It's Monday, What Am I Reading?

Title: Fire with Fire.
Author: Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian.
Summary:

"Lillia, Kat, and Mary had the perfect plan. Work together in secret to take down the people who wronged them. But things didn’t exactly go the way they’d hoped at the Homecoming Dance.

Not even close.

For now, it looks like they got away with it. All they have to do is move on and pick up the pieces, forget there ever was a pact. But it’s not easy, not when Reeve is still a total jerk and Rennie’s meaner than she ever was before.

And then there’s sweet little Mary…she knows there’s something seriously wrong with her. If she can’t control her anger, she’s sure that someone will get hurt even worse than Reeve was. Mary understands now that it’s not just that Reeve bullied her—it’s that he made her love him.

Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, burn for a burn. A broken heart for a broken heart. The girls are up to the task. They’ll make Reeve fall in love with Lillia and then they will crush him. It’s the only way he’ll learn.

It seems once a fire is lit, the only thing you can do is let it burn..."

My Thoughts So Far: 

I haven't gotten too far into it, but so far I'm loving the characters and their attitudes! The story starts with a accident, and right now its focusing on the injured quarter back. Fire with Fire switches points of view, but so far it's been a little confusing..I'm excited to see how the rest of the story goes (:

Blogger of the Week: The Book Monsters!

Your Name/Blog's Name: My name is Kristen and my blog is called The Book Monsters, my blog partner Kate helps me run it.
Genre: I mostly review graphic novels, middle grade and young adult books. I tend to read more fantasy/science fiction than anything else along with the subgenres within. I do enjoy historical fiction as well and will dip into realistic fiction when I feel the urge.
Blog Established: Our combo blog The Book Monsters has existed for a little over two years. Before that I was blogging on my own for two years on a blog called Bookworming in the 21st Century.
Inspiration: Blogging was starting to wear on me as my life started to get busier with work and starting my masters degree, so Kate and I decided it was finally time to combine our blogging efforts and become a brand new blog. Kate formerly blogged at The Neverending Shelf. We decided to start fresh and just transfer our old reviews to the new blog and abandon our old ones. I first started blogging two years previously on a whim after seeing more book blogs talked about on Goodreads.
Coffee or Tea: Both! I prefer Coffee in the morning and Tea in the afternoon. :)

1. What book do you find yourself recommending to people over and over again, why?

This one is easy for me. I often recommend Fablehaven by Brandon Mull, one of my favorite fantasy series for 4th grade and up. This one is easy to pitch to both boys and girls alike because of the brother/sister main characters. The fantasy elements really draw readers to check this one out. To older readers, I'm often pitching Bloody Jack as a series, possibly one of my favorite adventure series set during the British-French war and involving lots of high seas adventures. I love Jacky's character especially as narrated by the actress Katherine Kellgren.

2. What is one distraction that you always face when trying to read?

My laptop is often too close to where I am reading. I tend to be a couch or a bed reader and my laptop is always perched on the coffee table in our living room. Sometimes I switch to reading in bed to keep away from the internet.

3. You have two minutes to go in your house before it burns down, what five books would you save?

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, Dangerous Angels by Francesca Lia Block, The Spiderwick Chronicles complete edition by Toni DiTerlizzi & Holly Black, The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, and Fire by Kristin Cashore.

4. Name one book you didn’t think you would enjoy, but ended up loving it.

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry. I thought I would like it, but not fall in love with it the way I did. I had heard buzz but I'm sort of "meh" sometimes when it comes to realistic, especially when it seems to be more romancey, but it was a shock in a good way. I found myself tearing up quite a bit during this book and really loved it.

5. What are five books you just had to have, but are still sitting on your shelf unread?

Divergent by Veronica Roth, Across the Universe by Beth Revis, The Painted Boy by Charles DeLint, The Diviners by Libba Bray, and Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick (not to mention hundreds more...).

6. About how many books have you read since you created your blog?

Almost 1,000. I try to read 300 a year but never seem to make it, so I average in the 230s -250s in a year. I've been blogging for 4 years, so I'd say that's a decent amount.

7. What is the most recent book you’ve read, describe it in ten words!

Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell - unique, historical, orphan girl, caring guardian, lost mother, cello, rooftops

8. Name one book that made you shed a tear, why?

I believe I went through a whole box of tissues with See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles. This book had me from the beginning with the brother struggling with his homosexuality and then a terrible accident happens and someone in the family dies. The rest of the book just tears you apart as the reader.

9. If you won ten million dollars, what would you do with it?

Buy a house big enough to fit a library, open a bookstore, and donate to charity.

Kristen's Links:

Blog
Twitter
Goodreads
Facebook
Pinterest
Bloglovin'

Book Haul!

Welcome to Turning Pages!

This week I've received a few review copies, that I'm extremely excited to start reading! Comment below, if you've heard of any of these titles! Let me know what you think!

Project Cain by Geoffrey Girard.

"Fifteen-year-old Jeff Jacobson had never heard of Jeffrey Dahmer, the infamous serial killer who brutally murdered seventeen people more than twenty years ago. But Jeff’s life changes forever when the man he’d thought was his father hands him a government file telling him he was constructed in a laboratory only seven years ago, part of a top-secret government cloning experiment called ‘Project CAIN’.

There, he was created entirely from Jeffrey Dahmer’s DNA. There are others like Jeff—those genetically engineered directly from the most notorious murderers of all time: The Son of Sam, The Boston Strangler, Ted Bundy . . . even other Jeffrey Dahmer clones. Some raised, like Jeff, in caring family environments; others within homes that mimicked the horrific early lives of the men they were created from.

When the most dangerous boys are set free by the geneticist who created them, the summer of killing begins. Worse, these same teens now hold a secret weapon even more dangerous than the terrible evil they carry within. Only Jeff can help track the clones down before it’s too late. But will he catch the ‘monsters’ before becoming one himself?"

Vampire Scones and Edmund Herondale, by Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan.

"Magnus Bane leverages his alliances with Downworlders and Shadowhunters on a venture to Victorian London. One of ten adventures in The Bane Chronicles.

When immortal warlock Magnus Bane attends preliminary peace talks between the Shadowhunters and the Downworlders in Victorian London, he is charmed by two very different people: the vampire Camille Belcourt and the young Shadowhunter, Edmund Herondale. Will winning hearts mean choosing sides?"

Twisted Perfection, by Abbi Glines.

"Life outside of her house was a new experience for Della Sloane. The dark secrets of her past weren’t something she ever intended to share with anyone. They would never understand. No one would ever get close enough to find out. There was always a chance she’d go crazy sooner than they expected…

Woods Kerrington had never been one to be attracted to fragile females. They seemed like too much work. He wasn’t in it for the work just the pleasure. A night full of naughty fun had been exactly what was on his mind when he’d laid eyes on the hot little number that didn’t know how to pump gas and needed some help.

What he didn’t know was she was as fragile as they came.
The carefree girl who spoke her mind and didn’t care what the world thought of her was more breakable than he could ever imagine…"

Fire with Fire, by Jenny Han.

"Lillia, Kat, and Mary had the perfect plan. Work together in secret to take down the people who wronged them. But things didn’t exactly go the way they’d hoped at the Homecoming Dance.

Not even close.

For now, it looks like they got away with it. All they have to do is move on and pick up the pieces, forget there ever was a pact. But it’s not easy, not when Reeve is still a total jerk and Rennie’s meaner than she ever was before.

And then there’s sweet little Mary…she knows there’s something seriously wrong with her. If she can’t control her anger, she’s sure that someone will get hurt even worse than Reeve was. Mary understands now that it’s not just that Reeve bullied her—it’s that he made her love him.

Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, burn for a burn. A broken heart for a broken heart. The girls are up to the task. They’ll make Reeve fall in love with Lillia and then they will crush him. It’s the only way he’ll learn.

It seems once a fire is lit, the only thing you can do is let it burn..."

Book Review: The Clock of Life.

Title: The Clock of Life.
Author: Nancy Klann-Moren.
Series: No.
Pages: 364.
Source: Author.
Publisher: Anthonyann Books.
Published Date: November 2012.
Links:
Goodreads.
Barnes and Noble.

Summary:

"In the small town of Hadlee, Mississippi, during the 1980's, Jason Lee Rainey struggles to find his way amongst the old, steadfast Southern attitudes about race, while his friendship with a black boy, Samson Johnson, deepens. 
By way of stories from others, Jason Lee learns about his larger-than-life father, who was killed in Vietnam. He longs to become that sort of man, but doesn't believe he has it in him. 
In The Clock Of Life he learns lessons from the past, and the realities of inequality. He flourishes with the bond of friendship; endures the pain of senseless death; finds the courage to stand up for what he believes is right; and comes to realize he is his father's son. 
This story explores how two unsettling chapters in American history, the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War, affect the fate of a family, a town, and two boyhood friends."

Cover:

A little plain, very neutral and goes along well with the title of the book. The cover does it's job, but I'm usually one for the glitz and glam type of covers.

My Thoughts:

While the cover isn't what I would usually go for and grab, the author's description and various reviews I researched online, are what suckered me in. I love when I give books, that I would never pick up, a try and find myself falling in complete love with the story and it's characters.

I can ultimately say that this wasn't one of those books. I did research and found a ton of amazing things about The Clock of Life, but it still just wasn't for me. I do, however, see what everyone was talking and raving about in the story.

The story overall was a bit confusing to me, maybe because I found myself picking it up, putting it down for a while, and then picking it back up again. But I was just having a hard time keeping up with the different things going on in the story; the death of Jason's dad, the loss of his friend, and the entire ordeal with his mother.

The Clock of Life did have potential and I went in reading it, with a open mind, and high hopes. While the story wasn't for me, I do see why many others liked it! If the synopsis sounds like something you would enjoy, I say go for it; I think you will! Thank you all for stopping by and I apologize for the negativity; I always strive to keep my reviews as honest as possible!

WWW Wednesday!

Welcome to Turning Pages!

What am I currently reading?

I just recently received a review book in the mail called, Project Cain by Geoffrey Girard. I'm only on chapter five, but so far it's been interesting, creepy and already mind blowing! Only a week ago did I watch a documentary on Jeffrey Dahmer, so I can't believe that this story involves him!

What did I just finish reading?

The last book I read was Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz. I've been wanting to read this series for ages, bought a couple of the books, but just never got around to them, until my read-a-thon! I loved the first book, and I'm excited to see how the rest of the series goes!

What do I plan on reading next?

Usually I have a TBR for the month, but with my read-a-thon this month, I wasn't sure if I should make one, because I wouldn't be able to stick with it anyways, if that makes sense.. So I don't really know what I'll be reading next, I've been wanting to continue the Mortal Instruments series; I might do that (:

Waiting on Wednesday

Title: Just For Now.
Author: Abbi Glines.
Summary:

"Preston is one bad boy. And Amanda has harbored a crush on him for forever. When she finally makes her move on him, it does not end well. But still, she can’t resist him. Especially now that he seems to be pursuing her, too.

No one wants wants them to be together. Not Amanda’s brother Marcus, who is on the verge of his marriage to Low, and definitely not any of Preston’s buddies. They know way too much about Preston’s dark side. Even Preston realizes he’s not good enough for someone like her.

But Amanda believes there is more to Preston than his bad boy persona, and she is determined to unearth what he’s hiding behind his seductive blue eyes—secrets that could explain his actions. Secrets Amanda might not be able to forgive.

Yet the dangerous attraction persists...and neither Preston nor Amanda is going to deny it."

Release Date: 8/27/13.

It's Monday, What Am I Reading?

Title: The Sea of Tranquility.

Author: Katja Millay.

Summary:

"Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her—her identity, her spirit, her will to live—pay.

Josh Bennett’s story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to."

My Thoughts So Far: I'm not very far yet, but the synopsis pulled me, and I can't wait to see how the story goes!