Saturday, October 29, 2011

Songs For Books (4)

Song: It Will Rain by Bruno Mars

Book: Personal Demons and Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers

If you ever leave me, baby,
Leave some morphine at my door
Cause it would take a whole lot of medication
To realize what we used to have,
We don't have it anymore.
There's no religion that could save me
No matter how long my knees are on the floor, oh
So keep in mind all the sacrifices I'm making
Will keep you by my side Will keep you from walking out the door.
Cause there'll be no sunlight if I lose you, baby
There'll be no clear skies if I lose you, baby
Just like the clouds, my eyes will do the same if you walk away
Everyday, it will rain, rain, rain
I'll never be your mother's favorite
Your daddy can't even look me in the eye
Oooh if I was in their shoes, I'd be doing the same thing
Saying there goes my little girl walking with that troublesome guy
But they're just afraid of something they can't understand
Oooh well little darling watch me change their minds
for you I'll try, I'll try, I'll try I'll pick up these broken pieces 'til I'm bleeding
 If that'll make you mine
Cause there'll be no sunlight if I lose you, baby
There'll be no clear skies if I lose you, baby
Just like the clouds, my eyes will do the same if you walk away Everyday, it will rain, rain, rain
Ooooh Don't you say goodbye, don't just say, goodbye I'll pick up these broken pieces 'til I'm bleeding
If that'll make it right
Cause there'll be no sunlight if I lose you, baby
There'll be no clear skies if I lose you, baby
 Just like the clouds, my eyes will do the same if you walk away
 Everyday, it will rain, rain, rain...
Cpied from MetroLyrics.com
 
The first time I heard that song, Frannie and Luc popped into my mind.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Waiting On Wednesday (3) Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted over at Breaking The Spine and it gives us the chance to shine the spotlight on books that we are eagerly waiting for.

This week my pick is...


                                                                        Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
   Expected Publication: December 6th 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry Books







Summary from Goodreads:In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.


With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.


Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?


As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.










Why I Can't Wait? Umm, Helloooo? Do I really need a reason other than the fact that I will get to see more of Jem and his super hot Jem-y-ness? I didn't think so.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Top Ten Tuesday (2): Books To Read Around Halloween

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke And The Bookish and this week the theme is Books To Read Around Halloween.









1. The Devouring by Simon Holt:
This trilogy still gives me cold chills when I think about it. And the very first time I read it was on the Winter Solstice. Yeah, kind of freaked me out. *SHUDDER* 






2. 7 Souls by Barnabas Miller: Go read the summary here  doesn't it sound creepy?



3. All Hallow's Eve by Vivian Vande Velde: I read this book a couple of Halloween's ago with my sister and found it delightfully creepy. I will never look at a scarecrow the same way again. Nor will I ever be able to hear the song "Up On The Housetop" without thinking of this book




4. The Hollow by Jessica Verday:
This book was based on The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow, and  absolutely loved it. I think that it fits perfectly with this theme.




5. Nevermore by Kelly Creagh:        
It ties in with Edgar Allan Poe... Need I say more?






6. The Mediator Series by Meg Cabot: This book is not super sreepy, but it still has ghosts in it. I think that makes it perfect for someone who doesn't want to be scared half to death. (Pun intended)




7. Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel:  It's not a scary book, but still, a zombie invasion... Seriously, how could I not include this book? It is way beyond awesome.






8. Rampant by Diana Peterfreund: Killer Unicorns. That is all.





9. Devoured by Amanda Marrone:  This is based loosely on Snow White, which is what drew my attention to it in the first place. But it's not the version we all remember from when we were little. And even though it is not Extra Super Duper Terrifying, it's still pretty creepy.





10. Walk Of The Spirits by Richie Tankersley Cusick:
I love this book, I couldn't NOT include it. It's made of pure Awesomeness.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Review: There You'll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones

My Rating: 5 Stars
Date Read: October 2011


Date Published: October 4, 2011 by Thomas Nelson
Paperback, 320 pages
   
Summary From Goodreads:    
In a small cottage house in rural Ireland, Finley discovers she can no longer outrun the past.
When Finley travels to Ireland as a foreign exchange student, she hopes to create a new identity and get some answers from the God who took her brother away and seems to have left her high and dry.
But from the moment she boards the plane and sits by Beckett Rush, teen star of the hottest vampire flicks, nothing goes according to Finley's plan.
When she gets too close to Beckett, a classmate goes on a mission to make sure Finley packs her bags, departs Ireland-and leaves Beckett alone.
Finley feels the pressure all around. As things start to fall apart, she begins to rely on a not-so-healthy method of taking control of her life.
Finley tries to balance it all-disasters on the set of Beckett's new movie, the demands of school, and her growing romance with one actor who is not what he seems. Yet Finley is also not who she portrays to Beckett and her friends.
For the first time in her life, Finley must get honest with herself to get right with God.



My Review:
Oh. Wow. I loved This book. It had me hooked from the very first page. I kept wondering what was going to happen next,
and I was so sad when it was finished. I wasn't ready for it to end!

This book was not light and fluffy, but it wasn't depressing as heck either. It was the perfect balance of both.  It's a Christian novel, but it didn't come off as sounding too preachy and pushy. It reminded me a lot like Caleb + Kate (Another
Christian book that I loved.)


Beckett Rush was extremely funny and entertaining. I loved how he was always "forgetting" Finley's name
and instead calling her every other name that started with the letter "F". My personal favorite was Flossie. For
some reason though, when reading about Beckett, I pictured Zac Efron. :)

Finley was such a sweet main character. She has to deal with many problems in the book but they're problems
that a lot of people go through, and she comes out stronger in the end.

This book will have you laughing and crying, and then laughing again. The romance between Beckett and Finley
was so sweet to watch, especially since they were both so determined to not  to like each other, and you just know that they
are perfect together. They both had their own issues, but seemed to balance each other out perfectly.

I really really liked this book (I know, now I'm being repetitive) This is my first book written by Jenny B. Jones,
but most definitely not my last. And the cover is absolutely GORGEOUS! Okay, that was random but I had to
throw that out there.

**I received this book from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review**

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Waiting On Wednesday: Touch Of Power By Maria V. Snyder

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted over at Breaking The Spine and it gives us the chance to shine the spotlight on books that we are eagerly waiting for.

This week my pick is...



 Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder. (I put up both of these covers because they're both so pretty)
Expected Publication:  December 20, 2011, MIRA

Summary From Goodreads: Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life....

Why I can't wait? I love All of Maria V. Snyder's previous books, and I have no doubt that this one will be equally amazing. The only downside I can foresee is the fact that *sniff sniff* Valek won't be there. Hopefully this book will give me another Hunky Hero that can take my mind off of him.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I picked because of the cover/title

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke And The Bookish, and this week the topic is Top Ten Books I Picked Up Because Of The Cover/Title. I laugh at this because I am really bad when it comes to judging a book by its cover/title. The first thing I look at is the cover, then I look at the title, and then I look at whatever else. It's very complicated but still, it seems to work for me.



1. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer


Okay, I debated for weeks about this book. It sat there on  the shelf at my library staring at me, asking to be picked up. I resisted for a long time, but finally I just got tired of it, and so I checked it out. And, surprisingly...I loved it. I stayed up way too late reading it. I'm a Twilighter and proud of it.
2. Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood 

I could have read this book earlier, but for some reason it didn't catch my interest until this version came out. Hmmm, I wonder why? ;) 



3. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson


This book was a combination of the cover and the title. I mean, seriously? Who wouldn't fall in love with it?
4. Entwined by Heather Dixon

I love Fairytales re-told, and I was in love with this book waaaay before I ever read it. The dress that the girl is wearing is beautfiul, and I love the flower pattern that's running all along the edges of the book.



5. The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin.
I love this book SOO much. I love the title, it sounds so mysterious. And I love the cover. Basically, I love everything about this book.

6.The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. 
This one was mostly just because of the title but, the cover is pretty awesome, too.


7.Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen

The  way they are dressed on the cover of this book reminds me of something you would see in one of those 1950s movies, and it's just so cute!!

8. The Host by Stephenie Meyer.
This one speaks for itself, I think.



9. Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

Again, it speaks for itself.





10. Hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

What I want to know is... Who hasn't fallen in love with this?

Monday, October 3, 2011

Review The Harvest of Grace by Cindy Woodsmall

My Rating: 4 stars
Date Read: October 2011


Date Published: September 6, 2011 by WaterBrook Press
Paperback, 352 pages


Summary from GoodReads:
Although Sylvia Fisher recognizes that most Old Order Amish women her age spend their hours managing a household and raising babies, she has just one focus—tending and nurturing the herd on her family’s dairy farm. But when a dangerous connection with an old beau forces her to move far from home, she decides to concentrate on a new start and pour her energy into reviving another family’s debt-ridden farm.After months in rehab, Aaron Blank returns home to sell his Daed’s failing farm and move his parents into an easier lifestyle. Two things stand in his way: the father who stubbornly refuses to recognize that Aaron has changed and the determined new farmhand his parents love like a daughter. Her influence on Aaron’s parents could ruin his plans to escape the burdens of farming and build a new life.Can Aaron and Sylvia find common ground? Or will their unflinching efforts toward opposite goals blur the bigger picture— a path to forgiveness, glimpses of grace, and the promise of love.

My Review:I have just recently started read Amish books, and I was surprised to find out that I liked them a lot.

The characters were all very easy to fall in love with, and I found myself flipping page after page, eager to find out was going to happen next.

There are several storylines going on at once, and it can get a little confusing as to what's going on if you're not paying attention, and especially if you haven't read the previous books. There is a "story so far" page at the begining of the book, and that will help, as long as you don't try and rush through it.

I liked that Sylvia isn't your typical Amish woman, she doesn't WANT to be your typical Amish woman, and she is more than willing to be out there taking a more hands-on approach. She like to be out working in the dairy farm


I was upset with Beckie and Elam, and sad to see how much Sylvia blamed herself for what happened, but everything managed to work itself out in the end.

I liked seeing Sylvia and Aaron's relationship as they grew closer, It was such a sweet romance.

I loved this book, and I know that my love for Amish fiction books will continue to grow as well.

I am very happy that WaterBrook Multnomah was able to provide me with a copy for review.