New Blog Header!

Hey Everyone!

I am very excited to announce that I will be getting a new blog header soon! I am not sure when exactly it will be up, as my friend is in the process of creating it. I think I will put it up without notice sometime in the next couple of weeks to surprise you guys!

"These Broken Stars" Review

Hey,

I just realized that I'd promised a review that I never put up in time! Sorry. :(
I never was able to finish the book (I lost interest towards the end, and it became time to return the book back to the library). Therefore, I will not be telling you many detailed thoughts of mine about the book, since I never actually finished it, and my thoughts could have varied according to how the book ends.

Here is the summary that comes with the book:
It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone. 

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they're worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

My Thoughts on the First 2/3 of the Book:
This book was excellent for the first 2/3 of the book. It was very fast-paced, and exciting to keep reading. Usually the beginnings of books are slow, and not very interesting, but this was anything but that. The first chapter itself drew me in, and made me want to keep reading about Tarver, Lilac, and the Icarus. I lot interest towards the middle-3/4 portion, because I felt that some of the ideas going on were kind of repetitive. I think if I were to read the book again, it might be a better read for me. So far, I would give the book a rating of 4/5 stars.

"Atlantia" by: Ally Condie (Netgalley Sneak Peek)

Calling all fans of Ally Condie and the Matched Trilogy! If you don't already know, a new book by her is coming out on November 4, 2014. It's called Atlantia. That title itself makes me want to read the book! Here's the little summary that comes with the book:

Can you hear Atlantia breathing? For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamed of the sand and sky Above—of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all Rio’s hopes for the future are shattered when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected choice, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio’s true self—and the powerful siren voice she has long silenced—she has nothing left to lose.

Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother’s death, her own destiny, and the corrupted system constructed to govern the Divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths.

Doesn't that just sound so interesting? Thanks to Netgalley, I got to read a sneak peek of this book a few days ago, and it was extremely gripping. I really am looking forward to reading the entire book when it comes out. Also, here's the cover:

Doesn't it look absolutely fabulous!? When I first saw it, I was like "wow". I am one of those people who usually reads books that have covers that look good (I know, it's a bad habit I'm fixing), and this cover really drew me in. I also love the covers of the Matched Trilogy, and I heard that the same person that designed those covers also designed this one. Check out the tagline-- "Human voices wake us, and we drown". It sounds very mysterious, and I love books that have that element in them!

If this interests you as it does for me, be sure to get this book on November 4th or sometime after at your nearest book store!

"It's Raining Cupcakes" by: Lisa Shroeder

Are you a fan of cupcakes and treats? Have you been to a cupcake shop, or know what it's like from someone you know who has been to one? I am an extreme fan of cupcakes, and love trying out different flavors at local cupcake shops! What we may not realize as customers is that there is a lot of stress and hardship in running a business. This book; It's Raining Cupcakes, has it all-- from how yummy and delightful cupcakes can be, to people's different interests and desires, and how they choose to pursue them.

Isabel just wants to get out of Oregon. She loves where she lives, no question about it, but she would do anything to explore what life's like outside her little and rainy city of Willow, and the state of Oregon. When her parents decide to open a cupcake shop in Willow because of her mom's passion for baking cupcakes, she feels even ore trapped. Then, her best friend Sophie informs her about a baking contest, in which the winners with the best recipes get to go to New York for a bake-off which determines the winner. Isabel is very determined to go to New York and come up with a winning recipe. She and her mom have disagreement on what her recipe should be (even though her mom is not allowed to help), and Sophie, a person who wins practically everything is entering the contest too. Also, Isabel's mother has lack of self confidence, and feels like she cannot meet the needs of running a business. Isabel just feels like she will never be able to get out of Willow. What recipe does Isabel enter? Does she make it to New York? Read the book to find out!

My Thoughts:
When I read this book for the first time about two years ago, it instantly became one of my most favorite reads! I've always had an interest in baking and cooking, so this book interested me a lot because it had a lot of that in it. I recently re-read it, and I have to admit that I enjoyed it more the first time that I read it. That's probably because I didn't read as much YA back then as I do now, and because some books are just great for a one time read. I personally think that Isabel is a very well-developed character, and has a lot of personality to her. She works very hard, and perseveres. Those are very good and important qualities every person should have. I also love how so may characters in the book such as Isabel's father, Isabel's grandma, and Sophie encouraged and were with Isabel throughout her recipe journey in this book. Overall, I think this is a very nice book for girls in the 3rd-5th grades to read. I would rate this book 4/5 stars.

Note: If you read this book and are looking for something else similar to this, try Sprinkles and Secrets, which is also by Lisa Shroeder, or Stir it Up! by: Ramin Ganeshram.

 

"These Broken Stars" by: Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

I recently finished reading a book called "These Broken Stars". It is science fiction, and I would rate it four out of five stars. I will be posting a full review shortly, as I do not have time now. If you haven't read this yet, you really should... it's very good. The review will be up in a week tops!

Guess the Book!

Here is a fun activity to do if you are a book worm, or just want to do something right now! This activity is called "Guess the Book". You will need to have read at least twenty books in order to complete this game (any genre). NOTE: A lot of the answers can be found in some YA/Teen/Middle Grade books that are popular nowadays. Also, I came up with this game myself, so there may be some things that could be changed in the rules to make it better. Please comment below if you have any constructive advice.

Here's how to play/rules to this game:
-There are twenty words listed below (some of the words are actually a few words put together, as they are a certain place). They are places/things that actually exist in this world. You have to match up each of the words with a book title and it's author that you have read that has that word as one of the settings as the book. For example, if the word was 'Everglades', a possible answer can be Chomp by: Carl Hiaasen.

** Note- You CANNOT repeat a book title. Each title answer to each of the twenty words must be different. So, if two of the words were to be apartment and bedroom, you cannot put down The Battle of the Labyrinth by: Rick Riordan for both. You can do it for one of the words, but need to find a different title for the other.
**The game/quiz can be as many players as you'd like, or single player works great too! If you choose to do single player, and have a group of friends, you can compete to see who can answer all the questions the fastest, etc.
**Also, there will probably be more than 1 book that represents the word. Just as long as the word is a setting in the book and you haven't repeated a book title, that book is valid!

Please comment below if you have any questions, and also, please tell me how this went for you! How did you do? What answers did you get? Did you modify/change my rules in any way to make the game better? I can also send you my answer key through the comments if you didn't get something, or just want to see what answers I came up with.
NOTE: If you try this and enjoy it, you can even make up your own list of twenty or so random words, and try to challenge yourself in finding different books for each of them.

Also, please don't just look up the word in Google, and try to find some random book that matches up! It really defeats the purpose of this game, which is to actually think about what you have read!

Without further ado, here is the list of twenty words:
1. Navy Pier
2. Empire State Building
3. French Quarter
4. Palace
5. Train Car
6. Train Station
7. Rome
8. Amsterdam
9. Banquet
10. Cupcake Shop
11. Nashville Parthenon
12. Hotel Room
13. Meadow
14. Park
15. Swimming Pool
16. Mall
17. Dentist's Office
18. School Bus
19. Branches of a Tree
20. Dance School

Thanks for reading and trying this out!

The Fifth Wave by: Rick Yancey

I started reading this book yesterday. I got through the first 100 pages or so, and it didn't really interest me, so I stopped reading it. This book is science fiction, and I would recommend it to those of you that enjoy reading this genre. Also, there is a lot of violence. I don't like to read about violence very much, so that is another reason I stopped reading this book. Overall, from the 100 pages I read, I would rate this book 3/5 stars.

Here is the summary that comes with the book:

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker.

Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

 

Summer Must-Reads

Hi!

For my first post, I am going to give you a list of books that I have read and think that you MUST read if you haven't read it already. I will also be doing tons of book reviews, so if you'd like me do to a review on a specific book, please comment below! Here are my rules on the books I will do reviews on:

1. I will not be doing picture/early reader's chapter books.
2. I will not be reviewing any adult books, so YA and teen are the main categories of books I will be reviewing.

So, here's the list! The books/series are listed in no particular order. They are all YA/teen books. I will be posting reviews on each shortly.

1. Divergent Trilogy by: Veronica Roth
Consists of:
-Divergent
-Insurgent
-Allegiant

2. Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by: Rick Riordan
Consists of:
-The Lightning Thief
-The Sea of Monsters
-The Titan's Curse
-The Battle of the Labyrinth
-The Last Olympian

3. Heroes of Olympus Series by: Rick Riordan (this is kind of like a continuation series of Percy Jackson)
Consists of:
-The Lost Hero
-The Son of Neptune
-The Mark of Athena
-The House of Hades
-The Blood of Olympus (to be released in October 2014)

4. Kane Chronicles Series by: Rick Riordan (I haven't personally read these, but I've heard that they're also very good).
-The Red Pyramid
-The Throne of Fire
-The Serpent's Shadow

5. The Fault in Our Stars by: John Green

6. Legend Trilogy by: Marie Lu
Consists of:
-Legend
-Prodigy
-Champion

7. Lunar Chronicles by: Marissa Meyer (I haven't gotten the chance to read Scarlet or Cress, but Cinder was extremely good).
Consists of:
-Cinder
-Scarlet
-Cress
-Winter (to be released January 27, 2015)

8. Between Shades of Gray by: Ruta Sepetys (this is my favorite book)

9. Out of the Easy by: Ruta Sepetys

10. Matched Trilogy by: Ally Condie
Consists of:
-Matched
-Crossed
-Reached

11. Twilight Saga by: Stephenie Meyer
-Twilight
-New Moon
-Eclipse
-Breaking Dawn

Here are some good ones to start off with. I will be posting more in a few days.
Thanks for reading!