Top Ten Tuesday-- Books I'd like to see made into a movie

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish

I feel like this topic as already been done before, but that is okay. Some of these are already either going to be turned into a movie or tv show, but I am so excited for them that I had to list them.

These are in no particular order.

1. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins:
I know that everyone has been talking about how much they want Anna turned into a movie, but if I had to pick, I think I'd want Lola more. I looooovvvvvveeeedddd the characters in this book. Both Lola and Cricket were so adorable and how can you forget Lola's dads? They were great. Oh plus Anna and St.Clair are still in it. Best of  both worlds.

2. Paper Towns by John Green:
I was originally going to be TFIOS but I don't trust film makers to give that book justice. I think however, that they could do justice for PT. I know that this has already sold movie rights and that John has written the first screen play for it, so why isn't it being made?!?!?!

3. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa:
This one does not need an explanation.

4. Divergent by Veronica Roth:
AHHH!!! I can not wait until this movie gets moved forward. 2015 is the last I heard about it. I can't wait to see who they pick for Four. Veronica was vague enough about his looks in the book that hopefully there won't be a huge fight over who plays him.

5. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White:
Haha Evie in the real life! That would be amazing. And Lend *sigh* oh this movie so needs to be made.

6. If I Stay by Gayle Forman:
This was such a beautiful book and with all the flashbacks it could be really cool. It would have to have a very talented director. I  could see this being more of a independent movie.

7. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting:
Please oh please turn this into a movie!

8. My Unfair (/Fair) Godmother by Janette Rallison:
All of Janette's books would make fantastic made for tv movies. Like on abc family or a channel like that. They are so cute and would be really fun to see made.

9. Clarity by Kim Harrington:
If you've ever read this book, you get this.

10. Nevermore by Kelly Creagh:
This one is dark and beautiful. If they didn't over do the goth or the cheerleader, this could be a fantastic movie.

Books that are already being turned into movies that I'm way excited about:

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead:
It's going to be awesome seeing Rose in action.

The Hollows by Kim Harrison:
This is going to be a tv show and it's gonna be great. I can't wait to see the Vampiric Charms group in action. I'm also insanely nervous about this. Like practically scared about them messing it up.

YA or Bust Tour

On Tuesday I got an email from my boss at the library telling me that I didn't need to show up for my shift this Thursday. In which I replied "sweet! Now I can go to Seattle to the YA or Bust tour!" so on Thursday morning I hopped into my car, picked up my aunt and we drove the 4 hours to Seattle to see Stephanie Perkins, Nina LaCour, and Gayle Forman do a panel.

From left to right: The host, Nina LaCour, Stephanie Perkins, and Gayle Forman

It was so worth the drive and the gas money to see these ladies. They were all so funny and entertaining. At one point Stephanie said something really funny right as Gayle took a drink of water and she almost spit the water out her nose. Good times. Haha

At the signing I was able to talk to Gayle about how she nailed Oregonians spot on in If I Stay. And joked about how lame Salem really is (which is where I live). Gayle, do not let people fool you, Salem is still very not hip. And Stephanie and me were able to nerd out and squeal about the nerdfighters and John Green.

Stephanie and me representing. DFTBA!

My aunt laughed at me when we got done and said "you are on an adrenaline rush aren't you?" and all I could say is "yes, this is like my nerdvana. Authors to me are like rock stars."

The Signed Disenchantment posters from Nina

All my posters, books, and audiobooks signed and being all pretty.

Book I Gave Up On (5)-- The Immortal Rules

As any avid reader knows, there are loads of fantastic books coming out every week. It is impossible to keep up with the ever growing tbr list. This is why I have gotten over my dislike of not finishing books and decided that some books just aren't worth the time it takes to finish them. Most recent book I've given up on is...

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Published by Harlequin Teen

Genre: YA paranormal

504 pages

Release date (US): April 24th 2012

What it's about:



In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.


Why I gave up on it:
Everyone is freaking out about this book, so I thought I'd give a different kind of review for it. Haha.

I'm going to start this off by saying that I am a big big big big fan of Julie Kagawa's other series, The Iron Fey. I've read the books multiple times and listened to the audiobooks a few times as well. I could not be more excited for the part two series with the little brother, Ethan (ugh do I really have to wait till November for it???). So it's really shocking for me that I very much disliked The Immortal Rules.

All the reviews I was seeing for this book was saying that it was top notch. Absolutely fantastic. Might even be better than the Iron Fey. Which had me going "whoa, this is gonna be awesome." So when I started reading it, I kept thinking "when is this supposed to get awesome?" and after 200 pages the awesomeness still hadn't arrived. I debated about finishing it or not and finally decided to give up.

The main problem I was having with this series is that I didn't like any of the characters. Not a single one of them. I constantly wanted to yell and scream and maybe even smack all the characters. Then there was also the world that the characters lived in. It just wasn't doing it for me. Yes I was horrified about what was going on, but I just couldn't find it in myself to care about it at all.

And lastly there is the vampires. Turns out I prefer my vampires to be a little more emo and sparkly rather than bloody and viscious. I like them to have some depth and humanity left in them. Kagawa's vampires just weren't my thing.

So I gave up. The story was taking too long to get to the point for me as well. But I did read the first chapter of the new Iron Prince book and OMG I can not be more excited for that.

Review: Warm Bodies

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Published by Atria

Genre: Adult something or other

$24 (US hardback)

241 pages

What it's about:

R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, noidentity, and no pulse, but he has dreams.

After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and stragely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead, and the blurry line in between.



My thoughts:
Let me start this off by saying that it took me till halfway through the book to realize this was a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Then I felt smart. Real smart. *Facepalm*

The whole reason I picked up this book was because the movie is being made (staring Nicholas Hoult! Yay!) and because it's staring Nick, I'm gonna go see it. And because I always try and read the book before seeing the movie, I picked up this book. I'm normally not a big fan of zombies (I'm Team Unicorn all the way) but I am so so so so so glad I picked this book up. I loved every word of it.

Like I said before, this is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, but set in a dystopian future and staring a zombie Romeo and a human Juliet. Amazing right? But it is different enough from R&J that it did embarrassingly enough, take me a very long time to realize it. Marion's writing is phenomenal. It was funny, romantic, and horrifying all wrapped up. It wasn't the obvious funny either that is found in most humorous books. It was subtle. Which made it even more funny.

This is a book that I'm going to be talking about for a good chunk of time and will constantly be throwing in peoples faces, telling them to READ IT! It's an adult book but it has all the adorableness of young love added in. The book was so adorable and sweet that I was definitely crushing on R throughout the whole book. Yup, crushing on a zombie, that was a new one.

This is definitely a book that I highly recommend people read. Plus you know any book that has a blurb by Simon Pegg on the back cover is going to be awesome.

My rating: 10/10

Review: Slide

Slide by Jill Hathaway

Published by Balzer and Bray for HarperCollins

Genre: YA

$17.99 (US Hardback)

250 pages

What it's about:
Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.

Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body.

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.


My thoughts:
This book really took me by surprise. I was not expecting it to have the voice it did have or my reactions I had towards this book.

The tone of this voice was darker than I had been expecting. To be honest, I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting, but this book was not it--in a good way. There were a lot of situations mentioned in this book that most of the time are not talked about: Teen suicide, murder, bullying, mental problems, teen sex, molestation, swearing, all of that was talked about and shown in detail. Can you see why I wasn't expecting all this in a book? These are hard subjects to talk and write about and this book had them all.
While reading Slide, I was constantly sad, excited, intrigued, and a whole mess of other emotions. I really enjoyed how everyone seemed real. I could actually believe that Vee was a real teenage girl with some very horrible problems. The characters were believable in all their actions even if everything had a dark side to it. Heck, even the high school life seemed realistic to me. That doesn't happen often.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book even if I was left feeling really sad by the end. It was a short and fast read but it had me guessing what would happen next? What would Vee see when she slides into someone? While I do not see how this is going to be turned into a series but it is, I will probably continue with the series. I'm definitely interested in how the series will go from here.

My rating: 8/10

Cover Reveal: Sacrifice by Cayla Kluver

Anyone else see this? Cayla posted it on her facebook earlier today. I can not wait for this book! I just have to know how it ends :)

Look how pretty the cover is! Does anyone else think the model looks a little like Ashley Greene? Or is that just me? I'm also guessing the guy in the background is Narian? Too bad we don't get to see anything besides his butt. A face view would have been nice.

This is the 3rd and final book in the Legacy series and is being released in the US on October 30th

Top Ten Tuesday--- New blogger tips

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the girls over at The Broke and the Bookish

This weeks TTT is 10 tips for new bloggers. Here are some things I have figured out in the last two years of blogging that I think are handy to know.

1. Make your blog layout stand out:
When I first started blogging, I had found some other bloggers pages and I adored their layouts and it was those blogs I was more likely to remember and visit more often. I picked up different things I liked about their blogs and I added it to mine. I get a lot of compliments on my Harry Potter/Twilight themed blog and have even had people tell me they follow the blog because of that.

I like to use The Cutest Blog on the Block. This site is amazing. It has fantastic layouts, it has lots of "how to" with great instructions as well. This site has saved me loads of time.

2. Don't worry about follower numbers:
Follower numbers really are not a huge deal. I know it feels like that when you first start blogging, but it's just not true. I see lots of blogs that have huge follower numbers but when I view their page and all their posts, they don't really have any comments on any of them. It's better to have smaller follower numbers and actual followers than to just have the higher numbers.

3. If you do worry about follower numbers, host a giveaway during a "hop":
If you just can't get over  the lower numbers and think that having a few more followers will boost your confidence, then find a giveaway hop, and host a giveaway and make sure to say it's a "followers only" giveaway. This will get you lots of followers really fast.

I am a reader, not a writer is a good place to find giveaway hops.

4. Comment, Comment, Comment:
This can not be said enough. Become a really good follower to other people, and they hopefully will become one to you.

5. Find weekly memes and participate:
Finding weekly memes to participate in has gotten me new followers, are really fun, and if they are small enough, they become a sort of community. That's my favorite part honestly.
The two memes I love are this one (TTT) and also My Book Boyfriend hosted by Missie over at The Unread Reader.

6. Make your blog your own:
Don't be afraid to say how you really feel on your blog. Do not think that your reviews always need to be really nice or the other way around. Say how you really feel because the readers will be able to tell when you are lying. Don't be afraid to post about other things every once and a while either.

7. Find a few book friends and have fun:
It can be very easy to get into a big book blogging slump. A good way to avoid this is by getting a few friends that can swap books with you, talk about books with you, go to signings with you. All that. It's loads of fun and will keep you wanting to blog.

8. Make your blog easy to navigate:
Make it as easy as possible for your followers to navigate around your blog. Make a page for your reviews and organize them, make sure to tag all your posts, don't clutter the blog, that sort of thing. The easier your blog is to view, the more likely people will stick around and view it. I know I've stopped going to a few blogs because they were so cluttered I couldn't find anything and I didnt' want to have to spend 30 minutes searching.

9. Create a Goodreads account:
This isn't really a blogging tip, it's just a good booker tip. This site is all kinds of amazing. It keeps you updated with authors, it helps organize your books, gives you recommendations, good place to find an overall rating of a book...ect. This site is a book bloggers dream. Seriously.

10. Use your local library:
You will find that being a book blogger is all kinds of expensive. You will be finding more books you want to read (make sure you keep a list of books you want with you at all times, just fyi) and will probably tell yourself at least once "well, I need this book so I can talk about it on my blog..." and that can add up really fast. This is why I say use your local library. Most likely they carry more books than you think and it will save you lots and lots of money. Do not forget about it!

JK Rowlings new book

Has everyone seen this yet? Here is the synopsis for JK Rowlings new book The Casual Vacancy.

When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the town's council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

This book sounds like it could be pretty good. It's definitely going to be for adults though. Barnes and Noble now has it for preorder for $21 (and that's after it being 40% off too. Spendy book this is going to be). It is going to be released Sept. 27, 2012.

Here is a link to the preorder: This is gonna be awesome.

Feature and Follow Friday

Feature and Follow is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee. It is a hop in which is make your own post, answer the question, follow the featured blog, link up to the original post and make sure to visit lots of blogs!

 

Q: Have you ever bought a book BECAUSE of a bad review?

Yes. Well, I'm actually going to be getting the book from the library when it comes out but close enough. I read a review for First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky and the reviewer HATED the book. Went on a rant about how much she disliked this book. I had never heard of the book and thought it sounded good minus the bad rant that I had just read so I went onto Goodreads (by far my all time favorite website ever) and looked at the book. It has a high rating. So I added it. I'm curious now.

But I do have to admit, one time I wrote a super bad review for a book. I ranted about it and how awful it was. All the comments I got on the review was "oh, I thought this book sounded really good. I'm still gonna read it" or "I've heard nothing but bad things about this book. I'm still gonna read it though." All I could think in reply to that was "WTF? Seriously?" One bad review isn't going to put me off of a book, but lots of bad reviews and nothing but bad reviews? That means I'm gonna stay away from it. Life is too short for bad books.

If you decide to follow my blog, please leave a comment saying so and a url to your blog so I can make sure to follow back! :)

My Book Boyfriend-- Christian Grey

My book boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie over at The Unread Reader. Each week you post about a boy from a book that makes you swoon. Tell us everything about him and then link back up at Missie's page.

This week I've been reading the Fifty Shades series by E.L. James and I definitely have mixed feelings about Christian Grey, but you have to admit, he is pretty damn hott. This is why I'm making him my book boyfriend this week.

About Christian
*Is about 27 years old
*Is a very successful business man. He is worth millions, or is it billions?
*Is tall and lean and very fit.
*Has dark sex messed hair and grey eyes to match his last name.
*Has a dark past
*Has very...erotic tastes
*He's a moody, jealous, possessive guy.

Who I picture Christian looking like
I picture him looking a little like Matt Bomer. Because this is normally a mostly YA blog, this is a warning: these quotes do containing swearing and are pretty damn sexual.

“His head turns fractionally toward me, his eyes darkest slate. I bite my lip.

“Oh, fuck the paperwork,” he growls. He lunges at me, pushing me against the wall of the elevator. Before I know it, he’s got both of my hands in one of his in a vice-like grip above my head, and he’s pinning me to the wall using his hips. Holy shit. His other hand grabs my ponytail and yanks down, bringing my face up, and his lips are on mine. It’s only just not painful. I moan into his mouth, giving his tongue an opening. He takes full advantage, his tongue expertly exploring my mouth. I have never been kissed like this.”  

“You’re a sadist?”

“I’m a Dominant.” His eyes are a scorching gray, intense.

“What does that mean?” I whisper.

“It means I want you to willingly surrender yourself to me, in all things.”

I frown at him as I try to assimilate this idea.

“Why would I do that?”

“To please me,” he whispers as he cocks his head to one side, and I see a ghost of a smile.

Please him! He wants me to please him! I think my mouth drops open. Please Christian Grey. And I realize, in that moment, that yes, that’s exactly what I want to do. I want him to be damned delighted with me. It’s a revelation.”   

"Why don't you like to be touched?"
"Because I'm fifty shades of fucked-up, Anastasia”   

This is when I'd like to give a big old shout out to all those fan girls (well actually more like middle aged moms most likely) who love to screen cap Matt Bomer shirtless while watching White Collar. I very much appreciated that.
I'd also like to say that I am super excited for Magic Mike. If you do not know what that is, click that link and then google it. Make yourself aware of this upcoming movie. Haha.

Also, Fifty Shades of Grey is becoming a movie! Think of it like Twilight, but with less vampires and more chains and whips.

Top Ten Tuesday-- Ten books to read in a day

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the girls over at The Broke and the Bookish

This weeks topic is Ten books to read in a day. I'm going to clarify that and say to read each of these books in one day.

These are actually a list of the books I've recently read in one sitting. I was hoping to get some new titles on a TTT list because it always seems that the same 20 or so books are always on the list.

1. Clarity/Perception by Kim Harrington:
I adore these books and really hope that there will be a third because I can think of the perfect story line for it. These books are a lot of fun mixed in with suspense and a little paranormal.

2. The Queen's Lady by Eve Edwards:
Both The Other Countess and The Queen's Lady  were really fast reads for me. I love reading books that take place in the Tudor time period. These two did not disappoint at all.

3. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson:
Ah! I can not even say how much I adore this book. So freaking good.

4. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows:
This is by far my favorite reincarnation story. It was beautiful and interesting.

5. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith:
It's about an American girl who meets a very cute British boy while on an airplane. What's not to love about that?

6. Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire:
This is a book I'm going to be rereading sometime soon because I forgot to write a review for it before. Plus I loved it and want to reread it.

7. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green:
I don't think it's possible to put this book down once you pick it up. You have to read until the end. And then you'll be crying really hard and will have that happy sad feeling for a while.

8. Unwind by Neal Shusterman:
Another book that will be impossible to put down once you start. You just have to know what happens next.

9. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake:
This book was just that good. But you really need to have the right setting for it. Read it in the dark on a rainy night. I also read it while we were having a major storm. It was perfect!

10. Enclave by Ann Aguirre:
This was just a cool book.

Review: Haven

Haven by Kristi Cook

Published by Simon Pulse

Genre: YA

$9.99 (US paperback)

320 pages

What it's about (from the author's site):

Violet McKenna isn’t a normal girl with normal teenage issues; she has more to contend with than most people could handle. Violet thought she was just crazy when she had a vivid vision of her dad’s murder. Her life started falling apart when her premonition came true. She’s had flashes of other events too–the problem was nobody believed her until she found a new school: Winterhaven.

At Winterhaven, Violet finally feels like she belongs. She quickly finds a close group friends and discovers that they too have psychic ‘gifts’—as do all the students at Winterhaven. But as soon as she feels settled she discovers the most intriguing and alluring boy she has ever met, and things quickly go awry. As the attraction between them grows, intense visions of the boy’s death start to haunt her. In her premonitions, the secret he is unwilling to share begins to reveal itself.

And to Violet’s horror, she learns that their destinies are intertwined in a critical–and deadly–way.

My thoughts:
I read this book about a year ago and never wrote a review for it so I decided to reread it and post my thoughts on it. I really wish I had the time to reread all my books because I found that rereading them really is the best way to decide how I really feel about a book.

The first time I read it, I loved it. I remembered there was a boarding school, a group of girls who were friends, and of course a dream worthy guy at the center, and some form of mystery surrounding him. That was kinda all I remembered about it. Apparently it did not stick with me very well. And really, that pretty much sums up the book anyways. 5 girls, 1 hott guy, and a boarding school.

This book is a little cliche. I think that needs to be said. There is the typical boarding school cop out so that parents are not involved in the book, and the school and its students are special in their own ways. In a lot of ways, this book reminds me of Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins.

The one and only complaint I have about this book is there is not enough detail! The ending just sort of happens. The big finale is only about 4 pages long and nothing is really explained and it just goes so fast. Four pages. Four freaking pages for the thing the whole book leads up to. This needed to be drawn out some more, have more fighting and details. It had such potential to be really fantastic.

And that really is the only complaint I have. I really enjoyed the characters and everything else about this book while reading it both times. It's a super fast read and all around fun.

My rating: 8/10