Seriously... I'm an awful person.

Sooo.... it's been A YEAR since I've posted anything here.
Holy smokes, a year.
I can't even remember everything that's happened since then. Yikes.

That about sums it up.

Anywhos, I have some free time this afternoon and felt like dragging the old blog out and giving it a whirl for old times sake. I finished an amazing book last night and I feel as though I should tell everyone I come into contact with about it.

Okay? Okay.

Ha! Based on that, I bet you can't guess what book I just read... Okay, maybe you can because I literally just referenced it twice. My ability to be subtle is just insane... Obviously I just read 'The Fault In Our Stars' by John Green.

I had procrastinated for months when it came to reading this book, simply because I knew it was a book about kids with cancer, and I could pretty much guarantee I'd be a basket case during it.
After reading: That was a fair assessment.
But, it wasn't the sappy cancer-book I had been expecting - why have I not read John Green's books before this?! - naturally it had tears-running-down-your-face moments (see: the last third of the book) but it also had so much realness, and hilarity in the face of sorrow that I couldn't help but devour it.
Hazel Grace is someone I would aspire to be. She was strong even when she didn't think or care to be, and that was enlightening. Her humor was refreshing and weird and it made me smile even if sometimes it was at her own expense. Augustus Waters was just lovely. He matched Hazel in intellectual hilarity, and was also just a little weird. And I liked that. Because that's life. People are strange and beautiful and lovely, and I love that this story encompassed that. I love that Hazel over-analyzed a kiss in a dead person's home, and that Augustus went to so much trouble to create a Netherlands date, and mainly that they were each others infinities in a world that wasn't so quick to give them one. I digress.
Will you cry? If you don't you have no heart. Or, perhaps just aren't reading the book.
Will people die? Umm.. it's a book about kids with cancer, obviously death is a theme.
Will I love it regardless of my mascara running down my face? Abso-freaking-lutely.

I'll end this post with a quote I love, one that I'm sure to cry over when I re-read this book and especially when I see this movie in June. But, it's a cute quote none-the-less, and I think anyone can relate to it, sick or not. And, well, I'm a sucker for all infinity art :)

Sigh... Go Read This Book!

I'm BACK!

I'M BACK!

I know, I know, it's been a few months... and I've been quite the lazy bum...
...BUT, I am back in action on my blog! I have been updating Goodreads like a fiend the past few months, but I've been seriously lacking over here... boo on me.
So, I'm here to get back in the swing of things! And, what better way to do that than to review a book!
The most recent book I've read was "Pulse" by Patrick Carman.
It was a good story, overall. But, I was legitimately confused for a good portion of the story.
The year is 2051 and life as we know it, is over.
Our heroine, Faith, lives in a slowly dwindling 'town' outside of one of the World's 'States,' relying on her Tablet for basically everything. The only real 'family' we get to know is Liz who isn't even related to Faith. Parents in this society now have little to nothing to do with their kids, their only interaction through the tablets they carry with them at all times.
When the book begins, Faith and Liz are starting a new school. Since families are moving to the States, there aren't enough students to keep all the old schools open anymore, so every few months they condense the students into new locations.
Here she meets several people who change her life completely. She first meets Hawk in class, he's a small geeky kid who provided much entertainment for me throughout the story. Sometimes being in his head made me laugh out loud.
She also meets the twins, Wade and Clara, who honestly scare the crap out of me.
And, last but not least she meets Dylan.
I wish she could meet Dylan earlier in the story... but that's just personal preference ;)
Through these new acquaintances she learns about Pulse. A trait only found in a select few people outside the States, that we know of now at least, that allows the individual to move objects with their mind.
Pulse is pretty cool if you think about it, but it doesn't make a person invincible - something Faith learns through dealings with a certain someone.

The book had a great premise, and at times I could follow along fairly well. But, the POV switched a lot. One minute we're in Faith's head, the next we're learning Wade's personal feelings, the next Hawk's. It was just difficult to know exactly who was thinking what sometimes.
Also, Faith was a pretty awesome, at times badass, character. But, sometimes I really thought she may have multiple personality disorder, or some other medical condition. Maybe being abandoned by friends, and pretty much living alone can do that to a person. Either way, the story came together toward the end, and I look forward to seeing exactly what will happen in the second book. So, all in all, 4 stars :)

'Starling' by Lesley Livingston Review

Let me start by saying, I LOVED Lesley's 'Wondrous Strange' Series... Unfortunately, this one fell a little short.
It very well may be because it's been a little while since I read this previous series, but even if I hadn't read 'Wondrous Strange,' I think I would have felt the same way.

It was an extremely interesting plot, Mason was a very likeable main character and Fennrys Wolf was incredibly swoon-worthy, but it just wouldn't keep my attention.

It started well; with a huge oak tree crashing through the rainbow stained-glass window of the new gymnasium at Mason's school, and a naked dude sprouting from said tree to save the handful of students inside from the shadowy creatures that also sprouted from said tree. But, shortly after that I started getting distracted.
I liked the fact that it was told in differing points of view! We got a lot more information, a lot faster than we would have if it had only been in Mason's POV. But, I feel like it contributed to my distracted state - if only because I learned so much without the main character that it took a little away from her.
Mason and Fennrys' relationship was a bit different at first. I did enjoy his Romeo approach to contacting her, even if I did find myself wondering what the heck her neighbors thought of her yelling from her window... seriously, they'd be able to hear their entire conversations! And, toward the end of the book I was really enjoying them together. They're late-night training sessions/hang out time was lovely, and I wanted more of that. More of the development of their relationship.
I do understand that a lot needed to be brought to light in this book, and in order to do that in a short amount of time we needed to take time away from our hero and heroine... I just wish it didn't have to be that way!

As for supporting characters, I liked Heather. And, I look forward to seeing how she comes into play in the future books. Cal, however, starts off fine, and slowly turns to creep-dom. I feel bad for him - and is he even still around in the end?! - but seriously, pull yourself together man!

Overall, I enjoyed the premise of the book, and Lesley's writing is never bad!
So, it gets 3 out of 5 stars!

SO EXCITING :) Jennifer L. Armentrout's NEW BOOK!

So! The awesome Jennifer L. Armentrout posted some very cool news today!

Those of us who LOVE The Lux Series will really enjoy this!
A New Book! An adult romance ::ohh la la:: set in the world of our favorite YA series - can it get any better??
Why, yes! Yes it can! We only have to wait until Spring of next year (2013) for this new book!
Sorry for all the exclamation points, I'm just super-excited about this!
Click the link below for Jennifer's Official blog post about it - and don't forget to mark the book, 'Obsession' (great title, BTW) TO-READ on Goodreads!
The Official Blog of author Jennifer L. Armentrout: Obsession

Jeri Smith-Ready's StreetTeam!

So, I joined Jeri Smith-Ready's StreetTeam tonight!

I read, and LOVED her first two books in the Shade Trilogy, 'Shade' and 'Shift.' But, even though I own the third and final book, 'Shine,' I still haven't read it... thumbs down to me on that one!

BUT! After watching this Ah-Mazing trailer made by Jeri herself, it makes me want to go grab my Nook (it's never that far from me anyway) and dive right into it!! :)

You should watch it too! No real spoilery, though reading the first two books would help... But, still, without further ado... the video!

"Unspoken" By Sarah Rees Brennan

"Unspoken" by Sarah Rees Brennan is an extremely well-written book - though the ending did leave me a tad crazed.
Kami Glass talks to a boy she's never met before - in her head. Talk about having an imaginary friend! For as long as she can remember she's been having conversations with a boy named Jared in her mind - and has been freaking out several people along the way.
Over the years she's learned to keep it to herself though, and has even questioned whether Jared is real or all her imagination. No matter, she wouldn't know what to do without his ever-presence in her mind.
Kami is just an awesome character. She's strong-willed, brave, extremely funny, and smart. We meet our lovely heroine right as the Lynburn family is moving back to Sorry-in-the-Vale.
As the head of the school newspaper, Kami is always looking for a good story. And, the stories -or lack thereof- that surround the mysterious Lynburn family have her extremely intrigued.
Twin sisters Lillian and Rosalind Lynburn moved away, along with Lillian's husband Rob, several years ago and have finally returned to live in their ancient mansion at the center of town with the slightly morbid decor. Only, they aren't alone.
They've brought with them their sons Ash and Jared - cousins who cannot stand one another, and couldn't be more different.
Oddly enough, one of the boys is extremely familiar to Kami, even if he is different from what she ever expected.
What would you do if your imaginary friend turned out to be real?
I really enjoyed this story. It was different than the handful of books I've read recently, and Kami is a very unique, endearing character I'm sure to remember for some time.
Honestly, I did not expect several of the things that happened toward the end of the book - complete shockers to me! (Especially the person behind the animal sacrifices!) And, yes! The ending is driving me crazy! I even had a dream the night I finished the book that Sarah had released several more chapters of the story, I can't remember what happened in said chapters, but I know I was even more upset when I woke up that morning :(
Anyway, in all seriousness, you need to read this book! You won't regret it, I promise!
There's love, friendship, mystery, intrigue.. the list goes on!

5(million) STARS!

"Spark" by Brigid Kemmerer Review

"Spark" is the second book in Brigid Kemmerer's Elemental Series. The first book, "Storm" was recommended to me by my Sister-in-Law earlier this year - she knows my love of YA fiction - and I am SO happy I finally decided to get it on my Nook.

I soon fell in love with the four Merrick brothers, Michael, the oldest, Nick and Gabriel, the twins, and Chris, the youngest. Their banter is just amazingly entertaining, not to mention endearing. It's easy to see they truly care for one another, even if they sometimes resent each other, as siblings tend to do every now and then.

In "Storm," we learn that each of the four brothers can control a specific element, Earth, Air, Fire and Water - however not entirely - and our main hero, Chris, thirsts for water. "Spark," however, focuses on Gabriel and his burning need for fire. Puns definitely intended - I'm a nerd like that.
When "Spark" begins, Gabriel isn't really in the best frame of mind. He feels like he's failed his family. He fights for control of this amazing element and he feels its pull on him constantly, feeding into his emotions, begging him to bring it to life when he knows he can't for fear of what may happen.
It doesn't help that up until this point in his life, Nick did and shared everything with Gabriel - and is now starting to do things on his own, and keep certain things from him - whether he means to or not. Gabriel has his sports, all four of them, and that helps him some, but it's not a cure-all. And, even the solace he finds in that is threatened when his new math teacher finds out he's been cheating.
Everything is starting to weigh heavily on Gabriel, and it only draws him toward fire that much more. One night in particular, it leads him directly to a house fire. Though devastating for the family whose home it is, it allows Gabriel to be near his element AND help those who fall victim to it.
Unfortunately - or fortunately depending on how you look at it - someone is setting fires in neighbors' homes. Though no one knows who is responsible, or why they're doing this, Gabriel can feel the anger fueling the fires, and knows he's doing the right thing by helping the families. But in doing so, he quickly finds himself becoming suspect #1 in the police investigation - and even his brothers don't truly believe he's innocent.

Insert Layne here. Layne is a Sophomore who just so happens to sit next to Gabriel in math class. Obviously she notices Gabriel - who doesn't? - But she knows he'd never notice her, unless of course he's asking for something, like a stupid pencil. It's in math class that she picks up on the fact that he's cheating, and offers her help - even though she has no idea why she should.
Unfortunately for Layne, she has her own fair share of problems to deal with. Her mother left them, and her father tries his best to raise Layne and her hearing-impaired brother, Simon - but doesn't really know how. Add on the fact that Simon is being bullied everyday at school and you can see things aren't really looking up for her. And, as if that wasn't enough, Layne has a secret she would go to the ends of the Earth to protect, something even her own mother didn't want people to know.

Layne and Gabriel get off to a rough start at first, but it is through their uncanny relationship that they are able to grow as individuals. She believes in him even when he doesn't believe in himself, and he sees past the exterior Layne tries so hard to portray, and pushes her boundaries to get her to see herself the way he sees her.

All in all I loved this book. I do sort of have a soft spot for the tough exterior-soft interior boys. They just tug at my heart strings.
There were so many times in the book that I wanted to just reach in and give both Layne and Gabriel a huge hug. So many times I wanted to punch Kara - Layne's closest friend - in the face, for being such a bitch. And so many times I wanted to tell the Merrick brothers that Gabriel was innocent, even if he did everything possible to keep them thinking otherwise. But, unfortunately, that option has not been invented for the Nook yet, and I just had to power through to the end - and end that did not disappoint! I look forward to reading "Spirit" about Hunter! Is it June 2013 yet?! :)