Top Ten Tuesday! 2.11.14

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the The Broke and the Bookish. Every week she posts an idea for a 'Top Ten' list relating to books, and encourages other book bloggers to respond and participate. All the details are listed on her site. 

This week's topic: Top ten books that will make you swoon!

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks 

Night Tales Series by Nora Roberts

Texas! Trilogy by Sandra Brown 

Sweetest Mistake by Candis Terry 

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson 

Stacking the Shelves 2.10.14

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga @ Tynga's Reviews. Its all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, whether physical or virtual books. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks! Tynga posts this meme on Saturdays, but you can post on any day that works best for you! Check out the guidelines by visiting Tynga's blog!

Usually I post this on Saturday or Sunday, but since I was gone over the weekend, I'll just post now :) Small week for receiving books, but that is definitely ok! I have so many already that it's probably a good thing that I didn't get many. 

Purchased

I've been waiting to get a copy of this book for some time because I keep hearing how great it is! I searched at my local used book store, but could never find it, so I finally broke down and bought it new (which I almost never do). Probably going to be the next book I start! 

I read this book years ago, but since there is now a movie out, I really wanted to reread it. Again, I couldn't find it at the local used bookstore, so I bought it new. One thing that bothers me -- the book store was selling this as "new fiction" and therefore, the price was much higher. But it's NOT new!!! It's actually quite old, so I'm kind of irritated that they're doing that. I understand since it's now a movie, they are expecting to sell more copies, but seriously, it shouldn't be marketed as new! I searched around the store to find the smaller paperback because I wasn't going to pay $15 for the larger sized "new" book.

 I have to say though, I like this cover much better than the original! 

Feature and Follow Friday! 2.7.14

Feature and Follow is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The purpose is to meet new people and gain more followers in the book blogging community. If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers. But you have to know, the point of this hop is to follow other blogs also. I follow you, you follow me. 

The general rules are: 

- Follow the Feature and Follow Hosts (Parajunkee and Alison Can Read)

- Follow the Featured Bloggers

- Put your Blog name and URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts. 

-Grab the button up there and place it in a post. This post is for people to say hi and that they are now following you in your comments. 

-Follow, Follow, Follow as many as you can. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Don't just follow, comment and say hi in the post! Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say 'hi'

-If someone comments and says they are following you, please follow back! 

This weeks question: 

If you could read a book for the "first time" again, which book would it be and why? 

This is kind of a tough question! There are so many books I would love to experience for the first time again, but if I had to choose... Either The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern or the Harry Potter Series. The Night Circus is such a magical and beautiful story, I'd love to experience it for the first time again. And Harry Potter...I don't need to say much about this! The entire series is amazing and I really loved reading them while I was growing up. I think if I read the for the first time at my current age, I would still love them just as much, if not more! Particularly, I think reading the first one again would be amazing because that's when we're first introduced to this magical world so different from our own (: 

Throwback Thursday 2.6.14

Throwback Thursday is a bookish meme hosted every two weeks by Christina @Booksane and Stephanie @Bookfever where you feature books that you've read in the past but are still crazy about. It could be a book you read as a child and still remember and love or maybe just a book that you haven't read in a long time and want to show your love for.Each week we'll be featuring a new random question to answer!

Book pick this week: 

I read this a couple years ago when it first came out and loved it! I would really like to re-read some of Jodi Picoult's books because I love them all so much but haven't read any in a while. It's probably going to be between this one and The Pact for my next re-read. 

Synopsis

Things break all the time.
Day breaks, waves break, voices break.
Promises break.
Hearts break.

Every expectant parent will tell you that they don't want a perfect baby, just a healthy one. Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe would have asked for a healthy baby, too, if they'd been given the choice. Instead, their lives are made up of sleepless nights, mounting bills, the pitying stares of "luckier" parents, and maybe worst of all, the what-ifs. What if their child had been born healthy? But it's all worth it because Willow is, well, funny as it seems, perfect. She's smart as a whip, on her way to being as pretty as her mother, kind, brave, and for a five-year-old an unexpectedly deep source of wisdom. Willow is Willow, in sickness and in health. 

Everything changes, though, after a series of events forces Charlotte and her husband to confront the most serious what-ifs of all. What if Charlotte should have known earlier of Willow's illness? What if things could have been different? What if their beloved Willow had never been born? To do Willow justice, Charlotte must ask herself these questions and one more. What constitutes a valuable life? 

Emotionally riveting and profoundly moving, Handle with Care brings us into the heart of a family bound by an incredible burden, a desperate will to keep their ties from breaking, and, ultimately, a powerful capacity for love. Written with the grace and wisdom she's become famous for, beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult offers us an unforgettable novel about the fragility of life and the lengths we will go to protect it.

Question: Who are your top 5 favorite authors? 

(in no particular order)

1. Nicholas Sparks - He is such a talented writer! I read everything he writes, and always love it! I love that a guy can write such amazing love stories.

2. James Patterson - Up until about two years ago, I never read anything by Patterson. Now, I can't get enough of his work! Whether its the mysteries or romances, they're so good! 

3. Jodi Picoult - Words can't describe how much I love her books and the issues she tackles. I think its incredibly brave to take on these issues because some are so controversial. But I think everything she writes is amazing. The Pact got me hooked and I really need to reread it again soon. 

4. Erin Morgenstern - The Night Circus is one of my absolute favorite books ever. Its the only thing she's published so far, but I can't wait to see what she has for the future!

5. Sandra Brown - one of the first authors (other than JK Rowling and HP) that got me hooked on reading. I used to gobble up her romance novels like they were chocolate. I still love all of her work and I think her romantic suspense novels are equally as wonderful!




What about you? Do you have a book you read a while ago, but really love it, and want to showcase it?!

Cover Me Up! 2.6.14

So, we're always told not to judge a book by its cover, but you know that you still do! It's often the first thing that grabs your attention when in the book store, library, or on a website. If a cover is intriguing or beautiful, you pick it up to find out what it's about. If the cover is boring or unappealing, you pass it up in search for something else. Maybe the title catches your attention too, but for me, it's often the cover. This purpose of this meme is to showcase a book cover that you found interesting. It could be that you absolutely loved it, or maybe you can't stand it. Whatever the cover means to you, post it on here and tell is a little about your thoughts. Do you love it? Hate it? Think it doesn't fit the story? 

To participate in this meme, please follow the host, Pages of Comfort and link back to this blog. Leave a comment below to let me know that you've participated so I can check out your post. Or simply leave a comment with your thoughts on the cover I've posted.

There's just something about this cover that I love. Her eyes show so many memories, and it makes me want to figure them out. It seems like a mystery is waiting to be solved. I don't know much about this book, so I'm not sure if it's an actual mystery, but I just love it! Plus I've always been interested in learning about different cultures, so I think that draws me to this cover as well! 

Want to participate in this meme?! Grab the button below and paste it in your post! 

Read the Book Before the Movie Comes Out!

Lately I've been seeing a lot of posts about whether a book was better than the movie, and reading books first. Then I stumbled upon the Barnes and Noble blog about books to read before they become movies this year (here), and another blog post about five other books to read before they're movies (here).

I'm not extremely picky about reading a book before seeing the movie, but I do prefer it. However, I read The Hobbit after seeing the first movie, and just started The Time Traveler's Wife, and I watched that movie years ago! Sometimes I just can't get to all my books and I really want to see a particular movie, so I don't always read the book first.

Below are some of the books that will become movies this year! (I got the list from B&N) I'm very excited for some, and others I'm indifferent about because I either haven't read them yet, or haven't even heard of them.

A Most Wanted Man, by John le Carre (Jan. 19)
Haven't heard of it


The Monuments Men, by Robert M. Edsel (Feb. 7)
I've been seeing previews for this and it looks pretty good! Plus there's tons of big-name actors in it as well. I didn't realize it was based on a book, but I'll definitely check it out now (:








Vampire Academy, by Richelle Mead (Feb. 14)
Can't wait for this to come out! However, I haven't read the book yet. I just got it in the mail a week or so ago, and was going to start it, but wanted to get one that's been on my shelf for a while done first. I definitely plan to read this before I see the movie! I've heard such great things about this series!

Winter's Tale, by Mark Helprin (Feb. 14)
The previews for this look SO good! Again, didn't realize it was based on a book, but this love story sounds wonderful!

In Secret, based on Therese Raquin, by Emile Zola (Feb. 21)
Haven't heard of this book

A Long Way Down, by Nick Hornby (Mar 7)
Again, no idea what this is about

Divergent, by Veronica Roth (Mar 21)
Another movie I CAN'T wait to see! I absolutely loved the book, and I think Shailene Woodley will make a great Tris. Even though the next two books didn't interest me as much as the first, I still think the movies will be great (: I've already got a 'date' with my best friend to see this the weekend it comes out!







The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green (June 6)
Really liked this book as well. Didn't leave me crying like it did a lot of other people, but I thought it was good. I think I'll wait until it comes out on DVD to see it, or go see it at the cheap-seats. I'm interested to see how Shailene Woodley will do in this compared to Divergent since they're so different!

The Hundred-Foot Journey, by Richard C. Morais (Aug 8)
Haven't heard of this one




The Giver, by Lois Lowry (Aug 15)
I can't believe it's been SO long since this book was published and it's finally going to be a movie! I can't wait to see it! I think Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges will be amazing! I love this book so much, now I just need to read the others in the series (:

Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn (Sept 1)
I haven't read this book yet, but I really enjoyed Gone Girl, so I'm going to give it a try! It sounds pretty good. I'm sure I won't see this in theaters, so I'll most likely read it before I see it!

This is Where I Leave You, by Jonathan Tropper (Sept 12)
Not sure I've heard of this..

The Maze Runner, by James Dashner (Sept 19)
Read this book, and definitely want to see the movie! The names of the actors don't sound familiar, which I sometimes prefer in movies - it makes their characters seem more real.


Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn (Oct 3)
Ben Affleck as Nick? Umm, yes please! Oh, and did you know Flynn wrote a new ending to this?! I definitely wanted to throw the book at the wall when I finished this, but I don't know how I'll feel about a new ending! I guess we'll see!


Mockingjay, Part 1, by Suzanne Collins (Nov 21)
Why do the last movies of a series always have to be split into two parts? I feel like this is way overdone... and I think this book could be in one movie. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the book, and I've really enjoyed the movies so far. But it just drags it out and annoys me!

The Hobbit: There and Back Again, by JRR Tolkien (Dec 17)
Again, this one book was made into three movies. Was it necessary? I don't know. I really liked the book, and I really like the movies, but when does it end?!

Wild: A Journey From Lost to Found, by Cheryl Strayed (TBD)
I saw a preview for this movie with Reese Witherspoon and it looked interesting. Then, a few days later, I was talking to a friend who said she was in the middle of reading this and liked it so far. Not sure if it's something that will interest me, but I might give it a shot. I've decided to try to read more non-fiction from now on - it won't be a lot, but just maybe a book or two a year.


Which ones have you read? Will you see the movies? Do you prefer to read the book first, or will you watch the movie first?

[Review] Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Hate List by Jennifer Brown 
Publisher: Little, Brown
Publishing Date: Sept 2009
405 Pages
Format: paperback, purchased
Buy Links: Amazon  |  B&N

Synopsis 

Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shooting because of the list she helped created. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

My Review 

I've been wanting to read a book by Jennifer Brown for quite some time because I've seen so many bloggers post about her work! I am very glad that I finally ordered one of her books and read it. I wasn't sure what to quite expect with this story, other than it involves a school shooting. However, despite that being how many people describe what the book is about, it's not completely true. Sure, it revolves around a school shooting, but its about more than that; it's about love, hate, and forgiveness. Val was implicated in the school shooting because of the list she and Nick made. But she never intended for anything to happen to those people; it was a way for her to vent about things that made her angry. Maybe it wasn't the best way to do things, but it happened, and she had no control over the way Nick took that list to mean.

This book is about Val's search to figure out how to move on with her life. This includes accepting her role in the shooting, even if only by association. She struggles to go back to school and try to resume her life. But this also helps her grow to become a stronger person who knows what she wants in life and can become a better person. I thought this book was very well written. Brown does an amazing job portraying the struggles that everyone faces in light of the shooting. I also liked the characters as well; I thought Val was easy to identify with. She didn't belong to a certain group in high school, kind of a loner and outcast. I thought the supporting characters, like her mom, brother, and new friends were great as well. The only person I couldn't stand was Val's father. He was really only concerned with himself and never took the opportunity to speak with Val about what happened. Ahh! He was awful to her!

Overall, very good book that made me tear up at the end (: