Book Blogger Hop #4

The Book Blogger Hop is a lovely meme conducted weekly to allow fellow book bloggers and book blog readers to discover new blogs we love to read! The Hop is hosted by Crazy-For-Books, for more information and other participating blogs please click the link!

This weeks question is:

“In honor of Banned Books Week, what is your favorite “banned or frequently challenged book”?"

 I couldn't pick between two of the books from the list, I just couldn't! So here are my equal favourites of "banned or frequently challenged book."

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead

 

           

These are two of my all time favourite books, I have to admit that I didn't know to much about banned books before this week, and I am probably still not all that informed about it but I was surprised at some of the titles on the list. I don't think it is right to have people telling you what you can and can't read. For more information about banned books week see the link above, and for the list of banned books for 2010-2011 please see here, and for banned books of 2009-2010 please see here.

Review: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
Release Date: September 7th 2010
Publisher: Little Brown/Poppy
Format: Paperback, 288
Series: No

Goodreads | Book Depository

My Rating: 5/5

From Goodreads: "Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "the Duff," she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren't so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone. And eventually, through this realization, Bianca begins to see how harmful her unhealthy way of dealing with her problems has been, and finds a way to confront them head on."

I know, I know, I'm seeing a pattern here. So far all of my reviews have been 4 or 5 stars. That's just because I haven't read any books recently that I haven't enjoyed thoroughly! But the moment I do, I will be sure to let you all know!

I was tossing up whether to give this book 4.5 or 5 stars. I decided on 5 stars because I just couldn't put this book down and on more than one occasion I caught myself with a big goofy smile while reading!

Bianca has a lot going on in her life right now, her mum is barely home and because of that her parents are constantly fighting. Her Dad receives unexpected divorce papers in the mail and gets thrown through a loop, relapsing into alcoholism. Bianca has heard her parents talk about his alcoholic ways in the past, though he had overcome this before she was born so she had never seen it first hand. With all this going on she needs a distraction, and in walks Wesley.

I have to say that I really didn't like Wesley calling Bianca 'the DUFF.' No one wants to be called that. Wesley does grow on me through out the book, when he reveals more about himself and he spends more time with Bianca. Though Bianca can't see it straight away, it's obvious that Wesley cares about her, he listens to her problems and notices when she doesn't seem right. Bianca realises that she is falling for this guy that she once hated with a passion, and tries to cut ties with him. Wesley, however, isn't going to let this happen, as he has already fallen for her.

I really did love this book, I couldn't get enough! When I finished it, I kind of wanted to pick it up and re-read it... This teen story full of family and friend drama and confusion in love, was excellently written and I will be sure to pick up Kody Keplinger's new book Shut Out as soon as possible!

Happy Reading!
- Amy

Top Ten and Teaser Tuesday # 3

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and The Bookish. Each week there is a new top ten list. This week it is:

The Top Ten Books I Want to Reread

1. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
2. Looking for Alaska - John Green
3. Poison Study - Maria V. Snyder
4. Eon - Alison Goodman
5. Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare
6. Ice Station - Matthew Reilly
7. City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
8. One for the Money - Janet Evanovich
9. Uglies - Scott Westerfeld
10. The Maze Runner - James Dashner

These are in no particular order!

Teaser Tuesday
 Is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

This week my teaser comes from:

The Duff - Kody Keplinger

"Thanks,” Toby said. “And if Wesley breaks your heart, I promise to . . . well, I would say I’d kick his ass, but we both
know that’s physically impossible.” He frowned down at his skinny arms. “So I’ll write him a strongly worded letter."
I am about to start this one, I have heard many good things about it!




What are the top ten books you would like to reread? Leave me a comment with your answer or a link to your Top Ten post! Also leave me links to your Teasers, I love to discover new bloggers as well as new books!

Happy reading!
- Amy

Book Blogger Hop and Follow Friday #3

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jen at Crazy-For-Books. It was created for book bloggers and readers to discover new blogs they wish to follow!


“As a blog reader, what information (besides the book review) do you like to see in other bloggers’ reviews of books? (For example – Author bio, social media links, book synopsis from Amazon/Goodreads or one written by the blogger, page count, ISBN number, link to purchase, etc.)”


As a blog reader, right off the bat I would like to know whether the reviewer liked the book or not. It doesn't necessarily have to be a rating, just a statement of whether you loved it, liked it, or didn't like it. I don't mind where the synopsis comes from, whether the reviewer writes it or it comes from Amazon/Goodreads. I like links to purchases or links to goodreads so I can easily add it to my constantly increasing to-read list! I like to know the page count but it isn't a big deal because I know that Goodreads will have it. 


The one thing that I think the review must have, is an image of the cover! I just like knowing what the covers look like, I don't necessarily 'judge' a book by it's cover, but I still like to know what the cover looks like. So I can put a cover to a book in my mind. 


What about you? What do you like to see in a book review?







Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Allison Can Read. For more information on how to participate please go to either of their blogs.


"Do you have a favorite series that you read over and over again? Tell us a bit about it and why you keep on revisiting it?"

Generally I don't like to re-read series over and over. If it has been a really long time since I have read the series, so I don't remember what happens, I may re-read it then. I prefer to discover new books and authors rather than go back to the books I have already read! I like to be surprised by the plot and characters, which I'm not if I'm re-reading a book! There are very few books that I have read more than once, but if I had nothing to read I would probably re-read the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. The books in this series are super fun and mostly light hearted. If I'm looking for a fun easy read and have nothing on the go already, I will pick these books up. The first in the series is called One for the Money. It's gotten to the point that I'm not sure what happens in which book, it all sort of blends together into one big long story.


Do you have a favourite series that you read over and over? Let me know in the comments below or leave me a link to your FF and/or Blog Hop!


Happy reading!
-Amy

Waiting on Wednesday #2 (on Thursday)

Hi everyone!

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking The Spine, for more information on how to participate please visit her page. 

This Wednesday I chose;

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Release Date: September 27th 2011

From Goodreads: "Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong."

I can't wait for this book to FINALLY come out!! Not to long to wait now. I'm sure most YA book bloggers will have heard about this one, if they haven't already read it that is! I have heard amazing things about this one, everyone who has already read it, has said that the less you know about the book prior to reading, the more enjoyable it is. The sooner I get my hands on this book, the better!

What is a book your waiting on this Wednesday??

Happy reading

- Amy

Top Ten and Teaser Tuesday # 2

Tuesday is here! 

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, this week it is; 

The top ten books I feel everyone has read except me

1. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.

I have been trying to get my hands on this one from my local library as I have been trying to save money. For some reason it had been in storage until recently and now I have so many books on my shelf waiting to be read that I want to finish first. But as soon as I do finish those books, I am going to be down at that library borrowing it!

2. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

I've heard great things about this book and will hopefully be able to get this one from my library as well!

3. Divergent by Veronica Roth

I have been itching to read this one since it first came out, but I have been trying to save money and it is to new for my library to have. It is on my to-buy list as soon as i get my next pay check!

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I nearly picked this one up at my library, but it just looked so thick and I had so many others I was borrowing already. I will get around to reading this though!

5. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Have been wanting to read this one also!! There is a waiting list for it at my library though, so hopefully I will be able to get my hands on it soon!

6. Sarah Dessen

Anything by Sarah Dessen, I feel that everyone has read at least one of her books but me! Hopefully soon I can join the party!

7. A Game of Thrones by George R Martin

I'm sure I will be reading this one soon as well, everyone seems to be reading it!

8. The Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa

So technically I have the first in this series on my shelf waiting to be read!

9. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

This one hasn't actually been released yet, but the people who were lucky enough to receive this one early, have been raving about it and i just need to read it as soon as I can!!

10. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I know I know! I should have already read this one, and I feel kind of bad that I haven't. I will get around to it, I swear!

Teaser

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Should Be Reading, for more info please check out their page. I've just started reading Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, so here is the teaser I chose!

"Look at me, Ethan. Am I Dark, or am I Light?" 
I looked at her, and I knew what she was. The girl I loved. The girl I would always love." 

I've only just started reading this but now I can't wait to get into it!!

What are some books that you haven't read and feel everyone else has? 

Happy reading!

-Amy

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Hi everyone!!

This is a meme hosted over at Book Journey, to show everyone what book bloggers have been reading or planning on reading! So here it goes!

Just finished reading
Iron Crowned - Richelle Mead

Currently reading
Beautiful Darkness - Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Reading Next
The Iron King - Julie Kagawa

What are you guys reading?

Review: An Abundance of Katherines - John Green

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Release date: September 9 2006
Publisher: Puffin Books
Format: Paperback, 227 pages
Series: No
Goodreads | Book Depository

My rating 4/5 stars

From Goodreads: "When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washedup child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy loving best friend riding shotgun but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself."

Let me start by saying that I love John Green's work! I have read Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns which are also by John Green and loved them both. So I was excited to read a third book of his. I have to admit that I was a bit worried when I saw the characters in the book take a road trip. Paper Towns involved a road trip and I was worried that it was going to be to similar for my liking. In saying that, the plot of the two books are very different, phew!

Colin has this infatuation with girls named Katherine, and only likes to date girls named Katherine. Colin knows everything about pretty much everything, with an amazing memory. He is, for lack of a better word, a nerd. He spends the majority of his time trying to create a formula to predict how long a relationship will last and who will be the one to end it. I liked Colin's character, I thought he was a bit of a know-it-all, but that didn't bother me too much.

Hassan, Colin's best (and only) friend, is almost the total opposite of Colin. Hassan isn't as bright as Colin and also doesn't ever want to go to College. He and his family are very religious, which he general tries to obied by... most of the time anyway.

Colin has been dumped 19 times by different Katherine's and has hit a slump. His latest Katherine dumps him and he is distraught. So distraught that his friend Hassan suggests a road trip to give Colin some adventure, which he has been highly lacking in his life. They don't make it very far into their road trip as they make a stop to see the grave of a Duke. They take a tour which is done by Lindsey who lives in the small town. Colin and Hassan end up staying in the town and Colin learns to come out of his shell and gets over his last Katherine!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. John Green has an amazing, but not complex, way with words that keeps me hooked to the characters and the story the entire way through. I wouldn't say this is my favourite of his books that I have read, but it was still an awesome read. If you enjoy John Green's other books, I would say that you will enjoy this one too. I'm looking forward to reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson next!

Book Blogger Hop #2 & Follow Friday

So it's finally Friday! I hope everyones week was good, and that your weekends are even better!

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jen over at crazy-for-books. For more information on how to participate please go to her blog.  This weeks Book Blogger Hop question is:

“As a book blogger, how do you introduce yourself in your profile?”

For book bloggers, I think it is important to let people who are new to your blog know what genre of books you read and will be reviewing etc. As much as I like to expand my book horizons, I also like following blogs with similar book tastes to myself. I don't go into to much detail, just give a bit of my book background. I do want to expand my 'about me,' I just havent gotten arround to it yet!


 


Follow friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read for more information please visit their sites!
Each week a question is asked for book bloggers to answer! Here is the question:


"It's that pesky magic book fairy again! She has another wish: What imaginary book world would you like to make a reality?"


That is such a hard question to answer!! Harry Potter is an obvious choice but also...Hmm I think I would like to in the world of The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. Or maybe the world of Anita Blake by Laurell K Hamilton... Like I said, thats a tough question! There are so many book worlds that are amazing!



Please leave a link to your FF so I can be sure to check that out! Happy Friday everyone!
- Amy

Top 100 YA reads!

Hi everyone!

So I saw that elizziebooks, posted this Top 100 YA reads list on her blog, showing which ones she had read and I thought what a great idea! Now I'm not sure where this list originated from, I tried to follow it back to the first blogger who did it, but it seemed never ending. So I have put the books that I have read in bold and the books I own that are in my to-read pile I underlined.

1. Alex Finn – Beastly
2. Alice Sebold – The Lovely Bones
3. Ally Carter – Gallagher Girls (1, 2, 3, 4)
4. Ally Condie – Matched
5. Alyson Noel – The Immortals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
6. Anastasia Hopcus – Shadow Hills
7. Angie Sage – Septimus Heap (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
8. Ann Brashares – The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (1, 2, 3, 4)
9. Anna Godbersen – Luxe (1, 2, 3, 4)
10. Anthony Horowitz – Alex Rider (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
11. Aprilynne Pike – Wings (1, 2, 3)
12. Becca Fitzpatrick – Hush, Hush (1, 2)
13. Brandon Mull – Fablehaven (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
14. Brian Selznick – The Invention of Hugo Cabret
15. Cassandra Clare – The Mortal Instruments (1, 2, 3, 4)
16. Carrie Jones – Need (1, 2, 3)
17. Carrie Ryan – The Forest of Hands and Teeth (1, 2, 3)
18. Christopher Paolini – Inheritance (1, 2, 3, 4)
19. Cinda Williams Chima – The Heir Chronicles (1, 2, 3)
20. Colleen Houck – Tigers Saga (1, 2)
21. Cornelia Funke – Inkheart (1, 2, 3)
22. Ellen Hopkins – Impulse
23. Eoin Colfer – Artemis Fowl (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
24. Faraaz Kazi – Truly, Madly, Deeply
25. Frank Beddor – The Looking Glass Wars (1, 2, 3)
26. Gabrielle Zevin – Elsewhere
27. Gail Carson Levine – Fairest
28. Holly Black – Tithe (1, 2, 3)
29. J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
30. James Dashner – The Maze Runner (1, 2)
31. James Patterson – Maximum Ride (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
32. Jay Asher – Thirteen Reasons Why
33. Jeanne DuPrau – Books of Ember (1, 2, 3, 4)
34. Jeff Kinney – Diary of a Wimpy Kid (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
35. John Boyne – The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
36. John Green – An Abundance of Katherines
37. John Green – Looking for Alaska
38. John Green – Paper Towns
39. Jonathan Stroud – Bartimaeus (1, 2, 3, 4)
40. Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl – Caster Chronicles (1, 2)
41. Kelley Armstrong – Darkest Powers (1, 2, 3)
42. Kristin Cashore – The Seven Kingdoms (1, 2)
43. Lauren Kate – Fallen (1, 2, 3)
44. Lemony Snicket – Series of Unfortunate Events (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
45. Libba Bray – Gemma Doyle (1, 2, 3)
46. Lisa McMann – Dream Catcher (1, 2, 3)
47. Louise Rennison – Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
48. M.T. Anderson – Feed
49. Maggie Stiefvater – The Wolves of Mercy Falls (1, 2, 3)
50. Margaret Peterson Haddix – Shadow Children (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
51. Maria V. Snyder – Study (1, 2, 3)
52. Markus Zusak – The Book Thief
53. Markus Zusak – I am the Messenger
54. Mark Haddon – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
55. Mary Ting – Crossroads
56. Maureen Johnson – Little Blue Envelope (1, 2)
57. Meg Cabot – All-American Girl (1, 2)
58. Meg Cabot – The Mediator (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
59. Meg Cabot – The Princess Diaries (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
60. Meg Rosoff – How I live now
61. Megan McCafferty – Jessica Darling (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
62. Megan Whalen Turner – The Queen’s Thief (1, 2, 3, 4)
63. Melina Marchetta – On the Jellicoe Road
64. Melissa de la Cruz – Blue Bloods (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
65. Melissa Marr – Wicked Lovely (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
66. Michael Grant – Gone (1, 2, 3, 4)
67. Nancy Farmer – The House of the Scorpion
68. Neal Shusterman – Unwind
69. Neil Gaiman – Coraline
70. Neil Gaiman – Stardust
71. Neil Gaiman – The Graveyard Book
72. P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast – House of Night (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
73. Philip Pullman – His Dark Materials (1, 2, 3)
74. Rachel Caine – The Morganville Vampires (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
75. Rachel Cohn & David Levithan – Nick; Norah’s Infinite Playlist
76. Richelle Mead – Vampire Academy (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
77. Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
78. Rom LcO’Feer – Somewhere carnal over 40 winks
79. S.L. Naeole – Grace (1, 2, 3, 4)
80. Sabrina Bryan & Julia DeVillers – Princess of Gossip
81. Sarah Dessen – Along for the Ride
82. Sarah Dessen – Lock and Key
83. Sarah Dessen – The Truth about Forever
84. Sara Shepard – Pretty Little Liars (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
85. Scott Westerfeld – Leviathan (1, 2)
86. Scott Westerfeld – Uglies (1, 2, 3)
87. Shannon Hale – Books of a Thousand Days
88. Shannon Hale – Princess Academy
89. Shannon Hale – The Books of Bayern (1, 2, 3, 4)
90. Sherman Alexie & Ellen Forney – The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
91. Simone Elkeles – Perfect Chemistry (1, 2, 3)
92. Stephanie Meyer – The Host
93. Stephanie Meyer – Twilight Saga (1, 2, 3, 4)
94. Sue Monk Kidd – The Secret Life of Bees
95. Susan Beth Pfeffer – Last Survivors (1, 2, 3)
96. Suzanne Collins – Hunger Games (1, 2, 3)
97. Suzanne Collins – Underland Chronicles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
98. Terry Pratchett – Tiffany Aching (1, 2, 3, 4)
99. Tonya Hurley – Ghost Girl (1, 2, 3)
100. Wendelin Van Draanen – Flipped

Wow, there are still so many books that I want to read on this list!! Feel free to copy the list and do this for yourself to see how many you have read! If you do it please leave a link below, I would love to check it out!

Happy reading!
- Amy

Booking Through Thursday #1

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme hosted over at BTT. For information on how to participate and the question we are asked, please check that out.


This weeks question: "Have you ever finished a book and loved it so much you went right back and started re-reading it again?"


My answer: The only book that I would probably have done this with is One for the Money by Janet Evanovich. That was only after I had finished the second one in the series. Since I didn't have the third and I wanted more Stephanie Plum, I started the first one again.  I didn't get right through it again the second time around, but it was just so fun and easy to read that I couldn't help myself. Also Grandma Mazur does something pretty funny early on in One for the Money, that I was dying to read again.


But other than that if I really loved a book I can't re-read it straight away (Janet Evanovich being the exception). Especially with YA paranormal books, sometimes they can be so full on and awesome that I need time to recover before I can re-read it. Most of the time I would prefer to find a new book to read than to re-read one. But if I'm in the right mood I will re-read one.


So leave a comment below of your Thursday post and I will be sure to check it out. Alternatively you can answer the question in the comments :)


Happy reading!
- Amy

Waiting on Wednesday #1: Clockwork Prince

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, to showcase much anticipated upcoming releases! 


This week my selection is:



Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare


Publication date: December 6th 2011

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books


Format: Hardcover, 528 pages




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, but 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."

I can't wait for the release of this one! I want to re-read Clockwork Angel before it comes out. So I can re-familiarise myself with the world of the Shadowhunters!

What are you guys waiting for on this Wednesday? Leave a comment with your choice or the link to your blog post :)


Happy reading!
- Amy