Weekly Book Haul (20)

Hi everyone! I am SO happy to be back to blogging. IT'S SUMMER. Guys.

That gives me time to actually sit down and READ A BOOK. Peacefully.

Anyway, as most of you know, I took a two-week hiatus for the end of the year (exams). Well,

in that time, I did gather a great amount of books.... here goes nothing. I got these BEFORE 

the library book ban officially started, mind you.

The physical books (from the library):

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

I know that Lea @ LC's Adventures in Libraryland LOVES this series.

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour

Frostbite by Richelle Mead

I have yet to read the first...

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

The Audiobooks (also, from the library):

Tempest by Julie Cross

A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

Loretta @ Between the Pages is OBSESSED with this book!

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

I know Sash @ Sash & Em really liked the audio of this one! =)

I have the first 3 in paperback, no need to worry that I don't know the order!

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

From Netgalley:

On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves

This is an adult novel, but it does have YA crossover appeal.

Plus, Racquel @ The Book Barbies LOVES this book, and I trust her, 

so yeah. =) Thank you SO much Penguin for approving me of this title!

My Reading Pile (June 17-June 23) hosted by Rachel @ Fiktshun

I'm going to be having a relatively busy week this week (I know, it's only the first week of summer and I'm already busy) with dance team things, and my own dance studio's recital. However, it IS summer now, so I will be reading whenever I have the chance. I want to finish Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I started it early last week, but it's so BIG.

I do believe I'll be able to start Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and read Hourglass by Myra McEntire. If at all possible, I want to start Timepiece as well.

That's what I got this week! What did you guys get? What's in your reading pile? Feel free to leave links, I'd be so happy to check them out! =) Have a great reading week!

Review: The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder

"Dry, sarcastic, sixteen-year-old Cam Cooper has spent the last seven years in and out hospitals. The last thing she wants to do in the short life she has left is move 1,500 miles away to Promise, Maine - a place known for the miraculous events that occur there. But it's undeniable that strange things happen in Promise: everlasting sunsets; purple dandelions; flamingoes in the frigid Atlantic; an elusive boy named Asher; and finally, a mysterious envelope containing a list of things for Cam to do before she dies. As Cam checks each item off the list, she finally learns to believe - in love, in herself, and even in miracles.

A debut novel from an immensely talented new writer, The Probability of Miracles crackles with wit, romance and humor and will leave readers laughing and crying with each turn of the page."

Title: The Probability of Miracles

Author: Wendy Wunder

Release Date: December 8, 2011

Publisher: Razorbill

Pages: 360, Hardcover (Read: library hardcover)

"Because thoughts are energy, energy is matter, and matter never disappears."-The Probability of Miracles, pg. 249

I didn't feel everything that I should have felt.

First off, I went into this book, getting ready for all of the AWESOME and preparing a box of tissues next to me while I read. Alas, it was never needed. I didn't even come close to crying, and the overall story was disappointing. Do not get me wrong, the plot was great, but it wasn't minutely near to living up to it's hype.

The plot kicks off with Cam and her mother, Alicia, and her younger sister, Perry, as they move from Florida, to a miracle town in Maine. More specifically, Promise, Maine. It's believed that miracles happen there. And once you leave the town, disaster will strike to whomever left. Cam and her family moved there because of the ongoing cancer that has plagued Cam when she was young. She wants to be cured, somehow. When they arrive in Promise, she meets new people who she never have thought would affect her life than ever before.

The characters in this novel were fantastic. Cam, especially. From the start, I was drawn in by her sarcastic humor and her nonchalance behavior. She is so chill for someone who has cancer and is on the brink of death. I loved her personality! And Asher was just the sweetest boy you could ask for. Their relationship wasn't too rushed, either. I thought it was pretty darn close to perfect. And for some reason, I really loved Perry, even if she is a young, bratty, and annoying teenager. And Lily! Lily, Cam's best friend who also was diagnosed with cancer at a young age, left the story so quickly I wished that I could have seen more of her.

There was also many outrageously creative aspects in this novel. The miracles, more specifically. The incorporation of flamingos, donkeys, lobsters, Disney-world, the Flamingo list, and more. It was a little on the silly side, but still completely enjoyable.

The ending was absolutely beautiful, but it wasn't enough to make me bawl my eyes out. For me, it was more of an "Aww, that's so sad!" moment for me. I think Wendy Wunder could have done a better job with the notion of death and leaving a loved one. However, I loved the interesting messages she threw in there. Such as, paying attention to coincidences. Or, staying in the present moments. Those were deep.

All in all, while the characters were brilliant, as was the idea and plot, it wasn't memorable for me, and with all of the other cancer-involved stories out there (My Sister's Keeper, The Fault In Our Stars), I have a feeling this one won't stand out for me, personally. It was more of a laugh-out-loud book than a cry-out-loud one for me, but do check the book out, many people cried heavily over it.

P.S. I LOVE the title. Once you read the book, it's so freaking absolutely perfect. <3

Grade: B

Source: Library

Goals for Summer 2012

Hi everyone! Summer has officially begun for me (as of 2 days ago!) and I have kicked off my summer reading, obviously. My goal this summer is to yes, read all of those required books (Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Vampire Academy, etc. See full post here.) But I do have other goals, such as:


Read at least 40 books this summer.


This goal is pretty self-explanatory. Last summer, I read 33 books, and I wasn't busy at all. This summer I will be MUCH more busy, but then again, I'm also more goal-oriented, and I'll be reviewing the books. Last summer, I hadn't even started actually blogging until late-late August, therefore, wasn't really motivated to read more books. So hopefully I'll reach my goal of 40 books! (cross your fingers)


Go on a library book ban.


I have a theory to make. It is SO much harder to successfully achieve the library book ban than the book buying ban. Why? Because library books are FREE. I don't even feel guilty or anything, because I'm not spending money. The reason that I need to go on a library book ban is because I have books that I own that I really need to read, as well as Netgalley titles. I'm pretty much just ignoring them now, which is SO not good. I haven't made the library book ban official until today, but I've already kind of tried (and failed...).

If you're an obsessive library book person too, feel free to join me on this library book ban. I'm going to *try* to go until August 28th. Totally a random date. Let's see if I'll last that long. MY only exception is the list of books that were on my Summer To-Read List. Those I can check out. =)


I also need to read the books that I own.


That being said, I don't own very many books, so I want to try to get through at least half of them. Physical books-wise, I only own enough to fill up 1 shelf. Yep, I don't own many books. But Kindle-wise, I have like, 30 or so. That may be a bigger problem. Out of the books that I own, I've probably read less than 15% of them. And, it DOES make me feel like I've wasted money. So I feel bad. So I must read them. I MUST.

Readers, what are your goals? I'd love to read about them! Feel free to leave links in the comments. =)

Repost: Review: Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

"Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistable good looks and charm on ususpecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him."

Title: Lies Beneath

Author: Anne Greenwood Brown

Release Date: June 12, 2012

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Pages: 303, Hardcover (read: eARC)

I'm always on the lookout for mermaid/siren books, because I just love the underwater world. It's always intriguing; it seems like it would be amazing to be a sea creature with a gorgeous scaled-tail. So Lies Beneath was definitely an eye-catcher. I didn't expect too much or too less, so I wasn't disappointed. Lies Beneath is a great, solid read.

Calder and his three sisters are sirens. But they aren't typical sirens. They drown humans so they can take away a feeling: happiness. And they are seeking revenge on the Hancocks for killing their mother. So they hunt the Hancocks down, only they want Calder to seduce the Hancock daughter so they can later on kill the father. Things don't go as planned and Calder must figure out who's side he must go on, his sisters's side or the Hancocks.

The characters were alright. I definitely liked the change in perspective (Lies Beneath is told from a male's point of view). It's really different and fresh. I was reluctant on Calder's character at first because he didn't have any emotions or feelings that are particularly flamboyant. I don't hate him, but there isn't any spark. But when Lily comes into the story, his whole character lights up and I loved Calder after that. I really, really liked Lily. She's so sweet and smart and caring, I totally understood why Calder liked Lily so much.

On the other hand, Calder's sisters were so, so annoying. I hated them from the start. They are all so cocky and full of themselves. They are also seductive towards Calder, which is actually disgusting. Ugh, disastrous. But, they are supposed to be hated (mostly) so I'm on the right track!

The plot was delightful. It had a great amount of chilling, underwater moments. I loved those, they are very suspenseful. The twist in the end was very unexpected and took me by surprise. Lily and Calder's blooming of a relationship was a little fast-paced (insta-love) but it wasn't ridiculous, so I could still go with it. The plot was very sturdy.

Something totally random: I think the title really suits the story of the book. This is a title I actually really like! How Calder has to hold in so many lies from Lily, and they are beneath as in underwater.... I'm not sure my interpretation is correct, but it makes sense to me that way!

Overall, Lies Beneath is a well-written mermaid story that I recommend to people who love underwater creature books with action. I look forward to Anne Greenwood Brown's other books!

Grade: B+

Source: Publisher via Netgalley--Thank you for providing me with an ARC!

*Note: Originally posted on this blog on 2/17/12 here.

Weekly Book Haul (19)

Hi everyone! I actually didn't haul anything this week! I've been a good girl.

I have WAY too many books to read. And of course, not enough time.

My Reading Pile (June 3-June 9) hosted by Rachel @Fiktshun

I'm definitely still working my way through the Harry Potter series! 

I am flying through the audiobooks, and I will finish Harry Potter

and the Chamber of Secrets early this week, possibly tomorrow. I am also

reading The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder, and it's not 

CATCHING my attention, but I do want to make progress this week. I'm having my 

first exam this week, as well as my first dance practice of the season. So I'm pretty

darn busy. I will be starting Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. 

What did you guys haul this week? What's in your reading pile? =)

Two-Week Hiatus!

Hi everyone.

I'm sure you've all heard it, this time of year is usually when students (like me) are taking exams and are stressing out, as well as pulling out their hair. This is me.

Add on some dance team events. Dance team season has begun, and the first things we do is fundraising, adding a buttload of work ahead of me. Within these first two weeks of June. So, the obvious answer is to leave the blogosphere for these two weeks, and get done what I need to get done.

I hope you all understand, and I will see you all soon!
(Sorry, maybe 1 or 2 posts are scheduled...)

May Favorites 2012

LAST FULL MONTH OF SCHOOL IS OVER. Ohmygoodness. I'm almost done with year one of high school! Anyway, this month was GREAT for me, despite the busy school stuff. I read a lot of books (for me)!

In the month of May, I read:

-The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking #2) by Patrick Ness

-Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking #3) by Patrick Ness

-Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta 

-Shut Out by Kody Keplinger


-The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by 
Jennifer E. Smith


-A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness


-Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling


Favorite Read of the month:
Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

Most Disappointing Read:
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

*Special shout-out to Mr. Patrick Ness:
You're amazing. May was pretty much "GO PATRICK NESS!" month. You're awesome. Do what you keep doing. 


HOORAY! I read such awesome books this month (SEVEN!), and the Chaos Walking books were more than 500 pages, so I'm even MORE proud. =) What did you read in May? What were your favorites?