The Vincent Boys : Review

Book two in my three day marathon.

The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines

★★★★☆

I can't choose between and 3 and 4 star rating so let's go with 3.5 (which I will put in as 4 stars just to give the book the benefit of the doubt).

Ash, Sawyer, and Beau have been friends since they were five. Ash and Beau were partners in crime and Sawyer was always the one getting them out of trouble. Then Ash and Sawyer start dating and the threesome's dynamic is disturbed. Ash changes herself for Sawyer and Beau and Ash's friendship is completely gone. One summer, while Sawyer is on vacation with his family, Beau and Ash rekindle their friendship and start coming to terms with other feelings that they may have had for each other all along.

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I never though I would like a guy named Beau, but there's always a first, right?

Beau has had feelings for Ash for a very long time, the problem is that his cousin (who is more like a brother) got to Ash first. Now Beau has to sit on the side and watch Ash and Sawyer together. He loves Ash and knows that he would do anything for her. The summer that Sawyer is away, Beau basically has to decide if his love for Ash is greater than his love for Sawyer.

Ash feels like she has to be the perfect girl because her boyfriend, Sawyer, has the reputation of being the good boy. The problem is that Ash has a inner wild child side of her. Growing up she's never been the goody-two-shoes kind of person and Beau seems to be the only one that remembers that side of her. Maybe she's had feelings for Beau all along but its hard to do anything about those feelings when she's dating Beau's best friend/cousin and when Beau has basically spent the last three years ignoring her. Plus, Beau is the town bad boy and there is no way that the town's "good girl" can date him.

I love Beau's love for Ash and his protectiveness. I totally get Ash's conflicts in having feelings for Beau. I appreciated that the story took place over a few months rather than a week or even one month cause that's a whole lot of happening for just one month.




There's a lot of stuff that happens throughout the novel. Things you may see coming and things you might not. Secrets are revealed, the bigger one happened towards the end and left me with my jaw on the floor. I never saw that coming, though maybe I should have.

Of course, Beau isn't all bad. There are other sides to him, some sweet and some sad. If you can't tell already, Beau was kind of my favorite character in this book.

This novel had it's awww, OMG, and WTF moments. It even got a bit steamy in the beginning. I'll probably end up reading the sequel. I'm in no hurry though because it isn't exactly continuing the story. The sequel is from Sawyer and Lana's perspectives (whereas this was from Beau and Ash' POV). It'll be interesting to find out more about Sawyer and to see how his and Lana's dynamic is going to be. I have a feeling that it might/probably not/won't be as intense as Beau and Ash's was.

The Sky Is Everywhere : Review

I've been reading like a maniac lately which is why I haven't posted anything in three days. I've been reading a book a day (like a maniac) which means I have three books to write a review on. So, here's the first one.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

★★★☆☆

Lennie Walker has just lost her older sister, Bailey, due to a heart arrhythmia. Now, she is trying to deal with the aftermath of it all. In some ways she's angry at her sister for the secrets that she apparently been keeping. She is angry at herself for the feelings that she is feeling. Lennie isn't  sure where to go with her life without her sister being in it and now she's torn between lust for Tobey, her's sister's boyfriend, and first love for Joe, the hot new kid in school.
This is a story about loss, grief, and first love.

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I'm going to be totally and completely honest and say that this book didn't really touch me. It's got everything it could possibly need to touch you on an emotional level, in a way that most books aren't able to do. For me, this magic just didn't happen. I didn't connect with Lennie. I didn't feel the sadness and grief she felt about losing Bailey. I didn't feel her anger. I didn't feel her love for Joe and I didn't feel her lust for Tobey. Maybe this is just because I've never experienced a loss like Lennie has, but still I would assume that loss is a unviersal feeling that everyone would understand even if they haven't experienced it first hand. Thus, when reading a book like this, people should just be able to "get it." Right?

All that aside, there were things I did like about the book. I loved Joe. He was the perfect dream guy/ first love. Lennie's initial descriptions of him were hilarious. (bat bat bat) I totally connected with him when he was angry at Lennie, later on in the book.

Tobey and Lennie's relationship was something that I did understand to some extent. The whole time I was reading about it, my head was thinking "No. No. No" but my heart was saying "awww."

Lennie's poems that are presented throughout the book are beautiful and the discovery about the poems at the very end was really sweet. My favorite ones were where she writes that her sister is looking down from heaven and listening to her music (Music is a big theme in the book) or even the one where she writes that her sister was the one who sent Joe for her.

All in all, the book wasn't bad by any means. It also wasn't the best sad books I've read. I didn't move me or touch me but it was a good read.

Across the Universe : Review

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

★★★★☆

 Amy has been cryogenically frozen, not to be awakened for another 300 years when the spaceship, Godspeed, lands on the new planet designated for human habitation. Things don't go according to plan and Amy is unfrozen 50 years ahead of schedule.
Elder is set to be the next captain of the ship, something he's known his whole life. As he trains under the current captain, Eldest, he begins to question the way things are run on the ship and becomes highly suspicious of Eldest for keeping so many secrets from him.
It turns that there might be a murderer on the ship who is trying to kill off the frozen people. Who is doing this? And why?

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This book is an amazing combination of sci-fi, mystery, and romance. The pace was great. It just got faster and better as it went on, and if you know me, you know that the pace is a big part of whether I like to book or not.

Elder and Amy are completely different. Elder has grown up on a ship where everyone is now monoethnic. There is no diversity because, according to Eldest, "difference is the first cause of discord." Everyone aboard the ship, except for the frozen, all share the same olive skin, brown eyes, and dark hair. Most citizens on the ship don't know about the frozen and have never seen anyone with different features. Then comes Amy with her green eyes, pale skin, and red hair. She's nothing like what anyone's seen before and to most people she is a "freak" but to Elder, her differences are what make her that much more special.

Beth Revis does an amazing job portraying both sides of Amy's presence on the ship. We see what Amy feels when she's forced into life on this ship, a life completely different from what she was used to on Earth. Now, Amy's side is something we could understand because her life on Earth is closer to what our life on Earth is than what life on the ship is like. What was more impressive was also being able to understand the mentality of everyone else on the ship. The regular people and the "crazies" in the hospital ward, alike.

Elder and Amy's romance isn't really much of a romance at first. Elder likes her from the very beginning but Amy doesn't know that and when she does come to find out she isn't sure if he really likes her or if it's a result of some other influence. Really, their romance doesn't start till towards the end.

The mystery aspect in the story was amazing! I knew who the killer was from around the middle of the book. Well, okay, I didn't know but I had an idea/theory which turned out to be right. Also, my other idea/theory about the killer was also right! I also found the connection between the people the murderer tried to kill before Amy and Elder did. Not to say that the book is very predictable. I mean, maybe when you read the book you might figure it out early too but, even though I knew and had a really good idea of who it was, it was still really exciting when the revelation happened in the book. Usually, when a book is predictable and you figure things out ahead of time, then when the revelation actually happens, it seems dull and boring. That was not the case here. The revelation happened but there were also other things, secrets and such, that I didn't know about. There were so many other things that were brought to light that I didn't guess. It's like, just when you think you know everything, you realize that you really don't know everything.

The ending! WOW! There was so much happening towards the end of the book. The pace of this book was like a ball rolling down a hill. It starts at a decent pace but picks up more and more speed as it goes. Maybe as more mysteries/questions are presented, the ball gets bigger and a larger ball means more force and more speed. It was amazing. So many secrets! So many revelations! Up till the last page, it was, OMG amazing! I forced myself to stay up till 5 am just to finish it because I couldn't wait till I woke up to find out what happens in the last 15% of the book. I'm sure I would have been restless in my sleep and so I had to finish it.


My favorite character was Harley. He was really sweet and his story was really sad.

The Season was absolutely bizarre!! It was crazy and disgusting and I felt exactly what Amy was feeling. Grossed out and disgusted. I'm getting back those nasty visuals just thinking about it.

Also, can I just mention how great the cover is. The cover is great. It took me a little while to realize that there were actual faces on there. I love the stars, this is important because they kind of play a role in the story.

Knowing what I know now, I'm not sure what is going to happen in A Million Suns but I can't wait to find out. I have one theory but nothing to base it on so I'll just keep it to myself and let you know if I was right about this one too.

Liebster Blog!

Looks like it's award season in blogville and yours truly is off to one amazing debut in the blogging world. I've been nominated for not one, but two different blogging awards in one week! Crazy, right? This is really exciting. I've never really been nominated for much of anything.... like, ever, in all my 19 years of life. I feel like Jennifer Lawrence after she did Winter's Bone, a movie not many people watched I'm assuming, and got nominated for an Oscar.

Maybe now I will rise to fame and star in the blogging equivalent of the Hunger's Game movie. A girl can dream.

The first award is the Liebster Award. I would like to give my bow of appreciation to KrizziaKaye from Off to My World for nominating me.

The Liebster Award is given to blogs/bloggers who have put a considerable amount of effort into their blog and have less than 200 followers. It's origins are German and Liebster means "favorite" (according to Google Translate) or "dearest, beloved, or friend." (According to Off to My World)

Rules:
1. Each person must post 10 facts about themselves.
2. Answer 10 questions the tagger has given you and give 10 questions for the people you've tagged.
3. Choose 10 people and link them in your post.
4. Give these people 10 questions to answer.
5. Tell them you've tagged them.
6. Remember, no tag backs.

10 Facts

1. I don't like chocolate ice cream or chocolate milk or chocolate cake (unless the cake has a fudgy icing or if its a brownie). Is brownie a cake? 
2. I'm a romantic in denial.
3. My guilty pleasure is pictures of food.
4. I have a feeling that I will probably be reading young adult novels way past my young adult days. 
5. I am a homebody.
6. I love music. I like to think I have a pretty diverse taste in it as well.
7. I love cinnamon-y foods.
8. Tarzan is my favorite Disney/childhood movie.
9. I am planning on become a doctor within the next decade. I can't imagine doing anything else, unless there was a job that paid me to just read books of my choice (and paid me at least decently), maybe I would consider that but I'll still probably ending up choosing medicine.
10.  I love quotes.

10 Answers

    1.  Ebook or paperback?
         I can't really choose. I haven't read a paperback in a while because I've mostly been reading ebooks. I also just got my Kindle on Friday and love it so much. There's a novelty to the pages and having a physical book but I'm okay with the Kindle books too.
    2.  Any favorite author?
        I think I have to say Sarah Dessen because I've read all but one of her books and I've loved each of them. She's also the only author that I've read various books from (not counting series).
    3.  Does a book cover effect your want to buy a book?
        Definitely! If the cover doesn't catch my eye I probably won't bother reading the synopsis.
    4.  Where do you usually read?
        In my room or some quiet place where I can isolate myself from the rest of the world.
    5.  Ever liked the movie more than the book?
        NEVER!
    6.  Aside from books what other things are you passionate about?
        Music (listening not playing), photography, movies.
    7.  Any favorite type of music or singer in particular?
        Taylor Swift, Eminem. I guess I don't have a particularly favorite type of music.
    8.  What country do you most want to visit? Why?
        Maybe the Maldives, or somewhere really tropical because I want to that blue water with my own eyes.
    9.  What is your favorite food?
         Chinese, Italian and Mediterranean.
   10.  What do you enjoy most about blogging?
         Being able to share my thoughts on a book and knowing that other people are actually reading my words.

10 Questions 

1. What book do you most want to see as a movie? (Can't choose one that is already a movie or in works to be a movie.)
2. Favorite character?
3. What is your biggest pet peeve?
4. Which book did you end up liking more than you expected to?
5. Any strange habits? What is it?
6. All time favorite book? One book that you would recommend to everyone?
7. Favorite quote?
8. Least favorite character?
9. Least favorite title/cover?
10. Fantasy (vampires, werewolves, angels, etc.) or dystopian (Hunger Games, Divergent, Matched, etc.)?

10 Blogs (I'll add till I get to 10)

1. Bookdictive Reviews
2. Leopard Kitty Books
3. We ❤ YA Books! 

Everneath : Review

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

★★★★★

Nicki Beckett makes a decision to take part in The Feed where Cole, an Everliving, will "feed" off her emotions in the Everneath for a century. Once the Feed is over Nicki makes a decision to return to the surface (where only six month have passed) and make things right by saying a proper goodbye before her impending return to the Everneath.

Cole is trying to convince Nikki to join him as an Everliving and, together, make a run for the throne. Jack, Nikki's boyrfriend from before the feed, is trying to find out why Nikki ran away (of course this is what everyone believes) and is trying to renew their friendship which seems to have completely dissolved.

The story switches between Then and Now (before the feed and after the feed) and we get to see why Nikki chose to take part and why she chose to return.
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Wow! This book was so much better than I was expecting it to be. It was just so good! So good! I've never seen mythology being incorporated into a fictional novel like this (the only other mythology infused novels I've read are from the Percy Jackson series) and the story was just AMAZING.

There is a true love triangle. There really is a decision to be made between Cole and Jack, though Cole technically cannot or should not be able to feel love. And I was completely engrossed in it all. I can't wait to see where the story is going to go with the next book. I have to hang tight till Jan 22nd. D:

I can't even explain how good this book was. It just got better and better and better. If you haven't read it, just go read it right now. It was amazing, phenomenal, fantastic, and every possible positive word that can be said about a book.

This wait for Everbound to come out is going to drive me crazy. I bet this is what people who read Hunger Games or Divergent right when they came out (before they became so popular) felt like.

There is going to be a book called Neverfall coming out. It will #1.5 in the Everneath series. According to Brodi Ashton (the author), "It will be a bridge book between Everneath and Everbound, and will dig deeper into Cole's intentions." She assures us that it won't be a necessary read in order to make sense of Everbound but I will still be getting it because 1) I kinda like Cole and 2) I need something to get me through these next 5 months or so.

Also, I found Brodi Ashton's blog if you want to check it out.

Vampire Academy : Review

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

★★★★★

Rose Hathaway is a dhampir in training. Dhampir's go on to become guardians to vampires and Rose's goal is to become the guardian of her best friend Lissa Dragomir, a vampire princess. Rose and Lissa share a special bond in which Rose feels everything Lissa does and at times can also see what Lissa sees. Rose and Lissa had run away from St.Vladimir Academy due to unknown dangers but now they've been brought back. As Rose's punishment, she is banned from all social activity and must train with Dimitri Belikov, Lissa's new guardian, in order to get caught up in her training.  Rose and Lissa soon discover that the danger they'd been running from is still presents. Secrets are unveiled. Romance is kindled . And so, one of the best series I've ever started begins.

I've seen Vampire Academy books around many times and not once have I been interested in reading any of them. Well, until now I guess. First of all, the name was a huge turn off. I'm not that into fantasy novels and especially not vampire novels. The only vampire novels I've ever read is the Twilight Series and even that I started reading after a lot of hesitation. Secondly, look at the cover. It's not that appealing to my eyes so I probably skimmed right over it. I know, I know. You're not supposed to judge a book by it's cover and all that but when you're in the bookstore you have to have someway of filtering the hundreds of book on the shelf in front of you, right? Who has the time to read the back/inside cover of each and every one? I sure don't. My filter is covers. Books that have covers like any of Sarah Dessen novels will get a chance while all the rest are ignored (for the most part).

This book was, of course, ignored, but I realized that there must be some reason that so many people are reading it and liking it. So I went and read the synopsis and realized it was more modern vampire than old school vampire novel. (I guess I was picturing something Dracula-esque or Middle Ages, or something) Also, in the synopsis it said something about "forbidden romance" and that definitely caught my attention. So I had to give it a try.

I'm rambling. I know. I'm getting to the point now.

I LOVED it! Seriously, it's one of the best books I've ever read. The narration was amazing. There was an easy flow to it and the story was relatively fast paced. There was always something going on and it was always entertaining. There was romance, as guaranteed, but not too much. I guess that's being saved for the rest of the books in the series. There was humor. I'm talking actual laugh out loud moments. There were great quotes, funny and sweet. And the best part of the whole book was Rose. She is the main character and the POV and she was amazing! She might actually be my favorite character ever. She's tough and has an attitude. I love her attitude. She has witty comebacks for everything and she knows how to tell someone off. I loved Rose.

This book could have easily been a stand alone. Generally, in the first book of a series there's a lot of introducing of characters, setting up plot and basically, laying the foundation onto which the rest of the series can build on. This book has all of that but it executes it in a way that you don't realize that that is what's happening. Generally first books of a series are slow(er) but this one wasn't. With first books, there's almost always a dull beginning(compared to the rest) where a ton of explaining is going on and the story doesn't really even start till half way through. That is not the case with Vampire Academy. If this was the dull beginning then I can't even imagine how great the rest of the books are going to be.

I can't wait to read the next one and the one after and the one after, etc. I can't wait to find out what's going to happen next and to see what's up with that forbidden romance. I didn't even want to read the synopsis for the second book, Frostbite, cause I wanted the whole thing to be a surprise. (Though I did read the first line D: )

P.S. Can you believe that the girl on the cover is a drawing and not a photograph!?

Book Review: Matched

Matched by Ally Condie

★★★☆☆

Cassia gets matched to her best friend, Xander. She is happy about this and is sure that the system and the Society is right about everything. As she views Xander's profile on her card, another face flashes on the screen, Ky Markham. Ky is an aberration. He has a very limited citizenship in the Society, one in which the privilege of getting matched is not granted. Even though the Officials assure her that it was just a glitch in the system, Cassia begins to question whether the Society really is right and who she is really meant to be with, Ky or Xander.

First of all, let me just say that I love the cover. Actually I love the cover for all the books in the series. They're perfect. (I just realized that this dress on the cover is probably supposed to be the dress Cassia wears to the Matching Ceremony). of

Alright, so I started reading in the beginning of June and just finished it last week. It took me a couple months to get through it and the whole time I was thinking that maybe this was because the ebook version just wasn't working for me. Or that I had hit a reader's block of sorts. I was basically coming up with excuse after excuse as to why it was taking me so long but now I've finally faced the truth. The book was slow. It was dull at parts and the story moved at a snail's pace. There wasn't all that much going on at times. The hiking scenes were inconsistent. Sometimes they were good and exciting and the rest of the time they were really boring. That being said, I did get through the book and my overall impression was pretty good. I liked the idea behind it and I love Ky. The ending was great, it did exactly what the ending of a book in a series is supposed to do. It made me want to read the next one. I will definitely be picking up a copy of Crossed and I hope that it turns out to be better than Matched. (fingers crossed... no pun intended)

On a different note, I've noticed people advocating Team Ky and Team Xander but I don't think there really is a choice to be made. It's not much of a love triangle. Xander likes Cassia, yes. Ky likes Cassia, yes. But I think Cassia's choice (don't worry, I won't tell, in case you haven't read it) is pretty clear for the most part. Maybe she's a little unsure in the beginning but then she knows exactly who she wants to be with and there is no question about it. The other person, the guy she doesn't chose, isn't even there that much in the book.

This is what I imagine Ky to look like.

All in all, Matched will not be going on my favorites list and it also won't be a book that will come to the top of my mind when recommending dystopian or ya or ya romance to someone but reading it wasn't a waste of time either.

100 Best Teen Novels

NPR did a poll of 75,000+ people on the 'best-ever teen novels'! 

Here is the list. 

I was just scrolling through the above mentioned list and noticed that there were two John Green novels in the top 10. Two. I haven't read a single John Green novel but now I'm going to have to move Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars higher up on my to-read list. Nevermind, I just remembered that I read An Abundance of Katherines. 

Wow! So many of these books I've either read or they are in line on my to-read list.

Ender's Game (The Movie): Part 2

I guess it's a good thing that it's taken so long for the movie to be made. It means we'll get great special effects that look completely real rather than old school tacky styled effects. Do you think it's going to be 3D? I hope not. I feel like 3D should be saved for movies that have the great visuals (like Avatar or Lord of the Rings) not for any random movie just so they can make more money. But that's business, I guess.

Here's the cast.

Character: Ender Wiggin
Actor: Asa Butterfield
As Seen In: Hugo, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
My Thoughts: Perfect! I can totally picture him as Ender and those eyes! Wow those eyes are just AMAZING!

Character: Valentine Wiggin (Ender's loving older sister)
Actor: Abigail Breslin
As Seen In: Little Miss Sunshine, My Sister's Keeper, New Year's Eve
My Thoughts: Hmmm. I don't really know how I pictured Valentine to be but I can see Abigail Breslin fitting into that character pretty well. She already comes off as very nice and sweet which is key for Valentine's character.

Character: Peter Wiggin (Ender's violent, potentially crazy older brother)
Actor: Jimmy "Jax" Pinchak
As Seen In:
My Thoughts: I don't know who this guy is and I've never seen anything he's acted in but based on this picture I can totally see him being crazy Peter.

Character: Colonel Hyrum Graff (Supervises Ender's training and places obstacles and challenges for Ender to deal with while and Battle School)
Actor: Harrison Ford
As Seen In: Star Wars, Indiana Jones
My Thoughts: I can't really picture Harrison Ford as Graff. This one I'm just going to have to see to really know if I like him as this character or not.

Character: Julian Bean Delphiki (Ender's classmate; Bean is very fond of Ender; He is also the main character in the spin-off series)
Actor: Aramis Knight
As Seen In:
My Thoughts: Bean is supposed to be younger than Ender but he looks older, at least in this picture.

Character: Petra Arkanian (One of the few girls at Battle School; she's also one of the first friends Ender makes)
Actor: Hailee Steinfeld
As Seen In: True Grit
My Thoughts: I can definitely picture this. Also, can we take note of how gorgeous she is!

Character:  Mazer Rackham (A hero from the last war with the Buggers)
Actor: Ben Kingsley
As Seen In: Shutter Island, Ghandi, Schindler's List

Character:  Bonzo Madrid (leader of the first army that Ender is put into in Battle School, Salamander Army)
Actor: Moises Arias
As Seen In: Hannah Montana

Character:  Major Gwen Anderson (Second in Command under Col. Graff)
Actor: Viola Davis
As Seen In: The Help

Character:  Alai (Ender's first friend in Battle School; they're both in the same initiation group and Alai is a big supporter of Ender)
Actor: Suraj Partha
As Seen In:
My Thoughts: I always thought Alai was African, but this works too.

Character:  Fly Molo (was Ender's second closest friend, the first being Bean)
Actor: Brandon Soo Hoo
As Seen In:

Character: Dink Meeker (Ender's toon leader in Rat Army; he was the first to really trust that Ender knew what he was doing)
Actor:  Khylin Rhambo
As Seen In:








P.S. I know I said (in the last post) that I was going to post this the next day and this is obviously not posted on the next day. Sorry, but I've been busy reading. Finally finished Matched (I'll do a quick review on it soon) and now I'm working on Vampire Academy, which, by the way, is really good.

Ender's Game (The Movie): Part I

Has anyone else read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card? It's a sci-fi novel with aliens, spaceships and the whole shabang.

via the Wikipedia page

The story is about a young boy named Ender. He lives on Earth during a time where kids are monitored from a young age to determine if they are fit for battle. If deemed fit, they're sent to Battle School in space to prepare them for potential future war with alien species. Ender is chosen for Battle School and sent to live on a space station. Normally, new recruits spend a certain amount of time in basic training before they're put into the "armies" of Battle School, but Ender is special and he gets put into an army much earlier than everyone else. He's the smallest and the weakest and no one looks at him as a threat. Ender, though, happens to be very smart, especially when it comes to strategy and his actions in the training room begin to get noticed as his name makes it to the top of the rankings. In the spirit of not spoiling the story, I'll just say that the rest of the book follows Ender's journey while he's at Battle School and what happens not long after.

Ender's Game is part of a series, though the following books are about Ender as an adult, whereas this one is childhood and early teenage years. (There's also a spin off that follows some of the characters from Ender's Game, on Earth, right after the end of this book.)


Anyways, the whole point of this is to let everyone know that they (as in those Hollywood people) are making a movie! This is ridiculously exciting for me right now. I've read pretty much the whole series (except Xenocide) as well as the spin-off series and I was kind of disappointed to know that a movie didn't exist. I mean, this book has won multiple awards, is relatively popular/well-known and it's been around for a while. Nowadays, a book comes out, becomes crazy popular and a movie is made withing 5 years. Ender's Game came out in 1985. It is now 2012. That's 27 years and no movie. Not even a tv movie!

Artistic interpretation of Ender Wiggin

I should probably explain at this point why this movie is so exciting for me. I guess there's the obvious, when one of your favorite books gets turned into a movie you are going to experience some level of excitement. It's inevitable. Actually, you'll probably experience some excitement even if its not one of your favorites. But this book is not only one of my favorites but it also happens to hold a very special title in my reading career (if I may call it that).

See, I'm not a big sci-fi fan. I run far away from sci-fi. If it's aliens and other planets kind of sci-fi, I won't even so much as give a second look to the book. Nope. Thanks but no thanks. If it's not such an extreme sci-fi but still has hints of it, like books set in the future but not too far into the future (think Hunger Games and Matched) I am usually pretty hesitant at first and so far the pattern has been that I only read these kind of books when nothing else seems to interest me at the time. Obviously, based on what I've just said, Ender's Game falls into the category of sci-fi to which I don't give a second glance. My dad, on the other hand, is a huge sci-fi fan. I'm pretty sure that 99% of the books he reads are sci-fi. He's been trying for years to convert me and has failed over and over again with every book he's suggested, except... Yeah, you guess it, Ender's Game. So I read the book thinking "Fine, I'll give it a try just for my dad." Little did I know that I would like it as much as I did.

Phew. Deep breath. I didn't realize I was going to have so much to say so I guess I'll save the details about the movie for tomorrow.
Stay Tuned.

Book Trailers! WHAT?

Ok, so I just recently discovered that book trailers are a real thing! As in, theres a trailer video for the book same way there is a trailer for a movie. The only difference is that to find out the full story you have to read rather than watch. I know. Crazy, right?

This is a breakthrough in the world of literature.

I don't know about the rest of you guys but I love watching trailers, for movies, music videos, tv shows, etc. It's kind of a hobby (I know, it's wierd... but whatever). The bonus to having a trailer for a book is that you get a visual to what the characters look like and what certain scenes look like! It's almost as exciting as finding out that one of your favorite books is being made into a movie. Almost. Not quite there because obviously a trailer is limited, but something is definitely better than nothing.

In case you aren't sold on this idea, I present the trailer for Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles. This is official.

And, Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles.

Need I say more? I think not.

Food Photography

Have you ever seen pictures of food that look like this?

from here 

 Or this?

This ones Martha Stewart. Go figure!

And then wondered how they got their food to look so amazing and perfect? Have you ever wondered why your food always turns out looking like this?

From here 

Yeah, me too. I've come to the conclusion, after hours and hours of browsing through amazing food pictures via pinterest and tumblr that the people who took those pictures have some sort of magic wand/oven/stove/etc. that made that kind of perfection possible. There is absolutely no way that food could look like that without some kind of magical factor involved. There is no way! I've tried and tried and my cooking doesn't even come close.