In My Mailbox Update!

"Waiting On" Wednesday (26)

Yes, I do realize that it is Thursday. ;)

Fear by Michael Grant

Synopsis to come.

But . . . to replace the synopsis, I have found ten spoilers about this book!

10 spoilers from Michael Grant:

1) Remember that it was originally titled DARKNESS.

2) At one point Sam will rub Diana's tummy.

3) Astrid-haters will love her by the end.

4) There's a surprising "coming out."

5)... A heart will be broken.

6) You will learn why Sam and not Caine.

7) There is a huge betrayal.

8) Someone will lose their virginity.

9) Someone we know will die.

10) A scene so dark and anguished my editors wanted me to tone it down. (Of course I didn't. How long have you known me?)

Source

Release Date: April 3, 2012

If you know me at all, you know that I am a crazy GONE fan-freak. I'm absolutely in love with the series, and it's one of my absolute favorites. There are always crazy twist-and-turns in the books, and after reading the spoilers I absolutely CANNOT wait to read the fifth installment of this series.

Excuse me. I'm going to go dream about this book now.

New Blog Layout!

I thought it was time for a change, so I decided to switch up the blog layout.

The tie-dye is really fun, funky, and colorful, and will keep the blog looking upbeat and bright even during the fall/winter months that are to come.

So, tell me what you think! :)

The Lying Game - ABC Premiere

If you are on the west coast, you, like me, are probably awaiting the premiere of The Lying Game (a new series based off of the books by Sara Shepard). And if you are on the east coast, you are very lucky and have already watched it! *glares jealously*

Anyways.

I am so so so so so excited, and my parents don't understand why I'm so excited for just a TV show, so I decided to tell YOU how excited I am.

I read the first book, The Lying Game, back in late November/early December, and I really liked it. I can't wait to see how it is interpreted.

Honestly, this whole post was kind of pointless. But I just couldn't contain myself.


If you've already seen the pilot episode, tell me what you thought (WITHOUT SPOILERS!!) in the comments below.


And if you haven't seen the pilot episode, tell me how excited (or not excited) you are!

She's SO Dead To Us by Kieran Scott

Pages: 304

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Age Group: Young Adult

Challenges: N/A

Release Date: May 25, 2010

When having money is all that matters, what happens when you lose it all?

Perfect, picturesque Orchard Hill. It was the last thing Ally Ryan saw in the rear-view mirror as her mother drove them out of town and away from the shame of the scandal her father caused when his hedge fund went south and practically bankrupted all their friends -- friends that liked having trust funds and new cars, and that didn't like constant reminders that they had been swindled. So it was adios, Orchard Hill. Thanks for nothing.

Now, two years later, Ally's mother has landed a job back at the site of their downfall. So instead of Ally's new low-key, happy life, it'll be back into the snake pit with the likes of Shannen Moore and Hammond Ross.

But then there's Jake Graydon. Handsome, wealthy, bored Jake Graydon. He moved to town after Ally left and knows nothing of her scandal, but does know that he likes her. And she likes him. So off into the sunset they can go, right? Too bad Jake's friends have a problem with his new crush since it would make Ally happy. And if anyone deserves to be unhappy, it's Ally Ryan.

Ally was hoping to have left all the drama in the past, but some things just can't be forgotten. Isn't there more to life than money?

Stars: 5/5

Cover: A

Plot:

I admit, the first thing that attracted me to this book was when I saw the hardcover copy’s cover. It was so cute! I mentally added this book to my wishlist. When I saw it in the bookstore in paperback, I immediately bought it. 

She’s SO Dead To Us completely soared past my expectations, taking the spot as one of my favorite books of this month. From the first page I was hooked, and didn’t put the book down until I fell asleep reading it in the middle of the night.

The pacing was spot on - there was never any dull moments, and I was always wanting to read on and find out what was going to happen next. I loved the whole idea behind the story, because I’d never really read a book like this before. 

Characters:

I must say, this book has some of the best characters I've read about in a while. I don't know what it was about them, but I loved them (yes, even the mean girls). I loved the character development throughout the novel, and how each character seemed like real people because of how realistic the author made them.

Ally was easy to relate to. She wasn't perfect, and she had real-life problems that I'm sure a lot of people have to face. I loved that this book wasn't just a fluff read like I was expecting it to be, and that there was a lot of family drama going on.

As a love interest, I absolutely adored Jake. He gave me butterflies, as if I was Ally! He seemed totally sweet, cute, nice, and flawed (again, in the best way possible -- it made him seem like a real person).

Writing:

I love the way Kieran Scott writes. I've never read a book by her before, but I definitely love her style of writing. She switches back and forth between Ally and Jake's perspectives, keeping the book at a fast pace. Also, the book was split into months, and at the beginning of each month there would be a page with what people were saying about Ally on it. I liked that, because it was like I got to see the story from Ally's peers' perspectives, too.

Ending:

ONE HUNDRED. PERCENT. CLIFF. HANGER. 

I cannot believe the book ended there. I am SO ready to dive into the next book! 

Cover:

The hardcover? GORGEOUS.

The paperback? The paperback's cover makes this book look like a cheesy, pre-teen novel that doesn't have much substance.

To your left is a picture of the paperback cover.

The Final Verdict:

After I read this book, I was scared to read another book because I knew it wouldn’t even compare. There was just something about this book that made me love it. 

FTC: Bought

So, you know my opinion about the book cover - and I want to hear yours! Which cover do you like best? The paperback, or the hardcover? And why? :)

New Link!

I don't know if you guys were aware, but I have a Tumblr!
You are welcome to click on the link below, check out my blog, and I'll check out yours!

Just thought I'd check in and let you know. ;)
Anyways, have a good middle-of-the-night.

MY TUMBLR

***my tumblr isn't book-related -- it's more personal**

"Waiting On" Wednesday (25)

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkins

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

Release Date: September 27, 2011

In My Mailbox (25)

The Lord of the Flies by William Golding

This book is a classic, and after reading it, I know why. I'll be in Honors English this upcoming year, and we have summer homework. We have to read this book (along with one other) and do a journal project on it, so I thought I'd just buy my own copy. :)











I also just went to an Upward Bound (the college prep program I'm in through Sonoma State) back-to-school kickoff, and in it came a Spanish-English dictionary. It'll be handy because I am taking Spanish.

I know I've barely gotten any books in these past few months, but I'm really trying to get through the ones I already own.

Anyways, have a great Thursday! :D

Book-Blogger Tag

Usually, I see TAGs done in video form, but I figured I’d mix it up a little bit and make up a written TAG. I take EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU. Yes, YOU. Enjoy. :) 

When did you start blogging?

November 11, 2010

How did you come across the Book-Blogging world?

I was in journalism class Freshman year (last year) with a girl named Zoe, and I really liked to read, so I chose to do the “book review” column. She came up to me one day and asked if she could do it instead, because she had a book review blog. I said, “sure!” and then I asked her what her website address was. From there, I had checked out her blog, and discovered this whole online community that loved books as much as I did, and wrote about them.

Which book blogs are your favorite (linked)?

Zoe’s Book Reviews

I Eat Words

What’s Your Story

I check those blogs out practically everyday :)

Do you have a “Book Fairy”? If so, who?

Without a doubt, Zoe is my book fairy. She is always lending me books, giving me books, and telling me about awesome authors.

Do you parents know about your blog?

Yes, and they enjoy telling all of my family to check out my blog on Facebook. They’re all very supportive. :)

Do you receive books for review from Publishers/Authors?

Occasionally I will get a request from a self-published author to review their e-book. Other than that, I get some e-Books from Netgalley and the Simon & Schuster’s Galley Grab program.

How often do you post on your blog?

I used to post every day, but then I started getting busy and in a book slump, so it was more like every other day, to once or twice a week, to a couple times a month. I took a little break and now I’m re-energized and excited to hopefully be posting every day! :)

What memes do you do?

“In My Mailbox”, which is hosted by The Story Siren

“‘Waiting On’ Wednesday” which is hosted by 

“TBR Stack” for the upcoming month

“Monthly Recap”

And I just started a new meme called “Who’s On The Cover?”

What book did you review first?

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

How do you handle a negative review?

I haven’t written that many negative reviews, but when I do I definitely don’t just bash on the book. I try to be respectful to the author who wrote the book, and I like to include something that I did like about the book. I usually include that the book wasn’t right for me, but that maybe someone else would like it.

Do you like to review your books right after you read them?

I used to, but then I started getting behind on them, and was writing the reviews a couple of days after reading the books. I try not to let the time elapsed between reading the book and writing the review get too big so that the book is still fresh in my mind when I write about it.

What other websites do you have associated with your blog (linked)?

Goodreads

Twitter (@laurapratz)

Facebook

What do you like best about blogging?

I love the blogging community. Everyone’s so nice and easy to talk to, and it’s really great to be able to write and rant about books that I like or don’t like, instead of trying to talk to my mom or a friend about it, because most of the time they don’t even know what  I’m talking about. I have some friends that enjoy reading, but most of them haven’t read the same books that I have. It’s nice to post about a book and have people who’ve read the book talk about it with me and be able to have an in depth discussion.

Another great thing about blogging is being able to talk with authors. Before I started blogging, I always thought authors were like celebrities, and that they were too busy to talk to their fans/readers. I quickly realized that most of them are really down to earth, and love talking to bloggers/readers.

Lastly, I love finding out about books through other blogs and bloggers’ recommendations. I think it’s cool that I can discover books similar to what I like, but also that I can expand my horizons with books from genres I don’t normally read.

I'M BACK!

The title pretty much explains it all!

I took about a month off from blogging to get caught up on reading and write some blog posts, and I am very excited to be getting back into the routine of things, and hopefully having a post up everyday. :)

I was going to come back on the fifteenth, but I was just too anxious to start blogging again.

I have lots of new things planned for The Cover, and I can't wait to share them with you.

Thanks for sticking with me.

--Laura