waiting on wednesday 04.13.11

Waiting on Wednesday is a book meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. What future releases are you anxiously waiting for?



Glow (Sky Chasers #1)

Author: Amy Kathleen Ryan
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: 27 September 2011
Pages: 320


First off, I love the cover! It's simple yet elegant, and I'm all for images within O's. Here's a little summary...


What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?

Out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the New Horizon. On its way to populate a distant planet in the wake of Earth's collapse, the ship's crew has been unable to conceive a generation to continue its mission. They need young girls desperately, or their zealous leader's efforts will fail. Onboard their sister ship, the Empyrean, the unsuspecting families don't know an attack is being mounted that could claim the most important among them...

Fifteen-year-old Waverly is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space; she was born on the Empyrean, and the large farming vessel is all she knows. Her concerns are those of any teenager—until Kieran Alden proposes to her. The handsome captain-to-be has everything Waverly could ever want in a husband, and with the pressure to start having children, everyone is sure he's the best choice. Except for Waverly, who wants more from life than marriage—and is secretly intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

But when the Empyrean faces sudden attack by their assumed allies, they quickly find out that the enemies aren't all from the outside.

Glow is the most riveting series debut since The Hunger Games, and promises to thrill and challenge readers of all ages.


I can't wait! Basically, I'll be into any book that's put in comparison to The Hunger Games, because really, how could I resist? And if the book's already bound for a series deal, it must be worth a read. Only 5+ months to wait... Sigh.

new design giveaway

So I don't know if you all check out Siobian over at The Owl Bookmark Blog, but she's currently hosting a giveaway for a new custom design! One lucky blogger will win a package including:

ê custom header
ê custom background
ê link bar with up to 5 buttons
ê signature
ê blog button with code
ê custom rating system for reviews
ê custom colors to match new design
ê installation

I know I will definitely be participating. My blog needs a revamping! If you guys feel the same way, be sure to check this out!

Siobian's Awesomely Original Design!

review: Breathing Underwater

YUM.
Do you guys have an Einstein's near your house? We have one on campus, and I'm completely addicted now. My friend suggested I try the Cookies & Creme Frap, and it's like a mouthful of heaven every time you take a sip... highly recommended!
And now, onto the review.




Breathing Underwater

Author: Alex Flinn
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: 1 October 2002
Pages: 263

  
Like father,
like son
Intelligent, popular, handsome, and wealthy, sixteen-year-old Nick Andreas is pretty much perfect — on the outside, at least. What no one knows — not even his best friend — is the terror that Nick faces every time he is alone with his father. Then he and Caitlin fall in love, and Nick thinks his problems are over. Caitlin is the one person who he can confide in. But when things start to spiral out of control, Nick must face the fact that he's gotten more from his father than green eyes and money.


Luna's Take:

First thing: DON'T be repelled by this book solely because it was first published over 8 years ago and thus considered "ancient" in the ever-progressing bloggosphere. I had read something else of Flinn's, Beastly, over the summer, and I really liked her storyline, so I decided to try out another of her works.

Let me just say, it's a decision I definitely don't regret. Upon the first 50 pages or so, I really thought Nick was a fairly average guy, albeit one with some serious anger management issues. We find that his ex-girlfriend Caitlin put a restraining order on him because he allegedly treated her poorly, although we don't find exactly what that entails until nearly the end of the novel. However, throughout journal entries that Nick writes, I initially deduced that all that happened was him hitting Caitlin. Once.

Not to say I support abusive relationships, because I am 110% against them. It's just that with all that Nick's been through, I sort of understood where his anger came from. He shouldn't have hit his girlfriend, sure, but he really didn't know how to ask for help, who to tell, and so on and so forth. If you think I'm crazy though, don't feel afraid to disagree!

As I read on, I realized there was a bucketload of things readers weren't privy to from the get-go. I personally did not like Caitlin as a character. To me, she seems kind of weak and meager for the majority of the book, someone who can't really speak up for herself when it counts. 

All in all, I suggest picking up a copy of Breathing Underwater for an intense ride.

Rating: 4/5

in my mailbox #1

In My Mailbox is a book meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Be sure to join in the fun and share your IMM! 

Gahh second post today, I'm on a roll!
Anyways, I figure that since I had such a huge shipment of books that landed on my doorstep the other day, I should share my list with you guys. :)
I would post up a picture of all my fabulous books, but unfortunately, I forgot to do that when I was back home, and now I'm in my dorm again... Sad. Probably won't be going back in a while, so I'll just post up higher-quality images of all the books I received! Here they are...


 

Hourglass by Claudia Gray


 

Sleepless by Thomas Fahy


 

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

  

Inside Out
by Maria V. Snyder


 

Crash Test Love by Ted Michael


 

Breathing Underwater
by Alex Flinn


 

Teach Me by R.A. Nelson


 

Girl Parts by John M. Cusick




 


Ruby Unscripted
by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma 

 
 

Intertwined by Gena Showalter


 

If I Stay by Gayle Forman




One Day by David Nicholls




Swoon by Nina Malkin






Taken By Storm
by Angela Morrison





The Maze Runner
 by James Dashner





 

Infinite Days
by Rebecca Maizel


 

The Secret Year
by Jennifer R. Hubbard


 

Falling Under
by Gwen Hayes




Strange Angels
by Lili St. Crow


 

The Tear Collector
by Patrick Jones





The Trouble With Mr. Darcy
by Sharon Lathan



Sorry for the weird spacing. I'm not... how do you say, "computer-savvy." Anyways, don't they look awesome?! I love getting tons of books all at once, clearly. And I don't feel embarrassed telling you guys, since I know you're all book nerds at heart! Don't deny... I can't even decide which cover is my favorite. Sleepless? Twenty Boy Summer? The Secret Year?
If you all have any suggestions as to which I should attack first, comment away! And also tell
me whether you'd prefer me to review one over the others.

*EDIT 04/10/11
So I went over to my friend's place and was on her computer, checking out my blog (how vain of me, I know). She has a Mac, and I realized how my IMM looks horribly disfigured! Just saying, I have a Dell and this post looks alright on my laptop... So I guess I'm just saying, sorry if this looks really horrible on your Mac! I'll try and gain some computer skills by next time...

wishlist #1

Hey all!
So I don't know if you guys visit Isalys & Vanessa @ Book Soulmates, but each month, they host something called Random Acts of Kindness. I've snatched one of their buttons, so you can go ahead and check it out on the right, but basically, it's where bloggers post up their own wishlists then check out other blogger's lists to see if they can make their dreams come true... in a "random act of kindness!" :)
I think the theory behind this idea is simply brilliant, and I can't wait to participate! Anyways, the following is my current wishlist. Just a disclaimer, this is definitely the shortened version - my original one is wayy too long.
So here goes!

1) Lies (Gone #3) by Michael Grant - paperback
2) City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Insturments #4) by Cassandra Clare
3) Wither (Chemical Garden #1) by Lauren DeStefano
4) Entwined by Heather Dixon
5) Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer
6) Leap by Jodi Lundgren
7) The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff
8) Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison
9) By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters
10) My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares

Good luck to all the other bloggers out there participating in RAK - hope I can help you out, too!

review: Where I Belong

Hola! Hope everyone's having a nice day so far. As for me, the weather's been great recently! A little cool, but that's the way I like it, really. Nice and crisp. And now, to the review!



Where I Belong

Author: Gwendolyn Heasley
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: 8 February 2011
Pages: 289

Meet Corrinne. She's living every girl's dream in New York City—shopping sprees at Barneys, open access to the best clubs and parties, and her own horse at the country club. Her perfect life is perfectly on track. At least it was. . . .
When Corrinne's father is laid off, her world suddenly falls apart. Instead of heading to boarding school, she's stripped of her credit cards and shipped off to the boonies of Texas to live with her grandparents. On her own in a big public school and forced to take a job shoveling manure, Corrinne is determined to get back to the life she's supposed to be living. She doesn't care who she stomps on in the process. But when Corrinne makes an unlikely friend and discovers a total hottie at work, she begins to wonder if her life B.R.—before the recession—was as perfect as it seemed.


Luna's Take:

When we first meet Corrinne, she's a total brat. Take all the stereotypes you have about snobby rich girls, multiply it by 3.14159, and you have our main character. When she finds out that her once opulent father lost his job, she completely blows her top. Because, she won't be able to buy designer clothes anymore! Or go to that super snazzy boarding school! And let's not even talk about her having to move all the way to hick-ville Texas in order to accomodate their lack of cash flow.

As we progress through the book, she does mature a bit, but not as much as I would've hoped. In this way, I was disappointed in the book. As a cover-judger, I thought this might've been more amazing, profound, whatever... But my hopes were left in the dust. Sigh. The ending was not red carpet worthy, either.

That's not saying this doesn't make a good light read, because it really does. Just a forewarning though - if you're looking for a book with more meat, don't choose this one.

Rating: 3/5

the hunger games movie casting: peeta & gale

Hey all!

Sorry I'm a little late on the uptake for this one, school's been pretty killer lately. Anyways, I was surfing the net just now and came upon this little gem: the casting for for Peeta and Gale in The Hunger Games movie has been announced! Let's see our men of the hour...

Josh Hutcherson starring as Peeta Mellark

Liam Hemsworth starring as Gale Hawthorne

What do you guys think? I have to admit, I was a little disappointed when Jennifer Lawrence snatched the role of Katniss. With respect to acting, I do believe she's perfect for the role; her Oscar nomination speaks for itself! But as for appearance-wise, I think she's a little too all-American for my tastes. Personally, I thought Hailee Steinfield parallels Katniss's looks better. Though it might have been her age that impeded her from landing the role, who knows?

Anyways, onto the guys.

Before I get into anything else, let me just mention one thing.

HOW IN THE WORLD did Josh get so smoldering hot?! All I remember of him is from the movie Bridge to Terabithia, which was in 2007, sure, but still. He's grown up so much! No more do rag hairstyle for him! I know, I know, "do rag" makes no sense here. It's just the phrase I use to describe the hair some guys have - you know the type - slightly too long, flippy, with an air of unkemptness. Like JB style, tenfold.

But as for his similarity to Peeta... ? Where are the blonde locks? The bright blue eyes? It may be picky of me to mention, but for once, I'd like casters of a novel-adapted-movie to pick actors who can both act AND look the part. Sigh. Josh does give an air of sensitivity though, at least to me. I feel he can at least act the part.

Now I've never watched The Last Song, but that may just be due to the fact that I don't approve of Miley. So I don't know if Liam can act, AND I don't like his looks, especially when comparing him to intense, passionate Gale. Liam's a bit too pale and light-haired for the part, but who knows? With some sun and a dye job, he may do just fine. At least he's got a cool name going on for him.

Any thoughts from you fellow bloggers?