Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Book Review: Ditched by Robin Mellom


Title: Ditched
Author: Robin Mellom
Publisher: Hyperion
Publishing Date: January 10th 2012
Length: 288 pages
Genre: YA, contemporary romance
Source: Netgalley

High school senior Justina Griffith was never the girl who dreamed of going to prom. Designer dresses and strappy heels? Not her thing. So she never expected her best friend, Ian Clark, to ask her.
Ian, who always passed her the baseball bat handle first.
Ian, who knew exactly when she needed red licorice.
Ian, who promised her the most amazing night at prom.
And then ditched her.
Now, as the sun rises over her small town, and with only the help of some opinionated ladies at the 7-Eleven, Justina must piece together — stain by stain on her thrift-store dress — exactly how she ended up dateless. A three-legged Chihuahua was involved. Along with a demolition derby-ready Cadillac. And there was that incident at the tattoo parlor. Plus the flying leap from Brian Sontag's moving car...
But to get the whole story, Justina will have to face the boy who ditched her. And discover if losing out at prom can ultimately lead to true love.

 Summary by Goodreads






Being ditched by your prom date, what a premise! Robin Mellom build her story around the probably worst thing that can happen to a teenager girl, dressed in a ball gown, high-heels and in tow with a bunch of day dreams about the perfect kiss with her prom date. It’s all been planned by Justina, but then she is ditched by Ian, her (former) best friend and (former) prom date.

Justina is that really sweet protagonist who has a lot of thoughts running through her head. Most are about kissing and some others about what other people might think of her. Her reputation is a constant issue in DITCHED since she has kissed a lot of boys in her life. She is a very contrary character. So figuring out the character of Justina is a nice quest throughout the novel.

Justina’s prom date that night is Ian, her best friend. I really like that she gets to spend the evening with a person she cares about and who in return only wants the best for her. Sine Ian is absent most of the story, we don’t get to see into his thoughts or head. We have to keep a close eye on his actions and explore his character through them.

It feels a bit like The Hangover when Justina has got clues in form of stains on her dress. Now she has to complete the mystery of what happened last night. It’s definitely an exciting way of telling a story that doesn’t let you lose your interest. All the time I wanted to learn more about the other incidents. I couldn’t wait for more weirdness. Aren’t you curious how Justina got a butter stain under her armpit?

The situation is a surreal and a bit awkward , but Justina starts telling her story to two women in a 7-Eleven shop near the spot she fell out of a car. At first I thought it wouldn’t fit the story, but those two women really listen to her and care about the outcome of her story. I felt like two talk show hosts were leading me through a very entertaining portrait of a person with prom and boyfriend issues.

The language is very visual and supported by numerous images and metaphors, a stylistic device that felt a bit overused in DITCHED. Nevertheless DITCHED is a well written story by debut author Robin Mellom.
 
DITCHED is a super fun and cute read. It has a lot of drama, teenage angst and unbelievable occurrences to offer. There are way too many misunderstandings for my taste, but I really like the funny and chaotic way events take. You will be surprised by the adventurous rollercoaster ride of emotions. There’s embarrassment, insightful moments and a lot of cheesiness, but that’s exactly what I need from time to time.




1) of the pleasure of toe dipping
2) we love boys who know exactly what their girl wants
3) of an insightful stain journey
4) of Open Arms
5) of the best and friendliest shelter to all the ditched prom dates in town




4/5 **** DITCHED- One crazy night of a prom with anything being possible and a limitless amount of entertainment.
 
Robin Mellom enriches the YA romantic comedy scene with her new YA book DITCHED, a tricky romance which guarantees a lot of misunderstandings and unforeseen incidents that end up in the most awkward and playful situations. It’s super fun!




* Read an excerpt of DITCHED here .

* Thanks to Netgalley and Hyperion for the opportunity to read and review DITCHED!

* For further information visit www.robinmellom.cleverconcepts.net

Monday, January 30, 2012

My holidays in Scandinavia


Here's what I've been up to in the past 3 weeks. I spent 12 days in Umeå, then travelled to Stockholm and stayed for two more days in Copenhagen. Want to see some pictures? 


We rented snow shoes and skis in Umeå. It was my first time on skis and it was so much fun! We also had tons of snow!

Umeå

My second time in Stockholm. We booked an archipelago tour and saw many cute little islands (30.000 in total). I went to Skansen and saw real reindeers. They're so cute!! 

Stockholm

Beautiful and sunny Copenhagen is a city you should all visit. My favourite place was Nyhavn with its colorful small houses and boats. I saw the Little Mermaid, the statue of Hans Christian Andersen, Christiania and ate a lot of Hot Dogs.

Copenhagen



The books that I read:


Except Finding Sky (which just wasn't for me) I read a wonderful bunch of books. My favourite is definitely WANDERLOVE by Kirsten Hubbard. Read it!!!

New Releases: January 30th - February 5th




January 31st 

Wings of the Wicked (Angelfire #2) by Courtney Allison Moulton
Incarnate (Newsoul #1) by Jodi Meadows
The Edumacation of Jay Baker by Jay Clark
New Girl by Paige Harbison
Destiny and Deception (13 to Life #4) by Shannon Delany
Fearless (Fearless #1) by Francine Pascal & Tucker Shaw


February 1st 


Beat the Band (Swim the Fly #2) by Don Calame


February 2nd

Advent by James Treadwell


Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Coveresque feat. Die For Me by Amy Plum (US/UK vs. Norwegian vs. German)


Welcome to this year's first Coveresque post in which I compare three book covers. Above you see the US cover for DIE FOR ME. The original cover was blue and showed Kate in boat. It wasn't bad, but I was really happy when I heard that they were using the UK cover for the US edition, too. Doesn't this cover have flair? The colours and the artwork are great! All three covers show the Eiffel Tower since the story takes place in wonderful Paris. The Norwegian edition is a bit darker and the German presents itself in a green, red and white fairy tale look. I guess the Norwegian title says " Watch over me". Any Norwegians here? And the German title says "Enchanted by the Night". Tell me which one is your favourite? I can't really choose between those beautiful covers. I love them all!


Monday, January 16, 2012

New Releases: January 16th - January 22nd



January 17th 


Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand

Tempest (Tempest #1) by Julie Cross

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic

Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey


 
January 19th


Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer R. Hubbard



Here are the new releases for the third week of January. I already read HALLOWED and FRACTURE and am currently reading TEMPEST, which is very very good. Has anyone read NEVER EIGHTEEN?


UK Cover: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

I'm happy to share a more than beautiful cover with you all! I haven't seen such a great cover in a while and it totally fits the story. It's also one of my all time favourite series! Here's the UK cover for Pandemonium:







US covers

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Feature: Fashion & Literature



In the feature "Fashionable Literature" I want to show you funny and fashionable items that can be bought or made to decorate yourselves or your homes with.
Today I found this super cute bookish jewellery box! I found it on a German website and you can have a look or buy one for 24,99 € @ www.perfektwohnen.com

 

..........................................................................................................................................................................................

 

Do you have some old harcover books lying around your house? Then you can totally make one jewellery box yourselves! I found the instruction written by Maggie McCormick here together with a list of things you are going to need for your new fancy jewellery box project;)

 

 

1) Glue the pages of the book together. Open the front cover of the book so that it doesn't touch the glue and use the paint brush to spread glue all over the outside of the pages. Putting glue around the edges is enough to hold them all together, but be sure to use a liberal amount of glue and let it soak through to the pages.


2) Glue the back cover of the book to the last page.


3) Close the book placing a piece of wax paper between the front cover and the pages.


4) Use a book press to hold the pages together tightly. If you don't have a book press, you can use a heavy object such as a brick. Wait for the glue to dry completely. This may take 24 hours.


5) Cut a section of the book's pages out. Once the glue has dried, open the front cover. Using the ruler, draw a rectangle where you want to cut out, about 1 inch from each edge. Holding the ruler tightly, use the craft knife to cut the pages. You'll have to run the knife over the same part several times to cut all of the layers. Remove these pages and throw away. You now have a hollowed-out book.


6) Line the inside of the book with fabric. Cut your fabric so that it matches the hollowed-out space exactly. Use glue to attach it to the hollowed-out space.


7) Place separators, if desired. You can keep your jewelry in the box as-is, or you can purchase separators or ring holders to keep things neat.


8) Add a handle, if desired. You should be able to easily open your new jewelry box as it is, but you can also add a decorative handle. Glue a large bead to the top of the book, or attach a fabric loop to the inside cover.


Tip: You can use decoupage media to decorate the outside of the book if you want.

Read more: How to Make a Jewelry Case From a Book | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5904816_make-jewelry-case-book.html#ixzz1jIw5x500



Friday, January 13, 2012

Book Review: Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver



Title: Liesl & Po
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publishing Date: September 2011
Length: 310 pages
Genre: MG
Source: Publisher

Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice—until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.
That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable.
Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey. 

Summary by Goodreads






LIESL & PO is Lauren Oliver’s first Middle Grade novel. This story about innocent feelings and the magic of love is as beautifully written as any other of Lauren’s books, yet completely different.

It’s a book I would definitely read to my children, because it has a lot to offer: Perspectives on so many sides of life, various character portraits, morals and meaning.

This book is beautiful and has some really cute elements beside all the sadness death and evil persons can cause. Without making a whole big discourse out of it Lauren Oliver includes the meaningful questions concerning life and death. She achieved to talk about these in a sensible way and an appropriate extent.
Lauren wrote this book after the sudden death of her best friend. I find it a pretty amazing way to cope with the loss of a beloved person, channelling all your grief and overload of emotions into the written word and in the end an entire new book of its own. Lauren Oliver is a strong woman and author and I truly admire her for being the person she is!

A highlight of LIESL & PO are the numerous artworks and drawings which are skillfully integrated into the story. They add some more dimension and a more vivid quality to the story.

Liesl is such an innocent and good person. For her young age she had to go through a hard time and it’s so comforting to see her open up for new things and paths of life so easily.
Po and Bundle are Liesl’s otherworldly companions who accompany her on her magical journey. There are evil plans to fight and the colourfulness of the world to save. So written out of loss, LIESL & PO should bring a lot of enjoyment and comfort to people of all ages though!





1) of the most powerful magic in the world
2) of it’s beautiful artwork
3) of a well-contrasted character cast
4) of its rich and poetic language
5)  of all the ineffable things





4/5 **** LIESL & PO- A Middle Grade story that has the power to enchant readers of all ages!
Lauren Oliver’s first Middle Grade novel is innocent and sadly sweet. Still it doesn’t treat you like an unknowing child. LIESL & PO tells the story of a little girl with so much feeling and heart and gives an intelligent and playful excursus into the world of life, death and everything in between.






* Are you impressed by Lauren’s Middle Grade novel? Check out her YA books!

* Browse inside LIESL & PO here.

* Watch the book trailer here.

* For further information about Lauren and her works visit www.laurenoliverbooks.com

* Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for sending me a copy of LIESL & PO!!


Thursday, January 12, 2012

Book Trailer: Tempest by Julie Cross


The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler.  Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

Summary by Goodreads 

Look what's out now. The TEMPEST book trailer and isn't it cool? I LOVE the music!! Does anyone know who sings the song?



Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Teaser: Tempest by Julie Cross

Tempest by Julie Cross


' She kissed the length of my neck. " You know what I want." 
I groaned loudly. "Not a chance." 
"Please." 
"You're turning me into a complete freak. Or worse - a chick." I made the mistake of turning my head. One glimpse of the tears still drying on her cheeks and I caved. "If you tell anyone, I will kick your little ass. Got it?"  '

~ p. 20*

The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler.  Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

Summary by Goodreads 


*This quote was extracted from the Netgalley E-ARC and is subject to change before publication


 * You want to post your teasers as part of a meme? Then Tuesday is your day. Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

Monday, January 9, 2012

New Releases: January 9th - January 15th



January 10th


The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2) by Beth Revis

Ditched by Robin Mellom

The Darlings In Love (The Darlings #2) by Melissa Kantor



This week A MILLION SUNS by Beth Revis is released and I can't wait to read it, I have it pre-ordered and can highly recommend everyone to read ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, the first novel in the series, if you haven't done that yet. I'm also currently reading DITCHED and have THE FAULT IN OUR STARS on my wishlist. What about you?


Sunday, January 8, 2012

In My Mailbox #40

The idea of In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren and is to bring books to the attention of our blog readers and to encourage interaction with other blogs.


E-ARCs*
 
 
 
 
Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
New Girl by Paige Harbison
Allegiance by Cayla Kluver

* Thanks to Netgalley and the various publishers! 
 
 
 
For Review
 
 
Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan (Thanks Hodder & Stoughton)
Advent by James Treadwell (And another thank you to the awesome Hodder & Stoughton!)
A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink (Thank you Michelle, Rebecca and Dial Books!)



Bought
 
 
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare 
 Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Looking For Alaska by John Green
 
 
Gifted
 
 
Catching Jordan by Miranda Keneally (Ty Mum)
Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted (A huge thank you to Loni @ A Casual Reader for sending me the two books and a great amount of yummy candy! xx)
 
 

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Most Anticipated Books in 2012: Teaser Edition

2012 has only just begun and it seems that my wishlist grows steadily, filling with more and more coming up books. Here's only a  glimpse at the novels I'm waiting for in 2012, but be sure these ten are my most anticipated I-would-claw-your-eyes-out-to-get-this-book-early reads! Don't tell me you don't want to read them! My Top 10:



Insurgent by Veronica Roth


"Did you just call me BEATRICE?"


 "You look older." "Yes, well, the passage of time tends to do that to a person."







 Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare


 " "He began it," Cecily said, jerking her chin at Will, though she knew it was pointless. Jem, Will's parabatai, treated her with the distant sweet kindness reserved for the little sister of one's friends, but he would always side with Will. Kindly, but firmly, he put Will above everything else in the world. Well, nearly everything. " 






 City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare


“Sebastian never does anything just for fun.” Jace took Clary’s hand and pulled her toward him. “But I do.”









The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting


“Do you want to?” she breathed. “I mean touch something?” Her heart was racing, slamming so violently it felt like a sledgehammer, and she worried it might actually crack a rib.

He inched the tiniest bit closer, his breath mingling with hers. “I do,” he said softly, his voice barely a whisper as his daring blue eyes held hers . . . longer than they should have.





Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer


"One thing." He leaned down to whisper in my ear. "One thing that I'd always been afraid of. I still am."









Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton

He frowned. “I’m not a dog, Ellie.”

“Fine,” I chirped. “Then no biscuit for you.”







Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins


 " Just because something isn't practical doesn't mean it's not worth creating. Sometimes beauty and real-life magic are enough"  *

 * Lola and the Boy Next Door Quote






A Million Suns by Beth Revis



" Dreams are like that: they go in and out of memories and scenes, but they are never real. They're never real, and I hate them because they aren't." ~ Amy *

 * Across the Universe Quote






Thou Shalt Not Road Trip by Antony John


 “Don’t worry about wanting to change; start worrying when you don’t feel like changing anymore. And in the meantime, enjoy every version of yourself you ever meet, because not everybody who discovers their true identity likes what they find.”*

 * Five Flavours of Dumb Quote





Adorkable by Sarra Manning


“Just once, I'd like to find a boy. And I like him and he likes me. And we have a laugh and the kissing's really good and there's no-one getting in the way of the laughing and the kissing. Is that too much to ask?”*

* Kiss and Make Up Quote 

Friday, January 6, 2012

Teaser: Fracture by Megan Miranda


Fracture by Megan Miranda 



' My bright red parka saved my life. That's the only explanation. '

p.27


Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine
-despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

Summary by Goodreads  



 * You want to post your teasers as part of a meme? Then Tuesday is your day. Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading


Thursday, January 5, 2012

Book Review: The Lost Saint (The Dark Divine #2) by Bree Despain


Title: The Lost Saint (The Dark Divine #2)
Author: Bree Despain
Publisher: Egmont UK
Publishing Date: March 2011
Length: 403 pages
Genre: YA, paranormal romance
Source: Publisher 

A family destroyed. A love threatened. An enemy returns.

Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She was infected with the werewolf curse while trying to save him, and lost her beloved brother in the process.

Desperate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot, a newcomer to town. But as the two grow closer, Grace's relationship with Daniel is put in danger - in more ways than one.

Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace begins to give into the wolf inside of her - not realizing that an enemy has returned and a deadly trap is about to be sprung.  

Summary by Goodreads

 



Grace and Daniel are back, finally! A big part of the story circles around how the beings that hide somewhere in the lovers Grace and Daniel influence their growing relationship. Their relationship goes in a more intimate and sexy way on the one hand, on the other there appears to be the danger of distance. The relationship between Grace and Daniel is loaded with a lot of tension, which is released over the course of the story, leading to an explosive ending. There are dangerous and dark things going on and I promise you won't be bored by Bree's sequel to THE DARK DIVINE.

This book has a fantastic prologue and ending. The prologue just throws you into the story with a moment of early surprise. Then we get an action-loaded ending, nerve-racking and it made me so curious for THE SAVAGE GRACE. My fingers were tingling for the next book in the series.

The title, THE LOST SAINT, is very fitting and makes up a big part of book two. The search for Jude, the hope for his return. As before Grace’s family is a big part of the story, too. In the second book in this series the religious background of the Divine family isn’t addressed as much as in THE DARK DIVINE.

We meet some new characters, of course, and one of them really made me hate him. There’s also a new guy involved who doesn’t only wake Grace’s interest. He is that hot stranger with a special role in the story. Find out yourselves, you’ll be surprised at how his relationship to Grace develops. I can only say that Bree Despain found exactly the right path. Her writing is awesome!




1) friends get back together to search the lost
2) of a heartbreaking ending
3) of the white one
4) you can always decide your own fate
5) of the exciting and dangerous balance of being hunter and hunted





5/5 ***** THE LOST SAINT- A dark and dangerously attractive sequel to THE DARK DIVINE!

THE LOST SAINT is the fulminant sequel to Bree Despain’s THE DARK DIVINE. I liked the first book, but totally fell in love with the second. It convinces with an even darker notion and more exciting plot turns.





* THE SAVAGE GRACE, the third novel in this series, will be released March 13th 2012.

* Read an excerpt of THE LOST SAINT here.

* Watch the book trailer here.

* For further information visit www.breedespain.com

* Thanks to Egmont UK for sending me a copy for review!!