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?

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 :)

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.

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?

WWW Wednesdays #6

What are you currently reading?                             Right now I'm reading The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen (finally!). I can't wait, as I've been hearing many good thing about this book *taps nose*.

What did you recently finish reading?                        I just finished reading Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson. Click here for my review of it.

What do you think you'll read next?                        
I'll say it now: I tend to choose a book to read once I've finished reading the previous one. I'll pick depending on my 'mood', or 'hunch', or whatever you'd like to call it. But I have two options at the moment: Memoirs of A Teen Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin, or Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. So this is my dilemma: Which one should I pick? 

Top Ten Tuesday #7

Top Ten Books Lauren Has On Her TBR List This  Fall   Spring (where I am it's gonna be spring, not fall!) :

1. Wake by Lisa McMann - been wanting to read this one for AGES!
2. Unwind by Neal Shusterman - I'm in need of a dystopian book as challenging as The Hunger Games.
3. Zelah Green Queen of Clean by Vanessa Curtis - I've been wanting to read this book ever since I was ten... I don't know why, but I just do.
4. Shiver by Maggie Steifvater - highly recommended by one of my non-book-loving friends, and that's saying something.
5. Entwined by Heather Dixon - I'm in love with the original fairytale that this book is based on, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, so it's absolutely necessary that I read this soon.
6. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard - haven't watched the TV show yet, but if I love this, I will definitely watch it.
7. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand - I admit it. I don't read many angel/vampire/werewolf/fairy books, but I'd like to start.
8. Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma - need I explain why I want to read this book so badly?
9. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin - since reading the synopsis of this book, I've really wanted to read this book. It sound awesome!
10. The Boy Book by E. Lockhart - read the first book in the series: loved it. Wanting to read the second book in the series: that should be on my 'do before I die' list.

Cover Crazy #6

This is the cover of Awaken, by Katie Kacvinsky.

• The first thing I noticed about this cover was the sunflowers inside the glass jar. Sunflowers are known for happiness. Jars are used to keep things; trap things. Happiness is trapped. As simple as that.
• The pixellation of the background is effective. It gives a surreal element to this picture. The jar of sunflowers looks so real, but the background looks almost fake.
• Fonts are a very important factor to me, especially the font for a title of a book. For example, would you find the font: Ariel very interesting for a front cover? The answer is not really. But the word 'Awaken' appears handwritten. It makes me think that this book is sentimental in some ways.

In My Mailbox #6

This week, I borrowed...

If Naomi had picked tails, she would have won the coin toss. She wouldn't have had to go back for the yearbook camera, and she wouldn't have hit her head on the steps. She wouldn't have woken up in an ambulance with amnesia. She certainly would have remembered her boyfriend, Ace. She might even have remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place. She would understand why her best friend, Will, keeps calling her "Chief." She'd know about her mom's new family. She'd know about her dad's fiancée. She never would have met James, the boy with the questionable past and the even fuzzier future, who tells her he once wanted to kiss her. She wouldn't have wanted to kiss him back.
 

But Naomi picked heads.

 Source: Goodreads

It sounds like a great book, and there have been many rave reviews about it. Can't wait!!!

Follow Friday #7

Q. In books like the Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) series the paranormal creature in question "comes out of the closet" and makes itself known to the world. Which mythical creature do you wish would come out of the closet, for real?

A: I would choose fairies (or faeries), because they sound awesomely cool and I'd love to meet one. Don't you think they sound cool?

WWW Wednesdays #5

What are you currently reading?                             I had a sudden change of heart and decided to read Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson, rather than my original choice of The Truth About Forever. I apologise for this, but I promise that I'm going to read that next. (The reason for this decision was that I didn't like the idea of reading two rather thick books side-by-side. I needed a break!)

What did you recently finish reading?                        I just finished reading Gone by Michael Grant last night. Click here for my review of it.

What do you think you'll read next?                        I am definitely going to read The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen next. You have the right to sue me if I don't.

Top Ten Tuesday #6

I swear that this list was made for me. Anyway.....

Top Ten Books Lauren Loved But Never Wrote A Review For

1. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
2. Parvana by Deborah Ellis
3. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
4. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
5. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
6. The Declaration by Gemma Malley
7. Girl Saves Boy by Steph Bowe
8. Loving Richard Feynman by Penny Tangey
9. The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
10. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

In My Mailbox #5

Eek, I didn't really borrow anything from the library this week. That was because I was away. Um... Well I'm very sorry about this, but I'll definitely borrow another book when I get the chance!!! :)

WWW Wednesdays #4

What are you currently reading?                             I'm currently reading Gone by Michael Grant. Have to say, it's not what I expected, but I'm ready for what's gonna come up. Bring it on!

What did you recently finish reading?                        Does it count that I went halfway through a book and stopped as 'finish reading'? If so, then I recently finished (or rather gave up on) Accidents of Nature, by Harriet McBryde Johnson.

What do you think you'll read next?                        The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen is next on my list. This'll be my FIRST Sarah Dessen book! So basically, it all depends on this sweetie whether I'll read the rest of Ms. Dessen's books.

Cover Crazy #5

I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get to read this edition of Wintergirls. Oh well. Gives me more of an excuse to rave about it!

• Wintergirls. What's the first thing you think of when you hear the title? Cold, icy, grim, shivering, frost. You can decide for yourself what the girl is looking through on the front cover.
• The girl's eye. Huh. Just one, not the other. The other is either covered by hair or a thick slab of ice. One eye... Unbalanced... Helpless... Needy... Desperate... In trouble. It all comes together neatly. There is something wrong with this girl, and something needs to be done.
• Just looking at the image on the top-left gives me shivers. I'm all about colours and how well they fit together. In this case, I can mainly spot turquoises, blacks and sky-blues. But there is also the dash of pink from the girl's lips and white from the author's name. But there is a reason why these are called cold colours.                                                

Top Ten Tuesday #5

It's freebie week! So I pick...

Top Ten Books that have the weirdest plots:

1. Amelia Dee and the Peacock Lamp
2. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging
3. The End
4. Breakfast at Sadie's
5. Bridge to Terabithia
6. Coraline
7. The Hunger Games
8. Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool
9. Forgotten
10. Holes

Follow Friday #6

Yes! I'm back from my holiday... or more specifically, camp. I had a good rest, and now I'm back in the swing for bloggin'!

Q. If you could write yourself a part in a book, what book would it be and what role would you play in that book?

A. I would pick Divergent. My role would be a close friend of Tris'. I would be in Amity, duh (*ahem* I'm pro-Amity all the way), and I will help save Tris and the other escapees in Insurgent. If that is what happens.