Thursday, August 16, 2012

Liebster Blog Award

I have been awarded with two Liebster Blog Awards!
Thank you so much Sydney and Nicole !
Photobucket


What is The Liebster Blog Award? Well, it's an award given to upcoming bloggers who have less than or close to 200 followers.

Here's how you participate:
1. Each person must post 10 facts about themselves
 2. Answer the questions that the tagger has asked and make up questions for the people you've tagged.
 3. Choose 5 people to tag.
 4. Tell them about the award on their blog.
 5. Remember, no tag backs.

Ten Facts About Me:
1. Nancy Drew is what peaked my interest in reading. (I'm still obsessed with the Nancy Drew computer games!)
2. I don't drink soda, tea, or coffee. I live on water, milk, and juice.
3. I love the color blue, almost all my clothes, except my Twilight shirts, are blue.
4. I own 66 Twilight shirts, no lie I count them a lot...
5. I have watched Twilight 76 times.
6. I own not one, or two, but 5 Twilight life-size cutouts! :D
7. I wear a flower in my hair everyday of spring and summer.
8. I have never read Harry Potter and have only seen one Harry Potter movie. (the Goblet of Fire because Robert Pattinson was in it!)
9. I have been on 5 cruise ships so far.
10. I play the snare drum, piano, and guitar.

The 11 questions I was asked:
1. What color(s) do you dislike?
Brown. I hate brown because it clashes with my hair...and reminds me of dirt.
2. What is a quote that you live by?
Everything happens for a reason.
3. Do you have a lucky object? What is it?
My Cullen Crest pin. Hehe I'm so twilight obsessed, but I DID wear it when Booboo stewart hugged me all eight times :D
4. What is your dream job?
Author of course!
5. Would you rather have a gigantic, extravagant wedding or a small and intimate one?
A mixture of both. It would be intimate, yet still extravagent!
6. What is your favorite holiday?
Halloween because that's when all the freaks like me come out! But really because I love decorating and witches are my favorite kind of character.
7. If you could live anywhere, where would you live and why?
Forks, Washington. You really have to ask why? Lol because the Cullens live there, duh! :D
8. What is your preferred beverage?
Chocolate milk, yum!
9. What language would you most like to learn?
French, because I want to live in Paris.
10. What is your worst vacation memory?
This actually happened this summer. I went on a bike tour in Key West, Florida in 110 degree weather. I have never been so hot and miserable in my life. I don't even like biking!
11. What toppings do you like on your pizza?
Extra cheese with bacon, heck yeah!
 
 


Questions for the Tagged to Answer:
1. What is the worst book you have read?
2. Who is your celebrity crush?
3. What is your favorite tv show?
4. What is your favorite number?
5. Describe yourself in 3 words.
6. What is the funniest thing you have ever read in a book?
7. If you could invent a word, what would it be? What would it mean?
8. What is your number 1 place to shop?
9. What do your friends call you? Any nicknames?
10. What is your ultimate favorite place to go?

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Released: March 22 2011
Publisher: Philomel Books
Page Amount: 344, US Hardback
POV: 1st Person (Lina)
Buy it here: Barnes & Noble
Amazon


OVERALL:
Plot-17/20
Characters-19/20
Creativity-18/20
Writing-18/20
Pace-7/10
Ending-9/10
=88/100 B
/5




SUMMARY:
Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously--and at great risk--documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives.
 
-Goodreads

REViEW:
Let me begin by saying historical novels are not my cup of tea. I already can't sit through history let alone read historical books for fun. I knew that when I picked up this book, but it was on sale. I was actually pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the plot and felt a lot of sympathy towards the characters. I didn't particularly like the flashbacks though. They had to do with the present, but I thought it slowed down the pace. I did, however, love the evident emotion and was surprised by how attached to the story I became.

The characters were very well written. I could easily relate to Lina and really enjoyed her voice. Her family all had a great personalities and I really loved her little brother. The drama surrounding being separated from some family really added emotion to the story. Andrius and his mother were also very vividly drawn. The romance in this book was heart-wrenching and very heart-warming at times. Overall the ending and the characters really contributed to my enjoyment of this book.

The ending was so amazing. It was really simple, but it really fit the story and left me content. I can't imagine the book ending any other way. Sometimes an ending can make a book 10x better, this book was an example of that. I am really glad I picked up this book, even though it isn't my favorite genre.

My Favorite Part: The ending, I absolutely adored it!



ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? Yes, it's touching and it's a little bit of history.


Thank you all for reading!


It's a Book Thing
Review by Macy ♥

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby
Released: May 3, 2011
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Page Amount: 232, US Hardback
POV: 1st Person (Anna)
Buy it here: Barnes & NobleAmazon



OVERALL:
Plot-17/20
Characters-19/20
Creativity-19/20
Writing-17/20
Pace-9/10
Ending-8/10
=89/100 B
/5



SUMMARY:
I read once that water is a symbol for emotions. And for a while now, I've thought maybe my mother drowned in both.
Anna's life is upended when her father accepts a job transfer the summer before her junior year. It's bad enough that she has to leave her friends and her life behind, but her dad is moving them to the beach where her parents first met and fell in love- a place awash in memories that Anna would just as soon leave under the surface.While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide means that nothing- not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna's mother's death- stays buried forever. -Goodreads

REViEW:
This book intrigued me from the summary. I love plots that involve family secrets and mysteries. This book had a lot to do with Anna wondering why her mother died. As morbid as it sounds, that really drew me in. I connected with the story because I could feel Anna's mother's emotional struggles through flashbacks. The plot was interesting, but I felt as if some things were prolonged a little more than needed. I felt like some things needed to be connected more, because at some points the story seemed disjointed.

The characters added such emotion to this book. Anna was an interesting protagonist. She was the typical new girl in a new town. I really liked her journey to find out more about her mom. Her emotional struggle was evident and I loved how at times she felt hopeless and other times she was strong. She was realistic. So was the heartthrob of the book, Tyler. Tyler was the off-limits lifeguard that immediately fell for Anna. I loved the way he loosened Anna up and made her feel comfortable. He really added to this book because he helped Anna overcome her fears. The characters all fit together in their broken ways, and I really enjoyed that. There more little stories within Anna's.

The ending was pretty good. I liked the events leading up to the very end a little more though. I enjoyed the ending nontheless, it was a little bit simple, but it was still touching and emotional. I'm glad it all worked out. I can picture Anna having a wonderful time in Crystal Cove, which is amazing!

My Favorite Part: Anna's finding out why her mother died.


ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? Yes, it's a pretty touching read.


Thanks for reading! Sorry I haven't posted much... I just got back from a vacation and have to catch up on all the homework I have avoided to do.


It's a Book Thing
Review by Macy ♥

Thursday, August 2, 2012

August Awesomeness

AUGUST AWESOMENESS!

Hello fellow book lovers! I cannot believe summer is almost over. I just want it to last forever. There is so much left that I want to do and read! Agh who needs school anyway? Haha. So anyway I read 5 books in July which is pretty good. I would've read more but right now I'm reading two 500+ page books so they take a little longer to finish. I'm trying to read at least 40 more books before Christmas because I want to have read the majority of my books so that I can refill my shelves on Christmas. I can already tell it's going to be a bookish Christmas for me! 

Books I Plan to Read:
1. Spirit Bound
2. Beautiful Darkness

3. Last Sacrifice
4. Midnight Alley
5. Hide and Seek
6. Just For Fins

Reviews I Plan to Post:
1. Moonglass
2. We'll Always Have Summer
3. Between Shades of Gray
4. Spirit Bound
5. Beautiful Darkness

Question: would you be interested reading reviews of classics too? Let me know! Also, you can follow me on Twitter and Facebook now (more info on Contact Me page). If you have any comments, questions, or recommendations please let me know!
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