Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read & Parajunkee.This week's question is:

Q: Have you had a character that disappointed you? One that you fell in love with and then “broke up” with later on in either the series or a stand-alone book? Tell us about him or her.

The character that I recently fell 'in and out of love with' would have to be Gabriel from The Chemical Garden Trilogy, Wither & Fever by Lauren DeStefano. He comes to mind because I just finished reading Fever (read my review here) In Wither he comes across as kind and gentle, and very naive which made him very endearing. But in Fever he isn't that endearing at all. Instead of going after the woman he is supposedly in love with and fighting for her like guy in love would do, he stays locked away in his mansion with his other wife! And he leaves his evil, sadistic father to go out and capture her once again! I'm crossing my fingers that maybe he will redeem himself in the last book because, I do still have a soft spot for him. Gabriel, man up and fight for your lady! 

Reading Blues: We all get them from time to time. What helps you over come those reading slumps when nothing seems to grab your attention?
There has to be nothing worse than reading slumps. I hate them! I don't really have a set method on how to get rid of them but, like G mentioned in her post, they happen to occur always after I've finished an absolutely, down-right amazing book. Sometimes I just have to give myself a day to process the fantastic book I just read, come to terms with the story ending and then I push myself into another book that I've been excited to start reading. Once I'm in the middle of another book that I'm really enjoying, that's the end of my reading slump. If you have a remedy that you find works really well, please share it. I would love to get some new ideas as to what to do the next time I find myself in a slump. 

Thanks for stopping by and, if you're a new follower, welcome! Leave links in the comments and I'll follow back!

 Have a wonderful weekend!

Follow Friday!

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read & Parajunkee.This week's question is:

Q: Have you ever looked at a book’s cover and thought, 'this is going to horrible' but was instead pleasantly surprised? Show us the cover and tell us about the book.

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.|Goodreads|

The book I was most skeptical about when I started reading it was Fallen by Lauren Kate. It was my first shot at an angel story and I was not so sure if I would enjoy it. About halfway through I almost gave up because it definitely was not working for me, but then my best friend Gillian (over at Bookworms Conner) convinced me to carry on and I'm really glad I did. I ended up completely hooked on the series and I devoured Torment and Passion, and I cannot wait for Rapture to be released later this year!

Thanks for checking out my blog and for the follow!

*Bloggers leave links & I'll follow back!*

Follow Friday & TGIF

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read & Parajunkee.This week's question is:

Q: Define what characteristics your favorite books share. Do they all have a kickass heroine or is the hot love interest the Alpha Male?

My favorite books have one main thing in common and it is that each main character is a very strong minded individual who stands up for what they believe in and isn't afraid to fight for the people they love. Their situations are all very different (because I don't like to stick to one main plot theme in books) but they are all characters that I respect and admire, and they are good role models and provide inspiration to the readers. Here are some of my favorite characters: Rhine from Wither by Lauren DeStefano; Isabella Swan from The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer; Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins; Jackson Meyer from Tempest by Julie Cross and Karo from Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

TGIF is hosted by GReadsBooks. This week's question is:

Book Appeal: When you're browsing Goodreads, the library, or another blogger's reviews, what grabs your attention to make you want to read it?

I hate to admit it but the first thing that grabs my attention is (of course!) the cover. If the covers is eye catching or different to the ones next to (if on a shelf in a bookstore) then I will gravitate towards it. But even if the cover doesn't appeal to me I will still check out the synopsis to see what the story is about and if it is interesting. I also like to read other people's reviews to get an idea of what people thought of the book as a whole. But I will still buy a book that has a plot line that I'm interested in, even if it has one or two not so great reviews. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Leave a link in comments & I'll follow back! Have a wonderful weekend! 

Follow Friday

My Friday post is a little late for me but it's still Friday somewhere in the world.Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read & Parajunkee.This week's question is:
Many readers/bloggers are also big music fans. Tell us about a few of your favorite bands/singers that we should listen to in 2012.

I am a big music fan but I'm very particular about what I really enjoy listening to. I'm happy to have the latest pop number going quietly in the background but I'm definitely more of an alternative type. Here hare some of my absolute favourites at the moment: 
The Black Keys:If you haven't heard any of their songs by now, what are you waiting for? They are amazing and their songs give off the awesome vibe. 




Foster the People:This band's songs are so much fun! Whenever I heard the music it makes me feel like a kid again, and when is that ever a bad thing?



Florence and the Machine:Escapism. That's how I describe the music of Florence and the Machine. When a book doesn't do it for me, I put on her album and I can just lose myself in her music. 



Share your favorite bands in the comments! Leave a link to your blog and I'll follow back. Have a great weekend and happy reading!

Follow Friday & TGIF

What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to books? Maybe you don't like love triangles or thin plots? Tell us about it!
My pet peeves would have to include: 

• thin, under developed characters. It irritates me when a character is placed as in a certain role in a story and then they aren't fully explored or developed. It always makes me think of what could have been.
• love stories that happen over night. Come on, you can't fall head over heels in love with someone in two days and have it be real and meaningful.
• whenever I pick up a book and the story line begins like this: Girl moves to new town, girl starts new school, girls spots mysterious yet alluring boy from across the hallway, boy avoids girl for a week, next thing you know, girl & boy are completely & hopelessly in love with each other and are ready to stake their lives upon their relationship. This story line has been explored and done before countless times, and yes it has worked over the years, but now it's just plain boring. Any book that starts out like this you can skip to about halfway through and then you'll get to the interesting part of the story. Books like this, I avoid like the plague.

What are some of your pet peeves?

TGIF is hosted by Greadsbooks.com

Writing Reviews 101: What's your process for writing book reviews? 

My process of reviewing begins as soon as I pick up a book I know I'm going to be reviewing for the blog. I pride myself on taking time to read my books. I find that it helps in getting to know the characters really well and, it gives me a chance to really visualize the story and what's happening in each scenario. It's very rare for me to finish a book in two days. Once I've read the book I normally like to gather my thoughts and opinions on it, so I won't rush to my computer to write up a review. 

When writing I like to be as meticulous as I can with my grammar and spelling (although some mistakes can slip through. I'm only human). I can't have music or too much noise around me, so I make sure everything is quiet. I also like to check out Goodreads to see what other people had to say about the book. Maybe there is a thought shared that I hadn't considered or a different opinion on something that happened. I like to try and keep my reviews completely spoiler free but sometimes you can't share a thought without divulging a certain scene or plot line. I always keep my review honest and if I don't like something then I going to say I don't like it. 

Once I have finished my review I always double and sometimes triple check it. When I happy with everything, I post it. 

What is your method for reviewing books? Share your thoughts in the comments. I love hearing from fellow bloggers!

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy whatever book you're reading!

 

Follow Friday & TGIF

It's Friday again and that means it's time for Follow Friday hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read!This week's question:

In light of 11.11.11 and Veteran's Day tell us about your favorite soldier and how he or she is saving the world. (Fictional or real life):

I don't know any real life soldiers so I'm going to go fiction on this one. My favorite solider has Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. I consider a soldier considering everything she goes through to fight for the freedom of her family and the people around her. She exposed the corruption and greed amongst the people in power and she fought to stop it. She is brave, selfless and very admirable. I loved reading her story and I can't wait to see how the movie turns out!

TGIF is hosted by GReadsBooks. This week's question is:

Love-Hate Relationship: Which characters from a book do you love to hate?

There aren't many characters that I would say I hate but one character the recently had me really annoyed was Four aka Tobias from Divergent by Veronica Roth. I hated the way he was so mean all the time. The guy was like an impenetrable wall. He does redeem himself in the end and, when the whole truth about his past is discovered, you can understand why he is the way he is. But still he had me really annoyed all the while I was reading Divergent. I am excited to see how his character changes in Insurgent though.

So Happy Friday everyone! Don't forget to check out and enter my International Giveaway I'm hosting at the moment, and share your answers in the comments!

Have a great weekend readers!

Follow Friday #4

It's Friday again and that means it's time for Follow Friday hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read!This week's question:

Q.If you could pick one character in a book, movie or television show to swap places with, who would it be?

Book-I would have to swap places with Katniss from The Hunger Games because she is so fierce and tough, and she goes on such an incredible journey that I would want to experience for myself. Also, being an older sibling, I understand her determination to fight for her family and also to protect her sister, so I find that I have that in common with her.

I also loved Tris from Divergent because she starts out all innocent and a little cowardly but through the story she becomes so much stronger and more capable, and I found that really endearing. So I would definitely want to swap places with her. Plus I would get to jump off a couple of buildings which would be really cool.

Movie-I would want to swap places with Keira Knightley in either Pride & Prejudice, because I loved that movie (and the book as well, of course) or Pirates of the Caribbean because those movies are epic and I would love to go on a truly thrilling adventure just like that. 

T.V Show-I would want to swap with Elena from the Vampire Diaries! Hands down that would be my choice! Who wouldn't want not one, but two, hot vampires lusting over you? 

So what would your choices be? Let me know in the comments. And happy Friday everyone!

Follow Friday #3

Q. What book that hasn't been turned into a movie (yet) would you most like to see make it to the big screen, and who would you like cast as your favorite character?

I would love to see the Fallen series by Lauren Kate be adapted to the big screen. I think they are in the process of doing so but I'm not sure. As to whom I would cast, I'm really terrible at picking actors/actresses because I have very strong images in my head of each character, but I think Ian Somerhalder would make a really good Cam. The character really reminded me of Damon from The Vampire Diaries so I think that's why, to me, Ian would portray Cam really well on screen. My pick for Luce is a little difficult. Her resilient nature reminded me very much of Kristen Stewart but I wouldn't cast her because she's just finished the whole Twilight franchise. But I would like to someone similar cast as Luce. Someone who has a strong on screen presence, who is tough and independent and looks like she's just going to kick butt. And as long as whoever they cast as Daniel is 'easy on the eyes', then I wont mind!

What book would you like to see adapted to screen and who would you cast? 

Feature & Follow Friday #2

Thanks to Alison Can Read and Parajunkee for hosting!

Q. In some books like the Sookie Stackhouse series the paranormal creature in question "comes out of the closet" and makes itself known to the world. Which mythical creature do you wish this would happen with in real life?

Hhm... interesting question. At the moment I am really into books that have angels as main characters, like the Fallen series or the book I'm currently reading, Halo. So I have to say I would love it if angels "came out" in real life. I think that would be awesome! Just imagine having an epic romance with an angel, like Luce and Daniel! My dreams will just have to suffice. Don't forget to share your answers in the comments! Have an awesome Friday YA Readers! 

Feature & Follow Friday #1

We are now part of Feature & Follow Friday hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Thank you to these 2 amazing book review blogs for hosting this wonderful feature!! We really appreciate it!!