Wishlist Wednesday #5

Property of Pen to Paper

This is a meme hosted by Dani from Pen to Paper where each blog that signs up will post about a book they want to read/cannot wait for to come out. It can be an old or a new one. Basically, it's where on a Wednesday, we will talk about an item on our Wishlist that we hope to own or read in the near future. Click here to see everyone else's beautiful Wishlist Wednesday's! 

(Picture from Goodreads is messing up, sorry!) 

She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

Thanks to another blog (unfortunately, I cannot remember who), I saw this wonderful book! Goodness, there are a couple things that get me excited in the description. 

For starters, I love the name Meg. Might sound stupid, but Meg is just a really good name and I like it better than the full "Megan." I think part of it is because I really like a book who's main character is named Meg and the other part is that I absolutely adore Meg Ryan. You've Got Mail? Timeless. 

WATCH THIS NOW

Also, it is about witness protection program! I already like the whole "girl moves a lot and gets a new identity" story. That story is what made me most excited for Sarah Dessen's What Happened to Goodbye. However, this time, the girl HAS to get a new identity. I want to know what her real name is, what her father did, and of course, I want to know what her love interest, Ethan, is like. 

"...there's only one rule that matters -- survival." <--that line in the description above gets me really, really giddy. 

I hope to get this soon and thank you to whoever posted about this! 

--By the way, sorry about the pictures. I see that it is Blogger's fault and not Goodreads. Only letting me do it this way. Blah. 

What can you NOT wait for? 

Review: AMY AND ROGER'S EPIC DETOUR by Morgan Matson

Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn’t seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she’s coming to terms with her father’s death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

This book is one of those books where people talk about it all the time. Honestly, when I was looking at other people's Top Ten Fictional Crushes (in case I was forgetting someone important on mine), Roger popped up basically 1 in 3 times. You have to read it then, right? Who doesn't love a male character who makes girls put him in their Top Ten? 

Overall, let me say, the book was good. It wasn't one that made me go, "WOW, I need to buy this NOW." Honestly, not a lot of books do because I'm cheap. What I'm trying to say is that this book didn't give me goosebumps and didn't make me think about it for days. I even forgot to write a review for it until about a week later (so hopefully I remember everything). 

Throughout the book, we jump back either several years or just several months before. It all relates to Amy and her dad. In March, her dad died and all we know is that it was 1. Amy's fault and 2. it involved a car crash. That's it. Obviously, you can put the pieces together and get the gist of "how" it was Amy's fault. I felt for the poor girl though, because I would feel TERRIBLE. 

Amy's twin brother Charlie is in a rehab facility and her mother has already moved to Connecticut, leaving Amy alone in California. Because of the accident, Amy refuses to drive. Her mother needs the car back ASAP since she cannot share a car with her mother (Amy's grandmother) anymore. So that's where Roger comes in. Roger is the son of Amy's mother's friend. Read that again and I promise it makes sense. Of course, since Amy's mother needs the car back pronto, she made a very detailed trip to Connecticut. It supplies all the hotel reservations, highways, eating stops, everything. Honestly, I get why her mother is in a hurry, but CHILL, woman. Although, if you think about it and ignore she's doing it purely for selfish motives, it is nice of her. 

Instead, Roger isn't too thrilled with it and likes road trips more relaxed. Amy, for once in her life, goes against her mother's wishes and the two teens go on an "epic detour." 

There were moments that made me smile and moments where I connected with the characters. However, I wanted to slap Roger. Don't get me wrong, he's very sweet. I can picture him as a super cute, very sweet, lovable guy. BUT he is a horrible ex-boyfriend. I understand why he would act that way considering how he was dumped, I really do. Why, though, does he have to act so clingy? I want to tell him, "Move on, already!" Calling her nonstop, stalking her across the country, and staying at her parents' place? That would creep me out. Like I said, I understand, but at the same time I just want him to cross that bridge already and move on. Move. On. Dude.

The other thing is that was there really a point in sharing a bed? It provides cute scenes, but not realistic. She was obviously uncomfortable and there were ways around it. So why not get a different route? At first, I wasn't so against it because I thought of that ridiculously sweet scene in Leap Year where they pretend as a married couple. If you haven't seen that movie, you should! Slow beginning, but a wonderful movie. It also introduced me to the lovely song "Dream a Little Dream of Me." 

**

Anyways, I couldn't help but be confused about the fact that they were TEENAGERS sharing a BED because they "HAD" to. Uh huh, whatever. 

Amy also repeatedly said that while Charlie and her were twins, they weren't close. She was confused because it always seemed to be a competition for them. Well, what do you think, Amy? We were probably supposed to, but even I could tell that she was favored. Charlie was just harboring resentment and feeling bitter. Although Ms. Matson does create a conclusion for them, it didn't feel finished for me. I didn't feel like they resolved most things. 

I DID like quite a few things though. The games in the car were great, the loneliest highway was a very nice touch, and the people they met were even good minor (very minor) characters. Amy and Roger, while I didn't like aspects of them (that I mentioned above), they did feel real. It was great how Amy didn't instantly trust Roger. Sure, there was attraction, but she's not a zombie or anything. She felt normal attraction. But there was a process for them. 

Of course, I have to take away points for the process because they did not handle the ending of the process well for me. At all. It might be for some people, but it didn't feel realistic for me. And while I get why the ending was the way it was, I like to have a more concrete ending. I felt like I was just hanging in the balance. 

"Really, THAT'S the ending?" was my initial reaction. 

I do recommend you reading it for yourself. Lots of people (the majority) have all loved the book. Ms. Matson has great reviews on Goodreads and I push you to go see theirs. Form your own opinion. Maybe it wasn't the best thing for me to forget to write a review because I might have missed a couple things. 

While the characters can be lovable, there are great scenes and "quirks", and I loved the pictures and playlists, it just wasn't up to par for me. Sorry. 

**It would not let me link up the actual clip in the movie. I recommend looking at YouTube and hopefully it's  still there. Even better, WATCH THE MOVIE. 
Word to Parents: mild sex, I think language (but can't remember) 

What do you think of Amy and Roger's Epic Detour? 

Comment below!

College: Where the Crazies Are

I go to a local college about thirty minutes away from where I live. I'm part-time college and part-time high school*, taking only a couple of classes. One of which is Composition 1. It's a small room with only a few rows on each side of the room. We have a projection screen and a dry-erase board. I sit in the second to last row on the end and can basically see the whole room except for the two people who sit behind me.

If you have ever gone or are going to college, you know there's a variety of people. In my composition class, you see it very clearly. Let me describe a few people to you: 

The Hippie. She always has her short, black hair in pigtails, wears some form of tie-dye every class, and has a huge, colorful peace sign tattoo on the back of her neck. Seriously, her tattoo has rays of rainbow coming out of the peace sign. She's also very loud and very annoying. I don't think my professor (let's call her Ms. Oak) even likes her. We just submitted our paper in a week or two ago and she has non-stopped asked for it. Every Tuesday and Thursday: "Ms. Oak, when are we getting our papers back?" And EVERY time, our professor replies with the same day (we always get our papers back after two weeks, no more or no less). 

Well, she asks again on a Tuesday and Ms. Oak says next week. On Thursday, guess what happens. Just guess. That's right, she asks, "Are we getting our paper back today?" 

The girl next to me and I rolled our eyes in unison. I then found out that the Hippie made her paper 10 pages instead of the 2-3 page limit. Goodness. 

Cover Love #2

Property of Bookshelvers Anonmyous

1 Concert
2000 Miles
3 Ex-Best Friends

Alice, Summer, and Tiernan are ex-best friends.

Back in middle school, the three girls were inseparable. They were also the number one fans of the rock band Level3.

But when the band broke up, so did their friendship. Summer ran with the popular crowd, Tiernan was a rebellious wild-child, and Alice spent high school with her nose buried in books.

Now, just as the girls are about to graduate, Level3 announces a one-time-only reunion show.

Even though the concert’s 2000 miles away, Alice buys three tickets on impulse. And as it turns out, Summer and Tiernan have their own reasons for wanting to get out of town. Good thing Alice’s graduation gift (a pea-green 1976 VW camper van known as the Pea Pod) is just the vehicle to get them there.

But on the long drive cross-country, the girls hit more than a few bumps in the road. Will their friendship get an encore or is the show really over? (description from Goodreads) 

While this has been published for a little while, I haven't seen it since about September (I think). Since it is in Cover Love, I like the cover (no duh). It's simple, doesn't make me go WOW, but it makes me pay attention. The best part of a simple cover is that you can take it all in without wasting about an hour of your life trying to decipher everything. Then you can't go boring simple (which this isn't) or no one will be interested. I do like the short description at the top "1 concert 2,000 miles 3 ex-best friends." It interests me even more. Hello, who does not like road trips and awkward past relationships/friendships?  

Is it just me or do we not have a lot of yellow books? It is a good thing, because if there were too many, my eyes might start to hurt. With this, though, my eyes instantly go to it. Also, I like the color yellow. 

Without sounding freaky, can I say I really like the girls' legs? I like how they are all standing slightly different and you can tell who is who. Of course, we see bags in the background which completes the whole thing. 

Do you like this cover? Why or why not? 

Comment!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Review: UGLIES by Scott Westerfeld

Everyone gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that? 

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can’t wait. Not for her license–for turning pretty. In Tally’s world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there. 

But Tally’s new friends Shay isn’t sure she wants to be pretty. She’d rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world–and it isn’t very pretty. The Authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever. 

When I asked for book suggestions before I headed to the library, I was constantly recommended this book. I had seen it a few times in the library before and my young, prejudice self thought "It’s by a man. And I’m not sure about that title." I know that was horrible of me. But hey, I probably thought that when I was way younger. I never even bothered to read the description, which is even worse. So after I read the description, I didn’t even wait to go to the library. I put the whole series on hold.

Tally is probably like a lot of sixteen year olds in our present society. Insecure, completely waiting and wishing to grow up already, and doesn’t see a problem with doing what everyone else is doing. When everyone turns twelve, they leave their middle-pretty (basically pretties who are middle-aged) parents behind and are sent to dorms. Sixteen is the age everyone looks forward to. Sixteen is when they have an operation on their whole body to make themselves “perfect” which equals pretty. They become new-pretty. They describe the operation a couple times, each time sounding worse to me. Who wants that done? Not even celebrities would do that! They become perfect so that everyone will be equal.

Public Announcement: Holiday Giveaway!

Gillian Berry, blogger and owner of Writer of Wrongs, is hosting a FANTASTIC giveaway. Personally, I would not have heard of it if it were not for my sister, Shelver at Bookshelvers Anonymous, who follows her. So this post is for anybody out there who may also not hear of it. While I want to win, it is the season of giving (although Thanksgiving hasn't passed and that's being thankful which means if we are being thankful, aren't we getting something? No? I don't know, I just like the food). With it being the season of giving, sharing my knowledge and lowering my chances of winning will be a small sacrifice...I guess. 

So why do I like this giveaway so much? 

Wishlist Wednesday #4

Property of Pen to Paper

What if a beautiful vintage dress could take you back in time?

Louise Lambert has always dreamed of movie starlets and exquisite gowns and longs for the day when she can fill the closet of her normal suburban home with stylish treasures. But when she receives a mysterious invitation to a vintage fashion sale in the mail, her once painfully average life is magically transformed into a time-travel adventure. 

Suddenly onboard a luxurious cruise ship a hundred years ago, Louise relishes the glamorous life of this opulent era and slips into a life of secrets, drama, and decadence. . . .

Dreamy and imaginative, The Time-Traveling Fashionista features thirty full-color fashion illustrations to show gorgeous dresses and styles throughout history.


First of all, before I start, I must say that this has been published since 2011. However, I have only heard about it since about September. I could technically go out and buy it. However, due to how I was raised, I can't buy a book without first reading it. So I will have to wait to see if I can get it from the library and lurk at any giveaways. On to the post! 

Review: THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT by Veronica Rossi

It's been months since Aria learned of her mother's death.

Months since Perry became Blood Lord of the Tides, and months since Aria last saw him.

Now Aria and Perry are about to be reunited. It's a moment they've been longing for with countless expectations. And it's a moment that lives up to all of them. At least, at fi rst. Then it slips away. The Tides don't take kindly to former Dwellers like Aria. And the tribe is swirling out of Perry's control. With the Aether storms worsening every day, the only remaining hope for peace and safety is the Still Blue. But does this haven truly exist?

Threatened by false friends and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night? In this second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and sci-fi elements to create a captivating adventure—and a love story as perilous as it is unforgettable.

EEEEEP! Sorry for my virtual scream, everybody, but I was so excited to read this. Thanks to my lovely sister Shelver who won it in a giveaway by the super nice Veronica Rossi, I was able to read this in late October/early November. It doesn't come out until January so I was even more excited when I realized I didn't have to wait a few more months. Happy dance! 

Peanuts happy dance! 

Thankful for Books Giveaway Hop

My first ever giveaway, folks. Man, do I love giveaways, especially giveaway hops. So many opportunities to win AND you discover new blogs! I chose this hop because I love books, I love giving, and I'm always very appreciative so I felt this was the perfect one to start off with.

What's the prize? One lucky winner can choose any ARC book from the list below.

*Winner has 48 hours to respond to winning email until a new winner is chosen. 

*Entries will be verified. Please do not lie. If entries are falsified, winner will be disqualified and a new winner will be chosen. 

*You must be 13 years old or older. 

*Only one entrant per household. Sorry, but blame the cheaters.

Use the Rafflecopter below and then use this link to see everyone else's giveaways.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Top Ten Tuesday: Fictional Crushes

Meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I love lists. Lists are a great thing in my house and after watching everyone else do it, I've decided to join Top Ten Tuesday! Now, no worries, I won't be doing tons of memes. I'll only be doing this particular one randomly while Cover Love will be every other...and I haven't really decided about Wishlist Wednesday. Right now, I guess I'm just going with the flow. 

Now this week's is a Top Ten Freebie! I get to pick anything I want. 

*maniacal laugh*maniacal laugh*

So I picked Top Ten Fictional Crushes. Disclaimer: this is not in order. I slapped it all together at midnight and was quite ready to go to bed after being out of town for the weekend. 

Crying Girl in American Idol audience

I don't know if you guys remember the famous crying girl in the American Idol audience or not. But she was one of the many fans in concerts who make a fool out of themselves by crying and getting noticed on TV. So I wouldn't cry over these characters, but just like Crying Girl loves whoever is singing, I love my fictional crushes.

Review: UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi

Since she’d been on the outside, she’d survived an Aether storm, she’d had a knife held to her throat, and she’d seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as The Death Shop—are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She’s been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild—a savage—and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria’s help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

For the first however many pages, I felt as if my feet were dragging behind me. I was a little bored and Aria annoyed me. I wasn't terribly interested in the description either because of so many "dystopian" names. I love dystopias, don't get me wrong. But "Dweller", "Death Shop", "Reverie", "Outsider"; it was just too much for me! It's possible it was because I was just coming off of reading a couple of other dystopians that I felt slightly sick of it all. 

I picked it up anyways and after being nagged by my sister, I read it. Man, oh man, am I glad that I did! 

Under the Never Sky is told in third person and is switched from Aria to Peregrine (aka Perry). I feel as if I keep picking up more and more dual narratives and so far I haven't been disappointed. How can I when I feel so incredibly grateful to have BOTH insights? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be so head over heels in love with Perry if it was just Aria's perspective. 

With a Smarteye, Aria can experience different Realms. She lives in a secluded pod, but everything is stimulated. Even feelings are stimulated. Children are designed to the T and not a single girl has her period (hip hip hooray!). But when Aria loses contact with her mother who is in Bliss, she's determined to play lackey to top dog Soren to find answers. That's when it all slides downhill. 

I'm not being a spoiler for saying this. Trust me, you know they're going to do stupid stuff (it's in the very beginning) and that's how Aria is exiled. She's rescued by a mysterious Outsider and after some complications, she's then banished out of Reverie. She then meets this Outsider known as my Perry. Er..I mean Perry. 

"But that is called 'cannibalism', my dear children,
and is, in fact, frowned upon in most societies."

Perry is the exact opposite of Aria. He's an Outsider. He kills, he hunts, he protects. He has a disreputable bond with his nephew, who is taken away. They team up so that Aria can find her mother and Perry can find his nephew. Along the way, we meet cannibals. My sister calls them charming, I call them...not. I forgot to reread that section when she said that, but the only thing I think of is Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka. 

After Aria stopped being annoying (I hated her calling Perry a Savage, but I guess I understand), my opinion of her bumped up several levels. She's very talkative and inquisitive. Perry is quiet and withdrawn. Aria comes from a world where you don't really do anything except have a good time. He's the younger brother of the Blood Lord of the tribe. He's never known anything except hardship. While predictable, I did like seeing their relationship grow. I couldn't help smiling when Perry turned to be the one trying to converse and Aria was keeping her lips shut. Now THAT was charming. 

YA lovin' had me a blast!

Excuse the cheesy title, I couldn't resist. Do you see this picture above? How can you NOT? That's 50 SIGNED books. 50! No, the decimal point is not in the wrong spot. I'm having heart palpitations as I'm typing. There's some cool-looking books I've never heard about, books I have heard about, and books I've read and loved. So this contest? Huge deal. If you need help with the idea of huge, think of Ikea. 

Although this post is to hype up the this contest (which probably doesn't even need hyping up), it's mostly about the love of YA books. This blog, all the blogs I enjoy, and basically a lot of swoon-tastic books wouldn't be in existence if it wasn't for YA. 

I love lists. So here's a short list (definitely not the bigger, full version) of books that make me love YA. 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I think most of the population has read or at least read this series. If you haven't, go do it now. After you finish reading this post, but then right after! Tough girl lives in a dystopian world where 24 kids kill each other until only one survives. Sound horrible? Kind of is. But, wait! That's not all, folks. There is a love triangle, heartbreaking moments, throw-your-hand-up-in-the-air-in-triumph moments, a little sister named Prim, archery, and just overall awesomeness. 

Although definitely YA, people from the young to the old to the females to the males love this book. Thank you, Suzanne Collins, for raising the YA bar higher. 

The Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter

For as long as I can remember, I've always imagined being a spy. When I was younger, my neighbor and I would play a game called "spies" EVERYWHERE. And I mean everywhere. So when I heard about this fantastic series, I dove in. Great YA series. You meet a boarding school of (undercover) girl spies who at first run into only trouble with a normal boy but then later with national security and death threats. The latest book had me shocked and just...well, you'll have to read it. I haven't read any other kind of book in middle grade or adult that's like this. 

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

A girl cyborg retelling of Cinderella. Isn't that enough? I feel like I overuse "love" so I guess I'll just say that I adored this book. I'm a huge fan on fairy-tale retellings. This was top-notch. I enter in every giveaway I see that offers this book. One day...

Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

I've heard some people actually don't like this series, while some (like me) really enjoyed them. Mia can be annoying since she ends up being a doormat with her grandmother and others and she panics a lot. However, I panic a lot too so it was nice for a change. And how can you not love Michael? He makes me sigh every time. But this YA book is about a princess who just discovered she was a princess while juggling her regular life and you hear all her thoughts in her diary. Ten books in all and stick with them because the last one was my favorite!

I know I'm forgetting some major ones, I just know it. However, I did say it was going to be a short list. Now do a quick glance at it again. Have you seen books like these in adult fiction or middle school? I'm not trying to bash the others, but YA rocks, you guys. To me, there is so much potential in this part of fiction. 

It feels like characters in YA are much more connectable. Of course, that might be because I'm in the same age bracket as them, just as it is with adults and adult fiction. I have read adult books before and there's a couple series that would make my absolute favorite series of all-time. Seriously, there are great books in that world of fiction. But YA introduces me to characters who do or experience amazing things and are like me. They also are (usually) going into that stage in life where they find love. Like I said, so much potential.

Can I just say that I really, really love YA? Honestly, this world would be a sadder place without it. Imagine no YA blogs with amazing writers and memes. Imagine the authors you love who make you laugh and cry and swoon. Imagine no Meg Cabot, Marissa Meyer, Veronica Rossi, Scott Westerfeld, Sarah Dessen, Rae Carson, Elizabeth Wein, Robin LaFevers, or any other YA author you love. 

My point? I am a die-hard fan of YA fiction. No shame and all love. 

What are some of the things that make you love YA?