:00What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1379899948l/15832932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="15832932" border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1379899948l/15832932.jpg" width="212" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Gwen Castle's Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, is slumming it as a yard boy on her Nantucket-esque island this summer. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">My thoughts</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">It's no secret that I love Huntley Fitzpatrck's first book, <a href="http://bookloverrecommends.blogspot.dk/2013/01/my-life-next-door.html" target="_blank">My Life Next Door</a>. It's actually one of my all-time favorite books. So to say I was excited for another book from Fitzpatrick is to put it mildly. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">From the first reviews I read about the book, many noted that it was much different from MLND, and it was - and it wasn't. I'm not really going to compare the books that much, because they are not related in any way, so that would be pointless. But I would say that I loved Fitzpatrick's writing and her ability to create family dynamics, friendships and side charachters is amazing. And this was very much the case in WITWT too. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Gwen is quite a different character than in many other contemporary books, where the protagonist always seem to be this perfect hesitant, pure virginal girl. Gwen was certainly not, though she is still a "good girl", but she has just made some bad decisions in her life. But haven't we all? I really liked her personality, she was feisty, strong and flawed, and also very compassionate. Her love for her brother and family was so genuine, but it also gave her these huge responsibilities both now and in the future - and she took bore them without complaint. She wanted to take care of everyone.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Cass was so sweet, though I did at times question his character, especially before all is revealed. But all these little quirks about him, his sincerity towards Gwen's family and his charm soon won me over. Him and Gwen were so good together.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Family was very central and present in this book and I loved Gwen's family despite all their flaws. I think family is one of the things that Fitzpatrick does best - not that any other things is lacking - but she just seem to capture all the different family relations and potray them so they seem so real.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">One of my few complaints about the book, was how long Gwen and Cass' past was withhold. It was just a bit too long, since both characters knew excatly what had happened, and we as the reader was the only one kept in the dark. But it wasn't too bad. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's an excellent summer read, and a book I know I'll return to in the future.</span></span><br />
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-72893847932829783172014-06-27T09:26:00.001+01:002014-07-01T12:19:13.896+01:00If I Stay trailerSome time ago I watched the first trailer for the movie adaptation of Gayle Forman's <i>If I Stay</i>. I've been very nervous about this movie, since the book is one of my all-time favorites. But as soon as I saw it, I got so excited! Everything seems so right and I love all the actors for their different characters. And this is to date the only movie trailer that has ever made me cry. I've seen it several times now, and it has made me cry every single time.<br />
The only thing I'm really, really bummed about is that the movie won't be in the cinema here in Denmark. So I'll have to wait for the dvd before I can even watch it. I thought it was bad enough that they never even showed Vampire Academy, which I had been excited about too, but this...! C'mon what's wrong with them?! Guess I'll just have to be patienced then.<br />
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Have you seen the trailer yet? What did you think about it?<br />
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-76066567561331450262014-06-24T22:21:00.000+01:002014-06-24T22:21:30.790+01:00Update!Sooo. I've been away for a long, long time. In blogging years I think it adds up to about a decade. The reason is - well - the reason is that I haven't felt like either reading or blogging. It's only in the past couple of months I've really started reading again. And an even shorter time ago since I've felt like blogging again and that was right when I was studying for my exams. That's the other thing. In this spring I've been really busy, busy with school. But since I'm finally done with exams, I've actually got time to read and blog again.<br />
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I hope to be around a lot more now, though I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging in the future. Maybe a lot. Maybe not so much. I'll try to write whenever I can - and actually have something to say. And have some books to review. And if I can put my words in to coherent sentences - which I think is my difficult than it should be when I'm excited. I mean, earlier this spring I read the Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy, and my thoughts are still all mush about it, because SO MUCH LOVE! I can't even...<br />
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Anyway, I hope y'all have been good while I've been away - and been reading a lot of great books!<br />
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-34228447641645658872013-12-31T11:53:00.000+00:002013-12-31T11:53:03.331+00:00Favorite books in 2013<div style="text-align: justify;">
As the year is now coming to an end, I've been looking back on all the amazing books I've read this year. I've read a lot of different books and most of them I enjoyed very much. But here are my top 13 favorite books in 2013 - and man were they hard to pick!</div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">13. <a href="http://bookloverrecommends.blogspot.dk/2013/04/jellicoe-road-by-melina-marchetta.html" target="_blank">Jellicoe Road</a> by Melina Marchetta</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">12. <a href="http://bookloverrecommends.blogspot.dk/2013/09/angelfall-by-susan-ee.html" target="_blank">Angelfall</a> by Susan Ee</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">11. <a href="http://bookloverrecommends.blogspot.dk/2013/03/just-one-day-by-gayle-forman.html" target="_blank">Just One Day</a> by Gayle Forman</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">10. <a href="http://bookloverrecommends.blogspot.dk/2013/03/easy-by-tammara-webber.html" target="_blank">Easy</a> by Tammara Webber</span></b></div>
<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">9. <a href="http://bookloverrecommends.blogspot.dk/2013/04/apollyon-by-jennifer-l-armentrout_4871.html" target="_blank">Apollyon</a> by Jennifer L. Armentrout</span></b></div>
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<img alt="51737" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1362767907l/51737.jpg" width="129" /> <img alt="15803858" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1344611361l/15803858.jpg" width="128" /> <img alt="11870085" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1360206420l/11870085.jpg" width="129" /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">8. <a href="http://bookloverrecommends.blogspot.dk/2013/06/the-truth-about-forever-by-sarah-dessen_8669.html" target="_blank">The Truth About Forever</a> by Sarah Dessen</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">7. <a href="http://bookloverrecommends.blogspot.dk/2013/06/slammed-by-colleen-hoover.html" target="_blank">Slammed</a> by Colleen Hoover</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">6. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">5. The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">4. <a href="http://bookloverrecommends.blogspot.dk/2013/07/the-indigo-spell-by-richelle-mead.html" target="_blank">The Indigo Spell</a> </span></b><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">(and <a href="http://bookloverrecommends.blogspot.dk/2013/02/the-golden-lily-by-richelle-mead.html" target="_blank">The Golden Lily</a>) </span></b><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">by Richelle Mead </span></b></div>
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<img alt="15827344" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1362522893l/15827344.jpg" width="131" /> <img alt="13449693" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1346601744l/13449693.jpg" width="132" /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">3. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">2.<a href="http://bookloverrecommends.blogspot.dk/2013/10/the-raven-boys-by-maggie-stiefvater.html" target="_blank"> The Raven Boys</a> by Maggie Stiefvater</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #351c75;">1. <a href="http://bookloverrecommends.blogspot.dk/2013/05/if-i-stay-by-gayle-forman.html" target="_blank">If I Stay</a> by Gayle Forman</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b>HAPPY NEW YEAR!</b></span></div>
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-86623317368328344322013-12-04T13:28:00.001+00:002013-12-04T13:28:09.309+00:00Waiting on Wednesday (23)<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.dk/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #4e47c1;">Breaking the Spine</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"> that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">This week I'm waiting on:</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13138635-these-broken-stars?ac=1" target="_blank">These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner</a></span></div>
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Release date: December 10.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">The first in a sweeping science fiction trilogy, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">These Broken Stars</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"> is a timeless love story about hope and survival in the face of unthinkable odds.</span></i></span></div>
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This book sounds awesome and look at that pretty cover! I've already read a lot of praising reviews for<i> </i>it already, so I really cannot wait to read it.</div>
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-67234686192349164312013-12-04T13:02:00.002+00:002013-12-04T13:02:36.597+00:00The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<i style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...</i></i></div>
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I was so happy that I got <i>The Dream Thieves</i> right after I
finished reading <i>The Raven Boys</i>, as the latter ended on a bit of a cliff-hanger. The
very last sentence in <i>The Raven Boys</i> really intrigued me and I hoped we'd get
to know Ronan better, and I sure wasn't disappointed. <i>The Dream Thieves</i> was
very much Ronan's book, and centered around his story and abilities, while
still being linked to the overall story and mystery. </div>
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I thought it was a very interesting and original concept that Ronan could pull
things out of dreams. Ronan is a very complex character and I loved being able to dive into his story and try to figure him out. It's clear in the beginning of the book that Ronan has a lot of secrets, but what are they, and what do they mean? As his secrets were slowly uncovered so is Ronan, and despite all his rough edges - or maybe because of them - I grew to love him even more.</div>
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Some of the characters, mostly Blue and Gansey, took a backseat in this book,
and I have to admit that I kind of missed them, cuz I love those two. There wasn't that much focus on
their search for Glendower either, though it was still present in the story. <span lang="EN-GB">Adam, however, had a larger role, as
he was dealing with the aftermath of what happened that fateful night in <i>The
Raven Boys</i>. He had a great character development, it is obvious that his sacrifice has changed him a lot, but also his move from his parents house has made a impact on him. </span><br />
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There was a lot happening throughout the book, and sometimes I kind of wondered what some of it had to do with anything. Really, I was a bit confused sometimes. I still don't know what one of the characters introduced in this had to with the story and why did we had to have so many POVs from him? Maybe a re-read will enlighten me since Maggie Stiefvater hides central plots in plain sight and I'm not always too quick to catch on.<br />
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<span lang="EN-GB">There were some very heartwrenching moments in this book, and while they were sad, they were also beautifully written. It's not often that you get your heart ripped in such a nice way. These moments</span> gave the story a bittersweet edge and hinted at
what is always looming over the story.<br />
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Of course this one ended on a cliff-hanger too. Grrr. And the next book won't come out until fall next year. I mean what the h***. The third book is now one of my most anticipated books for next year, and I can.not.wait to read it!<br />
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If you haven't read <i>The Dream Thieves </i>or started this series yet, I strongly
urge you to do so. It is so incredible and has already taken a place on my
favorite shelf. </div>
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-89417510661955778992013-11-05T08:40:00.000+00:002014-06-29T09:12:54.216+01:00Top Ten Sequels I Can't Wait To Get My Hands On<div style="text-align: center;">
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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.dk/" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish</a>.</div>
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This weeks topic is:<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">Top Ten Sequels I Can't Wait To Get My Hands On.</span></span></span><br />
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<img alt="9833184" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1383243238l/9833184.jpg" width="131" /><img alt="12983100" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1379064538l/12983100.jpg" width="133" /><img alt="9627755" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1362064564l/9627755.jpg" width="133" /></div>
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1. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9833184-the-fiery-heart?ac=1" target="_blank">The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead</a>: Ahhh, I can't wait to read this book! I think it's my most anticipated book this fall, and there's only two weeks left!! (insert major fangirling)</div>
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2. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12983100-world-after?ac=1" target="_blank">World After by Susan Ee</a>: Also only two weeks left! I loved <i>Angelfall</i> so when I get my hands on this one... no one should come near me until I'm finished for their own good!</div>
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3. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9627755-isla-and-the-happily-ever-after?ac=1" target="_blank">Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins</a>: Okay, so this isn't as much a sequel as it is a companion novel, but I still can't wait to read it! <i>Anna and the French Kiss</i> is my all-time favorite book and Stephanie Perkins writes amazingly.</div>
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<img alt="13206828" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1379083526l/13206828.jpg" width="132" /><img alt="18103891" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1379318708l/18103891.jpg" width="124" /></div>
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4.<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13206828-cress" target="_blank"> Cress by Marissa Meyer:</a> This series is amazing and I'm soo looking forward to find out what happens next.</div>
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5. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18103891-recklessly-royal" target="_blank">Reclessly Royal by Nichole Chase</a>: Another companion novel I can't wait to get my hands on. </div>
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6. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17378508-untitled" target="_blank">The Raven Boys #3 by Maggie Stiefvater</a>: This has neither a title nor a cover yet, but I can't freaking wait to read it. That ending in The Dream Thieves akjnfjlbgnervfkjh.</div>
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Apparently I'm not reading that many series right now - or most had the last book coming out this year - so I'm not waiting on that many sequels. Huh, that feels kind of strange. How about you, do you have a lot of sequels you can't wait to get your hands on? Leave a link and let me know!<br />
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-2951905546509403722013-11-04T09:19:00.002+00:002013-11-04T09:19:54.643+00:00I'm back!<div style="text-align: justify;">
I can't believe I haven't written a new post in a MONTH! Whoa, what just happened with time?! I've been busy lately with school and trying not to panic about my upcoming exams. I haven't read much either as I've been in a reading slump. Again. And then I just needed a bit of a break. Again. But from now on I hope to write a bit more on the blog, at least once a week. Seriously. However, I've been thinking about writing some different posts, more like book-related and not necessarily reviews. </div>
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So today I thought I'll share with you what I've been spending a bit of my time with these past few weeks, and that is Emma Approved! Heard of that? It's acutally a new sort of adaptation of Jane Austen's <i>Emma</i>, done in vlog format. So funny! And they are free to watch on youtube right <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/EmmaApproved" target="_blank">here</a>. It has only just started, and they post two episodes a week. While I really enjoy them, they are not quite as funny or engaging as the adaption of <i>Pride and Prejudice</i>, also known as <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/LizzieBennet" target="_blank">The Lizzie Bennet Diaries</a>. If you haven't seen this yet and like <i>Pride and Prejudice</i>, you have to go watch it now. It's an amazing interpretation of the book - also through vlogging - and I love the story, the characters and reliving this wonderful story in a whole new way. </div>
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I also have a few reviews I need to finish of some amazing books I've read. I'll try to get them up very soon. </div>
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-60688737657509418102013-10-04T15:40:00.000+01:002013-10-04T15:40:14.609+01:00The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13449693-the-raven-boys" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></td></tr>
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<em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”</em><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;"><i>Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.</i></span></div>
<i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;"><i>But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;"><i>For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.</i></span><br />
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Going into this I had no idea what <i>The Raven Boys</i> was about, and I
think that’s the best kind of approach to a book. You have no expectations and
nothing to spoil the events for you. So when I started this book I was both
surprised and excited to have found a book combining all the things I love; a
story of magic, ancient legends, family, love and friendship set in modern day. I felt like getting an unexpected gift you unknowingly really, really wanted.</div>
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Maggie Stiefvater is an exceptional writer, and she kind of make magic come alive before you through her words. <i>The Raven Boys</i> is told in third person and it is used to get a lot of different perspectives. This usually bothers me a lot, but not in this one. Instead, I loved getting different characters' perspective and the reasons behind their actions, and I think Maggie Stiefvater wove them all together perfectly. </div>
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The story was truly amazing. I've always been fascinated by psychics, magic and ancient legends. It has so many layers, and so many hints and clues dropped everywhere - both to current story in the book and the overall story - that I think a re-read of the book will even more to the reader. It was at times intense, kept me at the edge of the seat, but also had me both laughing and anxious. But even though I loved the story, what I really think made this book was the characters. Holy moly. Maggie Stiefvater has created a cast of different, unique and intriguing characters that you cannot help loving. They all have strengths and weakness, and they each have their own story. </div>
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I loved all the raven boys, Gansey, Ronan, Adam and Noah, but I do think my favorite were Gansey and Ronan. Gansey because there was something special about him, he was a rich kid who has everything, but he is always looking beyond, searching and needing to find something that might not be found. He's always there for the others, but is somehow lonely himself and, I think, maybe the one least understood. </div>
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Ronan, on the other hand, was so different from Gansey, he's rough on the edges and such a complex character, burdened with dark secrets. It all made him very interesting, and I was eager to learn even more about him. </div>
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Blue was another favorite, and I liked her sensible eccentric personality. She was stubborn and courageous, and often spoke up her mind. I also felt like I could easily relate to her and her relationship with her family, and how she feels left out by being the only one who doesn't have any psychic abilities. </div>
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Overall, <i>The Raven Boys</i> was an exceptional, amazing story. It's a book I think I will often come back to, and a book I can't stop thinking about. </div>
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-52423362693681450602013-10-03T08:14:00.000+01:002013-10-03T08:14:37.586+01:00Cover reveal: Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">not</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"> remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?</span></i></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13418925-don-t-look-back?ac=1" target="_blank">Goodreads </a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Look-Back-Bad/dp/1423175123/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376572054&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=don%27t+look+back+by+jennifer+l.+armentrout" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dont-look-back-jennifer-armentrout/1116342742?ean=9781423175124" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a></div>
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<b>Release date: April 15, 2014</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.frickngenius.com/jenniferarmentrout/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Author-photo-200x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.frickngenius.com/jenniferarmentrout/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Author-photo-200x300.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"># 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russel Loki.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optionend for major motion picture.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/JLArmentrout" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;" target="_blank">Twitter </a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="text-align: start;">|</span><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/JenniferLArmentrout" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="text-align: start;">| </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.jenniferarmentrout.com/" target="_blank">Website</a></span></span></div>
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-70958432402493384272013-09-22T11:56:00.000+01:002013-09-22T11:56:12.020+01:00Angelfall by Susan Ee<a href="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1319887835l/11500217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="11500217" border="0" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1319887835l/11500217.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a><i style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.</i><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.</i><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.</i><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is one of those times where I think a hype is fully deserved. Wow, this book was amazing. I don't quite know how to tell you just how special this book was. Right off, it doesn't seem much different than other YA dystopia books, but that's only until you turn the very first page. I was sucked into the story and couldn't let go. It was funny, creepy, intense, actionpacked and snarky in a perfect blend. I never knew what was going to happen next. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was utterly impressed by Susan Ee's writing, I don't know exactly what it was, but it just made the story flow effortless. </span><br />
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I loved the story and how the angels were portrayed as the "bad guys" like they were in the old stories from the Bible. The mystery, however, is why they have suddenly attacked Earth. And are all the angels evil?<br />
I also liked how the angels weren't the only dangerous part in the story; after the angels have created havoc and destroyed cities, humans will do anything to survive in this post-apocalyptisc world, even if it means turning against each other, often with fatal results. Nothing is safe anymore, and there's nowhere to turn for help. I think this gave the story even more of an edge, while it was still very believable.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I absolutely loved Penryn, she was such an awesome heroine. Really. She was independent and used to taking care of her family and would do anything to keep them safe. But still, she knew when she needed help, and she accepted that. She could protect herself, and kicked some major ass, and she didn't wait around for someone else to come safe her. And she definitely did not go around swooning over Raffe, she just didn't have time for that. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">Raffe was mysterious and I had a hard time figuring him out. At first it was clear that he only made the deal with Penryn because he had to, and that he didn't think highly of her. Then he would protect her without really needing to. He sent mixed signals, and I loved trying to sort him out. </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The banter between Penryn and Raffe was hilarious, and they seriously cracked me up. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">“A little weird? That was freakin' Bizarroville."</span><br style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">He pauses and looks back at me. </span><br style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">"Are you speaking English?” </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There was a touch of romance, maybe more like a little tension between them, but it never took over the story. They both had more serious things to focus on, but I loved seeing them slowly change their look and understanding of each other. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The only thing I didn't like about this book was that it was a bit too creepy for me at times. I don't read horror books because they honestly scare me so much. Yes, I'm a bit of a wuss. S</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">o when I suddenly stumpled over that in </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Angelfall </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm sure I sported some crazy expressions while I cringed from the book. But it was only a small part so it wasn't too bad, and I will still read the sequel, <i>World After</i>, even if Susan Ee hinted at it being even more creepy.</span><br />
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<i>Angelfall</i> is a book not to be missed. The story was fast-paced and engaging, the characters were believable, and Penryn is what you secretly have been missing in most other YA heroines. A new favorite for me, and another long wait for the next book, which I just can<i>not</i> wait to read.<br />
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-14691673755875980182013-09-18T10:31:00.001+01:002013-09-18T10:31:36.524+01:00Waiting on Wednesday (22)<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.dk/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #4e47c1;">Breaking the Spine</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"> that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">This week I'm waiting on:</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18071466-world-after" target="_blank">World After (Penryn and the End of Days # 2) by Susan Ee</a></span></div>
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Release date: November 19.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world. When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans, where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">So I just finished <i>Angelfall</i> earlier this week and after that last page I <i style="font-weight: bold;">need</i> this book!! </span></span><br />
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What are you waiting on this week? Leave a link and let me know!<br />
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-27443140278958141742013-09-17T08:46:00.000+01:002013-09-17T08:46:23.915+01:00Top Ten Books On My Fall 2013 TBR List<div style="text-align: center;">
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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.dk/" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish</a>.</div>
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This weeks topic is: <span style="color: #0b5394;">Top Ten Books On My Fall 2013 TBR List</span>. </div>
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<i><span style="color: #351c75;">To be released this fall</span></i></h3>
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1. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9833184-the-fiery-heart" target="_blank">The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead</a>: This is probably my most anticipated book this fall. I seriously can<i>not</i> wait to read it. I go into total fangirl mode goes whenever I think or hear about it.</div>
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2. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13605723-sentinel" target="_blank">Sentinel by Jennifer L. Armentrout</a>: The last book in the series! I'm so eager to find out how it all end, though I'm sad there won't be more books after this.</div>
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3. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12842134-just-one-year" target="_blank">Just One Year by Gayle Forman</a>: Just One Day made a huge impression on me, and that ending..! This book better come ASAP in my mailbox when it's released!</div>
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4. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17736795-allegiant" target="_blank">Allegiant by Veronica Roth</a>: I loved Divergent, but was honestly not overly impressed by Insurgent. I still can't wait to read Allegiant though.</div>
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5. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12983100-world-after" target="_blank">World After by Susan Ee</a>: I just finished reading <i>Angelfall</i> and I need this sequel NOW. </div>
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6. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13449693-the-raven-boys" target="_blank">The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater</a>: I've read a lot of praising reviews for it and plan on reading this some time soon.</div>
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7. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11988046-pivot-point?ac=1" target="_blank">Pivot Point by Kasie West</a>: If I ever get this from the library (they are sooo slow) this is on the top of my TBR pile. I can't wait.</div>
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8. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12614410-the-lost-prince" target="_blank">The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa</a>: I've had this on my shelf for so long, maybe I'll finally get to it this fall.</div>
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9. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13183957-shadows?ac=1" target="_blank">Shadows by Jennifer L. Armentrout</a>: I've read all the books in the Lux series except this and I'll definitely have to change that. I got this one for free a week or so ago, so now I'm finally getting around to reading it. Can't wait for Dawson and Bethany's story.<br />
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10. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17286849-fangirl" target="_blank">Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell</a>: I hope I'll get my hands on this one sometime during the fall, because it sounds really good and I've heard some very good things about it.</div>
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What is on your fall TBR list? Leave a link and let me know :)</div>
Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-84205009576541623312013-09-13T10:53:00.000+01:002013-09-19T08:38:30.987+01:00Scarlet by Marissa Meyer<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13206760-scarlet?ac=1" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></td></tr>
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<i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...</strong></i><br />
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<i style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;"><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.</span></i></span></i><br />
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<i style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;"><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">prisoner</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></i></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><i>Scarlet</i> picks up right where <i>Cinder</i> ended and this book is a retelling of the little red riding hood, and what a retelling! I really liked <i>Cinder</i>, but I think <i>Scarlet</i> was even better. It was a bit slow in the beginning, but then things got real and I could. not. put. the. book. down. I was on the edge of my seat, holding my breath and trying to turn the pages fast enough. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Scarlet's grandmother has disappeared without a trace, but the police has just dropped the case, leaving Scarlet hopeless and furious. Then she meets Wolf, a street fighter, who might be able to help her, but can she trust him? In the mean time Cinder has escaped prison and is trying to find a way to temporary safety. But what should she do next? And can she stop Queen Levana before she claims Earth?</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Scarlet was a great heroine. She was strong, independent and had quite a temper. She'd do anything to save her grandmother, and she had to go through a lot to find her. I think she was very brave, and I liked how she stood her ground and didn't take anything from anybody. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I had a had a hard time figuring Wolf out. He seemed tough and dangerous, but was at the same time so shy and cautious around Scarlet. He was not what I expected, but I really liked him a lot. His and Scarlet's interaction were my favorite parts of the books, and even though they'd only known each other for a couple of (very eventful) days, their attraction seemed so believable and I couldn't help rooting for them. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I was happy to see Cinder again and following her next steps. Along with her is Captain Thorne and he was just hilarious. There was even a Kai cameo and we get to see some of his struggles after the events in <i>Cinder</i>. </span></span><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I loved how the stories of Cinder and Scarlet were connected and finding those little clues to both of their stories. It was also interesting </span><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">seeing more of the world Meyer has created, and she makes it all come alive with her amazing writing. </span><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The plot of the series is expanding, and <i>Scarlet</i> had a lot going on. I really like how each book in the series has its own story while still being a part of the overall story. I can't wait to read the continuation in the third book, <i>Cress</i>. </span></div>
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Overall, this was an amazing book. I love Meyer's writing, the world and all the characters. If you haven't yet started this series I highly recommend it.<br />
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-83018114081927206852013-09-11T08:43:00.000+01:002013-09-11T08:51:47.056+01:00Waiting on Wednesday (21)<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.dk/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #4e47c1;">Breaking the Spine</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"> that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">This week I'm waiting on:</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13605723-sentinel?ac=1" target="_blank">Sentinel by Jennifer L. Armentrout</a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">Release date: November 2.</span></div>
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<i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">It's a beautiful day for a war.</span></i></div>
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<i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">As the mortal world slowly slips into chaos of the godly kind, Alexandria Andros must overcome a stunning defeat that has left her shaken and in doubt of their ability to end this war once and for all.</span></i></div>
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<i style="background-color: transparent; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">And with all the obstacles between Alex and her happily-ever-after with the swoonworthy Aiden St. Delphi, they must now trust a deadly foe as they travel deep into the Underworld to release one of the most dangerous gods of all time.</span></i></div>
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<i style="background-color: transparent; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">In the stunning, action-packed climax to the bestselling Covenant series, Alex must face a terrible choice: the destruction of everything and everyone she holds dear… or the end of herself.</span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">I cannot wait to read this book! <i>Sentinel</i> is one of my most anticipated books this year, though I'm kind of sad that it's the last book. Then there won't be more Aiden :( But I still can't wait to find out how it's all going to end. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">What are you waiting on this week? Leave a link and let me know.</span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"></span>Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-72128946521510539642013-09-09T19:24:00.001+01:002013-09-19T08:38:30.984+01:00Origin by Jennifer L. Armentrout<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13644052-origin?ac=1" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></td></tr>
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<i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><b>Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.</b></span></i><br />
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<i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>All Katy can do is survive.</b></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?</span></i></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Together, they can face anything.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></b></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on? </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>And will they even be together?</b></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Origin </i>was one of my most anticipated books this year, and it did not disappoint. The stakes are definitely raised and it was indeed a gamechanger. It was also very different from the previous three. After that crucial ending in <i>Opal</i> I was eager to find out what happened to Katy and what Daemon would have to do to get to her. From the cover and the blurb it sounded like he was literaly going to burn down the world to save her, so I was a bit surprised to how the events unfolded in the first part of the book. </span></div>
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Katy has been captured by Daedalus and has to go through some horrifying things and some of it kept me on edge. But she also learned more about them, the Luxen and the Arum. If you've read <i>Obsession</i> you know it was already hinted at the Luxen might be far different from what we'd learnt so far. Katy doesn't know what to think and who to trust, but if Daedalus is right it will change everything. </div>
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In the meantime Daemon does everything he can to find Katy, even if it means sacrificing himself. But will he be able to find her and to what price? </div>
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The story was great and I flew through the pages, having to know what happened next. And I truly never knew <i>what</i> was going to happen. It was a bit slow in the beginning, but the middle and ending easily made up for that. There was a lot revealed in this book, and we get a look into Daedalus and their secrets. Some of the things were kinda creepy and the whole possible alien invasion was pretty scary - but that might be because alien invasions scares the sh!t out of me. Also, the whole thing with the origins was both interesting and scary too and frankly very different from what I expected. </div>
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But beside the action and the revelations, there was also sweet and swoony moments in<i> </i>the book, which were my favorites, and JLA sure knows how to write them. JLA always makes me laugh out loud several times during her books, and <i>Origin</i> was no exception. I laughed so hard a couple of times I was glad I was all alone while reading! </div>
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I liked the dual pov in <i>Origin</i> and it was great seeing both Katy and Daemon's side and see how they reacted to the same situations. I love both characters, but I don't think Katy was very prominent in the story, and I kind of missed her at times. Daemon on the other hand stole the spotlight and made this his very own book. He was his usual arrogant, snarky self and with a lot of awesome one-liners, but at the same time we get to see a lot of his sweet and tender side through his pov. I loved getting to know him even better and to understand his motives.</div>
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But why oh why did <i>Origin</i> have to end on another cliffhanger?! Just as I thought I was safe this time around she goes and does that! Now the wait for the final book, <i>Opposition</i>, seems even longer. I'll just be waiting around here. </div>
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If you've read the previous books I highly recommend <i>Origin</i>, it will change everything you know about the world JLA has created. A great addition to the series.</div>
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-19194730223981765452013-08-30T16:54:00.001+01:002013-08-30T16:54:49.017+01:001 Year Blogoversary!So it's a year ago today that I started blogging! I almost can't believe it. So much has happened since then, and I've learnt so much about blogging and books. And I've met a lot of amazing bloggers!<br />
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A big THANK YOU to all my followers, I heart everyone of you. Everytime I get a new follower I do a little happy dance. Seriously. And everytime someone leaves a comment I'm so excited, arms flailing and everything. There are actually someone who reads what I write! And then there were these bloggers who said they really liked my blog! Whoaa! Okay, enough with the exclamation marks. !!! Yeah, as you can see everyone of you means a lot to me, and makes me want to keep blogging, because I love to talk about books. And you keep following even in those periods (and there have been many and long ones) where I didn't blog at all. So thank you, thank you!<br />
I would have loved to do a giveaway, but it'll have to wait a bit, because I'm a bit low on money due to buying school books and stuff. But I <i>will</i> do one some time as a thank you to all you amazing followers.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.freedomcelebration.com/melaleuca_event_schedule.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Source</span></a></td></tr>
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I haven't blogged as much as I had hoped this past year. When I started blogging it was my intention to post reviews regularly, but that didn't really happen. In just the last couple of weeks I haven't even written one post! The reason is that the last year has been a bit up and down for me. I hope to change that, so I'll be blogging and commenting a lot more in the future.<br />
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-44302363996454138702013-08-11T21:43:00.000+01:002013-08-12T08:13:35.622+01:00A to Z book surveyJamie over at <a href="http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/" target="_blank">The Perpetual Page-Turner</a> made this fun A to Z book survey, and I thought I'd join in.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">A</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;">uthor you’ve read the most books from:</span></span></span></div>
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Jennifer L. Armentrout.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">B</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">est Sequel Ever:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think that would be <i>The Iron Queen</i> by Julie Kagawa. I love this series, but that book was simply amazing!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">C</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">urrently Reading:</span></span></div>
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<i>Along for the Ride</i> by Sarah Dessen.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">D</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">rink of Choice While Reading:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">I</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't really drink anything while I read. Too busy reading. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">E</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">-reader or Physical Book?</span></span></div>
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Psysical book! But I do love my E-reader too.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">F</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">ictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Jase from <i>My Life Next Door </i>by Huntley Fitzpatrick.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">G</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">lad You Gave This Book A Chance:</span></span></div>
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<i>Cinder</i> by Marissa Meyer. </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">H</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">idden Gem Book:</span></span></div>
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<i>Speechless</i> by Hannah Harrington.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">mportant Moment in your Reading Life:</span></span></div>
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Making this blog and joining Goodreads. It was so nice to meet other people who love books as much as I do, and that I can gush about books with.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">J</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">ust Finished:</span></span></div>
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<i>The Selection </i>by Kiera Cass.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">K</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">inds of Books You Won’t Read:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Horror books and zombie books. They just freak me out!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">L</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">ongest Book You’ve Read:</span></span></div>
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<i>Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix </i>(924 pages).</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">M</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">ajor book hangover because of:</span></span></div>
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<i>Clockwork Princess </i>by Cassandra Clare. I think it took me about a week before I could even look at another book.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">N</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">umber of Bookcases You Own:</span></span></div>
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Two, both tall ones.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">O</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">ne Book You Have Read Multiple Times:</span></span></div>
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<i>Anna and the French Kiss</i> by Stephanie Perkins. My all-time favorite book.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">P</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">referred Place To Read:</span></span></div>
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My chair in the living room - under my blanket.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Q</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">uote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read: </span></span></div>
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Ahh, this is a difficult one. I love quotes from books and I have many favorite ones, but if I have to choose one that gives me all the feels from a book it'd be this: <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><i>“I realize now that dying is easy. Living is hard.” </i>- If I Stay by Gayle Forman. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Also this quote: <i>"I do, Augustus. I do." - </i>The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Right in the feels.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">R</span><span style="color: #351c75;">eading Regret:</span></span><span style="color: #351c75; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;"> </span></span></span></div>
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Not really any reading regrets, but I do kind of regret not joining Goodreads before I did.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">S</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">eries You Started And Need To Finish(all books are out in series): </span></span></div>
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<i>Unbreakable</i> series by Elizabeth Norris. Actually, there's only to books in the series, but I really need to read that last one!</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">T</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">hree of your All-Time Favorite Books:</span></span></div>
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<i>Anna and the French Kiss, If I Stay </i>and <i>Slammed.</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">U</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">napologetic Fangirl For:</span></span></div>
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<i>Bloodlines </i>series by Richelle Mead. </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">V</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">ery Excited For This Release More Than All The Others: </span></span></div>
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<i>Isla and the Happily Ever After</i> by Stephanie Perkins. Just give me the book already!!</div>
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<i>The Fiery Heart</i> by Richelle Mead.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">W</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">orst Bookish Habit:</span></span></div>
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Umm.. being super careful with my books, bordering on OCD?</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">X </span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book: </span></span></div>
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<i>Anna and the French Kiss.</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Y</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">our latest book purchase:</span></span></div>
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<i>The Truth About Forever</i> by Sarah Dessen. I loved this book and can't wait to re-read it.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">ZZZ</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):</span></span></div>
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<i>Clockwork Princess</i>. I couldn't stop reading, and I had to know how it ended. I think was around two or three when I finished.</div>
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-10446502281706693502013-08-11T12:41:00.000+01:002013-09-19T08:40:42.989+01:00The Selection by Kiera Cass<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1322103400l/10507293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The Selection (The Selection, #1)" border="0" height="320" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1322103400l/10507293.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10507293-the-selection" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></td></tr>
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<i style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; 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></i><br />
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<i style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; 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></i></i></div>
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<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit;">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></i></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">My thoughts</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"><i>Beware, this turned out to be a very long review with a lot of ranting. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Generally, I don't like when reviews compare a book to another, especially those very popular books, if there's only a few elements in common - and let's face it, it's almost impossible to write truly original books these days. So unless there are some very obvious similarities (or it's a rip-off), I don't think it's fair to the book to compare it to other books. However, with <i>The Selection </i>I'm going to be guilty of exactly this, because the first half part of this book so reminded me of <i>The Hunger Games</i>, just without the brutality and noone has to kill anybody to win. It's more like a princess version of <i>The Hunger Games</i>. Wow, that sounded even more weird when I wrote it! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">But let me explain. The Selection happens every time the crown prince of Illéa (which is like the new US or what's left after fatal wars) comes of age and need to marry. Every girl in the country at the appropriate age can sign up to enter the Selection, which is a contest of thirty-five girls fighting over the prince, the last one left gets to be his wife and princess. The prince choose who leaves so it's not like they really have to <i>compete</i>. The Selection reminded me of the reaping in THG except that you sign up on your own and it doesn't happen every year. The Selection is a reality show, where the progress is followed by camera for the whole country to see. And the weekly report is led by a famous and loved host, who interviews all the girls and talks with Maxon. Caesar Flickerman anyone?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Next was the castes: </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The people of </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Illéa are divided into castes, depending on their trade and their birth, and the lowest castes are the most poor. So, basically it you'd want to move up on the scale. This reminded me of the different districts, except here they coexist. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">America is a five, which means she's a singer and quite poor. She's in love with a six, Aspen, who's a servant and can barely afford anything. He is supporting his whole family, always letting the younger kids get his share. Also, he is proud and while he loves America, he doesn't like that she'll have to become a six if she marries him, and that she is helping him with food and stuff. In the end he breaks up with her right before she is to enter the Selection. He reminded me of Gale both in appearance and in person. I did not like Gale. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">All in all, that first part of the book very much read like </span><i style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The Hunger Games</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> princess style. But in spite of that I found myself caught up in the story and actually had a hard time putting the book down. I don't what it was about it, but it was a lot of fun most of the time, even if it was somewhat predictable. There was a twist in the story near the end that I had seriously seen coming from one of the very first chapters, it was so obvious. So when it happened I was a bit disappointed with the author that she didn't do something more original. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I couldn't decide if I really liked America. I mean, she was an okay herione, but there was something.. lacking in her. She had a lot of the same qualities as the mainstream YA heroine, and nothing really set her apart. At times I thought she was whiny, but without it never being too much. She still loved Aspen, but was angry with him at the same time. She couldn't love Maxon because she still had those unsorted feelings for Aspen, though eventually she starts to warm up to him. Yes, another love-triangle in the making. <i>Le sigh.</i> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">The funniest parts of the book was America and Maxon's interaction. He was simply sooo cute and confused by all the ladies he had to choose from. America quickly comes clean with him, that she certainly isn't interested in him and she's very honest with him. They soon form a friendship, but is that really all he wants? And does she?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">At first I thought the idea with Maxon having to choose a wife between the thirty-five girls was weird, but okay. As the story progressed, however, and I started to root for him and America, it kind of grossed me out that he could date thirty-five different girls - and do whatever with them - and that he actually did that. I kind of hoped he would focus solely on America even though she made it clear she wasn't interested. Yeah, I'm not much for a hero courting a <i>lot</i> of other girls that is <i>not </i>our heroine. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">At last there's all those rebels attacking that just doesn't make much sense. We never figure out why they do it, and it seemed pretty random, making it feel like a way to move the plot along more than anything else. Maybe it'll be further explained in the sequel? Also, this new could have been explained a lot better. I had no idea what it was really like and how the US had ended up being a monarchy. Whaaat? </span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Despite this very long rant, I really did enjoy this book. It was fun and a pageturner, and I think I'll be reading the sequel. If you liked <i>The Hunger Games</i> and would want to read it princess style you should definitely give this a shot, if only for the interludes with America and Maxon that are so funny and sweet.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span lang="ZH-CN" style="color: black; font-family: SimSun;">☆ </span><span style="color: black; font-family: SimSun;">☆ </span><span style="color: black; font-family: SimSun;">☆</span></span></div>
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508274173693535070.post-62065221584147842812013-08-05T16:40:00.000+01:002013-09-19T08:38:30.982+01:00Cinder by Marissa Meyer<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1317794278l/11235712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cinder (Lunar Chronicles, #1)" border="0" height="320" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1317794278l/11235712.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #181818; font-family: inherit;">Humans and androids
crowd the raucous streets of New <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Beijing</st1:place></st1:city>.
A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people
watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one
girl. </span></i><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #181818; font-family: inherit;">Cinder, a gifted
mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past,
reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her
life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds
herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction.
Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets
about her past in order to protect her world’s future.</span></i> </div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">My thoughts</span></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">When I read about </span><i style="color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">Cinder</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;"> before reading it I was a bit sceptical: a retelling if Cinderella set in the future, where she is a cyborg? Eh, right. But after seeing countless good reviews I decided to give it a shot, and to my surprise I liked it. Really liked it. Actually, this book was awesome, and I'm soo glad that I read it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">There are some elements from the old tale like the evil stepmother, the two stepsisters, Cinder being unwanted and working hard, a prince, and of course a ball. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I think these traditional parts of the tale were impressively incoporated in this new story. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19px;">Besides these this felt very much like a story of its own and didn't feel like only a retelling. Meyer has created a very interesting future world, and the story was exciting and engaging. </span><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">I loved Meyer's writing. I liked how she described things and how the whole setting and story came to life.</span><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
did, however, predict one of the main plots early in the story, and I was a
teeny annoyed that it took so long to unravel, but I didn't mind that much
because I was constantly second guessing in the first part of the book. </span></span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I definitely liked Cinder, I think she was an awesome character. For the past five years she has lived a rejected life, doing all the work and always being complained about. She is treated like an outcast, because she as a cyborg is a second-class citizen, and she sometimes feels like maybe she isn't worth as much as humans. Despite that I think she was tough, getting by anyway with a great deal of sarcasm. She was smart, funny and loveable, and I was impressed by her will to go on, even when everything seemed against her - which it often did.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I think the best part was her easy banter with Prince Kai, which was so funny and had me laughing out loud several times. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Prince Kai was a very down to earth prince, who was very responsible and would do anything for his country. He was sweet and kind and charming, and I liked him a lot. At one point a certain reaction of his disappointed me a bit, though. Yes, Kai, you know to what I refer. But I suppose I understood him. A little. I hope it'll be further explained in the sequel. </span></div>
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<i style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;">Cinder</i><span style="color: #181818; line-height: 19px;"> was a great fairytale retelling, and if you like retellings (and even if you don't) you should this amazing book. I can't wait to read the sequel, <i>Scarlet</i>, which I'll hopefully get to read very soon.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span lang="ZH-CN" style="color: black; font-family: SimSun;">☆ </span><span style="color: black; font-family: SimSun;">☆ </span><span style="color: black; font-family: SimSun;">☆ </span><span style="color: black; font-family: SimSun;">☆</span></span></div>
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Book Lover Recommendshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08957737271372845362noreply@blogger.com1