Friday Blog Hops!

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. It's a great way to meet new blogger friends. This weeks question is:

Q: What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to books? Maybe you don’t like love triangles or thin plots? Tell us about it!

Insta-love tends to annoy me. I like to see a connection built beyond the "he's so hot" reaction. I also have issues with characters that can't make up their minds.




TGIF at GReads! is a weekly blog hop hosted by Ginger from GReads

Q: Writing Reviews 101: What's your process for writing book reviews? Any tips or suggestions you would recommend to other bloggers?

I don't really have a set format for writing them. I tend to take notes and just write from them. I like to talk about how a book made me feel, and my reactions to characters, plot points, etc. If an author can make me feel something it's usually something I want to mention.

Happy weekend and Happy reading!

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
Release Date – May 18, 2010
Publisher Website – Penguin
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 489 pages
My Rating- 7.5/10
**purchased**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri’s birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s—and to her best friend, Lissa Dragomir. It's graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives outside of the Academy’s cold iron gates to finally begin. But even with the intrigue and excitement of court life looming, Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri. He's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance, and now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he's silenced her...forever.

But Rose can't forget what she learned on her journey—whispers of a magic too impossible and terrifying to comprehend. A magic inextricably tied to Lissa that could hold the answer to all of Rose's prayers, but not without devastating consequences. Now Rose will have to decide what—and who—matters most to her. In the end, is true love really worth the price?

*****Potential spoilers for previous books*********

I sat down to write this review knowing it would be a tricky one to talk about without giving much away. I may reference things that have happened in the previous books so if you haven’t read them, read at your own risk.

Richelle Mead has written a series that is addictive, filled with passion, friendship and complex characters.

The writing in this book was on par with the rest of the series. Fans of the others will quickly read through this instalment as well.

This book felt like saying goodbye. We’re saying goodbye to the Academy as our beloved characters gear up for graduation. We are saying goodbye to their childhood, and they are becoming adults. It gives this book (and the book before it) a much different feel than the earlier books in the series.

Rose is different is this book. She’s quite obsessed with finding out how to cure a Stigori (if it can be done). I sympathized with her longing to free Dimitri. I totally got it. She is quite reckless in her obsession. In some ways it felt like she was taking steps back from her progress, however, there are moments where she makes the more “grown up” choice. Rose really has blossomed into a fantastic guardian, and it’s been amazing got read her character progression.

If I didn’t love Dimitri so much I would feel horrible for Adrian. He’s hurt by Rose’s determination to help Dimitri. He feels the unresolved feelings lingering in Rose. You can’t help but hope he meets another girl that will distract him from Rose, as she is clearly in no position to be moving on.

Most of this book deals with Rose's journey to deal with Dimitri. The court politics I so enjoyed in the previous novels also comes into play.

The stakes are higher now than when they were in high school. It’s not just being removed from school anymore, and that makes for a more dangerous feel. You’re aware that there could be serious consequences for the actions many characters take. It leads up into our cliff hanger. There are different sorts of cliff hangers. Some leave you heartbroken, others leave you screaming, others leave you with your mouth open. This offers the kind of cliff hanger that shocks you. I am so glad I have Last Sacrifice ready to go because I don’t think I can wait very long to read it.

Waiting on Wednesday...Bloodrose

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pick this week is Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Calla has always welcomed war. But now that the final battle is upon her, there’s more at stake than fighting. There’s saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay’s wrath. There’s keeping Ansel safe, even if he’s been branded a traitor. There’s proving herself as the pack’s alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers’ magic once and for all. And then there’s deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is.

In the final installment of the Nightshade trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Andrea Cremer creates a novel with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until its final pages. A dynamic end to this breathtaking trilogy.

I have read the first two books in this series, and I am dying to see how it's going to end.

Expected release date - January 3, 2012

Gift Ideas for the Bookish People On Your List

The holidays are right around the corner. I thought I would create a list of gift ideas for the book lovers on your list.

I am sure we've all been there. You know your friend/family member/etc is a book nerd. The problem is you don't know which books they need, and you've usually gotten them gift cards so you're looking for something else. This is what my list will be. Since getting Noah Shaw is not a possibility, these are all things that I would love to get as a book lover (*hint hint*).

1. A Book from Books By You


Ok, Ok, I know I said NO BOOKS. However, this is one that they can't get in stores. It's special, and is perfect for that book lover who has always wanted to be the star of their own novel. You provide them with the details and you have a customized gift that anyone would love.

They have many choices, for all age groups. They even have a great Classics section that will make you the star in Pride and Prejudice!! Who hasn't wanted to be Elizabeth Bennett! *squee*

If you want to play around with samples, and get more information just visit www.booksbyyou.com.



2. A Reading Journal

If your purchasing for a book reviewer, and they happen to take notes while reading, this is perfect.You can find them a lot of places, but a simple notebook works well too, and that way you can match the cover to their tastes.

3.Book Cover Poster

There are some gorgeous book covers out there. If you happen to know a personal favourite of the recipient you couldn't go wrong with this. This maybe a little harder to find. I would maybe suggest finding out who took the image (if possible) and seeing if you could purchase it directly from them.

4. Book Tote

I am constantly carrying around books. A great tote would be nice. A personalized tote would be even better. Put their favourite cover on it, a favourite quote, have it reference their favourite character.

5. Munchies/Snacks/etc

Does your book lover drink wine, tea or something similar while reading? Do they like to go sit in Starbucks (or other) to read? Purchasing them a gift card/box of tea/bottle of wine/etc would be much appreciated.

6. Christmas Ornaments

If you can find an ornament that suits their favourite book, or a book ornament.

Of course you can always get the gift card, or even some books. Here are some titles I recommend for this holiday season

1. Shatter Me By Tahreh Mafi
2. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
3. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
4. Any Cassandra Clare book
5. The Hunger Games Trilogy

Happy Shopping and leave your own gift suggestions in the comments

Falling In Love With English Boys by Melissa Jensen

Falling In Love With English Boys by Melissa Jensen
Release Date – December 23, 2010
Publisher Website – Penguin/Speak
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 293 pages
My Rating- 7/10
**purchased**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Catherine Vernon has been stranded in London for the summer-no friends, no ex-boyfriend Adam the Scum (good riddance!), and absolutely nothing to do but blog about her misery to her friends back home. Desperate for something-anything-to do in London while her (s)mother's off researching boring historical things, Cat starts reading the 1815 diary of Katherine Percival her mom gives her-and finds the similarities between their lives to be oddly close. But where Katherine has the whirls of the society, the parties and the gossip over who is engaged to who, Cat's only got some really excellent English chocolate. Then she meets William Percival-the uber-hot descendant of Katherine-and things start looking up . .

Falling in Love With English Boys has everything you could want - romance, humour, chocolate, and swoony love interests.

The telling of the story is unique in that it’s told through two different perspectives via blog and diary entries. The author uses blog entries for our modern Cat, and diary entries for Katherine. I thought this was really unique, and gave it a fun feel. The historical aspect to Katherine’s diary entries was a pleasant surprise. The mention of poets (Lord Byron), the war, and proper behaviour were fascinating.

I could see people having issues with the style of writing. Cat uses a lot of slang, and spells words differently. The text messages she puts in her blog posts are an example. It felt natural to her character though, so it worked for me. I had to laugh at her calling her Mom (S)mother.

The two main characters Cat and Katherine were both likeable enough. They both had a spark, a sense of humour and were different enough from each other that the two different narratives did not get confusing. I enjoyed the new friends Cat meets in London. They were fun, helped bring Cat out of her shell a bit, and the type of girls you would want to befriend yourself.

The parallels between Cat and Katherine’s story are often apparent. It made sense to have their journeys entwine. History and the present collide to provide a cute, sigh inducing ending to the story.

Is the plot a little predictable? Yes. Is it heavy on the romance? Yes. It’s one of those fun, make you happy books that doesn’t take it self seriously. It’s something you wish could happen. I want to go to England and meet my own cute English guy now.

You’ll want to read this one eating your favourite British chocolate (I recommend a Curly Wurly) and drinking a nice cup of tea. You’ll be wishing you had your own English boy to fall in love with.

In My Mailbox!

This is a weekly meme hosted by the awesome Kristi at The Story Siren. It gives us a chance to showcase the books we got during the week.

I had a pretty awesome book week. I have quite a few new additions to my bookshelf!



Revived by Cat Patrick (goodreads)

A HUGE thank you to Hachette Group Canada for this! I am so excited to read it! I have a few books that are coming out in spring 2012 that I want to read NOW, but am also wanting to save them so they count for the Debut Author Reading Challenge I am taking part in. ;)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (goodreads) NOT PICTURED

A HUGE thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the egalley I have waiting to be read. Again, this comes out in January, so I might wait and read it right on Jan 1st! I have to double check when the galley expires.

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (goodreads)

Brodie at Eleusinian Mysteries mentioned this one. Something to do with hot cowboys....

Either way I was tempted enough to purchase it from Book Depository and it came (finally) this week. I am super excited to read it. It's going to be part of an Angel Theme week I am planning for April (right around my birthday).

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick (goodreads)
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (goodreads)
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (goodreads)

I purchased the three of these while at Chapters this week. I have been meaning to read all of them and now that I have them I am hoping to fit them into my review schedule. Super excited for all 3!

What books did you get this week? Leave me a comment and I will check it out.

Happy reading everyone!

My Obsessions....for the week anyways

The awesome Kelly at KellyVison started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

So this week my obsessions are:

TV

Curiosity - Titanic episode

This TV show is on Discovery Channel and I happened to catch the Titanic episode. Riveting. I was fully engrossed for two hours. If you are at all interested in Titanic and it's haunting fate you should check it out. It goes nicely with Claudia Grey's Fateful.

MOVIES

My Week With Marilyn




I went to see this yesterday and I am totally in love with Michelle Williams performance. She's perfect. Fragile, sexy, haunted, yet so charming and lovely. She even nailed the way Marilyn walked. The other performances were good too, but Michelle stands out.

I am wanting to get my hands on the book now so that I can read it.

OTHER

Vacation

I have this coming week off of work! Today is my last shift until Monday Dec 5! I don't have anything planned other than reading, visiting my adorable nieces, and doing so much needed reorganizing of my books. It's going to be nice to relax, and not do anything!

What are you obsessed with this week?