Top Ten Tuesday

This week's topic is:

Top Ten auto-buy authors

Elizabeth Scott - I haven't loved everything by her, but she is a strong writer. She changes genres a lot so I never know what type of book to expect and I like that.
Tahereh Mafi - She only has the Shatter Me books thus far, but they are beautiful. She has a storyline that kicks and writing that is just so lyrical.
John Green - It's John Fucking Green.
Louise Rennison - Loved the Georgia Nicolson series and don't mind Tallulah. Can't wait for more.
David Levithan - Probably one of my longest standing favorites. I remember the first time I read Boy Meets Boy it was wonderful. Everything he touches is perfect.

Hannah Moskowitz - Ever since I read Invisible Summer, Hannah has been on my list to auto-buy.
Kody Keplinger - She blows my mind. Her books are just fantastic. They are so realistic it's like she's telling a story about some friends you both know.
Laini Taylor - Some more beautiful writing. The worlds she creates are marvelous.
Libba Bray - Another author who changes up her genres often and it always works.
Emma Carlson Berne - She's pretty new to the scene but her books are fantastic. Edge of your seat suspense. MUST BUY!

I didn't include her above, because I don't always auto-buy, it's more of an auto read. Francesca Lia Block. I don't auto-buy because sometimes I am very disappointed in her books (The Frenzy and Pretty Dead) and they are also so short it's hard to justify the hardcover price. When she's good she's good though. And I do love reading her stories. 

The Broke and the Bookish is a group of college aged and twenty somethings that have an unhealthy obsession with reading and would spend every last penny on books even if it meant skipping a few meals. We are the people  who lurk in the library, buy handbags based on how many books can be stashed in them, and who refer to characters in books as if they are personal friends.

We sought after other bookish college students to share in our love for reading and were brought together by the College Students group on Goodreads that was created in September 2008. Our desire to share great books with each other in and our tendency to be opinionated and passionate about all things book related naturally led to the birth of The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010.

Middle Grade Monday

Middle Grade Monday is a feature started right here at Reading Nook. It's a way to share news or reviews of middle grade novels on a blog that doesn't exclusively post middle grade content. Feel free to join any time and link up. 

Today I thought I'd try one of those wardrobes for fictional characters thing I've seen around. It was actually pretty fun. To find out why you should be reading The Cavendish home for Boys and Girls click here.

This is a Middle Grade Monday Post feel free to link your middle grade reviews/news below :) 

Stuff I Got This Week

Egalley for Review:

Escape Theory - Margaux Froley

Sixteen-year-old Devon Mackintosh has always felt like an outsider at Keaton, the prestigious California boarding school perched above the Pacific. As long as she’s not fitting in, Devon figures she might as well pad her application to Stanford’s psych program. So junior year, she decides to become a peer counselor, a de facto therapist for students in crisis. At first, it seems like it will be an easy fly-on-the-wall gig, but her expectations are turned upside down when Jason Hutchins (a.k.a. “Hutch”), one of the Keaton’s most popular students, commits suicide. 

 Devon dives into her new role providing support for Hutch’s friends, but she’s haunted by her own attachment to him. The two shared an extraordinary night during their first week freshman year; it was the only time at Keaton when she felt like someone else really understood her. As the secrets and confessions pile up in her sessions, Devon comes to a startling conclusion: Hutch couldn't have taken his own life. Bound by her oath of confidentiality—and tortured by her unrequited love—Devon embarks on a solitary mission to get to the bottom of Hutch's death, and the stakes are higher than she ever could have imagined.

I'm quite excited to dive into a book from the new Soho Teen Press. Hopefully it's amazing!

So that's what I got this week. What did you all get?

Review: a + e 4ever - i. merey

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 4 stars  
Cover Rating: 5 stars (The illustrations in this are weird but awesome.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: September 15, 2011
Publisher: Lethe Press
Page Count: 214 p.
Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

Asher and Eulalie are cast out by their peers because they look different. Asher is a bit androgynous and Eulalie is tall and looks a bit like a dyke. Luckily they meet each other. They hang our listening to music and drawing. Life is good until Eu realizes that she wants more than friendship with Asher. At first she doesn't mind, because he is into guys. When he mentions that he might be into girls too though, Eu is devastated. She just wants him to feel comfortable with her and care about her as much as she feels about him.

Let me start by saying how much I love the illustrations in this graphic novel. They are some kind of fantastic. They are weird and rough and just completely perfect for these characters and the tone. I also liked how this book broke away from the strict storyboard set up that most graphic novels follow. Screw boxes these scenes flow the way they want. It was pretty perfect.

Ash and Eu. These are two kids I could totally have found myself hanging out with in high school. They listen to great music and draw. Now I'm no great artist, but I do enjoy it and if you throw some music into the mix, I'm in heaven. I'm not much of a club goer, but I probably would've gone, I could have kept Eu company while Ash went out to go fulfill his needs. Asher was pretty selfish and it was hard to see why Eu liked him so much. He was pretty awful to him. Not that he owed her anything (even if she was the only person who accepted him) but he could at least be a bit more decent. He seemed to enjoy her company, but had an odd way of showing it.

I wasn't a huge fan of the epilogue. I know that it's a more true and honest ending to their story, but I felt robbed. It was just not what I wanted for Eu. She worked so hard and got so little. Maybe it was enough for her.

This was a great story though and fantastic illustrations. I can totally see why it was on the Stonewall honor list. It was a really great story about teenagers and life and how some things aren't cut and dry. If you are a fan of GBLTQ or graphic novels, definitely check this one out. It's weird but amazing.

First Line:
"Year: Junior
Day of School: Third
Hair: Light Brown
Pants: Skin-tight
Orientation: Shy
Direction: Pending
Sex: Still Waiting
Religion: Jewish"

Favorite Line:
"Eulalie hears colors."

Review: Unravel Me - Tahereh Mafi

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 4.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 5 stars (These new covers are amazingly gorgeous!)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: February 5, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Page Count: 461 p.
Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Add it: Goodreads
Sequel to: Shatter Me

Juliette is at Omega Point, so at least she has some semblance of safety. Here they want to train her to harness her energy. They want her to be able to use her power instead of being a loose cannon. Juliette still doesn't know how to trust people though and clings to what she has with Adam. Adam's different now though. Juliette isn't sure what's going on but he seems more tense and short-tempered. Juliette starts to shrink back in on herself. That's when she finds out that Warner is looking for her...and he's getting close.

At least the dreaded love triangle started in the first book. That makes this a regular love problem versus the awful second book in a series triangle. I don't blame her. There's the safe choice and then the sexy choice. It's a hard decision for a girl to make, especially one with limited human contact.

I quite enjoyed this sequel, finding out all the ins and outs of Omega Point was fascinating. There are a lot of great characters there and even if they only made short appearances they were memorable ones. In this book we also get to see more sides of Warner. It's still hard to pinpoint exactly what is going on in that beautiful head of his. I hope we get to find out more about some of the things Juliette began to discover about him in the next book.

There were a lot of really intense scenes in this novel so...be prepared. It was interesting to see some of Juliette's shell breaking in this book. She is slowly starting to figure out who she really is and I can't wait to see what she decides.

This book is going to leave you wanting more. Book three cannot get here soon enough. A year is a long time to wait, but a delicious amount of time to savor all the things that have happened so far. I can think of a couple of chapters you may just re-read over and over. Tahereh's writing is fantastic and I can not wait to see what happens next to Adam and Juliette and Warner and everyone else. Don't miss this one.

First Line:
"The world might be sunny-side up today."

Favorite Lines:
"Because it's so difficult to fight what you cannot control and right now I can't even control my own imagination as it grips my hair and drags me into the dark."

"The antonym of excellent."

"I'm all out of letters. Fresh out of words. Someone has robbed me of my entire vocabulary."

Review: Shades of Earth - Beth Revis

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 5 stars  
Cover Rating: 5 stars (I really love these covers. Third time's a charm right!)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: January 15, 2012
Publisher: Razorbill
Page Count: 369 p.
Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Add it: Goodreads
Sequel to: Across the Universe and A Million Suns

Elder and Amy and some of the crew from Godspeed have finally made it to Centauri-Earth. It is not quite what Amy expected though. This planet seems to be a lot more dangerous than her home was. When they wake up the Frozens it causes a rift between all the people on Centauri-Earth. The Shipborn don't trust the Frozens and vice-versa. Amy and Elder must keep every together and bridge the gap between them. There any many secrets on this new planet though and if Amy and Elder can't find the answers for themselves, no one may survive.

An epic end to an amazing series. I am going to have to re-read all of them soon. This book was more amazing than the first two and I think a lot of that has to do with the change of scenery. Beth Revis introduces us to this entirely new planet with lots of...quirks. There are a lot of strange and dangerous things on Centauri-Earth, plenty to make it interesting. Not only do we get a new planet, but we get a new cast too. The Frozens are woken up and added to the mix, so we get new faces.

The thing that bugged me about this novel (like the others) is how long it took the characters to realize something obvious. It was a little before the halfway point in the novel before Amy and Elder realized what the strange thing about the planet was. Meanwhile, it had seemed obvious to me for a long time.

Besides the predictable parts, this story was just amazing. I was biting my nails at the end, devastated yet hopeful. The end handful of chapters were just amazing, I liked the layout of them too. It was just perfect. I never wanted to put this novel down there was just so much happening so much pushing the story forward. Seriously read this book as soon as possible. Read this series as soon as possible. Just do it, you won't regret it.

First Line:
"'Wait,' I say, my heart clenching."

Favorite Line:
"The Little Prince is emblazoned on the cover, followed by an unpronounceable name."

Review: Uses for Boys - Erica Lorraine Scheidt

Where I got it: Netgalley
Rating: 3.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 4 stars (Lights!)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: January 15, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Page Count: 240 p.
Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

It used to be just Anna and her mom. Anna was happy and so was her mother...or so she thought. One day her mom decides that she needs a husband and a new house. Anna is uprooted and alone. Her mom and her don't have the same kind of bond anymore. Her mother gets divorced and Anna thinks that maybe things will go back to normal, but instead she gets another step-father and another house. Anna finally earns a little happiness when she meets a friend. Anna can't stand to be in her house any longer though and attempts to go it alone. She doesn't really know what she's doing though, she's just trying to feel something.

I thought this book would be a lot lighter than it was. It was actually pretty depressing. Anna doesn't have a hard life, but it is pretty empty. I can't imagine having to come home to a huge empty house all the time.

Anna was fairly brave for trying to go out on her own, she had a pretty good support system to fall back on though. She didn't really need anyone else. Her life may not have been the best, but it made her strong to be on her own.

I can relate to her using boys to get the things she needs, like an apartment. It's an easy way to get what you want.

I'm not really sure that I loved this book, but I didn't hate it. It was a really interesting novel, that examined a lot of different people and relationships. Not only man-woman relationships, but friendships and parents.

Toy was an odd character and it was nice to see things make more sense near the end. She would be someone who would be fun to thrift shop with. I really enjoyed Sam, he was someone Anna really needed. I wish things could have gone differently with him, but...that's how life is.

This was a great novel that explored a lot of emotions and a different kind of life. It was nice to see someone who supposedly had a good life and their struggles. It makes you remember that what looks nice on paper isn't always nice in real life. Anna was the perfect character to follow on this journey into becoming a bit more grown-up.

First Lines:
"In the happy times, in the tell-me-again times, when I'm seven and there are no stepbrothers and it's before the stepfathers, my mom lets me sleep in her bef. Her bed is a raft on the ocean. It's a cloud, a forest, a spaceship, a cocoon we share."

Favorite Line:
"I feel sick with a fever of want."

Middle Grade Monday

Middle Grade Monday is a feature started right here at Reading Nook. It's a way to share news or reviews of middle grade novels on a blog that doesn't exclusively post middle grade content. Feel free to join any time and link up. 

This week I want to talk about...Rump the True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

In a magical kingdom where your name is your destiny, 12-year-old Rump is the butt of everyone's joke.

Rump has never known his full name—his mother died before she could tell him. So all his life he's been teased and bullied for his half-a-name. But when he finds an old spinning wheel, his luck seems to change. For Rump discovers he can spin straw into gold. Magical gold. 

 His best friend Red Riding Hood warns him that magic is dangerous—and she's right! That gold is worth its weight in trouble. And with each thread he spins, Rump weaves himself deeper into a curse. There's only one way to break the spell: Rump must go on a quest to find his true name, along the way defending himself against pixies, trolls, poison apples, and one beautiful but vile-mannered queen. The odds are against him, but with courage and friendship—and a cheeky sense of humor—Rump just might triumph in the end.

Another fairy tale re-telling makes me a happy reader! There's a great author interview over at Stacked so you can check that out while you wait for the release date. 

This fantastic sounding tale releases on April 9th, so make sure you add it on Goodreads so you don't forget to grab it.

This is a Middle Grade Monday Post feel free to link your middle grade reviews/news below :) 

(doesn't have to be posted on a Monday)

Stuff I Got This Week

Bought:

How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You - The Oatmeal

TheOatmeal.com’s most popular cat jokes, including “How to Pet a Kitty” and “The Bobcats,” plus 15 new and never-before-seen catthemed comics, are presented in this hilarious collection from New York Times best-selling author Matthew Inman, a.k.a. TheOatmeal.com. Includes pull-out poster!Jesus Rollerblading Christ--another helping of TheOatmeal! Mrow, MOAR kitty comics. Mr. Oats delivers a sidesplitting serving of cat comics in his new book, How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You. 

 If your cat is kneading you, that's not a sign of affection. Your cat is actually checking your internal organs for weakness. If your cat brings you a dead animal, this isn't a gift. It's a warning. How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You is a hilarious, brilliant offering of cat comics, facts, and instructional guides from the creative wonderland at TheOatmeal.com. 

 How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You presents fan favorites, such as "Cat vs. Internet," "How to Pet a Kitty," and "The Bobcats," plus 17 brand-new, never-before-seen cat jokes. This Oatmeal collection is a must-have from Mr. Oats! A pullout poster is included at the back of the book.

John Dies @ the End - David Wong

STOP. You should not have touched this flyer with your bare hands. NO, don't put it down. It's too late. They're watching you. My name is David Wong. My best friend is John. Those names are fake. You might want to change yours. You may not want to know about the things you'll read on these pages, about the sauce, about Korrok, about the invasion, and the future. But it's too late. You touched the book. You're in the game. You're under the eye. The only defense is knowledge. You need to read this book, to the end. Even the part with the bratwurst. Why? You just have to trust me. 

 The important thing is this: The drug is called Soy Sauce and it gives users a window into another dimension. John and I never had the chance to say no. You still do. I'm sorry to have involved you in this, I really am. But as you read about these terrible events and the very dark epoch the world is about to enter as a result, it is crucial you keep one thing in mind: None of this was my fault.

So that's what I got this week. What did you all get?

Movie Review: Beautiful Creatures

Where I got it: Movie Theater
Rating: 1.5 stars 
Rating: Rated PG-13
Run Time: 2 hour 4 minutes

For a summary of this movie, check out my review of the book version here.

So much wasted potential on this. There were little things that weren't included that bugged me and there were huge things in this movie that bugged me. All in all this movie was just below average. The following rant may be a bit spoiler filled, so proceed at your own risk. 

Why did Lena and Ethan not conversate inside their heads? Why!? I feel like the relationship was so insubstantial in the movie and it made things just seem silly. It didn't make sense that Ethan knew that Lena was good and light and wouldn't go dark.

Why didn't Ridley eat a single damn lollipop? Where were Link's drumsticks? Why was Amma so young? Those were some little things that bugged me. It was almost like when Hunger Games DIDN'T PUT MADGE IN! Why not? It would take like one minute and it would make a world of difference.

Pretty much this was a movie based on bare bones of the novel. It seemed like more of a magical romance that didn't really make sense, instead of a Southern gothic tale. It was just very disappointing how much was lacking in this film. I'm sure if I had read the book more recently, I would have been even more disappointed. It very much reminded me of the Twilight movie. What a terrible movie, with only the smallest hint of relation to the book.

So go, see this if you must, but I really can't recommend it. I'd be interested to hear what other people thought, good or bad. Leave some comments below. 

Top Ten Tuesday

This week's topic is:

Top Ten favorite romances...

Mara & Noah - Maybe Noah can sometimes be a bit angry, but he's so sexy. He's also sweet to Mara, even when she seems crazy.

Scott Pilgrim & Ramona Flowers - Scott Pilgrim I love you. I just love how infatuated he is. It's just hilarious and realistically over-the-top (if you know what I mean).

Chase & Melinda & Noah - What a glorious mess this was, but so perfect.

Hadley & Oliver - This was a match made in heaven (nearly). HA! Okay, but seriously I loved the chemistry between these two. Their story was just incredible.

Anna & Etienne - Mostly just Etienne though. Even though there were a lot of issues with the beginning of their relationship, I love that they powered through.

R & Julie - R is just fantastic. It's weird how in love with a character you can be, especially a zombie. It seems impossible, but trust me it isn't. I can totally see how Julie fell for R. 

Victor & Rose Anna - I adored this novel. I need to re-read it soon. I just remember how much I loved the comfort level between these too. Such intimacy without all the sexual hype (mostly). 

Jewel & Sacha - I really liked these two and liked them together.

Celia & Marco - This was just such a lovely story. They are wonderful star-crossed lovers. 

Tristan & Iseult - I don't think this even needs explanation. If you've read it, you know.

The Broke and the Bookish is a group of college aged and twenty somethings that have an unhealthy obsession with reading and would spend every last penny on books even if it meant skipping a few meals. We are the people  who lurk in the library, buy handbags based on how many books can be stashed in them, and who refer to characters in books as if they are personal friends.

We sought after other bookish college students to share in our love for reading and were brought together by the College Students group on Goodreads that was created in September 2008. Our desire to share great books with each other in and our tendency to be opinionated and passionate about all things book related naturally led to the birth of The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010.

Middle Grade Monday| Review: Stranded - Jeff Probst

Middle Grade Monday is a feature started right here at Reading Nook. It's a way to share news or reviews of middle grade novels on a blog that doesn't exclusively post middle grade content. Feel free to join any time and link up. 

Where I got it: ARC from publisher

Rating: 3 stars  

Cover Rating: 3 stars (I hate how associated with Survivor this is. Yeah the author was the host, but can't the book be a different thing?)

Genre: Middle Grade

Publication Date: February 7, 2013

Publisher: Puffin

Page Count: 176 p.

Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon

Add it: Goodreads

Vanessa, Buzz, Carter and Jane were supposed to be bonding on vacation. Their parents had just gotten married and they all had to learn to get along. So with their uncle and his friend they take off on a week-long boating trip. Then a storm comes. A much bigger storm then they are prepared for. The children end up shipwrecked, the adults are gone. This will surely test how well they are willing to work together, because if they don't they may not survive.

This was a fast and interesting read, but it left a lot to be desired. It should have been longer. It was a bit too short. This book did have an ending, so at least it wasn't just left completely open like shorter book tend to be. I think younger kids will definitely be intrigued by this story.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of actual danger though. Everything is a bit soft around the edges. I know it's a middle grade novel and maybe that's why it's so gentle, but it does slow the book down a bit. It's a nice spread of ages in this novel.

My favorite parts were Jane. She was a very interesting young girl and I really enjoyed the bits she was filming for her class project. I would almost love for this book to have been told from just one perspective and then have another character do the next book and so on. At least it was fairly clear who was narrating.

I would probably recommend this to younger reluctant readers. There is a fair amount of action and the book goes by quickly.  

First Line:
"It was day four at sea, and as far as eleven-year-old Carter Benson was concerned, life didn't get any better than this."

Favorite Line:
"And a long shot was way better than no shot at all."

This is a Middle Grade Monday Post feel free to link your middle grade reviews/news below :) 

(doesn't have to be posted on a Monday)

Stuff I Got This Week

For Review: from Netgalley

Nantucket Blue - Leila Howland

Entangled - Nikki Jefford

Yellowcake - Margo Lanagan

Being Henry David - Cal Armistead

The Rules - Stacey Kade

From the Library:

Shades of Earth - Beth Revis

Reading this now !O_O!

Level 2 - Lenore Appelhans

The Archived - Victoria Schwab

Unravel Me - Tahereh Mafi

Title links will take you to Goodreads and author links to the author's blog. 

That's what I got this week (or so). What did you all get?

Stuff I Got This Week

For Review:

from publisher

P.K. Pinkerton and the Petrified Man - Caroline Lawrence

(I hadn't heard of this book before it arrived and it seems to be a second in a series...any one read the first one or heard anything about these?)

My name is P.K. Pinkerton and I am a Private Eye operating out of Virginia City. At the moment I am in Jail in the shadow of a hangman's noose. It is all because I tried to solve the biggest mystery here in Nevada Territory and protect a girl who witnessed a terrible crime. If I write an account of what happened, then maybe I can convince the jury not to hang me by the neck until I am dead.

from ARCycling

Extraordinary - Adam Selzer

(Even though this cover is awful, I really enjoyed Sparks and thought I ought to give this a try)

Jennifer Van Der Berg would like you to know that the book ostensibly written about her—Born to Be Extraordinary by Eileen Codlin—is a bunch of bunk. Yes, she had a fairy godparent mess with her life, but no, she was not made into a princess or given the gift of self-confidence, and she sure as hell didn't get a hot boyfriend out of it. Here's the REAL scoop . . .

Bought:

Alice in Wonderland/Alicia en el Pais de las Maravillas - Lewis Carroll

(No better way to practice reading a language, than with a great book.)

That's what I got this week, What did you all get?