Follow my Blog Friday.

This is my first Follow Friday which is hosted by Parajunkee. I've been meaning to participate for a while but I just forget. So here we go.

This weeks question:

What are your new years book blogging resolutions?

-I am hoping to be a little more involved in the blogging world, comment more, participate in more meme's and challenges, just make more friends! I really love this community and I want to more a part of it.

Happy Reading Everyone, and Happy New Year.

The Best of 2010

So I found this little end of 2010 survey over at The Perpetual Page-Turner and I thought it would be fun to do. So that's what I am doing. So here we go....

1.) Best Book of 2010? Ugh, I don't know I read so many books in 2010. But... For YA I would have to say Dreamland by Sarah Dessen and The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson.

2) Worst Book of 2010? I don't like questions like this at all. But a book that I really did not enjoy this year was Something Wicked by Lesley Cowan.

3) Most Disappointing Book of 2010? Fallen by Lauren Kate. I really wanted to like this book. I think I even tried. But I couldn't and didn't.

4) Most Surprising (in a good way) Book of 2010? Hmm, what made me go wow that was really good- Secrets By Freya North. I didn't expect to like that book so much.

5) Book You Recommended the Most to People in 2010? Ha, The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson-I really liked that book.

6) Best Series you Discovered in 2010? The Summer I Turned Pretty Series By Jenny Han. It's a good series and I can't wait for the third book to come out in April

7) Favourite New Authors You Discovered in 2010? Sarah Dessen, I first read her in the summer and I don't know why I waited so long.

8) The Most Hilarious Read of 2010? For me it was Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt. I thought this book was so funny. I laughed and laughed throughout the whole thing. It's making my giggle thinking about it now.

9) Most Thrilling, Unputdownable Book of 2010? Hmmmm, Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult. With every one of her books I find that I enter a zone of 'don't contact me until I am done this book'. Her books are great but they stress me out because I need to know what's going to happen. So this year Salem Falls did that for me. It wasn't the most wonderful book I have ever read by her, but it was thrilling and I couldn't put it down.

10) Book You Most Anticipated in 2010? Lover Mine by JR Ward. I love the whole Black Dagger Brotherhood series, it's my love. But John Matthew's story in Lover Mine was something I eagerly awaited in 2010.

11) Favourite Cover in a Book You Read in 2010? Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. It's an awesome cover.

12) Most Memorable Character in 2010? Amy from Love You Hate You Miss You By Elizabeth Scott. She went through something horrible and was resistant to any type of help in the beginning, but she finally started to come around. There was something about her that has stayed with me.

13) Most Beautifully Written Book in 2010? The Outcast by Sadie Jones. It's such a wonderful story, and it's really well written.

14) Book That Had The Greatest Impact on You in 2010? Hmmm, Dreamland by Sarah Dessen. It dealt with the pretty serious issue of teen dating abuse, and that had me thinking about how much of this actually happens and how we may not know about it.

15) Book You Can't Believe You Waited UNTIL 2010 to Read? There are none. Haha. But maybe next year.

Happy Reading Everyone!

Teaser Tuesday #3

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...

• Grab your current read
  
• Open to a random page
  
• Share a couple of “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I Shall Not Hate By Izzeldin Abuelaish

"But there were-and still are-so many unique challenges in the way of our finding the path to peaceful coexistence. For instance, a critically ill woman from Gaza was brought in for treatment; she would have died had she stayed in Gaza."

P.77

I Just Can't Wait.

I was just browsing through Goodreads (I still am not sure how it works) When I came across the cover for We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han. I started this blog after reading the first two in this series: The Summer I Turned Pretty and It's Not Summer Without You, you can see my very first post about these two book here. I loved them both but I have to say that The Summer I Turned Pretty was my favourite. But anywho... We'll Always Have Summer is due out April 26th 2010 and I am so excited. I myself am team Conrad and I want to know who Belly ends up with... So excited :)

Ok, I'm done.

Happy Reading Everyone!

My Thoughts: Precious and Fragile Things By Megan Hart.

Gilly Soloman has been reduced to a mothering machine, taking care of everyone and everything except herself. But the machine has broken down. Burnt out by the endless days of crying children and menial tasks, and exhausted from always putting herself last, Gilly doesn't immediately consider the consequences when she's carjacked. With a knife to her throat, her first thought is that she'll finally get some rest. Someone can save her for a change.
But salvation isn't so forthcoming. Stranded in a remote, snowbound cabin with this stranger, hours turn to days, days into weeks. As time forges a fragile bond between them, she learns her captor is not the lunatic she first believed, but a human being whose wasted life has been shaped by secrets and tragedy. Yet even as their connection begins to foster trust, Gilly knows she must never forget he's still a man teetering on the edge. One who just might take her with him.

I sometimes find myself visiting Megan Hart's Blog, Read In Bed, for updates on what she's working on and to find out what she thought about a recent episode of 'Supernatural'. So a couple of weeks ago I stopped by and she was giving away copies of her upcoming Mira publication-Precious and Fragile Things- all you had to do was send her an e-mail. I was a lucky winner and got my signed copy in the mail not to long ago.

I have read a lot of what Hart has written in the past five years or so and I have really enjoyed it. Most of it had been erotic fiction or romance. Her books are hot, but they aren't tacky, they are beautifully written and the character development is phenomenal.

Precious and Fragile Things is the first book by Hart to be published that is not erotic and not romance. Megan herself has said "It’s sort of thrillerishy with a side of women’s fiction in a literary fiction crust and a bit of mainstream contemporary fiction on top".

I was a little nervous about reading this at the beginning , because, well when you love something or you love something that someone does, you don't want them to change it. It goes with the whole 'if it ain't broke why fix it' kind of philosophy. A little unreasonable I'll admit. So the idea of a book that wasn't romance but mainstream fiction was just wrong to me. None the less I knew that I would read the book and that I wanted to read it.

The books as a whole is just shy of 400 pages and every page is pretty intense. Everything that I loved about Hart's writing was in this book (which makes sense) and the characters were brilliant.

The protagonist, Gilly is a woman who has made a decision to be a mother and although she loves her children dearly she is struggling with the demands and responsibility of being a stay at home mom. So when she gets car jacked and ends up stranded with her kidnapper Todd, she struggles with many different feelings one being guilt. She had the opportunity to run and she chose not to. Gilly wanted to rest. She just never expected to be stranded for so long. Todd, I loved from the very moment he realized there were kids in the car. He was an anxious and fidgety character who was so completely broken, and you knew that from the very beginning, you just didn't know why until later. The exchanges between the two are honest and true to how things might be if something like this were to actually happen. Their conversations are not all full of rainbows and lollipops, they are sometimes harsh and hard to read.

I really enjoyed this book, it was a very heartbreaking story of how, if a situation had been a little bit different, if different decisions had been made. Life could have worked out differently. I think Megan did an amazing j0b with Precious and Fragile Things and I would encourage you all to go out and buy it in January when it come out.

Happy Reading Everyone!

Many Books In A Year.

A friend of mine recently asked me how many books I read on average in a week. At the time I said about two maybe three. But in reality I had no idea I was just making a guess. Two or three a week was a lot especially for me who is taking four classes and working part-time. However the conversation I has with my friend had me thinking about how many books I actually read in a week, a month or even a year.

So for the year of 2011 I am going to keep track of all the books I read. I want to know exactly how many books I have read, I want to know if it's only 50, or 100 or more than that.

So I have started my own personal challenge. To keep track I will be posting at the end of every month with the titles of the books that I completed in that month and their corresponding number.

If you are curious about your own numbers, and want to count along with me, please do. All I ask is that you do the monthly posts, and link them in the comments of my monthly posts.

So it's time to start counting.

I am kind of excited about this. I've always wondered about how much I actually read.

So...

Happy Reading Everyone, and Happy Counting.

From Book to Movie (3)

I rather enjoy doing these 'book to movie' posts, as there are some really great books that made it into some great movies (well some great and some not so great) that I want to share and talk about.

I went out and saw the newest installment in The Chronicles of Narnia movies: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,I liked it, but it wasn't very true to the story.

C.S. Lewis created an amazing thing in The Chronicles of Narnia. Amazing. I have no words to explain the beauty found in the pages of his books. The movies are fun and full of action, but still, they are Hollywood's adaptation of truly amazing works.

This movie has already received a lot of media hype and I am sure everyone has seen the trailer. However, I wanted to remind people of what came before this movie. The true creative genius, and the beautiful story behind it.

Happy Reading Everyone!

Book Blogger Hop (2)

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books.

This weeks question is...

"What do you consider the most important in a story: the plot or the characters?"

The characters hands down. If a story line is a little weak but the characters are fun and engaging the book can usually be saved. However, no matter how great the plot is, if the characters are under developed the whole story is going to fall flat. Well for me at least.

And that's my hop.

Happy Reading Everyone!

Mindi Scott: Freefall Contest.

Mindi Scott is hosting an awesome giveaway in her site; it's open internationally so fellow Canadians rejoice!

You can win an awesome scarf (made just for you!), and a copy for Freefall for you and your buddy!

Details can be found here. So go check it out!

Teaser Tuesdays #2

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!






Precious and Fragile Things By Megan Hart


" 'I'm Sorry,' Todd said.
He sounded as if he meant it, but Gilly wasn't going to take his apology."


P. 244

My Thoughts: Fallen by Lauren Kate

So it took me about a week to read Lauren Kate's Fallen, which for me is a long time. Especially long considering I had nothing pressing to do (like papers to write or exams to study for). I was really excited about this book, but I'm not sure that I am as excited now that I have finished reading it.

There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce-and goes out of his way to make that very clear-she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

The blurb on the back of the book really piqued my attention and had me buying the book, well that and the cover; it's a gorgeous cover. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book, the prologue was really well done in capturing the reader's attention. However after that I thought the story was really slow moving. I felt like I kept waiting for something to happen. There was a lot of leading up to... and that's it.

I really liked Luce and her friends. I thought Arianne was great and Penn was adorable. I'm still on the fence about how I feel about Daniel. I feel like he could have been written a little better. For me is was hard to love him the way I can most male leads.

For me there were a few plot holes which maybe will be addressed in the next book. Overall I didn't love this book, but I didn't hate it. I will probably read Torment but not right away.

Happy Reading Everyone!

Dusty Volumes-2011 Reading Challenge

I have been painfully embarrassed with my results on the 'Books I Have and Have Not Read' post which you can find here. I feel like there are so many books that I should have read already that are great classics and I have no excuses as to why I have not read them. I have had every intention of reading a number of the books but for some reason I have not. I needed a little incentive; which I have now found with The Dusty Volumes Challenge hosted by Midnyte Reader.

There are rules and all that fun stuff and they are outlined well on her blog.

The Dusty Volumes that I am hoping to read this year are:

• 1984-George Orwell
• Jane Eyre-Charlotte Brontë
• Wuthering Heights-Emily Brontë
• Alice in Wonderland-Lewis Carroll
• Lolita-Vladimir Nabokov
• Dracula-Bram Stoker

That's my list for now. I think that six books is a pretty good start. I am sure that as the year goes on I'll want to read more. But for now this is good. I think this challenge is pretty cool and I would encourage those who want to try out classics to go check it out. So for now...

Happy Reading Everyone!

Book Blogger Hop

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books. I haven't really done meme's before now, but they seem to be a whole lot of fun, so I'm trying it. You should to.

This weeks question:

"What is the thing you like most about reading book blogs? Is it the reviews, author guest posts, articles, giveaways, or something else entirely?"

I love reading about what other people are reading, so for me I think that reviews are the best. I like to know what other people thought about a book (especially if it's one I loved). Another reason is to see what other people are reading my TBR has grown immensely since I've started following other blogs. It's great. I just love it all, and that's that.

Happy Reading Everyone!

From Book to Movie (2)

I Am Number Four By Pittacus Lore. This movie looks stinking awesome! I can say that I am pretty excited for it's release. But again, this is a book I have not read-I plan to before the movie comes out. Because I want to know what happens at the end and the only way I'll know any time soon is if I read the book. This trailer and the last that I posted both star Alex Pettyfer which is a total coincidence I swear. But he looks way hotter in this movie then Beastly (and not for obvious reasons).

I'm sure a million of you have already seen this trailer but it's pretty exciting so watch it again. I really can't wait for this movie.

Happy Reading Everyone!

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/ and it asks us to...

• Grab your current read
  


• Open to a random page
  


• Share a couple of “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  


• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  


• Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Fallen By Lauren Kate

"Her first trip off campus and she ended up in a hospital five minutes from her parents' house. The last time she'd been here was to get three stitches on her elbow when she'd fallen off her bike."

P. 223

Haulin' (3)

So I have a teeny tiny haul. Only three books. But I wanted to share because I am so so excited about them all.

Shiver By Maggie Stiefvater
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf - her wolf - is a haunting presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human -- until the cold makes him shift back again. Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears and the temperature drops, Sam must fight to stay human or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

This is one I have seen mentioned a lot but never really read what it was about. Many of the books that are on my wish list are hardbacks and at this time I cannot justify buying hardbacks. So I went for the trusty soft cover, and Shiver fit the bill and it looked really good. So I'll probably read this one before the year is out.

Beautiful Creatures By Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
There were no surprises in Gatlin County . We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere. At least, that's what I thought. Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong. There was a curse. There was a girl. And in the end, there was a grave. Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever. Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them. In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

This is another one I have seen mentioned a few times in various blogs, but I've never really looked into what it was about, so when I was in the bookstore today I picked it up and was fairly intrigued. So yeah, I bought it and I will read it soon.

Precious and Fragile Things By Megan Hart
Gilly Soloman has been reduced to a mothering machine, taking care of everyone and everything except herself. But the machine has broken down. Burnt out by the endless days of crying children and menial tasks, and exhausted from always putting herself last, Gilly doesn't immediately consider the consequences when she's carjacked. With a knife to her throat, her first thought is that she'll finally get some rest. Someone can save her for a change.
But salvation isn't so forthcoming. Stranded in a remote, snowbound cabin with this stranger, hours turn to days, days into weeks. As time forges a fragile bond between them, she learns her captor is not the lunatic she first believed, but a human being whose wasted life has been shaped by secrets and tragedy. Yet even as their connection begins to foster trust, Gilly knows she must never forget he's still a man teetering on the edge. One who just might take her with him

This is an advanced readers copy that I got from Megan which I was very grateful for. I've read many (if not all) of her books and this one is a little different then what she normally writes but that's ok. She writes beautifully and I am looking forward to reading this.

So this is my little haul. I still have a few books from my last two hauls left to read, so look out for those reviews. School is out now (well except for a few exams) so I have more time to read all that I have recently purchased. But that is it.

Happy Reading Everyone.

My Thoughts: Two Way Street By Lauren Barnholdt

I have never laughed as much in a book and I did in Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt. It was one of the funniest books I have ever read.

There are two sides to every breakup.
This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They're even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.
Then Jordan dumps Courtney -- for a girl he met on the Internet.
It's too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney's heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la -- this is Courtney pretending not to care.
But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.
Turns out, he's got a secret or two that he's not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can't get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other

When I first read the synopsis for this book it was something I wanted to read right away. Who wouldn't? It looked to be hilarious. I was imagining the spats that would take place, and was giggling even before I read the book.

Barnholdt knows what goes on in the minds of teenage girls and their friends (and how totally unreasonable they can be). There is a scene in the book where Courtney talks about sending Jordan an e-mail and how it took her (and her friend) two hours to compose, this had me roaring because it's so true, when us girls are trying to be cool and aloof when writing something to a boy it takes us forever to find the right words; usually the boys don't even notice the difference. The story was full of ridiculous antics that had me laughing out loud.

The characters were so much fun as well. Jordan and Courtney were great but their best friends BJ and Jocelyn were two of the funniest characters I have ever read about. They are a dysfunctional couple that should not have been together. I looked forward to every interaction with one of these characters. They were a real comic relief. I almost wish they had a book of their own. They were that entertaining.

However, as much as I loved this book I find that I have a little bit of a problem with it being geared for a 13-17 year old crowd (this is what it says on Chapters website). This book is full of sexual content that I think would not be suitable for someone younger then 16. There is also a fair bit of swearing that would make it more inappropriate for younger readers.

But in all, I really enjoyed reading this book I thought it was clever and funny and the characters worked for me. It was a good read, and I looking forward to reading more from Barnholdt, and I will be rereading this one for sure.

Happy Reading Everyone.

Kim Harrington: CLARITY ARC GIVEAWAY

Kim Harrington: CLARITY ARC GIVEAWAY: "So it's December 1st and Clarity comes out in THREE MONTHS! What? You can't wait until March 1st? You want a signed ARC (advanced review cop..."

Super cool give away. I'd check it out if I were you!

From Book to Movie

When I first saw this trailer, I thought to myself "this would totally make a good book". Little did I know that it already was. I haven't read Beastly by Alex Flinn yet, but I plan to. I mean who wouldn't enjoy a modern day telling of Beauty and the Beast.

The movie doens't look to bad either.

Happy Reading

My Thoughts: Love You Hate You Miss You By Elizabeth Scott

What would you do if your best friend died? Not just died, but died while you were with them. It's an insane idea, one that is so freaky and so that you don't even want to think about it. But this is exactly what happens to 16 year old Amy in Elizabeth Scott's Love You Hate You Miss You.

It's been seventy-five days, and Amy still doesn't know how she can possibly exist without her best friend Julia, especially since it's her fault that Julia's dead. When her shrink tells her it would be a good idea to start a diary, Amy starts writing letters to Julia instead. But as she writes letter after letter, she begins to realize that the past wasn't as perfect as she thought it was"and the present deserves a chance, too.

I really liked this book. Even though I found it very very difficult to read, because it made me very very sad. Not once did I get annoyed with the main character (like I sometimes do). I felt sad for her, she was going thought a lot, at times I did wish that she would say what she was thinking and open up like she often wanted to. But then again that wouldn't have made for a very good book.

Amy wasn't perfect, she definitely had some issues. She fought through them and I really liked that. She made an effort. She tried. This is the first book by Elizabeth Scott that I have read and I have a few more that I would like to read, and I am looking forward to that. I was very pleased with this one.

So that's it. No more from me till after Wednesday.

Happy Reading.

Books I have and have not read

The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here. Instructions: Copy this into your BLOG. Bold those books you've read in their entirety, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish or read an excerpt. And just for fun add "movie" for the ones you saw the movie only for . Tag other book nerds.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (Movie)

3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling

5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

6 The Bible

7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell

9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

11 Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

14 Complete Works of Shakespeare

15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien

17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulkner

18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger



20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell (Movie)

22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald (Movie)

24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28 Grapes Of Wrath - John Steinbeck

29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (Movie)



30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis

34 Emma -Jane Austen

35 Persuasion - Jane Austen

36 The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis

37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden (Movie)



40 Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell

42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving

45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery

47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood

49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding



50 Atonement - Ian McEwan

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52 Dune - Frank Herbert

53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon



60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov (Movie)

63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt

64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas (Movie)

66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac

67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding

69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie



70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens (Movie)

72 Dracula - Bram Stoker (Movie)

73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (Movie)

74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

75 Ulysses - James Joyce

76 The Inferno - Dante

77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

78 Germinal - Emile Zola

79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray



80 Possession - AS Byatt

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker (Movie)

84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

87 Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White

88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom

89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle



90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

94 Watership Down - Richard Adams

95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl (Movie)

100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (Movie)

Total Read: 15

Total Attempted to Read: 7

Not to shabby if I say so myself.

Happy Reading everyone!

Blast From The Past: The Hunter's Moon by OR Melling

The Hunter's Moon By O.R. Melling
16 year old Gwen is spending the summer in Ireland with her cousin Findabhair. The two have always looked for doors into the other world, but did they really expect to find them? When Findabhair is kidnapped by the High King of Faerie, Gwen must chase the fairy court around Ireland to try and save her cousin. But does Findabhair want to be saved? And what dark secret lies behind the fun and the shimmer of magic?

(The original cover from when I first read this book in 1996)




One of the very first books that I remember reading was The Hunter's Moon by O.R. Melling. I was in the fourth grade when I read it which would mean that I was nine which thinking back was maybe a little young to be reading a book about 16 year olds and their loves. I think it was this book that made me fall in love with books and reading. Because it was such an amazing tale. It was so intense and scary and so much fun. It was an epic adventure for me. I loved every minute of it. There was so much going on and Gwen met so many amazing people on her adventure. Some you hated (well wanted to, but couldn't really) and some you loved. I adore this story and have read it numerous times.

When I found out it was not in print anymore I think I cried (I'd borrowed the original from the school library so I did not own it). But on my 16th birthday my mom surprised me with The Chronicles of Faerie, which was a publication of The Hunter's Moon, The Summer King and The Light Bearer's Daughter (all part of the same story). All of these stories are amazing but nothing (well to me at least) like The Hunter's Moon. I think The Hunter's Moon is back in print and farily easy to get a hold of, so if you can, do.

So there is my little trip down memory lane, happy reading everyone.

My Thoughts: Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

I generally love drama (which is totally pathetic I know). I think it's fun and entertaining and the more dramatic a situation is, the better. So when I read the synopsis for Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti I was pretty excited. The story looked like it would be full of drama:


Best friends Lani and Erin couldn't be more different. Lani's reserved and thoughtful; Erin's bubbly and outgoing. Lani likes to do her own thing; Erin prefers an entourage. There's no possible way they could be interested in the same guy.
So when Erin starts dating Jason, Lani can't believe she feels such a deep connection with him-and it may be mutual. The more Lani fights it, the more certain she feels that it's her fate to be with Jason. But what do you do when the love of your life is the one person you can't have?

It's true the story was pretty dramatic, but not in a good way. I thought maybe it was a little over done (which is strange coming from me).

I found Erin and Lani's friendship to be a little bit tiresome. Erin was bossy and self-centered and I often wondered why Lani chose to stay friends with her; I found the whole concept that it was because Erin saved her life a little weak. I loved Lani because she's loyal, but when Erin finds out about her and Jason and then what she is put through and how she just takes it, that really drove me insane. I found myself screaming "come on, stick up for yourself!" What she did wasn't great, but really it was also not that big a deal.

I loved Blake though and the relationship he had with Lani. I thought "now there a real friendship" one that gives and receives, and I was so heart broken for Lani when Blake blames her for outing him, because she felt so bad. That was a pretty sad part.

There were other things that I did not like about the book, but there is no need to go into detail. I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed this book a lot more if I were 10 years younger, I do realise that this book is a YA but I have read YA as an adult and enjoyed it. So...

Something Like Fate wasn't terrible but it wasn't very good either.

On a side note. I may not be posting much in the next week and a half. School is winding down which means assignments and tests are on full throttle. Which means I won't be reading much. But after the Dec 1st I have a little bit of time before exams start. Hopefully.

Until then,

Happy Reading

2011 Debut Author Challenge

My new found addiction is young adult literature. It's a great genre, and because I am so new to it (I've read other YA before but it's not what I usually go to) I am not always aware of the up and coming (not even a little bit). Which is why I have decided to take part of the 2011 Debut Author Challenge hosted by The Story Siren, what this is and how you can also participate can be found over on her blog (http://www.thestorysiren.com).

Basically what you want to aim to do is read 12 debut authors of the YA genre in the year 2011, you can read more or less even. But the challenge is 12. There are rules and other stuff but Kristie does a great job explaining everything, so go check it out.

This year I am planning on reading at the very least 12 (Probably more, but I don't want to make any promises). The first six I know that I am going to read and that I am super pumped about are:

1) Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
2) XIV by Julia Karr
3) Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
4) Entwined by Heather Dixon
5) Clarity by Kim Harrington
6) Falling Under-Gwen Hayes

I am totally looking forward to getting my hands on these books and getting lost in every single one.

Just in case anyone was wondering, YA isn't the only thing that I am going to be reading from now on. I still need me some romance and I don't think that I could ever turn my back on my true love. But it's nice to change things up every once in a while, broaden the horizons. So that's what I am doing. So with that being said,

Happy Reading.

Haulin' (2)

I love finding out about what other people are reading, what they've been sent, what they've bought, what they have checked out from the library. It gives me so many ideas on what to read (this is probably why I have 20 books on my Chapters online wishlist where as 2 weeks ago I didn't know that the wishlist existed).

There is a weekly meme that a lot of people take part in called 'In My Mailbox' but I don't because nothing really arrives in my mailbox (well if I've ordered it, it does), and I don't buy a new book every week, I try to buy a lot at one time and hope that that will keep me through until my next bookstore visit.

So, getting to my point. I have a haul for you. A few weeks ago I placed an order on Amazon and have been waiting somewhat patiently for my books to come in, and today they did (well some of them did, I'm still waiting on three). The majority were bought used (only two were new actually) which saved me bucketloads of money and yes I did buy them with my own money. So here it it:

Something Like Fate-Susane Colasanti.

Best friends Lani and Erin couldn't be more different. Lani's reserved and thoughtful; Erin's bubbly and outgoing. Lani likes to do her own thing; Erin prefers an entourage. There's no possible way they could be interested in the same guy.
So when Erin starts dating Jason, Lani can't believe she feels such a deep connection with him-and it may be mutual. The more Lani fights it, the more certain she feels that it's her fate to be with Jason. But what do you do when the love of your life is the one person you can't have?

-I've just started reading this one and I am not sure yet how much I like it. But we'll see. It's still pretty early.

The Unwritten Rule-Elizabeth Scott

Sarah and Brianna have always been friends, and it's always gone like this: guys talk to Sarah in order to get closer to Brianna. So even though Sarah met Ryan first, she's not surprised that he ends up with Brianna (even though Sarah has a massive crush on him). The three of them hang out, and Sarah and Ryan's friendship grows until one night an innocent exchange between them leads to a moment that makes Sarah realize that Ryan might be interested in her after all. But if there's one unwritten rule, it's this: you don't mess around with a friend's boyfriend. So Sarah tries to resist temptation. But with the three of them thrown together more and more, tension builds between Sarah and Ryan, and when they find themselves alone together at one point, they realize they just can't fight how they feel anymore....

-This one seems to have a similiar plot to 'Something Like Fate' ewhich is interesting. I've never read anything by Scott and I have two books by her to read. I have heard many many good things about her. So I'm excited.

Love You Hate You Miss You-Elizabeth Scott
It's been seventy-five days, and Amy still doesn't know how she can possibly exist without her best friend Julia, especially since it's her fault that Julia's dead. When her shrink tells her it would be a good idea to start a diary, Amy starts writing letters to Julia instead. But as she writes letter after letter, she begins to realize that the past wasn't as perfect as she thought it wasâ€"and the present deserves a chance, too.

-This one looks like a tear jerker and when I'm in the right mood I'll break it out and take a stab at it. I am looking forward to reading this.

Two Way Street- Lauren Barnholdt

there are two sides toevery breakup.
This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They're even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.
Then Jordan dumps Courtney -- for a girl he met on the Internet.
It's too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney's heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la -- this is Courtney pretending not to care.
But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.
Turns out, he's got a secret or two that he's not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can't get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.

-Awwwwww this looks so cute and so funny. I mean when girls try to fake it, it tends to be a little comical. I don't think I'll tackle this one until I'm done school for the term.

The Book of Luke- Jenny O'Connell

Emily Abbott has always been considered the Girl Most Likely to Be Nice -- but lately being nice hasn't done her any good. Her parents have decided to move the family from Chicago back to their hometown of Boston in the middle of Emily's senior year. Only Emily's first real boyfriend, Sean, is in Chicago, and so is her shot at class valedictorian and early admission to the Ivy League. What's a nice girl to do?
Then Sean dumps Emily on moving day and her father announces he's staying behind in Chicago "to tie up loose ends," and Emily decides that what a nice girl needs to do is to stop being nice.
She reconnects with her best friends in Boston, Josie and Lucy, only to discover that they too have been on the receiving end of some glaring Guy Don'ts. So when the girls have to come up with something to put in the senior class time capsule, they know exactly what to do. They'll create a not-so-nice reference guide for future generations of guys -- an instruction book that teaches them the right way to treat girls.
But when her friends draft Emily to test out their tips on Luke Preston -- the hottest, most popular guy in school, who just broke up with Josie by email -- Emily soon finds that Luke is the trickiest of test subjects . . . and that even a nice girl like Emily has a few things to learn about love.

-I like a good laugh and I think that this story could give me that. I'm a fan of light reading (especially when I know I shouldn't be reading but studying).

So there you have it. What I am probably going to be reading over the next couple weeks.

Happy Reading Everyone.

My Thoughts: Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Being a student limits the amount of time I am allowed to read. This has made choosing what to read rather difficult, because I need to choose something that I can put down when I need to, I need to choose something that has an interesting plot but that isn't all consuming (that happens to me sometimes, I forget about real life when I've found a good read). So in my latest attempt to find something interesting to read but not get to invested, I have ventured into the Young Adult genre, thinking that there would be some great novels to read without taking over my life. Yeah. Right. That was before reading Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick.

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She''s never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora''s not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can''t decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life

I started reading Hush, Hush Wednesday night (half an hour after I finished The Outcast) and was done the book by Saturday. For some this is loads of time to start and finish a book, but, for me it's not. I had to fit reading this book into full time school, part time work and an event that took up all of Friday night. In short I devoured this novel.

I really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were well thought out and they were funny (well Patch and Vee were funny). I feel like any teenager out there could relate to Nora, regardless of whether they have lost a parent or loved one. The story was intriguing and I had a hard time putting the book down (or leaving it at home when I went out). It's a well written novel which is important in keeping my attention, as well as most young adults.

In the beginning I couldn't help but compare this book a little to Twilight, simply because of Patch and Nora were thrown together in a Biology class (can anyone say Bella and Edward). I've read all the books in The Twilight Saga and hated them (sorry) so I was a little apprehensive about this little spin. I was pleasantly surprised.

On the back cover it says pretty clearly that this book was meant for 14 and older, I would tend to disagree a little with that. Patch is pretty suggestive in parts of the story, and I think that content like that would be better for a slightly older demographic. 14 is still a little young for the some of the content in the book; it was little sexual. When I though to myself about whether I would want my non-existent 14 year reading this, I kind of leaned towards no. I feel like the book would do a lot better with a crowd of 16 and older.

Hush, Hush is the first of the series and I am not sure where they are going to go with the story. I felt like the book could have ended where it ended. But I am looking forward to reading on, because I really did like the characters.

Book two is called Crescendo, and is in stores now.

Is it bad?

So it seems that Ms. Hillary Duff has decided to try her hand at penning a novel. Why? I do not know. Maybe she's bored with all the singing and acting that she does, maybe this story was burning a hole in her mind and needed to get out. Who knows why Hillary Duff decided to write this book (and how much of it was actually written by her). But it looks good.

Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician, she has grown to be a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But after Clea’s father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea’s photos begin to feature eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful man—a man she has never seen before.
When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father’s disappearance, and they discover the centuries old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives—and their futures.

So onto my point, is it bad that I kind of want to read this book? Not because Hillary Duff wrote it, and not because I am a little curious about her ability to write a novel geared for young adults, but because the story itself looks interesting. Although if I am going to be completely truthful I would like to know how the book itself reads and whether or not Hillary can pull it off. I haven't seen or read any interviews with Duff as to why she decided to write a book and how much help she had writing it. But I find it funny.

It's a beautiful cover, and the title of the novel 'Elixir' is kind of cool. So I am extremely curious and would very much like to read this book and know if Duff pulled through.

Pretty Pretty

I've said it before and I'll say it again, But I am in love with the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by JR Ward. I love love love those books, and I hate hate hate that they only come out once a year. Ugh. She's recently released the cover for the next installment-Lover Unleashed and it's perfect. So so so pretty, and I wanted to post it here for all to see.

This one isn't due out until March, and I can't wait.

Happy Reading everybody.

My Thoughts: The Outcast By Sadie Jones

One summer's day in 1957, Lewis Aldridge looks like any nineteen-year-old travelling home to the South of England, except that Lewis is straight out of jail and now sees his world-the oppressive suburb of Waterford-with fresh eyes. From the fractured remains of this old life, Lewis must forge his own future in this place, and in doing so forces painful and horrifying childhood secrets into the open-secrets that may trigger the implosion of the entire community.

I finished reading The Outcast by Sadie Jones last night and decided not to write about it right away. I thought I would let it sit with me for a little bit, to process the story.

I am not picky about what I read and generally don't find fault in anything (if I don't like something, it's probably because it was actually really bad). This sometimes makes me wonder if the book I thought was wonderful was actually wonderful. But whatever, it doesn't matter. I know beauty and I know good writing, and this book by Sadie Jones had both.

The Outcast opens with Lewis leaving prison and contemplating what this means for his life and how things are going to be different for him now, and how he wants to make amends. Right away I wanted to know what he did; what had been so bad. This isn't revealed right away. This makes sense, because in order to know why Lewis did what he did, you had to know Lewis, his life and the people around him. He was so broken and throughout the story you could see what broke him and how if certain individuals had made different decisions or responded differently his life and his relationships would be been different.

What made this book amazing was Kit, and how loyal she was to Lewis, and how clueless Lewis was to her loyalty. She loved Lewis even when he was broken and when Lewis does something that jeopardizes this, you can't help but feel like Lewis is doomed.

The whole time I was reading this book, I felt sad for Lewis, but not depressed, I was more hopeful. I knew that something was going to happen to make things alright. In a way they were. This was a really great read-not an easy read, but totally worth it. I was very pleased.

Haulin'

I went on a little adventure last night to the book store. I was going simply to buy Nora Roberts' new one. It was supposed to be an in and out type of deal. Bah, yeah right. I so love going to the bookstore and am going to tell you what I bough.

Hush Hush By Becca Fitzpatrick
For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She''s never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora''s not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can''t decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

I am so so so excited to read this book. I have read so many amazing reviews on this book already. So excited.

Fallen By Lauren Kate

There''s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price''s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He''s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can''t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

I haven't read to much about his book, but reading the back cover has made me very very curious. I'm looking forward to this one as well.

The Fallen By Thomas E. Sniegoski

THE ULTIMATE QUEST FOR REDEMPTION

On his eighteenth birthday, Aaron begins to hear strange voices and is convinced he is going insane. But having moved from foster home to foster home, Aaron doesn't know whom he can trust. He wants to confide in the cute girl from class, but fears she''ll confirm he's crazy.
Then a mysterious man begins following Aaron. He knows about Aaron''s troubled past and his new powers. And he has a message for Aaron: As the son of a mortal and an angel, Aaron has been chosen to redeem the Fallen.
Aaron tries to dismiss the news and resists his supernatural abilities. But he must accept his newfound heritage -- and quickly. For the dark powers are gaining strength, and are hell-bent on destroying him....

This one I was really excited for, but when I got home and started to read the reviews that were found on the website I got a little less excited. So I don't know what to do. I think I may return it and if I still want to read it, I may go to the library.

So there you have it. The three extra books I left the store with, (along with my original Happy Ever After by good ole' Nora). I'd say it was a pretty successful trip.

Happy Reading.

My Thoughts: The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

I go to the bookstore often. Sometimes with a mind to buy something and sometimes just to browse around hoping to be inspired. And this is what happened one day almost a year ago. I went to Chapters and walked around for hours, looking for something to call my name. I was about to head downstairs and leave when The Gargoyle By Andrew Davidson called my name. Normally I would have totally ignored such a calling but for some reason I decided to pick up the book and this is what I read:

An extraordinary debut novel of love that survives the fires of hell and transcends the boundaries of time.

On a burn ward, a man lies between living and dying, so disfigured that no one from his past life would even recognize him. His only comfort comes from imagining various inventive ways to end his misery. Then a woman named Marianne Engel walks into his hospital room, a wild-haired, schizophrenic sculptress on the lam from the psych ward upstairs, who insists that she knows him - that she has known him, in fact, for seven hundred years. She remembers vividly when they met, in another hospital ward at a convent in medieval Germany, when she was a nun and he was a wounded mercenary left to die. If he has forgotten this, he is not to worry: she will prove it to him.

And so Marianne Engel begins to tell him their story, carving away his disbelief and slowly drawing him into the orbit and power of a word he''d never uttered: love.

I was totally intrigued when I saw this and decided that this book was coming home with me, and boy am I totally glad that I did. This is one of the most beautiful books that I have ever read.

Where to start, it's not your most conventional novel. It's not all sunshine and rainbows. It's dark and it's harsh, but it's also hopeful and romantic. It's beautifully written. This book broke my heart, not because it was sad, but because Marianne Engel was an amazing character who loved, and was loved in turn.

Another great thing about the author is that he's Canadian, which is totally awesome in itself but he's also from a small town not far from where I live! Yes! I sometimes take Canadian authors for granted and don't really appreciate their work as much as I should, so I was glad to have loved this one so much.

It's a must read. A must must must read. I loved it, and I am so glad that picked it up when it called my name.

Happy Reading

Shout It!!!

I've recently discovered many a different book blogs this past week and have become fully addicted to finding out what they're reading and what they've thought. There are three that I've been following and I want to mention them...now:

-Ames who is Thrifty Reader and you can find her here: http://thriftyreader.blogspot.com/ who was the first blog I found, totally by accident while looking for a Megan Hart review (just because). In browsing her blog I discovered we have similar taste in novels and live in the same city. She's hosted on a lot of other blogs, which I think is totally cool, and seems to be pretty active in the blogging community.

-Kristi who is The Story Siren and can be found here: http://www.thestorysiren.com/. It's a wonderful blog and really fun to browse through. She does this thing called in my mail box where she talks about the books she's received either in the mail, or books she bought or got from the library and she does youtube videos for them and the link to her channel is: www.youtube.com/user/thestorysiren which are a lot of fun to watch. She mostly talks about Young Adult novels which is what I've been into a lot recently. So you should go check her out.

-Rowena from The Book Scoop and she is: http://www.thebookscoop.com/. This blog is also predominantly Young Adult fiction and it's great. Honest reviews with a kick. I really enjoy her. She also has an adult reading blog, The Book Binge: http://thebookbinge.com/ that's pretty cool to.

So there you have it, this is where I have spending a lot of my time, and where I will continue to spend a lot of my time. Happy Reading!

Out Tomorrow

Yippee the last installment of the Bride Quartet comes out tomorrow and I am pretty stoked about it! I loved this whole series, it was easy to read and made me feel all nice and gooey. So I can't wait!

My Thoughts: Crave by JR Ward

I love to read. We all know that. For me it's a little bit of an addiction, and sometimes not in a good way. I sometimes need to physically pull myself away from a book, tell myself OK Girlie, no more. So when I read a book and find that it's not all that hard for me not to read it I know something is wrong.

When reading JR Ward's new one in her Fallen Angel series: Crave, I found that it was pretty easy to put down and do other things. Not because I didn't like it (I did to an extent) but simply because it was too long.

I have posted about this woman and her Black Dagger Brotherhood series and how much I looooooove it. Any book in this series could be 1000 pages and it still wouldn't be long enough. However with the Fallen Angel series both books have topped off at over 450 pages, and for a new series, new characters, new everything, it got a little boring at around page 250, especially knowing that there was still 200+ pages to read.

But... Crave was a lot better, story wise, then Covet (book one) was. Maybe it was the second book and I knew what to expect. When I first read Covet I was a little disappointed because the Black Dagger Brotherhood series is soooooo good, and I had high high expectations for this new series. Like really high, and it was meh, a little busy and convoluted. So much in one book, so long. The second was less busy (still pretty convoluted) there was a little less to follow, and I liked the characters more. They were a little more believable, a little less pathetic.

Overall this isn't the greatest series, although it really isn't all that bad either, I'll probably keep reading it. I really love her other series and would rather read more of that then this new one.

My Thoughts: Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

I am currently working my way through my undergraduate degree in Conflict Resolution and Psychology, with the intention of doing some crisis counselling. Helping people is what I am passionate about, and helping someone who really doesn't have any where else to go, or anyone else to turn to is something that has pulled at my heart for a long time now. Victims of abuse, sexual assault, addiction, people who need marriage or grief counselling, doesn't matter their age, those are the kinds of people I want to be there for.

I recently read Sarah Dessen's novel Dreamland, and it really pulled at my desire to reach out to people, to listen and to hear.

This was not like a lot of her other novels (well the one other that I have read).

Dreamland was about a 16 year old girl who tries to find herself after her 18 year old sister runs away. She does find herself, but not in a good way. Caitlin thinks she's found everything she's ever wanted when she first meets Rogerson. He's older and more mature and slightly edgy. Which is exactly what newly independent Caitlin wants. But things go terribly wrong the first time Rogerson hits her.

The first time Rogerson hit Caitlin I knew that is was going to happen, but it still had me bawling my eyes out. My heart was broken, I felt like I could feel everything that this 16 year old was going through, and I wanted to scream at everything that she was losing. This poor girl. Her parents were caught up in the uncharacteristic behaviour or her older sister and and didn't notice Caitlin's free fall into a pretty messed up situation. The girl makes some pretty lousy choices throughout the book.

This story was amazing, truly. It dealt with some pretty heavy material but it had some humour to lighten things up without taking away from the severity of the situation.

The one thing that I wish it had however was some kind of disclaimer, or an announcement about what teens could do when faced with similar circumstances.