Mini Reviews # 1

You might have noticed the astounding number of reviews on the blog lately. I simply didn't have the time to write full reviews and get them posted. That let me get way behind on my Netgalley titles and reviews in general. I've also had a few titles I haven't had the chance to review in many months. So that brought on the idea to give short reviews of those titles in a Mini Reviews post series. Starting today with a few contemporary romance titles.

Between Here And Forever by Elizabeth Scott

Abbey has a plan. Caring and ambitious sister that she is, Abbey wants to win the beautiful boy she's seen in the hospital to help her wake up her sister Tess out of a coma - and that's what the story is mostly about. That boy is Eli. He is the perfect candidate to make every girl's dreams come true. He is charming and selfless.

Now Abbey wants him to flirt with Tess and bring her back. But of course her plan doesn't work out as it should. And Eli is falling for her instead of Tess just as Abbey can't deny her feelings for Eli.

All the time we've got an unwanted- quite bothersome-kind of love triangle between the three of them. Tess' ghost always floating above their heads and Abbey refusing to acknowledge her true feelings.

Tess is a difficult character and although she isn’t really present, she’s still there all the time, influencing Abbey’s moves. What we learn about Tess in the course of BETWEEN HERE AND FOREVER is a complicated story, a mixture of lies, secrets, sadness and wrong intentions.

And then Eli's got issues himself that make him insecure about his every move. So with their individual problems combined, his and Abbey's relationship isn't as easy as it should be. They are two very interesting characters and I really liked to see them growing closer with each heart-warming talk.

3/5 *** BETWEEN HERE AND FOREVER- A slightly romantic and thoughtful read about finding love and learning lessons in the most unexpected place and time. 

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publishing Date: May 24^th 2011

Length: 256 pages

Keywords: YA, contemporary romance, secrets, coma, hospital

Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab

Goodreads Summary
Between Here And Forever Excerpt
Author's Homepage

 Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt
 

A summer can change everything. Especially friendships and lovers. When Hannah’s best friend Ava leaves town, she can’t help but fall in love with her best friend’s boyfriend. It’s a thrill and a dilemma at the same time. Lauren Barnholdt did a really good job picturing these ambivalent emotions going along with a situation like Hannah and Noah’s. We get a great contrast between the things you are supposed to do, you want to do and you do in the end.

Interweaving flashbacks and present events in an engaging narration, that very well increases the reader’s anticipation, the story inevitably leads towards the peak of Hannah and Noah’s affair. The outcome which is addressed several times. But then…pouf. Lauren Barnholdt didn’t achieve to create a culmination point worth all the anticipation due to a lack of details. In the end the reader is just left with all that wondering and waiting what would really happen between the two.

SOMETIMES IT HAPPENS is full of relationship drama of main protagonists and secondary characters. It was enlightening to be thrown into the whole. But the story itself had a few flaws and wasn’t that thrilling as I’d imagined it to be in the end.

3,5/5 ***/* SOMETIMES IT HAPPENS – An enjoyable summer read about a lot of feelings and fun that convinces with its writing and characters.

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publishing Date: July 12^th 2011

Length: 320 pages

Keywords: YA, contemporary romance, falling in love with your best friend's boyfriend, friendship

Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab 

Goodreads Summary

Sometimes It Happens Excerpt

Author's Homepage

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Two hours was all it took me to read THE DAY BEFORE. Such a small amount of time for a lot of work put into a book. The story was easy to read, because the formatting is very loose and it is written in verse. Each chapter is only a few pages long, with a headline comparable to the title of a poem. It’s fascinating how only a few words have the power to form such a rhyming story like THE DAY BEFORE and it surprised me that I actually liked my first verse novel.

The problematic- familiar and emotional- situations of protagonists Amber and Cade were supported well by the writing, but the shortness of the story itself made it difficult for them to be characters that’d stick with me for a long time.

Amber’s and Cade’s feelings are part of the poetic verse. They are rash and their justification grows out of the moment they are born. It isn’t very realistic to form such a strong bond in only a few hours, but that’s poetry, making things possible that aren’t in a world with gravity.

So they've got one day before everything changes. Amber and Cade make the best out of it. They aren’t alone in their fears anymore and I just love how much comfort they could give each other. Maybe there doesn’t always need to be sense and consideration, time and knowledge to feel connected to another person in such a deep way. The problems troubling the two teens really felt important and I wish I would have had more time to follow them and their growing friendship and love story.

3,5/5 ***/* THE DAY BEFORE – Poetic & admirable. Deep in meaning, swift and light in form and style!

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publishing Date: June 28^th  2011

Length: 320 pages

Keywords: YA, contemporary romance, loss, fear, love, verse

Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab 

Goodreads Summary
The Day Before Excerpt 
Author's Homepage


More mini reviews coming soon!

Best I've Read In 2012

I've read 106 books in 2012 so far so you can imagine it isn't that easy to pick my Top 10. Every book is connected to a certain moment, view or feeling. Like my number one, WANDERLOVE, which I read on my Sweden vacation. I remember reading it while lying in the bottom bunk bed of our hostel room in Stockholm. I can clearly remember the longing that I felt to just go and explore the wide world. Can you remember reading your favourite book of 2012?  Does it trigger a special memory?

#1 Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

5/5 ***** WANDERLOVE- A truly wonderful & vibrant story!

One of the early reads in 2012 that made a strong impression on me. One that will last. WANDERLOVE fuelled my travel desire and definitely left me longing for the whole wide world. I cannot wait to backpack through Central America one day. Thank you Kirsten for gifting this beautiful story to us readers! 

 #2 The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

5/5 ***** THE FAULT IN OUR STARS- Hilarious, sensitive, raw and heart-achingly sad. Uniquely John Green!

It’s one of the books you never want to pick up again, and yet read it again and again and again. I have cried a lot over many books in the past. They are all no comparison to the amount of tears I spent on THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. I expected it, yet it came so unexpected…the end. And if you don’t drown in your tears, I promise you’ll get drunk by John Green’s words. His words are like the best stars one can drink!

 #3 The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

I gave it 5 out of 5 stars. Not reviewed yet. But THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER deserves to be 3rd, because it is such an insane read, in a good sense. It's creepy and it's crazy. It's confusing at some points but fascinates you with its supernatural occurrences throughout the entire read. And then there's Noah! 

#4 Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

5/5 ***** CLOCKWORK PRINCE- Historical London has it all: blazing romances, dangerous intrigues, exciting fight scenes and the right mix of magic and runes. Who wouldn’t want to be part of it?!

CLOCKWORK PRINCE had everything I was looking for in a book! I’m entranced and completely devoted to this book and the entire series.

#5 Sloppy Firsts (& the other books in the Jessica Darling series) by Meghan McCafferty

SLOPPY FIRSTS was published in 2001 and there are five books in the Jessica Darling series which I only discovered a few months ago. Can you believe it took me that long? The entire series is incredibly funny and sharp-witted and I'm so glad I finally decided to read it.

#  6 Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
#  7 City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
#  8 Insurgent by Vernoica Roth
#  9 A Million Suns by Beth Revis
# 10 Tempest by Julie Cross


I hope 2013 is going to be just as awesome as 2012! There are many fantastic books I am looking forward to. Find out which I pick as my Top 10 Most Anticipated books tomorrow!

Feature: Fashion & Literature Paper Sculptures

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'm sharing exceptional sculptures with you. They're all made of paper and if you have an empty spot on your shelf or any other place in your home, it should definitely be filled by one of these beauties.

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The first sculpture I want to show you is called "Meadow Book Paper Sculpture in Shadow Box" and it convinces with its filigree details in flowers and butterflies. This is a very bright and positive picture for your wall. The only deficit could be the beige background, which could have used a more colourful paint like purple or blue to improve and amplify the visual effect of the beautiful paper art construction.

Shop Info: Was available as an unique item at the The Thinks Etsy Shop. Unfortunately currently sold out. But creative and talented tinkerers could try to make their very own meadow shadow box.

The "Illustrations of London Buildings" shadow box is the only comparable item this shop has to offer at the moment. It's made up of prints of the artists original illustrations of London buildings ( Kensington, Oxford Street, Duke Street and King's Weigh House Chapel) which are cut by hand.

Buy it: Another work by The Thinks Esty Shop. There is currently one available shadow box of this type. Get the details here.

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Similar concept, different form. In 3D and a 360° viewing angle come these two paper sculptures. They are hand made from paper, with a glass dome (which is not only decorative but a clever feature to protect the paper from getting wet and wrinkly) and a wooden base.

Buy them: The "Twilight Cottage" and "Island Cottage Glass Dome" are made by Helen Musselwhite and that's her shop. Get more info about the sculptures here and here.

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A much cuter and colorful paper sculpture variation are the paper birds by Cotton Bird Designs. I'm a fan of the world map birdie on the right.The product info says that it's made from an original vintage map of USA, gift box included and custom orders accepted.

Buy them: There are a lot of different paper and also fabric birds in the Etsy shop that would make awesome gifts and decorations. Here's a link to my favourite (the road map) bird.

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The "Altered book recycled folded letter holder cardholder paper sculpture" would be my favourite sculpture, because it's nice-looking and practical at the same time. It would look very nice placed on my study desk, holding the postcards and letters sent to me by family and friends. Don't you think it would look nice on ours too?

Shop Info: It seems the item is not an actual offer by the designer, Anita Spero, but a past. I couldn't find it in her shop, but you could still visit her shop to find out more about her work or the possibility of a future paper sculpture of this kind. She's offering a lot of beautiful vintage items in her shop. Just visit Anita Spero Designs.

Would you buy a paper sculpture or attempt to create your own to decorate your home with or probably to give away as a present?