feburary heartbreakers challenge.

Host: Book ♥ Soulmates
Timeline: 1st of Feb - 28th of Feb
Rules: 
- Read as many heartbreaking books as you can between February 1 - 28, 2010.
-Anyone can join!
-If you are a blogger and you decide to participate in this challenge, then please copy and paste the above image icon onto the sidebar of your blog.
- You do NOT need to select your books ahead of time. You can choose along the way.
- Your books CAN cross over into any of our other challenges.
- You cannot use old posted reviews.

1. The Chosen One
2. The Girl Made of Cool
3. Master: An Erotic Novel of the Count of Monte Cristo
4. If I Stay
5. Dear John
6. Impetuous
7. Thirteen Reasons Why

recommend me one.

Recommend Me is a new weekly event hosted by The Neverending Shelf, in which participants will pick one of their all time favorite reads to share. This could be a book that your read yesterday or years ago.
To play along, head on over to The Neverending Shelf.


I hadn't planned to join in any other memes than the ones I already participate in, but I couldn't help myself with this one, it sounds fun!





This week I recommend:

God-Shaped Hole by Tiffanie DeBartolo

When I was twelve, a fortune teller told me that my one true love would die young and leave me all alone. Everyone said she was a fraud, that she was just making it up.
I'd really like to know why the hell a person would make up a thing like that.
Written with the snap, glitter and wit of The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing, God-Shaped Hole is a memorable, poignant love story that will leave you weeping with laughter. It is told in the wry, vulnerable voice of Beatrice "Trixie" Jordan who replies to a personal ad, "If your intentions are pure I am seeking a friend for the end of the world."
In doing so, she meets Jacob Grace, a charming, effervescent thirty-something writer, a free spirit who is a passionate seeker of life. He possesses his own turn of phrase and ways of thinking and feeling that dissonantly harmonize with Trixie's off-center vision as they roller coaster through the joys and furies of their wrenching romance. Along the way they try to come to terms with the hurt brought about by their distant fathers who, in different ways, forsook them.
This story will prove so touching you will rush to share it with a friend or loved one or even a stranger.

I found this book in a thrift store. A great thrift store because I always find great books for less than a dollar. And this one was one of them. The quote on the cover caught my attention. And I loved it. I would definitely recommend this book to older teens and adults.

in my mailbox seven.

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren, which explores the contents of my mailbox on a weekly basis.

In the mail:

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks [audiobook] (won in giveaway)

Rion by Susan Kearney (won in giveaway)

Bought from store:

Nothing!

From the Library:

Half-Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls (for Slow Readers Club)

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman

The Wild Things by Dave Eggers

Don't Look Down by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

Silver by Edward Chupack


These are two weeks worth of books (well the library ones) and I really don't know why I checked out more if I haven't finished the piles I have! I found out I can borrow up to 50 items, so I went crazy! I put away my card though, to prevent myself from checking out more, so this the last pile from the library that I'll have for a while (hopefully!) :)

Review | Leftovers by Laura Wiess

Blair and Ardith are best friends who have committed an unforgivable act in the name of love and justice. But in order to understand what could drive two young women to such extreme measures, first you'll have to understand why. You'll have to listen as they describe parents who are alternately absent and smothering, classmates who mock and shun anyone different, and young men who are allowed to hurt and dominate without consequence. You will have to learn what it's like to be a teenage girl who locks her bedroom door at night, who has been written off by the adults around her as damaged goods. A girl who has no one to trust except the one person she's forbidden to see. You'll have to understand what it's really like to be forgotten and abandoned in America today.
Are you ready?

Thoughts: I thought this book was fantastic.

I've read Wiess' Such a Pretty Girl. I remember I read it when I was a cashier at a big department store and it was a slow day. I remember I was done with it before my shift was over. I remember it was great. So I needed to read this one too.

From the first page, its intense and completely captivating. I couldn't put it down, and while I had no idea where it is going, I needed to find out. It is written in alternating points of view, as both Ardith and Blair describe the events that lead farther into the story until it heads to their final, desperate act.


I love the way it was written, with enough information to keep me hooked, but not enough to reveal what would happen next. I was caught by surprise with every turn of the page, and was witness to how both girls were forced to change and grow up from innocent and naive, to disturbed and angry.

The ending is not predictable but yet I got a sense that I somehow knew it was coming all along. It was brilliant, intense and scary because it left me feeling that it was possibly the "right" thing after all.

This book is a dramatic and disturbing story of two girls who are pushed to the edge, and it will keep you turning pages until the end. I would definitely recommend this book to older YA readers, and adults.

on my wishlist nine.

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Book Chick City.

It's all about sharing what books you're wishing for, and who doesn't have plenty of those?

To join in on the fun, head on over to Book Chick City's blog.

I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder

Girl meets boy.
Girl loses boy.
Girl gets boy back...
...sort of.
Ava can't see him or touch him, unless she's dreaming. She can't hear his voice, except for the faint whispers in her mind. Most would think she'scrazy, but she knows he's here.
Jackson. The boy Ava thought she'd spend the rest of her life with. He's back from the dead, as proof that love truly knows no bounds.

I've wanted this book since I first heard of it, and I even bought it once but didn't get it (I got my money back though.) It's still on my wishlist, because I haven't seen it at the Borders I always go to.

By The Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters

Daelyn Rice is broken beyond repair, and after a string of botched suicide attempts, she's determined to get her death right. She starts visiting a website for "completers"- www.through-the-light.com.
While she's on the site, Daelyn blogs about her life, uncovering a history of bullying that goes back to kindergarten. When she's not on the Web, Daelyn's at her private school, where she's known as the freak who doesn't talk.
Then, a boy named Santana begins to sit with her after school while she's waiting to for her parents to pick her up. Even though she's made it clear that she wants to be left alone, Santana won't give up. And it's too late for Daelyn to be letting people into her life. Isn't it?

This sounds like an amazing book, and I've heard good things about it. I'm signed up to receive an ARC copy on tour but I still haven't gotten it and I still want it. I might just end up buying it :)

What's on your wishlist?

Review | Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: "My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... It's like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis."

What could have caused Melinda to suddenly fall mute? Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? Or maybe it's because her parents' only form of communication is Post-It notes written on their way out the door to their nine-to-whenever jobs. While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck mute...

Thoughts: I'd seen this book at many bookstores, heard of it from many people who read it for school, but I really had no idea what it was about. It was one of those books I must've read about once and stored the image of the cover into the back of my mind, because when I saw it at the library, I couldn't remember anything about it, except that it was on my TBR list. So naturally, I picked it up.


This is a very quick and easy to read book (or in my case, listen to.) It starts off a bit slow, but the unknown reason to why Melinda will hardly speak, encouraged me to want to continue listening to it. As soon as I heard her mention "it" though, the mystery dissolved and I knew exactly why Melinda wouldn't speak. And why Andy Evans was the one to blame. And that kept me listening to it.


Melinda is cynical, sarcastic, depressing, angsty. I didn't like her at all. But I understood her. I can't say I could relate to her or any of the characters in this book. I could relate to the situations though, and to her feelings.


This was the first book I read written by Anderson and I liked how she tackled an important and tough issue. I currently have another one of her books on my desk, and I hope I can get to it soon enough.


I thought this book was well written, although at times it seemed a bit unrealistic. The beginning is a bit boring but it gets better towards the end and I would recommend it to anyone middle school and older.

tcmg: january winner.

I am pretty happy with how well the Top Commenter Monthly Giveaway has gone, and I really appreciate all the top commenters I had this month. You guys are great :) Now, as you know, to be eligible to win in the TCMG, you must be on the Top 3, and from there it would be random.org who would decide who the final winner would be.

I am happy to say that the winner for this month's giveaway also happens to be the #1 Top Commenter:

Kari (Flamingo 1325)

Congrats, Kari, you have won a brand new copy of The Dark Divine by Bree Despain. Please email me within 72 hours or a new winner will be chosen.

For next month, I have decided to switch the rules a bit, and there will be two winners, chosen from the Top 5 Commenters, again using random.org. I'm having a hard time deciding what to book to giveaway for next, so I was thinking I could have a small vote. Help me figure out what to giveaway by filling out this form :)

Again, thanks to all my commenters and I shall announce what will be up for grabs on the first of next month.

monday reading fifteen.

It's Monday! What are you reading this week? is a weekly event to celebrate what we are reading for the week. Post the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finish this week. Feel free to pile on a little extra.

Books completed last week:

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga

Evernight by Claudia Gray

Thristy by Tracey Bateman

Currently Reading:

Master by Collette Gale

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

What I'll Read Next:

Soulless by Gail Carriger

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

The Girl Made of Cool by Alan Fox

more awards for me+you.

I was surprised to get a few comments on my last award post that let me know I had a few more awards waiting for me. And then I got a few others throughout the week. So I went to collect and now I shall give my thanks and pass them out too.

I got another Happy 101 Award, yay! This one is from Sasha from The Sweet Bonjour. I loved this award, so thank you so much from passing this one to me! I am so glad I brighten your day every once in a while, makes me feel special

The rules:
List 10 things that make you happy.
Try and do at least one of them today.
Tag 10 bloggers that brighten your day.
Link back to the person that tagged you.

happy list:

1. shopping :)

2. listening to elvis presley

3. browsing through the library

4. having interesting conversations with my cat (they are usually one-sided, but oh well...)

5. spending the weekend visiting my grandparents

6. happy-ending movies

7. talking for hours to my best friend on the phone (especially after spending the day together)

8. crocheting cute things

9. snapshots

10. making happy lists :)

I pass this one to:
A Passion for Books
Bookalicous Ramblings
Books and Literature for Teens
Elegantly Bound Books
Good Golly Miss Holly
J. Kaye's Book Blog
My Life in Not So Many Words
Reading Nook
The Crooked Shelf
Yay! Reads


Lovely Miss Lucy from Delightful Reviews passed on the Honest Scrap Award to me :) Thank you so much for this one!
Here are the rules:
List ten honest things about yourself, then pass the award on to seven other blogs.
I've gotten this award before, so here is the link to my original ten honest things because I'd rather not make this a too long post. I will pass it on to a few bloggers though...

Book Chick City
Books at Midnight
my fluttering heart
J. Kaye's Book Blog
i swim for oceans
Reading with Tequila
Shut Up! I'm Reading.

I also got another Humane Award from Angel/ninefly from story on a page. Thank you so much for this award, and it is always a pleasure to stop by and leave some love on your blog!

This award is to honor certain bloggers that are kindhearted individuals. They regularly take part in my blog and always leave the sweetest comments. If it wasn't for them, my site would just be an ordinary book review blog. Their blogs are also amazing and are tastefully done on a daily basis. I thank them and look forward to our growing friendship through the blog world.

J. Kaye from J.Kaye's Book Blog has passed on two awards to me and I am so very grateful! One is the Who Loves You, Baby Award which I pass on to the bloggers who have given me these awards recently: Sasha, Lovely Miss Lucy, Angel/ninefly, and obviously, J.Kaye!

The other award she gave me was the very cute Blogger Buddie Award. Now, like J. Kaye, I will pass on this award to the top commenters. Those are:

Kari

lovely miss lucy
Justine
Melissa
alitareads
Sheere
J. Kaye
Nikki
Lauren
Book Snob 

Thank you so much for all these great awards!

in my mailbox six.

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren, which explores the contents of my mailbox on a weekly basis. Instead of doing the usual Sunday one, I will post my IMM on Fridays.

In the mail:

Dino Vicelli: Private Eye in a World of Evils by Lori Weiner (for review)

Bought from Store:

Heat Wave by Richard Castle

 From the Library:

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
Leviathan by Scott Weterfeld
Impetuous by Lori Foster

I really couldn't resist when I saw those books at the library :)

on my wishlist eight.

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Book Chick City.

It's all about sharing what books you're wishing for, and who doesn't have plenty of those?

To join in on the fun, head on over to Book Chick City's blog.

His Eyes

Amy Turner's about to graduate from high school and all she wants is a job. Actually, all she wants is to find a way to pay for college. Amy certainly isn't looking for love when she answers an ad to baby-sit a boy-she just needs the cash. But the job has a catch: The boy is blind...and he's her age.
Tristan Edmund may be hot, but he doesn't want Amy's help. Or so he thinks. After being blinded in a horse show-jumping competition, Tristan spends his days in the dark, refusing to accept his disability. Much to his annoyance, Amy bursts into his life and drags him into the light. But just as the two begin to see something in each other, Tristan's beautiful ex-girlfriend shows up. Will the temptation be too much, or will Tristan choose the girl who really sees him?
I love the sound of this book, and I haven't seen too many reviews on it. It just sounds like something I would really love. It's been on my wishlist for a while now too.
Ballads of Suburbia

Ballads are the kind of songs that Kara McNaughton likes best. Not the cliched ones where a diva hits her highest note or a rock band tones it down a couple of notches for the ladies, but the true ballads: the punk rocker or the country crooner telling the story of their life in three minutes, the chorus reminding their listeners of the numerous ways to screw things up. In high school, Kara helped maintain the "Stories of Suburbia" notebook, which contained newspaper articles about bizarre and often tragic events from suburbs all over and personal vignettes that Kara dubbed "ballads" written by her friends in Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago. Those "ballads" were heartbreakingly honest tales of the moments when life changes and a kid is forced to grow up too soon. But Kara never wrote her own ballad. Before she could figure out what her song was about, she was leaving town after a series of disastrous events at the end of her junior year. Four years later, Kara returns to face the music, and tells the tale of her first three years of high school with her friends' "ballads" interspersed throughout.
This is one of those books I've heard only great things about and still haven't gotten. It sounds like a great book and I can't wait to read it.

Review | Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Thoughts: The first thing that attracted me to this book was the amazing-looking cover. Sure, everyone was saying this book was fantastic and all, but when I saw it at the bookstore I couldn't believe how great the cover was. And even though I wasn't planning to get it that day, my best friend decided to buy it for me so he could draw the cover.

To be honest, I was expecting more. I was expecting to be blown away by the story, the characters, by everything, because of the hype the book was getting. But it didn't live up to my expectations. Don't get me wrong, I thought the book was amazing and it definitely made my personal Top 10 of 2009 list, but still. I thought there was going to be more to it.

I loved the plot. The whole idea of fallen angels, immortals, and humans, that was good stuff. I really enjoyed the way the book started off, even though a tiny bit slow. I thought the whole story was unique, fast-paced and I could not put it down; I was done with it in record time.

The characters were great, I really enjoyed them all, even the bad guys :) I liked Nora's personality, I loved her best friend, Vee, and her mom was pretty awesome. I really loved Patch. I'm a sucker for cocky, mysterious, bad boys like him. He was just fun. And he's gorgeous too? I couldn't get enough of him.

The way the story kept twisting and turning and becoming more mysterious by the moment had me glued to the book until I was done with it. It had some great surprises and the ending tied up the loose ends, but still left few things unanswered, in a satisfying sort of way which will be great to start off the next installment.

Overall, I thought this was a fantastic debut novel. I loved the story, the ending, and the writing was great. I would definitely recommend this book :)

monday reading fourteen.

It's Monday! What are you reading this week? is a weekly event to celebrate what we are reading for the week. Post the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finish this week. Feel free to pile on a little extra.

Books Completed Last Week:

At Face Value by Emily Franklin

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Currently Reading:

Master by Collette Gale

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Evernight by Claudia Gray

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga

What I'll Read Next:

The Chosen One by Carol Lunch Williams

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Stuff: Lately I've only managed to get through two books a week, and although I don't think its bad, I wish I read more. School started again this week, so I think I'm not going to read more than two books, but I might be able to. I usually avoid some homework with a good book :)

Favorite Book this Week: I think many shall be surprised but my choice of favorite from the ones I am currently reading is The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl. I'm even surprised by my choice. And while the other books are really good, that one has me hooked. It's something different than what I've read lately and maybe that's why it's held my attention more. It could also be because it's an audiobook and I've had more time to focus on it than the others :)

Up Next: The Chosen One and City of Bones are both library books that are due soon! I might not read The Chosen One next and instead pick a book that is due sooner since I just renewed it last night :)