Friday Fill-ins (4/30/10)

Friday, April 30, 2010
Click here to get to FF's blog!


1. I was just thinking about finishing this chapter.
2. I just had some cereal and I left my book right in front of me so I can read.
3. Why do I have to go into work today? Don't they know I can't put this book down?
4. 'Gus, stop licking me!' was in my thoughts today.
5. One of my father's favorite sayings was 'Kiss my butt and call it a love story'.
6. Exhaustion --I know that feeling!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to being able to stay up late and work on my FanFiction, tomorrow my plans include sleeping in and being outside, enjoying the weather and Sunday, I want to clean my room to prepare for Monday!

Book Beginnings on Friday (4/30/10)

Book Beginnings is a weekly Meme hosted by Page Turners!

Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading. If you like, share with everyone why you do, or do not, like the sentence.

Beautiful Creatures, chapter one and sentence one:
There were only two kinds of people in our town.
Mmm, not really the best line they could've written but along with the second sentence in the novel, "the stupid and the stuck", it fits well. 

Booking Through Thursday (4-29-10)

Thursday, April 29, 2010
Booking Through Thursday is a weekly Meme hosted by BTT.


God* comes to you and tells you that, from this day forward, you may only read ONE type of book–one genre–period, but you get to choose what it is. Classics, Science-Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Cookbooks, History, Business … you can choose, but you only get ONE.
What genre do you pick, and why?
*Whether you believe in God or not, pretend for the purposes of this discussion that He is real.
This was probably one of the easiest questions I've ever answered. Without blinking I would choose YA. I think authors of YA fiction need to be even more talented in order to keep the attention of the audience. The plots are so creative and the covers are always worth their weight in gold. It's such a wonderful genre to blog about and be involved in a community of fans. <33

Waiting on Wednesday (428/10)

Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week's WoW is...
Book: Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
Release Date: April 27, 2010
Yes, I realize I'm cheating a little bit but I just had to put this one up this week. As some of you know, Perfect Chemistry is one of my favorite books and I adore the way Simone writes. Naturally I am pumped for this one. I really hope this sequel does Alex and Brittany justice! I love them together so I hope I like Carlos and Kiara the same way. Think she'll write a third for the littlest brother? ;)

Teaser Tuesday (4/27/10)

Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

* Grab your current read.
* Let the book fall open to a random page.
* Share with us 2 teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My mom would have laughed, the idea that I wasn't allowed to read a book. Things had obviously gotten pretty bad around here. - page 341

Virtual Lives!

Monday, April 26, 2010
Hey guys! I thought to post this here in case some of my lovely followers don't watch me on YouTube. I decided to reopen a site I had a long time ago and would love it if you'd like to join!


Virtual Lives is a message board dedicated to anything creative and thought provoking. ;) The main idea is that you create a family and write about their lives. It's rather addicting a lot of fun. We also have a section for books, writing tips, and other fun things. I'm super excited for it to get going for the summer! Thank ya!

It's Monday! What are you reading? (04/26/10)

This is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Books I've read this week
  • None. :(

Books I'm reading now

Books I plan on reading this week

In My Mailbox (4/24/10)

Saturday, April 24, 2010
Hey guys! Hope you had an amazing week! It was a good week in books for me this time around, finally got some books I'd been pining for. I also wanted to say thank you to all of my new and old followers! Thanks for sticking in there with me through this hard time - I so appreciate it! *muah*


Library
The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh
Madapple - Christina Meldrum
Marcelo in the Real World - Fransisco X Stork

Bought
The Reckoning - Kelley Armstrong
Hourglass - Claudia Gray (GAH! <33)
Twilight Graphic Novel - Stephenie Meyer, illustrated by Young Kim

Here's an example of the gorgeous illustrations in the Twilight book. I was debating getting it but I'm glad I did.

To be Read list!

Friday, April 23, 2010
I made this video a couple days ago and thought to post it here as well. I linked all the books to GoodReads so if there is something you're interested in you can head there. Enjoy and please let me know what you're reading and if you liked any of the books I have listed!



Nanny Returns - Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus
The Host - Stephenie Meyer
Beautiful Creatures - Margaret Stohl & Kami Garcia
What I Saw and How I Lied - Judy Blundell
Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver
Hollow, The - Jessica Verday
Dark Divine, The - Bree Despain
Bleeding Violet - Dia Reeves
Well, The - AJ Whitten
Luxe, The - Anna Godberson
Iron King, The - Julie Kagawa
Time Traveler's Wife, The - Audrey Niffenegger
Snowfall - K.M Peyton
Tantalize - Cynthia Leitich Smith
Blue Bloods - Melissa De La Cruz
Generation Dead - Daniel Waters
Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead
Lock and Key - Sarah Dessen
Betwixt - Tara Bray Smith
The Morganville Vampires - Rachel Caine
Ransom My Heart - Meg Cabot
Prophecy of the Sisters - Michelle Zink
The Year I Turned Sixteen - Diane Schwemm
Shiver - Maggie Steifvater
Another Faust - Daniel and Dina Nayeri
Before I Die - Jenny Downham
The Maze Runner - James Dashner
Pretty Little Liars box set - Sara Shepherd
How I Live Now - Meg Rosoff
Strange Angels - Lilith Saintcrow
The Sky Always Hears Me and the Hills Don't Mind - Kirstin Cronn-Mills
Dreaming Anatasia - Joy Preble
Dreams of the Dead - Thomas Randall
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side - Beth Fantaskey
Posessions - Nancy Holder
Impossible - Nancy Werlin
City of Bones - Cassandra Claire
Kissed by an Angel - Elizabeth Chandler
The Vampire Diaries (books 3&4) - L.J Smith
Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

Waiting on Wednesday (4/21/10)

Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's WoW is...
Book: Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick (sequel to Hush Hush)
Release Date: November 16th, 2010
Ah! I can't wait for the second one, Hush Hush was spectacular. Oh my gosh, and could the cover be more perfect? The summary may contain spoilers.
Nora should have known her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.

The farther Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim blood line has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard--falling from it is even harder. Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High... until vicious rumors about her and her best friend's boyfriend start going around. Now Regina's been "frozen out" and her ex-best friends are out for revenge.

This novel totally kept my blood boiling! I felt horrible for Regina, even though she did deserve some things for her past but these girls were just ruthless. I really wasn't a huge fan of Cracked Up to Be, but the writing was so good I knew I needed to try this one. I'm glad I did, even though I was angry throughout the whole novel.

I felt this novel was very real and a good read for teens to see how words can affect someone. Courtney has a way of getting into the cliques and makes you feel like you're part of the group. Of course her writing was amazing as well as the format of the book, I couldn't stop turning the pages. It makes me feel very old when I think about how conniving kids, especially girls, are these days and I would not want to be in high school in these times.

Overall, this was an inspiring novel and I hope all girls will pick this one up and realize that your words can sting and create a snowball effect. I think teens live in the moment and their actions don't have consquences. All of these things that seem so important in high school is really nothing in hindsight! Very thought provoking novel!

*****

Teaser Tuesday (4/20/10)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly Meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us 2 teaser sentences from somewhere on that page.
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Book: Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
One comment steals all the air from my lungs. I hope she fucking dies.

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks


Seventeen year old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller's life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father...until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie's father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church.The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story of love on many levels--first love, love between parents and children -- that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that love can break our hearts...and heal them.
I have this thing that if a movie is adapted from the book and I want to see it, I need to read the book first. I've come to find that the book is almost always better than the movie. Some of my YouTube subscribers urged me to read this one (I'd already bought it) and I'm glad I did.

The story at first was kind of obnoxious and shallow, mainly because Ronnie was. She didn't care about anyone but herself and was the typical teenager. As the novel continued you could see that soften and by the end of the book, I found myself really loving and connecting with Ronnie. You could see the character development and I felt like Nicholas Sparks included me in the journey of this teenage girl in becoming a woman.

The ending was beautiful and I loved it, however I did think the epilouge left something to be desired. I don't want to reveal much about it but I wanted more. I found myself not wanting to put it down and I highly enjoyed reading from the different perspectives, especially Will and Marcus because of their dark secrets. The story has a romantic feel and completely screams 'summer romance' to me.

All of the characters were rich and real, easily believable as well as relateable. Jonah was absolutely adorable, and I really enjoyed reading about his antics with Steve and Will. As usual, the writing was wonderful and Nicholas Sparks didn't disappoint at all. I completely recommend this one and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

****

It's Monday! What are you reading? (04/19/10)

Monday, April 19, 2010
This Meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Books I read this week:

Book I'm reading now:

Books I'm planning on reading this week:

In my Mailbox (04/18/10)

It's been a while since I've made an IMM post! I'm thrilled to be able to make them again. My sister was in town this week so I didn't have a lot of time to shop and I didn't have much money anyway, but I did pick up a few things at Half Price Books.

Books
Deadly Little Lies - Laurie Faria Stolarz (book #2 in Touch series)

Movies
Trapped -- love this movie, Dakota was precious!
40 Year Old Virgin -- hilarious (Paul Rudd isn't too hard on the eyes either)
The Missing-- really good drama, it reminds me of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman ;)

Up and running!

Sunday, April 18, 2010
Hey everyone,

So as you might know from my YouTube channel, I had some idiot delete my blog and the posts I had. At first I was annoyed because I'd put so much work into it and it was gone in a second. However I've realized I have missed owning a blog and I've decided to keep it up and not let someone's idiocy ruin my fun! We're back and I'm going to make it my belated New Year's Resolution to make this blog better and bring it to its full potential!

Happy reading!
Laura

My Life as a Rhombus - Varian Johnson

Sunday, April 11, 2010
Homework plus strawberry ice cream equals a typical night for high school senior and math whiz Rhonda Lee. Angling for a full scholarship to Georgia Tech, the pressure is on. And dating isnt part of the equation. Teenage boys are only after one thing, right? She should know considering her last boyfriend left her heartbroken . . . and pregnant.
I really enjoyed this one, and I wasn't sure if I would. Normally I like to steer clear from the pregnancy teen novels because they only make me annoyed but this wasn't what I thought. I loved how the relationships changed between the characters and how Rhonda was desired even if she wasn't the best looking.

The ending was really good for me and it made up for Sarah's crazy mother. She really got my blood boiling! Towards the end things were tense and I was wondering what would happen and I love novels like that. I was pleasantly surprised to find the author was male. He really has a good insight into the female mind. His wife is a lucky woman! ;)

****

The Ghosts of Kerfol - Deborah Noyes

Friday, April 9, 2010
 In her classic ghost story "Kerfol," Edith Wharton tells the tale of Anne de Barrigan, a young Frenchwoman convicted of murdering her husband, the jealous Yves de Cornault. The elderly lord was found dead on the stairs, apparently savaged by a pack of dogs, though there were no dogs — no live dogs — at Kerfol that day.

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel! I went in thinking it was going to be something it wasn't and it surpassed my judgements. It is a series of short stories, all surrounding the ghosts of Kerfol (obviously ;)) and the first story is how it began which is very dark. I loved the gothic feel of it and I was guessing until the end.

If you're looking for a historical fiction meets spooky story, I highly recommend this one. I think it would be good for all ages, not just middle to high schoolers. My mom also read it and thought it was well-written as well. Good read for all!

****

Captivate by Carrie Jones

Monday, April 5, 2010
Zara and her friends knew they hadn't solved the pixie problem for good. Far from it. The king's needs grow deeper every day he's stuck in captivity, while his control over his people gets weaker. It's made him vulnerable. And now there's a new king in town.

A turf war is imminent, since the new pixie king, Astley, is moving in quickly. Nick nearly killed him in the woods on day one, but Zara came to his rescue. Astley swears that he and Zara are destined to be together, that he's one of the good guys. Nick isn't buying it, though Zara isn't as sure -- despite herself, she wants to trust the new king. But it's a lot more than her relationship with Nick that is at stake. It's her life -- and his.

Captivate is the second book in the Need series by Carrie Jones and it was just as good as the first! Sometimes it can be difficult to find books where the sequel matches up to the first but this one was an exception! I never thought I'd like a book with pixies/fairies because I just don't care for them but Carrie Jones has grabbed me and won't let go!

I absolutely devoured this book because it was so good. I found Zara as a character to be slightly annoying sometimes, but overall I liked her. The ending took me by surprise but I thought it was a good ending and the perfect entrance into another book. The plot is original with amazing characters as well. I actually think I might be team Astley even if he might be bad ;) More please!

****

Need - Carrie Jones

Sunday, April 4, 2010
Zara White suspects there's a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She's also obsessed with phobias. And it's true, she hasn't exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane...but Zara's pretty sure her mom just can't deal with her right now.

She couldn't be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara's overactive imagination. In fact, he's still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There's something not right - not human - in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.

Love, love, LOVE. I've never devoured a book this quickly since I first read Twilight. At first I was a little hesitant because I normally don't like books about pixies and such but it got such rave reviews in the book community on YouTube that I thought I needed to try it and I'm so glad I did.

All of the characters were so likeable, especially Essie - she was my favorite. This book has everything you could ask for - action, drama, love, and mysterious boys with amazing good looks! ;] I read this book on Easter and finished in a couple hours. Carrie Jones has an amazing way of writing and totally sucks you in. I loved the beginning of chapters with the fears. So clever.

This is easily one of my favorite series of 2010!

*****