Tag: Books

Tuesday Meme

Top Ten Words/Topics That Instantly Make Me Buy/Pick Up A Book

Veronica Porras (TTB)

toptentuesday-1Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is about…impulse buys and I guess it was time the world knew what made me say, “Take my money!” (Oh Tumblr Memes…). Thank you The Broke and The Bookish for creating such fun meme’s, even if it does mean that the world will find out about my bad impulsive buying habits.

This week I will not be doing Top Ten but Top Five instead. (I’m currently writing two big term papers. That is my excuse.)

TOP FIVE TOPICS THAT INSTANTLY MAKE ME BUY/PICK UP A BOOK

1. Spies

I’ve secretly wanted to be a spy all my life but I lack the skills and um physical fitness needed for that type of job.

2. Thief/Con Artist

I love a good con. This explains my continuing support of the Heist Society Series by Ally Carter and the USA Network TV show, White Collar.

3. Boarding School

I’ve always lived at home and when it was time to go to college, I picked a university that was an hour and a half away from home. I guess I’ve always wanted to move thousands of miles away and see how that is. The only way I can experience that is through books.

4. Setting: Europe

I think Ana and the French Kiss and 13 Little Blue Envelopes. I love those two books. Now I want to go to Europe.

5. Dystopian (Ex: Divergent, The Hunger Games, or The Selection)

I get these moments when all I want to read is dystopian books. I’ve been a fan of dystopian books since I was in middle school. My favorite dystopian novel then was “The Bar Code Tattoo”. I kind of want to re-read now since it has been almost a decade since I last read it.

 

What are some topics that dissolve your strong will and make you resort to impulsive buying? Come on now… We all have at least one. 😉

Reviews, ya contemporary

Short Book Review: Sophomore Switch by Abby McDonald

Veronica Porras (TTB)
Sophomore Switch by Abby McDonald
Sophomore Switch by Abby McDonald

Goodreads Summary:

Take an administrative snafu, a bad breakup, and “The Hot-Tub Incident,” and you’ve got two thoroughly unprepared sophomores on a semester abroad. For American party girl Tasha, an escape to Oxford may be a chance to ditch her fame as a tabloid temptress, but wading Uggs-deep in feminist theory is not her idea of a break. Meanwhile, the British half of the exchange, studious Emily, nurses an aching heart amid the bikinis and beer pong of U.C. Santa Barbara. With an anthropologist’s eye for detail and a true ear for teen-speak, Abby McDonald crafts a funny, fast-paced, poignant look at survival, sisterhood, and the surprising ways we discover our true selves.

Review:

Folks, this is what I call good Realist Young Adult Contemporary Fiction. Phew… that was a long title but I want you to know what this book is all about. The first novel I read by Abby McDonald was Getting Over Garrett Delaney and it is one of my favorite novels to date. I’m pretty sure most of you know that by now. I believe this book was the first book she wrote for YA (Don’t quote me on that, I haven’t researched all of her completed works yet) and it was almost as Good as GOGD. This book was a little slow and almost a bit blah in the first one hundred pages, but after that, I remembered why Abby McDonald has become one of my favorite authors of this time. I’m a little tired of books that are too hard on my emotions and this book did connect me emotionally to the story but it did not rip me to shreds. Thank you Abby McDonald for taking care of my feelings.

This is a must read for everyone. Well, if you like YA or realist books that is. 🙂

Caution: This book is marked as Age 14 and up. It does not contain mature content but people openly talk about having sex in the book but they never describe sex at all. Just a warning to parents.

Rating: 4/5

Rating System:

1/5: I hated it.

2/5: It had some redeeming qualities but overall, not a good book.

3/5: I liked it (A fun read).

4/5: I really like it, but something was missing.

5/5: I love it! It’s as close to perfection as it can get!

Tuesday Meme

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Thought I’d Like MORE Than I Did

Veronica Porras (TTB)

toptentuesday-1Hello Everybody! It seems I have become a consistent Top Ten Tuesday meme person and I like it. I hope I can keep this up all the way until the end of the semester. Thank you The Broke and The Bookish for this tuesday meme. This Tuesday the topic is Top Ten Books I Thought I’d Like MORE/LESS Than I Did. 

I have picked the “I Thought I’d Like More Than I did” version. This Top Ten Tuesday is going to be easy for me.

1. Delirium (#1 in the Delirium Trilogy) by Lauren Oliver

I know that most people LOVE this book but I can’t seem to love it or even like it. I am about eighty percent done with the book and I have put it aside for now. The sad part is that I bought the whole trilogy before even reading the first book and now I’m stuck with it. I do have something positive to say about it though. I liked the first half of the book. I did. It’s the second half that I’m having a problem with.

2. He’s So Not Worth It (He So/She So #2) by Kiera Scott

I read the first book in the He’s So/She’s So series and it was alright. I got the second book in the series and I started reading it and I hated it. I really thought I was going to like the rest of the series since I liked the first one but it just took a turn into Crazy-Ville which I did not want to go through myself. So I stopped reading the series. Oops.

3. The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

This book was horrendous. I had just gotten my nook and I had a Barnes & Nobles gift card that had some money left so I decided to buy this book because it was only a dollar. Not bad right? Wrong. I want my dollar back. I think even I could have written something better. I know that makes me sound very judgmental but dear gosh was that bad writing. I felt like I was reading a bad written fan fiction.

4. Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay

I had such high hopes for this book. Rome and Juliet reinvented? Yes! I was so pumped when I got this book until it all fell apart. I barely had any motivation to finish the book and truthfully, I skimmed the last 40 pages or so. I was so disappointed with this book.

5. If We Kiss by Rachel Vail

I saw the second book of the If We Kiss series at Barnes and Nobles and it seemed promising so I  bought the first book on my nook. This book was also a disaster. It was boring and the plot sucked. I can’t even think of some bad adjectives to describe that book. I felt like my IQ fell as I read that book. It was only two dollars in the nook store. Maybe that should have been a sign.

6. Etiquette for the End of the World by Jeanne Martinet

I requested the ARC for this book and in the end, I regretted it. The plot was promising and it had potential but it was poorly executed.

7. We’ll Always Have Summer (Summer #3) by Jenny Han

This is the last book in the Summer Series. The first two books in the series were great. Awesome even. I absolutely loved them! This series was starting to become one of my favorite contemporary young adult series and then the last book took a turn for the worst and it lost me. I was so mad and disappointed that I didn’t even finish it. I skipped to the end to at least have some closure.

8. When It Happens by Susane Colasanti

Someone suggested Susane Colasanti books to me because I love Sarah Dessen. Bad Rec. The story was mediocre and it left me feeling unamused. 

9. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

I was in the mood for some deep emotional YA book and I saw this on a Barnes and Nobles display and bought it. I only ended up reading half of it. I was disappointed. 

10. Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver, the first book in The Wolves of Mercy Fall, was a great book. I loved it. This book, I hated it. I am not the only one with this opinion. I might read Forever the third and last book in the trilogy but this book ruined it for me. 

So, that’s all for this Top Ten Tuesday.

I want to know what you guys are thinking! What book did you believe would be great but ended up disappointing you?

Random

Mash: Book Blog Edition

Veronica Porras (TTB)

Jesse the Reader started the MASH: Book Edition Tag on Youtube and I’m bringing it over to the written format!

I played MASH many times when I was young (well I am still young but I am in my twenties, not in my tweens anymore) and this made me reminisce to a time where things were simpler and all of our life decisions were made by this simple little game.

All of the names, places, etc., must exist only in Book World’s. The categories I will be using I took from PolandBananasBooks and her list is longer than Jesse’s.

Categories are:

  • Future Husband
  • Best friend
  • Where will I live?
  • Mode of Transportation
  • Job

Here I go!

MASH

Future Husband:

  1. Tobias
  2. Will Herondale
  3. Adrian Ivashkov
  4. Eddie Castile
  5. Jem
  6. Hale

Best Friend:

  1. Elizabeth Sutton
  2. Rose Hathaway
  3. Ana
  4. Rebecca Baxter
  5. Kat Bishop
  6. Tessa Grey

Where Will I live?

  1. Gallagher Academy
  2. Uncle Eddie’s (from Heist Society)
  3. Divergent World
  4. London (TID)
  5. Paris, France (Anna and the French Kiss)
  6. Delirium World

Mode of Transportation

  1. Public Transportation
  2. Carriage
  3. A Classic Mustang
  4. Jet/Airplane
  5. Flying
  6. My own two feet

Job

  1. Government Spy
  2. A Con
  3. A school professor
  4. Police Officer (Delirium)
  5. Author
  6. In charge of Dauntless Initiation (Divergent World)

I got the number six, now let’s eliminate some choices!

Results:

  • Future Husband: Adrian Ivashkov
  • Best Friend: Ana 
  • Place: Uncle Eddie’s
  • Transportation: Carriage
  • Job: Author
  • And I will live in a Mansion.

Well, this was fun and it makes no sense.

“I will marry Adrian and we will live at Uncle Eddie’s in NYC even though we have a Mansion, unless Uncle Eddie stole the Mansion which means his new place is a mansion. My best friend will be Ana. I will move around town in a Carriage and I will work as an author.”

Totally makes sense right?

Here is a picture of my “great penmanship” where I played MASH.

My MASH: Book Edition on paper.
My MASH: Book Edition on paper.

I messed up the first time so I had to re-do everything again. That’s why my writing is no longer coherent. Oops.

Tuesday Meme

Top Ten Tuesday REWIND: Top Ten Books I Loved But Never Wrote A Review For

Veronica Porras (TTB)

toptentuesday-1

 

I haven’t been doing the Top Ten Tuesday posts for that long so I went back to the Top Ten Tuesday Archives of The Broke and The Bookish, who are hosting this lovely Tuesday meme, and I found a Top Ten I would have liked to do. At first, I thought it was going to be easy but then I noticed I’ve done a review on almost every book I’ve read this year. This Top Ten Tuesday ended up being much harder than I originally thought. Without further blabbering from my part, here is my Top Ten list for this week!

Top Ten Books I Loved But Never Wrote A Review For:

1. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

2. The Selection by Kiera Cass

3. Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares

4. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

4. The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler

5. The Daughters (the whole series) by Joanna Philip

6. Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

7. The Liar Society by Lisa Roecker

8. What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

9. Love Story by Jennifer Echols

10. Vampire Academy (the whole series) by Richelle Mead

 

 

Which books would you like to review if you had the chance?

To-Read

NetGalley Readings

Veronica Porras (TTB)

I was approved and given a copy of each of the following books in exchange for a review. Both books are currently in your local bookstore so if they seem interesting, go check them out or buy them! I will be posting a review on each book in the next few weeks.

Happy Reading!

A-Corner-of-White

Goodreads Summary:

Madeleine Tully lives in Cambridge, England, the World – a city of spires, Isaac Newton and Auntie’s Tea Shop.

Elliot Baranski lives in Bonfire, the Farms, the Kingdom of Cello – where seasons roam, the Butterfly Child sleeps in a glass jar, and bells warn of attacks from dangerous Colours.

They are worlds apart – until a crack opens up between them; a corner of white – the slim seam of a letter.

A mesmerising story of two worlds; the cracks between them, the science that binds them and the colours that infuse them.

‘Perfectly strange, and absolutely comical and heartfelt … Jaclyn Moriarty is one of the most original writers we have.’ – Markus Zusak

thetwistedwindow

Goodreads Summary:

The new guy at Tracy’s school is handsome, intense, and desperately needs her help—but there’s something about him that isn’t quite right 

High school junior Tracy Lloyd is unsure about the new guy in school. Brad Johnson is attractive, smart, and polite, but Tracy can’t help but feel he watches her too closely. Then one day Brad confides in Tracy a horrible secret: His little sister Mindy has been kidnapped by his stepfather, and he needs Tracy’s help to get her back. But even as Tracy commits to a plan to help her vulnerable new friend, details emerge that suggest nothing is what it seems.
The Twisted Window is a zigzagging thriller that keeps readers guessing up until the final page. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lois Duncan including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection.

Adult Contemporary, Special Review

Book Review: Etiquette for the End of the World by Jeanne Martinet

Veronica Porras (TTB)
Etiquette for the end of the World by Jeanne Martinet
Etiquette for the end of the World by Jeanne Martinet

I was given a copy of this book through Net Galley. The description of the story was very promising which led me to request it. I started reading the book once I was approved, but after the first 30 pages everything started going down hill. I am sad to say that after trying to read it for over a month, I can’t make myself finish the book and I will write a review on what I’ve read so far. I really wanted to like this book but I couldn’t.

Goodreads Summary:

A romantic comedy of post-millennial manners, apocalyptic career moves, and a woman’s last chance to get life right…

RULE #1: DON’T PANIC—IT ONLY ATTRACTS SHARKS

It’s not the end of the world. That’s what 39-year-old Tess Eliot has to remind herself after losing her newspaper column (“Tess Knows Best”) and being dumped by her boyfriend for a younger woman (a feng shui expert? Really?). Then Tess is hired to write an etiquette guide preparing readers for the Ancient Mayan doomsday of December 21, 2012, and she has to ask herself: Could the world really be coming to an end? At first, Tess fakes her way through chapters like “Boundaries in the Bunker” and “Cannibalism: Yes or No?” But after uncovering a secret plot for world destruction, she is forced to embark on a life-changing odyssey of her own—involving all-too-close encounters with touchy-feely survivalists, conspiracy theorists and one handsome guy who seems way too perfect.

What I liked:

I like that the book wasn’t badly written (as in I did not find any grammatical errors). I also liked the idea that was being marketed. The title makes you want to read the book and I like that. If this book would had been executed better, I would have been a fan of it for a long time.

What I didn’t like:

I did not like the characters in the story or how the plot was developed. The main character at first was someone I could be friends in real life and I kind of liked, but soon she started changing into something I could not stand. There are plenty of stories I’ve read with bad characters, but somehow you come to like them but Tess was one of those characters who I wanted to scream at and say, “Get a life! Grow up!” The only character I liked was Tess’ old boss who helps her obtain side jobs and in a sense is her advisor.

Overall:

I didn’t like the book and I couldn’t make myself finish it. What upsets me is that I requested a copy of this book to review it and I will be giving it a bad review but it happens. Everyone has a time where they have this awesome idea but it is poorly executed and it ends up being a mess. I am not bashing her writing but this story could have been better executed. It had so much potential for being great.

Rating: 2/5

Book Spotlight

Book Spotlight #2 All-American Girl by Meg Cabot

Veronica Porras (TTB)

 

Another segment of Book Spotlight is brought to you by yours truly, The Talking Bookworm.

All-American Girl is a book I loved when I read in high school. Meg Cabot was my favorite author through middle school and high school and I still love her writing, but she hasn’t come out with any new YA books the past few years (or anything apart from the Princes Diaries Series). It seems she has switched her focus to adult fiction for the time being. Hope you like my recommendation for the month of April!

all-american-girl

Book Title: All-American Girl (All-American Girl #1)

Author: Meg Cabot

Org. Publication Date: August 2003

Goodreads Summary:

Samantha Madison is an average, cool Washington, D.C., teen: She loves Gwen Stefani (who doesn’t?), can draw like nobody’s business, and enjoys being opposite to her sister’s annoying ultra-social personality. But when she ditches art class one day, she doesn’t expect to be jumping on the back of a wannabe presidential assassin. Soon the young hero is receiving worldwide acclaim for her bravery, having dinner with her family at the White House, and is even being named teen ambassador to the UN. As if this weren’t enough, she and David, the president’s son, strike up a friendship that everyone wants the dirt on, which starts to give her romantic “frisson” feelings. Unfortunately, Sam thinks her sister’s boyfriend, Jack, is the true love of her life, and she makes a few wrong turns that could screw up what she’s developing with David. Will she ever stop following what she knows and start following what she sees?

 

Happy Reading! 🙂

Editor Letter, Random

YouTube Channel

Veronica Porras (TTB)

Summer_Reading_08

Hello Everyone!

I’ve made a youtube channel for this blog. The channel name is: TheTalkingBookworm

I’m going to start making my book hauls into video format instead of a long post here so click on the link and go on and watch the latest books I bought that I will most likely be reviewing.

Book Haul #1

Happy Reading!

Tuesday Meme

Top Ten Characters I Would Crush On If I Were Also A Fictional Character

Veronica Porras (TTB)

toptentuesday-1

My first Tuesday meme! Hooray! The wonders spring break does to my blog.

This week I am participating in The Broke and The Bookish’s Top Ten Tuesday meme. This weeks Top Ten is: Top Ten Characters I Would Crush On If I Were Also A Fictional Character!

Ow! This is going to be hard because I’m going to have to admit this not just to myself but to the rest of the world as well but nonetheless, here I go.

1. Adrian Ivashkov (VA and BL Series)

Yes, I admit it. He is one bad boy I would totally have a crush on if I were a fictional character. Even though I shipped Dimitri and Rose in VA I still felt bad for Adrian. The Bloodlines series gave me a new perspective on Adrian that made me fall in love with him like Sydney did.

2. W.W. Hale the Fifth (Heist Society Series)

I’m a Hale girl all the way. My question is, how can you not be a Hale girl? Go and read the Heist Society series if you don’t know what I’m talking about. Who doesn’t want a nice, rich, good looking guy?

3. Zach Goode (Gallagher Girls Series)

Even though I’m a Hale girl, I still like Zach. Who doesn’t like a little mystery in a guy right? Especially if he is a spy. 🙂

4. Four/Tobias (Divergent Trilogy)

Come on now ladies, do I really have to go into detail as to why I would have a crush on Four if I were in the Divergent World? Four sacrificed himself for Tris and stayed Dauntless just for her. That deserves some credit don’t you think?

5. Étienne St. Clair (Anna and the French Kiss)

St. Clair. Even though he has some baggage I would still fall for him just like Anna did and well the other girl that fell for him in the story as well. What’s her name? I can’t remember but my point is I wouldn’t be the only fictional character falling for him.

6. Eddie Castile (VA & BL)

Surprised to see this right? Eddie is faithful, protective, kind, chivalrous, and has a playful side. Need I say more? I am very glad we got to see more of him in the Bloodlines Series as he was a back-burner character in the Vampire Academy Series.

7. Josh (Getting Over Garrett Delaney)

I really don’t want to reveal much about Josh so I suggest you go read the book and figure it out yourself. In my honest opinion, Getting Over Garrett Delaney is a YA contemporary book everyone should read.

8. Jacob (Bunheads)

Ah. Jacob. A musician that helps you forget about your problems and tries to understand you even though he has no idea what the heck you’re going through. I always like a man that can be sympathetic. Who doesn’t?

9. Cricket (Lola and the Boy Next Door)

Ladies. Do I have to explain myself again? Cricket is adorable, kind, and he will just about do almost everything for Lola. The only bad thing was when he left without saying goodbye, but after we figure out why we can forgive him. I want my own Cricket. I just love nerdy boys.

10. Dimitri Belikov (VA)

I was debating whether to add him to my list or not. The first time I read VA I completely fell for Dimitri and when I read it again I was more attracted to Adrian. The thing is though, I think if I was in the VA world, I would still crush on him and I would most likely get over the age difference. He’s in his late twenties… I’m in my early twenties. It’s all good. 🙂 And I would totally love to date a man who is up to challenging me. 😉

So, those are my Top Ten Characters I would crush on if I was a fictional character. But who are we kidding, we already have a crush on them anyways!

Please leave a comment and tell me what characters you would crush on if you were a fictional character. I really want to know what you guys are thinking.

Happy Reading!