Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Early Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

However, this choice may bring many complications, such as having to act as a sort of 'spy', always hiding his presence in one group from the other groups. He also can never really be part of a group, just a peripheral 'participant'. Oh, and he has to be especially careful during all mixed congregations, like lunch or even his classes.

It's Greg's senior year and things are surprisingly not sucking as bad as they usually do. Until he discovers that his childhood jew classmate, Rachel Kushner, has an acute form of leukemia. And their mothers insist that he be especially nice and friendly to her. And, at least in his head, that starts to make his life a nightmare at school.


Things get even worse when Earl, his weird 'best friend' shows their house-made movies to Rachel (which makes her happy and distracted during those horrible chemo sessions) and Greg's childhood crush, beautiful, popular Madison, finds out about his secret hobby. And asks him to make a movie for Rachel. Word quickly travels through school and soon people are calling him 'Spillberg' and telling him how touching what he's doing is and how they also want to be in the movie.... problem is, Greg and Earl have NO idea what the movie should be about. Their plans were hilarious... in very disturbing ways.
This was possibly the weirdest and craziest book I have ever read. There were jokes thrown in  the middle of very serious sentences, there were "scripts" between the narration... and the narrative itself was so very blunt that it was sometimes shocking. But in a good, clever, surprising way.


I absolutely loved the huge scolding Earl gave Greg about him caring so much about what everybody at school thought about him. In Earl's words: 


"You all worried 'bout what they think about you, man, they don't give a fuck. They don't give a fuck if you live or die, you pussy-ass bitch. (...) Rachel is the only one who do give a fuck. She don't have big-ass titties, so you don't fucking care, but that other bitch don't give a shit about you and, and fucking Rachel do, and you don't fucking give a shit cuz you're a dumb little bitch."


Excess swearing and troubled household aside, Earl is a really good person and Greg totally had it coming, if you ask me. That was probably the only thing that was a bit tiring about the book, the endless self-deprecating and feeling sorry for himself... but at least there was some really good character development, so Greg made up for his annoyance. LOL


Me and Earl and the Dying Girl has a very refreshing take on cancer, friendships, growing up and movie-making. Like I said before (and the author himself repeatedly announces), this a  weird book, but everybody should give it a try. Honestly.


If you like eclectic, funny and bittersweet Young Adult books that are also a quick, interesting kind of realist fiction that is different from everything you've ever read before, this is certainly your book.


*I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Teaser Tuesday #9


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

 Grab your current read
       • Open to a random page
       Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
       Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others.

Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles.

Twice Tempted by a Rogue  (Stud Club, #2) 
"What is the world coming to, with these modern women? A man can't tell them what to do." 

 Starters (Starters, #1)

"Probably my favorite body part. No one ever complained about a fat brain. No one ever accused their brain of being too short or too tall, too wide or too narrow. Or ugly. It either worked or it didn't, and mine worked just fine."

What's your teaser this week?

Monday, January 30, 2012

100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2012!


 
I'm signing up for the Book Chick City's
100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2012!
Challenge Details
• Timeline: 01 Jan 2012 - 31 Dec 2012
• Rules: Read 100+ books in 2012 (any genre)
• You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.
• You can join at anytime. All books read in 2012 count towards the challenge regardless of when you sign up.
• At the beginning of Jan 2012, you will find a link to specific month to add your reviews.
• Audiobooks do not count, but all other formats are accepted.
• Only fiction, no non-fiction.
• This challenge can crossover to other challenges.
• You DO NOT have to write reviews of the books you read, but if you decide to then Mr Linky will be available each month so you can link up your reviews.
• You don't have to have a blog to join in - for those without a blog but who use Goodreads, Amazon, LibraryThing etc, you can add the URL to where you track your books. If you don't have a URL at all then choose a name you would like to use and then copy and paste the following link: 
 
http://www.bookchickcity.com/2011/12/sign-up-100-books-in-year-reading.html
You can keep track of the books I've read in 2012 so far right here

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #8



It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey. 

I'm Currently Reading:


Twice Tempted by a Rogue  (Stud Club, #2)Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe
I'm really loving them. :)


Finished:


WanderloveStarters
(reviews to be posted soon)


Next Reads:


The Peculiars

Lies Beneath



What are you reading this week?

Sunday, January 29, 2012

2012 NetGalley Reading Challenge

More reading challenges!!





I'm already part of another challenge, but this one seemed pretty doable, so... I couldn't help myself. :)

As I have already reviewed quite a few books from Netgalley this year, I'm aiming for the Gold Star level:
 Gold Star - read 30+ NetGalley Books in 2012


If you want to be part of it, you can sign up here.


I'm keeping track of my progress below:
  1. Seduction by Brenda Joyce
  2. Tooth and Nail by Jennifer Safrey
  3. Mask of the Gladiator by Georgie Lee
  4. Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand
  5. Everneath (Everneath #1) by Brodi Ashton
  6. First Date by Krista McGee
  7. Partials (Partials #1) by Dan Wells
  8. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
  9. Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard 
  10. Starters (Starters #1) by Lissa Price
  11. Revealing Eden by Victoria Foyt
  12. Welcome Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Coriell
  13. The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry
  14. Death by Petticoat by Mary Miley Theobald  
  15. Pure (Pure #1) by Julianna Baggott
  16. Putting Boys on the Ledge by Stephanie Rowe
  17. Viral by James Lilliefors
  18. Lies Beneath (Lies Beneath #1) by Anne Greenwood Brow 
  19. The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Long  (review to come)
  20. After the Snow by S. D. Crockett
  21. White Witch by Trish Milburn
  22. The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens 
  23. Things Your Dog Doesn't Want You to Know by Jeff Johnson, Hy Conrad 
  24. Struck by Jennifer Bosworth 
  25. Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
  26. Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne 
  27. All These Lives by Sarah Wylie 
  28. Burn by Heath Gibson  (review to come)
  29. The Raft by S.A. Bodeen  (review to come)
  30. Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama  (review to come)
  31. Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield  (review to come)
  32. Yesterday by C.K. Kelly Martin  (review to come) 
  33. The Prophet by Amanda Stevens
  34. Tomorrow Land by Mari Mancusi
  35. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa 
  36. Living Proof by Kira Peikoff  
  37. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas   (review to come)
  38. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo 
  39. Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig 
  40. Shift by Kim Curran  (review to come)
  41. Blackwood by Gwenda Bond  (review to come)
  42. Skylark by Meagan Spooner  (review to come)
  43. Glitch by Heather Anastasiu  (review to come)
  44. Scars by Cheryl Rainfield
  45. Lethal Rider by Larissa Ione
  46. The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee  (review to come)
  47. Undead by Kirsty McKay  (review to come)
  48. Kissing Shakespeare by Pamela Mingle  (review to come)
  49. Velveteen by Daniel Marks  (review to come)
  50. Don't You Wish by Roxanne St. Claire  (review to come)

In My Mailbox #9



In My Mailbox is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Story Siren.


This week I got:



And those were probably the last books I bought last year (it took them forever to get here), so they don't count as 'breaking my New Year's Resolution to not buy more books this year'. :P
Aren't they pretty? *-* 
So cute and in tones of purple.
Oh, and this special volume of the Wallflower has THREE volumes in it (22, 23 and 24), so it's pretty huge!
Can't wait to read them!

What did you get this week?

Saturday, January 28, 2012

On My Wishlist #1


On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where you can list all the books you desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.


My list this week contains already published books.

Truth (XVI, #2)Revealing EdenA Love Beyond TimePoison StudyI'm just dying to read those titles! The first two have been recently released, but the other ones have been published for a while now.
What's on your wishlist?

Friday, January 27, 2012

#FF: Feature&Follow #8


FF 2012 Feature & Follow #80

Follow Friday is hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee's View.



Q: Which book genre do you avoid at all costs and why?

I'm not really a big fan of nonfiction. I guess it's because when I read, I usually want to read about something fantastical, not ordinary or from everyday life. Obviously, there might be exceptions, but those are the ones I normally skip when browsing bookstores.


What about you?

If you follow, please leave a link so I can follow back. ;)

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Review: First Date by Krista McGee

First Date

First Date





it was ok liked it (my current rating) really liked it it was amazing

Addy is very curious when she is suddenly called to the principal's office. And completely surprised when she finds out that the reason she's there is because she will be her school's representative in the new TV Show, The Book of Love, where Jonathan Jackson, the handsome son of the president will choose a girl from other 100 to take to prom.

She is not thrilled, not in the least, but everybody keeps saying that this is her chance to bring God to others, what with her parents having been missionaries and all that. But Addy just wants to stay home, with her friends and books, calm and quiet. Just hanging out... close to Spencer Adams, the half-cuban hottie, if possible. 

But she has little choice, and so she goes to the show, planning on being sent home as soon as possible, but for some reason her honesty seems to enchant Jonathan and enrage her contestans to no end. They all think she's been planning to act nonchalantly an uninterested all along... and that makes her the enemy of many. She does get to America's heart, though. After all, she looks just like the girl next door, so simple, ordinary and clumsy, different from the beauties that are competing with her.

Between the chapters we get to see the interviews from some of the most important contestants, which gives us some great insight on their reasons for being there.

I especially loved Addy's roomate and best-friend in the competition, Kara. She's loud, outspoken and not afraid to say what's on her mind. And she's especially good when dealing with bullies (I really wanted to slap a few of those girls sometimes). Jonathan is very kind and cute. Totally smoochable.

I did like the premise for the book, it was interesting to see the other side of 'reality' TV shows, the real side  of the contestants, how the shows are extremely manipulated and false. I also liked knowing more about the security proceedures involving the President and his son. It's all very complicated, poor Jon. 

What I wasn't so excited about, though I knew I should have expected, was the constant and unending mentions of God and Jesus and Christ. It is a christian book (I noticed it only after I requested it, I'm afraid), but reading the word God over 96579 times gets a little annoying. Also, it bothered me that she wanted to fix everyone all the time! Maybe people aren't completely bad, sure, and we all have our reasons to be bitter sometimes, but if people don't want to be helped, you can't force them. 

What disappointed me the most about the story was this: how Addy's lovely uncle Mike makes it very clear to her that if she likes Jonathan, she better be sure he 'shares their faith', otherwise they can never be more than friends. I don't mean to be very judgemental here, but isn't God all about Acceptance & Equality? It doesn't matter how great and sweet a young man Jon was, he would never be good enough if he's not a freaking Christian? And doesn't LOVE conquers it all? Addy kept going on about how much she loved him, but it was obvious she would give him up just as easily if he wasn't Christian. Talk about hypocrisy and half-heartedness. 

Anyway, of course he turned out to be Christian (he was almost too perfect, after all) and very enthusiastic about learning the Bible with Addy. And they lived happily ever after.

I think this book had a lot of promise, but it turned out to be a very long religious pamphlet with short stories thrown in the middle. If you do ignore the excessive Christian content, you can actually have fun with some very well-written scenes. 

If you like quick, funny, sweet, christian romantic stories, this may be your book.

*I received an eARC form Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

"Waiting On" Wednesday #8


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.


Right now what I really want to read is:


Starters (Starters, #1)

Expected publication: March 13th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers  

Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man. He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . .

____________



I recently discovered the Dystopian genre and now I simply cannot get enough!! Starters sounds so fantastically different, I really just can't wait to have it in my hands. :)
Here's hoping the publisher will allow me to review it from Netgalley. *-* 

Ooooh, I wanna read it, I wanna read it! LOL


Now, what are you dying to read?

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Review: Farsighted (Farsighted #1) by Emlyn Chand

Farsighted
Farsighted (Farsighted #1)
4 stars

I was lucky enought to have won this book from a giveaway offered by the author at vvb32reads. I already had it in my TBR list for a while and was really looking forward to reading it. :)

At the beginning of Farsighted we are informed by the author that every chapter will include a rune and a corresponding 'prophecy', which will give us, readers, a hint to try and 'predict' what will happen. I, personally found this to be very good addition to the book, a nice touch to the story. But you can skip them, if you want to. No harm done.

Right from the start we can see how difficult Alex's relationship with his father is. Not to mention how difficult Alex's life is. He is visually impaired. He and his mother have accepted it and do their best to deal with it, but his father... it's like he prefers to ignore his son altogether. 

It's the first day of school and on top of the usual bullying and hardships caused by his blindness (having to have special school material, navigation of unfamiliar ground...), he starts to listen to things that didn't happen. Yet. Simple things, like his father asking for butter during breakfast, when he didn't. Hearing his father 's voice saying he's there to pick him up from school when he just got there, but it's actually his worst bully, Brady, that is there, making school even more unbearable to Alex.

The new girl at school, Simmi, who smells like cherries and almonds and is actually nice to him, gives him some hope that this year might be a bit better... that is, until he starts seeing her death.


A new store opens next to his mother's flower shop. It's called Miss Teak, and the owner is, quite obviously, psychic. At first, Alex finds her very weird and keeps his distance, but after seeing such a horrible thing in the near future, he'll get any help he can... and Miss Teak is the only that can help him understand his new abilities.


He's very surprised to discover that Simmi is also special. She can sense and manipulate people's emotions, and has been training with the psychic for a while now. They start to train together, and as their powers start to grow, so does Alex's hope that he'll be able to save her AND make her fall for him. Or at least make her stop thinking of him as a freaking brother. LOL.


Things get even harder for Alex when he finds his father in a very suspicious situation with Miss Teak... an event followed closely by his father abandoning his mother. And, if that wasn't bad enough, he starts having visions of Dax, the guy who is suppose to kill Simmi, being all lovey-dovey with her. O.o


Sometimes during the book I actually felt like I was blind myself, trying to 'see' things through Alex's eyes, trying to figure out what was happening in certain scenes, what expressions the characters were wearing... that was confusing but enlightening at the same time.


I also found the inevitable comparison between Alex and the blind greek prophet Tiresias, from The Odyssey (a book Alex had to read for school), a very creative touch.


All the characters are very mysterious. Once you think you got them figured out, the author surprises you, showing that you didn't know them that weel at all. The ending was very surprising! I can't wait to read the enxt book, Open Heart.


If you like your Young Adult with a lot of mystery, fantasy, psychic powers and sweet romance, this is your book. :)

Teaser Tuesday #8


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

 Grab your current read
       • Open to a random page
       Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
       Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others.

Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles.


This week's Teasers are from:


Wanderlove

Expected publication: March 13th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers


' "You almost fell off the balcony flashing half of Tijuana in the hot body contest -"
"I'm talking about the fifty billion kamikazes you threw back before puking in the taxi on our way home." '
____________

Wanderlove is more of a growing up/drama book, but it has very funny moments. ;)

What's your teaser this week?

Monday, January 23, 2012

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #7



It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey. 

Currently Reading:

Wanderlove

Wanderlove


Finished:

FarsightedMe and Earl and the Dying GirlPartials (Partials, #1)A Match Made in High SchoolHeavenly (Heavenly, #1)
Heavenly (click to read review)


Next Reads:

First DateWelcome, Caller, This Is ChloeLies Beneath


What are you reading this week?

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Chicago (2002)

Chicago (2002)

Murderesses Velma Kelly (a chanteuse and tease who killed her husband and sister after finding them in bed together) and Roxie Hart (who killed her boyfriend when she discovered he wasn't going to make her a star) find themselves on death row together and fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows in 1920s Chicago.

Director: 

Rob Marshall

Writers: 

Bill CondonBob Fosse
____________________




Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger) leads a boring life with her husband Amos (John C. Reilly) while dreams to become a Cabaret dancer in the 1920s Chicago. She takes as a lover Fred (Dominic West), a man who claims to have connections in the entertainment world and promises to make her a star. When he breaks up with her and tells her it was all a lie, Roxie loses her mind and shoots him to death. She persuades her husband to tell the police that Fred was a bugler who had broken into the apartment and that he had shot him to protect his wife. But as Amos finds out the identity of the deceased, he realizes he was the man who had sold them their furniture and that he wasn’t a thief after all.



Roxie goes to jail while awaits for her trial that could end in her execution. The prison is controlled by the agent Matron (Queen Latifah), who calls herself “Mama” and gets the girls special favors in exchange for money. There, Roxie recognizes Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a former Cabaret dancer who shot her sister and her husband after catching them in bed together. She also learns the story of five other women who like her are facing death row. She finds out about a lawyer called Billy Flynn (Richard Gere) who has never lost a case and charges $5,000 to represent her. As he takes Roxie’s case, Billy makes her his new favorite client, creating a whole life story for her and teaching her what to say and how to act for the jury. Roxy becomes the new media sweetheart, stealing Velma’s place on the spotlight.



Everything is going well for Roxie, as she has fame and all the newspapers talk about her. Things get in jeopardy when a new killer, a socialite called Kitty (Lucy Liu) is arrested for a triple homicide and Billy forgets about Roxie and tries to take Kitty’s case. She then fakes a pregnancy in order to get back the media attention. This strategy is very successful as she regains her place on the front pages and her trial is set. 




After a very dramatic trial, staged by Roxie and Billy, she is declared innocent by the jury. But on the same moment, a woman shots a man on the street outside the courthouse and all the reporters leave the building without taking a single picture of her, which makes her very upset. A few years later she’s trying to get a part at a musical and meets Velma who suggests that they work together, even though they hate each other. And, finally, Roxie has the fame she always wished for.



The movie shows the magic and glamour of the cabarets in the 1920s with great singing performances from both Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones. It also shows how easily a person can be on top of the world, with fame, admirers, and lots of attention, but it also shows how it all can go away just as fast. When we think about lawyer Billy and his tricks, we wonder how many times we let ourselves be fooled by other people’s acting as they twisted the truth. As Billy told Roxie, the truth doesn’t matter, people just want to be dazzled by an act filled with sparks and all that Jazz.





Reviewed by:
Amebugi