Waiting On Wednesday

Title: Isla and the Happily Ever After.
Author: Stephanie Perkins.
Summary:

"From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren't always forever. Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new."

Release Date: 9/17/2013

Book Review: Over You

Title: Over You.
Author: Emma McLaughlin.
Format: Hardback.
Pages: 304.
Series: No.
Source: Library.
Publisher: Harperteen.
Published Date: August 21, 2012.
Summary:

"After the grand explosion of her relationship, seventeen-year-old Max Scott developed what every girl in the history of the world has been waiting for: a way to get over being dumped. Now Max is the go-to guru for heartbroken high-school girls all over NYC. But when her ex unexpectedly shows up in her neighborhood, Max’s carefully controlled world starts to unravel. With her clients’ hearts hanging in the balance, Max will have to do the seemingly impossible: get over him once and for all."

Links:
Goodreads
Barnes and Noble

Cover:

Very cute, and matches well with the story!

My Thoughts:

We've all been through those tough times, heartaches and heart breaks. From spending the day just sulking around, watching television, to stuffing our faces with ice cream, every girl's has been through the same pain. Even Max, the main character has, and that's why she started this small business of her own (without her mom knowing that she's running it from her basement, with two assistants!) to help girls through this rough time, and make the boy who caused it, regret everything he did.

While Max seems so strong, and confident with everything she says and does, she has a secret of her own, one that no one could ever guess, one that may change her business, friendships, and relationships entirely; her ex boyfriend.

Having spent the last year or so focused on her business and her own life, Max hasn't once thought about her ex. But when bumping into him in New York, and hearing that he was going to the same college Max was hoping to attend, Max doesn't have a clue on how to react or what to think. But what does she does know is that it's finally her time to have her moment, making him completely regret cheating on her and dumping her.

Over You is a must read for the summer; it's light, fun and relatable for any girl. The characters aren't boring or too over dramatic either! Max is confident and strong, especially with the help of her two assistants and best friends. The story overall was fast, and kept my attention, I loved the characters, the ending was satisfying. The one thing I've learned from this story, that I'll never forget is that the heart is a muscle, and when a muscle rips or tares it doesn't just grow back, but it grows back together much stronger.

It's Monday, What Am I Reading?

Title: The Archived.
Author: Victoria Schwab.
Summary:

"Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive. Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive. Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall."

My Thoughts So Far:

A little over 120 pages into the book, I'm liking it so far. I didn't really know what to expect from this book, but nothing has disappointed me yet. The main character Mackenzie isn't just a normal girl (is anyone now-a-days?) but she isn't a secret princess, and she isn't in a love triangle with a vampire and werewolf, instead she's a Keeper. Everybody is a History, telling a story of memories, when the person dies the body is kept and shelved with hundreds of other bodies in the Archive. Keepers are those who stop violent Histories, and put them back into the Archive. I'm really not sure how the story will end, but I'm excited to see the way things work out for Mackenzie, her parents, and if she will ever see her little brother again!

Book Haul

Welcome to Turning Pages!

And to a very successful trip to my local library! After getting a voice mail, letting me know a book I was waiting for, was on hold, I decided to head to the library yesterday and finally pick it up...but that wasn't even the best part yet. As I walked in to the library, I saw that they were having a book sale down stairs!! Books, books and more books, for no more than a single dollar!! I couldn't believe it! I actually only purchased one, but I hope to go back today and pick up a few more!

Borrowed:

The Archived, by Victoria Schwab.

"Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive. Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive. Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall."

Partials, by Dan Wells.

"The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out. Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what's left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she's not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them--connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there."

Fragments by Dan Wells.

"Kira Walker has found the cure for RM, but the battle for the survival of humans and Partials is just beginning. Kira has left East Meadow in a desperate search for clues to who she is. That the Partials themselves hold the cure for RM in their blood cannot be a coincidence--it must be part of a larger plan, a plan that involves Kira, a plan that could save both races. Her companions are Afa Demoux, an unhinged drifter and former employee of ParaGen, and Samm and Heron, the Partials who betrayed her and saved her life, the only ones who know her secret. But can she trust them? Meanwhile, back on Long Island, what's left of humanity is gearing up for war with the Partials, and Marcus knows his only hope is to delay them until Kira returns. But Kira's journey will take her deep into the overgrown wasteland of postapocalyptic America, and Kira and Marcus both will discover that their greatest enemy may be one they didn't even know existed."

Purchased:

Moonglass, by Jessi Kirby.

"Anna's life is upended when her father accepts a job transfer the summer before her junior year. It's bad enough that she has to leave her friends and her life behind, but her dad is moving them to the beach where her parents first met and fell in love- a place awash in memories that Anna would just as soon leave under the surface. While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide means that nothing- not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna's mother's death- stays buried forever."

Be sure to leave a comment with the link to your newest book haul!

Waiting On Wednesday

Title: Teardrop.
Author: Lauren Kate.
Summary:

"Never, ever cry. . . . Eureka Boudreaux's mother drilled that rule into her daughter years ago. But now her mother is gone, and everywhere Eureka goes he is there: Ander, the tall, pale blond boy who seems to know things he shouldn't, who tells Eureka she is in grave danger, who comes closer to making her cry than anyone has before. But Ander doesn't know Eureka's darkest secret: ever since her mother drowned in a freak accident, Eureka wishes she were dead, too. She has little left that she cares about, just her oldest friend, Brooks, and a strange inheritance—a locket, a letter, a mysterious stone, and an ancient book no one understands. The book contains a haunting tale about a girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea. Eureka is about to discover that the ancient tale is more than a story, that Ander might be telling the truth . . . and that her life has far darker undercurrents than she ever imagined."

Release Date: 10/22/13

What book are you waiting for this Wednesday??

Officially Lost My "Did Not Finish" Virginity

Welcome to Turning Pages!

Yes, the title is telling the truth; I lost my "Did Not Finish" virginity. After pushing through an entire month of forcing myself to sit down, pick up this book, and read it, I'm barely, if at all, halfway through it.

Logging on a while ago, to do the usually blogging, commenting and checking out what the blogging world is up to, I stumbled across Christine from Buckling Bookshelves post "No Longer a DNF Virgin". Curious to see what DNF stood for, I clicked the linked to her blog, to realize that she was going through the exact same problem I was; reading through force, instead of enjoyment. This post (by the way, thank you so much for this Christine!) made me reflect on myself, and the entire reason why I started blogging in the first place.

About two years ago I created this blog, simply for my love of reading and sharing my thoughts on those reads. That's it, nothing else. Turning Pages has become an escape from reality for me, something fun that I can do in between going to school, and spending time with my family and friends. And Christine's post reminded me of that; blogging isn't my job, blogging for me is my love, my entertainment, something I enjoy doing. Not something I feel like I HAVE to do, but WANT to do.

Forcing myself to read a book isn't enjoyable, instead it actually makes me want to do less reading, since I know that, that book needs to be finished.

I've finally decided to lay the book to rest, and move on to an audio book I've been dying to listen to. In case you were wondering which book it is, it's Chime by Franny Billingsley, love the cover and the summary, but it's just not for me.

Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to read my rant...maybe I'll start posting more of these types of post. Feel free to leave a comment below, letting me know if you've ever experienced something like this!

It's Monday, What Am I Reading?

Welcome to Turning Pages!

Surprisingly, with all the school things I've been having to worry about and take care of, I've been doing a lot or reading, finishing at least two books a week, if not three. Keeping up with reviews, on the other hand, are a whole different story!

This week, am I not only reading Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter, but I'm also listening to Crash by Lisa McMann on audio!

Title: Alice in Zombieland.
Author: Gena Showalter.
Summary:

"She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever. Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone. Her father was right. The monsters are real…. To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies…."

My Thoughts So Far:

Being about halfway through the story, I'm really enjoying it so far; not only am I getting my need for romance satisfied, but also my interest for gruesome zombies. I'm also really starting to like the main character Ali, and Cole the bad boy she's crushing on. I can't wait to see what's really going on, and how things are going to end!

Title: Crash.
Author: Lisa McMann.
Summary:

"Jules lives with her family above their restaurant, which means she smells like pizza most of the time and drives their double-meatball-shaped food truck to school. It’s not a recipe for popularity, but she can handle that. What she can’t handle is the recurring vision that haunts her. Over and over, Jules sees a careening truck hit a building and explode...and nine body bags in the snow. The vision is everywhere—on billboards, television screens, windows—and she’s the only one who sees it. And the more she sees it, the more she sees. The vision is giving her clues, and soon Jules knows what she has to do. Because now she can see the face in one of the body bags, and it’s someone she knows. Someone she has been in love with for as long as she can remember."

My Thoughts So Far:

I'm pretty far into this one as well, and currently in a really intense scene, where Jules's is experiencing what shes been seeing and envisioning in her head for the past few days. Crash follows the story of girl named Jules who works for her family's pizza business, and has been crushing on a boy...who is not only the son of a opposing pizza business, but also a part of their family rivalry. I'm excited to find out if the vision came true, or if Jules had enough to change and save the boy she loves!

Thank you for stopping by, and please be sure to leave a comment with the books you're currently enjoying! I would love some new reading suggestions!

What's Coming This Week?

Paperback:

The Queen of Kentucky, by Alecia Whitaker.

Once, by Morris Gleitzman.

Born For Adventure, by Kathleen Karr.

Clockwork Prince, by Cassandra Clare.

The Story of Us, by Deb Caletti.

 Hardback:

Inferno : Chronicles of Nick, by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

The Art of Wishing, by Lindsay Ribar.

Fox Forever, by Mary E. Pearson.

17 & Gone, by Nova Ren Suma.

OCD, The Dude, and Me, by Lauren Roedy Vaughn.

Clockwork Princess, by Cassandra Clare.

Everafter, by Elizabeth Chandler.

Thanks for stopping by!

Book Review: Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have)

Title: Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have)
Author: Sarah Mlynowski.
Format: Hardback.
Pages: 368
Series: No.
Source: Purchased.
Publisher: Harperteen.

Summary:

"2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house - parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn't have. If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a mystery to them."


Cover:

I'm actually a little confused about this cover. Before reading the story, it seemed to fit fine for the title and the synopsis, but after reading it, the cover doesn't really match at all. The girl is obviously the main character April, but who is the guy? Is it her boyfriend, is it "boyfriend" or Hudson?

My Thoughts:

Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) follows the story of April who's life does a 360 turn in just one semester. Finding out one morning that her dad and step mother were planning to move, due to the new job her dad was offered, April doesn't want to move with them, and knows she needs to find a way to stay.

Not wanting to leave behind her life (boyfriend, friends, and school) April is in a desperate search for a way to stay, which seems almost impossible, because her mom doesn't even live in the same country and her dad is selling their house. With no other ideas, April asks her friend, Vi, if she can crash with her for the semester. But what Aprils dad doesn't know is that Vi's mom is on tour and the girls will have the entire house to themselves, with absolutely no supervision.

Ten Things We Did And Probably Shouldn't Have is exactly that; the ten things April and Vi do throughout the semester, that they really shouldn't have. From buying a hot tub, to getting themselves birth control.

I had a lot of fun reading of April and the ten crazy things she did, which I would never have the guts to even think of doing. I think I would have freaked out and bailed the plan as soon as her dad was asked to speak to Vi's mom, so the two girls created fake emails, so both parents would've emailing the two of them, instead of each other.

While the story did have its fun side, where April and Vi bought a hot tub and skipped school together, there is also a whole different side, where Aprils boyfriend isn't faithful, and the cat April was gifted, is run over by a car.

Ten Things We Did is good for anyone who is looking for something a little lighter, maybe something for the summer, to read outside or at the beach. I promise it's going to make you laugh, and wish you were there with them!

WWW Wednesday

Welcome to Turning Pages!

What am I reading?

Currently I'm indulging in Over You by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. I picked up this book at the library, never having heard of it before, but decided to give it a chance. As of right now, I'm liking it! 

What did I just finish reading?

After months and months of having people suggest me The Maze Runner, by James Dashner, I finally got myself a copy, read it, and loved it! It's kind of like the Hunger Games, but still very different!

What do I plan on reading next?

Alice in Zombieland, by Gena Showalter is another book from my local library, that I picked up for the Burn Bright Book Club reading list. I haven't gotten the chance to take a peek inside, but the cover and the synopsis look and sound interesting!

Waiting on Wednesday

Title: Dare You To.
Author: Katie McGarry.
Summary:

"Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth." "No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again.... "I dare you..." If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does.... Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him. But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all...."

Release Date: 5/28/2013.

Book Haul

Welcome to Turning Pages,

After a few trips to my local library, these are the amazing finds..that I found..?

Alice in Zombieland, by Gena Showalter.

"She won't rest until she's sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever. Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. But that's all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone. Her father was right. The monsters are real. To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn't careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies."

Over You, by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus.

"When seventeen-year-old Max Scott got her heart broken she didn't just sit at home sobbing into her ice cream and obsessing over her ex, Hugo's, latest Facebook postings. Well, actually she did. But she also decided that no girl should have to be tortured like that, so she read through all the psych books, Oprah transcripts, and historical precedents she could get her hands on and came up with a foolproof program to get over being dumped. These days, Max is the go-to guru for heartbroken high-school girls all over NYC. But when Hugo shows up in her neighborhood, suddenly Max is so busy trying to avoid her own ex that she isn't able to help anyone else with theirs. As Hugo invades her life all over again, Max's carefully controlled world starts to unravel. With her clients' hearts hanging in the balance, Max will have to do the seemingly impossible: get over her ex once and for all."

Flight, by Sherman Alexie.

"The best-selling author of multiple award-winning books returns with his first novel in ten years, a powerful, fast and timely story of a troubled foster teenager — a boy who is not a “legal” Indian because he was never claimed by his father — who learns the true meaning of terror. About to commit a devastating act, the young man finds himself shot back through time on a shocking sojourn through moments of violence in American history. He resurfaces in the form of an FBI agent during the civil rights era, inhabits the body of an Indian child during the battle at Little Big Horn, and then rides with an Indian tracker in the 19th Century before materializing as an airline pilot jetting through the skies today. When finally, blessedly, our young warrior comes to rest again in his own contemporary body, he is mightily transformed by all he’s seen. This is Sherman Alexie at his most brilliant — making us laugh while breaking our hearts. "

Under The Never Sky, by Veronica Rossi.

"In a world of danger an unlikely alliance breathtaking adventure and unforgettable romance"

It's Monday, What Am I Reading?

Title: Over You.
Author: Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus.
Summary:

"When seventeen-year-old Max Scott got her heart broken she didn't just sit at home sobbing into her ice cream and obsessing over her ex, Hugo's, latest Facebook postings. Well, actually she did. But she also decided that no girl should have to be tortured like that, so she read through all the psych books, Oprah transcripts, and historical precedents she could get her hands on and came up with a foolproof program to get over being dumped. These days, Max is the go-to guru for heartbroken high-school girls all over NYC. But when Hugo shows up in her neighborhood, suddenly Max is so busy trying to avoid her own ex that she isn't able to help anyone else with theirs. As Hugo invades her life all over again, Max's carefully controlled world starts to unravel. With her clients' hearts hanging in the balance, Max will have to do the seemingly impossible: get over her ex once and for all."

My Thoughts So Far:

Having read through to the sixth chapter, I'm really enjoying the story and the main character Max so far. Just like any other Max has gone through a rough break up, and has had to deal with the emotional aftermath. But from that rough break up, she's not only create a new and stronger version of herself, but also her very own (small) business; Ex, Inc.

Ex, Inc run by Max and two of her friends, helps other girls get through a break up, and completely over the guy. I can't wait to know what happens and how Max deals with seeing her ex after ten months of not seeing or talking to him.