On My Wishlist #4

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Book Chick City where we can share the books we desire, the ones which we are just dying to read...the ones we most covet......

This week's picks are both books by Sarah Dessen - an author I've just recently discovered....

First up is Along for the Ride....

Auden has always felt like the odd one out. Since her parents' divorce she's shied away, studying lots and staying out of the party scene. But now Auden's realized there must be something more and, just like that, she changes everything. Moving to her dad's house opens up a whole new world of beach parties, food fights - and simply having fun. As she gets to know herself - and a secretive boy with dark, brooding eyes - can Auden begin to let go and finally feel like she truly belongs?




Secondly is Lock and Key...


What happens when your past is not just past, but wiped clean entirely? How do you figure out where you're going when you can't even claim where you've been? These were the questions that inspired Lock and Key. It's the story of a girl named Ruby who is abandoned by her mother and determined to make it on her own, even---and especially---when she is sent to live with her long-lost sister in a whole new world of privilege, family, and relationships. As Ruby learns, there's a big difference between being given help and being able to accept it. And sometimes, it takes reaching out to someone else to save yourself.


What I like about Sarah Dessen's books are that while they do follow the boy meets girl formula, they are told from the girl's perspective but the boy isn't the defining factor in the girls life...so I'm really looking forward to reading these two books.

Movie Cast Mondays

Movie Cast Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by mindful musings

1) Create your own cast for an upcoming book-to-movie adaptation OR pick a book you'd like to see be turned into a movie and choose a cast.

2) Post the book title, author, and summary.

3) Try to pick at least 3 of the main characters to cast.

This week my cast is for Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick:

For Nora I don't know why but I automatically thought of Leighton Meester I think she is just the embodiment of the image of Nora my mind conjured up.   Leighton Meester just has that very girl next door look to her.

Patch....I had no idea who I would chose to play patch, I knew he had to be someone who looked mysterious, dark and a little bit dangerous and I couldn't really think of anyone until I was browsing the web and came across the actor Ben Barnes and it was like it clicked into place he is the perfect image of Patch.

For Elliot I decided on Tyler Hilton, I saw him in One Tree Hill and he was cocky, charming and I think he'd play the preppy and darker side of Elliot well...plus he's incredibly good looking which always helps......

On My Wishlist #3

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Book Chick City where we can share the books we desire, the ones which we are just dying to read...the ones we most covet......

Intertwined by Gina Showalter...



There’s something about the new guy at Crossroads High…



Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him:
One can time-travel.
One can raise the dead.
One can tell the future.
And one can possess another human.

With no other family and a life spent in and out of institutions, Aden and the souls have become friends.  But now, they’re causing him all kinds of trouble.

Like, he’ll blink and suddenly he’s a younger Aden, reliving the past. One wrong move, and he’ll change the future. Or, he’ll walk past a total stranger and know how and when she’s going to die.

He’s so over it. All he wants is peace.

And then he meets a girl who quiets the voices.  Well, for as long as he’s with her. Why? Mary Ann Gray is his total opposite. He’s a loner; she has friends. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks; she tries to make everyone happy. And while he attracts the paranormal, she repels it.  For her sake, he should stay away.  But it’s too late. . .

Somehow, they share an inexplicable bond of friendship. A bond about to be tested by a werewolf shape-shifter who wants Mary Ann for his own and a vampire princess Aden can’t resist.  Two romances, both forbidden.  .  . doomed.  Still, the four will enter a dark underworld of intrigue and danger. . . but not everyone will come out alive. . .

This is one book I've been obsessed with finding for awhile now, the pursuit of this book has led me to many a Waterstones, WHSmith and Foyles store - my next exploration is going to involve trawling through ebay until I find it...I need to read this book.




Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble...



Anastasia Romanov thought she would never feel more alone than when the gunfire started and her family began to fall around her. Surely the bullets would come for her next. But they didn't. Instead, two gnarled old hands reached for her. When she wakes up she discovers that she is in the ancient hut of the witch Baba Yaga, and that some things are worse than being dead.


In modern-day Chicago, Anne doesn't know much about Russian history. She is more concerned about getting into a good college—until the dreams start. She is somewhere else. She is someone else. And she is sharing a small room with a very old woman. The vivid dreams startle her, but not until a handsome stranger offers to explain them does she realize her life is going to change forever. She is the only one who can save Anastasia. But, Anastasia is having her own dreams…

I have always had a strange fascination with this particular part of Russian history and have always had a fascination with what really happened to Anastasia, did she perish with her family or did she as many believe actually survive?  So this story really resonates with me as it feeds and at the same time satisfies that fascination.

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should be Reading


1) Grab your current read
2) Open to a random page
3) Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
4) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their to be read lists if they like your teasers

Here's my teaser:




"'Come on, you didn't think it was cute?'
'Did my trembling give it away?' Luce was already feeling a bit embarrassed by how childish she must have looked."
- page 151 of Fallen by Lauren Kate

Movie Cast Mondays

Movie Cast Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Mindful Musings - anyone can join in, the guidelines are:

1) Create your own cast for an upcoming book-to-movie adaptation OR pick a book you'd like to see be turned into a movie and choose a cast.

2) Post the book title, author, and summary.

3) Try to pick at least 3 of the main characters to cast.

This week is Evermore by Alyson Noel....

Ever:

Ever is the girl who has lost everything...her whole family in one foul swoop.  She was popular at her old school until the fateful day when everything was taken from her.  She almost left this world along with her family but something pulled her back and ever since she's able to hear people's innermost thoughts.   My pick for who sould play Ever is Emma Roberts (Julia Roberts niece)......I just think she has the right look or else Taylor Swift, I'm not sure if she's an actress as well as a singer but she's just beautiful and she looks how I imagine Ever would.

Riley:

Riley, the little sister who hasn't crossed over with the rest of the family instead haunts her older sister is stuck as a twelve year old girl desperately wanting to be a teen.  My choice for Riley would be Dakota Fanning, I've always thought she was a great little actress.....

Damen:

Ah...the hunky boy who has been waiting for Ever forever.  He's a little bit dark and dangerous but that's what attracts to him....my pick for Damen is Sean Faris.  Isn't he just dreamy?

Framing Friday #2

Framing Friday is a weekly meme hosted by me.  I had this idea of book covers as art and decided to share which book covers I'd like to frame and hang on my walls....

This week's book cover is Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr:

This cover is just beautiful; when I first saw this book cover I thought that the girl was either an angel or a fairy....I loved the purple tones which symbolise the tattooist's ink and the way the wings and tattoo are the main focus and the girl is looking over her shoulder.

On My Wishlist #2

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by book chick city at www.bookchickcity.com whose blog I absolutely love. Anyway, On My Wishlist is where we can post our list of books which are on the list to be read, wishing we owned....books we covet.

First up this week is Blue Moon by Alyson Noel - Blue Moon is the second installment of her Immortals Series.


Just as Ever is learning everything she can about her new abilities as an immortal, initiated into the dark, seductive world by her beloved Damen, something terrible is happening to him. As Ever's powers are increasing, Damen's are fading—stricken by a mysterious illness that threatens his memory, his identity, his life. 


Desperate to save him, Ever travels to the mystical dimension of Summerland, uncovering not only the secrets of Damen's past—the brutal, tortured history he hoped to keep hidden—but also an ancient text revealing the workings of time. With the approaching blue moon heralding her only window for travel, Ever is forced to decide between turning back the clock and saving her family from the accident that claimed them—or staying in the present and saving Damen, who grows weaker each day... 


I can't wait to purchase this book and delve into it, I really enjoyed Evermore and completely fell in love with Damen...

Next up is The Dark Divine by Bree Despain 



Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared—the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in blood. But she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night really held. And when Daniel returns three years later, Grace can no longer deny her attraction to him, despite promising Jude she’ll stay away.


As Grace gets closer to Daniel, her actions stir the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind Jude and Daniel's dark secret . . . and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it—her soul.


This book sounds completely compelling and intriguing - it's definitely going on my to be read list....




If you would like to join in on the On My Wishlist meme please go to Book Chick City and check it out, all the details are there. 

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1) Grab your current read
2) Open to a random page
3) Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
4) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their to be read lists if they like your teasers

Here's my teaser sentences:

"It's not that she was a vegan princess, living off beans.  It's she's a vegan princess living off beans."
Dexter just looked at him, completely nonplussed, as if he'd just been given the weather report.


This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen 

Movie Cast Mondays

Movie Cast Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Mindful Musings - anyone can join in, the guidelines are:


1) Create your own cast for an upcoming book-to-movie adaptation OR pick a book you'd like to see be turned into a movie and choose a cast.
2) Post the book title, author, and summary.
3) Try to pick at least 3 of the main characters to cast.

My pick this week is:

The Bronze Horseman - Paullina Simons

I've been in love with this book for years and have always thought it should be made into a movie, so here's my pick of the cast:

Tatiana:  

I have two main options for Tatiana:  Amanda Seyfried and Emilie DeRavin.

They both just seem to embody my image of Tatiana; blonde, blue eyed, fraigle, vulnerable with a strength yet to be discovered.  While Emilie DeRavin may be slightly to old I think she'd play the part perfectly.  I think she'd play the conflicting emotions of Tatiana well - the undying loyalty to her sister and family and the irrevocable attraction and love she feels for Alexander.

Alexander:

Paullina Simons has created the character of Alexander in such a way that he is almost real.  He is a soldier in world war two Russia harbouring a secret which could get him and those close to him killed, he is loyal, fiercely protective and hugely flawed.  So my pick for an actor to play Alexander is Channing Tatum.  He fits the physical attributes of what I've imagined Alexander to be and I think he play the conflicted, brooding solider well.

Dimitri:

Karl Urban - an actor from my homeland - New Zealand.  I think he is a brilliant actor but has that kind of slimy, sleazey look that I image of Dimitri.  Dimitri is the guy who is Alexander's best friend - the best friend who knows all of Alexander's secrets and could bring Alexander's tentatively held together reality crashing down.

Dasha:

Tatiana's older sister, Dasha, is the polar opposite of Tatiana.  She is dark while Tatiana is fair, Tatiana is shy and reserved while Dasha is outgoing and speaks her mind.  I also imagine Dasha to be beautiful in her own way.  To me, Eva Green fits the bill perfectly, she's dark and beautiful and has an exotic sense to her.

Framing Friday

So, I was in my local Waterstones (book shop) this morning when I caught a glimpse of a book cover which was so hauntingly beautiful.  I toddled over to this book and as it would happen the synopsis on the back cover did nothing to interest me so I didn't buy it but it did get me thinking about book covers which are so artistic that I wish I could take them off, frame them and hang them on my wall - that if I didn't so strongly object to defacing a book - anyway I've decided to do this weekly thing where I post a book with a cover that I want to frame and hang - hence Framing Friday.  Feel free to join in if you want just leave a comment and a link to your blog (if you have one) so that I can check out what book covers you would put on your wall....

My pick for this week is the cover to Fallen by Lauren Kate I just absolutely love this cover, it's so gorgeous.  The dark colours, the profile of the girl with her face in her hands, the ominious forest trees in the background which hint at something sinister.

What I'm reading right now....

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

Synopsis:  All Remy has to remember her father by is a song.  'This Lullaby', with the memorable line, 'I will let you down'.  Having seen her mother go through four failed marriages, she's pretty sure that's what most men do.  So she's determined to keep the men in her life at arms' length.

But when Dexter comes crashing into her world.  He's everything she hates: messy, disorganised, impulsive and worst of all, a musician like her father.  So why is it suddenly so hard for her to stick to her own rules?

I picked up this book when I was scouring the shelves of the book shop today it sounds quite intriguing.  I'm only a few pages into it but it seems interesting, Remy is in her late teens rather than being the standard sixteen or seventeen, she's left high school, is cynical and damaged and has lost her faith in men.  I'm interested in how this story is going to develop and what Dexter is going to be like....

On My Wishlist

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by book chick city at www.bookchickcity.com whose blog I absolutely love. Anyway, On My Wishlist is where we can post our list of books which are on the list to be read, wishing we owned....books we covet.

First on my wishlist is Immortal by Gillian Shields.

Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies, housed in a Gothic mansion on the bleak northern moors, is elite, expensive, and unwelcoming. When Evie Johnson is torn away from her home by the sea to become the newest scholarship student, she is more isolated than she could have dreamed. Strict teachers, snobbish students, and the oppressive atmosphere of Wyldcliffe leave Evie drowning in loneliness.
Evie's only lifeline is Sebastian, a rebellious, mocking, dangerously attractive young man she meets by chance. As Evie's feelings for Sebastian grow with each secret meeting, she starts to fear that he is hiding something about his past. And she is haunted by glimpses of a strange, ghostly girl—a girl who is so eerily like Evie, she could be a sister. Evie is slowly drawn into a tangled web of past and present that she cannot control. And as the extraordinary, elemental forces of Wyldcliffe rise up like the mighty sea, Evie is faced with an astounding truth about Sebastian, and her own incredible fate


What draws me to this book is the synopsis and how it sounds eirily like Wuthering Heights, also I love the appeal of a dangerous boy. The cover art also appeals to me with it blue background and pendant.


Next up is Fallen by Lauren Kate:  This is a book I've been waiting for for weeks.  I've become sort of addicted to the whole angel/human love story....I'm hoping when I finally get my hands on this book it meets all of my expectations and lives up to all the hype...

What if the person you were meant to be with could never be yours? 17-year-old Lucinda falls in love with a gorgeous, intelligent boy, Daniel, at her new school, the grim, foreboding Sword & Cross ...only to find out that Daniel is a fallen angel, and that they have spent lifetimes finding and losing one another as good & evil forces plot to keep them apart. Some angels are destined to fall...


Ooohh and the cover art is just absolutely stunning......dark, ominous, misty background, the profile of a girl whose face we can't make out, the white lettering which stands out against the dark blue colours it all just draws me in, calling me to read it.

Ink Exchange - Melissa Marr

Synopsis: After suffering a terrible trauma at the hands of her brother's dealer friends, Leslie becomes obsessed with the idea of getting a tattoo -- it's the one thing that will allow her to reclaim her body, renew her self-confidence. And when Rabbit, her local tattoo artist, shows her a secret book of his own designs, she finds one of them irresistible. Soon, her back is adorned with a pair of mysterious eyes, framed by black wings. Leslie feels good -- more than good. Nothing bad can touch her. But what she doesn't know is that her new tattoo binds her tightly to the faery whose symbol she chose: Irial, the exquisitely dangerous king of the Dark Court!


I had read many reviews for this book on the web and had high expectations of it, but unfortunately I personally didn't find it be all it was cracked up to be.  Leslie is a damaged, fractured girl who is portrayed as someone who wants to find something to heal her, who doesn't want to be under anyone's control.  The tattoo she gets puts her under Irial's control which makes her just as much a victim as her brother's friends did.

I really wanted to like this book, I really did, I liked the concept but I just didn't like the way it took a damaged character and made her even more damaged, took away her right to choose even more.  I wished the relationship between Leslie and Niall would have been explored a little more as she was attracted to him even before the tattoo and he was drawn to her even though he was hazardous to mortals.   Personally, I found Niall more alluring than Irial, Niall knew how dangerous he was or could be, how bad he once was and struggled as best he could to be good.

The one thing that I did absolutely love about this book was the cover art.  The purple tones reflect the colour of tattooing ink.  The girl with her back to us looking slightly over her shoulder with the tattoo across her shoulders and the feathered wings coming out of the tattoo and curling up.