Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I would crush on if I were also a fictional character

Posted by Sandra on Tuesday, April 2, 2013. Filed under: , ,
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Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten  Characters I Would Crush On If I Were Also A Fictional Character

I love this topic, I have thousands of characters I've fell in love with so it was very hard to pick my top 10 but it was also very fun and sad, why do these guys only exists in books? Sigh

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Book Club

Posted by Sandra on Monday, April 1, 2013. Filed under: , , ,
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This a new addition to Book O' Clock. I came up with the idea to have a Book Club with my cousins and my sister, so I have someone to discuss books and to make them read more. We will pick one book per month, and we'll all read it and then discuss it.

The book will be voted, and I will post it here, feel free to join us, grab the image above and put it on your blog and let me know in the comments. We will start with City of Bones by Cassandra Clare for April, because my cousins want to read the book I've been obsessing over 4 years.


We'll have a different book next month, and so on. I really hope you join our little book club!!



Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Recommend The Most

Posted by Sandra on Tuesday, March 26, 2013. Filed under: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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I just found out about "Top Ten Tuesday" hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. This consists on posting your top ten books about a weekly topic. It is super fun, because you get to share many books with your readers and connect with new people. So I'll start this time with the following topic:

Top Ten  Books I Recommend The Most

It's always hard to pick books to recommend, at least for me, because I always try to recommend them based on the things that people like, but I will try my best with my list. 

Ps. They're not in particularly order.

1. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green: I'm sure this is a highly recommended book, but I had to put it in this list because it made me feel so many different things at the same time, and it moved me. I'm a big fan of John Green's book, and this one wasn't the exception. Smart, funny, entertaining, sweet and heartbreaking. This book is a must read.

2. Pride and Prejudiceby Jane Austen: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a person who enjoys reading, must be in want to read this book. This is my favorite book ever. Jane Austen was a fantastic writer, so inspiring and so clever. There's not much I can say about this, just read it. It's fascinating and the characters are amazingly real. Plus, you'll fall in love with Mr. Darcy.

3. Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins: This book falls into the paranormal category, it was written by the lovely Wendy Higgins. The plot is very original and creative, I'm sure that all paranormal/romance fans out there will love this one. Sexy, clever, heart-stopping and with swoon worthy characters, I really recommend this book. The sequel is coming out in April, so it's a good time to get your hands on it if you haven't already.

4. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling: Duh. It amazes me the amount of people who still haven't read Harry Potter. This books are my all time favorites. J.K. Rowling gave us readers a magical world, full of mystery, sacrifice, love, friendship, darkness and fantasy that will always be remembered. This books changed my life and if you haven't read it, I'm sure they'll change yours too.

5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: This is another amazing book. It also shocks me how many people haven't even heard of it. This read about human behavior will move you like no other story. It deals with so many social issues and it makes you think. Plus, Atticus Finch is one of the best characters I've read about, so I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky:  I read this almost 8 years ago and it was life changing. I highly recommend this to everyone, it's probably one of the books I recommend the most. This one is definitely a must read, and it saddens me to hear people saying "I watched the movie... No need to read the book" Seriously, if you have watched the movie you have to read the book, it will blow your mind.

7. Starters by Lissa Price: This is one of my favorite dystopian books. This book is smart. Fun, romantic without being cheesy, and with an amazing female lead character. Price took us readers to a horrifying future, and actually one of the most probable I've read. It gave me goosebumps just to read about it. If you're into good YA dystopia, this one's for you.

8. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: This is one hell of a book. It's very simple yet so complex, and it's highly entertaining. Plath's writing is poetic, fun and ironic. Some people say that this is not a book for everybody, but I'm telling you otherwise, this book will make you question yourself and the way you see things. I adore this book, I hope that if you read, you will too.

9. The William S Club by Riley Banks: I won this book on a Goodreads giveaway and I'm really happy I did. This is a thrilling story, with mysterious, sexy and great characters that will keep you on the edge of your couch/bed/place where you usually read. It contains explicit sexual situations, but it never ceases to amuse you. Addicting, sexy, romantic and fun. 

10. Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella: This is pure chick lit and I love it. This is an easy, fast read that will make you laugh and sigh. It's hilarity will make your stomach hurt. Romantic and also enlightening, this one is perfect for a rainy day, laying in bed with a cup of tea. I always recommend this book to people who are not into classics nor supernatural stuff.


It's Clockwork Princess Day!!!!

Posted by Sandra on Tuesday, March 19, 2013. Filed under: , , , ,
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OMG!!! FINALLY!!! Oh I feel like screaming because I've been counting down the days for 3 years. Yeah, I'm dedicated like that... You know that I waited until this March to start reading the books because I didn't want to suffer for the wait, and now I've read CA and CP1 and my week was passing slowly.... But I can't believe that today is the day...


CLOCKWORK PRINCESS IS OUT!!!!!!

Holy crap I really can't wait, there are so many things I need to know ASAP... Now the problem is: My copy arrives in 10 days (or less) AND I am hoping it comes very soon because I can't wait any longer. So now I have to deal with all the people posting pictures of their books while I try to avoid my kindle because I want to read the physical copy...

If you, like me, are still waiting for your copy I suggest you avoiding Tumblr and Twitter... And maybe GoodReads too, because people are MEAN and they post spoilers. 


I hope my book arrives soon. I'll let ya know. Happy reading for those of you who already have it in your hands. 

xoxo.

Cassandra Clare did it again!

Posted by Sandra on Sunday, March 10, 2013. Filed under: , , , ,
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Title: Clockwork Angel
Series: The Infernal Devices
Author: Cassandra Clare
Pages: 476
Published: 2010
Read In: March, 2013
Rating: 5/5

This was certainly worth the wait... I've had this book on my bookshelf since 2011. And I just read it yesterday. I read so many reviews where people were desperate for the sequel, and how it wasn't gonna be out until another year. So I decided to read Clockwork Angel and Clockwork Prince a few days before Clockwork Princess was published. And since CP will be out in 9 days, I thought it was about time. I read this book in 13 hours. That being said....

BY THE ANGEL

Cassie Clare is definitely a master in making me happy. And mad too. I absolutely loved this story. It was incredibly original, and very entertaining. One of the many reasons I've been a fan of Clare's work is because she always manage to describe everything so carefully, yet simply, and I can see it all vividly in my head. She transported me to victorian England, and I really made up a whole movie about the story in my mind.

Another thing I loved about the story, were the characters and their names. Everyone has a really lovely name. Very classy and also very british. Let's start with my favorite.

William Herondale... sigh Doesn't he sound like a prince? Well, for me, he does. He was by far my favorite character in the whole book. Not only because he was described as an extremely attractive guy and the fact that he is british (well maybe) but there was something about him, that really got me. He was very strong but also vulnerable. He has a dark past and some secrets he doesn't share, he feels alone in the world. Of course he is kind of a douche, he's a Herondale... But I believe that there's a good reason why. Also I think that the reason why he treats Tessa like he does has to do with something important. Can't wait to read about it in Clockwork Prince. With complexity, darkness, looks, vulnerability, big heart, bad ass attitude, the way he quoted poetry, his soul and blue eyes, he stole my heart. Team Will

 Now, Tessa Gray, our lead character. At the beginning I didn't quite love her, because she didn't like London and she hated chocolate... 

“Will looked horrified. "What kind of monster could possibly hate chocolate?”

I know Will, I know... Like how could I ever relate to someone like that? But hey, I was wrong. She was a sweet heart, so brave, so clever and so, so, so sweet. I liked her power and her incredibly big heart. I look forward to reading more about her, and I hope that she doesn't get her heart broken, because she has already suffered too much. I love Tess.

Jem... James Carstairs... Hmmm. Although I didn't LOVE Jem, I did like him. He was a complete gentleman, so lovely, and he had a very sad past. I think that he holds back so many things, because no one can ever be so nice to everyone, and so calm, but besides that, I really really liked him. He was very sweet to Tessa and he was also wise. I just hope he doesn't dies in the next books, I hope they find a cure.
Jesamine Lovelace was very funny, I felt truly bad for her, because she is miserable. She lives a life she hates and despite her shallowness and cold attitude she was great. Charlotte also had a sad past and that made her a though woman, she really was bad ass... And Henry, well, he reminded me of Arthur Weasley, which means that I totally loved him.

The love triangle wasn't practically clear here, since Tessa only has strong feelings towards Will, so I guess that there's more to come. Both guys are handsome, sweet in their own way, and they both had a tragic past. The difference is how each one chose to handle it, and how to live with it. 

As in The Mortal Instruments, there were several things that reminded me of Harry Potter. Like the rune they used to spy/listen to the enclave, reminded me of the Weasley's extendable ears; when Tessa changes into Lady Belcourt to uncover De Quincey, it kind of felt like when Ron, Harry and Hermione drank polyjuice potion to change into Ministry workers, and Henry, who was very similar to Mr. Weasley. 
This book was better than TMI, I reckon. The setting was stunning, London in the 1880's. A remarkable work of Clare, her plot was original and kept me hanging on with every single word she wrote. I wish I lived there and I wish I had that library, oh my.

 Spoiler
I found very obvious who the Magister was, Mortmain had something that made me suspect, plus his name sounded like Valentine's last name... It made sense to me... But that I never ever imagined that plot twist at the last chapters... Tessa's brother was evil :( He was Mortmains servant, and everyone believed in him... Poor Tessa. 

End of Spoiler

Honestly, I was very excited for this book, but I never expected it to hit me like it did. 

My favorite quotes were:

 “One must always be careful of books," said Tessa, "and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.” 

and

 “Only the very weak-minded refuse to be influenced by literature and poetry.”

An intriguing and romantic story, with amusing characters that never gets boring. This is now one of my favorites, and I'm starting Clockwork Prince ASAP.

Cover Issues.

Posted by Sandra on Friday, March 1, 2013. Filed under: , , ,
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Hello there, earlier today Stephanie Perkins, author of Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door,  tweeted:




So I got very very very very excited, and clicked in. I was dying to see the model they used for Isla... But what I read/saw wasn't what I expected.

Apparently, this series got new covers... For all three books. While Stephanie Perkins was really excited about it (and it totally get it, don't get me wrong) I was disappointed. The third and last book, will have a different cover from the previous ones. Bummer.

There's something about book series' covers that make me so happy, when you finally own them all you can give them an special place in your bookshelf, and I was planning on doing that with these books. I absolutely loved Anna and The French Kiss, and I liked Lola And The Boy Next Door very much. So I was am expecting Isla and The Happily Ever After to rock my world. The first two books have a nice cover, featuring a girl (the lead character: Anna, Lola) and a background that goes along perfectly with the plot, like the images below show:



And now, the *soon* to be published and highly anticipated Isla, will have this cover:


And I know it is a nice, classy, simple cover... I actually like it very much. But I don't like that now, my three books will not match. Maybe I'm over reacting, but this also happened to me with Beth Revis' "Across The Universe" trilogy. She changed the last book's cover, and then released new covers for the previous books. Leaving me with dysfunctional covers :(

Anyway, I totally understand why they did this. Perkins even adressed it on her blog; these new covers will have a wider appeal, because they won't look too girly anymore. And I'm here hoping that more people experience Anna's amazingness, and Stephanie Perkins beautiful writing style. 

Ps. After I rant about the change of covers, I might add, that I, Sandra, will buy the two new covers and of course, Isla, to have all three books looking so perfect from my bookshelf, because let's be honest, I would buy Stephanie's books even if they were cover-less. Check the image below to see the new covers:



They look so cute together, and I'm sure Isla will be amazing. So I can't wait for July, when the first two books (with the new covers) will be released, and then finally, this fall we'll finally read Isla and The Happily Ever After.

Authorgraph

Posted by Sandra on Monday, February 4, 2013. Filed under: , ,
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I'm also very happy because Tom Barry sent me a personalized e-copy of his book "When The Siren Calls" which I'm starting tonight!!!

The book was published in November, 2012 and I'm really excited to read it, here's the synopsis:

Restless and neglected, Isobel is suffocating in a stagnant marriage. Suave and charismatic Jay is fighting for survival. An invitation to visit Jay's resort in the hills of Tuscany sparks Isobel to imagine a life of freedom and excitement.

Dismissing her husband’s objections, Isobel pursues Jay to Tuscany on the pretext of searching for a holiday home. After fighting anguished guilt, she abandons herself in a passionate affair, with her controlling lover encouraging Isobel to push beyond her sexual boundaries.

But all is not as it seems in the idyllic Tuscan retreat, and Isobel finds herself trapped in a web of intrigue, deception, and betrayal. She is one player in a dangerous love triangle, unsure whether Jay is her saviour, or her nemesis. As her world falls apart, she must choose between the woman she thought she was, and the woman she has become.

My personalized e-copy :) 


Thoughts about the book to come. 

February Books

Posted by Sandra on Friday, February 1, 2013. Filed under: , , , , , , , ,
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Woop, another month has come and that only means one thing: MORE books to read.

These are on my To Read List for this over-rated month. Some are new releases, one is for my book club and some others are for book challenges or just me continuing series I started reading a while ago.

If you click on the picture you'll be redirected to the book's Goodreads profile, so you can also add them to you TBR list or just read other reviews.



YA Perfection!

Posted by Sandra on Thursday, January 24, 2013. Filed under: , , , , ,
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Title: Across The Universe
Series: Across The Universe
Author: Beth Revis
Pages: 398
Published: 2011
Read In: January, 2013
Rating: 5/5

This book is pure YA perfection. Woah, I'm still blown away... That ending!!!

Let me start by saying that "Across The Universe" was a surprise for me. I had this book on my possession since early 2012 but I didn't wanted to read it until the second and third book were out, because I heard it was that good. Now, I finally read it, and I never ever expected this.

The story was full of mystery, intrigue, secrets and doubts, it was all about the secrets in Godspeed (the ship). The setting was so original and unique, that I had the time of my life visualizing it in my head. At the beginning I wasn't too thrilled about the whole spaceship thing, but then I fell in love with the whole concept. It's definitely something different from what I've read. Everything was creative and well described. Some things I found a bit predictable and some others REALLY took me by surprise, so it was very interesting to read it. 

The story is narrated from two pov's. Amy's and Elder's. And it worked wonderfully. 

Elder was an incredibly real character, he was very well written, while I read from his pov I could totally ask myself the same questions and think what he was thinking. He was a good person, but sometimes he had his "doubts" like everyone else does, and still he always did the right thing... Well, almost always. There was something poetic about him and the way he saw the world around him, and how he saw Amy. He wasn't conceited like Eldest, and he had dreams and a big heart. I never got bored while reading from his pov. He was lovely, sweet and brave. A true leader. And that shocker at the end (you must read it, I will not spoil it for you) made him more real to me, because he was flawed, of course, but still he was great.

Wish I could say the same thing about Amy... At the very beginning I found her quite annoying and not very smart. This changed through the story, but I wasn't entirely connected to her by the end of the book. She was clever and kinda cute, but not my favorite character. I think she was very mature for her age, which I liked very much, because I didn't hate the way he managed everything that happened to her... And it was a lot. She wasn't as eloquent, romantic and fun as Elder, but she was a strong female character, and you don't find those often in YA. So I did liked her.

Harley was one of my favourite characters of the book. Such complexity expressed through art... My kind of guy. So I really want Harley to know, that he was the star for me.

The romance was cute. It wasn't cheesy nor annoying, but I wish there was more of it. Elder has strong feelings for her, and she's still confused because she misses Jason but I think that we'll read more about their love in the sequel, which I'm starting ASAP!

Some quotes gave me the chills and other just made me sigh.

“Power isn’t control at all — power is strength, and giving that strength to others. A leader isn’t someone who forces others to make him stronger; a leader is someone willing to give his strength to others that they may have the strength to stand on their own.”

“And in her smile I see something more beautiful than the stars.”

Thrilling, interesting, creative and mind-blowing, "Across The Universe" is a MUST read. PLUS: Take a look at that cover and try to resist...

Perks of reading Perks.

Posted by Sandra on Saturday, January 19, 2013. Filed under: , , , ,
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Title: The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
Author: Stephen Chbosky
Pages: 213
Published: 1999
Read In: 2005
Rating: 5/5

I'm really happy because today I got a mail from a Brazilian girl who asked me to post my review of Stephen Chboskys's "The Perks of Being a Wallflower".

The main reason why I got excited is because someone in Brazil reads my blog!!
The second one, because she asked me to post a review about the book that made a difference in my life. 

So, I'm not quite sure this is an objective review since I adore this book, but here are my thoughts about it:
When I first read this book I was 12 years old, and I was going through a lot of similar situations related to school, friends and self discovery. I didn't own the book back then, a friend lent it to me so I used to read it in my recess time at school. This book changed my life, it truly did. It changed the way I used to see the world around me, it made me wonder: Am I a wallflower?

In my opinion, this was such and original and amazing way to narrate a book: Through letters.

 Charlie is an amazing character, so complex, unique and real and he talks about his life through letters sent to an unknown character (I thought that by the end of the book I would know who he was writing to, sadly I didn't). Charlie poured his heart on those letters, he wrote about his struggles in life, constant body and mind changes and how he dealt with it. He had to deal with a lot of issues, like the suicide of his best friend, falling in love with someone older than him that only saw him as a friend, discovering sexuality, being introduced to a world of drugs and alcohol at the age of 15, violence, sex abuse and self discovery. I, like Charlie, want to be a writer, and that's another reason why I loved him so much.

 In my opinion he is an amazing, complex, well-written character, and I totally connected with him through the whole reading. This is a story of a real person, it’s not fiction, and maybe that’s why I liked it so much, because this book gave something unique to us readers, it is real and it’s honest, maybe a bit raw when it comes to certain situations, but that’s what makes it an amazing and compelling story.

 Charlie’s development through the book is amazing, you can see how he starts as a shy, disturbed guy, and how he finds out that there’s more to life than to pity himself, how he discovers the true power of friendship and love, and most important, how he realizes that he is important, that he matters and that he can accomplish everything he wants. How could this book not be amazing? I really wish I had friends like Patrick and Sam, they are incredible. It has a great writing quality, Stephen Chbosky made a great job with his modern prose and with the characters he created, the plot is believable, touching and well, amazing. 

 OH and thank you Mr. Chbosky for making me feel infinite and giving me one of the most utterly amazing, real, useful quote of my life: 

 "WE ACCEPT THE LOVE WE THINK WE DESERVE" 

 I've read this book 13 times in 8 years. Now I have my own copy, and it has an special place in my bookshelf and in my heart. Everything about this book screams classic! One of the best Young Adult books I’ve ever read in my whole life.

WOW... Sweet Evil

Posted by Sandra on Monday, January 14, 2013. Filed under: , , , ,
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Title: Sweet Evil 
Series: The Sweet Trilogy, #1
Author: Wendy Higgins
Pages: 453
Published: 2012
Read In: 2013
Rating: 5/5

WOAHHHH... Feelings out of control!!

Sweet Evil is one of the best YA books I've ever read. So original, well written, with an amazing plot, great characters, and so relatable even though it's paranormal. I read this in less than 24 hours. 

The story was incredible. I never read the synopsis of this book before I read it, I was caught by that beautiful cover, so I never did expect angels. This was a refreshing approach to this heavenly creatures. The fact that there were dukes of sins and bad habits was a surprise, a good one. And the fact that their sons were a group of individuals called nephs with "obligations" and jobs. Their job is to be a bad influence for human beings, to corrupt them, and to never get attached to them. In this story, "conscience" or that little voice in our heads turns out to be angels and devils whispering things into our ears to influence on us. Wow. 

Anna was so amazing, it's been a long time since I could relate this much to a fictional character. She is smart, too innocent for me but really cute and nice, a bit insecure about herself, she is brave, kind and she believes that everyone deserve happiness. Personally, I think she was so brave when it came to decision making... Sometimes I did think "what are you doing", but I guess that's normal, she was such a delight to read about. 

Kaidan Oh Kaidan, my sweet, sexy Kai. I'm breathless. No words can explain how I loved this character. I know, I know... He's a bit of a jerk sometimes, but if you read the extra stories( Sweet Evil Extra 1 and Sweet Evil Extra 2 ) from his POV you could see why he acts like that, it like his nature. He's described as absolutely breathtaking, drop dead gorgeous, with great hair and body, an smoking hot musician who also happens to be british (that was the cherry this perfect cake). He had a though life. Even when he is rich, super attractive, a sex god and a musician, he feels empty, he has a void that, according to him, no one would ever be able to fill.. Until he met Anna. In his past, so many girls tried to change him, to make him fall in love, but he never did care about those things, until Anna came to the picture. 

The development of the characters was great, I loved reading about Kaidan, about Anna and about their torrid romance. He finally got to know what love was like, and their neph rules intervene, so basically Anna and Kai love each other, but can't be together, unless they want to die. Heartbreaking. The moments they shared were full of magic, mystery, love and lust, this was definitely my cup of tea.

The other characters were so cool, I really liked everyone. Jay was the sweetest guy, so real and understanding, he was amazing, you could see that he cared about Anna and that he had real emotions. Patti was also so sweet; too permissive to be a protective mom, but she was actually nice. Anna's dad was also a surprise, he has a genuinely good heart, and he loves Anna. The nephs were a shocker too, Marna was the best, I would love to be her friend, Ginger and Blake were really cool and Kopano, well he was nice but I didn't like him being in the picture... 

I loved absolutely everything about this book expect this: 

- Not enough Kaiden. Ha! There were some pages where I really missed him. I need more Kaiden in my life. 

- It wasn't long enough. I wish this book was eternal, because I couldn't put it down, it was so addicting, so good, so perfect. I'm seriously looking forward to "Sweet Peril". 

So this is me, watching a new obsession blooming. "Sweet Evil" has become one of my favourite books ever. I have read it twice in 4 days, and I'm sure I will read it again soon. Kaiden is now one of my favourite fictional character crush, and Wendy Higgins one of my favourite authors. 

It was a romantic, intriguing, sexy and thrilling reading, full of emotions, feelings and excitement. Stop whatever you're doing and go read this!

100 Quotes to make you... Laugh?

Posted by Sandra on Thursday, January 10, 2013. Filed under: , , , ,
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Title: 100 Quotes To Make You Think
Author: Wolfgang Riebe
Pages: 33 (e-book)
Published: 2010
Read In: 2013
Rating: 3/5

This *free* e-book by Wolfgang Riebe was a fast reading and quite entertaining. I'm not a huge fan of inspirational quotes, but this contained a variety of quotes, some I really liked and some other made me laugh so hard. "100 Quotes To Make You Think" was a nice way to start the year, and as the first book of 2013 I shall say that I will take some of this quotes as advice in order to achieve my dreams and goals.

Some of the quotes that made me LOL: (Not spoilers, but if you are going to read the book, you might as well skip them)

9) Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.

11) May your life be like toilet paper... Long and useful.

15) If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you. 

58) Borrow money from a pessimist - they don't expect it back. 

80) There are only two things to worry about, either you are healthy or you are sick. If you are healthy, then there is nothing to worry about. But if you are sick there are only two things to worry about, either you will get well or you will die. If you get well, then there is nothing to worry about. But if you die there are only two things to worry about, either you will go to heaven or you will go to hell. If you go to heaven, then there is nothing to worry about. And if you go to hell, you'll be so darn busy shaking hands with your friends you won't have time to worry.

A pleasant surprise...

Posted by Sandra on Saturday, January 5, 2013. Filed under: , , , ,
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Title: Warm Bodies
Series: Warm Bodies, #1
Author: Isaac Marion
Pages: 240
Published: 2010
Read In: 2011
Rating: 4.5/5
Hi guys, I'm pretty sure you've all read some mix reviews about Warm Bodies and, if you are looking forward to the movie you're probably asking yourself: Is this worth reading?

Let me tell you it is. I can't believe how much I liked Warm Bodies 


Most of the times I don't really care about bad reviews given to books I wanna read because I believe that we all have different judgement when it comes to literature. And so many people said this book was terrible, that the idea of zombie romance was stupid and that it would be a waste of time; so I wasn't sure if I should give it a go... But a little voice in my head said "Come on, sometimes you like books other people hate, or viceversa, so why not?"


Thank you little voice in my head. Thank you

Warm Bodies was a provoking, interesting, very entertaining, romantic and meaningful story for me. WOW, I never saw this coming. I was a bit skeptical too about this zombie romance thing, I thought it would be a bit Twilight-esque, so color me surprised when I was proven wrong.

This is "R's" story. R is a zombie and he can't remember anything about his human life nor how he was converted. He lives in an airport with hundreds of zombies and his zombie friend M. But he's different from all his other undead fellows... He thinks a lot, actually he over-thinks. One day, he's hungry and he goes to the city to find some food and he kills Perry Kelvin, so for an instant, while he is eating his brain, R watches vividly fragments of Perry's life, and he recognizes the girl in front of them as Julie, Perry's girlfriend, and he felt human, and developed some interesting feelings for Julie. So he takes her with him to the airport and start a weird (not as upsetting as i expected), amazing friendship, that later becomes pure love. 

There's not too much action (which I was expecting), but there's a great story line... The ending wasn't strictly "the end", it was more of "to be continued", which I liked very much. I do not know if there's going to be a second book, or if this was it, but it was a great read.

R was an amazing character, you can't help but loving him. He has so many life philosophies, he likes Frank Sinatra, he wants to be "more", reading from his POV was very interesting and refreshing. Julie was great too, I think she was very well written, she felt real. Her "dark past" made her who she is right now, she's complex, fun and a dreamer. I really liked both of them. As for their romance, I can only say:Awwwwww So sweet. Actually it was one of the sweetest I've ever read. So heartwarming, and romantic, without being to cheesy and annoying... 

"Her eyes were classic novels and poetry" 
Trés romantique.

This wasn't a love story, actually it was a story about love. It teaches how to love yourself, how to love the ones around you and the world you live in. This book has a powerful message. What is humanity? What makes us human? Are we "living" just because we are "alive"? There were many life metaphors that I liked, and it made me think a lot about how we expect the world to be a nice place instead of doing something to achieve it. 

A new insight to a zombie's mind, hilarity, romanticism, impotence for not being able to express yourself, hopeful and it makes you think, it really makes you think. Unexpectedly fun, romantic and overwhelming, with a message for all of us to understand and accept, Warm Bodies definitely became one of my favourite books. 

I also found this movie fact, which I think it's pretty cool: The film is based loosely on "Romeo and Juliet". "R" = "Romeo"; "Julie" = "Juliet; "Perry" = "Paris"; "M/Marcus" = "Mercutio"; "Nora" = Juliet's "Nurse" (the character of Nora is also a nurse).

Beautiful Disappointment

Posted by Sandra on Thursday, January 3, 2013. Filed under: , , , , ,
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Title: Beautiful Creatures
Series: Caster Chronicles, #1
Author(s): Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Pages: 563
Published: 2009
Read In: 2012
Rating: 3/5

I really craved a story with a male POV and I wasn't sure enough if I would like this one.

Turns out, I was wrong. Sort of.

This was thrilling, romantic and incredibly interesting.

Color me surprised when I was reading this book and I immediately started to do some research about U.S.A wars (I'm not from the USA), I had never been interested in that topic before... Until I started reading Beautiful Creatures. It was very exciting, sometimes tad confusing, because of the constant change of scenarios and too much information, but it was so refreshening to read from Ethan's point of view.

May I say Ethan Wate is one of my "I'd like to marry with" characters? Well, no entirely because sometimes I felt like I was reading from a girl's POV, maybe that's why I related so much... But still, he is not described as a super smoking drop dead gorgeous guy, he's just attractive, and he has an amazing personality... Personally, I think we would get along, because sometimes it felt like I was reading about myself, we're too alike. He had this sad past, and ambitions and dreams of leaving that sad little town, he didn't have an easy life, he was kind of lost... At least, until he met Lena.

Lena Duchannes , what a lovely name. I didn't LOVE her, but she was very agreeable and kind of cute in a weird way. Sometimes I felt the character was just meh, and other times she thrilled me.

Lena & Ethan, such a beautiful romance, in my personal opinion this is one of the corniest yet cutest romances I've read, because it had love, acceptance, sacrifice, willingness to do everything for each other, chemistry and yet it wasn't overwhelming and annoying. I loved them together.

The other characters were just okay. Amma was a strong character, but nothing new to me. No one is memorable for me so far, well maybe Link and Macon... I have a weakness for Mick Jagger wannabe's and antisocial-dream-sucker-uncles.

I hope to learn more about Ethan's mom, she seems a great character.

I loved the literary references: "To Kill a Mockingbird", "The Catcher in the Rye", Hemingway, Frost, Luther King, Bradbury.

There were some really memorable quotes, at least for me, two of my favourites being:

"There’s something about sitting alone in the dark that reminds you how big the world really is, and how far apart we all are. The stars look like they’re so close, you could reach out and touch them. But you can’t. Sometimes things look a lot closer than they are.

and

“I never loved you any more than I do, right this second. And I'll never love you any less than I do, right this second.” 

It was fun, exciting and magical! A great story about love, lies, magic and sacrifice. It was very original and really entertaining (at least after 100 pages). It was a lot to digest, but I liked it.

I gave it 3 stars because sometimes it was hard for me to keep up with the story, all the information being processed and understood, but that didn't make it less enjoyable.



January Books

Posted by Sandra on Tuesday, January 1, 2013. Filed under: , , , , , , , , , ,
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So it's a new year, and the first month has arrived. This is the month when we all begin to work on our new year resolutions, and my mom has always told me that "You end the year just how you start it", so I think it's a good way to start it with new reads.

 These are the books I plan to read in January. Hopefully I'll be able to read them all (:
(Links below the picture)

         
The Sea of Tranquility

Graceling
The William S Club

Shatter Me
Beautiful Darkness
Warm Bodies
        
Sweet Evil
Across The Universe

Happy New Year!

Posted by Sandra Filed under: , , ,
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Hi friends, I'm very thankful for being alive one more year. I'd like to wish you an amazing start of 2013, and may this year be the best one yet.

I hope this one is full of love, work, health, peace and new books for you all.

I wish you the best and I hope you find a way to accomplish your new year resolutions; whether it is to lose some weight, read more books, eat healthier, work out, or whatever you have in mind, do it with dedication and love and you will see how everything you wanted will come true.

Happy New Year readers!!! Thanks for visiting this blog.
Love, Sandra. xx

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