100 Books to Read Before You Die

First off, I was interviewed by the amazing The Bookologist. So in the (minuscule) possibility that you can't get enough as me as it is, go check it out! I read the interview over and gigglesnorted. I sound...strange, and not in a good way. But luckily, none of you know me in real life so I'm not crushed by mortification :) Just slightly embarrassed.

Anyhoo, onto the list!

I stole this from wonderful Jessica at A Booklover's Diary, who grabbed it from the awesome Brizmus at Brizmus Blogs Books who...I'm not sure where this list came from originally, but I wanted to post it anyways!

Crossed out= Read
Blued=On Wishlist
Greened= In house somewhere, yet to be read.
I was going to do a purpled of books I have read and hated/tried to read but couldn't but that's sort of harsh, lol.

1. Jane Austen – Pride & Prejudice

2. Harper Lee – To Kill A Mockingbird

3. JRR Tolkien – Lord Of The Rings

4. Jodi Picoult – My Sister’s Keeper

5. Stephanie Meyer – Twilight Saga

6. JK Rowling – Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone

7. Audrey Niffenegger – The Time Traveler’s Wife

8. Markus Zusak – The Book Thief

9. George Orwell – 1984

10. Raymond E. Feist – Magician

11. Khaled Hosseini – A Thousand Splendid Suns

12. Paullina Simons – Bronze Horsemen

13. Gregory David Roberts – Shantaram

14. Margaret Mitchell – Gone With The Wind

15. Bryce Courtenay – Power of One

16. Dan Brown – The Da Vinci Code

17. Dan Brown – Angels & Demons

18. Paulo Coelho – The Alchemist

19. Charlotte Bronte – Jane Eyre

20. Tim Winton – Cloud Street

21. Khaled Hosseini – The Kite Runner

22. Emily Bronte – Wuthering Heights

23. Arthur Golden – Memoirs of Geisha

24. LM Montgomery – Anne Of Green Gables

25. Joseph Heller – Catch-22

26. Elizabeth Gilbert – Eat Pray Love

27. Niv Mass Market Bible With Bible Guide – International Bible Society Staff and International Bible Society

28. JRR Tolkien – The Hobbit

29. Yann Martel – Life of Pi

30. AB Facey – Fortunate Life

31. Douglas Adams – The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy

32. Lewis Carroll – Alice In Wonderland & Through The Looking Glass

33. Diana Gabaldon – Cross Stich

34. Rohinton Mistry – A Fine Balance

35. David Pelzar – A Child Called It

36. Li Cunxin – Mao’s Last Dancer

37. John Marsden – Tomorrow, When The War Began

38. Frank McCourt – Angela’s Ashes

39. Frank Herbert – Dune

40. JD Salinger – A Catcher In The Rye

41. F. Scott Fitzgerald – The Great Gatsby

42. Gabriel Garcia Marquez – One Hundred Years Of Solitude

43. Bryce Courtenay – April Fool’s Day

44. Ken Follet – Pillars Of The Earth

45. Patrick Suskind – Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer

46. Matthew Reilly – Ice Station

47. Carlos Ruiz Zafon – The Shadow Of The Wind

48. Stephen Hawking – A Brief History Of Time

49. Christopher Paolini – Eragon

50. Louisa May Alcott – Little Women

51. Mitch Albom – Tuesdays With Morrie

52. Jane Austen – Persuasion

53. Alice Sebold – The Lovely Bones

54. Ian McEwan – Atonement

55. Leo Tolstory – Anna Karenina

56. George Orwell – Animal Farm

57. Anthony Burgess – A Clockwork Orange

58. Antoine de Saint Exupéry – The Little Prince

59. Roald Dahl – Charlie & The Chocolate Factory

60. CS Lewis – The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe

61. Gabriel Garcia Marquez – Love In The Time Of Cholera

62. Bill Bryson – A Short History Of Nearly Everything

63. Fyodor Dostoevsky – Crime And Punishment

64. Anthony Bourke – Lion Called Christian

65. Arundhati Roy – The God Of Small Things

66. Paullina Simons – Tully

67. John Grisham – A Time To Kill

68. John Grogan – Marley & Me

69. Vikram Seth – A Suitable Boy

70. Alexandre Dumas – Count Of Monte Cristo

71. Neil Gaiman – American Gods

72. Cormac McCarthy – The Road

73. Aldous Huxley – Brave New World

74. Brendan Shanahan – In Turkey I Am Beautiful: Between Chaos And Madness In A Strange Land

75. Tim Winton – Breath

76. Bryce Courtenay – Jessica

77. Graeme Base – Animalia

78. Donna Tartt – The Secret History

79. Mario Puzo – The Godfather

80. Anne Rice – Interview With The Vampire

81.Steig Larrson – The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo

82. Stephen King – Stand

83. Helen Fielding – Bridget Jones’ Diary

84. Eckhart Tolle – New Earth

85. Matthew Reilly – Seven Ancient Wonders

86. Jung Chang – Wild Swans

87. Nicholas Sparks – The Notebook

88. Bret Easton Ellis – American Psycho

89. David Eddings – Belgariad Vol. 1: Pawn Of Prophecy; Queen Of Sorcery; Magician’s Gambit

90. Louis De Bernieres – Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

91. Melina Marchetta – Looking For Alibrandi

92. Celia Ahern – PS I Love You

93. John Irving – A Prayer For Owen Meany

94. Colleen McCullough – The Thorn Birds

95. John Kennedy Toole – A Confederacy Of Dunces

96. Terry Pratchett – Good Omens

97. Hunter S. Thompson – Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas

98. Joanne Harris – Chocolat

99. William Goldman – Princess Bride

100. Charles Dickens – Great Expectations

Final Tally:

Read: 25
Wishlisted: 18
Have-in-house-but-still-not-gotten-to: 9. Oh dear, this is a problem.

So, I've done pretty suckily. Good thing I'm not planning on dying soon, eh? But I really won't attempt to read all 100, because I do disagree with quite a few books on this list--I'm sure not all of them are must-reads. The books in my house or on my wishlist I'll definitely try to read ASAP.

The one's I've read and are DEFINITELY must-reads: The Book Thief, Gone with the Wind, Harry Potter, American Gods, Bridget Jone's Diary, Jane Eyre, Dune, A Clockwork Orange, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Atonement, Hithchiker's Guide. Those are now doubly recommended, so good read them NOW!

Did I leave out a book on my wishlist that was amazingly good?

And how'd you do?

Waiting on Wednesday [8]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme that spotlights eagerly awaited upcoming releases. It's hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins.

***

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters. By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect. As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.
***

Wowowow!

Three words: MAGIC BOARDING SCHOOL!

I am freaky obsessed with Harry Potter, mostly because I love Hogwarts so much. So the mention of magic boarding school in this blurb practically has me frothing at the mouth in excitement. All I know is I WANT THIS BOOK, badly.

Witches, shapeshifters, and faeries sound like an awesome mixture, and I'm really intrigued by the whole conspiracy/ ancient secret society element. Pretty much everything in this summary has peaked my interest!

And as a bonus, the cover just came out yesterday, and I think it's lovely. The blue on the bottom is quite striking as well-- I just love it! I really can't wait for this one :)

Release Date: March 2, 2010

2010 Debut Author Challenge

The Story Siren is hosting an awesome challenge over at her blog, and I thought I'd join in! Click on the pretty image below to be redirected to the official sign up page :)


What is the 2010 Debut Author Challenge?

• The objective is to read a set number of YA (Young Adult) or MG (Middle Grade) novels from debut authors published this year.* I'm going to challenge everyone to read at least 12 debut novels! I’m hoping to read at least 30! You don’t have to list your choices right away, but if you do feel free to change them throughout the year. I will also be focusing on mostly Young Adult novels.
• Anyone can join, you don’t need a blog to participate. If you don’t have a blog you can always share your views by posting a review on Amazon.com/BarnesandNoble.com/GoodReads/Shelfari, or any other bookish site.
• The challenge will run from January 1, 2010- December 31, 2010. You can join at anytime!

So here's the list of books that I'm planning to read:
Bold= Read

1. The Duff by Kody Keplinger
2. The Unladylike Adventures of Kat Stephenson: A Most Improper Magick by Stephanie Burgis
3. The Mark by Jen Nadol
4. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken
5. The Line by Teri Hall
6. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
7. Iron King by Julie Kagawa
8. Skin & Bones by Dawn Metcalf
9. Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt
10. The Prophecy of Days by Christy Raedeke
11. Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis
12. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

I'll probably be adding more soon, but this is just to get me started. Throughout the year, I'll be updating the list and bolding titles I've read. I really can't wait for these books to be realeased!

Review: Sleepless

Book Description:

SOMEONE ELSE WILL
DIE SOON
she tells herself.

SOMEONE ELSE WILL DIE
AND I WILL BE RESPONSIBLE.

A few days after the first time you
walk in your sleep, you kill someone.
That's how the end begins.

Emma Montgomery has been having gruesome nightmares. Even worse, when she wakes up, she isn't where she was when she fell asleep. And she's not the only one. One by one the students of Saint Opportuna High start having nightmares, and sleepwalking. And the next morning one of their classmates turns up dead.

Something is making them kill in their sleep. Emma and her friends need to band together, to keep themselves awake until they can figure out what's behind the murders--before anyone else dies.

Thomas Fahy, author of The Unspoken, which Pubishers Weekly called, "a page-turner that just might keep readers up at night," again brings readers a nail-bitingly horrifying novel.

My Opinion:

Sleepless reads like a horror movie converted into a fast-paced novel. Dark, mysterious, and quite grisly in many places, this novel manages to simultaneously entertain and horrify. Events unfold fairly quickly: for some reason, a group of students are murdering others while asleep. And of course, since murder is a very bad thing, they've got to do everything they can to stop their bodies from engaging in homicide while they're unconscious. This includes unearthing the reason behind their behavior as well as massive amounts of sleep deprivation--hence the title.

Sleepless is written in third-person present tense, which may prove jarring to many readers at first. When I first started the novel, the prose came off as disjointed and self-aware, probably due to the present tense. Don't get me wrong--I LOVE present tense in a book*. In Sleepless though, it took some time to get used to--I'd say the first sixty pages or so, I felt like something was a bit off. But once I'd settled into the book, I couldn't stop reading.

I think it's partly because I was in shock. I almost never watch horror movies, and the extent of my "scary" reading only reaches to a tattered copy of Poe's short stories*. So I've never read anything quite like Sleepless: graphic, bloody, horrifying, and chilling. Many of the characters wake up to find that their vivid dreams of killing somebody--which Fahy does not shy away from describing in full detail--have come true.

Fahy certainly gets points for coming up with such a chilling premise--after all, what's freakier than killing a classmate or friend while you're asleep? It's the very concept of innocent murder and loss of control that proves to be so disturbing. The premise of this book was definitely the best part--but on the flip side, it didn't allow for much depth in terms of character development or themes. I didn't really connect with any of the characters, or feel that much sympathy for their plight. The bottom line is that Sleepless is pretty much action, action, action, all the way through. Oh, and lots of dead bodies. If you're looking for a gripping read, Sleepless certainly fulfills these requirements.

Despite this, I have a big beef with the ending. For some reason, Sleepless didn't hold my interest as much towards the last fifty pages or so, once the book dived headfirst into a voodoo-Katrina/New Orleans-revelation. The climax was in the same vein as the rest of this book: unashamedly violent and brutal. It's the resolution that is lacking since it literally felt as if the printers had made a mistake and not included the last ten pages of denouement.

After reading Sleepless, I was left unsatisfied, if not a bit shell-shocked. I think the cover is absolutely amazing--so eery and shiversome. I'll be honest, it's what made me pick up this book.

I'd be perfect if I could close with: Sleepless left me sleepless, afraid that I'd scuttle around town mass murdering innocents if I so much as closed my eyes. But unfortunately, it wouldn't be truthful--I actually dreamt of chocolate bunnies and rainbows after I'd finished.

I give it a 7.25 ***

*especially first person present: Hunger Games and Cracked Up to Be are some extraordinarily well-written examples offthe top of my head. The best third-person present I've read is Wake.
**he writes pretty disturbing stuff, but it isn't exactly scary. If you want proof that drugs totally mess up your mind, read some of Poe's stories.
*** I knowknowknow, it's bad that I've resorted to .25s now. I';m not sure this quite deserves a 7.5 though.

In My Mailbox [7]

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren

So, as a continuation of the plundering of the library...






1. Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia: AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING premise. China (and all of Asia) is just so rich with legends and beautiful history, and I really think there needs to be more YA books that tap into that. My mom is even more excited to read this then me*. And I hope this will help me with connecting with my Chinese heritage through reading. Sort of. Hopefully. The point is, I really would like to read more books with an Asian main character or Asian legends.

2. Beastly: modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and if I'm correct, I believe there is a movie in the works. I absolutely LOVE Beauty and the Beast, so looking forward to reading this one.

3. Need: There is something about this cover--the gold lips, perhaps?--that bade me to pick it up. I knowknowknow that I probably shouldn't be reading paranormal romances after my recent spaz attack from reading what I shall not-so-politely refer to as Twilight vomit**, but Need has MAINE AS A SETTING! If at any point there are descriptions of fall leaves, this will well be worth reading. And hopefully, this will be the best paranormal romance I've read.

4. Betraying Season: The sequel to a book I adored, Bewitching Season***. So I am beyond excited to get started on this one. Just love the time period of Regency England so much :)

5. The Lost Conspiracy: I loved Fly by Night, another book by Frances Hardinge, more than I can describe****. When I saw this I almost had a heart attack*****, since I hadn't known that there was a new book coming out by her.

*I suspect she's secreted it away from me because I can't find it at the moment. And no, this is NOT an excuse for my disorganized state of being
**Youknowwhatbookyouare
*** which I won a signed copy of!!!!
**** (*hint* upcomingFridayFavorite *hint*)
***** in a good-ish way, if that is even possible.

What's in your mailbox this week?

100 Followers, Awards, and Happy Thanksgiving!

The mind boggles, it really does.

I can't believe I'm up to a 100* followers already. WOOOOOT! *does happy dance*

Hooray for you lovely followers who..um...follow my blog. And especially to everyone who comments--comments are the best part of blogging. In October, I started really getting into the YA blogosphere--posting frequently and discovering new blogs, and I'm so glad that I did. All the YA book bloggers are so nice and welcoming--it's a great community. And above all, it's wonderful to connect with people who have the same ravenous, obsessive love of books. So thank you everyone!

It's only fair that I hold a 100 followers contest in celebration. It should be coming this way in a little bit, once I decide what's going to be up for grab.**

Annnnnnnnnnd, to cement this happy day, I also have gotten two awards in the last week or so. Here it goes:

One Lovely Blog Award from I Want to Read That. Thank you so much!

Here are the rules: Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

15 newly discovered blogs coming right up:

1. Steph at Steph the Bookworm
2. Natalie at Mindful Musings
3. Lea at YA Book Queen
4. Zoealea at Zoe's Book Reviews
5. Catt at The Dreamer Reader
6. Katie at Sophistikatied Reviews
7. Staysi at Lost in Ink
8. Laina at Laina Has Too Much Spare Time
9. Jo-Jo at Jo-Jo loves to read!!!
10. Jordan atInside the Mind
11. Lizzy at Cornucopia of Reviews
12. Star Girl Reads at Books make great lovers!
13. Lisa at Book Blab
14. Kim at And Anything Bookish
15. WillowRaven at Red House Books

Honest Scrap Award from Steph the Bookworm. Many thanks :)

List ten honest things about yourself and then pass this onto ten other bloggers.

10 honest things:

1. There is nothing that I pine for more than beautiful fall leaves and torrents of rain.

2. I am a horror when I first wake up in the morning. Totally and completely zombified. I crash my way down the stairs and shuffle around dazedly. I can't even open my eyes at first, and what little I can say comes out as a sort of incoherent bear-growl. I tend to hit things in the morning as well--parents and siblings beware! Coffee is my salvation. Otherwise, it takes me about four hours to wake up on my own naturally.

4. Aside from the font-thing, I'm the most disorganized, messy person you'll ever meet. You should be glad you don't have to see my room. It's not pretty. And I lose everything, probably because of this. Also, I'm an extremely forgetful person. Scary forgetful.****

5. I procrastinate on everything. Let's talk about this later, hmm?

6. I'm deathly afraid of bugs and spiders. If I see one, I go all jelloid inside and I have to make someone else kill it for me.

7. I have no idea what I want to do with my life. And I really don't know what to say when people ask me where I'm applying for college or what major I want or what job I want or any of that stuff. I just don't know.

8. Unless you count my alternate life's ambition, in which I buy a crumbling castle, relocate to Europe and own a gigantic library, of course. *****

9. I want nothing more than to travel. Europe especially--Britain and Ireland and France and Germany and Italy and Greece and Denmark and Spain and EVERYWHERE.

10. I have the worst sweet tooth imaginable. Chocolate? Ice cream? Cookies? Cake? Pastries? Candy?
Just don't leave alone with a platterful of dessert in front of me. Just don't.

10 amazing bloggers: (I did this off of top commentators. Because you guys definitely deserve mega-sized chocolate trophies, but I figured this would be nice too :))

1. Jessica at A BookLover's Diary
2. Kirthi at Pages
3. Allison at Read Into This!
4. Emilia at Punk Writer Kid
5. Stormi at Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!
6. Steph at Steph the Bookworm (I know you're the one who gave me the award, but you deserve it again, haha :)
7. Sheila at One Persons Journey Through A World of Books
8. Nina at Happy Endings
9. Casey at A Passion for Books
10. Sandy at Pirate Penguin's Reads


And lastly, HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Do you feel as stuffed as I do?******




* What a shiny, lovely number. 100 just seems special :p
**Psst you'll definitely want to stick around for it :)
***Yes, I am aware that I may sound like a babbling maniac right now. But it's important! Still mad that one of the titles wasn't bolded last time.
What? I'm not that weird. Okay. It's jusssstt..... I'll stop now.
**** Realllllllly bad memory. Really.
*****Chocolate books? No, that would be wrong...but oh so delicious. Imagine eating a page after you read it. Mmm.
******As in, more stuffed than a turkey. I will have to buy a new wardrobe with several size bigger in pants. Hahaha. Mmm mashed potatoes mmmmmm.

Waiting on Wednesday [7]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme that spotlights eagerly awaited upcoming releases. It's hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick: Magic Under Glass by Jackyln Dolamore

***
Nimira is a foreign music-hall girl forced to dance for mere pennies. When wealthy sorcerer Hollin Parry hires her to sing with a piano-playing automaton, Nimira believes it is the start of a new and better life. In Parry's world, however, buried secrets are beginning to stir. Unsettling below-stairs rumors swirl about ghosts, a madwoman roaming the halls, and Parry's involvement with a league of sorcerers who torture fairies for sport. Then Nimira discovers the spirit of a fairy gentleman named Erris is trapped inside the clockwork automaton, waiting for someone to break his curse. The two fall into a love that seems hopeless, and breaking the curse becomes a race against time, as not just their love, but the fate of the entire magical world may be in peril.

***

This book sounds pretty amazing. I love that there is a wide variety of magic and creatures in this short blurb alone--the mention of automatons, ghosts, and sorcerers caught my attention immediately. Magic Under Glass sounds like it'd be a great read, and I can't wait to see in bookstores. Actually, this would make a good Christmas present! :)

*puts on wish list*

Release Date: December 22, 2009

Review: Girl in the Arena

Book Description:

It’s a fight to the death—on live TV—when a gladiator’s daughter steps into the arena.

Lyn is a neo-gladiator’s daughter, through and through. Her mother has made a career out of marrying into the high-profile world of televised blood sport, and the rules of the Gladiator Sports Association are second nature to their family. Always lend ineffable confidence to the gladiator. Remind him constantly of his victories. And most importantly: Never leave the stadium when your father is dying. The rules help the family survive, but rules—and the GSA—can also turn against you. When a gifted young fighter kills Lyn’s seventh father, he also captures Lyn’s dowry bracelet, which means she must marry him... For fans of The Hunger Games and Fight Club, Lise Haines’ debut novel is a mesmerizing look at a world addicted to violence—a modern world that’s disturbingly easy to imagine.

My Opinion:

This book was not at all what I expected. I was ready for a delightfully violent, action-packed novel. What I got was nearly the complete opposite--Girl in the Arena deals more with the moral implications of neo-gladiators than the actual action of it, and is consequently slow-paced.

Lyn is the daughter of seven gladiators. In her alternative America, gladiators are famous athletes, with millions of fans across the country--much like football players are to our society. The GSA (Gladiator Sports Association) is cult-like in nature--Lyn has always felt apart from all other people her age, and the Gladiator Bylaws have governed her life. The gladiator way of life proves stifling to Lyn, who'd rather be a pacifist and live normally. But when her stepfather Tommy is killed in the arena, everything changes. The GSA has some nasty tricks up their sleeve, and they're making it difficult for Lyn to live the life she wants to--foreclosing on her mother's possessions and house, and effectively blackmailing Lyn. And of course, there's the problem of having to marry the man who killed her father.

I wish to disillusion any of you out there who think this is a book about Lyn fighting in the arena. It's not--in fact, that part doesn't come until the very end of the book, and what actually happens is sadly short-lived. This book is really about Lyn dealing with the implications of a gladiator life she can't escape.

Lyn's parallel world was intriguing, but it was actually very similar to our own--with the exception of the gladiators and some unbelievable hologram technology. I actually have a big problem with the holograms in this story--in no way does Haines ever explain how in a world nearly identical to our own can possess technology so out of reach in ours. I felt that the holograms were a convenient crutch to lean on--especially as the story progressed and a key plot point was revealed. And although there was the hint of a love triangle, nothing of note ever happened in that department.

And the dialogue seriously annoyed me. Instead of the trusty, good old quotation marks, Haines saw fit to employ dashes. Which I understand is a stylistic choice, but I'd have enjoyed this book much more if the dialogue hadn't been structured so strangely. I mean, I was annoyed when James Joyce used dashes, so I'm even more frustrated by it in Girl in the Arena. I felt like the dialogue really pulled the story down, to the point where I was literally trying to imagine the dashes as quotation marks instead of paying attention to the story. I mostly skimmed through the dialogue without getting a real sense of the conversation unfolding.

In addition, the ending was very anticlimactic and rushed. I was severely disappointed with it, and I think it reflected the whole essence of the book-- action-less when it could be action-ful.

But all in all, Girl in the Arena was an enjoyable read. Ultimately, it was a intriguing social commentary on a possible world where professional sports and reality TV have been taken too far. I did like Lyn as a heroine--which is saying something because lately I've been disliking female main characters in young adult fiction more than I have been liking them. Her motivations and most of her actions were admirable--and her defiance against having anyone control her had me rooting for her. Lyn was the best aspect of this book since she was a very strong protagonist. And I adore the cover, even if it is sorely inaccurate.

I give it a 7/10

In My Mailbox [6]

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren

So, I finally cleared my fines at the library today. Doing so practically wiped out my savings, but I luuuuuuuurve my library. I even *gasp* composed a poem while I was browsing the library:

Oh, library! How I love thee.
Your books are free,
a gorgeous sight to see.
How long you've been separated from me!

*followers stampede their way to the exit*
WAIT, COME BACK! You poor followers, what I put you through sometimes...no more ghastly poetry, I promise :p

Anways, I checked out 33 books. Very shiny books. Way too many for an IMM post, so I'll pick the top five I'm looking forward to reading.

"Hot picks"/ New releases--Actually, I was really surprised that my library had any new releases, since my library is pretty sucky normally. I take that back though. My library is now lovely, since they had these books:

The books I've been meaning to read FOREVER:

1. Sleepless : Such an striking cover! And the premise of students "killing in their sleep" gives me shivers.

2. Give Up the Ghost: I've been seeing this in the bookstore and pining over it. I've been wanting a good ghost novel for a while, and I'm hoping this will be it.

3. Prophecy of the Sisters: Love this cover so much, and the "dark prophecy"sounds so intriguing!

4. Paper Towns: I loved Looking for Alaska, and I've heard that Paper Towns is even better. So I can't wait to crack open this one!

5. The Forest of Hands and Teeth: Dystopian and absolutely fantastic, if the reviews all over the YA blogosphere are anything to go by. I want to read this so badly that I was actually going to order it off Amazon this week, but the library has saved me the trouble (and the money!). Paying my fines is sort of balancing out.

I am officially a library book glutton now. Time to go gorge myself on my book feast :)

Review: Evermore

Book Description:
Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch. Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste…

Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition. He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets. Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking—and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head. She doesn’t know who he really is—or what he is. Damen equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies.

My Opinion:

I've been seeing Evermore around for a couple of months and been meaning to read it for ages. So when I saw that shiny, lovely $5.99 price sticker, I was powerless to resist. I was immediately intrigued by the mention of Ever's pyschic powers, and the aura color chart in the front of the book sealed the deal.

You know that tingly feeling you get when you buy a book and you're pretty sure it's going to be amazing? Well, I had it.

The first few pages were promising--the premise of Ever dealing with the death of her family and the advent of new powers certainly has potential. Unfortunately, that's where the interesting part ends. What follows is little better than a regurgitated retelling of Twlight, minus the sparkling.

Bella Ever moves to a new town, doesn't quite fit in, and has a somewhat awkward relationship with her dad her aunt. In her biology English class, she meets Edward Damen, who is she is forced to sit next to and who wants to eat her like a chocolate chip cookie. He is the oh-so-mysterious brooding boy that every single girl in the school immediately falls in love with after one glimpse, because he is "so gorgeous and sexy and hot and smoldering." Damen is definitely Ever's soulmate, because he makes her feel like she's touching a cold perfect marble statue warm and electric inside, and they have nothing in common. In short, they're a match made in heaven.

What can I say about Damen? The Edward-wannabe, the abusive bad boy, the subject of this entire book? I feel like I know every inch of what he looks like, but nothing about him. But who cares about character development, plot, or any of that stuff in a novel? Of course, the only thing a good young adult book needs is an idiotic, spineless female main character and a hot, significantly older and abusive love interest. Add in some obnoxious minor characters and a lackluster storyline, and we'll just watch the trainwreck unfold from there.

As a narrator, Ever started off as tolerable, progressed to brainless, and by the 200th page, was so annoying and loathsome that I couldn't take it anymore.

This, in essence, is Ever:

DAMEN IS SOOO AMAZING. I mean, what can you not like about this guy who is so hot that he is a model and has pictures on himself on the internet modeling and has a cool car (but still wears motorcycle boots) and and sunglasses and dark shiny hair and white teeth and Cupid's lips and OMG OMG OMG I can't stop staring at him and I can't even speak in his presence and I think he likes me but he's being a real jerk but whatever I still want to go out with him because he is SOOO HOT!!!!! And everything is ALL my fault.

Delightful sort of person, isn't she?

When Edward Damen leaves Bella Ever for a short period of time, Bellver can't deal. Bellver turns to alcohol as a way to ease the pain of separation. Because real life certainly isn't worth living if your boyfriend breaks up with you. You should get suspended from school, mope around, and drink vodka. Or jump of a cliff--either one is an acceptable way of coping.

I don't know, I just don't. Evermore's similarities to Twilight are so striking that I would expect lawsuits, not New York Bestselling status. But perhaps I've been reading too much paranormal romance lately with the same tired premise. I enjoyed reading Shiver, but the more I think about these sorts of books, the less tolerance I have. They're almost like guilty reads--when I'm reading, I get sucked into the story, which I suppose is a good thing. Once I stop reading and take a break, and once I really reflect on the components of these kinds of novels and their inherent message, I can't understand why I even enjoy reading any of these books. Evermore is the book that finally made me snap--and perhaps I am being unfair by taking out my dissatisfaction with the girl falls in love with [insert paranormal creature] trend with this review.

I think I'll stop now, before this gets out of hand. I know a lot of you really enjoyed this book, and I don't want to a take a negative review too far. I really could say much more on this matter, but I won't.

And I won't rate it either.

I'll end on a positive note; I did like the cover. I love the idea of seeing auras for people's emotions, I mean, just LOVE. And the writing is very accessible. If you're a twi-hard, you'll probably love Evermore--but this book just wasn't right for me.