Follow My Book Blog Friday (52)

This is a meme hosted every Friday by Parajunkee, where book bloggers answer a question each week and check out how others answered it. It's a cool way for bloggers and viewers to connect and learn more about each other!

Question: Best cover? What is the best cover of a book that you've read and didn't like? 

Answer: 

 

Isn't this over gorgeous? I actually bought this book from the bookstore, having no clue what it was about. All I knew was that the cover was really pretty, so the book had to be good too, right? Haha, no. The story ended up being so cliche, annoying, and oftentimes boring. I was so mad! A cover that pretty deserves a story that does it justice! When I see a pretty cover in the bookstore, I know I HAVE to have it on my bookshelf...

But once I read the book and it doesn't live up to the story inside, I just feel really disappointed and sad inside :(

But I can never get myself to get rid of the book because it's just so darn pretty! So covers mean a lot to me and even if the story's bad, it'll find it's way onto my shelf! I know you're not supposed to judge a book by it's cover, but I always do. And it may come back to bite me in the butt, but at least I have a pretty cover to look at on my book shelf :)

Waiting On Wednesday (54)

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

What Happens Next

By Colleen Clayton 

Release Date: October 9, 2012

Summary: How can you talk about something you can’t remember?

Before the ski trip, sixteen-year-old Cassidy “Sid” Murphy was a cheerleader (at the bottom of the pyramid, but still...), a straight-A student, and a member of a solid trio of best friends. When she ends up on a ski lift next to handsome local college boy, Dax Windsor, she’s thrilled; but Dax takes everything from Sid—including a lock of her perfect red curls—and she can’t remember any of it.

Back home and unable to relate to her old friends, Sid drops her college prep classes and takes up residence in the A/V room with only Corey “The Living Stoner” Livingston for company. But as she gets to know Corey (slacker, baker, total dreamboat), Sid finds someone who truly makes her happy. Now, if she can just shake the nightmares and those few extra pounds, everything will be perfect... or so she thinks.

Witty and poignant, Colleen Clayton’s stunning debut is a story about moving on after the unthinkable happens.

This one sounds so awesome! I was drawn in by the cover, and once I read the summary I got so excited! I love stories about girls who have it all and lose it all, but what makes this so interesting is that she doesn't even remember why she doesn't have it all anymore. What happened? How will Corey help her figure it out? I guess I'll have to wait and see! 

Blospiration (12)

This is a meme I found hosted by Growing Up YA and Saz101. Bloggers post something that inspires them every week and shares it with their followers! I love this idea, so I decided to try it out! Every Monday I'll share a picture/quote/video of something (most likely book related) that's inspired me this week :) 

Wuthering Heights is definitely one of my favorite classics, so when I saw this quote, it reminded me how much I loved this book. I'm such a hopeless romantic and Heathcliff describing his love is just so sweet and I can't get enough of it! Once I saw this quote, I knew I had to share it with all of you :) If you haven't read Wuthering Heights, I'd definitely recommend it! It's a classic that you won't ever forget reading. 

Weekly Roundup [8/21-8/27]

Another week has gone by! I'm slowly getting back into the swing of being back at school, so I promise I'll be reading more at my usual pace and posting more reviews soon! My classes are going well, especially my Shakespeare class! Who knew his life was so interesting? Haha, anyways, here's what went on this week on the blog!

Book Reviews

Burn For Burn  by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian 

Tangled Up In Love by Heidi Betts

Memes

Waiting On Wednesday (53) 

Follow My Book Blog Friday (51)

Stacking the Shelves (16)

Stacking the Shelves (16)

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

  

I haven't gotten any review books since I've come to school, but I did check some great books out from the library! I really want to read The Great Gatsby before the movie comes out, so why not read it now? The others are classics I've been wanting to read for a while, so hopefully I'll be able to get into them sometime soon! 

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

Book Review: Tangles Up In Love by Heidi Betts

Tangled Up In Love

By Heidi Betts

Release Date: February 3, 2009

Source: Bought

Summary: Ever since Dylan Stone beat Veronica Chasen out of a prime position at the Cleveland Courier, they’ve been bitter rivals, engaging in a very public war of words in their competing newspaper columns. They routinely challenge each other to go bungee jumping, white water rafting, or into tattoo parlors to see who will wimp out first.  But Veronica’s latest taunt may be Dylan’s toughest assignment yet: She dares him to learn to knit.

Dylan is not going to let something his grandmother can do scare him off. He’s man enough to make a scarf—and attend Veronica’s weekly knitting circle. But when the infuriatingly handsome Dylan shows up at the craft shop and charms all the ladies, Veronica starts to get all knotted up in something that feels a lot like love...
Review: I love cute contemporary romances, but throw in a knitting journalist who challenges her super hunky arch nemesis to learn how to knit, and you get one pretty awesome book! 

Ronnie is a hard-headed journalist who is determined to make it in life. The only place she can unwind and be herself is at the weekly knitting group with her friends. Gossiping over colorful yarn and knitting needles helps her forget about her fear of poverty and her annoying journalistic enemy. Dylan loves pushing Ronnie's buttons, but he can't help but deny the attraction he has to the stubborn knitter. When she challenges him to learn how to knit, Dylan doesn't hesitate to prove he accept yet another one of her challenges. When he requests one-on-one knitting lessons, though, yarn isn't the only thing getting tangle up! Ronnie doesn't know what's going on between her and Dylan, and she certainly doesn't know what to do about it.

I love how Ronnie uses knitting as her escape because knitting is my escape too! It's so much fun when Ronnie is at her knitting group and her girls help give her advice on her confusing relationship with Dylan. Speaking of Dylan...can you have any better of a male lead? I love how he knows exactly how to push Ronnie, yet he really cares about what's going on in her life. And his devotion to learning how to knit is definitely a plus. 

Overall, this is a cute chick-lit that may be a little fluffy, but that's just the way I like them! Any knitter who loves a good strong male knitter should definitely pick up this book! It's fun, flirty, and an overall feel good romance!

Follow My Book Blog Friday (51)

This is a meme hosted every Friday by Parajunkee, where book bloggers answer a question each week and check out how others answered it. It's a cool way for bloggers and viewers to connect and learn more about each other!

Question: Worst cover? What's the worst cover of a book that you've read and loved? 

Answer: I'm a sucker for a good book cover, so if it looks good, I'm bound to read it. If it doesn't look good, though, I'm really hesitant to pick it up. I haven't exactly read and loved a book with an awful cover, but I've gotten an edition that wasn't as good as another edition that's out there in the world. Here are a few examples: 

I'm really not a fan of the first cover, which is the cover I ended up getting from the library. The second cover is so much prettier and really captures what the book is about. And this book was awesome, so I think people would be more likely to pick up the second cover over the first one. 

I REALLY dislike the original covers of the Sookie Stackhouse books. I don't know why, they just look really weird and I would not be drawn to it if I ever saw it in a bookstore. I think the cover from the TV series is so cool and I would pick it up in a heartbeat. 

And those are the only books I can think of! Like I said, if I ever see a book cover that is really offer, I will most likely not pick it up....

Covers are just as important as the stories themselves and I like to dedicate my time to the ones that intrigue me the most :) Hope you all have an awesome weekend!

Waiting On Wednesday (53)

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

League of Strays

By LB Schulman

Release Date: October 1, 2012

Summary: This suspenseful debut follows a group of teenage misfits in their delicious quest for revenge on those who have wronged them at their high school. When a mysterious note appears in Charlotte’s mailbox inviting her to join the League of Strays, she’s hopeful it will lead to making friends. What she discovers is a motley crew of loners and an alluring, manipulative ringleader named Kade. Kade convinces the group that they need one another both for friendship and to get back at the classmates and teachers who have betrayed them. But Kade has a bigger agenda. In addition to vandalizing their school and causing fights between other students, Kade’s real intention is a dangerous plot that will threaten lives and force Charlotte to choose between her loyalty to the League and her own conscience.




This book sounds so good! I'm really intrigued by the aspect that it's about the misfits who all come together to find revenge on those who were mean to them. And the added mystery of Kade's real intentions and past gives the story a whole new side! I wonder what he really wants the league to do....I guess I'll have to wait until it comes out to see! 

Book Review: Burn For Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Burn For Burn

By Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Release Date: September 18, 2012

Source: Publisher

Summary: BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY...
THEY GET EVEN.

Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister.

Kat is tired of the rumours, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person– her ex-best friend– and she's ready to make her pay.

Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him.

Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they each had a taste.
Review: Going into this book, I had no idea what it would be about because I only briefly glanced at the summary. All I knew was that Jenny Han is an awesome writer (her Summer books are amazing) and the cover was cool, so I figured the story had to be good. Little did I know that I was going to get an awesome contemporary YA story full of backstabbing, lies, and evil revenge that completely knocked my socks off. 

Throughout the story, we follow three girls that seem to have nothing to do with each other. Mary is a new girl who has some secret past experience with Reeve, the quarterback of the football team, that somehow traumatized her and caused her to move away. Lillia is super popular and basically has everything she could ever ask for, but things aren't as perfect as they should be. And last, but certainly not least, Kate is an angst-filled girl who smokes and doesn't give a crap about what other people think about her, especially Lillia's best friend Rennie. But when all three of these girls are thrown together, pulled by the force of their hatred of people in their lives, they know they have to get even. And who better to accomplish that with than each other? 

Each of these girls are so intriguing and their stories combine in such twisted ways. What one person does makes Lillia upset and Kat super angry, even if they all had never even interacted in the same social environment before. One person's actions always created several ripples in the social sphere, and it was so cool to see how everything fit into each other. Even though these girls are far from perfect, you can't help but root for them in their journey to speed up karma and get revenge on those who deserve it the most. 

I loved everything about this book and the ending had me begging for more. I was not expecting to be left hanging, so I definitely hope there's another one soon to come! I have to figure out what happens to the girls and those unfortunate enough to fall under their wrath. There are so many cliche YA stories out there, but Burn For Burn is so unique that it'll keep you guessing until the end. This is a serious must-read full of intrigue, suspense, and fed-up girls thirsty for some revenge.

Weekly Roundup [8/14-8/20]

Another week has come and gone! I'm so sorry it's been a slow week, but I moved back to school this weekend, so it's been a busy time for me! I do have some great reviews coming up this week, so be on the lookout for those! Here's what went on here this past week! 

Book Reviews

The Thing About the Truth  by Lauren Barnholdt

Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter

Memes

Stacking the Shelves (15)

Stacking the Shelves (15)

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

 

Only two books this week! But don't those look so good? I'm really excited to read them because they're historical, which are my favorites! Make sure you stop by later to check out my reviews of these books! 

That's all for me! What did you all add to your shelves this week? I'd love to hear! 

Book Review: Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter

Goddess Interrupted

By Aimee Carter

Release Date: March 27, 2012

Source: Library

Summary: Kate Winters has won immortality. But if she wants a life with Henry in the Underworld, she'll have to fight for it.Becoming immortal wasn't supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she's as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he's becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate's coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.

Henry's first wife, Persephone.

Review: After I read the first book in this series, I wasn't all that impressed with it. There was no action and it seemed too cookie cutter instead of having more trials and actual challenges to reach immortality. That being said, I was really skeptical when going into this book. But it had over a four star average rating on Goodreads, so I decided to give the series another shot. 

Finally, we get some action! In the second book of the Goddess Test series, Kate had thought that she had finally gotten rid of Calliope and could live happily ever after with Henry. But when she comes back after her summer above, she's in for a rude awakening. Calliope has escaped and is threatening to let her evil father escape, who is the only thing capable of actually killing the Gods. Kate and others have to fight him off, but there's one catch: Persephone is the only one who can help. Yes, the same Persephone who Henry was (and still is) madly in love with. With battles, exes coming back into the picture, and many insecurities about relationships, this book definitely has much more going on to hold the reader's attention. 

My favorite part of this book was Kate and Henry's relationship. Kate is still so unsure of how things stand between them and Henry is his usual angsty self who doesn't really know how to express his emotions. With absolutely no communication whatsoever, Kate and Henry have no idea how they feel about each other, so both are freaking out about the other. You'd think this would get annoying, but I'm glad they have to work for each other. It creates a story people actually want to read. 

So this book was definitely better than the first one! But whether or not you actually liked the first one, you should give Goddess Interrupted a try. So many things happen that you'll never get bored! Aimee Carter was able to finally create a mythological story that evokes the power of the Gods while showing just how human they really are.