Waiting On Wednesday (108)

This is a meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where every Wednesday bloggers highlight a book that they are eagerly anticipating the release of!

The Geography of You and Me

by Jennifer E Smith

Release Date: April 15, 2014

Summary: Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.

Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

A carefully charted map of a long-distance relationship, Jennifer E. Smith's new novel shows that the center of the world isn't necessarily a place. It can be a person, too.

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I am such a huge fan of Jennifer E Smith's books, so when I saw this on someone's WoW post last week, I pretty much flipped out. I mean, look at that cover! And it's about people who get stuck in an elevator together, and then try out the whole long distance relationship thing? I can't wait to see how this one turns out! Why is April so far away??

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Would Love to See as a Movie/TV Show

This is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where each week bloggers share a list of books for the prompt given. So hopefully I'll have a new list to share with you all each week!

This Week's Topic: Top Ten Books I Would Love to See as a Movie/TV Show

1. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles 

2. Slammed by Colleen Hoover

3. Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

4. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

5. The Mediator by Meg Cabot

6. Anna and the French Kiss

7. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith

8. Obsidian by Jennifer L Armentrout

9. Losing It by Cora Carmack

10. Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Book Review: Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

Breakfast at Tiffany's

By Truman Capote

Release Date: 1958

Source: Library

Summary: Meet Holly Golightly - a free spirited, lop-sided romantic girl about town. With her tousled blond hair and upturned nose, dark glasses and chic black dresses, Holly is a style sensation wherever she goes. Her apartment rocks to Martini-soaked parties and she plays hostess to millionaires and gangsters alike. Yet Holly never loses sight of her ultimate dream - to find a real life place like Tiffany's that makes her feel at home.

Full of sharp wit and exuberant, larger-than-life characters which vividly capture the restless, madcap era of 1940s New York, Breakfast at Tiffany's will make you fall in love, perhaps for the first time, with a book.

Review: I am absolutely obsessed with the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. I have the Audrey Hepburn poster in my room and everything. Little did I know that one of my favorite movies is actually based on a book! As soon as I figured that out, I knew I had to read the book as soon as I could. 

Holly Golightly is everything her name suggests; she takes life as it comes and adds her own whimsy to everything she comes across. As soon as the narrator, a writer who lives in her building, meets Holly, nothing in his life will ever be the same. 

Who knew a book could be exactly how Audrey Hepburn portrayed Holly Golightly in the movie? Truman Capote creates such a whimsical, unique character that it's impossible to put this book down. What's Holly going to do next? Everything she does should seem absolutely crazy, but for some reason she makes it seem perfectly normal. 

This story is only 111 pages long and boy does it fly by. Holly's character is so intriguing and I love how the narrator describes her eccentric personality. Who wouldn't love Holly Golightly? She's just so darling and fascinating! 

There are also three short stories after Breakfast at Tiffany's, and they all have such strong characters and interesting stories. Truman Capote seriously knows how to make a character and bring them to life with his words. Each story was different, but definitely fun to read. 

Holly is one literary character that is impossibly fun to read about and impossible to forget. If you love the movie, then you must pick up the book. And even if you haven't seen it, you'll find yourself falling in love with a curious girl who simply lives life as she pleases.

Weekly Roundup [9/3-9/9]

Hey guys! Things at school are settling down and the two clubs I am president of are finally starting up! I've got a knitting club and a book club, which include my two favorite things, so I can't wait for all of the new members. Not to mention some fun Quidditch practice in this insane summer heat that just won't go away. In the meantime, I've been reading some fantastic books and I've got even better books waiting on my shelf to be read. So I'm definitely looking forward to this week! 

Book Reviews

Gated by Amy Christine Parker

The Proposal by Mary Balogh

Audacious by Gabrielle Pendergast

Memes

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Wish Were Taught In School

Waiting On Wednesday (107)

Follow My Book Blog Friday (101)

Stacking the Shelves (65)

Miscellaneous 

A-Z Book Survey

A to Z Book Survey

I've seen this survey all over the place lately, and once I saw Books of Amber post her survey, I thought I'd jump in and do the same! So here we go...

Author you’ve read the most books from:

Hmm I'm pretty sure that'd have to be Nicholas sparks. I've read every single book by him but two, and I've got those two sitting on my shelf, just waiting for me to read them!

Best Sequel Ever:

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. Not only did she give us another adorable story, she also included the beloved characters from the first book!

Currently Reading:

I'm just about to start Where Beauty Lies by Elle & Blair Fowler. It seems like a fun YA read! Oh, and I'm also reading Middlemarch by George Eliot for my English novel class. It's taking me forever, but I actually like it!

Drink of Choice While Reading:

Diet Coke! I'm way to addicted to that drink :)

E-reader or Physical Book?

I definitely prefer physical books, but I love my Nook! I think an e-reader just gives me so many more possibilities as to what I can read. Not to mention e-books don't take up nearly as much room!

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:

Well, seeing as I never actually dated anyone in high school, I don't know! But if I had to choose someone, I would have loved to date someone like Cricket from Lola and the Boy Next Door. 

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Hidden Gem Book:

Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay

Important Moment in your Reading Life:

Starting this blog! I already read a ton before, but ever since I started book blogging, I've been reading all the time and just can't seem to stop. 

Just Finished:

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote. I absolutely love the movie, so it's about time I read the book!

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:

Nonfiction isn't really my thing. Neither are books with same gender couples. Other than that, I'll pretty much read anything with a little bit of romance in it. 

Longest Book You’ve Read:

According to Goodreads, the longest book I've ever read is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling at 870 pages. 

Major book hangover because of:

Just One Day by Gayle Forman. I was obsessing over that ending to my sister for at least an hour straight after I read it. Then, when my sister read it, I obsessed all over again. 

Number of Bookcases You Own:

I have 4. Two big ones next to my desk and two smaller ones. Then, I've got a ton of book stacked up under my desk because I ran out of room on the shelves. Problems of a book blogger...

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

The Boys Next Door by Jennifer Echols. I think I've read that one four times, which is super rare for me.

Preferred Place To Read:

In bed! I fall asleep reading probably 5 out of 7 nights a week. Haha, it's just so nice to snuggle up under the covers with a good book. 

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:

“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” -Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I absolutely adored this book and the romance between Elizabeth and Darcy is just too perfect. 

Reading Regret:

Hmmm I don't really have any reading regrets! The only thing I can think of is having such a huge TBR list that I know I'll never be able to read every single book I want to. 

Series You Started And Need To Finish(all books are out in series):

Oh, there are so many! But the one I seriously need to finish is The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. I read the first three like four years ago and never picked up the last two. Hopefully I can some time because they're so good and I would love to know how it all ends. 

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:

How the heck am I supposed to answer this? The first three books that come to mind that I absolutely love are Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Summer in the City by Elizabeth Chandler, and Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles 

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

Jennifer Echols. I love everything she writes and have a fangirl moment any time one of her books comes in the mail for me. 

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks. I think it's been two years since his last release and that's just TOO LONG. I seriously can't wait for it to come out!

Worst Bookish Habit:

I am seriously obsessed about keeping my books in pristine condition. I get so nervous when my sister borrows any book of mine because I'm worried it'll get beat up while she reads it. They all have to look perfect on my shelf. 

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt

Your latest book purchase:

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer and French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano. I got the two books for only $5 at my local library sale. Nothing beats bargain book shopping :) 

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):

Well, I always read before bed and normally fall asleep reading. But the last book I actually stayed up reading and was able to turn off my light and go to sleep without the book because it was so good was Dead River by Cyn Balog. 

Stacking the Shelves (65)

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where bloggers share what they got throughout the week!

From Library Book Sale

I've been wanting a copy of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close for FOREVER. I've come close to buying it from Barnes & Noble probably four or five times. Good thing I didn't, though, because I got it for only $2 from my library sale and it's in perfect condition! I can't wait to read it! The second book French Women Don't Get Fat looked super fun, so I decided, why not? 

From Library

I have read so many reviews of this book, raving about how amazing it is. And it has a 4.24 rating on Goodreads, so it's about time I got a copy from the library. Hopefully I like it as much as everyone else did!

That's it for me! What all did you add to your shelves this week? 

Book Review: Audacious by Gabrielle Prendergast

Audacious

By Gabrielle Prendergast

Release Date: October 1, 2013

Source: Librarything

Summary: Sixteen year old Raphaelle is that girl who says the wrong thing, who crosses the wrong person, who has the wrong hair, the wrong body, the wrong attitude, the totally wrong clothes. She can’t do anything right, except draw, but she draws the wrong pictures. When her father moves the family to a small prairie city, Raphaelle wants to leave behind the misfit rebel, the outcast, the vengeful trouble-maker she was. Reborn as “Ella,” she plans fit in at her new school, while her perfect younger sister goes to the Catholic girls’ school and her emotionally fragile mother looks for a job. 

But Ella might just be a different kind of misfit. She’s drawn to a brooding boy in her art class, Samir, and expresses her confused feelings in an explicit artwork. When a classmate texts a photo of Ella’s art to a younger friend, the horrendous fallout spreads though Ella’s life like an uncontrollable disease. Ella is expelled from school and faces pornography charges, her mother is hospitalized, her sister fails all her classes, and her distant father finally notices something is wrong.

Review: I've never actually gone out on a mission to read a novel in verse- they just seem to find me. When I read The Language Inside by Holly Thompson, I had no idea it was in verse but ended up loving the story. I'm not at all surprised that the same exact things happened with Audacious...

Raphaelle has never let herself fit into what others want. Instead, she is who she wants to be, especially when it comes to her art. But when it comes time for Raphaelle and her family to move, she reinvents herself as Ella, the girl who isn't going to be the "bad girl" anymore. Knowing Ella, though, she can't ever do the right thing. Ella can't resist Samir, the muslim boy from her art class, and she can't resist testing the limits with her art. She might have taken things too far this time, though, and finds herself having to face a harsh reality in an even harsher world. 

Boy is Ella (Raphaelle? Not sure what to call her at this point...) audacious. Bold. Daring. She's the kind of person I kind of wish I could be sometimes. She's not afraid to be who she wants and do what she wants, which is really inspiring. She falls in love with a muslim boy? Well, love's love. Sadly, though, the world is such a harsh critic and Ella soon finds it's not always the right thing, or the easy thing, to live the life she's happiest with. 

Ella goes through so much in this novel that I almost forgot I was reading a novel in verse. There's things about race, religion, disabilities, marriage, eating disorders, and on and on and on. Yet it's told in such a beautiful way. Seriously, if I could write like Gabrielle Prendergast wrote, I'd be writing books left and right. Everything she wrote and how she created her characters were so perfect and I loved every second of the book. 

All of the characters were all different, yet fit perfectly into the story. You've got Ella's asthmatic sister who always seems to fit in, Samir the boyfriend, Samir's family, Ella's parents, the two girls from school, the art teacher, and so many more that the story gives you glimpses of. You get so much out of this book and I love how it's not all about one single character, but the lives of all of the characters in her world as well. 

Overall, this book was great. The verse was beautiful and the story was touching. There are serious issues that are dealt with, but there are also some lighter moments of simple teenage life. Ella is a great character who is unique and definitely fun to read about. If you're a fan of verse, and even if you're hesitant to try out that genre, I'd recommend checking out Audacious. And then check out the next book Capricious when it comes out. I know I will!