Thirteen Reasons Why - book trailer

This is an awesome book trailer I found of the book Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher (for my review of it, click here).

Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood - my book review

Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood by Eileen Cook
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is such a fun book to read. I loved every single bit of it. But more to that later.

Picture Lauren Wood. She is perfect. She has is the quarterback's girlfriend, cheerleading captain, the most popular It Girl out of all the It Girls, and the lead role of the drama play in her palm. Did I mention that she's blonde? Now, picture. Helen Worthington. The ex-best friend of Lauren Wood. She is far from perfect. She is the doggy that serves her master.

One day, Lauren did something terrible. She betrayed Helen. So Helen moves away... But what happens when Helen gets the chance to move back? Is it finally time for Helen to get her revenge on Lauren?

The plot of this book is so simple. It makes the book so easy to read, and I can refer to it to cheer me up. Helen is totally priceless. In my opinion, she's a bit like an obsessive stalker. Like, while she lives in New York, Helen thinks about Lauren every day, checks her Facebook page, and starts collecting ideas for her grand revenge plan in a neat binder. Crazy or not crazy?

Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood reminded me of the well-loved movie 'Mean Girls'. Three mean It Girls. One outsider. What happens when these two parties merge? KABOOM!!!

I'll leave the rest to you to decide. But this is worth a read.

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Hereafter - my book review

Hereafter by Tara Hudson
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I apologise in advance for later on. I have a premonition that I will be sounding similar to a grumpy pensioner who lost their walking stick. But, the previous book I read, I didn't like. And, well... I dislike this book as well. Trust me, I don't usually hate books. But sometimes I find one or two books that I don't enjoy reading.

Here we go:

Soppy-central. Definitely not my type. I picked out this book to read, not because of it's cover, not because it sounded interesting, but because it was newly released, and my list of paranormal-romances is a short one. But gee, this really is not my type of book.

In short, Amelia Ashley is a ghost. Then she meets Joshua Mayhew, a very alive teenager. They fall in love. But evil Eli stands in Amelia's way, trying to drag her away from the human world into the dark underworld...

This book was... terrible. I think I should stay away from paranormal novels for a while. If you, however, did enjoy this book, please tell me what your thoughts on it were. Or even if you share the same views as me, I'd be interested to know what you think.

View all my reviews

I've Been TAGGED!

The Rules: list ten facts about yourself, link back to your tagger, and then tag five more people!

Thank you to Larissa from The Howling Turtle for tagging me :)

1. I'm very short, and I hate it (157 cm).
2. I have a strange habit of inadvertently staring at people for no reason.
3. My favourite superhero is Spiderman.
4. Even though I am thoroughly enjoy defacing Wreck This Journal, I am a perfectionist.
5. My room at home is disgustingly messy, but my locker at school is flawlessly neat.
6. I don't have a favourite food because I love eating practically anything edible.
7. I wish I had a non-identical twin sister.
8. If I had to choose my favourite season, I'd have to pick between autumn, spring and summer.
9. I (apparently) talk very loudly.
10. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

I Tag: In Between Writing and Reading, Reading Addict, Read The Day Away, Mint Tea and a Good Book and A Work of Fiction.




P.S. I'm so sorry that I haven't been posting recently. I've been very lazy. I have decided to take a semi-break from A Novella's Tale. I will still be posting, but not as frequently. 


If I have finished reading a novel, I will still be posting my review. However, I will not be participating in the weekly memes for now. Sorry :'(

Top Ten Tuesday #9

Top Ten Books I Feel As Though

Everyone Has Read But Me

1. Anna Dressed in Blood (by Kendare Blake)
2. Shiver (by Maggie Stiefvater)
3. Matched (by Ally Condi)
4. A Wrinkle in Time (by Madeline L'Engle)
5. Alice in Wonderland (by Lewis Carroll)
6. Pride and Prejudice (by Jane Austen)
7. Pretty Little Liars (by Sara Shepard)
8. Wither (by Lauren DeStefano)
9. Elsewhere (by Gabrielle Zevin)
10. Mao's Last Dance (by Li Cunxin)

...are there any books here which you haven't read either?

Beauty Queens - my book review

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I'm so sorry, Beauty Queens, but I had to give up. I could not continue in risk of further hair-in-fingers and head-slams-against-the-door. I'm so sorry that I maliciously watched you slide down the wall after being thrown at it.

I was pumped up with excitement and adrenaline when I got my hands on this book. I thought that it would be a life-changing moment, when I would open that first crisp, fresh page and innocently read. But, no. My plan failed miserably.

Here are a few things I disliked about this book:
- the humour. It got a bit dry after a while.
- the plot-hopping. There's only so many times a reader can teleport.
- the "Confidential" chapters. I skipped 99% of them.
- way too many characters to focus on. Couldn't Libba Bray make it that only six beauty queens survived???

Anyway, that was in brief the issues I encountered with Beauty Queens. I was very disappointed to only reach the half-way mark, because really, I expected something much better than this.

View all my reviews

In My Mailbox #8

After the sequel of this novel was recommended by a classmate, I decided to borrow it from the library.

Heather Wells Rocks! 

Or, at least, she did. That was before she left the pop-idol life behind after she gained a dress size or two — and lost a boyfriend, a recording contract, and her life savings (when Mom took the money and ran off to Argentina). Now that the glamour and glory days of endless mall appearances are in the past, Heather's perfectly happy with her new size 12 shape (the average for the American woman!) and her new job as an assistant dorm director at one of New York's top colleges. That is, until the dead body of a female student from Heather's residence hall is discovered at the bottom of an elevator shaft...  

 Source: Goodreads

Follow Friday #9

Q. Have you ever wanted a villain to win at the end of a story?  If so, which one??

A. I am very sure that I have wanted a villain to win before many times, but not many come to mind. The only villain I can really think of is Stolen: A letter to my captor. I liked Ty, and I wish that what happened in the end didn't happen at all (no spoilers!!!).

WWW Wednesdays #7

What are you currently reading?                             I'm reading Beauty Queens by Libba Bray at the moment. Feeling excited!

What did you recently finish reading?                        I finished reading The Truth About Forever last week, and Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac today.
For my review of The Truth About Forever, click here.
For my review of Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, click here.

What do you think you'll read next?                        
I will have to pick between Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot or Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson. I'll decide on the day :)

Memoirs of A Teenage Amnesiac - my book review

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A witty, cheerful glance at a teen amnesiac's life. I enjoyed this book in every respect, not only for its storyline, but mainly for its characters. But more to that later.

Naomi wakes up in a hospital bed, not knowing anything from the last three and a half years. She doesn't know what year it is. She doesn't know her parents are divorced. She doesn't even know who her best friend is. But is this amnesia a way to start life afresh?

I'd like to praise Gabrielle Zevin for the warmth and depth she has put into this book. It's one of those books that save you from a rainy day, to a bad hair day. It'll liven you up no matter the circumstances. What is strange though, is that this is not a chick-lit fiction. It is actually quite meaningful, and has given me an insight of forgiving and forgetting.

Now to the characters. I am so glad that this story was told in first-person perspective. Naomi's point of view was fun, and just from reading a chapter that "she's" written, I can tell that she'd be one of the persons in the world who would make a good friend (although she doesn't think that herself). My other favourite character, whether you can believe it or not, is Ace. I loved him. He was popular, sweet and bashful. So adorable.

Oh, and of course, I'd like to give a special mention to Will Landsman. To me, he is the star of the story, really. Pretty much the whole book revolves around Naomi and his relationship, once you think about it. He plays an important part, and the friendship between the two carries on throughout the story. Not very much, but it does.

To finish off, I'd like to share my favourite quote from Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac:

"You forget all of it anyway. . . You forget who was cool and who was not, who was pretty, smart, athletic, and not. . . You forget all of them. Even the ones you said you loved, and even the ones you actually did. They’re the last to go. And then once you’ve forgotten enough, you love someone else."

View all my reviews

Top Ten Tuesday #8

Top Ten Three Sequels I'm Dying To Read:

Before I begin, I'd like to point out that I mainly read stand-alone books. This is because I can't usually stand series that go on and on and on... So anyway, this list will be rather short. To be specific, three as mentioned above. :( 

1. Insurgent (Divergent #2) - OMG, can't wait until this one! I loved the first book in the series, and am hoping that I'll love the rest too!
2. Pandemonium (Delirium #2) - okay, so I didn't like Delirium, but I'd like to give the series a second chance. What if it only gets better?
3. Fear (Gone #5) - to be frank, I have no idea why I'm looking forward to this one. Why? Because I haven't even got to Hunger yet. But even so, it's... reassuring to know that the series continues, and probably will do so for a long, long time.

The Truth About Forever - my book review

The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book that I've ever read by Sarah Dessen, and I'm very pleased to say that I will continue reading her novels.

Macy Queen is the daughter of a widowed workaholic and the girlfriend of a perfectionist gentleman. She herself strives to be perfect. She, as her sister says, does not have a proper 'social life', but risks that for being perfect.

...That is, until she meets the Wish Gang.

I am not one for soppy love stories. I'm just not that type. Same goes with most chick-flick movies and melodramatic romantic songs. But nonetheless, I enjoyed this book. It was good.

There are so many books in which you read about brave, adventurous heroines, but this is not the case. You get to see the other side of the story, from a girl who eventually grows into something bigger, something different. Something bolder.

The words that illustrate this book describe everything fittingly. I like the use of truth about forever at the end.

Another thing is that I loved the relationship between Macy and Wes. From the start, we suspect that they'll be heads over heels in love with each other (sa-woon!), but is this true? No... well, not really. At one point, we have all read a young-adult book with one week romances, but I love how everything in this book is held to the end. The loose ends are tied up where they should be. It's satisfying to know, that through thick and thin, high and low, that things have turned out perfect in the end.

You might be wondering: why only four stars? I'll answer that now. In fact, I sort of answered that above. I don't really favour realistic romance fiction. Although, The Truth about Forever proved to me that there are some good ones around. Realistically, if I was the girlier type, then yes, I would definitely give this book a fiver. But sadly, I'm not. But luckily, Dessen's words and the storyline and the characters and everything else that came within the front and back covers saved me from giving this book much less.

So read it.




View all my reviews

Cover Crazy #7

This is the cover of Saving June, by Hannah Harrington.

• I'm a real nut for vintage-type things. Not really clothing, but more like photo-effects. Not only does it imply the past, but it can also show dreaming. Just looking at this front cover makes me feel a bit absentminded.
• Nature is a good way of making us want to feel free. That girl lying in the wild grass looks relaxed, and free...
• This final point is rather basic, but quotes can be useful for front covers. Especially ones with praise for the book. Sure, they could possibly be made up, but how can you resist a book that's been given dozens of medals and praises from God and J.K Rowling-like authors? I certainly can't.

In My Mailbox #7

I am pleased to say that I have finally managed to borrow a book that I have wanted for a long time...

The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner. 

What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program--or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan--or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up? 

 Source: Goodreads

And now I gotta start stacking up books for the holidays too...

Follow Friday #8

Q. If you could change the ending of any book (or series), which book would you choose? Why and to what?

A. I would change the ending of Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver. For those who have read it, were you really satisfied by the conclusion? I sure wasn't (but not enough to give it less than 5 stars, hehe). 

*SPOILER ALERT!!! SPOILER ALERT!!!*

I just didn't like how Sam died. was it necessary for that? I think that if she learnt her lesson, she could get of that damn time loop. That's cheesy, I know, but I don't think it's fair that she sacrifices herself for Juliet. Besides, what has Juliet ever done for her in exchange?

Interview with Cathy Cassidy!

Cathy Cassidy is a young adult fiction author. She has written numerous novels, including: Dizzy, Indigo Blue, Lucky Star and Angel Cake. Cathy is also known as the 'Queen of Tween'!

Q: What inspires you to write your books?

I guess my readers inspire me! I find young people fascinating - it's a great stage of life to be at. You're no longer a child, but you're not quite an adult either - you're poised right on the very edge of that, and anything and everything is still possible. Friendship, families, love, individuality, eccentricity and emotion - all of those things inspire me!

Q: If you had endless possibilities of promoting your books, which method would you choose?

I'd hide hundreds of gift-wrapped books in unexpected places, like a kind of treasure hunt... 

Q: Out of all of your many book characters, who would you like to hang out with the most?

Out of the adult characters I'd pick Tess from Dizzy, Miss Quinn from Driftwood and Charlotte and Paddy from Cherry Crush. I can't choose from the teen characters - I love all of them, even fiesty Scarlett and moody Honey. Maybe I'd pick Mouse from Dizzy and Lucky Star - he is my all-time fave character.

Q: Is there any chance that you'll be writing a novel in the young-adult fiction genre any time soon?

I'd like to, but I don't have immediate plans... I am behind with deadlines as it is. I'd worry that my younger readers would read any older, darker books, too. Maybe one day! 

Q: If you could make up a word, what would it be and what would be its definition?

Chocolicious. (I am guessing we all know what that means... sigh!) 

Q: Let's play a quick version of the 'Truth or Lie' game. Tell me one peculiar truth and one peculiar lie about yourself. We have to guess which one is true!

I am scared of worms.

I am fluent in Japanese. 




Thanks so much Cathy!