Wednesday 29 June 2011

Waiting On Wesnesday #1


Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.






Lola and the Boy Next Door by 



Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. 
Alas, It's entirely due to my love for the cover.
I have not read Anna And The French Kiss so I don't know if the author is good but I am sure she is!I mean Cover!Purple Hair!Pretty Houses!Pretty Boy!Pretty Black+Pink Dress!
I am already J of dear Lola. 
I wish this cover was a cake and I could eat it.
Delicious.
Mmm..

Xx
P.S-
Lola's Bedroom in my mind!
For when we want to imagine Lola and Cricket getting their mack on!

Sunday 26 June 2011

In My Mailbox #1


In My Mailbox is a wonderful meme started by Kristi at The Story Siren which happens to be my favorite book blog . :)
It allows bloggers to share the books they’ve bought or received in the past week. They can be from stores, contests, tours or publishers!
So here are the books I got for this week.







Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen year- old Willow’s parents died in a horrible car accident. Willow was driving. Now her older brother barely speaks to her, her new classmates know her as the killer orphan girl, and Willow is blocking the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when one boy—one sensitive, soulful boy—discovers Willow’s secret, it sparks an intense relationship that turns the “safe” world Willow has created for herself upside down. 
Told in an extraordinary fresh voice, Willow is an unforgettable novel about one girl’s struggle to cope with tragedy, and one boy’s refusal to give up on her.




When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing - not even a smear of blood - to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.






A modern girl's comedic odyssey in a school filled with the descendants of Greek gods.
When Phoebe's mom returns from Greece with a new husband and moves them to an island in the Aegean, Phoebe's plans for her senior year and track season are ancient history. Now she must attend the uberexclusive academy, where admission depends on pedigree, namely, ancestry from Zeus, Hera, and other Greek gods. That's right, they're real, not myth, and their teen descendants are like the classical heroes—supersmart and superbeautiful with a few superpowers. And now they're on her track team! Armed only with her Nikes and the will to win, Phoebe races to find her place among the gods.





Ruby is back at Tate Prep, and it’s her thirty-seventh week in the state of Noboyfriend. Her panic attacks are bad, her love life is even worse, and what’s more: Noel is writing her notes, Jackson is giving her frogs, Gideon is helping her cook, and Finn is making her brownies. Rumors are flying, and Ruby’s already-sucky reputation is heading downhill.

Not only that, she’s also: running a bake sale, learning the secrets of heavymetal therapy, encountering some seriously smelly feet, defending the rights of pygmy goats, and body-guarding Noel from unwanted advances.

In this companion novel to 
The Boyfriend List and The Boy Book, Ruby struggles to secure some sort of mental health, to understand what constitutes a real friendship, and to find true love—if such a thing exists.

I already have a backlog of books to read so I probably am not gonna start reading these this week. But if anyone has read and liked these let me know. :) 
Also what was in your mailbox?
*air kisses* 

Saturday 25 June 2011

On My Wishlist #1




On My Wishlist is a weekly event started by Book Chick City.
I shall post every saturday book I want to buy and devour.
There is a long list of books on my wishlist and this is the one for this week.

The Liar Society (Liar Society #1) by 

Kate Lowry didn't think dead best friends could send e-mails. But when she gets an e-mail from Grace, she’s not so sure. 

To: KateLowry@pemberlybrown.edu
Sent: Sun 9/14 11:59 PM
From: GraceLee@pemberlybrown.edu
Subject: (no subject)

Kate,
I'm here…
sort of.
Find Cameron.
He knows.
I shouldn't be writing.
Don't tell.
They'll hurt you.


Why it's on my wishlist?
Pink Hair. Teen murder mystery.


The Future of Us 
by 







It s 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet.

Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM. Josh is her best friend.

They power up and log on and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future.

Everybody wonders what their destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out



Why it's on my wishlist?
Jay Asher.







Thursday 23 June 2011

The Various Haunts of Men By Susan Hill

A lonely woman of fifty-three vanishes in fog; a fat twenty-two-year-old never returns from an early morning walk . . .


Experienced policemen know that most missing persons either turn up or go missing on purpose. But fresh young D.S. Freya Graffham won’t drop it — until she discovers what links the people who disappear on “The Hill,” young and old, men and women, even a little dog. Susan Hill writes with compassion, humour and a unique understanding of the details of daily life.






The Various Haunts of Men (Simon Serrailler Mystery)       

  The Various Haunts of Men is the first in a series by Susan Hill and plays out like a classic crime-show. While it was nothing like the books I usually read(young adult), it’s a lot like the TV Shows I watch and love. This book was very Criminal Minds. It was creepy and the mystery is mind-boggling.
However, it does not start out that way. The plot develops slowly while Susan Hill spent a lot of time on character development and in detailing out the town of Lafferton , a peaceful English cathedral city. The protagonist is a young policewoman Freya Graffham and the book also chronicles her relationship with DCI Simon Serrailler, providing us with some romance. The town itself is described beautifully and a sub-plot of shady new-age practitioners is thrown in.
The Various Haunts of Men opens and is interspersed with sections of "The Tape," which sound like confessions and thoughts of a deranged person. This part is cryptic and while it provides no real clues to the mystery it adds suspense.
I finished this book in one-sitting. I was on a constant guessing game. I just could not put it down. It was addicting and thrilling and had lost of twists and turns.
Recommended to lovers of crime-drama like Twin Peaks, Criminal Minds, Dexter etc.
Also fans of Sidney Sheldon books.


P.S-
Is anyone else waiting for Dexter Season 6 to premiere?!?
I feel like I can barely wait what with all the spoilers making the rounds and the exculsive trailer being premiered at Comic-Con.
I am going to miss Julia Stiles but we do have Colin Hanks who  is guest-starring this season.
That should have been ME!!!!


Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson


When Melinda Sordino's friends discover she called the police to quiet a party, they ostracize her, turning her into an outcast -- even among kids she barely knows. But even worse than the harsh conformity of high-school cliques is a secret that you have to hide.


This book is so close to my heart I honestly find it difficult to talk/write about it.


This book started out like any other young adult novel set in high school.


There were the popular cliques and then there were the outcasts.


Melinda Sordino is an outcast.




"THE FIRST TEN LIES THEY TELL YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL 
1. We are here to help you. 
2. You will have time to get to your class before the bell rings. 
3. The dress code will be enforced. 
4. No smoking is allowed on school grounds. 
5. Our football team will win the championship this year. 
6. We expect more of you here. 
7. Guidance counselors are always available to listen. 
8. Your schedule was created with you in mind. 
9. Your locker combination is private. 
10. These will be the years you look back on fondly. 

TEN MORE LIES THEY TELL YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL 
1. You will use algebra in your adult lives. 
2. Driving to school is a privilege that can be taken away. 
3. Students must stay on campus during lunch. 
4. The new text books will arrive any day now. 
5. Colleges care more about you than your SAT scores. 
6. We are enforcing the dress code. 
7. We will figure out how to turn off the heat soon. 
8. Our bus drivers are highly trained professionals. 
9. There is nothing wrong with summer school. 
10. We want to hear what you have to say." 

Sounds pretty normal, right?


Well it isn't.


Melinda is crushed emotionally. She is depressed. And she is filled with incomprehensible pain.


I think teenagers whose lives are perfect and who are completely happy should skip this book.


Because A)This book shall make you depressed. It's very The Bell Jar or The Catcher In The Rye in that respect.I mean filled with Agnst.


B) This book annoyed many who thought Melinda was whiny.


Do I want to punch such people?


OfCourse! I hate happy people. >.<


Just kidding.


Okay I am not. Because said teenagers want to read this book because Kristen Stewart aka Their beloved Bella Swan played the protagonist in the movie.( No I am not hating on her. I think K-Stew did an excellent job in the movie.)


Moving on,


Melinda Sordino is cradling a dark secret.


A secret which has paralysed her(mentally) and left unable to speak.


I would tell you what the secret was but honestly that would be spoiler-ish so I won't.


But I will say it is HORRIBLE HORRIBLE.


I love Melinda Sordino because she reminds me so much of Esther Greenwood.


I wouldn’t have been shocked if she had committed suicide by the end of the book.


She did not however.


Melinda manages to get help.


Does she recover.?


We can only hope she did.


Melinda’s voice is normal and blunt. Melinda's first person narration empowers Speak's literary strength. The use of monologue invites readers to become emotionally involved in the story and feel empathy for Melinda.


She doesn’t care about friend’s or classes.


"I need a new friend. I need a friend, period. Not a true friend, nothing close or share clothes or sleepover giggle giggle yak yak. Just a pseudo-friend, disposable friend. Friend as accessory. Just so I don't feel or look so stupid." 


However, she does wish some guy liked her. Here I’ll warn y’all that there was absolutely no romance in the book.


Oh and I loved that her art class played such an important role in the movie.


"Art without emotion its like chocolate cake without sugar. It makes you gag." 

"Why not spend that time on art: painting, sculpting, charcoal, pastel, oils? Are words or numbers more important than images? Who decides this? Does algebra move you to tears? Can plural possessives express the feelings in your heart? If you don't learn art now, you will never learn to breathe!" 
And this quote for all of us who have ever wished we could just hide in a closet forever.


"I know my head isn't screwed on straight. I want to leave, transfer, warp myself to another galaxy. I want to confess everything, hand over the guilt and mistake and anger to someone else. There is a beast in my gut, I can hear it scraping away at the inside of my ribs. Even if I dump the memory, it will stay with me, staining me. My closest is a good thing, a quiet place that helps me hold these thoughts inside my head where no one can hear them."

Similar Books: Thirteen Reasons Why By Jay Asher
The Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath
The Trailer : 

                                
You can follow Laurie Halse Anderson on Twitter at @halseanderson 

Sunday 19 June 2011

The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.





The Hunger Games           










I will be honest. I came across this book on many review blogs but I never gave it any thought. The cover did not attract me and I could barely understand the plot. However with time there was a huge buzz surrounding this trilogy.And so I decided to give the book a try.


And am I glad I did!?!


I loved The Hunger Games. This is one of those books that reach great heights of popularity and is extremely different from other books out there.


The Hunger Games is set in a dystopian future. It is written wonderfully well and has a killer plot.


How do you think the world will be in a century or so?


Suzanne Collins has potrayed a very accurate if brutal view of what she thinks America will be in the future. The rich have grown richer. Poor have grown poorer. And reality Tv Show has taken over the form of entertainment.


Suzanne Collins also seems to be inspired by Greek Myth of Theseus and the Minotaur and the Iraq War.


The post-apocalyptic world she has created with Panem is rich and exciting. It’s amazing how different life in the Capitol is from life in the various districts.


Now The Hunger Games are a little like Survivor except the contestants ( here Tributes) must kill each other off instead of being voted off. The Game is brutal and savage and yet extremely addicting. I loved each part of the game and how detailed it was.The protaganist even carried out a fake relationship to attract sponsors.


The protaganist sixteen-year old Katniss Everdeen is startlingly different from other female protaganists in young adult fiction. She is calculating and shrewd. She is strong and independent and far from the damsel in distress. She kills and barely feels the remorse. I was shocked by her at times and yet I could not have loved her more.


The supporting characters were interesting and well developed. I am especially in love with Peeta Mellark who also goes to The Hunger Games with Katniss.


There is some romance there.


For those worried about the violence I thought this book does not have that much of gore and there was nothing shocking in terms of the killings.( But then again I love Dexter so maybe I am just underestimating it ).


It’s one of the best books I have ever read and I recommend it highly to everyone.


Similar Books: Divergent By Veronica Roth


There is a movie in production.


Check out the Entertainment Weekly cover of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen.


And Josh Hutcherson AKA the kid from Bridge To Terabithia who is all grown up now is playing Peeta Mellark and Liam Hemsworth AKA Miley Cyrus's ex-bf though perez hilton says they back together as Gale i.e Kat's BFF.


What did YOU think about the casting of The hunger games?

Was it perfect?

Or completely wrong?

Comment below and let me know :)




NOTE: I DO NOT THINK I HAVE DONE THIS BOOK JUSTICE IN THAT TINY REVIEW.


THIS BOOK IS MIND-BLOWING AND EARTH-SHATTERINGLY GOOD.


THE ENTIRE TRILOGY WAS EFFING FABULOUS!

Monday 6 June 2011

Mystery And Suspense Challenge 2011

ONE MORE CHALLENGE!!YAY!
 I love Young Adult mystery and suspense and I read a lot of it so this challenge to read 12 books of any sub-genre sounds fun and do-able!
I am starting to LOVE Book Chick City!
I am so excited about this challenge already making a list of books to read!

Click on the button on my sidebar to join in the fun!


*Air Kisses* 

Sea Change By Aimee Friedman



Sixteen-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science. . .and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she's happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother's estate.


There, Miranda finds new friends and an island with a mysterious, mystical history, presenting her with facts her logical, scientific mind can't make sense of. She also meets Leo, who challenges everything she thought she knew about boys, friendship. . .and reality.


 Is Leo hiding something? Or is he something that she never could have imagined?

Best Cover Award!!
You know those books that as soon as you start reading them transport you to a different world. Pure enchanting escapism.
Sea Change was magical. It was mesmerising. Aimee Friedman’s writing is lyrical and beautiful.I could smell the salty air while reading the book.I am still in love with Selkie Island . The setting was fluffy and fun and yet mystery and suspense lingered in the air. Mirando was this science nerd and while usually that is not my main-protagonist types I really liked her. The romance with Leo is what most girls will die for! Its very typical YA paranormal –ish but hey maybe that’s what makes it so awesome! The plot is different and I guess that makes this book fresh .Also Selkie Island. Did I mention the island? I am still waiting for the sequel which is taking forever to come!! Aimee Please I WANT ANOTHER HELPING OF SELKIE ISLAND!! I mean the whole premise was like The OC meets Twilight.

My only problem with the book was it totally INCOMPLETE!Once you read it you shall get why I am ranting for a sequel. And that's the reason it has 0.5 star missing in the rating.

I also scored a book trailer!!






A wonderful and must read summer tale. Read it preferably while sitting at the beach.

Similar Books : Siren ( Siren #1) By Tricia Rayburn

Speaking of The OC how much do I miss thee Seth Cohen!

No TV Show shall ever compare to The OC. For me that was the once in a lifetime show of sheer awesomeness.


What is Your aLL TIME favorite Tv show?( Cancelled or Not) 
XOXO
AgnesPink


SHADOW HILLS BY ANASTASIA HOPCUS



After her sister Athena's tragic death, it's obvious that grief-stricken Persephone "Phe" Archer no longer belongs in Los Angeles. Hoping to make sense of her sister's sudden demise and the cryptic dreams following it, Phe abandons her bubbly LA life to attend an uptight East Coast preparatory school in Shadow Hills, MA — a school which her sister mysteriously mentioned in her last diary entry before she died. 


Once there, Phe quickly realizes that something is deeply amiss in her new town. Not only does Shadow Hills' history boast an unexplained epidemic that decimated hundreds of its citizens in the 1700s, but its modern townies also seem eerily psychic, with the bizarre ability to bend metal. Even Zach — the gorgeous stranger Phe meets and immediately begins to lust after — seems as if he is hiding something serious. Phe is determined to get to the bottom of it. The longer she stays there, the more she suspects that her sister's untimely death and her own destiny are intricately linked to those who reside in Shadow Hills.




Terrible Cover!Like the worst one EVER!


Thank God!Now this cover is as good as the book!





































What works for Shadow Hills is that the plot is intriguing, engaging and different . The main character Phe is strong and feisty and the romance in this book is cute and fresh if not amazing. I love her friends Adriana ( Perky, Girly ,Fun-loving Spoilt brat), Graham ( cute and friendly), Brody ( dopehead) and Toy( Computer geek).


Shadow Hills is definitely a place where I would love to live! The book wonderfully unfolds the history and mystery of this town. This book also mentions a lot of music references.




Shadow Hills has suspense and shopping and murder and romance. There are also all these shady characters that leave us guessing at who could be the villain. I just wished I had got some more of a closure with an extra chapter explaining what happens to all the characters I had so loved seeing as how there are no talks of a sequel as of now. But how I wish!A SEQUEL!PLEASE ANASTASIA HOPCUS!

Its like the perfect paranormal book for girls out there who are looking for something paranormal and yet different from all the typical Vampire Romance books out there.

Ooh Yes You should check out the trailer too!




Though frankly it doesn’t show half the actual awesomeness of the book!
Similar Books : Um Hmm.. NONE!



P.S- MTV MOVIE AWARDS 2011 BEST DRESSED AWARD GOES TO
Kristen Stewart


I am not her fan or anything though I loved her in Speak Which is based on a book called Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson which happens to be one of my favourite YA novels ( Yes I shall be reviewing it soon worry not!)



But how great was this Balmain micro-mini dress.So complete rocker-chic with all the pins and studs and yet pretty. I so want the same thing in black!I WANT!


*Sigh*


I guess I shall just go cry in my favourite pillow and silently send thoughts to the universe about this dress.

Isn’t that how it works according to The Secret? ( OMG DON'T RUN AWAY I AM NOT REVIEWING THIS BOOK!!! Honestly I didnt even read it just saw the movie!)


I was merely wondering if that theory works!


Comment below if it works and let me know so next time I want something or someONE ;) I know what to do!


Also Who do YOU think was the best-dressed at the MTV movie awards 2011?

Bises. 


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