Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Waiting On Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. My Waiting on Wednesday read is...
Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they’d rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there.

Cara’s parents’ unrealistic expectations have already sent her twin brother Conner spiraling toward suicide. For her, perfect means rejecting their ideals to take a chance on a new kind of love. Kendra covets the perfect face and body—no matter what surgeries and drugs she needs to get there. To score his perfect home run—on the field and off—Sean will sacrifice more than he can ever win back. And Andre realizes that to follow his heart and achieve his perfect performance, he’ll be living a life his ancestors would never have understood.

Everyone wants to be perfect, but when perfection loses its meaning, how far will you go? What would you give up to be perfect?

A riveting and startling companion to the bestselling Impulse, Ellen Hopkins's Perfect exposes the harsh truths about what it takes to grow up and grow into our own skins, our own selves.

I read Impulse awhile ago, and I can't wait for Perfect!


What is your WOW read?


Love,


Sierra


Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here are the rules:

  • Grab your current read
  • Let the book fall open to a random page
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
  • Be careful to not give any spoilers... you don't want to ruin the book for everyone!



Novel: A Great And Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Page Teasers Are From: 10
Teasers:

The air has grown still. A storm isn't far off.


What are two teaser sentences from the book you are reading? Happy Tuesday!

Love,

Sierra

Monday, August 22, 2011

Its Monday! What Are You Reading?

Its Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme centered on reflecting on what you read this past week, what you are currently reading, and what you want to read this upcoming week. Why don't we get started??

What I Read This Week:

Impossible by Nancy Werlin
Fallen by Lauren Kate
Jessica's Guide To Dating On The Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

What I'm Currently Reading:

A Great And Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

What I Want to Finish This Week:

Other than A Great and Terrible Beauty, I really want to start and finish WINGS BY APRILYNNE PIKE this week.

Post your Its Monday! What Are You Reading? post down below and I will check it out!

Love,

Sierra

Review: Impossible by Nancy Werlin

Released: September 18th, 2008
Published by: Speak
Series: Stand Alone Novel
Star Rating: 3 out of 5
Source: Amazon
Page Amount: 364
School Rating: C+ (69%)
Age Group: Young Adult Fiction

Summary


Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that she is the latest recipient of a
generations-old family curse that requires her to complete three seemingly
impossible tasks or risk falling into madness and passing the curse on to the
next generation. Unlike her ancestors, though, Lucy has family, friends, and
other modern resources to help her out. But will it be enough to conquer this
age-old evil?

A beautifully wrought modern fairy tale from master
storyteller and award-winning author Nancy Werlin. Inspired by the classic folk
ballad "Scarborough Fair," this is a wonderfully riveting and haunting novel of
suspense, romance, and fantasy.

First Line


On the evening of Lucy Scarborough's seventh birthday, after the biggest
party the neighbourhood has seen since, well, Lucy's sixth birthday, Lucy got
one last unexpected gift.

Review

Let me start this review saying that I had very high expectations for this book. I ordered it over a year ago, and out of the bundle of books I got I was the most excited for this one. Don’t ask me why I didn’t read it sooner than I did. I finally picked it up, and I was somewhat disappointed.

The writing didn’t do anything for me in this novel. I hated that it was written in third person, I felt as though it was being forced to be written that way. I felt as though it almost was like Nancy wanted to write it in 1st person but something made her write it in third. It switched talking about characters very quickly, and it got confusing a lot of the time.

The setting in this novel did nothing for me. To be honest, I can’t even remember where this book was set. It wasn’t memorable, and it did nothing to the story.

The beginning sounded very promising to me. It hooked me, but sadly it lost me halfway through the book.

I loved Zach through the whole novel. He was one of the reasons I kept pushing through the bad writing. Lucy was a nice character too, she just wasn’t amazing. I loved Soledad too, I felt as though she was my mom (and she has my dream career!).

I loved the ending, and it was exactly what I wanted to happen. I think it would be more realistic if it when the total opposite way than it did, but there is nothing you can do.

I love the concept of this novel. The whole three impossible tasks idea is amazing, but sadly the novel didn’t live up to all its expectations I had for it.

Cover Comments

This cover is gorgeous. Period. My mom was even constantly telling me how beautiful this cover was. I think its just amazing, and I love the font the cover is written in.

Love,

Sierra

Friday, August 19, 2011

Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Released: December 8th, 2009
Published by: Delacourt Press
Series: Fallen, Book One
Star Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: Gift
Page Amount: 452
School Rating: B+ (77%)
Age Group: Young Adult Fiction

Summary

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.


First Line
Around midnight, her eyes at last took shape.


Review

When I picked this book up, I was expecting a really fast and action filled read. The first half of this book was the total opposaite. I found it really boring and slow, and I almost couldn’t get past the first half of the book. The middle quarter was okay, not as slow as the first half but not what I was expecting. It was the ending that made up for everything in the book. The very last quarter it was like BAM BAM BAM BAM right after the other something happened to the characters. I couldn’t stop reading once I got to that part.

Luce was an okay character, she wasn’t amazing nor was she overly annoying. I was all team Cam the first half of the book, but then for certain reasons I realized that Daniel was obviously the better choice. Other supporting characters such as Penn and Arianne were what pushed me through the first half of the book. Arianne and her quick wit and Penn and her sneakiness.

The whole idea of Sword & Cross was genius. I don’t think Lauren Kate could have set this book in a better environment for it to really make it a good novel.

I didn’t like the fact that Kate wrote this book in third person, I think the book would have been so much better if she had written it in first person. I think it just would have shown more emotion that I think was left out of this novel.

I think Lauren Kate should have dug deeper into what really happened to Trevor, it seemed as though Kate didn’t really care about what happened to Trevor as much as the story behind Daniel and his family. I think that Kate is going to dig more into that in the second and third book, but I really can’t be sure.

It seems like I am just bashing this book, but I really did enjoy reading it. The first half of the book I thought I was going to give it three stars, but the ending just made it a four star book. I really can’t wait to pick up the second book, just to see what happens to the characters.

Cover Comments


This cover is one of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen in my entire life. I am not joking. It is gorgeous. I love the whole blue, navy, and black colour palette, and I really think it suit’s the book very well.

Love,

Sierra

Review: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Released: February 1st, 2009
Published by: Graphia
Series: Jessica, Book One
Star Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Source: Gift
Page Amount: 354
School Rating: B+ (77%)
Age Group: Young Adult Fiction

Summary

The undead can really screw up your senior year . . .

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancĂ©. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war — and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction.

First Line

The first time I saw him, a heavy, gray fog clung to the cornfields, tails of mist slithering between the dying stalks.

Review

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what I was going to think of JESSICA’S GUIDE TO DATING ON THE DARK SIDE. I was afraid it was going to be too much like TWILIGHT, and I was afraid it was going to be too fluffy (don’t get be wrong… I love fluffy books, just not ones with vampires in them). If you read the summary and look at the cover, it screams a girly and fluffy read. Let’s just say I had a lot of concerns going into this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, without it being fluffy and girly.

The beginning was a little slow, and it took a little bit for me to get into it but once I reached about half way I sped right through it. I couldn’t put it down.

Jessica was a very likable character, when she wasn’t in a bad mood (which she rarely was). During the first half of the book, Lucius was my favourite character, like, ever. But during the middle quarter he got a little snotty and I don’t really know what happened to him.

Jessica was a very realistic character, and she processed every single little thing to make sure it made sense, which I don’t relate with well (if a Romanian vampire came up to me and told me I was a part of a pact and I was a vampire and I had to marry him I would jump at the chance!).

I loved the whole idea of Romanian royalty, and I loved it when Lucius talked about Romania, and it just sounds like a beautiful place to go (maybe I’ll visit there someday!).

Beth’s writing style was really nice. I liked that it was written in 1st person, which is my favourite writing style. I felt as if Beth gave lots of detail without it being really boring and unnecessary.

Overall, I really enjoyed JESSICA’S GUIDE TO DATING ON THE DARK SIDE. I think it was a really good book, and its one book that I think it’s a book that everyone should pick up sooner or later.

Cover Comments

I think the cover of this book is really gorgeous, and I love the whole red, black, and white theme. I think the colour palette is really pretty.

Love,

Sierra

Friday Firsts: Impossible by Nacy Werlin

Friday Firsts is a weekly meme in which you just post the first line of the novel you are reading. The first line can make or break a novel... which is yours?

On the evening of Lucy Scarborough's seventh birthday, after the biggest party the neighbourhood has seen since, well, Lucy's sixth birthday, Lucy got one last unexpected gift.


What is the first line of the book you are reading?

Love,

Sierra

Follow (My Book Blog) Friday!

Follow (My Book Blog) Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee.com and Alisoncanread.com. It basically just allows bloggers to share the love... by following new blogs!

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:
  1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
  2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - Belle Books & Stuck In Books
  3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
  4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say "hi" in your comments and that they are now following you.
  5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
  6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
  7. If you're new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Q. If you could write yourself a part in a book, what book would it be and what role would you play in that book?

I think I would write myself a part in all of the Sarah Dessen books. I know this question only asked for one book... but I love Sarah Dessen and I would love to be a part of all of her novels. Maybe I'm just that girl who the main character always finds sitting in a corner somewhere and reading a book (:

Post your Follow (My Book Blog) Friday post below and I'll check your blog out and follow it (:

Love,

Sierra

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Teaser Tuesday


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here are the rules:

Grab your current read

Let the book fall open to a random page

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Be careful to not give any spoilers... you don't want to ruin the book for everyone!


Novel: Fallen by Lauren Kate
Page Teaser Are From: 67
Teasers:

She wanted to unpack, to turn generic room 63 into her own place, where she could go when she needed to escape and feel okay. But she only got as far as unzipping her bag before she collapsed on the bare bed in defeat.


What are two teasers from the novel you are reading?

Love,
Sierra

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Review: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Released: March 22nd, 2011
Published by: Philomel Books
Series: Stand Alone Novel
Star Rating: 5 out of 5
Source: Chapters
Page Amount: 344
School Rating: A+ (91%)
Age Group: Young Adult Fiction

Summary

Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously - and at great risk - documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.


First Line

They took me in my nightgown.

Review

BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY is a very touching novel. I haven’t come across YA books dealing with the subjects such as the holocaust (other than THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS). I can’t say I have never heard of what happened to the Lithuanian people back in 1941. I feel bad, because I am well educated about the holocaust and the Vel’ d’Hiv roundup, but not what happened to the Lithuanian people.

I loved this book. Let’s through that out there right now. Ruta Sepetys wrote a flawless novel, one that is definitely high up on my favourites.

After reading this novel, Lithuania is one place that I would love to visit. One thing I would like to do before I die is travel the long distances that Lina, her mother, and her younger brother, Jonas, travelled. I want to visit every train station (if they exist) that they stopped at, and just remember all the thousands of people that died right where I was standing.

The plot was amazing… I think it was one that was very delayed in being written. A novel like this should have been written forever ago, and my hat comes off to Ruta for being the one to write about it.

I loved Ruta’s writing. It was raw, to the point but adding detail of the situation, which a lot of books like this lack.

I loved Lina as a character, I felt as if I were right there beside her going through these struggles. Jonas felt like MY little brother (the one my parent’s never had), and whenever something bad would happen to him my heart would break. And then there was Andrius, who was strong and intelligent, and a character I adored as soon as he was introduced.

The ending surprised me, but I felt as if Ruta made a good decision in ending it that way, it just felt like it was one of those things were it was the most ideal.

Overall, this novel was amazing. I loved every minute of it, and it caused me to stay up until the wee hours of the morning to finish it, to see what would happen to Lina and her family. This is a book that everyone needs to read, and everyone needs to know what happened to the Lithuanian people in the early 1940s.

Cover Comments

I think the cover is gorgeous. It shows that something so venerable growing in the worst possible condition that a human can think of. I also love the barbed wire detailing.

Love,

Sierra

P.S. To Stacy, I know how important getting this story out to everyone is to you. My copy of BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY is not ending at me. My mother, aunt and grandmother have showed interest in reading it, and my mother and aunt share a blog, which they will probably review it on.

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren. Her and her blog are too awesome for words. She is one of my biggest blogging inspirations.

I haven't done a IMM in forever, and sadly the only book I have gotten my sister actually bought, but I decided that I would add it in IMM since I will probably end up reading it sooner or later.

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
Add Image
What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Love,

Sierra

Friday, August 12, 2011

Review: Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

Released: April 11th, 2011
Published by: CreateSpace
Series: Stand Alone Novel
Star Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: Kindle
Page Amount: Unknown
School Rating: A (87%)
Age Group: Young Adult Fiction

Summary

Flat-Out Love is a warm and witty novel of family love and dysfunction, deep heartache and raw vulnerability, with a bit of mystery and one whopping, knock-you-to-your-knees romance.

Something is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it.

When Julie's off-campus housing falls through, her mother's old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side ... and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.

And there's that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That's because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie's suddenly lonesome soul.

To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that ... well ... doesn't quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer.


First Line

Julie Seagle stared straight ahead and promised herself one thing: She would never again rent an apartment via Craigslist.

Review

FLAT-OUT LOVE was another book I loaned from Felicia, and she had said it was amazing. I had high hopes going into this novel, and lets just say they weren’t let down. This book was amazing!

This book is a perfect summer read. Its light, fluffy, and a quick read, which is a perfect summer read in my eyes.

Julie was a very likable character, she was realistic, fun, and just an overall great character. Celeste was very quirky, which I love the occasional character who has a lot of quirks. Matt was the nerd in the book, he was the one who would rather spend a Friday night up in his room on his computer than hanging out with his friends. I thought Matt was an awesome character.

I don’t think I have ever read a book set in Boston, which is a city I would love to go to someday. I enjoyed reading about all the sights around, and this book just made me want to go there even more. (I also love their accents, which has nothing to do with the book but I just thought I would share).

I found the beginning a little slow, but once I got past the first little bit the plot just started rolling at a good, steady pace.

Oh my gosh… the ending. I was totally not expecting what happened to happen at all. Although now that I look back on it I don’t think it could have ended in any other way to make this book better.

Overall, FLAT-OUT LOVE was an amazing summer novel, a must read for everyone.

Cover Comments

I love the cover of this novel. At first I wasn’t a fan and didn’t get what it was supposed to mean, but as soon as I finished it I realized that the cover connects a lot with the story. I don’t think this novel could have a better cover.

Love,

Sierra

Follow (My Book Blog) Friday!

Follow (My Book Blog) Friday is a meme hosted by Parajunee.com and Alisoncanread.com. It is basically a meme to share the book blogging love... by following new blogs! Here are the rules...

  1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
  2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - Steph Likes Books & XXXX
  3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
  4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say "hi" in your comments and that they are now following you.
  5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
  6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
  7. If you're new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!
This week's question is...

Q. How has your reading habits changed since you were a teen? or If you are still a teen what new genres are you in love with currently?

Since I'm still a teen (ish... I'm 12 so I guess I'm considered a teen) I'll answer the second part of the question. Lately I have been loving historical fiction. I've always loved contemporary... Lately I have also been loving Fantasy and Distopian, huge YA trends. (:

Post your Follow (My Book Blog) Friday post below so I can follow your blog!

Love,

Sierra

Friday First: Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Friday Firsts is a weekly meme in which you just post the first line of the novel you are reading. The first line can make or break a novel... which is yours?

The first time I saw him, a heavy, gray fog clung to the cornfields, tails of mist slithering between the dying stalks.
What is the first line in the book you are reading?

Love,

Sierra

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Interview With Megan McCafferty... HAPPY 10TH BOOK BIRTHDAY SLOPPY FIRSTS!!

A couple weeks ago on Twitter Megan McCafferty tweeted that she would be choosing 10 bloggers to help celebrate the 10th anniversary of SLOPPY FIRSTS, the first novel in a five book series. I was so excited when I was one of the chosen bloggers to help celebrate! Here is the interview:

1. First of all, congratulations on the 10 year anniversary of SLOPPY FIRSTS! Where did you get the inspiration to begin writing SLOPPY FIRSTS?

I wrote the type of book that I wish I’d had in high school. Jessica is the female narrator I’d always looked for in a book and never found.

2. Was the character Jessica Darling (or any of the other characters) inspired by anybody you know in real life?

Jessica and I certainly have things in common. We both ran track and cross country, worked on the boardwalk, were considered Brainacs, wrote for the school paper. Most significant, we were both devastated when our best friends moved away. Mine moved under completely different circumstances from Hope, but her departure was the defining moment of my high school years. I thought a similar situation for Jessica would make the compelling start of a novel.

As for all the other characters, I started with the truth then started lying my butt off. That’s the fun of fiction. I picked traits and quirks from people I’d gone to school with and added huge doses of made up stuff. None of these characters would exist without my imagination….including Marcus Flutie.

3. How old were you when you started writing SLOPPY FIRSTS? How old where you when you wrote “the end” of the very first draft?

I started writing SLOPPY FIRSTS in fifth grade in the sense that the journal entries I wrote between the ages of 10 and 25 were an essential part of the creative process. I was 26 when I attempted to turn all the material from my journals and ten years of creative writing classes into a novel. I was 28 when SLOPPY FIRSTS was published in 2001.

4. Did you always know that SLOPPY FIRSTS was going to be a Young Adult novel?

Technically SLOPPY FIRSTS isn’t a young adult novel—it’s published by Crown/Three Rivers Press which only puts out books for adults. I always hoped SLOPPY FIRSTS would have a crossover readership, one that would appeal to teens, twentysomethings, thirtysomethings….anyone who could relate to the traumas and dramas of high school. The irony? To depict high school as it really is (four letter words and all) I could only be guaranteed the uncensored freedom to do so at an adult publisher!

5. Thanks for the interview! Last question: what advice do you have to young writers who one day want to be published?

Focus your energy on developing your unique writers voice and don’t obsess over being published.


Thanks again go to Megan for choosing me for one of the bloggers, I had an awesome time coming up with the questions! Happy 10th (:


Love,

Sierra

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Review: After by Amy Efaw

Released: August 11th, 2009
Published by: Viking Juvenile
Series: Stand Alone Novel
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: Chapters
Page Amount: 350
School Rating: B+ (79%)
Age Group: Young Adult Fiction

Summary

An infant left in the trash to die. A teenage mother who never knew she was pregnant . . .

Before That Morning, these were the words most often used to describe straight-A student and star soccer player Devon Davenport: responsible, hardworking, mature. But all that changes when the police find Devon home sick from school as they investigate the case of an abandoned baby. Soon the connection is made - Devon has just given birth; the baby in the trash is hers. After That Morning, there's only one way to define Devon: attempted murderer.

And yet gifted author Amy Efaw does the impossible - she turns Devon into an empathetic character, a girl who was in such deep denial that she refused to believe she was pregnant. Through airtight writing and fast-paced, gripping storytelling, Ms. Efaw takes the reader on Devon's unforgettable journey toward clarity, acceptance, and redemption.


First Line

The T.V.s on, some lame morning show.


Review

AFTER by Amy Efaw is a different book from what I have been reading lately. If you read the summary, you know it says “Amy Efaw does the impossible”… and she truly did.

Although I truly hated what Devon did… she was a pretty likable character. It pained me to see what she was going through. She was a quiet, respectful character who loves reading (which is a bonus!).

This book had a little bit of a slow beginning, but once it got into it, the story just flowed and I couldn’t get enough.

Although the ending is not what I expected and I didn’t agree with it, I felt as if it needed to happen. I felt as though it was the only way to end this novel with Devon feeling good about what she was doing.

I think the jail setting was so disturbing and so detailed. It felt so real and it felt as though I was there sitting beside Devon. You could tell that Amy Efaw did a lot of research before she wrote this novel.

AFTER is about an untalked about tragedy… how a poor, innocent infant is sent to their death in a dumpster. Amy Efaw takes this tragedy and puts light to the situation… a must read.

Cover Comments

I love the cover. I love how they put the person Devon thought she was… and the person she truly was. This is a great cover if you ask me.

Love,

Sierra

Waiting On Wednesday



Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. My Waiting on Wednesday read is...

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.


What is your Waiting On Wednesday Read?

Love,
Sierra

Teaser Tuesday... late again



Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here are the rules:

Grab your current read

Let the book fall open to a random page

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Novel: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Page Teasers Are From: 17
Teasers:

Mother turned her head and pretended she was deep in conversation with me, completely ignoring her cousin. A small bundle bounced into the bed of the truck near the bald man. His hand grabbed for it greedily.
What are two teaser sentances from the book you are reading?

Love,
Sierra

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Teaser Tuesday... FINALLY ON TIME!


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here are the rules:

Grab your current read

Let the book fall open to a random page

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!


Let's get started!

Novel: After by Amy Efaw
Page Teasers are From: 130
Teasers:

She moved across the room to the one empty seat and sits down. Her body, every limb, feels drained, her brain foggy.


Sometime later, Devon hears her name. She sits up, looks around, momentarily confused about where she is and why.
What are two teasers from the book you are reading?

Love,

Sierra

Monday, August 1, 2011

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?


Hey everyone! So its Monday... what are you reading? This blogging meme is just a way to reflect on your reading week... what you read this week, what you are currently reading, and what you want to read this week.. Let's get started...

What I Read This Week:
Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky

What I'm Currently Reading:


After by Amy Efaw

What I Would Like to Read This Week:

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

Cross My Heart by Katie Klein










Well that was my It's Monday! What Are You Reading? post... what did you read this week, what are you currently reading, and what do you want to read this week?

Love,

Sierra