The Bursting Bookshelf

Wow, I just found out about a thing called NaNo WriMo. It's a program where tons of writers from around the world take the whole month of November (National Novel Writing Month) and write a 50,000 word novel. That's 30 days to get it done. I could never do that. The website is here. The craziest thing of all is that when I tried to get on the website earlier, it wouldn't let me because too many people were already on it. That's a lot of people trying to get on that site. I might do it but I doubt it. I don't have what it takes but it seems like a lot of people do. That's it. I'm just bored so I decided to post about that. So bye.

Happy Halloween,
The Bursting Bookshelf

AHHH! I just read this on Electrifying Reviews.

From Vampiresite.net

The CW is developing a series based on another book series fromVampire Diaries author L.J. Smith – and TVD consulting producers Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain, who also are writing the upcoming “Plan B,” are involved.

The new project, Secret Circle, is about a California teen who moves to her mom’s hometown of New Salem and learns that she is a witch.

Vulture originally released the news about the development. The series, if it happens, will have a pilot script from Andrew Miller, who will also be executive producer.

OMG! This would be amazing! They have done such a good job on Vampire Diaries, even with all the changes, they just made it better! I would definatly tune in for this one. There's nothing really like this on TV right now anyway.

Happy Halloween,
The Bursting Bookshelf

Title: Evermore
Author: Alyson Noel
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release: February 3, 2009 (paperback)
Rating: 4/5
Pages: 301
Series: Immortals Series
Synopsis:
Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch. Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste...

Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition. He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets. Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking—and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head. She doesn’t know who he really is—or what he is. Damen equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies.

Review:
Now there's one thing I don't understand. Why don't some people like this book? It keeps moving and it has some great action scenes in it. The romance is good in it too.

The cover, at first I wasn't crazy about it but then it grew on me. I liked the purple and tulips but the actual picture itself just wasn't my favorite. The text was cool though and I like how it looks like it's kind of glowing. My favorite part of the cover though is the fact it's purple. My favorite color. I also love how the tulips from the book were Incorporated into the cover as slight foreshadowing.
Enough on the cover though. The story. I believe that this was the best book so far of The Immortals series. I loved how unique the premise was, there is nothing else that I am aware of out there like this book. It also had romance that was good because of the factor of the unknown element to Damen. Ever was a good protagonist in this book as she wasn't the 'it' girl, she was the kid whom everyone picks on. I really liked how she wasn't the golden girl and it was a story told from the picked on's perspective. The two characters that were secondary, but still awesome, were Haven and Miles. Miles and Haven were so quirky and lovable in this book. Haven is just like that friend that we've all had, she marches to the beat of her own drum but she'll do her best to always be there for you in the end. Damen, Damen, Damen. He was so dark and mysterious, though there were a few things about him that I did not care for such as when he's flirting with Stacia when he claims it was nothing as he was giving her white tulips which don't mean love, to me that means he was leading another girl on and then went to Ever. Though my favorite character was Riley. She could make you laugh, yell, or cry. She made the ending what it was and made me cry several times over.

All in all this book was a good read. The ending will make you cry, and the story will leave you waiting for the next book. I think the writing was good as well and the story was well planned as the author clearly knows where she wants to take this story and for those reasons, this book gets a 4/5 in my opinion.

PS: Here is the cover to North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley. The cover is just the same as Evermore.
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Title: Jessica's Guide to Dating On The Dark Side
Author: Beth Fantaskey
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books
Release: December 17, 2008
Rating: 5/5
Series: None
Pages: 351
Synopsis:
The undead can really screw up your senior year . . . Marrying a vampire definitely doesn't fit into Jessica Packwoods senior year get-a-life plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth and hes her long-lost fiance. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampires Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war and save Lucius's soul from eternal destruction.

Review:
You know how I found this book? You'll never guess. A Facebook advertisement. That's right. Facebook recommended me a book. How weird right? Right. And surprisingly enough, it was a awesome recommendation.

When Facebook first recommended this to me I had never heard of the book or the author. But I clicked the link and it took me to the Amazon page for the book and so I read the summary and thought 'Hey, this sounds kind of decent!'. i then decided I had a very poor memory, so I jotted down the title and author. After that, I didn't think about it until I was in a bookstore like 3 months after I first saw the ad and I jumped up and bought it right away. But that's enough for my story.

This book is so close to a parody but it's not quite. It has a serious story line making it a unique but funny blend you don't find in a lot of vampire books these days. This book also sports some great characters. The whole book no matter how Lucius acted I still majorly crushed on him. I like how he didn't easily give up on Jessica. The whole story has a really cool story line with the vampires living in Romania and the whole book just gives off a whole different vibe. I really enjoyed it and I think those of you who haven't read it will highly enjoy it.

This week I'm on time! I'm very proud of myself right now. Anyways, this week I found out some information on an author that I like a lot...

Alyson Noel!!!

This week Alyson posted on her blog the cover of the Riley Bloom book, Shimmer.

So that's the cover for Shimmer which I like quite a bit. It's cool how you can see Riley in this one more. I have been looking for the cover since I finished Radiance a month ago. Well finally here it is for everyone to enjoy.

That's all for now,
The Bursting Bookshelf

Title: Fearless Platinum Edition
Artist: Taylor Swift
Produced By: Big Machine Records
Release: October 26, 2009
Rating: 5/5
Song List:
Jump Then Fall *
Untouchable *
Forever & Always (Piano Version) *
Come In With The Rain *
Superstar *
The Other Side of the Door *
Fearless
Fifteen
Love Story
Hey Stephan
White Horse
You Belong With Me
Breathe (feat. Colbie Caillat)
Tell Me Why
You're Not Sorry
The Way I Loved You
Forever & Always
The Best Day
Change

Video List:

Music Videos
Change*
The Best Day*
Love Story*
White Horse*
You Belong With Me*

Behind The Scenes Of
Love Story*
White Horse*
You Belong With Me*

Addition Content
Fearless Tour 2009 Photo Gallery*
Fearless Tour First Show Behind The Scenes*
CMT Awards: Thug Story (feat. T-Pain)*

Review:
As if I really need to day anything other than EPIC. This is the CD that made me the Taylor Swift fan I am today. Before I got this I had gotten some of the singles and just loved them but I wasn't sure if I wanted to buy the CD yet. Then I was lucky enough to get it for Christmas and because I waited that long I was able to get the Platinum Edition which has a lot more and is worth the extra money to get. It is a phenomenal album with tons of bonus features that bring you closer than ever to Taylor and from making the videos to making the tours.

My all time favorite song on this album absolutely has to be either Fearless or Fifteen. I love, love, love Fearless because it talks about this guy that she feels fearless with and the different things that they do because they feel so comfortable with each other like dancing in rain in her best dress but she doesn't care because they're together and that's all that matters. I like Fifteen because of how it talks about that you may feel like you are in love with a guy in high school, but it's just high school and life will go on after that relationship. Both of these song's just speak to me and they also make me want to sing along with them.

If you guys don't have this album, you need to get it. Period. No option. This album WILL turn you into a Taylor Swift fan. It has slow slongs, faster songs and funny songs. It has everything I like in music and I could ever wish for in a album and more. This is a must buy for sure.

*Only available on the Platinum Edition.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event held by Jill over at Breaking The Spine! It's all about those books you just can't wait for and are counting down the days till they come out. This week mine is a day late but I decided to do it anyway even though I'm late. I'll give you one guess as to what it is.

                               Strange Fate
                                  LJ Smith

This is a book I've been waiting for since I finished the third bind up of Night World. I am just dying to read the ending but this but has just been delayed like a million times. I just wished that it would come already! Unfortunately, I won't give a release date her because it keeps changing and currently it's saying 2012, but often deates set that far a head don't stay out there, they get changed to a closer date, so here's to hoping it comes out faster. 

Title: Speak Now
Singer: Taylor Swift
Produced By: Big Machine Records
Release: October 25, 2010
Rating: 5/5
Song List:
Mine
Sparks Fly
Back to December
Speak Now
Dear John
Mean
The Story of Us
Never Grow Up
Enchanted
Better Than Revenge
Innocent
Haunted
Last kiss
Long Live

Bonus Content  (only on Target Deluxe Edition):
Ours
If This Was a Movie
Superman
Back to December (acoustic)
Haunted (acoustic)
Mine (pop mix)

Review:
I know, I've never done this before, and I won't do this often but I just got this CD the other day and I just love it! I became a big fan of Taylor Swift right around when her Fearless CD went platinum. I got that one and played it and played it and played it. I loved all the songs on it. But my favorite was Fearless. It was just so great and the lyrics spoke to me. So I rushed to get this one trying to keep in mind that it might not be as good so I probably shouldn't get my hopes up too high. But Taylor has done it again! She has topped herself with another great CD that I bet will go platinum just like the last one. In fact I just can't wait for her to tour for this CD because it will be some sort of an amazing concert.

My favorite song on this CD is really hard to pick. I mean I love them all! How am I supposed to pick just one? But if I had to pick, I would pick Better than Revenge. It's a fun faster song about a girl who works hard to get her crush just to have a popular girl swoop in and steal him from her. It's kind of funny but it's also pretty pop-ish and fun. I'm also listening to it as I write this review. It's my favorite. For now. :P

All the songs are great on this album and I just adore the fact that Taylor writes her own songs and plays the guitar for herself too. I am in love with this record and I hope you guys are too. And if you haven't listened to it yet, you should buy it right away and listen! It's EPIC.

PS: I changed my regular blue font for red to honour this great album. That's all. I'll go now.

Title: The Hollow
Author: Jessica Verday
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release: September 1, 2009
Rating: 3/5
Series: The Hollow Trilogy
Pages: 509
Synopsis:
When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead…and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. Then she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again...but also special.
Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her—one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity.

Review:
When I picked up this book I had only picked it up because I liked the cover and because it was on sale for half price. Then afterward, I read the synopsis and fell in love with it. It just sounded so intriguing and different. It just seemed so YA fiction but with a hint of something else a lot of other YA books don't always have. Uniqueness. With the whole vampire fad going on, all other books kind of get dwarfed by the popular vampire books. But this one just seemed different overall. And boy was it ever.

This book was just OK. That's the part I found disappointing. It had great potential but it kind of flopped a bit. I mean the summary is supposed to be like a movie trailer. It's supposed to entice possible readers into buying/ reading it. The summary to this book was great! It's just it only makes what's actually in the book sound better if that makes sense. The book was all description and a bit of building towards something that barely gets touched on at the end of the story. I almost feel that this book was simply put into existence to set up for the next book or so the author wouldn't have to cram it all in one book. It was a bit of a let down for me after all the excitement I built up.

But the cover. OMG I love this cover. No, I don't love it, I adore it. No I am obsessed with it. It is only sort of connected to this book but I just love it. I'm not even sure why really. I love the font, and the simplicity of it. I love the spine and the pattern. I love the background with the maple leaves and the texture. I love the phrase on it ('A love like no other..'). I just love it. Way more than the hardcover one. This one just speaks to me so much. This cover deserves all the italics I gave it and more!

Overall the book was just OK with an amazingly epic cover. It was more a 'if you can get it from the library, do and if not don't bother hunting it down kind of book. I was a little disappointed.

PS: Though the one cool thing about this book was that you can go here and order perfumes uniquely designed for each character, get Abbey's snickerdoodle recipe and more.

PSS: One of my all time favorite authors did a review on The Hollow:

“Spectacular! The Hollow keeps you reading from beginning to end without coming up for air.” --L.J. Smith, bestselling author of The Vampire Diaries and Night World

Even though I disagree, she is still amazing!

Title: The Host
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Release: May 6, 2008
Rating: 3.5/5
Series: Unknown
Synopsis:
Stephenie Meyer, creator of the phenomenal teen-vamp Twilight series, takes paranormal romance into alien territory in her first adult novel. Those wary of sci-fi or teen angst will be pleasantly surprised by this mature and imaginative thriller, propelled by equal parts action and emotion. A species of altruistic parasites has peacefully assumed control of the minds and bodies of most humans, but feisty Melanie Stryder won't surrender her mind to the alien soul called Wanderer. Overwhelmed by Melanie's memories of fellow resistor Jared, Wanderer yields to her body's longing and sets off into the desert to find him. Likely the first love triangle involving just two bodies, it's unabashedly romantic, and the characters (human and alien) genuinely endearing. Readers intrigued by this familiar-but-alien world will gleefully note that the story's end leaves the door open for a sequel--or another series.

Review:

First off, the only reason I read this was because I had absolutely nothing else to read so I was kinda, who am I kidding, very desperate. So I turned to The Host. At first I started to read it and got bored 13 pages in. Yes, it only took 13 pages. So then I returned it to the library. Then almost a year later I was faced with the same dilemma but this time a friend had told me that the book was great with a great ending, so I tried it again. This time I sucked it up (haha, bad vampire - Stephenie Meyer joke) and just kept plowing through. Eventually I was just past halfway through when suddenly, I started to actually like it! I was shocked. So I kept reading and finished it and, surprisingly didn't mind it at all. In fact, I might have liked it a teensy weensy bit. But that's all. Nothing more.

The cover. In my oh so humble opinion, the cover was nothing better then alright. I mean I am soo glad she didn't try and make it look too adult book-ish and she stayed away from using the same theme as the Twilight covers, but it didn't really draw me in. I know it's bad to judge books by their covers, but seriously that's what a cover is there for, to draw attention towards the book. I mean I get how she was trying to illustrate to the reader how the eyes of a host's body look, but I think it could have been done a lot differently.
For the characters, I loved how Stephenie was able to work the relationship between Wanderer (or Wanda as she becomes later in the book) and Melanie. I can see that would be a huge task to be able to make the relationships and interactions between the other characters and Melanie/Wanda as realistic as she did. It was a big job that she accomplished proving that she does have great potential for more books after this one.
PS: One thing that didn't understand was how this book could ever be considered a adult book. The story is most defiantly YA fiction and not adult fiction. I can see having 14+ pirnted inside the flap or on the back as many books do, but I, at least, don't think this is adult fiction even though I'm sure adults will enjoy it.

PSS: I promise this is the last one :). The reason the rating is so low is because how long it takes to get good. That's all.

Title: Night World Volume 3
Author: LJ Smith
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release: April 7, 2009
Rating: 4.5/5
Series: Night World Series
Synopsis:

Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.
The apocalypse is drawing near. But four Wild Powers can save the world from the impending doom. Circle Daybreak, an underground organization with both Night World and human members, is searching for the four who can stop the darkness.
A vampire hunter -- who is half vampire -- stalks her own kind to protect humans in Huntress.
In Black Dawn, Maggie stumbles upon an old Night World kingdom where the ruling vampire prince is both an enemy and an ally.
And Circle Daybreak hires Keller, a shapeshifting panther, to guard a new Wild Power in Witchlight. But when Keller falls in love with the Wild Power's soulmate, her love could destroy everything....

Review:

This was, by far, the best book in the series so far. It may have had the same awful cover style, but it had the best stories inside. I personally loved all the books in the bind-up and thought 'Wow I can't wait for Strange Fate to come out!'. Well guess what? I still am. But that's not the point.The point is I adore how LJ is able to right off the bat grab your attention and have you feel for the characters fast. LJ is just amazing in that way because she literally weaves her own universe that's completely unique to her books but it's not mistakable with any other books, though it's not too far off base from the real world that we live in.

All three novels in this book focus around one of four Wild Powers. I know, no my math isn't way off, there's stilll one book yet to come out in either 2011 or 2012 (before the end of the world ;) don't worry!). The focus on the apocalypse and the Wild Powers gives the books something the other volumes don't have. It give them another layer to the story making them less repetitive but still with that love story vibe to them.

Overall the whole series so far is great if you don't really watch the details of the writing as much as you just read to enjoy. So for my style of reading, this was the perfect conclusion to a great series including practically all my favorite paranormal elements in books.

Title: Night World Volume 2
Author: LJ Smith
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release: November 8, 2008
Rating: 4/5
Series: Night World Series
Synopsis:


Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.In Dark Angel, Gillian is saved from drowning by her guardian angel. Only visible to Gillian, Angel will fulfill her heart's every desire. But when Angel starts making strange and sinister requests, Gillian must question who he truly is and where he came from.
Armed with a wooden stake, martial arts, and the will to resist a vampire's mind control, Rashel struggles to avenge her mother's death in The Chosen. Then she meets Quinn, her soulmate, who is part of the world she has vowed to destroy.
Hannah receives notes warning her of incredible danger in Soulmate. But if death is her destiny, is the Lord of the Night World's love strong enough to save her?

Review:

Yes. I read this one too. And before I start I'd just like to say I've read the third one too and I will be reviewing that one too. OK, now for the review. As I said before, I really don't like these covers but after reading the first book in the series I just had to read this one. I mean HAD to. I was/am in love with these books. They portrayed exactly what I wanted in a book at the time. Paranormal romance, a little action, and most importantly, a storyline that actually moves *cough* unlike Twilight *cough*.

At the time they were perfect for me. And at the time I really didn't have an eye for detail. I thought 'These stories are just flawless. Why can't all books be like this?'. Well looking back, it's a good thing I didn't get my wish cause if I did, all books would be fairly repetitive. Don't get me wrong, I love htese books but by the time you get to the second book of the same thing, it gets boring.

All and all I love these books anyways and I highly recomend you read the books especially if you're jus getting serious with reading and you have nothing to read. They are a great starting point and don't be daunted by their length, because it's like you're reading three books, but you paid for one :).

Title: Night World Volume 1
Author: LJ Smith
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release: June 3, 2008
Rating: 4/5
Series: Night World Series
Synopsis:
In Secret Vampire, Poppy thought the summer would last forever. Then she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now Poppy's only hope for survival is James, her friend and secret love. A vampire in the Night World, James can make Poppy immortal. But first they both must risk everything to go against the laws of Night World.
Fugitives from Night World, three vampire sisters leave their isolated home to live among humans in Daughters of Darkness. Their brother, Ash, is sent to bring the girls back, but he falls in love with their beautiful friend.
Two witch cousins fight over their high school crush. It's a battle between black magic and white magic in Spellbinder.

Review:

Yes, I had to review it sooner or later. The one, the only, Night World Volume 1. First off, I just adore LJ Smith's writing and all her books. She is a big part of why I started to seriously read. I read these back in 2009 and fell in love with her style. Even though I had seen it a million times, I had never bothered with and stuck to what I thought was mainstream such as Twilight. I literally judged a book by it's cover. Boy could I have not been proved more wrong by my choice. from page one the book sucked me in and wouldn't let me go until I had finished to the very last page. This for the longest time was my favorite book and then I read The Hunger Games, but that's a completely different story.

As I said before, I really don't care for the covers that much. To me when I saw them before they were recommended to me, they quite frankly looked like a boring adult book or just some vampire wannabe novel that was just trying to ride the whole vampire fad. Turns out it wasn't but that's what I'm notorious for, judging books by their covers. So in my opinion, the cover isn't up to the books standards.

All together the book was great and I loved how the stories all come back and connect with each other in their own unique way. But their was one story I didn't particularly care for and that was Spellbinder, the third story in this bind-up. I didn't like how it ended but then nothing was really said about what happens to them later. They just disappear. It just disapointed me but in actual fact it wasn't that bad a story, it just didn't match the quality of the other stories in there.

Even though a lot of people don't like this book, I really loved it. It had the paranormal (especially vampire) romance I love with some plot to it. It was just perfect for me. Since then I have read other books that are much deeper and now I can see how this book may get repetitive, but all and all I think this book deserves a lot more credit then it gets in the YA Blogosphere.

It's basically just a button I designed to go with the new header.

Title: Kisses From Hell
Author: Kristen Cast, Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong, Richelle Mead, Francesca Lia Block
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release: August 16, 2010
Rating: 3.5/5
Series: The Hell Collections
Synopsis:

Truly, Madly, Undead-ly

This irresistible collection features stories of love amid vampires by five of today's hottest authors—Kristin Cast (Tempted), Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy), Alyson NoËl (Evermore), Kelley Armstrong (The Summoning), and Francesca Lia Block (Pretty Dead).
From a fugitive vampire forced to trust a boy who might work for the group bent on destroying her to the legendary romance of two immortals whose love compels them to risk everything, this heart-pounding collection brings new meaning to the words "love you forever." Whether you're into romances that are dark and moody or light and fun, these stories will quench that insatiable thirst for enchanting tales of the beautiful undead.

Review:

OK, so when I first heard of this book, I was ecstatic. I had heard of and loved four of the five authors (Kristen Cast, Alyson Noel, Kelley Armstrong and Richelle Mead) that had short stories in this book. The only author I hadn't heard of was  Francesca Lia Block and so I though 'Hey maybe I'll end up loving her writing and I'll want to pick up one of her books.'. Man oh man, I couldn't have been wronger. But that's that for now. Below I'll break it apart by each short story in the order that they happen.


Sunshine by Richelle Mead  5/5

OK as this was the first story in this book and I had just finished Vampire Academy and loved it, I had very high expectations for Richelle to live up to. And without a doubt, she met and surpassed all my expectations greatly. In fact this might have been my favorite story in the whole book. I love how in the story, all the same elements (like the Strigoi and Moroi, etc.) were used in the story in a way that wouldn't be hard to figure out if you have not yet read the Vampire Academy series (which you should!) but also in a way that was great for those of us who have read the books and maybe wanted some other stories from the world that Richelle built in Vampire Academy. All and all this story was great and now I can't wait to go read more Richelle Mead books because of it.


Bring Me To Life by Alyson Noel  3.5/5

This story was good for a short story, but nothing compared to Richelle's story. But for a short story it was pretty darn good, as it took you for the full ride and it didn't feel like one of those one chapter previews you can find on a lot of authors sites. But my only problem with this story is that it, because it's a short story, seems to almost skip half the story because it starts out like a regular novel but them it almost seems too condensed for my liking. It seemed to kind of become a summary of a book not really a short story. Though I did like the idea of the story and how it ended surprised me but it just wasn't what I hoped for especially right after Sunshine.

Above by Kristen Cast  1/5

I don't like poetry. This story was just too much like poetry for my liking. But for those of you who like poetry, I'mm sure you'll love this one. It just wasn't for me.
Hunting Kat by Kelley Armstrong  4/5

This story was good but it left you hanging. It makes you yearn for more. Don't get me wrong, I love when a story does that and you count down until the next one comes out. But the problem here is that there won't be another story or book. That was it. Though I absolutely adored Neil and his nerdy-ness and hated Chad from the start, Katiana made a good protagonist and altogether is wasn't a bad story, it was short and to the point but the author was able to make you feel emotions towards the characters in such a short time. That's a skill.

Lilith by Francesca Lia Block 2/5

I didn't really understand what the author was trying to get through here. I didn't understand why Lilith left and it was just OK to me.

This time my Book Haul is really small but I decided to post it anyway. This time I got:


The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Vampire Diaries: Shadow Souls by LJ Smith

Thanks,

Hey guys, I have some bad-ish news. I have decided to cancel Saturday Book Count as I didn't really care for it all that much.

Sorry,
The Bursting Bookshelf

Hey guys! Sorry I'm a day late but here it is now. This week the news I have found out some news about an upcoming book in The Heroes of Olympus series. I found this out because I just finished The Lost Hero the other day and in the back it had the name to the next book in the series. So the next book in The Heroes of Olympus series is.... The Son of Neptune. And for those of you who read Rick Riordan's books, you'll notice that Rick has used the Roman name for the god and not the Greek name that is so often used in this series (Poseidon). This leads me to believe that the next book in this series might just focus around Percy and all the other new characters as well.

Thanks for reading!
The Bursting Bookshelf

This is a segment I'm not yet sure I'll stick with but I'll give it a try. So here it goes...

This week that book that took forever but I found was worth it was:

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan



















This book took me a week and a half but it was just sooo great! It's worth the time most definitely and if you haven't read the Percy Jackson series yet, you simply must read them and this one.

Happy Reading,
The Bursting Bookshelf

Hey guys! It's my first ever In My Mailbox. In My Mailbox is a weekly meme held by The Story Siren. But so far for my purposes, In My Mailbox will only be whenever I happen to get stuff, In My Mailbox.

This week I got:

Firelight by Sophie Jordan
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

That's all for now and thanks for reading!
The Bursting Bookshelf

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event held by Jill over at Breaking The Spine! It's all about those books you just can't wait for and are counting down the days till they come out. This week mine is Stefan's Diaries Volume One: Origins.

Set during the Civil War, against a backdrop of grand estates, unimaginable riches, and deadly secrets, three teenagers in Mystic Falls, Virginia enter a torrid love triangle that will span eternity.
Brothers Stefan and Damon Salvatore are inseparable until they meet Katherine, a stunning, mysterious woman who turns their world upside down. Siblings turned rivals, the Salvatores compete for Katherine's affection, only to discover that her sumptuous silk dresses and glittering gems hide a terrible secret: Katherine is a vampire. And she is intent on turning them into vampires so they can live together-forever.

That's all for now but thanks for reading!

The Bursting Bookshelf


PS: If you really can't wait to get your hands on Stefan's Diaries click here to read the first seven chapters on HarperTeen.com

The title pretty much says it all. I just got bored so I decided to change it up a little and go with a new one. I hope you guys like it!



Happy Reading,
The Bursting Bookshelf

Wow haul #4 already! I really should slow down with the books for a while. Nah :)

This time I got:

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler
Kisses from Hell by Various Authors

That's all for now, Happy Reading,
The Bursting Bookshelf

Hey guys! This is a new segment that I've decided to introduce for fun! Saturday Book Count will be a time when I will post a) how many books I'm reading  b) how many books are in my to be read pile and  c) how many books I got this week. So let's get started...

This week I'm reading 9 books.
I have 14 (not including the books I'm reading now) books in my to be read pile.
I bought 5 books this week.

So that's my numbers this week but what are yours? Please feel free to post down below with your numbers.

The Bursting Bookshelf

New in the world of... is a new segment that I will do once a week announcing (or re-announcing) big news that happened this week in the world of YA fiction.

There's new news on the series that really got me started on loving books. What was the series you may ask? They are recently a TV show. There are two trilogies. Can you guess yet?

THAT'S RIGHT! VAMPIRE DIARIES!

Vampire diaries is like the love of my TV life. I watch it every Thursday and have never missed an episode. I also love the books (if you haven't read them you should!). And now according to LJ Smith herself; there will be another trilogy of book in the works with the first coming out in Summer 2011. The name of the new trilogy is The Hunters and it will feature the characters leaving and going to college and the twists and turns that it will bring them. The books have tentative names already (Phantom, coming out in summer 2011, Moonsong, and last but certainly not least Eternity) and the later books don't yet have release dates.

That's all for now and please be sure to check back to the original blog post on LJ's blog here and don't forget to check back here for book reviews, hauls and more.

Thanks and happy reading,
The Bursting Bookshelf

Title: Pretty Little Liars
Author: Sara Shepard
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release: September 21, 2006
Rating: 3.5/5
Series: Pretty Little Liars Book #1
Synopsis:
Among the mega mansions and perfectly manicured hedges of Rosewood, Pennsylvania, everyone has something to hide—especially four very pretty little liars.

High school juniors Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily have been keeping secrets ever since their best friend, Alison DiLaurentis, disappeared three years ago. But when the girls begin receiving threatening notes from someone named “A,” their secrets—the big ones, the little ones, even the long-buried ones—no longer seem so safe.

Review:
First off, this is my second review so please don't expect great things from this one. OK, now for the review. Pretty little liars as you probably already know is now a TV show. And this TV show starts out A LOT like the first book. I'm talking I saw the Pilot and it was practically the exact same as this first book. They even ended the same. To me reading this book was like a rerun of the Pilot, but unfortunately you have to read it anyway 'cause you need to know the little details that were left out of the Pilot for the rest of the book series. But don't lose hope! The books start to differ alot later on in the series.

Even though if you've seen the Pilot and have to read the first book, you can still look forward to all the drama that unfolds during this book. From Spencer and Wren to Aria and Ezra, there is no shortage of drama in these books, that's for sure. One of my favorite parts of this book is that there is alwasy someting going on, even if you've already seen it on TV and the author is constantly throwing different wrenchs into the plot to make this book a good, fairly short read.

Through and through, I ended up falling love with these books slowly at first and now I can't wait to get my hands on the next one everytime.

Hey Guys! I know, back with another book haul so soon? Yep! Ran out to the bookstore and picked up some fairly popular books that have been on my list forever! So here we go!

Fallen by Lauren Kate
Torment by Lauren Kate
Halo by Alexandra Adornetto
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Thank's all  for now but keep watching for more book hauls and reviews!
Happy Reading,
The Bursting Bookshelf

Hey there! Sorry for not posting in a while but here it comes!
*DRUM ROLL*

BOOK HAUL!!!

So just recently I splurged and got several books including the new Rick Riordan book, The Lost Hero. The other books I got are as follows...

Gool by Maurice Gee
Graceling by Kristen Cashore
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan


Thanks for reading and have yourselves a great week!
The Bursting Bookshelf