Follow Friday/Blogger Hop

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

Q. Keeping with the dystopian and apocalypse theme that seems to be running rampant on parajunkee.com, I have one very hard question for you: If you were stocking your bomb shelter, what books would you HAVE to include if you only had space for ten?

This sucks as I would want the whole Harry Potter series, the whole Mortal Instruments series, and the whole Hunger Games series. I also have a few stand alone books I would like to keep. Here are the ones That I would keep (doing so with tears in my eyes for the rest)....

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
2. The Hunger Games
3. Mortal Instruments - City of Bones
4. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
5. Pride and Prejudice
6. Infernal Devices - Clockwork Angel
7. Anna and the French Kiss
8. a book with a collection of Shakespeare plays
9. The Lovely Bones
10. Die For Me



Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Crazy-For-Books.com. It's a great way to meet new people and friends around the blogworld!

"Summer is coming quickly - what 2011 summer release are you are most looking forward to?"

Passion by Lauren Kate. The 3rd in the Fallen series.

Happy Friday everyone.

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Release Date – May 4, 2010
Publisher – Simon & Schuster
Pages - 344
My Rating- 7.5/10

Here is the GoodReads synopsis -

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.

I picked up this book on a whim after seeing it at the library. I figured it would be a quick read that I might enjoy.

The thing with this book is that you get exactly what you think you are going to get. There is very little in the way of surprises or anything out of ordinary for the genre. It’s well written and the characters are very likeable. It’s a quick, cute, summery read that will hit the spot when you are in the mood for that type of book.

This story really only has 2 characters. We do meet a few other characters but they are either not in the book very long or spoken about by Amy or Roger. It’s hard when we really only get to know two characters because they have to sell us the story. Amy and Roger are both likeable. We meet Amy as she is still dealing with her dad’s death. She was written perfectly for someone in her position. We get to see her progress from where she is at the beginning of the book to where she is at the end. Roger on the other hand wasn’t as well developed to me. I liked him. He was sweet but I didn’t feel like we got to know much about him as we do Amy.

I loved the whole premise of the road trip and going off your original plan to find something. I loved the inclusion of receipts, journal entries, postcards, etc. It added a cute, fun touch to the story. I found myself actually reading them and looking forward to the next ones. These inclusions are sometimes awkwardly placed in the novel and cut the narrative while you are reading. It’s not a huge deal but you often have to go back once you’ve hit a break in the chapter to read the little extras.

This book will make you want to go on a road trip. The type of road trip that you just drive and see where it takes you. I recommend it if you are in the mood for this type of book.

Waiting on Wednesday - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

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 The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin


Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

Pretty vauge synopsis but gives me just enough to get interested. Just from the brief description I have so many questions. The cover is stunning. I am so excited to get my hands on this one.

Expected release date September 27th, 2011

Female Characters that Rock…

I have noticed a trend that male characters in novels (YA novels in particular) get a lot of love. I myself have book crushes. I totally get it. Boys in books are hot.I felt that their female equivalents often get overlooked though. There are some amazing female characters out there totally worthy of having a girl crush on.

I sat down and decided to come up with a list of female characters that I felt broke the mould. Characters that made me want to stand up and cheer. Female characters that I felt had something more to offer. I just wanted to do my part to showcase some of these amazing, well written and developed characters that do not get enough attention.

I am going to include why I put them on this list. Not everyone will agree with me (of course) but I welcome hearing about the female characters you do admire and why!

Here are a few I could come up with (in no particular order) -

Katniss Everdeen (Hunger Games Series) - I don’t think any list of this sort can be complete without her on it. She is not only physically tough and capable but mentally as well. She proves time and time again that she is no pawn to be used to further anyone’s agenda. Her cunning, and strength not only keep her family alive but help make her a formidable contender in the Hunger Games. I find her bond to her family just as impressive and a sign of her strength. I love that she isn’t all about boys either. The choice for her between Peeta and Gale was secondary. It was welcome and refreshing.

Hermoine Granger (Harry Potter Series) - I love J.K. Rowling for showing that girls who read can be sexy. Hermoine loves school and loves to read. She prides herself on being one of the best in her year. She wants to excel. I would have loved someone like her to be in the books I read while in Gr 8. There is so many other things I love about her though. She is loyal, level headed and quick to assist Harry whenever he needs it. I love that she doesn’t let her feelings for Ron take over and make her incapable of rational thinking or blind to the bigger picture. I like a girl who can stick up for herself and Hermoine does that fantastically.

Kate Beaumont Mercier (Die For Me) - Kate is just your average girl. She is someone I could see being friends with. She does do something that made me want to hug Amy Plum for creating her though - She doesn't immediately fall for Vincent. She doesn’t just declare her undying love for him the second they meet. In the YA Paranormal romance genre it is so common for the female character to be blindly in love with the vampire/werewolf/etc and to not even flinch when she finds out. This was a welcome and unique change. Vincent has to win Kate over. It felt more like what a sensible person would do and for this I love Kate. Kate also has a strength in her that is a quiet strength. The way she deals with her parents death and other obstacles is amazing to read.

Isabelle Lightwood (Mortal Instruments series) - Tough, sexy, and complex. Isabelle Lightwood is physically capable of protecting herself and other people who might need it. I love that she is protective of herself when it comes to the matters of heart. I like that she doesn’t “need” a boyfriend. She had this vulnerability that is under her tough exterior that you just can’t help but love. The love and respect she has for her family and friends is another thing I adore about her. Plus, any girl that can use a whip has my respect!

There are just a few of the girls that I think rock. What do you think? Which female characters make your list?

White Cat by Holly Black

White Cat by Holly Black
Release Date – May 4, 2010
Publisher – Simon and Schuster
Pages - 310
My Rating- 9/10

Here is the GoodReads synopsis -

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.
Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.
Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love — or death — and your dreams might be more real than your memories.

This was the first novel by Holly Black that I had read. I found her writing style to be easy to read, and she has great pacing. I was immediately immersed into her story and the world she created

Cassel was my favourite part of the story. He’s the likeable bad boy that you can’t help but root for. He’s flawed but you want to forgive him. It can sometimes go very wrong when a female author tries to write from the male point of view, however Holly Black get its oh so right. It may be that I have a soft spot for the bad boy but Cassel was mesmerizing, charming and interesting. I found myself feeling angry on his behalf at how much he had been lied to. I am not ashamed to admit that I would most likely be conned by him.

The other characters in the book that I liked were his friends Sam and Daneca. They helped show a softer side of Cassel and show that he was capable of having a real friendship with someone. I found his brothers interesting and loved reading about them (even if they are not characters I “liked”).

The fact that the story deals with cons, secrets and people who can take your memories away often results in twists, reveals and surprises. I found myself thinking I had things figured out only to be proven wrong a little later. Once you understand the world the author has created some of the twists are easy to figure out, but there were also a few nice surprises.

As curse work is illegal a majority of what happens in the novel takes place in the “underground”. The story has a very “mobster” feel to it. It’s dark and gritty. A lot of the characters are flawed and this makes the book even better. Some people may have issues with the characters as some of them have very little redeeming qualities but this somehow made it work for me. The type of environment the story takes place in would absolutely have these people inhabiting it.

The ending of the story left me wanting more. I am now itching to get my hands on Red Glove and may have to run to the bookstore and grab it. I am hoping to see more of Cassel’s mother as she seems like someone I am going to love to hate.

If you are fan of complex, well developed plots and characters I think you will enjoy this novel

Follow Friday/Book Blogger Hop

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

Q. Do you have anyone that you can discuss books with IRL? Tell us about him/her.

Q. What is on your current playlist right now?

Oh wow. My taste in much is so varied. Right now I have some Lady Gaga, Digital Daggers, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and some songs by the Glee cast(plus lots more of course).



Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Crazy-For-Books.com. It's a great way to meet new people and friends around the blogworld!

"If you find a book you love, do you hunt down other books by the same author?"


Of course. If I've loved a previous book I tend to find everything I can by that same author. There are some authors that just become an automatic pick up when the next book is released.

If you do comment or follow me please leave a link to your blog post so I can take at a look at yours in return.

Happy Friday everyone.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Release Date – May 23, 2006
Publisher – Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages - 183
My Rating- 8/10


Here is the synopsis from Good Reads

So you're a guy; you're at a band show and your ex, the girl who dumped you, walks in with the new guy. Looking for a safe exit, you ask the girl you happen to sitting with to be your girlfriend for five minutes . You're a girl; you're at a get-together and your least favorite female strolls in. The stranger sitting next to you asks you to be his five-minute date. So what do you? You lock lips . Nick and Norah's instant connect begins a roller-coaster "first date" that takes them through Manhattan and into themselves.

I picked this up because I enjoyed Dash and Lily’s book of Dares (see review here). I knew that there was a movie made from this book but had not seen it. I am so glad I hadn’t.

Nick and Norah both seemed very well developed and interesting. As in Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares the authors rotated chapters so we get to see things from each of their points of view. It provided you with two unique perspectives and with two main characters that I fully enjoyed. I liked that they both had their own issues and insecurities. It made them more relatable.

The premise of the book is that a chance encounter leads Nick and Norah to a “first date” that could turn into something more. I love that their meeting didn’t seem unusual. It seemed like it could actually happen. Too often in novels and movies the characters meet in an incredibly cute but illogical way. The highs and lows happen during their date make you realize how unique a first date is. It’s all there - nervousness, hope, interest, and promise. We all look for something on a first date (a relationship, a connection, a spark) and the authors capture that very well. They also capture the self cautiousness, and worry that can also be present.

The most important part of the book is the relationship or non-relationship that it building between Nick and Norah. The chemistry had to be there and the authors made it work. I honestly bought into the chemistry and was hoping for them to get together.

This book is filled with amazing pop culture references. My favourites were the Dirty Dancing and Heathers references. I love both movies so it was awesome to see them quoted. The fact that Nick and Norah played off each other using pop culture references was adorable (it might just be because I love quoting them myself).

The only warning I might give is that there is quite a bit of swearing in the book. It feels like it should be there and seems authentic to the characters so you don’t really notice it, but if you are sensitive to it you may want to consider it before picking up the book.

New York is almost a character itself. Nick dancing in Time Square in the room, to the hot make-out session in a hotel, to the few clubs they visit. You get a sense of what “hipster” New York would be like. The dialogue and locations seemed very “cool” and “hipster”. It was different from Dash and Lily but so much fun to read.

If you enjoyed the previous work by either author, or love pop culture (or even just New York) this is worth a read.