Monday, June 17, 2013

A.A. update 6/17/13

Hey the second week of the readathon has come and gone what did you read this week?  So I have currently read 7 books this month and the list will start now...


Progress
Pages read today: 157
Pages read total: 2255
Books finished: 8
So I feel really good about how this month is turning out and hope everyone else is having a good one. I hope to be to be to my goal for this readathon by my next update so I am supper excited.

JRReadathon wrap up!!!

Woah that week went by really fast. I feel really good about the books I read this week and I had a lot of fun trying this out so thank you  Krazzyme from YoungReaders, Sarika and Janhvi from TheReaddicts, and Ankita from Booklokcoffee for this fun opportunity. The books I read are below.

I gave this 5 stars loved it!
 This one got 3 stars on Goodreads.

This one also got 3 stars on Goodreads but it is more of a 3.5


I just finished this one right before this so its unrated for now but I really liked it! If you participated in the readathon make sure you leave a link below so we all can see what you read this week too.

~Arya~

Monday, June 10, 2013

JRReadathon June 10-17

 
Hey guys I know I am already participating in a readathon for the whole month but I found this one today and I really want to join in. So this readathon starts today with the goal to lessen our TBR pile. So the only goal of this readathon is to read as much as we can this month. This readathon is hosted by Krazzyme from YoungReaders, Sarika and Janhvi from TheReaddicts, and Ankita from Booklokcoffee.
 
  The-read-a-thon is between the 10th-17th of June. You can still enter by going to one of the host blogs. Just click on one of the links and it will take you the the sign-up page. You can also tweet your updates on Twitter using the hash-tag #JRREADATHON.

I'm Reading now: 

















Good luck to everyone participating and luck to making that TBR list smaller!!!!!

Sunday, June 9, 2013

{Review} Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas was written by John Boyne and published on  September 12th  2006 by David Fickling Books.

Summary 

Berlin 1942

When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance.

But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences. 



Review

 In all honesty I don't even know what to write about for this book. I really wanted to love this book. Everyone I know absolutely loved this when I heard about it thought I would too.  In all honesty I try to not hear or watch anything to do with a book that I plan to read. For this book I couldn't really escape the influence because I watched the movie before I knew it was based on a book.

  To start off I was really intrigued by the concept and thought behind the book. One boy on each side of a fence befriending each other even though they come from two completely different worlds. However I found that the story was really unrealistic and the writing really was bothering me almost the whole time I was reading it.

One of the biggest things that bothered me was how the characters never acted the same age. Bruno the main character is 9 years old but in some scenes he acted very young but in others he acted above his age. Another big thing that bothered me was that  he called Auschwitz, "out-with" I could see an American child or a foreign child in general calling it that but not someone who is German since he speaks German and it is a German word. Also I didn't get any emotional connection to the characters that everyone was talking about. I believe it was because I read so much books and true accounts from the Holocaust that i wasn't able to connect with the characters at all. I felt that the author skipped over the parts that would of made me feel that connection. Just because the main character was  a child didn't mean his reads were in fact it put on the inside flap that it wasn't for children but was written like it was meant for them to read it.

I just felt like the author didn't do his research. Parts of the story just didn't correspond with what really happened in real life. Bruno and Schumel were so innocent and I can't find that realistic in real life Hitler portrayed his plans everywhere. In all the schools from the beginning the teachers preached Hitler's plans and feelings everywhere. The fact that Bruno's father was a Nazi meant he for sure should of got the lessons in school.

Remember guys this is just my opinion and I absolutely hate writing negatively about any book.
My rating 2/5
~Arya~
   


Friday, June 7, 2013

A.A. Update 6/7/13!

Hey so the first week of the readathon is almost almost over so I thought I would do a little update for you all. To start of this month I read...
                                                 
On Goodreads I gave the book two stars I plan to post a review later, on my blog.

The second book I read this week was....
On Goodreads I rated this three stars and I really liked it and a review will be posted later.

I am currently reading 
I have about 50 pages left and will finish this book tonight!!!

Progress
Pages read today:141
Pages read total:679
Books read so far:2

Over all I feel really good about the readathon and hope everyone participating is having a really great time and reaching for their goals. How did your first week turn out?

Thursday, May 30, 2013

A.A. Read a thon!!!!

   Hey guys since i missed out on the Bout of Books read-a-thon and school is official done for me I really want to join this one so this event is hosted by missbookreader and Piper's Book Blog. The links will take you to their posts on the event with all the information on what is going on and will have the official updates there.
  The main information though is that the read a thon will last a month and your goal is to read more than what you would typically read in a month. Other than that no other rules are specified i.e. no requirements. The hosts asked to see what we will try to read and I am going to try to read at least 10 books on average I read 7-8 books a month so its an okay number to start off with.

The books I will for sure be reading are (in no order):

The Fellowship of the Ring By J.R.R. Tolkien

Lemonade Mouth Puckers Up By Mark Peter Hughes

The List by Siobhan Vivian

Dream Girl by Lauren Mechling

Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

White Cat by Holly Black


So theses are the 6 books I am going to start with. All he books are from the library and was already checked out (finished 2 already) or I would of picked at least 10 books if I knew about the challenge before I went to the library. I will be going to the library though for sure again early to mid June to pick up more books. To make the challenge extra challenging for me my minimum goal is 10 I would really like to get 17 or higher and match how many books I read in January the most I have read in a month.

I will try to update and review some of the books as I go. I will also post a book haul of books when I get them so you can see the other books I am adding to my list for the readathon.

~Good Luck, Arya~

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck


Tiger's Curse

Category Young Adult

Published by Sterling

Pages 403

Read in 2 days

Overall 4/5




I read this book a while back and I loved it. Anything that involves Mythology just adds to the story and makes me really happy. Overall I adored this book and will for sure be reading the next in the series.

I liked that it took place in India I don't think I have read anything based there before. It was beautifully described and the culture of India was written really well and explained the  religion and beliefs very strong as well without being interesting without being over baring Other than Indian mythology there was some Japanese Myths in here too. I don't know about you but I adore anything Japanese.

I liked watching the characters interact and most of the time I thought it was written really well but somethings the things the characters said were odd. Not just the guys from different time periods than us but the main character who supposedly was a modern American teen girl. Being a teen girl myself some of the words and phrases she was saying was extremely dated. How many teens do you know that say "Wiley Scoundrel" ? I can't think of anyone.  That one is really the only one that stuck out in my mind but there was for sure more.

I liked the adventure and the settings for them were really explained well and the actions were described excellently. I liked watching the characters evolve and fall for each other. The ending was pretty predictable but I still loved it and will for sure be reading the next book in the series. I gave it a 4/5 because of the hot-and-cold romance and the strange wording from Kelsey.  If you like adventures and romance it is an excellent book to pick up! 
~Arya~

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday(2)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking The Spine in which upcoming, eagerly anticipated releases are highlighted on the blog.

Wow I haven't posted a WOW post in forever. Senioritis is really setting in over here. So I figured I would include a list of book  released hopefully sooner than later.



 Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?


   


A fallen boxer.
A woman with a broken dream.
A competition…

He even makes me forget my name. One night was all it took, and I forgot everything and anything except the sexy fighter in the ring who sets my mind ablaze and my body on fire with wanting…

Remington Tate is the strongest, most confusing man I’ve ever met in my life.

He’s the star of the dangerous underground fighting circuit, and I’m drawn to him as I’ve never been drawn to anything in my life. I forget who I am, what I want, with just one look from him. When he’s near, I need to remind myself that I am strong–but he is stronger. And now it’s my job to keep his body working like a perfect machine, his taut muscles primed and ready to break the bones of his next opponents . . .

But the one he’s most threatening to, now, is me.

I want him. I want him without fear. Without reservations.

If only I knew for sure what it is that he wants from me?


My tale has been told again and again, and I've heard each one. Except for my hair, I barely recognize the pitiful renditions. Muddled versions, crafted to entertain laughing children…but the children wouldn't have laughed if they’d known the real story. It wasn't their fault. They didn't know the truth. Nobody did.

My name is Rapunzel and I will tell you my story. I will tell you the truth.


Do you have any books you can't wait to see come out and read? leave your link to your Waiting on Wednesday below or tell me below.

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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

2013 Challenges!!

Hey guys due to not posting at the beginning of the year I never got to post about the book challenge I was participating in this year. The  book challenge I am participating in is the Goodread book challenge. To see my progress on this one you can check the top left side bar where my results will be located during my challenge. I have decided to try to read 100 books this year and have set up some specific rules in which I will follow.

  1. Each book must be at least 100 pages long or a collection of stories that equal at least 100 pages(unless a classic)
  2. 12 books to be classics
  3. At least 20 books read in E-book format
  4. Read one book while listening to a audiobook.
So far I have read 40 books and 21 are in E-book format. 2 are classics and all follow my standards. I plan to read Alice in Wonderland as my audiobook soon.


I hope everyone is doing well for their challenges this year both small and large and if you have one this year and want to share some progress I am happy to read your comments. Happy reading!

~Arya~


Monday, April 29, 2013

The Carrie Diaries by Candance Bushnell


The Carries Diaries 


Category Young Adult

Published by Balzer + Bray

Pages 389

Read in 2 days

Overall 2.5/5



As a first note I thought I would mention I haven't read anything by Candace Bushnell before. I also have not watched the movies for her books. I figured I should tell you that so when I right the review no one thinks I already knew some information about the series or biased in any way.

So the Carries Diaries is the first in a prequel to the Sex in The City series. The book takes place in the beginning of Carrie's senior year.  Basically the point of the series is to tell how Carrie ended up in the big  city.  In the first book Sebastian Kydd comes into town a bad boy that all the girls are falling in love with.  Carrie falls victim to his charm and ends up in a "relationship" with Sebastian. Beside the relationship Carrie discovers a secret about her best friend, Walt and has to face a betrayal by one of her best friends.

Carrie as a character goes though a growth from the beginning of the book to the end that seemed to take almost the whole book for her to develop and realize things that the reader noticed in the beginning. Through most of the book I was shaking my head and huffing at the characters behavior. A lot of what was going on made me frustrated and annoyed with the characters but there was enough side plots and interesting things that I wanted to continue the book and find out what happened.

I was honestly really frustrated with the book through most of the beginning and middle and the very end. Though there were really serious issues for me in this book I really liked that Carrie changed aspects of her personality towards the end. I wasn't completely happy with her in the end but I was starting to grow to like her and hope for the best. My favorite characters were Will and that was just because he wasn't ruined by being demanding and self centered like the rest of the main characters.

 Over all I felt the author really didn't grasp the area for the plot. It could of been written so much better and certain back plots just faded away. I know that this is only the first in a series but the book ended kinda abruptly and frustratingly but not in the good way that makes you want to read more. I probably won't read another in the Carries Diaries but I still plan to read Sex in The City since everyone says the books are complete opposites.

~Arya~

Friday, April 26, 2013

#Fridayreads 4/26/2013

Woah hey guys I am super excited I have 1 month of  high school left as of today. So this week I have 3 books I want to read.One I am almost finished with and two I haven't started yet. I also am not going to school today so extra reading time.

   The first is Escape Theory
I started this yesterday and have less than a hundred pages to the end. Its okay not great and it is a mystery/drama. Not sure how I feel about this one yet.

Second Delirium
yes I finally joined the bandwagon. I have heard so many good reviews on this one that I hope I will fly through the book.

And Finally Vampire Academy
This is another one everyone was talking about way back when. I was burnt out on vampires for a while so I am finally getting to this book and I hope it is as good as what everyone has said about



So what are you reading this weekend? Leave a comment below!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Fault in Our Stars by John Green



The Fault in Our Stars

Age Group Young Adult

Published by Dutton Books

Pages 313

Read in less than a day

Overall 5/5



  I was kinda hesitant about reviewing this book. I figured that since I have been away from book reviewing for so long though that I should pick a book that I really enjoyed from this year. I wish I could say I had something unique or different to say about this book that every one has not said but I couldn't find anything.


  Green wrote an remarkable  book that should be read by everyone not just teenagers. Anyone who hasn't read a John Green book should get their hands on one as soon as the possible can.  Out of the ones i read this one is defiantly one of my favorites and a favorite of many of the book bloggers out there if you haven't read any of those.


  I was nervous to read this book because of how popular it was and all the talk it was getting all over the internet but I am so glad that I finally picked it up ( and is 4 other books). Normally books that have been crazy hyped (Hunger Games) I don't end up liking. With The Fault in Our Stars I felt emotions I wasn't expecting and made me think about things I wasn't trying to. For those who are curious a close relative of mine was diagnosed with cancer and I felt that the book came at a perfect time for me.


One of my favorite aspects of this book though was the characters. I loved watching them grow and connect to each other. Hazel, Gus, and Isaac were great together and I will miss reading about them and their life. They felt so real and one of your friends making the story even more heartbreaking.
Warning:
this book made me cry

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Sorry!

Hi guys I know that I said I was going to be posting  regularly  but some unfortunate events have happened on the home front. since it has not happened to me directly I will leave it at that for now. I am currently trying to figure out a schedule for making and posting these blog posts so there is no more long gaps like it is prone to happen.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Changes

My blog has been pretty dead since the end of last year. I really wasn't very happy with what I was posting  and want to change what my blog is overly about. I still plan to post about books but reviewing every book that i read with a lot of detail isn't working for me at this time. Between school, work, and everything else it is really hard to post anything at all let alone a big complicated blog post that takes me forever to write. I am so behind on posting reviews about books it is not even funny.
  The books from last year I will put on my blog in time but it is not my top priority right now. So far this year I have read about 15 books and while start adding at least miniature reviews and ratings soon. I would rather have something posted on here than nothing at all.
 I also want to expand this blog to include things other than the books I have been reading. I also want to include things that are writing based and different topics. i love other things and really want to share them with everyone as well. i originally planned to create a different blog and start anew but I didn't want to change everything so quickly and I could always do that later if i change my mind.
  With the blog expressing me in a more broad spectrum posts will be more regular and more thought out and planned. Those who are already with me and those who have recently found my blog I hope you decide to stay with me as I make this journey.