The Perks of Being Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Buy the book:

Amazon / TBD

Author's:

Twitter / Goodreads

Book summary:

"Charlie is a freshman.

And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his year yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it.

Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But he can't stay on the sidelines forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor."

"This moment will just be another story someday."

     My sister and I don't usually like same books. She loved the movie, read the book and told me that it was a blast. I try to stay away from the books she recommends me, but I didn't want to watch the movie without reading book first. And... I got hooked from the first line.I think I filled six pages in my "quote-diary".

     Charlie is this weird kid just starting high school. He doesn't fit in and has all kinds of stuff going on in his head. Everything we found out about him is trough his letters to some anonymous friend from his school. I know that some people didn't like Charlie very much for this or that, but there are lot of kids like him out there. I'm guessing that my teaching experience started to influence on the way I understand books I read, especially if main character is teenager. And yes, I liked his teacher, Mr. Anderson. I hope that I could influence some of my kids that way. So far they are just grunting when I give them extra homework.

    When I read parts about mix tapes, I thought my face would crack from all the smiling. Now, everyone makes playlists for their mp3 players - you pick the song and click on "add to the list". Done. Back then, making mix tape was a whole process. It wasn't that easy. I had tons of them - we made them for each other as birthday gifts, for parties, heartbreak mix tapes, girl power mix tapes, getting ready for Saturday night mix tapes... And The Smiths!!!!:D My favorite is This Charming Man, but I like Asleep too.

     Other thing I really liked is ending. It is left "open", we don't really know if everything is going to be okay in Charlie's life and it's not all "unicorns and rainbows" happily ever after. His friends moved on and he is on his own now, better than before, but there are still lot of things to work on.

     I will finish this post with one of my favorites quotes from the book:

 "It's much easier to not know things sometimes. Things change and friends leave. And life doesn't stop for anybody. I wanted to laugh. Or maybe get mad. Or maybe shrug at how strange everybody was, especially me. I think the idea is that every person has to live for his or her own life and than make the choice to share it with other people. You can't just sit their and put everybody's lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love. You just can't. You have to do things. I'm going to do what I want to do. I'm going to be who I really am. And I'm going to figure out what that is. And we could all sit around and wonder and feel bad about each other and blame a lot of people for what they did or didn't do or what they didn't know. I don't know. I guess there could always be someone to blame. It's just different. Maybe it's good to put things in perspective, but sometimes, I think that the only perspective is to really be there. Because it's okay to feel things. I was really there. And that was enough to make me feel infinite. I feel infinite."

    
 Until next time,

Wicked Kiss (Nightwatchers #2) by Michelle Rowen

 

Release date: February 26th, 2013.

Buy the book:

Amazon / The Book Depository

Author's:

Webpage / Twitter / Facebook

Book summary:

"I used to be ordinary Samantha Day, but that's changed. Now, after one dark kiss from a dangerous boy, I can steal someone's soul...or their life. If I give in to the constant hunger inside me, I hurt anyone I kiss. If I don't...I hurt myself.

Bishop is the one whose kiss I crave most, but if I kiss him, I'll kill him. Then there's another boy, one I can't hurt. One whose kiss seems to miraculously quell my hunger. They're both part of a team of angels and demons that's joined forces in my city to fight a mysterious rising darkness, an evil that threatens everyone I know and love. I just wonder if I'll be able to help Bishop-or if I'm just another part of the darkness he's sworn to destroy.... "

So much better than Dark Kiss

      I haven't read paranormal novels for a long, long time. I guess I had a bad case of sups overload. It was about time, right? I'm happy that my big comeback started with second book in Nightwatchers series by Michelle Rowen. (You can find my review for Dark Kiss here.)
      I love books about angels, but so far books about this type of supernatural creatures tended to be disappointing. My biggest problem with first novel was that it didn't feel believable, but I didn't have that issue with Wicked Kiss. It wasn't absolutely perfect, there were few things that bothered me, but it's solid 4 stars.
      Story continues were it ended in Dark Kiss - we are following Samantha in her struggle to get her soul back and put her life back together after some shocking discoveries. One thing I can promise you is that you will be blown away when you read about Bishop and Kraven's past. Also, there is new angel in town and she is one of those kick ass girls - I loved her.
     I don't know how many books will there be - I hope one more, two max - it wouldn't be brightest idea to drag this series on and on. I can already tell that  the next sequel will include Salvatore brothers/Elena type of love triangle - Michelle, please, don't do that! Make our Sam a strong girl who is devoted to that one special guy.

Until next time,

***NOTE! Copy of the book is kindly provided by the publisher, Harlequin Teen. I'm not paid for writing review - I do this for free as lover of written word. All opinions in this review are personal.

Deity (Covenant #3) & Elixir (Covenant #3.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Author's

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Book summary: 

"History is on repeat, and things didn't go so well the last time. "

Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday--to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she's a goner... and so is Aiden. 

If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time "training"--which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time--she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome. 

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she's caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed... and destroyed. 

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate...

     I try to hold my ground when it comes to these books. I don't wanna be that crazy fan-girl going all insane about the book, but sometimes it's hard as hell not to do so. In this case even harder. It's not a big secret that Aiden is some sort of a god for me and really that's true. I can't help myself cause I don't hold my ground when it comes to this. This is just for you to understand that I'm let's say biased when it comes to this book.

       That all started with the Half-Blood and continued with Pure, well I could say it exploded in Deity. Seeing how Jennifer managed to connect the story about some forbidden love with the ancient gods and something more stronger than all that was amazing. The story was simple at the beginning but now sometimes I though like there were ten books and not just three. Deity like all books from this series was rollercoaster of emotions with addition of those awesome myths and legends about ancient Greek gods. There is still the fight between those who rule and those who want to rule, but there is also that inner fight in Alex which reached its peak in Deity.

        I know I haven't told you anything about the story and sorry for that but it's hard to say anything without spoiling the story. Yeah sorry for reading, well...nothing? At the end of the day all of you who love the first books in this series you'll love this one too. For those who haven't read them yet...what the hell are you waiting for?

Rating: 5 stars.

This ebook is free for download at Spencer Hill Press' website

  Book summary: 

Aiden St. Delphi will do anything to save Alex. 

Even if it means doing the one thing he will never forgive himself for. 

Even if it means making war against the gods.

          I really love Jennifer for a lot of things, mostly for giving us those amazing books and being so easy to contact and the relationship she has with us her fans, and yet another reason is for giving us these novellas for free and plus writing it in Aiden's POV. I really cannot ask for more.

         Being in Aiden's thoughts was special experience. It wasn't something new cause in other books you could clearly see what he felt. Still it was heart-breaking. Seeing him fight against everything, his love and himself, mostly the one he cannot live without was really touching.

        I'm sure that all girls (and boys) from Team Aiden will be more than happy with this book. I don't rate these novellas but I love this one.

Until the next time,

Timekeeper by Alexandra Monir

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Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

Author's 

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Book summary:

When Philip Walker appears as a new student in Michele Windsor's high school class, she is floored. He is the love she thought she lost forever when they said goodbye during her time travels last century. Overjoyed that they can resume the relationship they had a lifetime ago, Michele eagerly approaches him and discovers the unthinkable: he doesn't remember her. In fact, he doesn't seem to remember anything about the Philip Walker of 1910.

Michele then finds her father's journals, which tell stories of his time-traveling past. As she digs deeper, she learns about his entanglement with a mysterious and powerful organization called the Time Society and his dealings with a vengeful Windsor ancestor. Michele soon finds herself at the center of a rift over 120 years in the making, one whose resolution will have life-or-death consequences.

      You have no idea how happy I was once this book was published. I waited for so long cause Timeless was something special to me. I couldn't wait to see what happens next. Oh you know that joy when you start reading the book you waited for so long - priceless.

       We're back with Michele. The girl who told us the story about time traveling, her family and her love in Timeless. Now after everything that happened her life is back to normal or at least for some time. The trouble is always at the corner how they would say it. Also something she couldn't believe happened - Philip kept his promise. This story is combination of Michele's and her dad's POV as well as the society that belongs to timekeepers. It's hard to explain how they all coexist in just this one book but for those who have read the Timeless might understand.

       To say that I enjoyed this story would be truth. But for one Timeless set my expectations on high, really high. I enjoyed that story and as much I enjoyed this one Timeless brought a real experience to me. I'm happy that this one didn't disappoint so much. Also I really should read more books that deal with time-traveling.

Rating: 4 stars.

Until the next time,

Waiting on Wednesday (#32)

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme created by Breaking the Spine. Here are our picks for this week.

Glass' pick

After getting hurt in college by a gorgeous man, Nicole Magette vowed never to risk losing her heart again. Now she lives a structured and satisfying life. Her work is easy, her friends are her family, and the only consistent men in her life are her two cats, Winchester and Huntington Peabody the Third. She doesn't date, and she hooks up only with losers—men she has absolutely no risk of falling for. But if she finds herself in danger, she has her old fail-safe in place—the Code Red.

In college, she and her four best friends came up with the system as a way to keep away the good-looking bastards that might worm their way past their carefully constructed walls. Seven years later, three of her friends have succumbed to their last Code Reds and are happily married. Now it’s just Nicole and her closest friend, Jen, who are still on their own, and Nic is just fine with that.

That is, until Joshua Daniels is transferred to Nicole’s office from New York and assigned to work with her on a special project. He's everything she's avoided and everything she claims she doesn't want, so why can’t she get him out of her mind? He's persistent, dangerously handsome, and sexy as sin. In other words, he’s her worst nightmare. She turns to her friends to help her resist Josh’s considerable charms and the inescapable draw she feels every time she gets near him. Can the Code Red save her this time, or will Josh send her perfectly balanced life into chaos?

Expected publication: April 11th, 2013

Tanja's pick

The Passage meets Ender’s Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.
After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up

Expected publication: May 7th, 2013

We'd love to see your picks so feel free to link them up in comments.

Until the next time,

Tanja's Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Favorite Characters In Paranormal/Fantasy/Contemporary Genre

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. As you all know every Tuesday I pick top ten picks on certain task. Here are my picks for this week. I couldn't decide which genre to pick so this is in no particular order.

Fantasy 

1. Hermione Granger. Let's be real - we all wanted to be her when we grow up. I mean I did and I still do as a matter of fact.

2. The Little Prince. This little boy is something special for me. It'll always be.

3. Bailey from The Night Circus. Of all the characters from this story she felt the closest to me.

Paranormal 

4. Aiden St. Delphi . Let's just say every time I see a glimpse of this boy I melt.

5. Sam from The Wolves of Mercy Falls. I'd love to see him playing guitar and discuss books with him.

6. Rose Hathaway. She was my fist fictional kick-butt girl. I've met many others later but you know you what they say for the firsts.

Contemporary

7. August Pullman from Wonder. No one can tell you a true and honest story as a kid can do. August was a wonderful storyteller.

8. Abel from The Storyteller. Ah you can tell me a story any day at any time.

9. Thomas Mackee. Glass will kill me for this, but I've finished the book only few days ago and I still can't forget about this boy.

and

10. Mr. Darcy...just because. :)

I'd love to see your picks so feel free to link them up in comments.

Until the next time,

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

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Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

Author's 

Website / Blog / Twitter

Book summary:

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

       We all know Gayle Forman, right. The lady who captivated us with a story about Mia and Adam in If I Stay series. Honestly that was the main reason why I wanted this book so badly. Luckily all the waiting payed off, cause Miss Forman really knows how to write a story.

       Allyson (later known as LuLu) is a girl with a perfect graduation gift. She has got a possibility to travel around Europe with her best friend during the summer. Only problem with traveling is that you sometimes expect too much. Not that Allyson haven't seen all the magic of European cities still the journey is not how she expected it to be. Not until the very end of it, or what she thought would be the end. In London she meets Willem who takes her to Paris - the city she mostly looked forward to. For the first time she is able to enjoy the city on her own terms. No more crazy teenagers who are there to get drunk and do stupid things. At the end it's not maybe the journey it's the company what matters the most. She discovers the beauty of Paris and something more. Something that will change her forever.

       It's fascinating, at least for me, how I could enjoy this story without finding some connections with LuLu. She is not me and dunno...I just couldn't connect with her, but still the story kept me awake at night. That's the magic of the writing. I really love the way this story is written. As for the cliffhanger - I won't forget you this Miss Forman.

Rating: 5 stars.

Until the next time,

Quote of the week: The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta

I always try to pick a book that I've read this week and pick some quote from it. Sometimes it's hard to decide, but let me tell you when one of the books I've read that week is written by Melina then the pick will be from it book. So this week I've finished The Piper's Son. As always there is plenty of quotes but here are some.

“Maybe she'd always been there. Maybe strangers enter your heart first and then you spent the rest of your life searching for them. ” 

“Don't let anyone take care of you. Can you maybe leave that for me to do? I mean, take care of you? Feel free to take care of me in return... because I think I'll need you to do that.” 

“I’m scared I’m going to spend the rest of my life in a state of yearning, regardless of where I am.” 

My review for this book to come sometime this week. I hope so.

Until the next time,

Splintered by A.G. Howard

Buy the book at 

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

Author's 

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Book summary: 

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

       It's really tricky to read retellings, at least for me. Somehow they tend to disappoint and I usually avoid them, but after hearing all the great things about this book I simply had to read it. Luckily it didn't disappoint.

       We all know the story about Alice (is it just me or this story is mostly used for retellings) but somehow the author managed to create really interesting story about this one. We're in present and reading about this girl whose great, great mother was the famous Alice in Wonderland. Even today after all these years people know her last name and tend to make reference to the fairy tale. Only there is another thing her mother is in asylum cause she couldn't take all the voices anymore. Now Alyssa has the same problem cause the voices are talking to her too. She must find a way to break a curse and for that she must go to Wonderland, the land she dreamed so much about.

       If I had to describe this story I'd say it was enjoyable, readable and full of action. Just how it should be. Of course I wasn't happy about some things, but nothing that I couldn't go over with. Now I'm happy that I gave this book a try. Luckily it didn't play any tricks with one of my favourite fairy tale.

Rating: 4 stars.

Until the next time,

Wherever You Go by Heather Davis

Buy the book at 

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

Author's 

Website / Facebook / Twitter

Book summary: 

Seventeen-year-old Holly Mullen has felt lost and lonely ever since her boyfriend, Rob, died in a tragic accident. The fact that she has to spend most of her free time caring for her little sister and Alzheimer’s-stricken grandfather doesn’t help. But Holly has no idea that as she goes about her days, Rob’s ghost is watching over her. He isn’t happy when he sees his best friend, Jason, reach out to help Holly with her grandfather—but as a ghost, he can do nothing to stop it. Is his best friend really falling for his girlfriend?

     As Holly wonders whether to open her heart to Jason, the past comes back to haunt her. Her grandfather claims to be communicating with the ghost of Rob. Could the messages he has for Holly be real? And if so, how can the loved ones Rob left behind help his tortured soul make it to the other side?

     Told from the perspectives of Holly, Jason, and Rob,Wherever You Go is is a poignant story about making peace with the past, opening your heart to love, and finding the courage to move forward into the light.

      Thanks to this 2013-TBR-pile-challenge I started reading the books that have been on my shelf forever. Of course I should have read this one a while ago but that's me after all.

      Wherever You Go took me by surprise mostly because I haven't read the blurb (surprise, surprise) and it took me some time to catch everything, but once I did everything started flowing easily. Here we have a story about Holly, the girl who by the all circumstances grew up too early. Being only 17 she must take care about a lot of things - her sister, education and recently her grandpa. With all that she has recently lost her boyfriend, Rob. Her now dead boyfriend is still around, he is watching her. There is also Jason, Rob's best friend, who tries to help her as much as he can, cause he feels that she is special. He is the boy with different type of life and now he must pass all the challenges that are coming in order to help Holly. This is story about girl who has almost lost her life as a teenager, she has too much responsibilities on her mind. This is a story about letting go cause Rob must continue his way into unknown. And this is story about Jason, who is now starting to understand some things and has to sort his life out in order to be satisfied.

     I really enjoyed reading about all of them. At moments this book was fanny but it also brought tears to my eyes. In my opinion beautifully written story about growing up and dealing with all sorts of troubles in life. 

Rating: 5 stars.

Until the next time,