Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Before 2013

Here are 10 books I wish I could finish before the year is over. I know some of them won't be out until next year, but I couldn't very well title this post "Books I Wish I Could Read Before 2013 But Half of Them Won't Even Be Out by Then". That's too much of a mouthful. Most of them are either sequels or spin-offs, just because I'm that kind of girl.

1.The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan- it might be a spin-off series about demigods, but I'm not sure. Rick Riordan wrote it though, and that's good enough for me.

2.Dark Triumph by R.L. LaFevers- for this book, I'm hoping to hear more about St. Mortain, the ancient Brit god of death, and Sybella, his handmaiden (who might or might not be insane).

3.Jane Erye by Charlotte Bronte- people tell me this book is about love and I think I'm ready to try another classic by one of the Brontes.

4.Scarlett by Marissa Meyer- part cyborg, part Lunar, and could possibly be in love with Prince Kai. AND it's based on Little Red Riding Hood.

5.The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa- it might be another overrated, dopey, foolish vampire story like-ahem I think we ALL know what I'm talking about, but it might not. With an author like Julie Kagawa, I'm leaning more towards the 'not what you expect' side.

6. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks- I know, I know!! I'm cheesy :) ...and a sucker for romance and dying to read some Nicholas Sparks. I haven't seen the movie so I'm not going to be biased or influenced by anything when I read this. And I will!

7.Diva by Jillian Larkin- boys, booze, speakeasies...wrecked debutante balls, scandalous love affair, ruined marriage. Needless to say, bring. It. ON!

8.The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater- the author of the Shiver series and Scorpio Races has brought us Raven Boys. I'm guessing their were-ravens...?

9.Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare- agggghhhh ^#$%@ this love triangle is KILLING me and I need to know who Tessa ends up with! 'Nuff said.

10.Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa- another book by the author of the Iron Fey series. I read an excerpt, amd it left me wanting more. *sighs* ahhh Ethan, I think I love you.

Note: I tried uploading the covers for each of these books, but I had a MILLION things go wrong and I just lost patience. I'm soorrryyyy!

Will Grayson, Will Grayson-Mini Review

Will Grayson, Will Grayson. It was actually a pretty good book. It did not. however, impact me enough to write a full review. The first time I picked up this book was at Chapters, and I thought it looked intriguing. Then, I actually read it (in two days I might add). I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed. I'm not a big fan of musicals, and it seems to me it was a big part of the book. The romance was also disappointing. My favourite Will Grayson was the gay one, although he was pretty messed in the head.

PS: I found a picture online of the characters in the book. In my head, Tiny was white, but it makes so much more sense if he's black (I don't really remember his skin color though). The first Will Grayson is really hot...don't get me wrong here though, I'm not trying to be racist.

The Second Base Club-Mini Review

Do you ever find yourself pondering this question: what exactly is second base? For those of you who are extremely inexperienced and don't know, don't be ashamed. Search it up on the internet. OR you could just read this book.

We're not talking about baseball here...

I have to admit, it was predictable. Poor Elroy goes through so many girls, and he never seems to get it right. The stupid jocks at his school make a club called ( you guessed it!) 'The Second Base Club', because they can get to second base and more with ease. It was a nice, entertaining easy read, and from a guy's point of view too. Haven't really read many of those lately. It provided a break from all the freaky paranormal love stories I spend too much of my time reading...

The Prophecy of the Sisters

Let's compare COVERS!!! Down below are two covers of the very same book. The first one is the hardcover version, which came out in 2009. The second, of course, is the paperback version. Scroll down and start comparing!

After looking at these two covers for the better half of an hour and gone through the gruelling process of deciding which is the better one, I have settled on the second one. By a LOOOOONG shot. The title, as you can tell, is the same in both covers, and the author's name is written in the same bottom-left corner. The only thing that changes is the background. This clearly determines the winner doesn't it? I mean, look at it! The two sisters look like their ready to kick ass. And of course, it can't hurt that they're both so beautiful. I'm guessing the blue-eyed sister is Lia (the protagonist) and the green-eyed sister is Alice (the antagonist, or one of them anyway). The second cover absolutely grabs your attention, while the first just gives you a WTF moment. I personally think that whoever designed the hardcover version was one brick short of a full load. But enough about me. What do you guys think? Seriously.

What Do YOU Think About...Divergent?

So...at school today my very awesome Humanities teacher reccomended a book called Divergent. I have heard of the book, but it sounds too much like the Hunger Games, so I never really got interested in it (just so you all know, I was never a big fan of the HGs. Don't ask me why, but I think it's because everyone likes it so much that I don't). The reason Divergent caught my attention this time is because my teacher said it was better than the HGs. I've read lots of positive reviews, and think I need to try something different than what I usually read (both Gone and Variant aren't the types of books I would normally read, but they were really REALLY great). The summary goes a little like this:


In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris, and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together, they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes-fascinating, sometimes-exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret: one she’s kept hidden from everyone, because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly-perfect society, she also learns that her secret might be what helps her save those she loves . . . or it might be what destroys her.

I don't think this is the "official" summary but it was all I could find without first getting my hands on the book. Then again, I didn't really look that hard. Tris sounds alright...I really hope she's not shy and innocent. I never like those shy and defenceless heroines. I don't have extremely high hopes for this book, but we'll see how good it is.

Gone By Michael Grant REVIEW

In the blink of an eye,

Everyone disappears.

GONE.

EVERYONE except for the young.

Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not a single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Gone, too, are the phones, internet and television. There is no way to get help.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents-unimaginable, dangerous deadly powers-that grow stronger by the day.

It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen and war is imminent.

I wasn't sure about this book. I've seen it recommended a lot, and many people said it was good, but I never really felt a drive to read it. BUT I got this for my birthday, and have been meaning to read it ever since.

Let me tell you something, I needed this book! Needed it. I recently noticed I've been reading wayy too much fantasy/romance, and this was a nice break from all that. The book started right when all the over-fifteens disappeared, and went from there. At first, no one really cared that every responsible person was gone, but after a few days, the kids started to realize their situation. They finally figure out that they are stuck inside the FAYZ and start to despair. Before things start falling out of hand, Sam, the main character, his best friend Quinn, and Astrid (the Genius) decide to escape for a while, and everything goes wrong from there.

I genuinely liked Sam. He doesn't have Caine's natural (or extremely practiced) charisma, but he is still a very good leader. I like how he is down to Earth and doesn't really want to step up as a leader, but does so anyway. He sometimes makes stupid choices but that is to be expected. Since the book starts right when the over-fifteens disappear, we don't know much about Sam's life beforehand, but we know he is shy, likes to surf, and once saved a school bus full of kids from a crash (this gives him the nickname Schoolbus Sam).

His best friend Quinn I liked less. He was wimpy, annoying and whiny most of the time. He did get better towards the end of the book, but he is still a coward at heart, and admits it to himself. While Sam changed for the better inside the FAYZ, Quinn changed for the worse.

Astrid was okay. She was mostly the brains behind the whole group, and helped generate theories as to why everything was happening. I did find her a bit stuck up, and know-it-all, although I know the author probably did that on purpose. Everything she did was to protect her autistic five-year-old brother, Little Petey, as much as possible, so that somewhat justifies her actions.

The pacing of the book as a whole was great! As a reader, I had time to digest new information as it was thrown at me. I don't think we had looong and boring pauses between the exciting stuff, mostly because dear Mr. Grant did not use too much imagery or description. The book IS long though, but not an exceptionally hard read. I would definitely recommend this, especially to people who are looking for something different.

Question: Will I continue with the series? OF COURSE! The whole concept of the FAYZ has really interested me, and I really would love to know what happens after. So, as they have started to say, keep calm and read on.

Best Friends and Bad Boys

You find yourself sitting in a cozy corner of the library, drinking some coffee (or tea, or whatever hot comforting drink you might like), texting (because, well, you just never stop texting) and reading an amazing YA book. Suddenly, BAM! You come to an instantaneous conclusion. You realize, "Damn…the main character in this book really should end up with Best Friend instead of Bad Boy (or vice versa)." From that moment on, you are inexplicably Team Best Friend, or Team Bad Boy. 

Do not panic, this happens to all of us. It's called Chooseateamitis and its a severe medical condition that makes us choose between two fictional guy characters in a book. Most commonly, these two guys are competing for a young girl's sweet love. Despite many protests, the girl almost always falls in love with the 'bad' guy, and the best friend is left behind, brokenhearted. Of course, the bad boy is hotter, and more exciting, and might have a slight drinking problem, but come on! The poor best friend shouldn't be discarded as one discards garbage. Most times, he isn't even considered seriously. And this makes me mad.

I'm sorry, but I have a strong belief in the best friend. The guy that has known her for ages, and has secretly harboured a crush on her? That's so very cute!!! He has stayed with the girl through her good and bad times, always sticking up for her, flirting nervously (occasionally) and just being plain sweet. Who wouldn't want a guy like that? Apparently, seven-eights of the heroine population.

I just don't understand what it is about bad boys that's so endearing. I get it that when something is forbidden, you want it all the more, but that doesn't mean it's the right fit for you. Of course, you can't help who you fall in love with either,  but that doesn't mean that the 'bad' guy should always get the girl. Also, he usually brings tons of paranormal problems to the girl. This happens in possibly most of the YA romantic fantasy books. I'm thinking we need a change from all this. It's becoming way too common and often turns a potentially great book into a good book, because it ends up being so predictable.

I think that if our heroines occasionally fall in love with the best friend, it wouldn't be so bad. It doesn't necessarily mean the book will be more boring.