It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #13 by Era Penera

It's Monday! What are you reading is a weekly meme that comes to us from Sheila at Book Journey. To participate, simply post what you finished reading in the past week and what you plan to read this week. It is a good way to find other books you may enjoy reading. After you write your post, head over to Sheila's blog to leave your post's link on the link entry form at the bottom of the What are you reading? post.

What I've Finished

Torrent by Lisa Tawn Bergren

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

What I'm Reading

Saving June

by: Hannah Harrington

‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’ 

Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why. 

When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going California. 

Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs. 

Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again.

~Goodreads

Chain Reaction

by: Simone Elkeles

Luis Fuentes has always been sheltered from the gang violence that nearly destroyed his brothers’ lives. But that didn’t stop him from taking risks—whether he’s scaling a mountain in the Rockies or dreaming of a future as an astronaut, Luis can’t stop looking for the next thrill. 

Nikki Cruz lives her life by three rules—boys lie to get their way, don’t trust a boy who says “I love you,” and never date a boy from the south side of Fairfield. Her parents may be from Mexico, but as a doctor’s daughter, she has more in common with her north-side neighbors than the Latino Blood at her school. Then she meets Luis at Alex’s wedding, and suddenly, she’s tempted to break all her rules. 

Getting Nikki to take a chance on a southsider is Luis’s biggest challenge, until he finds himself targeted by Chuy Soto, the new head of the Latino Blood. When Chuy reveals a disturbing secret about Luis’s family, the youngest Fuentes finds himself questioning everything he’s ever believed to be true. Will his feelings for Nikki be enough to stop Luis from entering a dark and violent world and permanently living on the edge?

~Goodreads

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[Review] Falling For Romeo by Jennifer Laurens

Falling For Romeo

by Jennifer Laurens

Publication Date: May 1, 2011

Publisher: Grove Creek Publishing

Format: Paperback, 204 pages

John can have any girl he wants. Jennifer's never been kissed. Everybody thinks he's perfect. She's got issues with pride and jealousy. They were best friends-once. Now, they're playing Romeo and Juliet. Virgin lips Jennifer must have her first kiss on stage with John, the guy every girl in school wants. The pressure and tension build along with each staged kiss. Both are shocked when feelings bloom. Can either tell which kisses are real and which are for show?

-Goodreads

Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Nobles

My thoughts?

If you want a break of reading those vampire-werewolf-human love affairs and is in the mood for the real deal Romeo and Juliet scheme, then this book is the best for you. It literally portrays the whole star crossed-lover drama, except that their families are like bffs and its the protagonists who are denying their feelings for each other and they have this dilemma of who’s going to spill it first. 

John Michaels the male protagonists has this perfect social status as leader of the track team, VP of the supreme student body, the chick magnet, the friendly dude, and well, he’s the one that almost everybody worships in school. Why just ‘almost’? Because there’s Jennifer Vienvu. Now that he’s also invaded the theater, which is actually her territory, she wants to prove everybody that she’s good and she doesn't want to live behind his shadow because she knows he isn't perfect and that somehow the guy has flaws. Oh she knows, alright. They are neighbors, they were childhood best friends and their room windows are practically facing each other’s.

With both sides giving hints and getting each other into cat fights led by their pride and cockiness, the novel narrates us the typical girl-boy story in which I could almost tell that its cliche (and I did hope that the writer wrote a lot more complicated rather than just having the two protagonists jumbled up their feelings in between the play and in their real life situations). But its texts and descriptions are well constructed and delivered even for an overly used plot, and I must say it didn't fail to tickle the side of me who’s still in for that typical romance story.

Ratings:

Review by:

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In My Mailbox #4

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. This meme allows bloggers to showcase the books they've received, bought or borrowed from the library.

I was to post this one last week but it got a little bit of late so i'm posting it now! :)

WON:

Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren

Exodus by Julie Bertagna

Zenith by Julie Bertagna

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Legend (ARC) by Marie Lu

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

BORROWED:

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

 

PURCHASED ON KINDLE:

  

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Angel Burn by L.A Weatherly

FOR REVIEW:

Eternal Starling (eARC) by Angela Corbett

NET GALLEY:

  

Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

The Next Door Boys by Jolene B. Perry

Tempest by Julie Cross

Big Thanks to
Lisa Bergren
Kai of amaterasureads
Yani of The Secret Life of an Avid Reader
Norman Roy Dino

Yara of Once Upon a Twilight

Sourcebooks Fire

St. Martin's Griffin

What did you get in your Mailbox this week?

Let us know in the comments :)

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NET10 - October

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Net10. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

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Books into Movie: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Water for Elephants

by Sara Gruen

Publication Date: March 1st 2011

Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill

Format: Paperback, 421 pages

As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

-Goodreads

Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Nobles

Review:

Seeing a book being turned into a movie is just so tantalizing, I’m a big fan of books that are being turned into a movie. I’ve recently watched Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen on DVD and I must say, they did an awesome job turning the story into a movie. If you haven’t read the book I think I can say that  you can just watch the movie because I cannot see any flaws on how the story was told in the movie, I think every single emotion that was in the book was captured well on the movie. If you didn’t know the book setting was in the 1930’s and I’ve been a big fan of the 1930s really, I think the writers of the movie and the author did a fantastic job with the research and the costumes and the language. I can say the same with the movie, I think Marlena’s sense of fashion was played well Reese as well as the whole cast. I also love the fact that the story was in Jacob’s POV because of his relationship with Rosie. 

Jacob had such a poignant connection with her that only he could describe it. I’m a big fan of Twilight movie and watching Robert Pattinson playing a very sympathetic and mature character makes me love him more. Every single emotion that Robert Pattinson exerted for Jacob’s character has really touched me. I think beside from the character I’m a big fan of the fashion of the era, I like vintage styles and I think that Reese Witherspoon is what I totally envisioned while reading the book.  Reese is absolutely beautiful no matter what. She also has that old Hollywood vintage beauty that made Marlena of the book so much better. 

The love of Jacob for Marlena is really passionate yes; I think it was depicted as precise as it can be. While watching the movie and by reading that I’ve learned new things, few things that you can never learn unless you experience it. It would be experiencing the Circus life, the way the story and the movie w as shown it was learning experience that I wish that there’s no discrimination between workers and performers. Perhaps it w as a sign of times then but it really goes to show how much that divide was rampant. Basing with what I watch on what I’ve read is something new for me, there are things I can never imagine that was in the movie and I think it was really good. In the movie they have music and the music that was being played through the entire movie was very nostalgic and shows how it is on the 1930s it lived up to my expectation of what that era has brought. 

Christopher Waltz is the perfect man for August, he is just the man that I imagine to play as the antagonist I think it helps that he has this unique facial expression that added to his villainous character. Over all fans of the book would really love to see this movie, it also added to the viewing experience that it has a bonus contents that came with the DVD like Raising the Tent, The Star Attraction, Robert Pattinson Spotlight, Feature Performer Reese Witerspoon. The movie was really portrayed well by the characters; I never thought that imagining books through reading can never be as precise in the big screen.

Water for Elephants is out on Blu-ray and DVD on Nov. 1^st released by 20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment so make sure to get a copy.

Official Synopsis:

LIFE IS THE MOST SPECTACULAR SHOW ON EARTH

Witness The Epic Tale of Forbidden Love Starring

Academy Award® Winner Reese Witherspoon andRobert Pattinson On Blu-ray and DVD November

Take a journey back in time with the romantic tale based on Sara Gruen’s New York Times #1 Best-Seller novel of the same name, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, coming to Blu-ray and DVD on November 1st from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Starring Academy Award®-winner Reese Witherspoon (Walk The Line), Robert Pattinson (Twilight series) and Oscar®-winner Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds), the film presents an epic tale of forbidden love in a magical place filled with adventure, wonder and great danger. Showcasing the decadence of a bohemian circus and the majesty of its animals against the backdrop and beauty of a bygone era, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS makes the ideal holiday gift idea for your favorite film buff, fashionista or book-lover!

Devastated by the sudden death of his parents at the height of The Depression, a young dreamer from the wrong side of the tracks, Jacob Jankowski (Pattinson), abandons his veterinary studies at 

Cornell University. With no other family, no house, and no money, Jacob stows away on a train carrying the circus performers of The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Hired as a veterinarian to care for the troupe’s animals, Jacob is temporarily filled with the promise of an exciting life that comes with a traveling circus troupe. However, as he builds a rapport and falls in love with the star of the show, Marlena (Witherspoon), they become prey to the circus’s owner, Marlena’s violent and abusive husband August (Waltz). As the circus begins to crumble from within and against all odds, Jacob and Marlena come together and fall in love through their compassion for a special elephant. With their love on the line, Jacob and Marlena come to a crossroads that will forever change their destiny. 

Directed by critically-acclaimed filmmaker Francis Lawrence (Constantine), WATER FOR ELEPHANTS features fantastic supporting performances from Paul Schneider (Lars and the Real Girl), Jim Norton (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), Mark Povinelli (The Polar Express), Richard Brake (Batman Begins), and Academy Award®-nominee Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild).

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS will be available on Blu-ray and DVD in the U.S. Pre-book is September 21st.

Giveaway:

Get a chance to win a Water for Elephants Book + DVD

just fill out the form to join!

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[Review] Awakened by Ednah Walters

Awakened

by Ednah Walters

Publication Date: August 22, 2010

Publisher: Pill Hill Press

Format: Paperback, 272 pages

Most teens turn sixteen and get the license to drive, but Lil Falcon gets the license to kill demons.Orphaned as a child and raised by an eccentric grandfather, Lil is concerned in surviving high school and unaware that she's a Guardian-a being with super powers charged with killing demons and protecting humanity. When she meets Bran, a mysterious boy with amazing abilities, his psi energy unlocks her latent powers. But Bran has a secret that can ruin their growing relationship, an the truth she discovers may destroy everything she believes in unless she finds the right balance between love and sacrifice.

-Goodreads

Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Nobles

My thoughts!

This is a book that is hard to put down when you have already started reading it! I’m talking about a book that made me read from start to end when nothing made me do so for the past several days. This is so stunning I couldn’t stop but anticipate every next thing that might happen in the book.

Let’s just say I’ve read so much paranormal stuffs that I felt like I’ve had too much of them already. But this whole thing is somewhat different from what I usually get of every paranormal thing I read.

Ednah Walters’ Awakened is the first instalment of The Guardian Legacy series. It’s about this sixteen year old girl who learns she’s a more than what she thinks she is. Because apparently she’s a granddaughter of a very powerful Guardian. And there’s this dude who keeps stalking her because of the said reason.

Well the reason I really dig this book is because I had the feeling of thrill and excitement. It probably has to do with the characters and the story itself. Bran is not the usual bad boy type that we find on bad ass stories. Although that’s what his being a demon is trying to show. And well he’s not the very gentlemanly dude either. He’s just what he is. And he is a man with a mission. Lil didn’t strike me as a tough ass lady too. She’s not very quiet or soft either. I don’t know but I think I really like them in the ordinary way that makes it special for me.

The story too of course did something. I mean I wouldn’t be able to read it if it wasn’t interesting. Of course it made me want to know the ending. It was wonderful. I’d read the next one for sure. And you'd probably want it too.

Ratings:

Review by: 

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[Review] Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay

Juliet Immortal

by Stacey Jay

Publication Date: August 9, 2011

Publisher: Delacorte Books

Format: Hardcover, 320 pages

"These violent delights have violent ends And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which as they kiss consume."—Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

The most tragic love story in history . . .

Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love. 

-Goodreads

Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Nobles

My thoughts?

This book made me cry.

At the first few pages of reading the novel I was like “nyeeeeh”. I feel like its messing up the oh-so-romantic-and-tragic love story that Shakespeare created (im a sucker for the whole Romeo and Juliet, yes), but at the same time, for unexplainable reasons, I felt drawn towards it.

The main focus of the book was Juliet; her emotions, her miseries,her hopes, her what-ifs and her being torn between then-sweet now-bitter Romeo and new-found darling, Ben. The novel was so smartly and creatively written that it could make you wonder and think. Even I myself was contemplating whether to believe she’d gone enough trouble for her old hubby and vote for the new prince charming of her life or just stick with my original dude.

As I went with my reading I felt really hooked with the magic of its story, of the reactions it caused me--the fury and admiration I have for the bad bad Romeo, the puzzle of Juliet’s confusion and questions and feeling myself liking the new man, Ben. The events were wonderfully spun that the battle between the good (Juliet’s side), the bad (Romeo’s), and the core of the story’s revolution (hello Ben) were able to produce a super unique love triangle filled with thrilling moments, creepy scenes, and humorous dialogues between mockeries.

Romeo beams as if Ive handed him his life, “You wont regret this, Juliet. You are still the light in my darkness, the only beasuty I’ve…”

“Stop.”

He laughs. “A man has to try.”

The last part of the tale Stacey Jay had written was the most spectacular. Its like you’re in a movie where all those events are crashing into one big boom--Juliet accepting her inner regrets, the mystery that’s haunting all of them, and the epic drama of sacrificing for true love.

Ratings:

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