Showcase Sunday #3

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme held by Books, Biscuits and Tea. It allows fellow bloggers to show off any books or bookish things they've complied over the week.

This week I found some books I've been wanting for a while over at bookoutlet. As always, some ridiculously cheap pricing there. So it's always hard to resist.

Purchased

The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1) by Lemony Snicket

The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan
Prophecy by Ellen Oh
The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd
Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff
The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze

Library

The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

Won

The Circle by K.M. Montemayor

Netgalley

The Temptation of Lila and Ethan (The Secret #3) by Jessica Sorensen

Most of these will probably sit of my shelves for a while. That's just how it is. I'm still excited to have them in my possession though.
How about you guys? What you get this week?

Happy reading!

Brittany

Review: The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Publication Date: September 20th, 2011
Publisher: Greenwillow
Pages: 440
Series: Fire and Thorns
Source: Purchased
Rating: 3/5
Add to Goodreads

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.

Elisa has always felt powerless, useless. Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king who needs her to be the chosen one, not a failure of a princess. And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies, seething with dark magic, are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could save his people. And he looks at her in a way no man has ever looked at her before. Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn't die young.

Most of the chosen do.

I was so excited to start this series. I made myself wait until the last book was released in August so I could marathon them. I'm thinking "this is high fantasy, I'm not going to want to wait a year in between books. I'll forget things. Important things." And what a let down. I mean it was alright. I was just hearing such amazing things that I thought I was going to get another Graceling or Poison Study or Throne of Glass. So maybe that's my fault because those are big shoes to fill. But really the material was there, the execution was not.

I feel like Carson was trying so hard to make this book different then other YA Fantasy out there, that that's what came across. The "try." First off this book is soooo slooowww, that it took me far to many days to get half way through. I could only read a chapter maybe two at a time before major ADD kicking in. It took getting through about 3 quarters of the book before it picked up and got a little more interesting for me. What really slowed this book down for me were:
1. Elisa. Guh, was she annoying. OK, I really liked the fact that Carson gave us this atypical heroine. She's over weight, not some super model, athletic princess. She enjoys her studies, especially languages and war and battle tactics. She's kind of the neglected Princess, which shows in her personality (especially lack of confidence). Elisa definitely shows character growth in the later half of the book. She starts to fit into the leader roll that she's destined for, even though she was never taught those skills growing up because again she was the "other" Princess. Her older, better sister will be Queen of their kingdom one day.
But lets come back to the weight thing. I appreciated that about her. BUT I didn't need to be reminded of it every other page. I got it when we were being introduced to her. I can understand her thinking about not fitting into a dress again or whatever every once in a while because great, she's insecure. We all are. But her constantly thinking about food, eating food or whatever else you do with food just took away from the story. Someone couldn't even start a serious conversation with her without her first saying "I'm hungry." And the other person is probably thinking "yea, of course you are."
2. So Elisa has this Godstone imbedded in her navel. It's part of her. Every 100 years God chooses someone to be the bearer. For what, they or in this case Elisa, doesn't know. Obviously this is in Elisa's every waking thought in life (besides food). At sixteen, when is she going to finally have to prove herself to God? I found the whole Godstone thing kind of weird and uninteresting.
3. Now this book is also very heavy in the religious content. Which is fine, but not really my thing. So I found the amount of time Elisa spent studying some scripture or praying, etc... really slowing down the story as well. I would have preferred more time spent on what's going on the world or more information and back story on the enemy countries. Seeing as your on the verge of war with them.

I really did like the fact that Carson used Spanish lore and language. That's what kept me reading. That's what made the story have different and interesting bits.
I also liked the hint of magic. I wish that it was brought into the story more. But maybe it comes more to the forefront in the next book?

I'm hoping that since this first book was a lot of "telling" the next book will be more "showing." I want the action and magic that was missing here. So although I was disappointed with The Girl of Fire and Thorns I am going to continue with the trilogy (mostly because I own the second book and just took the third one out from the library) in the hopes that it can only get better. *crosses fingers*

Happy reading!

Brittany

Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Publication Date: September 10th, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 433
Source: Purchased
Rating: 5/5
Add to Goodreads

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

*Sighhhh* I just can't think of a more perfect feeling for this book.
I don't want to write to much about this book because I think everyone should just pick it up. You don't need to read a detailed review, just experience this book. Fangirl was my third Rowell book this year (and unfortunately at this point I can't get my hands on anymore because that's all that's been published), and I've loved them all. Each of them have been totally different, which made me love them for different reasons. For Fangirl it was because I related so much with Cath.

Cath is starting her first year of college and as many of us can relate, it's a nerve wracking time. Cath isn't interested in any thing college has to offer, new friends, partying, boys, drinking, etc... She leans heavily towards the introvert side. And is pretty much happy being a recluse. What's even harder for her is that she's doing this without having her twin sister, Wren, velcroed to her. Wren wants to experience everything college is going to offer her. Which basically means she wants to be drunk off her ass every weekend. So needless to say, they're not rooming together and that is leaving a scar on Cath.
I really, really loved Cath. I felt that she's comfortable in her own skin. That skin may be awkward and geeky. But she owns it.
We all have something we love that helps us escape everyday life, for me it's reading. For Cath it's writing fanfic. In that world, she's the star. Literally. She gets thousands and thousands of hits a day. It's her life. It's like getting a book published. Cath puts most of her time into it.
So we enter Simon Snow. A magical, fantasy book series, with a lot of nods to Harry Potter.
Fanfic is something I understand. I may never have written it, but I read a hell of a lot of it. So I appreciate that it was a whole separate side story. Fandoms are something a lot of us reading this book understand and participate in. There's a lot of passion there.

There is of course romance. And like Rowell's other two books, it's super cute. Levi is just a good guy. I adored him. He was there for Cath. He understood her. He supported her, helped her and pushed her to open up. Guh! You just have to experience their relationship to get it's full affect. 

Then there's Wren. No feelings lost there. She just spent more of the book pissing me off and Cath for that matter. She was one of those girls that went to college to party. Just stupid and annoying.

Cath's roommate Reagan was my fave. She's the boss. Massively snarky. Which made made me LOL at 90% of her dialogue. As much as Cath needed her as a friend, Reagan equally benefited from that relationship too. 

Rowell has this way of making you live the story. Like you're a ghost walking beside the characters. Not just reading it. It also can get a little pretentious, but that's what makes me love it. Her writing just flows perfectly together. Then you add in her realistic and relateable stories and it becomes glaringly obvious why she's easily becoming one of my favourite authors.


Happy reading!

Brittany

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Sequels Ever!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This weeks topic is:

Top Ten Best Sequels Ever!

There is a lot of sequels that don't come close to comparing to their predecessor. But there are also a ton of sequels that outshine the series starter. That's why making this list was hard. Picking ten, even just within 2013, was near impossible. So that's why I left out Harry Potter. It's pretty obvious for 99% of the world that HP just got better as the books went on (my favourite is Prisoner of Azkaban, just an FYI). I'll just state that now, nothing will ever compare to Harry. :)
This reading year is definitely clouding my judgement. Seven of the below were all read this year. Here are my picks!

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins- This is one of my all time favourite trilogies and CF is just ridiculously brilliant. Action packed, twists, a bunch of fantastic new characters. Probably one of my favourite books too.

 

Insurgent by Veronica Roth- I know a lot of people disliked this book but I effing loved it. Of course I think Divergent is pure genius and some how Insurgent just got better. I loved the story more as well as Tris and Four. They may be one of my favourite couples when together, but they are both just as strong apart.

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare- Just !!!!!!! This is one of the best last books in a series I've read. It couldn't have been a better, more perfect ending. I read it the day it came out and then started the trilogy over as soon as I was done. And it still made me have all the feels. Just pure love.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas- I honestly didn't think I could love this series anymore after reading Throne of Glass last year. But apparently I was wrong. This book just became more badass. Fantasy is my thing and after reading CoM, I have no doubt this series will become tops for me. Plus there's a lot more Chaol. Mmmmm....







The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan- By far Riordan's strongest book. The wait between Son of Neptune and MoA wasn't so bad. But because of how awesome and frustrating (can anyone say cliff hangar) MoA was. The wait for House of Hades has been excruciating (so close!). That's the mark of a great book.

Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta- Looking for some brilliant high fantasy? The Lumatere Chronicles is that. And again, another sequel that amazed me in that I loved it even more then the already amazing first book. How genius are some authors! Guh!







Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo- S&S actually made me appreciate the first book, Shadow and Bones, even more. I liked were the story line went and I thought Alina was spot on in her actions. Also there may have been a new character introduced that helped sway my rating of this book.








 Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead- I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed the Vampire Academy series. It was really fun and full of action. And a snarky, kickass main character. But Shadow Kiss was the only five star rating from me out of the six books. It was by far the strongest book. Just awesomesauce!

Spark by Brigid Kemmerer- Oh the reason I live; the Merrick brothers. Those boys would drive anyone to drink, but you can't help but love them. Gabriel. Gabriel.Gabriel. The misunderstood bad  boy who also happens to control fire. Yea, if that doesn't say hot then I don't know what's right in this world.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer- Fairytale re-tellings with a Sci-Fi twist! I was signed up long before this series started to be published. I loved Cinder, but I adore Scarlet and Wolf even more. And what I appreciate even more is that these books will eventually follow all four main characters and be woven together to complete the big picture.






What are your favourite sequels ever? Let me know!

Happy reading!

Brittany

Showcase Sunday #2

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme held by Books, Biscuits and Tea. It allows fellow bloggers to show off any books or bookish things they've complied over the week. 

This week I got some of the September releases I've been desperately waiting for. And what's great is I had a gift card for Chapters, so they were free! Of course now is the hardest part; trying to decide which one to read first.

Purchased

Facing the Music And Living To Talk About It by Nick Carter
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
The Burning Sky (The Elemental Trilogy #1) by Sherry Thomas
The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater
Antigoddess (Goddess War #1) by Kendare Blake

Netgalley

Breaking Nova (Nova #1) by Jessica Sorensen

I will probably have all these books read by the end of the month. I need to read them now! I need to know! I am reading Fangirl right now and loving it. So look for a review in the next few days. I also just posted my review on Breaking Nova. You can find that here.
How about you guys? What you get this week?

Happy reading!

Brittany

Review: Breaking Nova (Nova #1) by Jessica Sorensen

Breaking Nova (Nova #1) by Jessica Sorensen

Publication Date: September 3rd, 2013
Publisher: Forever
Pages: 224
Series: Nova
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 4/5
Add to Goodreads

Nova Reed used to have dreams- of becoming a famous drummer, of marrying her true love. But all of that was taken away in an instant. Now she's getting as best she can, though sometimes that means doing things the old Nova would never do. Things that are slowly eating away at he spirit. Every day blends into the next...until she meets Quinton Carter. He's intense, honey brown eyes instantly draw her in and he looks just about as broken as she feels.

Quinton once got a second chance at life- but he doesn't want it. The tattoos on his chest are a constant reminder of what he's done, what he's lost. He's sworn to never allow happiness into his life...but then beautiful, sweet Nova makes him smile. He knows he's too damaged to get close to her, yet she's the only one who can make him feel alive again. Quinton will have to decide: does he deserve to start over? Or should he pay for his past forever?

Going into this book I wasn't 100% sure what to expect. Well besides knowing it's an NA book and so far all of them have one thing in common; giving Brittany all the feels. But quickly I came to realize that this book wasn't going to be about happily ever after. Both main characters are very damaged. Their lives have quickly spiraled downwards since death invaded them. Eventually they meet each other and enter into a very toxic relationship.

Nova's dad passed on when she was a tween. She saw it happen. But she made it through. It wasn't till she was 18 and her boyfriend, Landon, committed suicide (she found him dangling from the ceiling) that she found it near impossible to function. She's been diagnosed with anxiety and OCD, and that definitely shows through in her character. Although she did go away to college and that's where we met her, finishing her first year. Nova is sad and broken. So by keeping to a routine she finds a way to get by.
Right at the start of summer Nova is taken to her bff's, Deliah, ex-boyfriends new trailer (to check it out) and this is where she meets Quinton. Right away she is drawn to him. His voice, eyes, mannerisms are exactly like Landon's. He's also got that sadness to him and she feels a need to help him because she couldn't help Landon. This is her chance to save someone.

Quinton's collision with death is different. His girlfriend and cousin died at his hands. He crashed the car they were in. He also died that night and some people might think of it as miracle that he was brought back. He wishes otherwise. Quinton had a future before that night. Great grades, beautiful artist, plans for life. But of course that all quickly changed and he turned to drugs. He's jobless, living at his dad's house, high all the time. Until his dad kicks him and he ends up crashing at his cousins new trailer, where he meets Nova. As with Nova, Quinton is instantly drawn to her. Besides being beautiful, her eyes just drip sadness. She's broken like him.

Drugs plays a huge part in this book. All the characters, Nova, Quinton, Deliah, Dylan (Deliah's boyfriend and Quinton's roommate) and Tristan (Quinton's cousin and roommate) are using to numb themselves. Whether from pain, lose or just life. And this fact is acknowledged frequently by Nova and Quinton. That was my main problem with the book. I was having a hard time sympathizing with them. I personally don't understand how people can turn to drugs. I know addictions come in every form, but drug addiction it baffles me. So needless to say, them turning to drugs every few pages to numb themselves from feeling something they shouldn't got very frustrating for me. But, of course, that makes me think that Sorensen did her job, because it should frustrate the reader. You just want to constantly yell "don't you effing pick up that joint! Just bloody talk about it!"

This is a really sad and heartbreaking story. It's hard to see even fictional characters lives deteriorate like that. Especially seeing how they both had promising futures.
I'm interested to see what demons Sorensen explores in the sequel. The ending definitely leaves you wanting more.

Happy reading!

Brittany

Review: Unteachable by Leah Raeder

Unteachable by Leah Raeder

Publication Date: July 26th, 2013
Publisher: Velvet Pony Press
Pages: 268
Source: e-book
Rating: 5/5
Add to Goodreads


I met him at a carnival, of all corny places. The summer I turned eighteen, in that chaos of neon lights and cheap thrills, I met a man so sweet, so beautiful, he seemed to come from another world. We had one night; intense, scary, real. Then I ran, like I always do. Because I didn't want to be abandoned again. 

But I couldn't run far enough.

I knew him as Evan that night. When I walked into his classroom, he became Mr. Wilke.

My teacher. 

I don't know if what we're doing is wrong. The rules say one thing; my heart says screw the rules. I can't let him lose his job. And I can't lose him.

In the movies, this would have a happy ending. I grow up. I love, I lose, I learn. And I move on. But this is life, and there's no script. You make it up as you go along. 

And you don't pray for a happy ending. You pray for it to never end.


Ok, I'm on a total NA kick right now. And this book is probably one of the better ones I've read. Holy crap it was intense! If you've read Slammed by Colleen Hoover, Raeder just takes that to a whole other level. I really, really liked Slammed, but it was pretty tame. Raeder gives me exactly what I was looking for when I was reading Slammed.
Now with a lot of books in the NA genre, it can get pretty mature; graphic, language and subject wise. Unteacheable really doesn't hold back there. So if any of those topics are a little out of your tastes, I can definitely recommend other books. But you'd be missing out on something fantastic!

Adjectives to describe Unteachable- raw, intense, gritty, emotional, funny, honest.
The thing with these student/teacher relationship books (from what I've found) is that they only touch the issue of this taboo. They don't really get in to the darker issues.
But not Unteachable. Evan and Maise actively question if the whole student/teacher relationship is what's making them feel this desire for each other. And of course, to an extent it is (as you'll see by the sexy times in the book), but they're also both pretty screwed up people. So they may have originally been drawn to each other physically (and again, it can get pretty physical, and intensely so), but also mentally they connect.

Maise is a very truthful. She never holds back what she's feeling. She's not some whiny teenager or naive for that matter. Growing up wasn't pretty for her. No dad, and her mom does tricks and deals to get by. So whether it was dealing with her passed out, drugged up mom or trying to hide from the strange men walking into the house, she grew up fast and she grew up smart. And she's never touched drugs. She's a smart girl that wants to go to college and not end up anything like her mom.

Evan has some pretty dark secrets himself. Which he's trying to keep hidden from Maise. But I like him. He's intense but he shows Maise love and companionship. She's never had either before. And I think that even though they are 15 years apart (:S), it's what connects them.
I don't want to get to much into the relationship because everyone needs to read this book to experience it. Just know it's not some high school relationship. They both have deep issues and the intense feelings for each other helps them help each other. This definitely is not a happy book. There are a lot of tricky bits.

Also, the supporting characters are all well developed. Distinct personalities. Especially Wesley, Maise's bff. They only become friends at the start of the school year, but their relationship is fantastic on a whole different level. They're both loners and really need the companionship from each other. Especially Maise. Wesley has a strong family dynamic. It's something that I think ultimately draws Maise to try hard and keep Wesley as a friend.

Raeder is a fantastic story teller. Her writing is true and beautiful. And this book is honest. It just doesn't hold back.

Please, please check Unteachable out! It's only available as an e-book but with more readership that can change. This book deserves to be more widely known.

Happy reading!

Brittany

Top Ten Tuesday: My Fall 2013 TBR List!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. 


This weeks topic is:

Top Ten Books on my Fall 2013 TBR.

 Like mentioned before, fall is the busiest time of year for book release dates. And I'm excited for at least half of them. So since that list wouldn't consist of only 10 books, I'm just going to list the top ten that are still to be released. A ton came out today and last week. And I also might already have those in my possession...Maybe...

80% of the below books are continuations in series I love. My grabby hands are working overtime. Plus there's two new Sci-Fi series starting that I need NOW!






1. The House of Hades by Rick Riordan- talk about cliff hanger!
2. Allegiant by Veronica Roth- obviously I need this now. I also need Four back in my life.
3. Altered by Gennifer Albin- The first book, Crewel was a huge surprise when I read it at the beginning of the year. It will definitely be making my top 2013 reading list. Bah to the cover change though!
4. Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken- O.M.G why you gots to leave me with that ending Bracken? My feels!!




5. The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa- Just gimmie. *Please be lots of Ash. Please*
6. Taste of Darkness by Maria V Snyder- Another one with a cliffhanger ending. It's so cruel! I also have to wait the longest on this one. But it'll be well worth it. Guh! Love!
7. Just One Year by Gayle Forman- I love Gayle. She can do no wrong. And I'm super excited for Willem's POV.
8. Crash Into You by Katie McGarry- Isaiah's turn! I have a feeling I'm going fall in love with him.




9. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner- This book has been on my radar since I heard about it last year. It sounds amazing! Plus it's a Sci-Fi. Enough said.
10. The Eye of Minds by James Dashner- I really enjoyed The Maze Runner trilogy. So I'm super excited to have something else by Dashner. Also I'm pretty sure it's a Sci-Fi too. Again, enough said.


House of Hades and Allegiant are definitely the ones I'm most anticipating. But honestly all ten of these books will be amazing and probably all become new favourites. Although I am also pretty sad about four of them being last books in the series/trilogy/whatever. Stupid "all good things must come to an end" saying. That's not always true.

How about you guys? What fall releases have your grabby hands reaching for the most?

Happy reading!

Brittany

Review: Model Misfit (Geek Girl #2) by Holly Smale

Model Misfit (Geek Girl #2) by Holly Smale

Publication Date: September 26th, 2013
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 356
Series: Geek Girl
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 5/5
Add to Goodreads

"My name is Harriet Manners, and I am still a geek."

Harriet knows the modelling won't transform you. She knows that being as uniquely odd as a polar bear isn't necessarily a bad thing (even in a rain forest). And that the average person eats a ton of food a year, though her pregnant stepmother is doing her best to beat this.

What Harriet doesn't know is where she's to fit in once the new baby arrives.

With summer plans ruined, modelling in Japan seems the perfect chance to get as far away from home as possible. But nothing can prepare Harriet for the craziness of Tokyo, her competitive model flatmates and errant grandmother's 'chaperoning'. Or seeing gorgeous Nick everywhere she goes.

Because, this time, Harriet knows what a broken heart feels like.

Can geek girl find her place on the other of the world or is Harriet lost for good?

**Since this is a second book in a series, I will try and keep this as spoiler free as possible**

Ahh I absolutely love Harriet Manners! I loved her the first time around and I love her even more this time.

In Geek Girl, Harriet is on a field trip with her school at a sort of fashion convention. Her best friend Nat is absolutely ecstatic because her dream is to be a model. But unfortunately Harriet causes quite a scene well there and gets spotted by a modelling agency. Then she suddenly has a agent. And then she's going to shoots. Oh, of course, there is a very hot boy hanging around. Who happens to be a model. With an Australian accent.

Harriet loves to memorize facts. About anything and everything. She's constantly spewing them out. You might go into this book thinking it's a light, fluffy read. But you actually come out a little wiser. I don't think I knew most of the things that comes out her mouth. And there is a lot throughout these books. Whatever type of situation or conservation Harriet is in she has a new and interesting fact to provide.
Harriet is totally a geek. She loves studying and school. But she's also adorable, clumsy, naive and absolutely hilarious. There's a lot of LOL'ing in this book. Harriet is also only 15. She doesn't necessarily think before she speaks or does something. Which added with the fact that she's this awkward, geeky model. Some bizarre situations arise.

Harriet has just finished school for the summer, so she devises the ultimate summer itinerary to do with her bff Nat. Harriet has just had her heart broken by a certain hot Australian model and wants to keep busy. But unfortunately Nat gets in trouble with her mother and is being shipped off to a working farm in France. So Harriet turns to her uber-stalker, Toby.
-side note: OMG Toby! I love him! Besides Harriet, he is my favourite character by far. He's just as geeky as Harriet and has even more facts and tidbits to drop into any conversation. But the whole stalking thing is what gets the most LOL's from him. They all acknowledge his stalking of Harriet in conversations all the time, so it is totally not creepy. He's just got it down to an art form. Hiding in her bushes, trees and lots of times she doesn't know he's even there. Plus his stalking totally saves the day, so there.-
Luckily she gets a call from her crazy agent (Wilber, her agent talks exactly how I imagine a modelling agent would talk. From what he calls her (ie: Baby-baby panda) to everything else that comes out of his mouth is crazy and again hilarious) about this huge job on Tokyo.
It's looking like Harriet won't be able to go as her stepmother is 7 months pregnant and her dad has to be home in case she goes into labor. Which doesn't help the resentment towards the unborn baby and her parents from starting to show it's ugly head. Thankfully Harriet's worldly step-grandmother shows up to be her chaperon.
So off to Tokyo we go with Harriet, where she takes on backstabbing, jealous models, screws up...a lot. And that hot Australian model that broke her heart. He just might be there too.

Holly Smale definitely has a distinct, witty voice that leaves me continually turning the pages to see what else Harriet will teach me.
Guys, don't wait. Go pick up Geek Girl right now!. It's a super fast read. So you'll be done just in time for the release of Model Misfit next week.

Happy reading!

Brittany

Showcase Sunday #1

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme held by Books, Biscuits and Tea. It allows fellow bloggers to show off any books or bookish things they've compiled over the week. 

I'm really excited to be posting my first weekly haul. I keep telling myself I need to go on a book buying ban. Or at least something to that effect, but it never works. And it especially wouldn't work this time of year. The fall is the busiest time for releases. Between September and October I am (or was) waiting on at least 30 books. A lot of them are continuations in series. So obviously I can't wait longer then I have to for those ones.

                                                                   Purchased
                                          

Crash by Nicole Willams

Jessica Darling's It List #1 by Megan McCafferty

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White

The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

                                                                      Kindle
                                                      
Unteachable by Leah Raeder

                                                                  Netgalley



Too Fast by Alexia Haynes
Escaping Reality(The Secret Life of Amy Bensen #1) by Lisa Renne Jones
Me, Cinderella? by Aubrey Rose
Model Misfit (Geek Girl #2) by Holly Smale
Facing The Music and Living To Talk About It by Nick Carter

I'm pretty excited for a lot of these! But if you're going to make me choose, the top ones are Model Misfit, Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea and of course Facing The Music and Living To Talk About It. I am still BSBs #1 fan! KTPSBA! ;)
I've already finished Jessica Darlings It List #1, review is here. And I'm halfway through Model Misfit and Unteachable. So look for those reviews in the next few days.
How about you guys? What you get this week?

Happy reading!

Brittany

Review: Jessica Darling's It List #1: The Totally (Not Guaranteed) Guide to Popularity, Prettiness and Perfection by Megan McCafferty

Jessica Darling's It List #1: The Totally (Not Guaranteed) Guide to Popularity, Prettiness and Perfection by Megan McCafferty

Publication Date: September 3rd, 2013
Publisher: Poppy
Pages: 228
Series: Jessica Darling's It List
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4/5 stars
Add to Goodreads
I hadn't even gotten to homeroom yet and I'd already discovered five hard truths about junior high:

1. My best friend had turned pretty.
2. She didn't know it yet.
3. It wouldn't be long before she did.
4. That knowledge would change everything between us.
5. And there wasn't a thing I could do about it.

It's the first day of seventh grade. Is Jessica Darling doomed for dorkdom?


Do you know how excited I was when I found out about this book? I think there may have been some squealing. I absolutely loved the Jessica Darling series (I need to re-read them ASAP)! And now I get read about Jessica at an even more awkward stage, middle school. *fist pump*

This book starts with the day before Jessica is starting 7th grade. Her sister Bethany, who is 10 years older then Jessica, has handed her a list of must do's for her to follow to become top of the middle grade social ladder. There's a big difference between Jessica and Bethany. Bethany was the "it" girl; cheerleader, popular, flirt, fashionista but didn't really bother with the academics. Jessica lives in jeans and t-shirts, is in the gifted classes, deep thinker, and loyal to her bff. So because of the age difference and hugely different personalities the sisters have never been that close. That makes Jessica pretty shocked to have her sister helping her, even if this list confuses her a little.

I'm so happy that this is the same Jessica I loved so much in the original series (she's in her later years of high school and beyond in those books). Witty, snarky, awkward, hilarious, sharp, adorable, confused, intelligent and loyal.

As a teenager you're kind of starting to figure out who you are, so of course as a tween you have absolutely no idea about anything. Megan definitely nails the awkwardness of this age. Jessica and her classmates are exactly as I remember 7th grade to be (ugh). You start to really notice boys, all the cattiness and backstabbing with the girls, your body not know what in hell it's doing. That shit was awful. And Jessica is realizing that too.

Characters: I love that we're seeing all her friends (sometimes that is a loosely used term) from before. We got hints of how Jessica came to meet these characters before high school. And this book pretty much provides the back story that I was craving on them. Bridget, her bff since they were little, who suddenly turns pretty and all the grade 8's notice her on the first day of school. Sarah and Manda, who she meets on the first day of school. I would classify them as the "mean girls." Hope, her bff in the original series, and now we get to see their first interactions. There also might be some guy named "Aleck," that I totally knew who he actually was. :)

This book is fantastic for fans of Jessica Darling and I would definitely recommend they pick it up ASAP.
If you are new to the Jessica Darling universe (what have you been doing with your life?!) you could definitely start here, but in my opinion it makes more sense to start with the original series (the first book being Sloppy Firsts) and then come back to this one.

I can't wait for the follow up book in fall 2014. So in the meantime I'm off to re-read the original series.

Happy reading!

Brittany

Sarah Dessen Book Club

Today Heather from the youtube channel Bookables announced she is starting a Sarah Dessen book club. Every month she will read a different Dessen book and at the end of that month she will post her discussion video of said book. She's hoping to get lots of participation from her followers and others.

I absolutely love Sarah Dessen! She is my favourite YA contemporary writer. I've read (and own) all 11 of her books. So when I saw this video today it made me pretty excited.
Sarah's latest book. The Moon and More, was released in June. After devouring it in a day it made me want to go back and re-read the rest of her books over the summer. Sadly that didn't happen. I didn't pick up any of them. :(
So this Sarah Dessen book club is perfect timing! I will definitely be participating. It has been so long since I've read most of her books, so a lot of details and even plots are pretty hazy. I don't want that anymore. Time for the fog to disappear!

For anyone unfamiliar with Sarah Dessen or her books, they always have a female teenage protagonist. Usually she's trying to find herself, dealing with real life issues and making some hard decisions or choices along the way. People tend to classify Dessen books as "beach reads" and I would agree to an extent. They definitely are not fluff books (as some of them deal with some gritty subjects like rape in Just Listen or teenage pregnancy in Someone Like You), but for the most part they all take place during the summer at a small beach town in North Carolina. Which is why I love reading them in the summer (also her release dates have been in June for the most part).

I hope you guys will participate as well. Especially if you are a Sarah Dessen virgin. It is time to pop that cherry!
If you want to make reading updates, or have some discussions on Twitter, Tumblr, etc... the hash tag to use is #sarahdessenbookclub.

And the most important detail is the September pick: The Truth About Forever
From what I can remember, that's one of my favourites. So excited to finally be reading it again!

Happy reading!

Brittany

"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"

Thanks very much for stopping by my new blog. I just wanted to say welcome, give a little information about myself and what you can expect to see here.
My names Brittany. I live in Canada; in Ontario to be exact. Pottermore sorted me into Ravenclaw. Which is very important information to tell people. Honestly I find it hard to keep up a conversation with someone about their job. But if it was the norm to ask someone right away what House they are in, well then that would just make everyone that more interesting to talk to!
By day I’m a travel agent. So yes, I do love to travel. And of course help others out exploring what this beautiful world has to offer.
I guess it’s obvious, but I’m an avid reader. I predominately read YA fiction- Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Paranormal, Contemporary, Historical. But I also read my fair share of Middle grade, NA and Adult fiction, Fantasy and Sci-Fi. So although most of my posts will have to do with the YA genre I won’t be restricting my blog to just that.
What can you expect to be posted on here? Well definitely reviews. I won’t be reviewing every book I read. One reason being I generally read close to 20 books in a month and that’s a lot of work to review every single one. And secondly, not every book I read will I have enough (or anything) to say about it. That’s just the way it is sometimes. I’m sure you feel me.
There will also be book hauls. I like seeing them. And I definitely spend enough on books in a month to give you guys ideas to help spend your hard earned cash on as well.
Also any bookish news, book releases and other bookish things I find interesting enough to share. I’m still coming up with ideas, but there’s different weekly posts I’m thinking on doing and other random posts. Like book to movie comparisons, top 5 or 10 or whatever lists, and other tags that have gone around the different book communities.
I just hope to be creative and fun enough to keep you guys, the reader, coming back!
I also hope to have a “25 random facts about me” post up soon. I just want you guys to know me a little better. I’m nosey enough that I like to know some things about the person behind the screen. So there’s that…

Thanks again!
Happy reading!

Brittany

**title quote provided by the illuminating JK Rowling as Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.**

Bloglovin member

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/10615943/?claim=zhjj9r43cuk">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>