Friday, September 10, 2010
Book Blogger Hop #10 & Follow Friday #4
Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books whilst Follow Friday is hosted by ParaJunkee’s View. ‘The Hop’ and ‘Follow Friday’ are a great way to find other people who love to blog about books just like me! So if you’re interested in participating why not check out both Crazy for Books and ParaJunkee’s View for more information.
Jennifer also asks us hopper’s to answer a new question/topic each week, so today’s question/topic for the Hop is (*drum roll please*):
Post a link to a favourite post or book review that you have written in the past three months.
I have to say it’s probably my review of Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers. It was such an intense read, definitely one of my favourite books 2010 so far. So if you’re interested here’s my review simply click HERE.
ParaJunkee also asks us follower’s to answer a question each week, so today’s question for the Follow is:
eBook or Print?
Hmmm, probably print, I like the feel of a book in my hands it’s more tangible than having an electronic copy. That said it would be nice to have a book I really want to read delivered directly to an eBook reader instead of having to wait for it to be delivered by post.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Waiting on Wednesday: Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted Jill @ Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" is:
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
Release Date: October 12, 2010
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Age Group: Young Adult
---Even if I loved him once?
---Even if he was my best friend?
---Is it okay to hate him for being dead?
Eighteen-year-old Vera's spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she's kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.
So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, or even the police. But will she emerge and clear his name? Does she even want to?
An edgy, gripping story, Please Ignore Vera Dietz is an unforgettable novel: smart, funny, dramatic, and always surprising.
I love the sound of this novel, I want to know what Charlie did to betray Vera, I want to know Charlie’s secrets, I want to know what are the dark circumstances of his death, in other words I have to buy myself a copy of this book once it’s released so I can find out!
For anyone who is interested the first chapter of Please Ignore Vera Dietz is up on A.J. King’s website simply click HERE to start reading, enjoy!
Well that’s my “waiting on” pick, what's yours this week?
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Teaser Tuesday #9
Hey everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend. I’ve finished Fury by Shirley Marr, so I hope have my review up soon. I’m currently reading my ARC of Matched, and wow it’s definitely living up to expectations. Just to let you all know my posts will probably decrease a bit this week and next because I have three assignments that are due next week so I’m really busy at the moment but come next Wednesday I will be free of assignments!
So anyway here’s my Teaser, enjoy!
Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
1. Grab you current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------“I glance over at Xander after she’s gone and an ache of longing goes through me, an ache so deep and real that I can still feel it later, when I think of that night. The longing isn’t for Xander, it’s for the way things used to be between us.”
- p. 262, Matched by Ally Condie
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Friday, September 3, 2010
Book Blogger Hop #9 & Follow Friday #3
Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer @ Crazy for Books whilst Follow Friday is hosted by ParaJunkee’s View. ‘The Hop’ and ‘Follow Friday’ are a great way to find other people who love to blog about books just like me! So if you’re interested in participating why not check out both Crazy for Books and ParaJunkee’s View for more information.
Jennifer also asks us hopper’s to answer a new question each week, so today’s question for the Hop is (*drum roll please*):
Do you judge a book by its cover?
However I find that I’m not doing as much bookstore browsing anymore because I tend to find most of the books I want to read on goodreads now. Even though we are given an image of the book cover on goodreads I find I am more drawn to the title, if I like the sound of it I then go on to read the blub and if I like the blurb well it goes into my TBR pile.
Yes and no, it generally depends on how I browse for books. When I’m just browsing at the library or bookstore I do tend to pick up books with covers that appeal to me whilst leaving those that don’t.
However I find that I’m not doing as much bookstore browsing anymore because I tend to find most of the books I want to read on goodreads now. Even though we are given an image of the book cover on goodreads I find I am more drawn to the title, if I like the sound of it I then go on to read the blub and if I like the blurb well it goes into my TBR pile.Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Review: Saltwater Vampires by Kirsty Eagar
Release Date: August 30, 2010
Publisher: Penguin Australia
Genre: Vampires
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 372
Source: Penguin Australia
Blurb (from Penguin Australia
He looked to the sky, praying for rain, a downpour, some sign from the heavens that he should refuse the abomination contained in that flask. But all he saw was the bloated white face of the moon smiling down on him …
And the sky around it was cold and clear and black …
They made their circle of blood. And only the moon witnessed the slaughter that followed.
For Jamie Mackie, summer holidays in the coastal town of Rocky Head Batavia
The Quickie Review
Saltwater Vampires is a highly addictive vampire novel which will suck you in from the very beginning (pardon the pun).
The Full Blown Review
I have been patiently waiting for a book like Saltwater Vampires - with real vampires - to enter the YA vampire genre, finally it has arrived! Now you may be wondering what I mean when I say real vampires, well when I say real vampires I mean the evil, nasty looking bloodsuckers of yester years none of this oh so sparkly, beautiful and noble vampires that seem to have inundated the market lately. It appears that somewhere along the line vampires in novels changed from being these frightening evil creatures to being these beautiful caring creatures. I for one prefer the former, I like my vampires menacing and nasty and boy does Kirsty Eagar deliver, these vampires gave me the creeps!
Saltwater Vampires beings with a bang, the year is 1629 and the Batavia
From the moment I read the prologue I was engrossed. As a reader we are not 100% sure of who or what exactly the four shipwreck survivors are so I was eager to discover more of their back story which is elaborated on further as the book progresses. I especially loved how the prologue ended leaving me on edge and a little creeped out
“They made their circle of blood. And only the moon witnessed the slaughter that followed.” - Page 12
Jamie was a relatable character, Kirsty did an excellent job describing the swell of emotions he was going through and boy he was having to deal with some difficult issues. I find that I generally enjoy a book much more when I feel something for the characters and I really felt for Jamie. He was beating himself up for the accident that happened with Dale when in reality it wasn’t his fault, I really wanted to tell him this but I had to remind myself that Jamie is not an actual person he is only a character in a book. Whilst I have never experienced the things Dale endured (absent mother, distant father) I still was able to feel for him as a character too.
I have decided I wouldn’t mind having Jamie’s friends - Tanner, Kelly, Talia and Willem - as friends. All of these characters were willing to sacrifice themselves in order to help both Jamie and Dale which is an excellent quality to find in a friend. Tanner was a relaxed surfer, nothing seemed to phase him except maybe getting stuck in a campervan waiting for vampires to turn up, who wouldn’t get scared! Kelly, a talented surfer, was a bit prickly and aloof at first but I soon softened towards her once I found out the reason as to why she was so prickly. Then we have Talia the new girl in town who takes a liking to both Tanner and Jamie, who’s not afraid to speak her mind especially in situations when she probably shouldn’t. Finally we have Willem, he was a bit of an odd ball but was a wealth of information on vampires (very helpful), I don’t know what it was but there was something about Willem I found endearing.
Kirsty managed to surprise me in this novel, I thought I knew a character and then all of a sudden they did something that I was not expecting at all. There was one particular action a character took that I did not expect, maybe I’m a bit naïve or trusting but I didn’t see that coming.
I also have to mention that I loved the setting for the novel, I could picture Rocky Head so clearly in my head especially because it reminded me of the coastal town we stayed in when I was younger where we used to go camping near the beach for holidays.
Towards the end of the novel the suspense builds until the final confrontation occurs between the vampires and the teens and what a confrontation is was!
The only real issue I had was when Jamie and Tanner were informed that vampires exist by Willem. Now I know this is only a story and vampires aren’t real (obviously) but both Jamie and Tanner just accepted that vampires must be real, there was no real skepticism, if it was me I’d be very skeptical I’d probably ask them what are you on? All this was a little too convenient for me, I would have liked for them to show a bit more uncertainty but like I said it’s only a minor quibble.
Rating
4.5 out of 5
Goodies
Kirsty’s debut novel Raw Blue was released last year whilst I haven’t read it yet (I plan to though) I did read an excellent review by Nomes over at Inkcrush, so why not check it out? Simply click HERE.
Waiting on Wednesday: Starstruck by Cyn Balog
"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" is:
Starstruck by Cyn Balog
Starstruck by Cyn Balog Release Date: 2011
Publisher: Delacorte
Age Group: Young Adult
When Gwendolyn “Dough” Reilly’s boyfriend and best friend Wish moves away in seventh grade, the only consolation she can find is in her family bakery’s donuts. Now, it’s sophomore year, and Wish is coming back. But in only three years, they’ve both changed—drastically. She’s seriously overweight, and suddenly Wish is the most popular guy in school, and girls everywhere want him. Dough has doubts that appearances don’t matter and that Wish can love her as she is, so she launches into a plan designed to keep them together. That is, until she discovers that Wish’s gorgeous looks and charm might not be all they appear to be.
Love the blurb, it’s definitely something I would read and enjoy plus I really want to know what Dough (great nickname no?) finds out about Wish, could there perhaps be a supernatural element at play here. Anything with food in it also sounds good to me. Don’t you love the cover, mmm doughnuts!
Well that’s my “waiting on” pick, what's yours this week?
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