The Talking Bookworm

WWW (August 28)

August 28, 2013 Veronica Porras (TTB)

W.W.W. Wednesday’s is hosted by Should Be Reading. To play along all you have to do is answer three simple questions: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish? What do you think you’ll read next?

1. What are you currently reading?

I am currently reading Secrets of the Realm by Bev Stout. Bev Stout kindly gave me a copy of her book to read for review. So far, it’s interesting. I’ve never read a story in that part of history and about sailors.

2. What did you recently finish?

I recently finished reading Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler. I fell in love with the story. It may be sad, but it gives you hope. I love books that give me hope. After TBS, I was in a bit of a reading slump.

3. What do you think you’ll read next?

On Goodreads it says that I’m reading The Trouble with Flirting and Eve. I might continue to read those later this week or I will read another ARC. I’ve recently gotten some good ARC’s that I’m really excited to read.

Tuesday Meme

Top Ten Most Memorable Secondary Characters

August 27, 2013August 27, 2013 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Thank you The Broke and the Bookish for this wonderful Tuesday Meme

This week’s topic is one that I’m really excited to see because the spotlight is on secondary characters! Woo! Anjie wasn’t able to make it to this week’s TTT because college is back in session. Please wish her luck in the comments on this new semester! I am sad to say that this week I am rather busy too, so I will be doing a Top 5 instead of a Top 10. Okay, let’s stop the chatting and get right into it!

TOP 10 5

1. Eddie Castile – Vampire Academy/Bloodlines

He is just amazing. The character development he goes through in both series is tremendous, and honestly I prefer him to Dimitri (Shhhhh, don’t tell anyone).

2. Sam – Twenty Boy Summer

I don’t know if he can be qualified as a secondary character, but he is just so sweet to Anna and helps her cope with Matt’s death without him knowing. He also likes girls au natural, not big into seeing girls with a lot of make up. In my book, he earns extra brownie points for that.

3. Bex, Liz, & Macey – Gallagher Girls

Cammie’s rommates, The Operatives as they like to call themselves. If I were in a spy school, I would want them to have my back. Yes, even Liz. She may be clumsy, but she is the most dangerous one of them all with all her brain can do.

4. Roar – Under the Never Sky

He is funny, sweet, loyal, sarcastic, and fun. I like him more than the main love interest.

5. Uriah – Divergent

While I was reading Divergent, I was happy to see that Tris had someone like Uriah, not just Four. I love that he always stayed in the platonic friendship stage, and Veronica Roth did not make him apart of a love triangle. I was so happy about that.

What are some of your favorite secondary characters?

EDIT:

Anjie: I’m so happy that I found time to add my own list to this week’s Top Ten Tuesday because I absolutely love this topic! Secondary characters definitely help out in the plot, and I’ve got a number of favorites. Thank you for the warm wishes 🙂 it means a lot!

6. Finnick Odair– Catching Fire

I just love his entire character and what he stands for and represents. I love his sassiness and his one-liners. I love that there is something deeper and meaningful past his beautiful physique.

7. Scott Parnell– Crescendo

He’s also known as Scottie the Hottie in the novel and I very well cannot disagree. I got to admit though, he wasn’t a favorite at first, but I definitely warmed up to him. He’s hilarious and even though he has his problems, he tries his hardest to work through them.

8. Prince Raffin- Graceling

He’s a really funny character and he’s always there for Katsa. I love that he is the opposite of his king father. Plus, he’s really smart.

9. Cadan– Angelfire

I love these “bad boys” who really have a heart of gold! Cadan is one of them and he’s just precious. He’s very witty and has some great comebacks. I love that he tries to shy away from his father no matter the consequences.

10. Magnus Bane– Clockwork Angel

I know that he’s also a secondary in the Mortal Instruments series, but I honestly enjoyed his character way more in The Infernal Devices. This probably has to do with his amazing friendship and relationship with Will Herondale.

Reviews, ya contemporary

Book Review: Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Okcler

August 26, 2013June 15, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Goodreads Summary:

“Don’t worry, Anna. I’ll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it.”
“Okay.”
“Promise me? Promise you won’t say anything?”
“Don’t worry.” I laughed. “It’s our secret, right?”

According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in ZanzibarBay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy every day, there’s a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there’s something she hasn’t told Frankie—she’s already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie’s older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.

What I Like:

First, I want to discuss the cover. You may think it’s pretty or simple, but it portrays 100% what the book is about. The title of Sarah Ockler’s debut novel may lead you to think that it is just another Young Adult chick lit book (there is nothing wrong with YA Chick-lit), but this novel has depth, it is deep, and it will make you reevaluate your life.

Throughout the novel we get to experience firsthand not just the grief Matt’s family is going through, but Anna, whom no one seems to acknowledge that she has every right to be hurting too. There are some beautiful lines written in this novel. For example:

Like the stars, fading with the halo of the vanishing moon. Like the ocean, falling and whispering against the shore. Nothing ever really goes away – it just changes into something else. Something beautiful.

I’m not a person that sheds tears when reading a book. Some have even said I’m hard as a rock, but TBS opened up the safe within my mind and brought memories of someone that I loved that passed away several years ago. I teared up several times while reading it.

This book is a good portrayal of how grief can take control of someone’s life, and the process that we sometimes have to go through in order to heal.

I also want to point out that Sam was such a sweetheart. It must be hard to take a chance on someone knowing you may never see them again after summer ends.

What I Dislike:

If I am going to be super nit-picky, I wish we would have seen a little more of Frankie before Matt’s death. The only lens which we see Frankie through is Anna and that lens can be obscured.

Overall:

Twenty Boy Summer is one of the best debut novels I have read. The well thought out passages and the full exploration of grief makes this one of the most heat-wrenching, beautiful novels I have ever read.

Rating: 5/5

Book Spotlight

Book Spotlight #10: The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

August 22, 2013 anjieeeb

For this week’s Young Adult Fantasy Spotlight, I picked a book that I read and instantly fell in love with. This book had Greek mythology written all over it, and I had decided to read it because:

a) Let’s face it, I love Greek mythology.

and

b) I had just read Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and I needed my Greek myth fix.

The Goddess Test definitely did it for me. This is the first book in the trilogy, and trust me, it gets better with each book. It was an easy read, fast paced, and has a good plot. It’s not your typical Greek myth fiction either. It has a twist to it that sheds a different light on the Greek gods. Seriously though, you might just end up falling love with Hades like I did.

Book Title: The Goddess Test

Author: Aimee Carter

Originally Published: April 19th 2011

Goodreads Summary:

Every girl who had taken the test has died.

Now it’s Kate’s turn.

It’s always been just Kate and her mom – and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate’s going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear that her mother won’t live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld – and if she accepts his bargain, he’ll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he’s crazy – until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she’ll become Henry’s future bride and a goddess.

If she fails…

Special Review, ya contemporary

Special Review: Saving Wishes by G.J. Walker-Smith

August 21, 2013June 15, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Thank you Net Galley and G.J. Walker-Smith for a giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads Summary:

For Charli Blake, being seventeen is a tough gig.

She’s been branded a troublemaker, her reputation is in tatters and she’s stuck in Pipers Cove, a speck of a town on the coast of Tasmania.

Thankfully, it’s temporary. Her lifelong dream of travelling the world is just months away from becoming reality. All she has to do is ride out the last few months of high school, which is easier said than done thanks to a trio of mean girls known as The Beautifuls.

When Adam Décarie arrives in town, all the way from New York, life takes an unexpected turn. His arrival sets off a chain of events that alters her life forever, convincing her of one thing. Fate brought him to her.

Saving Wishes is the story of a girl who doesn’t quite fit the life she’s living, and the boy who helps her realise why.

Review:

At the beginning of the novel, I was really skeptical about everything. The story I was reading seemed to be a out of a fairy tale book, it was very unrealistic. Over the course of the book, the story got better to the point where I now want to know what happens next. I had requested this novel at Net Galley thinking it was a stand alone, but it isn’t. It’s the first book in a trilogy.

There are several typos and grammatical errors in the story that are distracting, but not enough that you cannot enjoy the story. If you can get past the few first chapters then I assure you it is an okay read. Even though it wasn’t the most well written book, at the end I wanted to know what would happen to Charli and Adam. The book left me sad and wanting more.

Rating: 3/5

Tuesday Meme

Top Ten Things That Make Your Life As A Reader/Book Blogger Easier

August 19, 2013August 19, 2013 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Thank you The Broke and the Bookish for this wonderful Tuesday Meme

This week’s topic doesn’t really involve books, but instead it’s all about the blogging and reading life. Here are the things that make my life and Anjie’s life easier when it comes to blogging and reading!

Veronica’s List: Things That Make Your Life As A Blogger Easier

1. Scheduling Posts

I love that little feature that lets you schedule a post ahead of time. I can write the review the day before and schedule it to publish the next morning. I don’t have to worry about publishing it in the morning. It has been scheduled. Bam! That easy. 🙂

2. HTML

I’m starting to learn more html daily and learning the codes to do fancy stuff makes it easier to make things fancy, but also faster. Wait, did that sentence make sense? I”m going to say yes for now.

3. Templates

I create templates of my reviews, book spotlights, etc. Having a template to follow makes it easier than trying to remember or search for my earlier post to see how I structured it.

4. Social Media

Tumblr and Twitter help get the word out. Promoting your blog has never been easier.

5. Blogger Family

My blog family, those whose blogs I visit frequently and my staff (Yes, Anjie, I’m talking about you), make my blogging experience a happier one. Without them, it wouldn’t be so much fun (Well it would still be fun because BOOKS, but they make it funner.) Happier = Easier 🙂

Anjie’s List: Things That Make Your Life As A Reader Easier

6. GoodReads

It’s a great place to read reviews and organize your books. I also love that you can add the date when you read a particular book. It’s all so organized.

7. Tumblr

I’ve met so many fangirls on tumblr and they’re always, always, recommending books to me and they’re also there to help me cope with the harder feels. (Veronica: Let’s talk about The Infernal Devices Trilogy! *cries*)

8. Amazon

I buy books here sometimes, but the feature I really love is when they show recommendations based on books I’ve previously bought or looked at. It opens up more options!

9. Movie Adaptations

Weird, I know, but some books I’ve never heard of get made into movies. I then see the trailer and the famous “Based on a novel by ..” appears, I google it and purchase it. (This happened to me with the Percy Jackson series, The Host, The Hunger Games, The Help, and some others).

10. GoHastings

My new favorite place to buy books! They have some of the most amazing deals I’ve ever seen! Sure the books are used but they don’t looked used at all. More books, more reviews 🙂 (Veronica: I would like to point out that you have yet to write a review for this blog. Get on it! ❤ )

What makes your blogging experience easier? What makes your reader life easier?

Please let us know! We want to know! Share your wisdom! 😀

Random

A to Z Bookish Survey

August 18, 2013 Veronica Porras (TTB)

I was looking through my reader dashboard on wordpress and I saw that Perpetual Page Turner (Jamie) had created this book survey. I saw this and I was like… why not? This looks like fun!

Author you’ve read most books from:

Richelle Mead. 10 books.

Best Sequel Ever:

The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead

Currently Reading:

Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter

Drink of Choice While Reading:

Water/Coffee/Tea

E-reader or Physical Book?

Both. I own a Nook HD+ and I love it! I also love physical books, so really it depends on my mood.

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:

This is a hard one because I really don’t know, but if I had to think really hard I would say William Herondale. My weakness in high school was dark hair, light skin, tall guys. I think they might still be my weakness.

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. After reading City of Bones, I had vowed to stay away from anything Cassandra Clare, but I decided to see if this trilogy was different and oh boy was it. I loved it.

Hidden Gem Book:

The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler

Important Moment in your Reading Life:

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot is what really got me into reading. I was a 7th grader at the time, and I fell in love with the series.

Just Finished:

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter (I’m doing the Gallagher Girls Read-a-Thon, so there is a lot of Ally Carter in this survey.)

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:

I won’t read New Adult Novels and Bi/Gay romance novels.

Longest Book You’ve Read:

The Beginning: Born At Midnight and Awake at Dawn by C.C. Hunter. 819 pages. 🙂

Major Hangover Because Of:

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris (Such a good book, but aw man did it give me a hangover.)

Number of Bookcases You Own:

I guess I could say two, but I don’t really have “real” bookshelfs.

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Preferred Place To Read:

The living room. The couch is so comfy.

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:

“Outside, the ocean was crashing, waves hitting sand, then pulling back to sea. I thought of everything being washed away, again and again. We make such messes in this life, both accidentally and on purpose. But wiping the surface clean doesn’t really make anything neater. It just masks what is below. It’s only when you really dig down deep, go underground, that you can see who you really are.”

– What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Reading Regret:

The Duff by Keplinger

Series You Started And Need To Finish(all books are out in series):

The Shadow Falls Series. (I’m still halfway through the 4th book. I can’t seem to pick it back up. I don’t want the series to end.)

Three Of You All-Time Favorite Books:

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

Richelle Mead. I met her back in May during her Gameboard of the gods Book Tour. I was nice and polite, even though internally I was thinking while I was staring at her “Where do you come up with all these wonderful stories… Can I look inside your brain so that I can know what happens with Bloodlines and GofG?!”

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

THE FIERY HEART by Richelle Mead

Worst Bookish Habit:

Leaving books open when I have to do something hence damaging the spine. Oops.

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

Sophomore Switch by Abby McDonald

Your latest book purchase:

I bought four books on gohastings.com, a website that sells used books among other things. The four books I bought were Clockwork Angel, Ruby Red, Fixing Delilah, & Graceling. Oh and I bought Of Poseidon from the Barnes and Nobles Nook Store.

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):

The last book that made me lose sleep was Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry. I stayed up until 3am. 😀

Random

Discussion: Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy (GG #2) by Ally Carter

August 16, 2013 Veronica Porras (TTB)

For the rest of the Gallagher Girls Read-A-Thon I will be doing a discussion of each book instead of a book review. These discussions will contain spoilers so if you haven’t read the book and don’t want to be spoiled, please stop reading. 🙂

My Thoughts:

I just finished reading Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy and…. OooohhhWeeeeee… I am so excited! Zach finally arrived, and it broke my heart every time Cammie saw Josh. I do feel bad for the both of them, but Thank you Ally Carter for not making a love triangle. THANK YOU!

I liked I’d Tell You I Love You, But Them I’d Have to Kill You, but I forgot how good the series was. This book gave me a glimpse as to why this is one of my favorite series of all time.

I loved that Zach was able to make Cammie a better spy by challenging her. And I loved how clueless Cammie was about Zach’s feelings towards her. Oh Cammie. Macey can only do so much, you need to start learning this boy stuff too.

Can I say that I just LOVE Macey. I love the original trio too, but the quartet kicks butt more! 😀

I’ll end this post with Cammie’s last words…

“The whole summer lay ahead of us-time to rest, time to wait. And when the future comes-no matter what comes with it-I’ll be smarter. I’ll be stronger. I’ll be ready.”

Book Spotlight

Book Spotlight #9 Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

August 15, 2013August 15, 2013 Veronica Porras (TTB)

This week’s spotlight is taken by one of my favorite YA contemporary books of all time, Bittersweet. Sarah Ockler has mastered the art of creating a hybrid YA contemporary book. Bittersweet is both deep and fluffy. The characters in this story deal with real life issues that we can all relate too. This is another book that made me want to eat lots of cake while I was reading it. I don’t know why I didn’t heed to the warning on the cover, a heart shaped puzzle pastry and the sprinkled sugar before it was too late. Trust me, you won’t regret reading this book or eating all the cake it makes you crave.

Book Title: Bittersweet

Author: Sarah Ockler

Originally Published: January 3rd, 2012

Goodreads Summary:

Once upon a time, Hudson knew exactly what her future looked like. Then a betrayal changed her life, and knocked her dreams to the ground. Now she’s a girl who doesn’t believe in second chances… a girl who stays under the radar by baking cupcakes at her mom’s diner and obsessing over what might have been.

So when things start looking up and she has another shot at her dreams, Hudson is equal parts hopeful and terrified. Of course, this is also the moment a cute, sweet guy walks into her life… and starts serving up some seriously mixed signals. She’s got a lot on her plate, and for a girl who’s been burned before, risking it all is easier said than done.

It’s time for Hudson to ask herself what she really wants, and how much she’s willing to sacrifice to get it. Because in a place where opportunities are fleeting, she knows this chance may very well be her last…