The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Genre: Young Adult - paranormal

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review: I'm a sucker for creepy, eerie stories, especially when they're set somewhere with such a rich history. And the fact that it surrounds a mysterious figure such as Jack the Ripper makes it even more intriguing to read and learn more about. I was thoroughly entertained and was into the story all throughout.

I especially liked the way the author, Maureen Johnson, took a paranormal route to the story as well - made it even more surprisingly original and fresh. As for her writing, I think she did a great job painting a picture for her readers. As I was reading this book, I found it easy to imagine myself actually living where the story itself takes place - in a beautiful city like London, in a mysterious boarding school like Wexford. I also liked the way she developed the plot naturally. It didn't appear to be rushed, forced, or contrived in any way.

I have to admit though that while the characters are cool to get to know as I was reading the book, now, days after finishing it, I've come to realize they're forgettable to me. This doesn't make them bad characters; just not necessarily favorites or stand-outs to me.

Overall, I really loved the premise for this book. It was highly intriguing and interesting, suspenseful and exciting. Even though none of the characters stood out to me, I still enjoyed it. Is it as good as everyone claims it to be? Maybe not for me. I liked it, but didn't LOVE it. I would still, however, recommend it to anybody who likes eerie stories and the paranormal genre! I don't think you'd be disappointed.

your favorite love stories.

Lately, I've been reading about not so heartwarming things. Zombies, vampires, dystopian fiction, mystery/crime thrillers, horror... the list goes on. I thought I should use December, which is my favorite time of the year, to catch up on love stories for a change.

To be honest, I am not much of a romance reader, but if you have any suggestions and recommendations, please tell me! Contemporary love stories would be best, but I welcome any kind, really. You already know I'll be ready to list them all down and get them from the library. So thanks, as always, and I hope you all are having a great November so far :)

p.s. - I am aware that this is the second 'recommend me something' post this week! I am having a bad reading slump that I want so badly to go away before December arrives!

reading goals and recommendations

Last year, I was able to read 102 books, and to be honest, I didn't even have any trouble doing so. There were just too many books to pick up and I was excited to dig into all of them. Back in January, I told myself I'd read 100 books again this year. But if you look at my 2011 reading list so far, you can see that I'm not even close. Also, unfortunately, I have not found any particular books that I found that I LOVED. I liked and enjoyed most of them, but didn't really find any favorite.

That being said, I would like to ask you again for recommendations. Please recommend a favorite of yours! I would like to read good books for December, so please, suggest away!

Here's to me hoping you have already found a favorite so far this year! Happy Reading!

Hunger Games!!!

I can not wait for this. It looks like it's going to be really good!

I do hope that they capture and show the darkness and violence that the series has well, because I think that's one of the things that makes the Hunger Games work, at least for me.

And if you're like me, you have probably watched the trailer repeatedly since it came out Monday. What do you think of it?

this. is. what. I. WANT. for. Christmas.

It's very expensive for what it is, but it is just soooo lovely. If you want one, you can check out the shop. There are some more designs, but I love this one because it looks like a classic. Well, quite literally.

If I got the Harry Potter Bluray set (8 films) instead though, I wouldn't complain either.

the character tag.

I haven't done one of these in a while, so I thought I should do one. I honestly have no idea where this one started from, so let me know if you know. If you would like to answer these questions, go ahead and link them below. Or just leave a comment, really.

1. Which character would you throw out the window?

Bella Swan. So needy, self-conscious, self-important, and weak. My own opinion only, of course.

2. Which character would be your best friend?

Realistically, I think I'd most likely be best friends with Ginny Weasley and/or Percy Jackson. They're both confident, strong, courageous, and beautiful people, who loves family and friends, but would rather not have the spotlight on them if they had a choice.

3. If you could make a character come to life, who would it be?

Katniss Everdeen. I think she could be a really important person in our society today.

4. What traits do you look for in a character?

It obviously depends on who the character is; the important thing for me is that they are as realistic and believable as possible.

5. What would you change in your favorite character?

My favorite characters are Snape and Ron, and I do not want to change anything about them!

6. Favorite male/female character?

Male - Snape. Female - Jane Eyre

7. What two characters from different books would you put together?

Katniss Everdeen and Hermione Granger.

8. Favorite book couple?

Ron and Hermione, Jamie and Langdon (A Walk to Remember), Liesel and Rudy (The Book Thief)

9. Cutest character?

Luna Lovegood. I actually wanted her to end up with Harry. They'd balance each other out so well, I think.

***

Happy Tuesday, Happy reading, Happy survey-answering!

the Vampire Diaries.

When this show started about two years ago, I intentionally ignored it. For some reason, I had this vision in my head that it was going to be sameoldsameold - it was going to copy Twilight and was going to showcase a typical love story between a vampire and a human. I used to even laugh at it when I'd see commercials for it.

Then one day, I was sick and very bored. I logged on to my Netflix account only to find that they just added the entire show. So being the bored person that I was that couldn't think of anything else interesting to do, I decided to watch the Pilot episode.... after all, everybody kept telling me that it's really good, that I might like it...

so I saw the first episode, and continued clicking, watching the next episode... and the next and the next. And I have to say; it was awesome.

Two weeks later, here I am, done with Season 1 and 2, and I can't stop thinking about Season 3 (just saw episode 8!) to the point that I have decided to actually write a post about it.

Everything about it is just great. The writing, the plot development, the scenes, and of course, the characters. And while it can sometimes be cheesy at times, believe me, it's in a very good-guilty-pleasure-not-cliche kind of way. The best part is that they have actually brought back scary and evil vampires. And guess what? They DO NOT sparkle!

Anyway, my point is, if you like supernatural/paranormal shows, try this out. It's obviously geared more towards the 'YA crowd' - it's no True Blood if you know what I mean - but to be honest, I actually like that about it.

My other point is; Don't judge it like I did for two years. It's good. I really enjoy it. If you do too, let me know so we can gush about it.

P.S. - Damon... is... <3

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Genre: Young Adult - contemporary

Rating: 2 stars

Review: This book was a bit of a disappointment, for me, personally. I do not think it’s a bad read at all, because I quite enjoyed my time reading it, but for some reason, for me, it’s very forgettable. While the premise is interesting, the execution lacked, and while the writing is good, it didn’t “speak” to me. I also felt like the characters were not introduced or developed well enough, to the poifnt that I feel like I never got to know them that well.

Overall the whole story didn’t seem realistic and believable enough to root for. Maybe it’s because two writers worked on this – that could perhaps have had an impact on the story’s delivery and development? I’m not sure, but for some reason, the two sides of the story – using two narrators and all – didn’t seem to work. In fact, it seemed contrived and forced, and obvious that actual authors are speaking, and not necessarily the characters themselves, if that makes any sense at all.

I really wanted to like this. The idea of two strangers turning into lovers all because of a dreamy bookstore and a beautiful city sounds so wonderful. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me.

halloweeenyyy

Hope you had a fantastic weekend and Halloween Monday!!

I look silly. Haha.

If you have pictures, I would like to see as well!!

Have a great week ahead.

Happy reading!