The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

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The Summer I Turned Pretty
by Jenny Han

Pages: 276
Release Date: June 3rd 2010
Publisher: Puffin
Series: Summer #1
Other books in Series: It's Not Summer Without You, We'll always have Summer
Source: For Review from Publishers
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository | B&N
Add it: Goodreads


Some summers are just destined to be pretty.
Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer -- they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along
.


My Thoughts
Okay, so let's get a few things cleared and out of the way first of all. If you're a sucker for summer lovin' romance, beach and hot boys this book is right up your street. It's just totally for you. Those elements are what makes this the perfect summer read. Although The Summer I Turned Pretty wasn't as good as I thought it will be, I still enjoyed it and I liked reading it a lot.

Enter Belly. She's this girl who's cute and really kiddy I guess. She turns pretty and everything changes. People look at her differently and by people I say in specifics- Conrad and Jeremiah. Jeremiah is like the guy who's just your really bestest friend or brother even. He's so much fun and such great company. Then there's Conrad. And what can I say... Dude, he iss hot. (Not that Jer isn't) But then there's all the other little qualities that Conrad has. The annoying kind.

And another guy comes into the picture too. Cam. Bleugh. I rather no talk about him. Why did he need to come into the book at all!? You guys will definitely understand my dislike for this guy, when you read this. He takes up majority of the word count but I gotta admit he is a decent guy. But my heart is only for Con and Jer :D

Another thing, there's quite a few flash backs back from Belly's childhood and all those memories that she had at The Cousins. My all time favourite place! It really helps to understand Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah and how things were like. There's not much of a plot in The Summer I Turned Pretty. Though Han doesn't let us down by giving us scenes and moments that take our breath away. Especially near the end. And it's that ending that makes me crave for the next book, It's Not Summer Without You :)

Top Ten Books I Hope Future Generations Will Still Read

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 It's Top Ten Tuesday (hosted at The Broke and the Bookish) and the topic is:
Top 10 Books Written in the Past 10 Years
That I Hope People Are Still Reading in 30 Years
You know, this list was actually extremely difficult to compile. Whenever I found a great book, I had to make sure it was fit for the topic. And as you can guess, on many occasions it was not. So, please excuse the lack of books in my list as it most definitely does not consist of ten. Muhahahaha =L
 
1. Harry Potter books by J K Rowling - Duh! Though unfortunately, in this case the last three books of the series seeing as they only fit within the 10 year span. You can't say I aynt following the rules ;)
 
 
3. The Princess Diaries collection by Meg Cabot - Absolutely hilarious series that I completely adore. The books never fails to put a smile on my face!
 
4. Mates, Dates series by Cathy Hopkins - Fun, cute books for younger teens :)
 
5. Looking for Alaska by John Green -You can learn a lot from this. It's John Green, guys! 
 
 
6. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin - It has an amazing concept. That is all. 
 
7. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver -I'm sure there still will be some stuck up girls within the next 30 years. A great book of self thought that will give readers a lot to think about.

 

 
 These books really need to stay popular. What do you think of my picks? 

Letterbox Love (01)

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I'm not going to be participating in In My Mailbox anymore due to recent events which I don't want to be involved with. So instead, I'm going to do a Letterbox Love post! Letterbox Love is a weekly meme hosted by Lynsey at Narratively Speaking. It is the UK alternative to IMM, where we get to showcase all the great books we've received during the week!


For Review:
This is one heck of a book seriously, the second book in Divergent trilogy. I loved reading it! You can read my review here.
I haven't actually read the first book in the series to this one so I don't think I'll be reading this anytime soon. Though, it does sound really good. I think it's a dystopian too!
Yet again, I haven't read all the other books in the series. There's like what, three or four other books? Which by the way are sitting untouched on my bookshelf. Another series I really want to read. I love vampires :)
I've actually already read this when it was released in the US. I LOVE it. Especially because there's Art and Poems. Two of my other hobbies. Guys, you gotta pick this up. And I will be reviewing this at the end of June, so keep your eyes peeled!
I've read this too as well, a few months ago, I think. I've even reviewed this here. You have to check this out and you will just see how much and why I fell in love with this book. Another thing, I'm taking part in the UK blog tour so watcha out for my post with Hannah Harrington!

Won:
Alas, my collection is complete! This is one of my favourite series. EVER. Read them, and read them NOW. Thanks so much to the awesome Kris @ A Book From Snowy Rivers :)

What did you get in your letterbox?
Leave your links in the comments :)

Heaven by Christoph Marzi

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Heaven
by Christoph Marzi

Pages: 384
Release Date: February 2nd 2012
Publisher: Orchard
Source: ARC from Publishers
Add it: Goodreads
 
The night that Heaven lost her heart was cold and moonless. But the blade that sliced it out was warm with her dark blood... David Pettyfer is taking a shortcut over the dark rooftops of London's brooding houses, when he literally stumbles across Heaven: a strange, beautiful, distraught girl who says that bad men have stolen her heart. Yet she's still alive... And so begins David and Heaven's wild, exciting and mysterious adventure - to find Heaven's heart, and to discover the incredible truth about her origins. Part thriller, part love story and part fairy tale, this brilliantly original novel from a bestselling German author will take your breath away...

My Thoughts
Can I just say that Heaven was one of the weirdest yet interesting books I've read. Don't get me wrong. I say weird in the nicest way possible seeing as I have I really enjoyed reading Heaven. It was a fascinating read.

Let's elaborate on the 'weird' shall I? It'll probably be a tinsy winsy bit spoilery but it's only after reading this will I believe you'll really want to just get into it. So this is how it goes, exactly. It's the beginning of the story and there's this guy that's a Hunter. What this hunter does is snatches peoples hearts (WDF right?) and so the victims end up dying, as to be expected. Then there's this girl, Heaven, from which he snatches her heart. Now this is the weird part, the girl that has no heart, get this... she g e t s u p and runs away!

Doesn't that just get you thinking! When I read those lines, I was just sitting there with a WHAT face. I even read that page again in case I missed something? And after that, everything just gets even more interesting. There's another character main character David too. He's like one of those geeky guys you get. Geeky but cute ;)

Heaven continues on to be a great read. It's simply that one hell of a plot that gets you going. That really gets you reading. Hmmmm, what else can I say other that read it. You'll be intrigued. You count on it!

Dearly Departed by Lia Habel

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Dearly Departed
by Lia Habel

Pages: 451
Release Date: September 29th 2011
Publisher: Doubleday Children's Books
Source: ARC from Publishers
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository | B&N
Add it: Goodreads


Love can never die.
Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?
In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love
.

My Thoughts
Dearly Departed was a surprisingly enjoyable read. I say surprised only because I attempted to read it a first time round, and when I did, I didn't get into the story much. So then I left it planning on reading it some other time. Then! I read a few reviews of bloggers that loved it so I jumped to my second attempt*. Anddddd I la la loved it.

I connected to Nora instantly. Her personality was great to connect with.. That girl has got attitude. I could so be very good mates with her. (Ha!) She handles situations not so goodly at first which can be excused as I believe that if we take into account the situation in hand it is pretty acceptable. But then she does get to grips with it in the end. Oh and we're talking Zombiesss, people!

Yes you heard me rightly so. But you know what? It's all good! Zombies are actually pretty cool especially all the characters in Dearly Departed. They're all funny and nice. I don't dislike any of them at all. Though, I have to admit, I have a favourite!

BRAM**. How could I not. He's really sweet. Care to guess the only downfall? He's a zombie. I can't seem to imagine hot zombies but if you're counting the guy on the this cover... Mother, MAY I? :D

There's a lot of action too. The different POVs we're introduced with all play a role in it. I wasn't really keen on some of the action parts. To be honest, I'm not an action type of person. However, the events at the end really had me going. I'm so glad I decided to give Dearly Departed another try! There's even a second book! I had no friggin idea. Ahhh I'm craving more. Cannot wait!

*Another dominant reason I gave it another try was because of that dashing cover! Come on, it's really pretty and so I wanted to keep a copy on my bookshelf so I can just show off it's prettiness LOL!

**Did I mention a hot romance? No I don't think I did. So! GUYS. There's a HOT ROMANCE. What you waiting for?     

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

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Insurgent
by Veronica Roth

Pages: 525
Release Date: May 1st 2012
Publisher: HarperColins
Series: Divergent #2
Other books in series: Divergent
Source: For Review from Publishers
Buy it: Amazon | The Book Depository | B&N
Add it: Goodreads

War looms in sixteen-year-old Tris’s dark dystopian world as disputes between the factions grow. Tris must now fight against all odds to discover the truth that can save her and the people she loves. Sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge – and the choices she makes will have devastating and unexpected consequences.



My Thoughts
Let me just start with expressing my love for Divergent. It was love you guys! Like, love at first sight read. I did not believe even for a second that Insurgent will be able to surpass my Divergent. Could things possible get even better? No friggin way... Errr, yes way! Boy was I so wrong. With everything too, not that I'm complaining. Insurgent is one damn good read.

I dived into Insurgent as soon as I got my copy. We are brought right where Divergent left off, thankfully something I can work with. Tris, Four, Caleb, Peter and Marcus now reside at the Amity faction having survived from the dreadful attacks by the Erudite. There's more where that action came from too, a lot more is brought into this addition.

Especially Tris! Talk about character development. We see so much more from her, what she can do and what she's capable of. I love everything about her. With the death of Will, she's been emotianally unstable and it's also something that stays with her and I think makes her a whole lot more stronger too. Then there's Tris and Four.

I am just going to dive into the deep end and tell you what we see less them. How I just love this couple. They have just have to be one of the cutest and my most favourite. But Awrhh. Yes I know people, I hear your pain and feel your despair. BUT, there's nothing to fear. I say this because, we do however get moments with Tris and Four. REAL moments. And, I can happily tick off intensity, passion and hot kissing right off the list. They are all there! Their relationship is real too meaning that it's not all lovey dovey and gushy gushy. They have bumps in the road and even though its all quite unnerving, it's what completes their relationship.

FOUR. Yes am indeed going to take up some time gushing and fan girgling on everything Four. What can I say about this guy. I am undeniably and irrevocably in love with him. We get a good glimpse of our Four. So much more is revealed, his flaws his secrets. God, I just love him. His intrigue, his kindness, his sudden angst yet undeniable care towards Tris, makes him Four. And dude, he is so damn SMART. I swear, you'll see why his actions really amaze me. Four's Erudite side of him has be a very dominating factor. Oh I just have so much love for this guy.

I am actually a bit glad that we're not with Tris and Four all of the time. Yes you heard me correctly. Meaning that, this isn't a YA book that predominantly revolves around the romance aspect of things. Hey, the romance is what gives it that spark, but then we're left with the plot, the factions, the other characters, I'm talking about the BIG picture that brings it to life you know. That makes Divergent, DIVERGENT that makes Insurgent INSURGENT.

So we're brought with the bigger picture. The ACTION. It is just so so much better, so much full of energy and suspense. It's safe to say that Roth has done us justice. We are brought with whole sheebang, the good the bad and a heart stopping ending as we expected. However, what we're left with is truly breathtaking.

New books released this May

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A new month brings new books!
Now in this May 2012, many thrilling young adult books have been released, sitting in the bookstores waiting for people like you and me to pick up and indulge!
Here are a few...
(All titles linked to Goodreads)
May 1st
 Life Eternal by Yvonne Woon
Black Dawn by Rachel Caine

Graveminder by Melissa Marr
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
May 3rd
Broken Dream by Eden Maguire
The Anti-Prom by Abby McDonald

 Slated by Teri Terry
May 4th
New Girl by Paige Harbinson
The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

May 7th | May 8th | May 10th
 How to Keep a Boy as a Pet by Diane Messidoro
City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
Endure by Carrie Jones

May 12th | May 24th
 Ghost Flower by Michelle Jaffe
Changeling by Philippa Gregory

What do you want to read or need to read?