Book Review: The Pact; by Jodi Picoult

   This has been on my shelves for a bit, until Lifetime Channel showed the movie version of this book. I was incredibly hook and armed with the knowledge, the book version must be better and of course, it is Jodi Picoult, so that means it ran differently. I was right.

   The book is frustratingly good. (Yes, using the word “frustrating”). Regardless, reading this book throughout 3 months (I was busy with work and life), I found it kind of riveting. (Yep) I found myself wanting to slap Emily. Is it bad, I actually want to know more about Emily, her life, her view. Chris is, however, a typical athletic partner her Emily, pushed to the wall, I’m pretty much frustrated about that. Then the parents. Gosh, the connections, the obvious jealousy, the obvious expectancy, typical parents.

   Suicide is a serious subject and this book made sure how it affects the people around the victim, and what the victim is going through up to the event. What it lack of it depth on Emily’s character. Jodi left the mystery in the air for me. Otherwise, it is frustratingly good.

Quote:
“I love you," he whispered, and that was the moment he knew what he was going to do. When you loved someone, you put their needs before your own. No matter how inconceivable those needs were; no matter how fucked up; no matter how much it made you feel like you were ripping yourself into pieces.”

The Pact
By Jodi Picoult

For eighteen years the Hartes and the Golds have lived next door to each other, sharing everything from Chinese food to chicken pox to carpool duty-- they've grown so close it seems they have always been a part of each other's lives. Parents and children alike have been best friends, so it's no surprise that in high school Chris and Emily's friendship blossoms into something more. They've been soul mates since they were born.
So when midnight calls from the hospital come in, no one is ready for the appalling truth: Emily is dead at seventeen from a gunshot wound to the head. There's a single unspent bullet in the gun that Chris took from his father's cabinet-- a bullet that Chris tells police he intended for himself. But a local detective has doubts about the suicide pact that Chris has described.

Finished Reading: 22nd December 2014
Acquire: 26th April 2014
Rate } ♠♠♠♠
Genre } Fiction | Young Adult | Romance | Mystery | Young Adult
List } 100 Books in a Year 2014 | TBR Challenge | TBR Pile Challenge (i) | Tbr Pile Challenge (ii)
Release Day }  29th August 2006
Publisher } Avon
Format } Paperback
ISBN } 9780061150142
Pages } 512 pages
Source } Bought for BND $13.25
Age Group } PG 18 yo +
Get your own copy } Paperback | Kindle

Read More

2014 Ebook Reading Challenge

Hosted by Workaday Reads.
January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2014

Encouraging readers to expand past just physical books to embrace ebooks in all forms.

Reading Challenge Details:

1. This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2014 – Dec 31, 2014.
2. Anyone can join, you don’t need to be a blogger. If you don’t have a blog, feel free to sign-up in the comments. You can post reviews to any book site (i.e. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Goodreads, etc).
3. Any genre or length of book counts, as long as it is in ebook format.
4. You can plan your books in advance or as you read them.
5. When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the E-Book Reading Challenge.
6. Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2014, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.

Levels:

1. Floppy disk – 5 ebooks
2. CD – 10 ebooks
3. DVD – 25 ebooks
4. Memory stick – 50 ebooks
5. Hard drive – 75 ebooks
6. Server – 100 ebooks
7. Human brain – 150 ebooks

At the beginning of each month there will be a roundup post for you to add your reviews for that month. The linky will remain open for the remainder of the year, so if you forget, feel free go back and add them when you remember.

Read More

Book Review: Girl, Stolen; by April Henry

So many friends and readers had refer me this book for quite a time now, and I had put it off because I refused to be peer pressured into reading anything. (Yeah that was weird).

Wow.. unintentional kidnapped teenager in the backseat, throw in the twist that she is blind and sick with pneumonia. This is why you don’t leave kids unattended in a car, even for a bit while! You probably have your kid kidnapped and ransomed! Or even dead! Cheyenne, despite, sick and blind is quite brave. She formed a bond with her unintended kidnapper, Griffin, ironically from his father and the other two blockheads who worked with his father.

I still don’t get why a parent would leave a sick blind teenager alone in a car (even for a little while!). I actually expected to be on the edge of my seat for this one, but it wasn’t so. Griffin was obviously not going to harm her of any way after reading 2-3 chapters. Of course the rest of the character was doing a cliché. It wasn’t that bad, but it would have been a better read. it does show me the insides of being blind, feelings and such.

For a fan of tragedies, crime, mystery realistic fiction, as I said, it didn’t really put me at the edge of my seat, but enough to get me keep reading till the end. That was a good try. and honestly, it could really need an edge or two. (it feels like Hallmark)

Girl, Stolen
By April Henry

Sixteen-year-old Cheyenne Wilder is sleeping in the back of the car while her stepmom fills a prescription for antibiotics. Before Cheyenne realizes what's happening, the car is being stolen.
Griffin hadn't meant to kidnap Cheyenne and once he finds out that not only does she have pneumonia, but that she's blind, he really doesn't know what to do. When his dad finds out that Cheyenne's father is the president of a powerful corporation, everything changes--now there's a reason to keep her.
How will Cheyenne survive this nightmare?

Finished Reading: 07th December 2013
Acquire: 11th February 2013
Rate } ♠♠♠♠
Genre } Fiction | Young Adult | Teens 
Release Day }  01st October 2012
Publisher } Henry Holt and Co.
Format } Hardcover
ISBN } 9780805090055
Pages } 213 pages
Source } BookSwap
Age Group } pg 15 yo +
Support my reading by getting your copy }

  

Read More

Book Review: No Way Back; By Chloe Adams

Wow. Just WOW. I am quite overwhelmed now. I am not sure how to go around this one, plus I don’t really know where to start. 

Oh! before I start, I guess I should warn you, this book is highly descriptive and might trigger anybody who are on the survivor list.

Now on to my thoughts.

The cover caught me from first sight. The model did right job in posing for it. It’s just pure perfect. Then, the blurb is just heart tugging. I honestly feel sorry for the main character. The author did an awesome job in humanizing Mia Abbott-Renou throughout this book.

Everybody said, don’t drink from the glass a stranger bought you. Nor drink from your own glass which you has left for a while. Why? Your drink might get spike with drugs by strangers. This book is all about that.

I must say, for some, it’s pretty much graphic, the event, and her post-trauma. It’s a hard book to read. It’s really heart wrenching on what Mia have gone through. I’m afraid to put the book down because I didn’t want to leave Mia alone in her troubles.

How people who are supposed to protect her, support her ended up making her feel alone. It sad how she blamed herself for what happened, especially when another victim died. I do wish her father showed her much support instead of just running around doing "”damage control” and running his election campaign. Her uncle Chris however, regardless how “profession front he has been showing, I’m glad he actually showed a bit of compassion to Mia of what she went through.

Ari has been an awesome, wonderful good friend for Mia. That was an upside of things. And then there's Dom. He was her personal rock who reminded her of her grandfather. He just made you go.. aww…. (I’m not kidding)

Personally, Jenna deserved it. *hehe*

What pissed me off, the way it left me hanging at the end. Grr cliffhangers! I seriously need to stop reading cliffhangers books!  Otherwise It has been a good emotional read. God, this book is amazing!

No Way Back (Mia’s Way #1)
By Chloe Adams

Sometimes bad things happen to beautiful people.
The wealthy daughter of a high-ranking politician, seventeen year old Mia Abbott-Renou has everything: designer clothes, wealth, spring breaks in Monte Carlo. She lives blissfully unaware of her family’s secrets, until the night she is raped by the son of her father’s greatest political ally.
Her father forbids her from going to the police and threatens to throw her out if she does. It’s a critical election year, one that his party might lose, if the public sours on his doting father image when they realize his daughter is an underage lush and party girl. He can’t risk splintering the party in a nasty court battle that’s certain to draw way too much press, even if that means sacrificing his daughter.
Mia’s world is shattered twice, once by the men who hurt her, and once by the betrayal of her family. She does what her father says. But the rapists strike again and beat their next victim near death.
With the help of her best friend and a couple of unlikely allies, Mia must decide: does she risk losing everything to do what’s right? Or does she turn her back on the truth and preserve the family name?
What’s privileged girl to do, when her perfect little world isn't so perfect anymore?

Finished Reading: 14th April 2013
Acquire: 23th March 2013
Rate } ♠♠♠♠♠
Genre } Fiction | Abuse | Young Adult | Teens
Release Day }  27th October 2012
Publisher }
Format } e-book
ISBN } B009Y8D9R0
Pages } 179 pages
Source } Bought
Age Group } pg 15 yo +
Support my reading by getting your copy }

Read More

Book Review: Poseidon and the Sea of Fury (Heroes in Training 2); By Joan Holub, Suzanne Williams

Yeah, as you can see, I’m on a Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams reading roll! Being sick, these series seems to be my comfort read. It’s a delightful wonderfulness for me.

This is a fast pace, page turning next in line of the adventures of our teens Olympians to defeat the Titans and trying to find the Goose! (Pst it’s actually Zeus, but he doesn’t know yet.) But of course, it’s Poseidon turn to get his Trident. It is quite umm.. there was a huge "angry” moment when Hera left the troupe. I do wish she didn’t leave the boys on their own!

Oh well.

Snapping crab claws *chuckles*

Ok one thing I don’t like about this book is, much different to the Goddess Girls series, much to old tradition when it comes to Zeus, everything orbits around him… *again*. Well. most of it. I was expecting more of like the other mainstream series, ie the book is suppose to be about the feature character. This don’t really happen here. I was expecting to read Poseidon thoughts and character development, and less ion Zeus, but that um.. oh you see when you read it. 

But plot is good, setting is awesome, but yeah. I still miss Hera! Waiting for Hades turn!     

Poseidon and the Sea of Fury (Heroes in Training #2)
By Joan Holub, Suzanne Williams

A young Poseidon must triumph over aquatic terrors in this Heroes in Training adventure. The merciless Cronus and his Titan buddies are in hot pursuit of Zeus, Hera, and Poseidon, who plan to travel across the treacherous boiling sea in order to save a fellow Olympian. They have a boat, but they also have a problem: Poseidon can’t swim and is terrified of the water (well, really of the creatures that lurk in its depths). The group faces danger after danger as they battle singing sirens, a fishy and ferocious Titan named Oceanus, and people-eating monsters sent by Cronus himself. Can Poseidon overcome his fears and help his fellow heroes escape Cronus and his cronies?

Finished Reading: 21th March 2013
Acquire: 19th March 2012
Rate } ♠♠♠♠
Genre } Fiction | Mythology | Young Adult | Teens | Middle Grade
Release Day }  04th December 2012
Publisher } Aladdin
Format } Paperbook
ISBN } 9781442452657
Pages } 128 pages
Source } Bought
Age Group } PG 12 yo +
Interests } Mythological junkies like me. 
Support my reading by getting your copy }

  

Read More

Book Review: Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom (Heroes in Training 1); By Joan Holub, Suzanne Williams

Zeus. The King of the Olympians.. Well... not yet. But he’s the start of this series. Meet the Olympian in their teens! It’s not enough to read about the second generation Olympians in their teens, I have to get my paws on the original Olympians teens.

Let me state forth that Zeus isn’t in my “like” list of characters, but he *again in a Holub & Williams state of mind* has turned him.. oh.. adorable. Especially when he is in a quest of looking for a guy name Goose to return the Thunderbolt. Hera is always classy bossy, Hades as always moody, and of course, Poseidon is so cute when he’s afraid of water! Oh I would melt!

I wish I have a thunderbolt of a pet now.

I must say, if you love the Goddess Girls, you would love this series. I’m so sorry I had this book as one of my “Filler Reads”, I ended up hooked on this series. That is such good news for me, to find a new series to enjoy and to look forward to, *sighs* The agony of waiting for the next book. Oh boy!

Look, here’s the deal. Why aren’t you picking this up?! Read it! =3

The secret is, I actually got both versions of e-book and paperback for this one.

Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom (Heroes in Training #1)
By Joan Holub, Suzanne Williams

After pulling a magical thunderbolt from a stone, ten-year-old Zeus goes on the adventure of a lifetime in this thrilling start to a brand-new series! The terrible Titans—merciless giants who enjoy snacking on humans—have dominated the earth and put the world into chaos. But their rule is about to be put to the test as a group of young Olympians discover their powers and prepare to righteously rule the universe....      Ten-year-old Zeus is mystified (and super-annoyed) by the fact that he keeps getting hit by lightening. Every. Single. Year. He also longs for adventure, as he has never been far from the cave where he grew up.      Zeus gets his wish—and a lot more than he bargained for—when he is kidnapped by dangerous, giant Titans! In self-defense, Zeus grabs the first thing he sees—an actual thunderbolt he pulls from a stone that is covered in mysterious markings. Zeus is the only one who can decipher the markings, and sets off on a quest to rescue his fellow Olympians from the evil Cronus. Armed with his trusty thunderbolt (named Bolt, of course), Zeus is on an adventure of a lifetime—and a journey to fulfill his destiny as King of the Gods.

Finished Reading: 12th March 2013
Acquire: 25th February 2012
Rate } ♠♠♠♠♠
Genre } Fiction | Mythology | Young Adult | Teens | Middle Grade
Release Day }  04th December 2012
Publisher } Aladdin
Format } Paperbook
ISBN } 9781442452633
Pages } 112 pages
Source } Bought
Age Group } PG 12 yo +
Interests } Mythological junkies like me. 
Support my reading by getting your copy }

  

Read More

Book Review; Pandora the Curious, by Joan Holub, Suzanne Williams

Yes! Another excellent Greek Mythology retelling read. I will NEVER, EVER get enough of these… hopefully this will be a lengthy series! I must confess, the first book I’d picked out from this series was a “filler read”, but I ended up gobbling these like hot cakes. This was also my “comfort read” when I was sick and bedbound that whole week, hence the reason for the late review. 

Here’s the thing, I used to hate Pandora. She annoyed me the most amongst the all of the mythological characters, and I mean all!

I said, used to. This book made her lovable. Pandora is so adorable that I’m willing to get past her busybodyness and absolute total unnecessary curiosity. I love the way they represent the “evils” from the box as “Bubbles”, popping and whispered what evil it unleashed… of course, only Pandora could hear it. After a bit while of popping, I feel for her when alot of her friends had been bubble-bumped, and she’s left alone to save everybody. Oh dear.

My verdict? So, so, so, so, so, so, so reading another one! Brilliant! Just Brilliant! Oh yeah, I actually bought the e-book and paperback for this one, because I couldn’t stand to wait for the paperback to arrive. Yes, I’m geeky that way.

Pandora the Curious (Goddess Girls #9)
By Joan Holub, Suzanne Williams

Is Pandora about to open up a box of trouble?
One of the few mortals at Mount Olympus Academy, Pandora is famous for her mega quizzical nature—not that she thinks there’s anything wrong with being curious, of course!
Her curiosity kicks into high gear when a godboy named Epimetheus brings a mysterious box to school. Epimetheus is the nephew of an MOA teacher in whose class Pandora once opened another box that sent a few weather disasters to earth. Still, Pandora can’t help but take a peek inside this new box when it unexpectedly lands in her lap. What could be the harm in that, right? Little does she know that opening the box will open up far more trouble than she ever expected!
Authors Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams put a modern spin on classic myths with the Goddess Girls series. Follow the ins and outs of divine social life at Mount Olympus Academy, where the most privileged godboys and goddessgirls in the Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills.

Finished Reading: 10th March 2013
Acquire: 06th February 2013
Rate } ♠♠♠♠♠
Genre } Fiction | Mythology | Young Adult | Teens | Middle Grade
Release Day }  04th December 2012
Publisher } Aladdin
Format } Paperbook
ISBN } 9781442449350
Pages } 256 pages
Source } Bought
Age Group } PG 12 yo +
Interests } Mythological junkies like me. 
Support my reading by getting your copy }

  

Read More

Book Review: Mick Harte Was Here; by Barbara Park

I never thought I be sad for a book character.

And yes.. the narrator lied when she said, “this isn’t the kind of book where you meet the main character and you get to like him real well.” She made sure she fall in love with this character… only to tell us he died. No spoilers there.

This is a story about remembering Mick Harte. And this is the story how the people who left cope post-event.

It’s an emotional read, it shows how different people deals and cope with the death of a person they know. 

P/S Get tissues ready before you start reading this one.

Quote. “The upside to grief is it takes away your appetite. When people say you look good they really mean it. Nature's thoughtful that way.”

Mick Harte Was Here
By Barbara Park

How could someone like Mick die? He was the kid who freaked out his mom by putting a ceramic eye in a defrosted chicken, the kid who did a wild dance in front of the whole school--and the kid who, if only he had worn his bicycle helmet, would still be alive today. But now Phoebe Harte's twelve-year-old brother is gone, and Phoebe's world has turned upside down. With her trademark candor and compassion, beloved middle-grade writer Barbara Park tells how Phoebe copes with her painful loss in this story filled with sadness, humor--and hope. Chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of their Best Books of 1996. "A full-fledged and fully convincing drama

Finished Reading: 01st March 2013
Acquire: 06th February 2013
Rate } ♠♠♠♠♠
Genre } Fiction | Realistic Fiction | Young Adult | Teens | Middle Grade
Release Day }  26th January 2011
Publisher } Yearling
Format } eBook
ISBN } 9780307786821
Pages } 96 pages
Source } Bought
Age Group } PG 15 yo +
Interests } Realistic Fiction Readers 
Awards }
Support my reading by getting your copy }

 

Read More

Book Review: The Wide-Awake Princess; By E. D. Baker

So it turned out, Sleeping Beauty has a little sister and she has been bestowed the gift of “Anti-Magic”. Now that a killer plot. We know they love baby sister Annie that’s why they let the fairy bestow her that magical gift, but in the same time, everybody is treating her like she’s unwanted, because when she’s near them, their magical gifts weakened and show them their real self.

Pst.. in this version Sleeping Beauty not really that beautiful at all when Annie comes close.

I am so happy Liam is there for her. (ohh spoilers tsk tsk)

And to my friends and fellow bloggers who has read this, don’t you just wish there’s a Disney tv series/movie about this? Cause man this would be so darn cute to past!

I must admit, it took me  a while to finish reading this book. It’s not that it’s boring or anything, that I could only blame my hectic work schedule. (Yes, you heard that right, a librarian has a hectic schedule.) 

Forewarn, the characters in this book includes characters we all know and not that quite familiar with, so I suggest, you have a back up knowledge on your fairy tales before you pick this book up. or maybe this is the reason why you want to know the background stories of the characters involved.

By the way… “Princess and the Pea” reference is such a cute fit in that particular scene!

Quote. More than anything, Annie wanted to feel as if she belonged. But instead she felt as if she were a remote and not-too-fondly regarded cousin who was allowed to live in the castle.

The Wide-Awake Princess (Wide-Awake Princess #1)
by E. D. Baker

In this new stand-alone fairy tale, Princess Annie is the younger sister to Gwen, the princess destined to be Sleeping Beauty. When Gwennie pricks her finger and the whole castle falls asleep, only Annie is awake, and only Annie, blessed (or cursed?) with being impervious to magic, can venture out beyond the rose-covered hedge for help. She must find Gwen's true love to kiss her awake.
But who is her true love? The irritating Digby? The happy-go-lucky Prince Andreas, who is holding a contest to find his bride? The conniving Clarence, whose sinister motives couldn't possibly spell true love? Joined by one of her father's guards, Liam, who happened to be out of the castle when the sleeping spell struck, Annie travels through a fairy tale land populated with characters both familiar and new as she tries to fix her sister and her family . . . and perhaps even find a true love of her own.

Finished Reading: 28th February 2013
Acquire: 07th February 2013
Rate } ♠♠♠♠♠
Genre } Fiction | Fairy Tales | Children | Teens | Fantasy
Release Day }  15th March 2011
Publisher } Bloomsbury USA Children
Format } eBook
ISBN } B004PGMHUQ
Pages } 270 pages
Source } Bought
Age Group } PG 12 yo +
Interests } Fairy Tale Retellings 
Awards }
Support my reading by getting your copy }

 

Read More

Book Review: Beautiful Darkness (Caster Chronicles 02) by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

Wow… that was an unexpected turn of events to this book. I actually was up till morning reading this book. It’s that sort of a page turner. The book itself, is beautiful in writing, setting, characters and plot. So much drama that I was stuck reading it. It bound me at page one. That’s something different from the first book. Well, that actually explained why they chose the dark lit stairs on the cover. That was brilliant. though it was quite a turn off for me from reading this book for quite a while, but it was brilliant.

This time, the authors didn’t just focus the first person narration with Ethan, but through the visions he has, we finally get the glimpse of what’s going on on the other side of the story. You know, the side where the story is about what’s going on with Lena, and other characters like Abraham Ravenwood (oh yes, he has appeared) and Macon Ravenwood.

This book finally shed a bit of light on Ravenwood’s history, relationships and on both Lena and Ethan’s side of family and friends. The sisters are not as ignorant as they were first depicted in the beginning of the series.

And then there’s Lucille Bell… The cat. The cat!


They finally tell us what exactly Ethan’s role in to the Casters lives. He is a Wayward! I can’t believe Lena actually….






****Spoilers!****

…ran away with Ridley and that hunky James guy and left Ethan on his own. I think she gave up!. Yup it was an emotional read for me. I was pissed at Lena Duchannes, especially after the stunt she pulled at the fair. Poor Ethan, m heart just poured out for him.. especially when he finally knew why. Oh dear. Not just that, Macon… oh my God… with Ethan’s mom?! That wasn’t something I was expecting. I was entirely emotional when Lila was summoned as a ghost to meet up with Ethan. How sad was that?  

I absolutely love this book! Why are you picking up this series yet?

First Quote. I used to think our town, buried in the South Carolina backwood, stuck in the muddy bottom of the muddy bottom of the Santee River Valley, was the middle of nowhere

Quote. Liv. I couldn’t look at her. I’d been jealous and hurt, and I had dragged Liv into the middle of my own broken mess of a life. All because I thought Lena didn’t love me anymore.

Beautiful Darkness (Caster Chronicles #02)
By Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.
Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

Finished Reading: 28rd December 2012
Acquire: 17st October 2010
Rate } ♠♠♠♠♠
Genre } Fiction | Young Adult | Paranormal Romance | Supernatural | Urban Fantasy
Release Day }  12th October 2010
Publisher } Little, Brown and Company
Format } Hardcover
ISBN } 9780316077057
Pages } 503 pages
Source } Bought
Age Group } PG 15 yo +
Interests } Paranormal  
Awards } Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2010)
Support my reading by getting your copy } Amazon | Kindle

Read More

2013 Reading Challenge #8: E-Book Challenge

Hosted by Work A day Reads.
January 1 – December 31, 2013

Levels:
1. Floppy Disk – 5 e-books
2. CD – 10 e-books
3. DVD – 25 E-books
4. Memory Stick – 50 e-books
5. Hard drive – 75 e-books
6. Server – 100 e-books
7. Human Brain – 150 e-books

 

Read More

2013 Reading Challenge #7: Book Bingo Reading Challenge

 

Hosted by Reading In Winter.
January 1 – December 31,  2013

Of course, a challenge isn’t really a challenge unless there are some rules and guidelines:

1. Be awesome. If you’re not, this isn’t going to work.
2. The challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2013.
3. If you want to participate, you can join in any time of the year! Feel free to write up a blog post with the rules linking back to my and Anne’s blog in your sign-up post.
4. If you read one book for the “1 book” in any category, you can’t change it later on when you read another book to “2 books.” Once a square is crossed off, it’s crossed off for good! (Feel free to print off the scoreboard to keep track!)
5. Books read for one square are for that square ONLY and cannot be counted towards another category. This is all about reading ALL THE BOOKS.
6. The FREE SQUARE isn’t really a free square. In order to cross it off, you must read a book by either:
   1. Reading a book picked by another participant, or
   2. Reading a book in a genre picked by another participant.
7. You can start your board over again, but ONLY if you receive the stamp of awesome by completing a blackout. The “winners” of the challenge will be the ones who achieve the most winning combinations by the end of 2013.
8. You can feel free to post your reading list for each category, though it’s not a requirement.
9. Having a blog or writing reviews for books read is not required. So long as you want to have fun, you can participate!
10. This isn’t a race, but don’t be afraid to rub your reads in the other player’s face. This will be seen as encouragement. Feel free to use the hashtag #2013BookBingo on Twitter!

Read More

2013 Reading Challenge #4: Books-in-a-Series Reading Challenge 2013

Hosted by Bookstacks On Deck.
January 1- December 31, 2013

Challenge Levels:
The Sampler: Choose 1-5 books
The Collector: Choose 6-10 books
The Completionist: Choose 11-15 books
The Obsessive: Choose 16-20 books

Will list out books as I go along the year.

1. Beautiful Chaos (Caster Chronicles #3) by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

Read More

Book Review: Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades 01) By E. L. James

What can I say, except that, this is one of those, every book blogger… well almost all book blogger… must have in their reading list. Why? It’s the “in” thing, non-reader wouldn’t understand that. It’s like you must have an iPhone 5 because it’s an in thing. Ok.. not a really good example, but you know what I mean. right?

I must admit, as you can see I’ve bought it months before I’ve read it. It took me a while to pick it up. I didn’t really know what the hype was all about. It just sat there on my ‘TBR Pile’ for ages. What tip the scale was, a friend of mine, who have NEVER read this sort of genre, told me she has the interest to read it (because everybody else was reading it). So, I finally pick it up…

Ok, I agree, Christian Grey is hot. Extremely hot. Except the fact that he stalk… alot! But I would consider hat as “caring”. Anastasia however, is umm..  well she is quite the submissive, if I dare to say.

So, let’s keep in mind before hand that I read ebooks from Ellora’s Cave.

Considering the hype of book burning, let me say this book is quite tame. It’s like a thickened plot of a Harlequin book. Hotter than Harlequin, but still, BDSM erotica but yeah tame. That particular part is kind of frustrating to read. But in the same time, I just can’t stop reading it. What in heavens?! So yeah, if you like tame stuff (no quite vanilla), pick it up.

Cover. It doesn’t really show what genre it is offering. It actually shocked me to see it placed in the midst of teens section of bookstores (because Stephanie Meyer “likes"' it).

First Words. I scowl with frustration at myself in the mirror.

Quote. “Why don’t you like to be touched?” “Because I’m fifty shades of fucked-up, Anastasia”

Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades #1)
By E. L. James
When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.
Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.
Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.
This book is intended for mature audiences.

Finished Reading: 05th October 2012
Acquire: 30th June 2011
Rate } ♠♠♠♠
Genre } Fiction | Adult | Erotica| Book Club | Chick Lit
Release Day }  May 2011
Publisher } Vintage
Format } ebook 
ISBN } 9781612130293
Pages } 385 pages
Source } bought
Age Group } 18+ SX
Interests } adult   
Awards } -
Support my reading by getting your copy } Amazon.com | Kindle

Read More

Book Review: Princess of the Midnight Ball (Princess 01); By Jessica Day George

Wow… I took a year or so after buying this book, to actually reading it. What was I thinking? I usually jump, dive and read books like this as soon as I get it. I was wrong. I should have read it one as soon as I get my hands on it. I’m glad I’m trying to finish my fairy-tales retellings challenge, or I wouldn’t have pick it up.

Cover-wise. So pretty! I suspect that’s Rose on the cover, so beautiful as it has been stated between the pages. I don’t know why I didn’t stack it on top of my TBR pile.

Reading this book is like love in first sight. It got me at the first sentence. The 12 Dancing Princesses has always been one of my favorite tales growing up, and reading this retelling is really wonderful. Honestly said, what I remembered much about the tale was the princesses beautiful dresses and their worn out shoes. Galen is a wonderful “Prince Charming”. He’s different. An ex military turn gardener, fancying one of the princesses, who are trapped in a curse set by the King Under the Stone. The curse is a great spin to an age old tale.

Frankly of what’s lacking, I did expect the princesses to be more active in the novel itself, since it is about them, but we are left mostly of Galen’s experiences. While I was reading, all I could thought of was where’s the princesses? They pop here and there, but I was expecting their “experiences” their thoughts, their tales… I can’t say about emotions, since their emotions are there. Totally present with their anger, and crying here and there. I do wish they pop around saying if one of them fancy this suitor or that, or present their wishes, thoughts.

But other wise, it’s all good.

Would I recommend this? EXTREMELY! If you love reading retellings, this book is for you.

First Words. Because he had once been human, King Under Stone sometimes found himself plagued by human emotions.

Quote. “No need, no, need. Life is already too short to find it.”

Princess of the Midnight Ball (Princess #1)
By Jessica Day George
As the crown princess, Rose is never without a dance partner. She and her eleven sisters are treated to beautiful gowns, slippers, and dances at party after party in their father's palace. But their evenings do not end when the guests return home. Instead, Rose and her sisters must travel deep into the earth to the wicked King Under Stone's palace. There, the girls are cursed to dance each night, even when they grow exhausted or ill.
Many princes have tried-and failed-to break the spell. But then Rose meets Galen, a young soldier-turned-gardener with an eye for adventure. Together they begin to unravel the mystery. To banish the curse, they'll need an invisibility cloak, enchanted silver knitting needles, and, of course, true love.

Finished Reading: 29th September 2012
Acquire: 16th September 2011
Rate } ♠♠♠♠♠
Genre } fiction | young adult | teens | fairy tales retellings | fantasy | romance |
Release Day }  April 2010
Publisher } Bloomsbury USA Children
Format } Paperback 
ISBN } 9781599904559
Pages } 304 pages
Source } bought
Age Group } 12+
Interests } reluctant readers | middle graders | fairy tales retelling  
Awards } ALA Best Books For Young Adults (2010)
Support my reading by getting your copy } Amazon.com | Kindle

Read More

Book Review: Once Upon A Crime (The Sisters Grimm 4) By Michael Buckley

Puck is wounded. NO!!! Thank the stars,  Granny has a plan. He needs healing and they have to go to Faerie. And we are off to New York! What? New York. Yes New York.

This is what I call a nostalgic moment of the series. We get to learn Puck’s family life, while he’s recovering by going through this cocoon stage which smells like… well.. . yuck.. really bad. I actually made a face every time it was portray how Puck’s cocoon smells like. I mean geez… I was snacking while reading that time. *makes a face*. Anyway, Sabrina is having “enough is enough” attitude, and Daphne is adjusting nicely in this book to her big sister’s decision. In the same time, Sabrina is also being a “brat” or some sort. I don’t really like it. The absence of Mirror was also frustrating! I miss Mirror and Puck’s antics. Another nostalgic side of this book, the sisters discovered a side of their mother that they didn’t know, which left Sabrina second guessing herself. Ahh.. now that was a few emotional, heart tugging moments.

And then there is Moth. A very, very  jealous Moth. Now that’s an expected surprise. I wanted to smack that little piece of… *censored*

Otherwise, it is another great book in the series. It is just WOW. This time it features Wizard of Oz meets A Midsummer Night’s dream. Yes, I actually sang when Daphne said, “We’re off to see the wizard.” The author did a great job merging the characters from the two classics and guest staring them in this book. I could not say it enough! Pick this series up! Read it! If you are into fairytales, you should really pick this one up. It’s such an addictive series.

First Words. The explosion shook Sabrina Grimm so hard she swore she felt her brain do a somersault inside her skull.

Quote. “When did you suddenly become Mister Maturity?”

Once Upon A Crime (The Sisters Grimm #4)
By Michael Buckley
The Grimms take Manhattan in the fourth book in the "New York Times" bestselling series.
When fairy-tale detectives Sabrina and Daphne Grimm venture back to the big city to help a friend, they land in the middle of a big mystery. Puck's father, King Oberon, has been murdered, and the Grimms suspect one of the many famous (and infamous) fairy-tale folk who call the city home. Can they find the culprit while coming to terms with their mother's secret life? And will Sabrina ever accept her family's destiny?
Funny and fast-paced, this series puts a fresh spin on girl-detective stories and has won an ever expanding number of fans.

Finished Reading: 10th September 2012
Rate } ♠♠♠♠♠
Genre } fiction | children | fairy tales retellings | fantasy | juvenile | adventure
Release Day }  April 2008
Publisher } Amulet
Format } Paperback 
ISBN } 9780810995499
Pages } 304 pages
Source } bought
Age Group } 10+
Interests } reluctant readers | middle graders | fairy tales retelling  
Awards } -
Support my reading by getting your copy } Amazon.com | Kindle

Read More

Book Review: The Problem Child (The Sisters Grimm #3) By Michael Buckley

Third book revealed a new Grimm. Sabrina and Daphne has an estrangedfamily member who happens to be their father’s never heard of brother. This uncle just reminded me of Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden. He got style, he got magic, ok, scratched that. He reminded me of younger trouble Harry Dresden. Ohh.. fandom is such a curse! *chuckles*

Regressing…. We have a crazy, lunatic, coo coo Red Riding Hood who is terrorizing the Grimms with a Jabberwocky. With the history of Jabberwocky from Alice in Wonderland, I’m actually amazed she’s able to control that monster. Mr Canis… Oh Mr Canis. He is still awesome. Sabrina is too snappish. Daphne is as cool as ever. Have you meet Mirror Yet? I wish I have Mirror. ♥

Truth to be told, the series is really growing into me. The progress gets better and better. Emotionally, it tugged the right responses. ever play a video game where you actually jumped when press the jump button and you lean right and left when you press the buttons, etc. Well, that’s exactly how you be when you’re read this series. That is rare right? It’s like reading Harry Potter series, but with fairy tales. I yelled, I gasp, I cried, and more.

Man, I LOVE this series

Puck and Sabrina…. ♥

First Words. Sabrina opened her eyes and saw a monster hunched over her.

Quote. The only bad ideas are the ones never tried.

The Problem Child
(The Sisters Grimm #3)
By Michael Buckley

The sisters Grimm, intrepid detectives of fairy-tale crime, come face-to-face with their parents' kidnappers, the mysterious organization of Everafters who call themselves The Scarlet Hand. Will the sisters Grimm save the day?




Finished Reading: 26th August 2012
Rate } ♠♠♠♠♠
Genre } fiction | children | fairy tales retellings | fantasy | juvenile | adventure
Release Day }  September 2007
Publisher } Amulet
Format } Paperback 
ISBN } 9780810993594
Pages } 320 pages
Source } bought
Age Group } 10+
Interests } reluctant readers | middle graders | fairy tales retelling  
Awards } -
Support my reading by getting your copy } Amazon.com | Kindle

Read More

Biography Review: Cut; By Cathy Glass

rate } ♠♠♠♠♠
genre } non-fiction | biography | abuse 
release day }  April 2009
acquired } 04th August 2008
publisher } Harper Element 
format } paperback
isbn } 9780007280971
pages } 310 pages
source } bought
age group } 15+
interests } If you like reading The child call IT, (well not enjoy, you know what I mean)  
awards } -

Cut: The True Story Of An Abandoned, Abused Little Girl Who Was Desperate To Be Part Of A Family
by Cathy Glass

The author of "Damaged "tells the story of the Dawn, a sweet and seemingly well-balanced girl whose outward appearance masks a traumatic childhood of suffering at the hands of the very people who should have cared for her. Dawn was the first girl Cathy Glass ever fostered. Sweet and seemingly well balanced girl, Dawn's outward appearance masked a traumatic childhood so awful, that even she could not remember it. During the first night, Cathy awoke to see Dawn looming above Cathy's baby's cot, her eyes staring and blank. She sleepwalks--which Cathy learns is often a manifestation in disturbed children. It becomes a regular and frightening occurrence, and Cathy is horrified to find Dawn lighting a match while mumbling it's not my fault in her sleep one night. Cathy discovers Dawn is playing truant from school, and struggling to make friends. More worryingly she finds her room empty one night, and her pillow covered in blood. Dawn has been self-harming in order to release the pain of her past. When Dawn attempts suicide, Cathy realizes that she needs more help than she can give. Dawn's mother eventually confides in her that Dawn was sent away to live with relatives in Ireland between the ages of 5 and 9, and Cathy soon realizes that the horrors Dawn was exposed to during this time have left her a very disturbed little girl.

My 2 Cents
To be honest, It took me a while to finish this book. In fact, it took me to finish reading 5 books to actually finish reading this book. It’s a good biography, I can’t deny that, but, it’s hard to sit and read through this in just one go. But in my defense, It was a very busy few months for me at work and such.

I have to forewarn you, it’s a bit graphic. It’s a bout a child of the age of 13 who had problem with cutting. Cathy Glass and her husband adopted this child, and it’s a struggle to read about this polite child with a dark side yet has a need to rebel hard. What really perked my ears up reading this is wanting to know what happened during her missing years before living with Cathy. I wanted to know what happened to cause her behavior.

Personally this was a bit of an emotional read. Once I actually settle down and actually read this (finally getting time to settle down and read), it was a page turner. The child on the cover is just perfect. It screamed, “Help me please…” It also help me with my work, since I am working with students Dawn’s age, Empathy-wise.

The down side of this book was that, at the end, I wanted more. I Want to know what happened next, Follow up. But I was kept hanging. But it did open the door for me to check out her other books.

Library-wise. I guess I could say The older students (seniors) would enjoy reading this book. But I’m tempted to try it with our middle graders students. But with caution I guess, because the middle graders are easily influence to suggestion. Otherwise, it’s up to the parents.

Read More

Book Review: The Frog Princess By E. D. Baker

finished reading : 10 June 2012
rate } ♠♠♠♠♠
genre } fiction | fairy tales | fantasy | teens 
release day }  October 2004
acquired } 16th December 2011
publisher } Bloomsbury USA Children 
format } paperback
isbn } 9781582349237
pages } 224 pages
source } bought
age group } 12+
interests } fairy tales retellings  
awards } -
Get Your Copy } Kindle | Amazon.com

The Frog Princess
By E. D. Baker

Via Goodreads
Princess Emeralda a.ka. Emma isn't exactly an ideal princess. Her laugh is more like a donkey's bray than tinkling bells, she trips over her own feet and she does not like Prince Jorge, whom her mother hopes she will marry. But if Emma ever thought to escape her troubles, she never expected it to happen by turning into a frog! When convinced to kiss a frog so he might return to being a prince, somehow the spell is reversed and Emma turns into a frog herself! Thus begins their adventure--a quest to return to human form.

Fascinating and hilarious characters ranging from a self-conscious but friendly bat to a surprisingly loyal snake and a wise green witch confirm that readers won't soon forget this madcap story. A fantastic debut from the talented E.D. Baker.

My 2 Cents
I must admit, nobody told me about this series.As far as I know, none (maybe a couple or so) book bloggers knew about this series at all. True to my addictive genre, (fairy tales retellings, if you haven’t by now), I take a plunge. I was expecting, the usual snotty princess playing golden ball, ball fall into pond, frog rescue ball, frog wants kiss, frog eats and sleeps with princess, frog turn prince.

Boy, I was wrong. It caught me at the beginning! (well not really. It was slow for me to catch up cause I was in the middle of a busy week when I was reading this one)

First Sentence: Even as a little girl, I had thought that the swamp was a magical place where new lives began and the old ones ended, where enemies and heroes weren’t always what one expected, and where anything could happen, even to a clumsy princess. Although I’d believed this for most of my life, I had no proof until Prince Jorge came to visit and I met the frog of my dreams.

Quote: “I’ve been told that kissing a frog is good for the complexion,” he said, sidling toward me.

This book is funny and enjoyable to read offering a nice spin to the well famous fairy tale. In fact, it adds that particular spice to the story. It does reminded me a bit of that Frog princess movie where the princess turned into a frog after she kissed the frog. Princess Emeralda is a normal girl, unlike her typical snotty character suppose to be. The frog prince is hilarious enough that I actually blurt out laughing in public while reading this book. Ended up with people giving me that look.

This would be an awesome addition for a school library, particularly middle school libraries. Check it out! .

Read More