The Talking Bookworm

Hello lovely readers. I, Veronica, will be partaking in The Gallagher Girls Read-a-Thon, hosted by Books As You Know It!

I am very excited to participate in this Read-a-thon because I will be able to share this lovely series with you guys and I will be preparing myself for the last book in the series, United We Spy, which comes out the second week of September.

The last time I read the first book in the series was about 5 years ago… That is a very long time!

If any of you would like to participate in the read-a-thon, you can still sign up! The last day to sign up will be August 4th! The Read-a-thon begins the 5th of August with the first book in the series. Here is the calendar for those who want to know.

Read-a-Thon Calender:

July 29th-Aug.4th:

SIGN UPS

Aug.5th-11th:

I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have To Kill You
August 12th-18th:
Cross My Heart and Hope To Spy

August 19th-25th:

Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover

August 26th-September 1st:

Only the Good Spy Young

September 2nd-8th:

Out of Sight, Out of Time

I hope some of you will join me, and if you haven’t read the books use this read-a-thon as an excuse to buy them and read them! Join in on the fun!

WWW

W.W.W. Wednesday’s (July 31)

July 31, 2013August 2, 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’m currently reading the third book in the Shadow Falls series by C.C. Hunter. I started reading this series over weekend and boy is it good!

2. What did you recently finish?

I recently finished the second book in the Shadow Falls series. Like I said, I can’t get enough of this series.

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

I will either read Whispers at Moonrise (the fourth book in the Shadow Falls series), Requiem (The last book in the Delirium trilogy), Crush Control, or Rules of Attraction.

What are you currently reading?

Tuesday Meme

Top Ten Auto-Buy Authors

July 30, 2013July 31, 2013 Veronica Porras (TTB)

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

This week, I am doing a Top Ten Tuesday that has been done in the past and not the one we are supposed to be doing this week because, I can’t seem to think of enough endings or beginnings that “wow’d” me. Instead, I will be doing Top Ten Auto-Buy Authors.

Veronica’s List:

1. Sarah Dessen – Some people say that she is the Queen of YA Contemporary and I can see why the shoe fits. She has written over 10 books and each one unique in its own way. She is able to capture the struggles and changes that go through a teenage girl’s life perfectly in different scenarios and circumstances. Her books are never fluff to me. They always teach me something and that is why I love them.

2. Richelle Mead – She is sassy, she is sarcastic, and she’s funny as heck! The main characters are always funny in their own way, Rose with her “I’ll kick your butt” type of funny, Sydney’s “I am smarter than thou and why must I deal with you people” funny, or Adrian who is an honorary member of AYE. Her readers cannot help falling in love with all of her characters.

3. Sarah Ockler – Her books are so realistic and fun to read (fun as in it will make you feel many things) that I never stop to think twice and automatically buy her books. Her books aren’t just about love relationships, family and friendship are important themes in each of her books and I love her for that. We need more YA books that make family important.

4. Ally Carter – She writes about Spies and Thieves. That’s all you really need to know. If you are a fan of the USA Network and shows like White Collar and Psych, pick up any book by this author. You won’t be disappointed.

5. Morgan Matson – Ms. Matson is up there with Sarah Ockler and Sarah Dessen. She writes phenomenally. I don’t know how she isn’t that famous yet.

Anjie’s List:

6. Rick Riordan – I know I may be a little too old for his books,especially the Percy Jackson series which came out when I was in the 8th grade. I read the PJO series when I started college, and I fell in love! I love the characters he created, and I love how he included mythical education into his books!

7. Cassandra Clare – Besides the fact that I have a theory that she hates the Herondales, her writing is simply beautiful. The Infernal Devices is simply my favorite trilogy ever, and my reasons are many. The plot that she created, the words she penned, and the characters that she brought to life are only a few of the reasons why I am such a big fan of CC.

8. Lauren Oliver – She became one of my favorite authors because her writing is also beautiful! Her writing is so poetic that I feel as if I am reading a poetry book and not a novel. Even though I don’t agree with some of the plot in the Delirium trilogy, the books surprised me, and I loved that she wrote it to what she believed the characters would do and not what the fans wanted them to do (which is definitely the easier route).

9. Nicholas Sparks – He is my favorite contemporary author and that’s saying a lot from me. I have all his books and I love most of them. He’s a great writer and even though some plots are tragic, he truly makes you feel what the characters feel in the books.

10. Veronica Roth – I love her personality and her relationship with her fans! I think she’s an amazing writer as well! Divergent was an instant favorite and I can’t wait to see more from her in Allegiant and her future books!!

Editor Letter

New Design

July 29, 2013July 29, 2013 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Hello lovely followers and fellow book readers,

For a while now, I’ve been wanting to update the website, make it more user friendly and also make it look nicer. After some deliberating about what colors I wanted and how I wanted it to look, I’ve finally decided upon a design and here it is!

Hope you guys like the new design!

To the right of the website we have the pages menu, follow button, and my Goodreads.

At the bottom of the website, we have the categories, archives, and recent posts menu.

Thank you for following me and I hope y’all have a nice day!

Happy Reading,

Veronica

Reviews, YA Dystopian

Book Review: Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver

July 29, 2013June 15, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Goodreads Summary:

I’m pushing aside
the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana
and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

What I Liked:

I wasn’t that big of a fan of the first book in the series, Delirium. It was hard for me to get into, but there were some parts that I did enjoy. Pandemonium though, pleasantly surprised me. I loved the character development Lena went through in this book, and the alternating time chapters really worked out well and enhanced the importance of everything we read. The addition of Julian to the story was something I welcomed with open arms. It gave Lena an opportunity to get out of her numb shell and feel again. It showed her that someone can love more than one person.

Something else I liked was how Lauren Oliver portrayed The Resistance and its leaders in this book. The leader I’m thinking of is Raven. The Resistance is supposed to represent the good side of the dystopian society, but even they make mistakes and hurt others for their cause. Raven knew what was going to happen to Lena, but she still put Lena in the life or death circumstances even though there was a good chance Lena would end up dead.

What I Disliked:

A few times the description of the places slightly contradicted itself and it confused me, but apart from that I have nothing negative to say.

Overall:

I enjoyed Pandemonium immensely. It is important that we never stop to love because without love, society cannot survive.

Rating: 5/5

Book Spotlight

Book Spotlight #6: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

July 26, 2013 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Written by: Anjie Basi

For this week’s Book Spotlight, I decided to choose a book that really surprised me. I was apprehensive about reading it because there are a lack of reviews on it, and it is also the author’s debut novel. The cover looks amazing, but that isn’t a guarantee that what’s inside is good.

I read the summary and noticed that people were shelving it under Greek mythology. So, being the lover of Greek myth and fiction that I am, I decided to give it a go and I do not regret it. It took a while for me to get used to the writing, but I liked it in the end. I loved the characters, and the connection it had to Orpheus (for anyone who knows that story)!

Book title: Everneath

Author: Brodi Ashton

Originally Published: January 24th 2012

Goodreads Summary:

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her boyfriend—before she’s banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance—and the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

As Nikki’s time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole’s queen.

Reviews, YA Dystopian

Short Book Review: Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi

July 22, 2013June 15, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Goodreads Summary:

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Review:

I started reading this book without knowing much except that Juliette has this power that is lethal. I didn’t know where it was going and boy was I happy not to have this book spoiled. I absolutely loved Shatter Me. The beginning of the book, the unique writing, was what kept me reading. It was new, it was different. I really loved how Juliette’s narration style changed throughout the course of the novel.

and… Adam, that boy! He is the perfect love interest in my opinion. Warner is a great villain. Villains aren’t written like that anymore. Villains need character development as well and most of the time, they are flat. I was gladly surprised Warner was not one dimensional.

I really can’t wait to read Destroy Me and Unravel Me.

Rating: 5/5

Book Spotlight

Book Spotlight #5: The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler

July 18, 2013July 16, 2013 Veronica Porras (TTB)

The Cupcake Queen is the first book Ms. Hepler published on her own, no co-author this time.

There are different types of YA contemporary books, the cliche flavor more than any other, but this book falls under a category that I would call a diamond in the rough category. It is up there with Second Chance Summer, Anna and the French Kiss, and Bittersweet. This book will break your heart and then put the pieces back together.

Don’t forget to have a few cupcakes or cake next to you when reading this book. If you aren’t craving it when you start reading this book… you will soon enough.
Book Title: The Cupcake Queen

Author: Heather Hepler

Originally Published: September 17th, 2009

Goodreads Summary:

A confection of a novel, combining big city sophistication with small town charm. When her mother moves them from the city to a small town to open up a cupcake bakery, Penny’s life isn’t what she expected. Her father has stayed behind, and Mom isn’t talking about what the future holds for their family. And then there’s Charity, the girl who plays mean pranks almost daily. There are also bright spots in Hog’s Hollow-like Tally, an expert in Rock Paper Scissors, and Marcus, the boy who is always running on the beach. But just when it looks as though Penny is settling in, her parents ask her to make a choice that will turn everything upside down again. A sweet novel about love, creativity, and accepting life’s unexpected turns.

Editor Letter

The Editor Writes: News

July 16, 2013 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Hello Readers!

First of all, I want to apologize for being inactive the last few weeks, especially the last two. I had to go out of the country to see family, and then I got really sick. I got a bad case of the Stomach Flu. It wasn’t pretty. I’m still recuperating.

Second, I’m currently participating in the BookTube-a-Thon or the BookTube Read-a-Thon. It lasts from July 15th-21st.

Third, because I went out of the country, I wasn’t able to read and post the Book Blast from the Past Feature. Hopefully, next month I will be able to do the feature.

The Book Spotlight feature will still be going on except with a few new changes that will go into effect this Thursday. The first and third Thursday will be dedicated to YA Contemporary & Mystery. The second and fourth Thursday of the month will be dedicated to YA Fantasy/Paranormal/Sci Fi.

That’s all the news I have for now. Hope you all have a wonderful summer day.

Happy Reading,

Veronica

Tuesday Meme

Top Ten Authors Who Deserve More Recognition

July 15, 2013July 16, 2013 anjieeeb

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

This week’s topic is Top Ten Authors Who Deserve More Recognition.

Veronica’s List:

1. Joanna Philbin: One day I was browsing the YA section at Barnes and Noble’s and this book cover caught my eye. After seeing what the story was about, I bought. Ever since then, I read anything Joanna Philbin writes. I love authors whose writing is effortless to read. She’s one of those authors. 🙂

2. Jennifer Jabaley: Sadly, Jennifer only has two novels out, but I still love her. I like the way she builds the world and can write about heavy or silly subjects, but still make them enjoyable.

3. Heather Hepler: I’ve only read The Cupcake Queen by Ms. Hepler, but just with one novel I was sold. As I was reading the story I felt as if I was in the bakery. Now… I want a cupcake.

4. Lisa & Laura Roecker: This duo of writing sisters are my favorite at the moment. Their murder mystery novels are fantastic. Especially, The Liar Society series. Their writing is witty. At times a little harsh, but in a good way.

5. Sarah Ockler: She is one of the few authors that is able to not just cast a spotlight on the romance, but on other types of love, like the love between family members and friends.

Anjie’s List:

6. Courtney Allison Moulton: Angelfire is one of my favorite trilogies of all time! Courtney created amazing characters that I really loved, especially the heroine and I usually can’t stand some of them.

7. Gayle Forman: I especially loved her duology, If I Stay & Where She Went. The plot and the writing brought me to tears!

8. Kiera Cass: She is a new favorite of mine! I love her writing style and The Selection was an amazing read and after reading the sequel, The Elite, I wanted more!

9. Kristin Cashore: She might be a bit more known than the others on the list but I still think she’s great! I loved Graceling and the world that she built in the novels.

10. Aimee Carter: I love Greek mythology and because of Aimee, I’m madly in love with Hades!