In My Mailbox (6)

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

This week I decided to focus on e-books because I haven't read anything on my Kobo for a while.




The Scorch Trials - James Dashner; The second book in the Maze Runner Series. I really liked the first one, but I never got to the second one.













The Death Cure - James Dashner; The third book from the Maze Runner series. This one came out recently. I cant wait to finish this series!














Mini Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella; The last time I read one of her books was this past summer, I like her books because they are quick, easy reads.
















Rebel Angels - Libba Bray; Second book in the Gemma Doyle trilogy. I don't know why I never read this one, I enjoyed the first one, and when I saw this one, I had to get it.







I went to the Ontario Book Blogger Meetup on Saturday, November 5th(which was a HUGE success!! Thank you Ontario Blog Squad, for organizing this event!). We were each given a surprise gift bag, with books that were gernerously donated by Simon&Schuster, Hatchette Book Group Canada, Harper Collins Canada, Scholastic Canada, and Random House Canada.

The Power of Six - Patticus Lore(ARC); (received from Laura @ Allofeverything) I liked the first book, and the movie, so I'm excited to see what happens in this one.

The Isle of Blood - Rick Yancey(ARC); I won this from the raffle they did as the blogger meetup!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer - Michelle Hodkin(ARC); I also received this one from Laura. I read great reviews on this one, and I really want to see what all the fuss is about! :)

Fever - Lauren DeStefano(ARC); The sequel to Wither. The finished copy comes out February 2012. I haven't read the first one, so that's going to be one of the next books i purchase.

First Day on Earth - Cecil Castellucci; I like the cover of this book, and it's about an Alien abduction! So I'm super excited for this.

Writing Gordon Lightfoot - Dave Bidini; This is a non-fiction (biography). I'm not sure if I'll get to this one anytime soon.

Guilty Wives - James Patterson(ARC); I've only read one of James Patterson's books before. I'm not a big mystery fan, but I'll give this a try.

A Walk Across the Sun - Corban Addison(ARC); The Summary from this one is quite interesting and it takes place in India (I'm Indian). :)

Follow Friday and Book Blogger Hop (4)

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read. This week's question is;

Q. Today's Question is something new, an activity. We want to see what you look like! Take a pic with you and your current read! Too shy? Boo! Just post a fun pic you want to share.




Book : The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan

In My Mailbox (5)

In My Mailbox ia a meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. These are the books I have this week.






Forever - Maggie Steifvater; This is the last book from The Wolves of Mercy Falls series. I Can't believe it's over.
















The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan; One of my co-workers reccommended this one. I'm a huge fan of mythological creatures, so this should be fun.














Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins; The cover of this book caught my eye. It's about witches, it sounds really intresting.














The Dovekeepers - Alice Hoffman; I got this book in the Indigo Holiday Party gift bag.













The Eleventh Plague - Jeff Hirsch; Also got this one at the Indigo Holiday Party. I didnt know about this book until I got it. It's a dytopian and I'm really excited to read it.

Follow Friday and Book Blogger Hop

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read. This week's question is;

Q. Who is your superhero alter-ego?

WONDER WOMAN, hands down! First of all, I've always loved Greek mythology, and she's the warrior princess of the Amazons. Secondly, Justice League was my favourite TV show as a kid. Her powers include superhuman strength, flight, super-speed, super-stamina, and super-agility - now c'mon who wouldn't want all of that?! For as far back as I can remember, I've always dreamed of being Wonder Woman. She's so fearless and empowering.






Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Crazy for Books. This week's question is;

Q. What is your favourite type of candy?

Sour Skittles. I love the mix of sour and sweet! I like any sour candy, for that matter. But sour skittles is what I usually stick with.

Review (7) Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins

Pages: 372
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Synopsis(from book): Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris – until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he’s taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near – misses end with the French kiss Anna – and readers – have long awaited?
My Rating:




Review:
Plot
The book starts off with Anna and her parents in Paris, France. Her parents are helping her get settled into er new dorm room. Anna's dad has forced her to finish her last year of high school in Paris. And the worst part, he didn't even ask her about it, the only reason he's being persistent is because he's trying to show off, since he's a famous author of romance novels. Anna, being a regular teenager did not want to leave her best friends Bridgette and Mike, and her crush Toph(things were just starting to go right between them!) back home in Atlanta. Now, it seems like she has to start all over.
But she finds herself making friends quite quickly, she becomes close to Meridith; the girl that lives next door. Meridith introduces her to Josh,Rashmi and of course the very good-looking; Etienne St Claire. She slowly beings to adjust to the Parisian lifestyle and spends most of her free time with Etienne, and her feelings for him grow. She has to keep reminding herself that he has a girlfriend. And she herself, has Toph waiting for her back home. But is it possible for her and Etienne to be JUST friends? She feels like there is so much more between them, but will they be able to work it out?
My Thoughts
This book is great, its such a feel-good book. Avery light easy read, I went through it pretty quickly. Stephanie Perkins does a fantastic job of describing Paris. I've never been there, but I liked that I was able to travel and experience the culture through the book. The atmosphere, language, food and architecture are all so different and interesting. It seems like such a fun, exciting place to visit. There's something about the culture that makes it feel so welcoming.
I absolutely fell in love with Etienne, as well. I mean; French name, gorgeous hair, and British accent - what's not to love? He's perfect. And compared to Etienne, Toph just seemed so plain and average. I felt the ending to be a bit predictable, but I liked that. It's one of those happy books that end on a positive note, makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I definitely recommend this book, it's a nice light, fun, cute-sy read. It makes me really want to go to Paris and experience everything first hand!

Review (6) Impulse - Ellen Hopkins

Pages: 600
Publisher: McEldery Books
Synopsis (from Book): Act
on your impulse,
swallow the bottle
cut a little deeper,
put the gun to your chest.

Tony's painful childhood memories can be quelled only through pills. Vanessa has a secret that keeps her coming back to the blade. And Conner seems to have the perfect life on the outside, but his inward battle with his parents, his peers, and himself give him one last choice - to pull the trigger.

These are three lives that would have been cut short if not for the hasty intervention by loved ones. Or fate. Now they are given a second chance at a better life - but only if they help one another, and if they find the strength to let go of their inner demons. For good.

My Rating:


Review:

Plot:
Aspen Springs is a rehabilitation centre for troubled teenagers. Almost everyone here has some sort of psychological depression. Aspen Springs is bent on resolving these issues and getting these kids back on track with their lives.

Tony has an extremely scarred childhood. His mother wasn't the most responsible and was dealing with psychological issues of her own. His father, having realized his mother was a lunatic - left when Tony was young. Having no strong parental control, Tony is forced to raise himself and fend for himself. He chooses the streets cause he has nowhere else to go.

Vanessa almost killed herself, she cut a little too deep and almost bled herself to death, until her younger brother found her and called out to grandma, who with fast thinking, saved Vanessa's life. She is now at Aspen Springs trying to recover, but her huge secret seems to get her nervous and depressed, and only cutting seems to relieve the pain.

Connor has the perfect life, he's smart, good looking, and comes from a wealthy family. However, he craves love. His parents expect too much and constantly compare him to his more successful twin sister. He's only ever received plastic kisses from his mother, and deprived of maternal love. He tried to kill himself, but the bullet missed his heart and he's now stuck at Aspen Springs.

The three of them only have each others support to get back to normal, and get out of Aspen Springs. They learn new things about each other and about themselves as well.

My Thoughts:

So, I've said this before, but I'll say it again; I love Ellen Hopkins' writing style. It's very creative, and she is so inspiring. I really enjoyed this book and she does a great job at letting us get into the characters' minds, making it so easy to relate to them. I had a tough time putting this book down. Tony, Vanessa, and Connor truly come from difficult backgrounds, and being a psych student, i was able to understand them. I really loved Tony's sense of humor, it made the book a fun read. Impulse definitely helps with the understanding of depression and makes me more sensitive towards people that are suffering from it. Their life is not easy at all.

Review (5) Matched - Ally Condie

Pages: 369
Publisher: Dutton Books
Synopsis (from book): In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one… until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow — between perfection and passion.

My Rating:


Review:

Plot:
Cassia's world is perfect, at least as first she seems to think so. Everyone who follows the rules lives a long life, has the perfect job and the perfect match, which are all important things in Cassia's life. We first see Cassia getting ready for her matched banquet; which is a banquet for young adults her age and their parents. On this night, they will be matched with their ideal mate and spend the rest of their lives together. This night is important for Cassia because, her match will finally be revealed. Cassia finds herself matched to her best friend Xander and they could not be happier. Cassia's life seems to be falling well into place.

On this night, they also received a micro-chip with all of their matches information, and things like their likes and dislikes. It's a way for them to get to know each other better. Later, when Cassia goes to view the chip Xander's appears, but about three seconds later, another face appears, and then the screen just fades to black. Confused, Cassia chooses to forget about it for now, and decides not to mention it, until someone else brings it up. But why did Ky Markham's(a boy from her neighbourhood) face appear on the screen? Up until now, she hadn't given him much thought. She decided it would be best not to tell Xander about it, for now. That week during free time, she was with Xander and a few of their other friends, she got pulled away by an official; She told Cassia about the micro-chi and assured her it was a mistake, and Xander was truly her match. Relieved, Cassia goes back to hanging out with her friends. However, she couldn't stop thinking about Ky. Ky is so different, compared to everyone else in the society; he doesn't care about what other people have to say, he just does as he pleases. Cassia is intrigued by this and is happy to find out that they both chose hiking as their summer activity. Over this period of time, Cassia learns more secrets about Ky and they become close. They start to fall for each other, and Cassia has to make a choice between Xander and Ky, between a good, safe, rule abiding life or a life of passion, and exotic adventure.

My Thoughts:
The world that Cassia lives is in, is very unlike ours. Ally Condie does an excellent job of painting this foreign new world for us. It isn't pages and pages of boring description and explaining-everything-that-is-going-on around us. Although, we need to be informed of how things work in this mysterious society, we find things out through Cassia's life and the way she deals with the people and the society. The book flew by effortlessly and it was a fast read. I think their society is very different, but interesting, nonetheless. Everyone has a huge part to play. Most of the characters were very easy to relate to. I really got into some of the events, and I liked how the details were carefully planned.

At the beginning, Cassia and Ky together, seemed a little off to me. I mean they barely knew each other, and it was awkward. But when i kept reading, it grew on me. I'm most definitely TEAM XANDER though! I think they are incredibly cute together and have so much chemistry. It just feels more real. I can't wait to read the next book, to see how things fall into place. It was a very interesting dystopia, if you enjoyed the Hunger Games, give this a try.