tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78921370470984811132024-03-07T01:09:32.532-08:00The Bursting BookshelfAnnahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.comBlogger496125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-8017110139131749682018-08-05T10:11:00.000-07:002018-08-05T10:11:38.439-07:00We've moved!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hey guys. After I recently started blogging again I reevaluated the two main platforms (here and WordPress) and have decided that it's time for me to make the switch over to WordPress. I'd love if you would head over to <a href="http://theburstingbookshelf.wordpress.com/">theburstingbookshelf.wordpress.com</a> to stay in touch with my blog. I'll be leaving this one up for now, so feel free to continue to enjoy the old reviews.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">See you on WordPress,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Anna</span>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-49718208395859940442018-08-05T07:30:00.000-07:002018-08-05T07:30:04.002-07:00Stacking the Shelves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zhAwasjszkKUP7Oc42WVb71nO1J-xIqBEgcE5ZisXZcZGOw8aLW6piIut9OOq6rjBtZLSeF5ELY8IgT63YJ76VmzMVDYOwOPr4_lnKbTOVdRXUvOMJl4JJzEEce2DlKypyOadEAMtoM/s1600/IMG_0164.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zhAwasjszkKUP7Oc42WVb71nO1J-xIqBEgcE5ZisXZcZGOw8aLW6piIut9OOq6rjBtZLSeF5ELY8IgT63YJ76VmzMVDYOwOPr4_lnKbTOVdRXUvOMJl4JJzEEce2DlKypyOadEAMtoM/s640/IMG_0164.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Tynga's Reviews</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: center;"> and </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Reading Reality</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">. It centers around bloggers sharing the books they've purchased or acquired throughout the week. If you're interested in participating, head over to Reading Reality every week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">This week I had to take a trip to a nearby city and I made a little detour to one of my all-time favorite bookstores. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">Naturally, I went a little overboard on my book shopping. Who doesn't love spending a ton of time browsing in a bookstore? I ended up walking out with two new books: The Hate U Give and Monday's Not Coming. I can't wait to share with you guys what I think of these two!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">Happy reading!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br /></span>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-53379485059586701652018-08-02T06:00:00.000-07:002018-08-02T06:00:00.214-07:00Sunshine Blogger Award<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444340;">I was nominated for the Sunshine Award by <a href="https://princessofpages389232753.wordpress.com/2018/07/31/the-sunshine-award-2/" target="_blank">Princess of Pages</a>. Thank you so much for the nomination! </span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444340;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444340;"><b>1. What’s the perfect day for you?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444340;">My perfect day is a mix of Netflix and reading. I love just cozying up and enjoying a cup of coffee with a good book. Right now I'm also doing a rewatch of Gilmore Girls, </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444340; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>2. What was your last 5 star read and what made it great? </b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444340; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One Day in December by Josie Silver. It was realistic and cute and amazing. I would highly recommend it. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444340; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>3. Do you prefer series or standalones?</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444340; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Honestly, stand alones. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444340; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>4. Do you read multiple books at the same time, or do you read one at a time?</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444340; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I read one at a time.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444340; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>5. Do you have any book regrets?</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #444340; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Buying Famous in Love. So boring.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444340; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>7. If you could spend the day with any fictional character, who would you choose and what would you be doing?</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444340; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I would love to spend the day with ladies of Big Little Lies. They seem like a hoot to be around.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444340; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>8. If you could only read one more book for the rest of 2018, which book would you choose?</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444340; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I would just read The Martian over and over.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444340; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>9. Do you ever review audio books?</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444340; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No. I just can't get into any of the narrators I've tried.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444340; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>10. What’s three non book related things, you want to share about yourself?</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444340; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love Netflix, I adore dogs, I love going to local parks.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444340; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>11. If you could choose any books series to be made into a TV series, which one would you choose and who would play the hero and heroine?</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444340; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I would love to see Anna and the French Kiss. I have no idea who would play who, but dang do I want that to be made into a movie. </span>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-31219290822288646892018-08-01T06:00:00.000-07:002018-08-01T06:00:00.335-07:00One Day in December by Josie Silver<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWmnCRBvbcueY2LKN4v2SaFEg3-nLIPDvJTW5YBKZPFRlGhZhj-jNDRaeeTJIcXbOqkmNZXJCE6Ye7Hzs0L7gvGRquwSCHL0hdfLyqGPOJ4Lew6WvOmrlJbWiE9rE0ynfRb2AtKvNv6U/s1600/One+Day+in+December.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWmnCRBvbcueY2LKN4v2SaFEg3-nLIPDvJTW5YBKZPFRlGhZhj-jNDRaeeTJIcXbOqkmNZXJCE6Ye7Hzs0L7gvGRquwSCHL0hdfLyqGPOJ4Lew6WvOmrlJbWiE9rE0ynfRb2AtKvNv6U/s640/One+Day+in+December.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>A huge thank you to Crown Publishing for the Advanced Copy via Netgalley!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I found out about this book while I was scrolling through NetGalley. The book reminded me of a mix of <i>Love, Rosie</i> and <i>One Day</i>. As you may have noticed, I am a sucker for anything in the romantic genre. I'll be honest, going into the book, I thought I had the plot figured out. Often, books in this genre are on the predictable side. Instead, I found <i>One Day in December</i> was a well executed, genre defying, just plain-old-good book. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love Laurie. She is imperfect, but she tries her best in all areas of her life. What I really love about her is her level of self-reflection and the value she puts on her relationship with Sarah. Laurie spent the better part of a year pining and obsessing over the man she saw at a bus stop and when he resurfaced as Sarah's new boyfriend, she didn't do the predictable thing and try to steal him away. Instead, she did the realistic thing and repressed the hell out of her feelings and valued her friendship with Sarah above everything else. Throughout the book the focus of the book wasn't only on the one between Jack and Laurie, but also on the one between Laurie and Sarah. The amount of development of the secondary characters was spectacular, something that is rare in this genre.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>One Day in December</i> is told from the point of view of both Jack and Laurie. Reading their story from both points of view really added to the depth of it all. You see them both struggle to balance their initial attraction with their precarious situation with Jack as Sarah's boyfriend. Without going into too many details, you get to see both Jack and Laurie try to suppress their chemistry and do the right thing by Laurie and the rest of the people in their lives. It's complex, it's authentic, and it's well done will-they-won't-they story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I really can't recommend <i>One Day in December </i>highly enough. The characters were deep and complex and real. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were emotional and real consequences for their actions.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I delighted in watching them grow and evolve as people throughout the years the book follows them. The plot rarely dragged. This book was a delight cover to cover and I can't wait to read more of Josie Silver's books. </span></div>
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-69992303314464436012018-07-30T21:16:00.001-07:002018-07-30T21:23:44.595-07:00Top Ten Tuesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/TTT-NEW.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/TTT-NEW.png" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="500" height="257" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme by <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/" target="_blank">The Artsy Reader</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This week's prompt is Popular Books that Lived Up to the Hype. I have so many books I could probably make this list 100s of books long</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>1. The Fault in Our Stars</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I read this book a few years ago when it first came out. Is it overhyped at this point? Probably. Do I love it? YES.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>2. The Martian</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I can't even count how many times I've reread this book. It's become one of my go to reread/slump breaker books.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>3. Ready Player One</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've only read this once, but it's so, so good y'all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>4. Anna and the French Kiss</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I actually love this book. Another one of those books that I seem to come back to over and over and over. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>5. Graceling</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This one had a lot of hype a few years ago. If you like fantasy at all, give it a shot!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>6. Big Little Lies</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The book was amazing, and the show definitely does it justice. It's a perfect beach read!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>7. Shatter Me</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I got this book as an ARC a few years back, before the hype even started. I loved it and it's definitely time for a reread!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>8. Fangirl</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another one of my regular rereads. I relate to it on a lot of levels, and the love story at its core is so realistic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>9. Cinder</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SUCH A GOOD RETELLING. A unique take on a fairy tale that seems to get retold almost as much as Pride and Prejudice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>10. Hunger Games</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So hyped. So worth it. I didn't like the sequels as much, but the first was a near perfect dystopian that started a whole genre. </span>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-52585753102737552092018-07-27T18:41:00.000-07:002018-07-29T01:26:31.962-07:00Stacking the Shelves<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98AXM_hYGkcZ6oqmMTmbcFovhCsFXBD5mnY3C5xb9FcpXZYkvyw9kFDMn5d7j8-3_iaOeZUv6mPIG6xBW7lOYjhoYo-Hyh0wB9IgJkPwpF8FaPO-LL6p4xXpUamIJkjDZGbVB0DzDLWM/s1600/maas+book+stack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98AXM_hYGkcZ6oqmMTmbcFovhCsFXBD5mnY3C5xb9FcpXZYkvyw9kFDMn5d7j8-3_iaOeZUv6mPIG6xBW7lOYjhoYo-Hyh0wB9IgJkPwpF8FaPO-LL6p4xXpUamIJkjDZGbVB0DzDLWM/s640/maas+book+stack.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by </span><a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Tynga's Reviews</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: center;"> and </span><a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Reading Reality</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">. It centers around bloggers sharing the books they've purchased or acquired throughout the week. If you're interested in participating, head over to Reading Reality every week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">Do you ever order books and then realize they might not arrive before you head out of town? Cause I did that this week. I'm heading out of town and it wasn't until two days after I ordered a new set of books that I realized the expected delivery date was <i style="font-weight: bold;">after</i> I leave town. Luckily, the postal service came through for me and got the package here the day before I leave.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">So, what was the in the package? It was a bit of a Sarah J Maas week. I ordered a hardcover set of the Court of Thorns and Roses series, the book in the Throne of Glass series, and then Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">I'm super excited about reading these books and letting you guys know what I think!</span></div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-42616295204053799602018-07-23T23:51:00.003-07:002018-07-23T23:51:34.112-07:00Top Ten Tuesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post prompt created by </span><a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;" target="_blank">That Artsy Reader Girl</a><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;">This week's prompt is books with sensory memories. I really related to this topic as I tend to remember exactly where I was when I first read my favorite books!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><b>The Martian</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I first read this book in my third year of university. It had been a long time since I had read a good book and I can still remember staying up well past midnight just to finish the book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Ready Player One</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I read this book this year for the first time. I was on holiday in Mexico and I remember just forgetting the world around me as I got into the world of the Oasis.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">I first read this book with my dad as a kid. I can remember begging to stay up later to read <i>just one more chapter</i> in Harry's story.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><b>The Fault in Our Stars</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">This was the first John Green book I ever read. I read it all in one sitting and sat against my bedroom door so no one would come in while I finished the book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-26284027929778184672018-07-23T08:00:00.000-07:002018-07-23T08:00:04.864-07:00Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll be honest with you guys, the reason I bought this book was because it was three dollars at my favorite book store. I was also a little curious after seeing one episode of the TV show (would highly recommend you don't waste your time with the TV show) whether I would enjoy the book more. </span><br>
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<a href="http://theburstingbookshelf.blogspot.com/2018/07/famous-in-love.html#more">Finish Reading >>>></a>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-72059511026052309042018-07-20T08:00:00.001-07:002018-07-20T08:00:10.052-07:00Austenland by Shannon Hale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #a64d79; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Author:</span></span></strong> Shannon Hale</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #a64d79; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Publisher:</span></span></strong> Bloomsbury Publishing PLC </div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #a64d79; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Release:</span></span></strong> May 29, 2007</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #a64d79; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Pages:</span></span></strong> 197</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #a64d79; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Synopsis:</span></span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen;or maybe even, she suspects, with the actors who are playing them. It's all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Review</span></b>:</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've got a confession: I'm a massive romantic comedy movie fan. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've seen Sleepless in Seattle or You've Got Mail. I've seen basically all of the mainstream ones, including the movie adaptation for Austenland. I'm ashamed to say that I watched the movie before reading the book (which to be fair I didn't know existed). Austenland (the movie) was one of my favorites in the seemingly never ending stream of Pride & Prejudice adaptations, so reading the book was a no brainer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This take on Jane Austen's classic is a sort of self-aware-but-not-really version. </span><br>
</div><a href="http://theburstingbookshelf.blogspot.com/2018/07/austenland-by-shannon-hale.html#more">Finish Reading >>>></a>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-56743862132834732672018-07-18T08:00:00.000-07:002018-07-19T00:13:32.907-07:00Waiting on Wednesday<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81dZd9aMhjL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 10px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="529" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81dZd9aMhjL.jpg" width="211"></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event held by Jill over at </span><a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Breaking The Spine</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">! It's all about those books you just can't wait for and are counting down the days till they come out.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This week the book I can't seem to get out of my head is A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi. I adored her Shatter Me series and can't wait to read a new contemporary book by her! This book comes out on October 16th of this year!</span><br>
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<a href="http://theburstingbookshelf.blogspot.com/2018/07/waiting-on-wednesday.html#more">Finish Reading >>>></a>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-61371088052526668002018-07-15T08:00:00.000-07:002018-07-29T01:26:45.378-07:00Just Jilted by Cindi Madsen<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: #363636; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Title:</span></strong></span> Just Jilted</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Author:</span></span></strong> Cindi Madsen</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Publisher:</span></span></strong> Entangled: Select </div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Release:</span></span></strong> July 22, 2014</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Pages:</span></span></strong> 350</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Synopsis:</span></span></strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Dakota Halifax loves to be in love. In fact, as one of Las Vegas’s premier wedding planners, she’s built a whole career around romance. Which is why her own wedding has to be nothing short of perfect. And then her fiancé jilts her. While she’s waiting in her wedding dress. On a cruise ship already out at sea.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Once back on dry land, Dakota tries to pour her heart into her business and weekly wedding advice column, Get Ready to Wed. But how can the heartbroken celebrate others’ true love? When she reconnects with her childhood best friend, surprisingly sexy and all-grown-up casino bouncer Brendan West, Dakota wonders if maybe she can fall back in love with being in love.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">But then her ex reappears, begging for another chance, and suddenly Dakota questions if she’ll ever understand love. Can someone once-burned and twice-shy ever find her way down the aisle again?</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Review:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'll admit, I bought this book mostly because it was 99 cents on the iBooks store and I liked the cover. Ever since I started reading on my iPad, I have been a sucker for the sale section of the store. I can't even count the number of impulse buys I've made that are collecting digital dust because I bought-and-forgot. The reason this one really stood out to me is because it sounded like a modern spin on The Wedding Planner (a classic J-Lo rom-com movie).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From a plot point of view, this book was basically what you would expect by reading the back cover. Girl gets left at the alter, girl meets (or in this case, is reintroduced to) cute new potential beau, girl's ex realizes his mistake, girl has a tough choice between the two guys, everyone lives happily ever after. It's a story that's been told a million times before, but this iteration is just cute enough to keep a reader from thinking too hard about how many versions of this story they've read. There are a few small twists, but it's a pretty straightforward, predictable read.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dakota was a fun character to read about. It was easy and fun to see her journey after being jilted. Reading about her reevaluating her life and choices actually seemed realistic and fresh. It was nice to read about a capable woman who didn't fly to extremes when her life got turned upside down. Grant (the ex) was infuriating in all of the best ways. He was fun to hate and had a few manipulative tricks up his sleeve that kept him from being too much of a stereotype. Finally, there was Brendan. He was a tad bit two dimensional and predictable, but he was fun to read about and was a good competitor to go against Brendan. I found him to be the breath of fresh air in this book: he said what Dakota needed to hear and said everything I was thinking about how awful and manipulative Grant was.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Was this a fun read? Yes! I would definitely recommend this book to someone looking for a cute new romance book on the fly. It's got heart, it's got fun characters, and it has little moments that will make your heart swell. Just Jilted is a good example of a diamond in the overwhelming sea of eBooks that are constantly on sale on the iBooks store, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a summery fun-while-it-lasts read.</span>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-27010773066256756402018-07-14T08:00:00.000-07:002018-07-23T23:36:40.733-07:00Stacking the Shelves<div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by <a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/" target="_blank">Tynga's Reviews</a> and <a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" target="_blank">Reading Reality</a>. It centers around bloggers sharing the books they've purchased or acquired throughout the week. If you're interested in participating, head over to Reading Reality every week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I went to the used book store and ended up picking up a few real gems. I got Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, The Girl on the Train, Hidden Figures, and The Zookeepers Wife. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've always been a fan of NASA (I even have a super cool NASA t-shirt), and after seeing Hidden Figures, I've been trying to hunt down a copy of the book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> I saw the trailer for The Zookeepers Wife (is there any role Jessica Chastain can't take on?). Similarly, I saw the trailers for Me and Earl and the Dying Girl as well as The Zookeepers Wife</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">and decided that this time, I would read the book before seeing the movie</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-69928699104648784352018-07-12T08:00:00.001-07:002018-07-21T12:46:51.764-07:00Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: #363636; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Title:</span></strong></span> Can You Keep a Secret? </div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Author:</span></span></strong> Sophie Kinsella</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Publisher:</span></span></strong> Dial Press </div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Release:</span></span></strong> March 1, 2003</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Pages:</span></span></strong> 368</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Meet Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart, an irrepressible spirit, and a few little secrets: Secrets from her boyfriend: I've always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken. Secrets from her mother: I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom with Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben-Hur. Secrets she wouldn't share with anyone in the world: I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even what it is. Until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger.…Until Emma comes face-to-face with Jack Harper, the company's elusive CEO, a man who knows every single humiliating detail about her...</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Review:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sophie Kinsella is a massive name in the romantic comedy book genre: she's sold millions of books and her lighthearted novels make for great beach reads or eBook impulse buys. I'm a sucker for a good love story, so I decided to give Sophie Kinsella's books a second shot after I didn't really enjoy the first one I read (review here).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The main appeal for this book was a unique premise and the clout the author's name carries. Can You Keep a Secret follows Emma as she strives to prove herself at a career she is pursuing to prove that she is not an embarrassment to her family. During a flight on a business trip, her plan hits incredible turbulence prompting her to spill all (yes, literally all of them) secrets to the stranger sitting next to her. In a twist, the stranger turns out to be a big-wig at the company she works for and shenanigans ensue.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Was the story line a tad bit predictable? Yes, absolutely. There was no real twists or turns, everything was pretty straight forward. You could see the ending coming a mile away, as is the case with most books of this genre. Was the ride still fun? Yes. This book is a fun, park-your-brain type of book that might not be memorable, but it's nice while it lasts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One thing that has been consistent in the two Sophie Kinsella books I've read is how terrible the lead character's friends/family/boyfriends are. One of Emma's roommates only qualities is that she's selfish. Her cousin is the stereotypical mean step-sister who has everything going for her and who Emma is constantly compared to. She's oddly malicious towards Emma, despite Emma being a lighthearted seemingly kind person.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the topic of Emma - she seems to be the same character as Poppy (from I've Got Your Number), but with more career problems. She makes seemingly criminally poor choices that always make the situation she's in ten times harder to get out of than if she had just been honest from the start. Emma gains your sympathy as she deals with her demeaning coworkers and her cousin who seems bent on replacing her in Emma's own family, but she lost my sympathy when she doesn't ever stand up for herself. Her lack of a backbone really drove me nuts: she put up with her cousin, she put up with her coworkers, she even put up with the man she's dating not telling her anything. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I would recommend this book to someone who looking for a light read with a heavy dose of secondhand embarrassment. If watching characters digging themselves further and further into a hole is your cup of tea, you'll enjoy this book. If you begrudge characters who actively make the poorest choice in every situation to the point that they seem to enjoy the consequences of their actions, I would give this one a pass.</span>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-88337924836885141852018-07-10T07:55:00.000-07:002018-07-18T15:18:56.462-07:00Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books I’ve Read In 2018 (So Far)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post prompt created by <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" target="_blank">That Artsy Reader Girl</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The topic this week is Best Books I've Read in 2018 (So Far)!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This week, I'm just going to be highlighting seven books instead of ten. Why? The books I've read this year have been very hit or miss (mostly misses, honestly). So, without further adieu, here are the top ten books I've read this year (in no particular order):</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. The Martian by Andy Weir</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3. Turtles All The Way Down by John Green</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4. Walt Disney: An American Original </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">6. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J.K. Rowling</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">7. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling</span>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-66417132369136604102018-07-08T08:00:00.000-07:002018-07-16T23:53:35.430-07:00I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: #363636; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
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<a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81lmyRi-BDL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="519" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81lmyRi-BDL.jpg" width="207" /></a><span style="color: #a64d79;"><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Title:</span></strong></span> I've Got Your Number </div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Author:</span></span></strong> Sophie Kinsella</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Publisher:</span></span></strong> The Dial Press </div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Release:</span></span></strong> February 14, 2012</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Pages:</span></span></strong> 433</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Synopsis:</span></span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've lost it. :( The only thing in the world I wasn't supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It's been in Magnus's family for three generations. And now, the very same day his parents are coming, I've lost it. The very same day. Do not hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive!! :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A couple of glasses of bubbly with the girls at a charity do and Poppy's life has gone into meltdown. Not only has she lost her engagement ring, but in the panic that followed, she's lost her phone too. As she paces shakily round the hotel foyer she spots an abandoned phone in a bin. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number with the hotel staff. It was meant to be!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Except the phone's owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn't agree. He wants his phone back, and doesn't appreciate Poppy reading all his messages and wading into his personal life. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, phone messages and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents, can things get any more tangled?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Review:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ever have one of those days that you just need a cute book to unwind after a long day? If you're at all a fan of rom-com books, you've definitely heard of Sophie Kinsella. If you're looking for a super fast, light, beach read, this is your book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This book follows Poppy as she stumbles through her engagement to Magnus: her appealing, if not boring, fiance. After she loses her engagement ring (firmly cementing her as a ditsy and sometimes nitwit to the point of being obnoxious), she finds a cell phone in the trash. Turns out the owner is a mysterious business man, Sam, whom she ends up striking a deal with: Poppy keeps the phone as long as she helps out Sam with his emails.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As you can imagine, the texts these two exchange inevitably lead to a cute will-they-won't they. Their journey from tense strangers to tentative friends is adorable, and I really enjoyed watching them both develop into that relationship. Their dynamic together is nothing special: pick any other rom-com book from the 2000s and you will get the same cutesy dynamic between the two leads.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let's talk about Poppy. She's a career woman desperate to get married. All she seems to care about is getting hitched to Magnus and making literally every situation she encounters ten times harder for herself. She loses her ring, and instead of being honest about it, she takes a long and convoluted path of deception. After realizing how poorly matched her and her fiance are, she decides to go through with the wedding anyways despite ample warning signs. Every time I found myself rooting for Poppy, she would do something aggressively stupid and I would find myself getting a bout of secondhand embarrassment. I know she was meant to be flawed, but all I saw was a character who was not believable and very hard to root for.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Other characters in the book were not very well fleshed out. Poppy's coworkers were inconsistent and ill defined. Poppy insisted that they were her closest friends, but one showed up for all of five minutes, and the other was actively trying to seduce Magnus (the bland fiance). Honestly, the book would have been better without these two characters. All they made me do was question why a person would ever consider them friends.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, would I reread this book? Absolutely not. I've had my fill of meddling Mary Sue characters. Would I recommend it? If you can catch this book at a used bookstore or on sale in the iBooks/Kindle/Google Play store, go for it. Otherwise, you're best to pass this book up in favor of a more interested rom-com read.</span><br />
<br />Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-63295424409752603162018-07-07T08:00:00.000-07:002018-07-16T23:52:02.901-07:00Stacking the Shelves<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by <a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/" target="_blank">Tynga's Reviews</a> and <a href="https://www.readingreality.net/" target="_blank">Reading Reality</a>. It centers around bloggers sharing the books they've purchased or acquired throughout the week. If you're interested in participating, head over to Reading Reality every week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This week has been an exceptional week for me! I got a ton of books I've been super excited about for a while! </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The week started on a good note - half of a book order that I've been waiting for from Amazon showed up! The first half of my order had Anna and the French Kiss and Less by Andrew Sean Greer. I have previously read Anna and the French Kiss (and <a href="http://theburstingbookshelf.blogspot.com/2012/05/anna-and-french-kiss-by-stephanie.html" target="_blank">reviewed it</a>) but my copy went missing in my last move. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I also swung by a bookstore (because when is getting just two books enough?). I picked up a biography I've been eyeing for a long time (Walt Disney: An American Original). I also picked up a book I've heard a ton of hype about (The Hate U Give) because I found it at a great price.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Finally, my week ended with the second half of my Amazon order coming: I got Lola and the Boy Next Door (<a href="http://theburstingbookshelf.blogspot.com/2012/05/lola-and-boy-next-door-by-stephanie.html" target="_blank">read my review here</a>) and The Nightingale. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Overall, it was a great book week for me! I've already started reading the pile (starting with the Walt Disney biography) and I'm sure I'll be done reading sooner than later.</span></div>
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-75155990138803663302018-07-06T08:00:00.000-07:002018-07-12T09:23:54.732-07:00Ready Player One by Ernest Cline<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: #363636; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Title:</span></strong></span> Ready Player One </div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Author:</span></span></strong> Ernest Cline</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Publisher:</span></span></strong> Broadway Books </div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Release:</span></span></strong> August 16, 2011</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Pages:</span></span></strong> 374</div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>THANKS TO WONDERKIND PR FOR THE REVIEW COPY.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have you ever read a book just for the hype? I'll admit, I was hardcore jumping on the bandwagon when I decided to read this book. Was the hype worth it? Absolutely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In Ready Player One's version of the 2040's, people no longer interact in person: life happens in the OASIS. Enter Wade Watts: a teenager who has lived his entire life online. He lives in the stacks of trailers outside of Oklahoma City with his aunt and her sketchy boyfriend, attending school online and trying to explore the online world with his exceptionally limited funds. Wade is part of the hordes of users on the OASIS trying to solve a seemingly unsolvable puzzle with the highest of stakes: ownership of the OASIS. When Wade is the first player to make progress in solving the high stakes puzzle, we see him pushed into the spotlight and the danger that accompanies it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because everything is online, Wade doesn't know or understand the true value of real-life, in person interactions. Throughout this book we see him stumble through relationships with his friends, family, people of power, and the girl he's admired for years. I love how this book tackled the social anxiety of removing oneself from their 'safety blanket'. We got to see Wade in the real world: where he couldn't micromanage his appearance and environment and the vulnerability and discomfort that exposed him to. The author didn't sugar coat how challenging being in the real world was for Wade, he was clearly vastly more comfortable in the game where he was idolized and a celebrity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm not an 80s kid, but I'll be damned if this book didn't make me feel nostalgic for that era/ make me want to track down the nearest arcade to me. Ernest Cline's world building was spectacular: it took a while for the OASIS to be fully fleshed out, but once it was, I couldn't put the book down. The amount of detail was astounding, everything from the hardware that runs the game to the layout of the game to the pseudo-politics and mannerisms of different classes of players was described. By the end, I felt like an expert on all things 1980s.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a perfect book to get someone into the sci-fi genre. Ready Player One also has the added bonus of not being some grandiose series starter- it's a genre defying stand alone novel. Having a perfectly delivered sci-fi tale in a single book is a rare find, one I would highly recommend to anyone looking for their next read.</span>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-47852340224829387922018-07-05T20:29:00.002-07:002018-07-05T20:29:56.994-07:00Welcome<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hello everyone! It's been six years since I've posted to this blog. I won't bore you with what I've been up to in those years (I have read <i>loads </i>of books), but here I am again. My life has calmed down considerably since I quit blogging and reviewing, so I have decided to reopen The Bursting Bookshelf on a trial basis. I can't wait to reconnect with some of my old readers and meet some new ones too. </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hello again and happy reading!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PS - pardon if the layout changes much during this time. I'm experimenting with a revamp.</span></div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-37251068248720522152012-10-31T00:00:00.000-07:002018-07-05T16:58:37.647-07:00Goodbye<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Well, I've been working on this post for quite some time now. It's been something I've been contemplating doing for quite some time now:</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've decided to quit blogging. </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This decision has been a long time in the making and there are many reasons for it, but the biggest one is that I simply don't have the time to do it anymore. I've been waiting for the right time to quit, a time when I'm all caught up in my reviews, and now is that time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm going to leave my blog up for now and I'm going to continue to use my Twitter actively, but the reviews stop here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thank you for all your support,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anna Tee</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKvJt-6gsjOeNX97jnTGbv3Rnl-gYmZM0NHnlpSL0MaSvqPLr-xpH2SZw5b-VcANBUbuDUgqjdaOS3I_uHpM06o9_wdh1qQ860Vayi1x9b2qgAXi41Bv-Sj74CAkOM5VTflzreKTVLrU/s1600/2012-Signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKvJt-6gsjOeNX97jnTGbv3Rnl-gYmZM0NHnlpSL0MaSvqPLr-xpH2SZw5b-VcANBUbuDUgqjdaOS3I_uHpM06o9_wdh1qQ860Vayi1x9b2qgAXi41Bv-Sj74CAkOM5VTflzreKTVLrU/s320/2012-Signature.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-14112682925952413432012-10-29T00:00:00.000-07:002018-07-10T19:06:07.806-07:00Echoes and Embers by Karsten Knight<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Author:</span></span></strong> Karsten Knight</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Publisher:</span></span></strong> Simon & Schuster </div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Release:</span></span></strong> August 28, 2012</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Pages:</span></span></strong> 480</div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>THANKS TO SIMON AND SCHUSTER CANADA FOR THE REVIEW COPY.</b></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Series:</span></span></strong> Wildefire #2</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Synopsis:</span></span></strong></div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Fan the flames: A teen goddess fires up her search for love and family in this sequel to <em>Wildefire</em>.</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Ashline Wilde may have needed school to learn that she is actually a reincarnated goddess, but she’s ready to move beyond books. She leaves her California boarding school behind and makes for Miami, where she meets a new group of deities and desperately seeks her sister Rose, the goddess of war. But she’s also looking for love—because even though her romance with Cole had to be snuffed, Ash is a volcano goddess—and she doesn’t get burned.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> This sequel to the edgy and action-packed </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Wildefire </em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">continues a fiery drama on an immortal scale.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Review:</span></b><br />
I was lucky enough to receive Wildefire for review last year, and I absolutely loved it. Ever since then I've been dying to read the sequel and thanks to the amazing Simon and Schuster Canada, I got a copy for review a short while ago. As soon as I got it, I read it right away, loving every minute of it. After loving the first book so much, I knew there was a great chance that the book might not live up to the legacy of the first, but luckily, it very much surpassed it.<br />
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Ashline was just as kick butt as she was in the first book, but this time she had almost an entirely new cast of characters, away from her school and many of the original characters. I thought that with the loss of the old characters that it would take a long time to get into this book with all of the new introductions that would have to be done, but they were flown into the plot well, taking no more time than necessary. My favorite new character was Wes, he was entertaining and well developed, with an interesting history with Ash. The other new characters were just as great and well developed, enhancing the already fantastic cast of characters the series has. The story picks up right where the last book left off, giving relief after the killer cliffhanger of book one. Karsten truly has mastered storytelling, doing so in an intelligent and funny way.<br />
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I give Embers and Echoes a <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">5/5</span></b> for being a great sequel that's left me wanting the next book now. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the first book and that wants a great book with a strong female protagonist. I cannot wait for the next book in the series, it should be an amazing conclusion to the series.<br />
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Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-75894130534255550372012-10-26T00:30:00.000-07:002012-10-26T00:30:02.573-07:00Die for Me by Amy Plum<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1331543359l/9462812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Die for Me (Revenants, #1)" border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1331543359l/9462812.jpg" width="212" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Title:</span></strong></span> Die for Me </div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Author:</span></span></strong> Amy Plum</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Publisher:</span></span></strong> Harper Teen </div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Release:</span></span></strong> May 10, 2011</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Pages:</span></span></strong> 344</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Series:</span></span></strong> Revenants #1</div>
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<strong style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Synopsis:</span></span></strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When Kate Mercier's parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life--and memories--behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate's guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he's a revenant--an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.</span>
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Review:</span></b><br />
This one has been tempting me since I first saw it's cover a while back. I hadn't heard too much about it review-wise, but I decided to dive in regardless. Unfortunately, I probably should have read more reviews before going into this book, the heads up would have been nice. I really felt that the quality didn't stand up to what I would have hoped it would be. The story was bland and predictable without many twists or exciting events. The story wasn't bad, but it was fairly boring in ways that could have been fixed fairly easily. Vincent was rather boring and a tad bit creepy, he was just not developed at all. Kate was a stereotypical protagonist, making few mistakes and finding her Romeo before the halfway point in the book. The relationship between Kate and Vincent was too much of an instant love for my taste. Their relationship was too 'magical' for me, they were just too perfect for each other for never having met before this book. The secondary characters were even less developed than the main characters and the villain wasn't anything to be afraid of.<br />
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The writing was a big reason why I couldn't bring myself to enjoy this book more. It was very cookie cutter and lacking of any specific style to it, it wasn't highly descriptive or eye catching in any way. Because of that, the characters seemed to not be as developed as they should have been. I hate making comparisons in my reviews, but this book is really comparable to Twilight in the sense that it is very simplistic. I'd only recommend this book to someone who's looking for a very fluffy book containing a paranormal element. I give Die for Me by Amy Plum a <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">2/5</span></b>. I don't think I'll be continuing this series unless I can find it at the library at some point.<br />
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<br />Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-8593774225510031422012-10-24T00:30:00.000-07:002012-10-24T00:30:01.089-07:00Waiting on Wednesday<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event held by Jill over at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking The Spine</a>! It's all about those books you just can't wait for and are counting down the days till they come out. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This week I chose:</span><br />
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1342834815l/9791892.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Unremembered (Unremembered, #1)" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1342834815l/9791892.jpg" /></a><strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The only thing worse than forgetting her past... is remembering it.</strong>
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<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">From popular young adult author, Jessica Brody comes a mesmerizing and suspenseful new series, set in a world where science knows no boundaries, memories are manipulated, and true love can never be forgotten.</span>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-56624562805321700362012-10-22T00:00:00.000-07:002012-10-22T00:00:07.532-07:00The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Author:</span></span></strong> Sangu Mandanna</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Publisher:</span></span></strong> Balzer + Bray</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Release:</span></span></strong> August 28, 2012</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Pages:</span></span></strong> 423</div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>THANKS TO HARPERCOLLINS CANADA FOR THE REVIEW COPY.</b></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Series:</span></span></strong> Unknown</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Synopsis:</span></span></strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Eva’s life is not her own. She is a creation, an abomination—an echo. Made by the Weavers as a copy of someone else, she is expected to replace a girl named Amarra, her “other”, if she ever died. Eva studies what Amarra does, what she eats, what it’s like to kiss her boyfriend, Ray. So when Amarra is killed in a car crash, Eva should be ready.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But fifteen years of studying never prepared her for this.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Now she must abandon everything she’s ever known—the guardians who raised her, the boy she’s forbidden to love—to move to India and convince the world that Amarra is still alive.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">What Eva finds is a grief-stricken family; parents unsure how to handle this echo they thought they wanted; and Ray, who knew every detail, every contour of Amarra. And when Eva is unexpectedly dealt a fatal blow that will change her existence forever, she is forced to choose: Stay and live out her years as a copy or leave and risk it all for the freedom to be an original. To be Eva.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">From debut novelist Sangu Mandanna comes the dazzling story of a girl who was always told what she had to be—until she found the strength to decide for herself.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Review:</span></b><br />
I first saw this book when I was browsing the Harper Collins Catalogs, looking for new books to add to my ever growing collection. The cover is simply gorgeous and the summary set it apart from anything else I had heard of in a long time. I went in with very high hopes for the book and they were met with an amazingly deep book, something I wasn't expecting.<br />
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The characters in this book were extremely well crafted, they were deep with tons of background stories and well thought through. Eva's character was <i>amazing</i>. She gave me a ton to think about throughout the course of the entire book. Her life wasn't her own, her existence was dependent on Amarra, she could end her or completely change her life with a simple decision. When her life does get altered in a matter of days, Eva takes it in stride, not throwing a massive tantrum but still remaining appropriately upset about her life being turned upside down. Ray was interesting and well developed, really great with Eva and was able to make decisions for himself and not just to appease others. The rest of the characters were just as well developed, which was a very impressive feat considering just how many characters there were in the book. The story was also well developed, it went by with speed but it didn't feel too hasty. The writing was some of the best I've read in ages, it was highly descriptive with a great narrative voice.<br />
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I give The Lost Girl a <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">5/5</span></b> for being a thought provoking book that I simply adored. I'd recommend this book to teens looking for a paranormal read with a resoundingly deep message behind it. I know I'll be reading whatever else Sangu writes next.<br />
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<br />Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-53740720068810671152012-10-20T00:00:00.000-07:002012-10-20T00:00:04.779-07:00Stacking the Shelves<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cYkgV32fDZw0bGtksmxASx0K0w9MpbhfGJhn7_zPXUwrtH8cU4hvVqdvxR2uAR4119ILwFSXhT7Za72xY0xq5eV0O1yGTDB4tkiaaahWGqZQZ_ue9gqvDRMSoXmp3eb_jeKlB_OxpNE/s1600/banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cYkgV32fDZw0bGtksmxASx0K0w9MpbhfGJhn7_zPXUwrtH8cU4hvVqdvxR2uAR4119ILwFSXhT7Za72xY0xq5eV0O1yGTDB4tkiaaahWGqZQZ_ue9gqvDRMSoXmp3eb_jeKlB_OxpNE/s1600/banner.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by <a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/">Tynga's Reviews</a> to show what your book haul for the week looks like!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For Review:</span><br />
<img alt="Asunder (Newsoul, #2)" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1336406778l/13043180.jpg" width="212" /><img alt="Mind Games (Mind Games, #1)" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1342210560l/12578294.jpg" width="202" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Asunder by Jodi Meadows</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mind Games by Kiersten White</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bought:</span><br />
<img alt="The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten, #1)" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1335463790l/12614410.jpg" width="208" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa</span></div>
Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892137047098481113.post-86686119773716498622012-10-17T00:30:00.000-07:002012-10-17T00:30:02.028-07:00Waiting on Wednesday<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event held by Jill over at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking The Spine</a>! It's all about those books you just can't wait for and are counting down the days till they come out. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This week I chose:</span><br />
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1344986164l/11366397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Program (The Program, #1)" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1344986164l/11366397.jpg" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> </span>
<br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">And The Program is coming for them.</span>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12123065854488188466noreply@blogger.com4