The Paper Critic

[Flashback Friday] - #27

Flashback Friday is a weekly event, hosted here, that highlights a past released that we're dying to get our hands on...

See something you like here?
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Title: Before You Go

Author: James Preller

Release Date: May 7th, 20162

The summer before his senior year, Jude (yes, he’s named after the Beatles song) gets his first job, falls in love for the first time, and starts to break away from his parents. Jude’s house is kept dark, and no one talks much—it’s been that way since his little sister drowned in a swimming pool seven years ago when Jude was supposed to be watching her.

Now, Jude is finally, finally starting to live. Really live. And then, life spins out of control. Again.

Acclaimed author James Preller explores life, death, love, faith, and resilience in his first young adult novel that will grip readers from the book’s dramatic first few pages to its emotional end.

My Stance:

Before You Go, I haven't ever heard of prior to needing to fill this segment. Lately I have been running out of older books that I am interested in, and been forced to have to get out of my comfort zone. Which is a good thing if you ask me. I want to see new topics, new authors and ultimately read new tales from a different perspective. I love how the end of this synopsis talks about how great James Preller is, and I have never heard of. Sorry, but I believe the synopsis of the book should be left to the introduction of the book, not some pep-talk for the author.

Anyways, the character of Jude sounds promising. A story about a guy who is dealing with the loss of his sister. If It was me that was dealing with the lose, I would agree with Jude. Pulling completely inside of myself and nearly talking to no one. Granted it's not the best way to deal with, all the bottled up emotions and no way to vent the anger and the sorrow. So that makes this book, and Jude relatable.

However when he falls in love, and begins to live again his world spins upside down. I wonder, if he managed to move on, what would it take for all the emotion and the crumpled world? That's the question that is lingering in the back of my mind, and makes me want to pick this book up and read it quickly. If his world collapses again, and he is faced with moving on completely and persevering through the turmoils and ultimately forgiving himself, what is it that he sacrificed (if anything) along the way?

Title: Fracture

Author: Megan Miranda

Series: #1 - Fracture

Format: Hardcover
Release Date: January 17th, 2012
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0

      Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

     Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

     For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.

My Review:

That last line of the synopsis should be removed. I thought this book was a bit above an average read, but I didn't find this as emotional or inspiring as both Before I Fall and If I Stay. Yes this book made me think, and made me want to live, and be happy while I am still alive. However, there just wasn't that same personal attachment to the characters as before.

Delaney, seemed to be this happy go lucky girl and afraid to try anything, but when her best friend and neighbor drags her out and unto a frozen lake everything changes. Her world goes completely upside down, when she falls into the lake and can't get out. Eleven minutes she is submerged in the lake, and beyond all odds and all scientific reason she lives. Her happy go lucky world changes.

What I liked the most about this book wasn't the main character in fact, it was the other two off characters. Troy and Decker. Decker being her all time best friend, changes after her death, blaming himself for all her problems and her near death. What I would think is that after that experience he would be more protective of her, yet he goes against that and seems to distance himself.

While Decker distances himself, Delaney finds Troy who claims to be like her. They both can see or feel when people are going to die shortly. Troy at first seems like a genuine character, that he has an overall interest in Delaney, yet as the book continues, Troy's persona twists and his true character unravels before Delaney. Troy is more twisted and his thought process on what to do with the "death visions" is so radical that I am not sure it is rightfully normal.

Troy and Decker's completely different personas rightfully make this book interesting compared to Delaney, who is boring, and mildly childish. Delaney, is thought to be a miracle child and throughout the book she is viewed by her peers and classmates as that. Pity and sorrow is all that the teens view of her, and she hates it. She hates how her friends and family treat her, and most of all how Decker treats her. It is the lack of affection and twisting of Decker and her relationship that she turns to Troy.

The issue I have with Delaney and the sole reason I hate her character was the fact she never did anything about how people viewed her at all. There was one scene, after a character's death that she was with, Delaney goes to his funeral and her sister yells at her, everyone looks at her as if she's some stranger. Ultimately Delaney ends up leaving the funeral, without a single word. It's this that I hate, she's so squelched and silent, that her own sorrow and how she is almost emo to a fault. I wish she would speak up, and have a voice.

The end of this book was rather lackluster too, I anticipated it and nearly a third through the book I understood what was going to happen. The complete lack of character in Delaney nearly brought tears to my eyes, and if there was more time in this book to build her character better, give her a better personality, this could have gone further. Troy was predictable when you finally got to see inside of his head. There just isn't anything really to say about this book, other than it just barely above average.

[Stacking the Shelves] - #27

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your bookshelf, be it the physical one or your digital one!

While I have been a bit behind, I have started a new habit, I am trying to get back in shape and pick up a healthy lifestyle. Reading books all day, and working at a computer doesn't do so great for the health, so I figured it was a change. However, I was looking at the blog and I needed to work on the posts and the new material. As well, I am trying to keep my twitter account active, that's not as easy as I thought it would be.

This week on Mailbox Monday, is a series of books that I picked up recently. The first few may be a bit girly, but I will be honest, I do enjoy a good romance and a heartfelt book. I have been known to cry during books, but its not that often. I hope these books bring the same quality and have the same emotional involvement. However, that's not all the books I got, I bought a few sci-fi novels home and a few newer books, I hope you enjoy them all.

Mailbox Pickup:

Title:Catching Jordan
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Format: Hardback
Release Date: December 1st, 2011

ONE OF THE BOYS

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.

But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line?

Catching Jordan isn't one of my normal reads, and frankly my audience may be a bit surprised to see this on the stand this week. I am a bit girly at times and I love good emotional twisters as well as my other dystopian novels, as well. I will dispel the rumor now before it starts, No someone did not refer this book to me, I picked it up on my own.

What inspires and makes me want to jump into this book, is that we see a girl who is in a position that normally wouldn't be allowed. I don't know of many girls that are quarterbacks, or well any. I did know a girl who did play on the football team, so we got that. However, she has made a reputation for herself as one of the guys, and I don't understand how that can be. When Ty shows up, she realizes that maybe things aren't all that similar between her and the guys. The other thing I wonder is does she play games with them? IF so where does she change?

Title: Gone Girl
Author: Gillian Flynn
Format: Hardback
Release Date: May 24th, 2010

Marriage can be a real killer.

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

Here is another one of the books that I am not at all ashamed to say I picked up. After reading numerous reviews on this book I had to add it to my collection, which all raved about how great this book was and the work Flynn puts out. While I understand this book and what it entails, I am not sure it's going to be one of my favorite books to read. So why did I pick it up? Well lets get into that.

I love the idea that Nicks wife runs off on him. Makes me immediately jump to the question of Why? I will say that's maybe 75% of the reason I picked this book up. As well, everything begins to believe it was Nick. While I don't believe that, that would be a perfect twist mid book, but wouldn't end well and I don't see how it could be pulled off. The mystery, and the suspense of trying to find that missing wife sounds good, and caught my eye.

Title:Gravity
Author: Melissa West
Format: Paperback
Release Date: December 18th, 2012

In the future, only one rule will matter:

Don’t. Ever. Peek.

Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed — arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die.

Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know — especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.

Gravity, there is so much potential and ... well utter confusion in this synopsis. First off I will start with how I adore the premise of the book. Ari is falling for a boy, and what he expects of her will betray her family and her country she has grown up and adored. That sounds like a decision most of us would think twice on when a relationship starts, so I wonder what choice and decisions will be given to Ari in this book.

The confusing part of this synopsis comes in two forms. First there is the whole alien and Jackson bit. Is he an alien or human? Two different governing societies, in which Ari's views the other as an alien? If so, than how does he end up in theirs, hovering over Ari and she doesn't report him right away? That whole bit of ifs and jumping to conclusions just doesn't bode well for me. Lastly the bit where Ari is some super trained woman of the government. I don't believe for one bit that any government would give some of the most priced secrets to a teen. That whole bit of security and falling into the wrong hands bit. I am a bit worried on this book, but it has promise.

Title: Pivot Point
Author: Kasie West
Format: Hardback
Release Date: February 12th, 2013

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?" As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms," or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

Pivot Point is one of those books that caught my eye right away. A searcher, a more of time soothsayer of sorts, who can see into the future. I have a simple question for this title, how far can one search into the future. And is there other powers that need to be looked at. But with those powers, the responsibility of the actions and the weight of every decision comes full to bear. I honestly don't know what I would do if I would absolutely know what would happy before I made a decision and both outcomes as well.

What I don't understand the most though about this book, is that she only sees two outcomes? What I believe and what I think most is that the future is infinite. No one decision or choice makes the future complete and exact, so in that sense wouldn't she be able to see many more than just two? I understand, if West was referring to the decision of who to live with, but somehow I doubt that is the case.

Title: Mind Games
Author: Kiersten White
Format: Hardback
Release Date: February 19th, 2013

Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future.

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways…or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.

In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heart stoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other—no matter the cost.

This book, has been on my radar about as much as Pivot Point was, and it excites me over and over to see it on my shelf. The reason I am excited and enthralled about this book, is the paranormal realm of this book. Kiersten White, author of the infamous Paranormalcy series, already has the world of the paranormal down and has a good name for herself made already.

This book brims with the sisterhood and the closeness of family, but thrown into a world in which the government forces you to go against your will that choice is clouded. Fia born with flawless instincts? What does that mean, what does it entail? That doesn't seem all too impressive when compared to that of her Sister, Annie. Annie can see into the future, and who knows what the government wants to use that power for.

I hope for the best of all things, that this book pours with the paranormal, and yet keeps the two sisters together. The curiosity of wanting to know what the government is after is getting to me, and ultimately pushes me further to want to get this book. The Mind Games, a world in which what is being fought over is what is in our mind.

[Waiting on Wednesday ] - #24

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

See something you like here?
Click the book title to add it to your Goodreads TBR List!

Title: The 5th Wave

Author: Rick Yancey

Release Date: May 7th, 2013

The Passage meets Ender’s Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

My Stance:

I will be honest, I have been following this book for a while, and I almost can't control my excitement that it's almost here. I love how the synopsis opens with talking about Rick Yancey, sad thing is, I have never heard of him and that first opening line means almost nothing to me. So we aren't off to a good start at all.

First off I will say that I may be a bit bias on this book, because I love extraterrestrial and the mere thought of what it would be like when they arrived. I am not saying that it'll be peaceful at all, I hope it is; however, I am interested in hearing other people's perception of what it would be like. Which is why I love this book so much, the thought that aliens come and from the waves it sounds like they are here to conquer and rule. Yet, they aren't like the land and take over, or maybe they look like humans. That's the question lingering.

Now while I look at this synopsis over and over I revel in the idea that Cassie is on her own and trying to make a living and struggling to keep herself along and alive. She has grown accustomed to the idea that if you group up and manage to make friends, they will only hold you back and hinder your decision making and in the end your survival. However, when Evan walks in (Ha! I get his last name!) he changes everything. So maybe Cassie's view on being alone changes, but it would mean it would give her something to fight for, something to protect. From where I stand, that's always stronger than being alone.

I hope this book is what I am looking for, and I hope that the aliens are vicious and ruthless as well. But I get the feeling that we won't ever see them. Which could be a good thing, because it brings the idea of This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers to mind. In order to make the aliens that suspenseful though, we'll need something, some sort of push that instills them in our mind for the rest of the book.

[Featured Discussion] - Save the Books!

This is a new segment, Featured Discussion. Where, I am looking at heading with this segment is more of a opinion based discussion. There is some that will be true and fact, but for the main part I want a good discussion, and I want people to chime in and talk. I will make my opinion and comments known as well. However please, PLEASE do not insult or degrade anyone else.

Featured Discussion:

This week I have a topic that's been on my radar for a long while and it isn't until recently that I felt that something needed done. Yes I read, a lot. I wish I had more time to read and get involved in the whole reading world, but that's not why I am here. Most of you who read books like I do, I am not talking about eBooks or the digital scene, I am talking about physical books found in libraries and bookstores, and even homes all across the world; have begun to notice that the bookstores have been dwindling and there aren't as many of them around as there used to be, which is a very sad thing to happen.

What brought this to my attention and finally made me speak was a while back James Patterson took out a series of ads in the Publishers Weekly, and I was happy enough to post it for you all to see, and I hope you enjoy it. But he took it step further and talked about what he was trying to convey, and the state books are in at the current moment. We all know books are in the process of becoming extinct; which I don't want to see at all.

"The Federal Government has stepped in to save banks, and the automobile industry, but where are they on the important subject of books? Why are there no impassioned editorials in influential newspapers or magazines?" The PW ad closed by stating: "Spread the word about our endangered books! Peel off this wraparound cover and share it with a friend or post it at your local bookstore or library."

Source: Publishers Weekly

First I urge you all to read the article, and talk to friends, and see what you can do to support books all across the world. This isn't a matter that's going to go away if we ignore it and don't talk about possible solutions that will actually fix the problem. I am not sure how to solve this solution myself or how I can help aid in the preservation of my beloved books.

What I got out of the ad that Patterson put out, was that he expects the government to help bail out the libraries and bookstores around the world and that be a possible solution. My view is slightly different and more active. Personally I want to feel more involved when I am trying to make a stand. I personally go out and buy books, the books I enjoy the most stay in my collection and the others that don't meet the quality of book that I'm looking for, I donate them to a library or to someone who needs them. I make sure to pass along my books so that others can enjoy them.

Now is that action going to save the state Bookshops and Libraries are in, more than likely not, but having the government come in and solve our issues for us, won't be the best solution. I believe that the state of libraries and books is beyond our control. I know that in today's people are constantly on the move and the people need to find a way to read the books that they are interested in. I love that people are trying to keep reading and involved in the book world.

Now while some say the issue is the digital world and how people can't stop enough to actually read a book, well I say the exact opposite. It's not about the digital world or how easy it is to write a story. Authors don't write books to make money, that's not why they are writing and if they are, you are reading the wrong authors. All the good books are written and shown to the world, it should only be fair that we pay for the material they produce, the work they did. It's them telling a story to us, not selling us a product, and for that reason I will continue buying books the way I do. The medium of the story/novel doesn't matter, it's the message of the story and what its worth to you.

I want you to think about this ad, and James Patterson's message. I want you all the think real hard on his question, because frankly I want to keep my libraries around and pass the books I buy on to my children. I want to take my children to a bookstore and show them where I found the best books and what authors to look for! I want to do it on my own will, not with the help of the government, but if they have to and if that would be the best solution, so be it. I want you all to put your heads together and band together for this issue. Save the books!

[Flashback Friday] - #26

Flashback Friday is a weekly event, hosted here, that highlights a past released that we're dying to get our hands on...

See something you like here?
Click the book title to add it to your Goodreads TBR List!

Title: Dead to You

Author: Lisa McMann

Release Date: February 7th, 2012

Some memories are better left untouched.

Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family.

It's a miracle... at first.

Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn't going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together.

But there's something that's keeping his memory blocked.

Something unspeakable...

My Stance:

While Dead to You has been on my list for a rather lengthy period of time, there just is something about this book that's keeping me on edge about it. I have come across it a few times and thought about it, but for one reason or another it's ended back up on the shelf. I do wish to read it still, but there is a lot of criticism about this book. A lot of the fellow bloggers I follow have posted rather mediocre reviews on this book, but they praise Lisa McMann constantly.

Now back to the book, this one spoke to me when I first got into book. I was wondering what the life of someone who has returned to his/her family after being kidnapped. While this is a boy, and the cover I believe is female, I won't hold any judgements based on that. Initially I wanted this to be a main character girl, because lets face it, girls are far far more emotional then what any guy can be. Lets see what Ethan brings to the table though.

What caught my eye though was how Ethan believes he's getting back into his normal family. I say this because what if his old family, the one that supposedly "kidnapped" him, was actually his real family. That would mean this new one would be a new kidnapping, and the government or social workers helped. It would be a great story, but not so emotional. However, there is talk of something happening to Ethan, before being reunited to his real parents; the question is what was that?

So since I made one initial jump into oblivion, lets make some more. What I thought when I just re-read the synopsis was what if, his real parents abused him and he ran away? While running away he got abducted, but part of him wished to stay on his own, and through time he did wish to go back. That would lead to a more traumatizing story, but I don't know if I could really get into that and enjoy it like I normally would. So I am curious to see what Ethan's secret is and what happened prior to his abduction.

Title: Ten

Author: Gretchen McNeil

Format: Hardcover
Release Date: September 18th, 2012
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0

     SHHHH!
     Don't spread the word!
     Three-day weekend. Party at White Rock House on Henry Island.
     You do NOT want to miss it.

     It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

     But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

     Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

My Review:

Ten was one of those books that slipped past my radar. It was a great read and when it put me on the edge of my seat, it kept me there through the rest of the book. I fell in love with this book almost immediately. The protagonist Meg was just so believable and represented a normal teenage girl who was trying to have fun and lead a normal life. She was nervous when the first got on the island that their friends party was going to take place.

While this is supposed to be a normal party, it ends up being everything but ordinary. From the synopsis you can tell that all the of teens at the party are being hunted. What got me the most about this story was the characters. The characters were amazing, and how Gretchen weaves a story between them and makes their each uniqueness intertwine between the characters. She does a great job making not only the characters believable, but understandable and relatable.

It's just a gradual learning through the book how the characters are involved, as they are slowly murdered in numerous ways. I thought the mystery would be a bit different, but my version of the mystery wouldn't do this justice at all, and I applaud McNeil for a wonderful job. I guarantee you won't figure out who the killer is, until all the pieces are put together for you. I thought I nailed who the killer was, but McNeil did it again and pulled the one trick out of her hat, and literally blew my mind.

Minnie was one of my favorite characters in this book. Mainly because she was so unstable. We understand that Minnie goes into this rage fits or something of that nature, or some sort of OCD meltdown; anyways, she for some reason keeps her cool for the beginning of the worst. When things start and her meltdown takes over she begins to burrow into herself and the trauma shows clearly all over her persona. I loved her the most out of all the character, because she is relates to how any normal person reacts and was a great distraction to keep your mind off the other issues and trying to figure out who the killer was.

A major issue I found was Meg, her character seemed to be pushed around more often than what she did at the party. There were more times at the party that Meg showed she was the one in control, she was the one taking charge of things and piecing together who the killer was, but when you look at the past it says complete opposite. You learn through the book, that Meg more often than not drops things, and bends over backwards for Minnie at any cost, and I found that frustrating. She's this push-over in her past, but in the present she's the one in charge; it just confused me more than it made sense.

The problem I have with books like these though, is the lack of re-readability. I can't re-read this unless I bury it in a hole and find it many years down the road and read it to one of my children (I don't have yet). On that note, I actually cannot wait to read to my children one day and share my passion with them. So I guess in that aspect it's got some, but nothing like a plot driven book has. Maybe that's why I don't normally go for Mysteries as often, they lack the re-readability I enjoy from time to time.

[Stacking the Shelves] - #26

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your bookshelf, be it the physical one or your digital one!

Okay yea, I am a bit behind again. I hope to catch up and I know I haven't caught up with my tardiness of last week. I hope to get around to it, and as well an update that should answer a lot of changes. I am going to ask your opinion in the update, and hope to see a lot of responses.

So this week there is a few new changes coming, but still the types of books are still very similar. I hope you enjoy the books I have picked up and I hope their quality meets your expectations as well as mine. I enjoy bringing you my mailbox, and what I receive and what I am reading!

Mailbox Pickup:

Title:Slated

Author: Teri Terry

Format: Hardback
Release Date: May 3rd, 2012

Kyla’s memory has been erased,
her personality wiped blank,
her memories lost for ever.

She’s been Slated.

The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?

Slated has been on my watch for a long while, it sounded like a great book. Something about how Kyla's memories are gone, and yet there is this underlying urge to get them back. I don't know if echo would be a great to describe it, yet the more I think about that word and how her past is coming back to her, it does fit. I love she's trying to guess her past, and who is the one to blame.

Where I don't sing praises for this book is it seems pretty one-dimensional. Find out why her memory was "Slated" and who is to blame, but after that there isn't much more to the story. From what I see this book lacks a relationship of any kind, and well any other character besides the main character. I hope there is more to this book than just a character questioning her society, and ultimately herself as well. Its a great start, just needs to be more.

Title: Soulbound

Author: Heather Brewer

Format: Hardback
Release Date: July 13th, 2010

Tril is a world where Barrons and Healers are Bound to each other: Barrons fight and Healers cure their Barrons' wounds in the ongoing war with the evil Graplar King. Seventeen-year-old Kaya was born a Healer, but she wants to fight. In Tril, and at Shadow Academy, where she is sent to learn to heal, it is against Protocol for Healers to fight. So Kaya must learn in secret. Enter two young men: One charming, rule-following Barron who becomes Bound to Kaya and whose life she must protect at all costs. And one with a mysterious past who seems bent on making Kaya's life as difficult as possible. Kaya asks both to train her, but only one will, and the consequences will change their lives forever.

Soulbound focuses on a tale we've all heard over and over, free-will. Tril is the land in which Healers must heal their Barrons, and Kaya being born as a Healer she must follow her Barron around and protect him. However, that life isn't what she has planned on, and isn't interested in at all. She goes against her lands protocol and finds a way to fight.

I love this book because it appeals on all sorts of levels. Right's in general, but if you wanted to make the leap you could say women's rights as well, but I prefer the larger picture, because it is all Healers who don't have the right to choose. Then normal caste system could be used as well because there doesn't seem to be any movement between Barron or Healers, other than what you are born into. I would go another step and say that because of Kaya in this book, I love how she strives and pushes forward to find a live that's fit for not only herself but the people of her world as well.

Title:Boundless

Author: Cynthia Hand

Format: Hardback
Release Date: January 22nd, 2013

The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California - and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must decide her fate once and for all.

Boundless is the final, or what I believe final bit of the Unearthly series. If you pay attention to my blog, I am currently reading Unearthly at the moment, I hope to get around to this book eventually. However let me speak of my problems with Unearthly so far. I am a good bit into the book, and I already hate the forming love triangle that is starting. She believes she's there to save someone, and yet I don't understand why she doesn't want to settle down. Okay the vision and the purpose. But still, there has to be some give and take, and while she's trying to find that person that she needs to save time is going through their fingers. I am curious what she needs to sacrifice to bring her heart peace. I am at a loss words, for how this book is going so far.

Title: Cold Fury

Author: Jodi Meadows

Format: Hardback
Release Date: January 29th, 2013

DARKSOULS
Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls–and the newsouls who may be born in their place.

SHADOWS
Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes and the unknown. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

LOVE
Ana was told that nosouls can’t love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection.

In this second book in the Newsoul trilogy, Ana discovers the truth about reincarnation and will have to find a way to embrace love and make her young life meaningful. Once again, Jodi Meadows explores the extraordinary beauty and shadowed depths of the soul in a story equal parts epic romance and captivating fantasy.

Asunder sequel to Incarnate, and while I am featuring it here, I haven't been able to get around to this book. It is on my list to get around to and all the praise that I've heard about Incarnate I'm sad its not further up on my list of books to read soon. I wish I had more time to get to the books I am interested in and the books that are highest on my list. Its sad to see the books you want to read soon and those books whose synopsis loves and speak to me each time I read them over and over, and yet that list grows larger and larger. Again I hope to get to Incarnate soon!

Title: Breaking Point

Author: Kristen Simmons

Format: Hardback
Release Date: February 12th, 2013

The second installment in Kristen Simmons's fast-paced, gripping YA dystopian series.

After faking their deaths to escape from prison, Ember Miller and Chase Jennings have only one goal: to lay low until the Federal Bureau of Reformation forgets they ever existed.

Near-celebrities now for the increasingly sensationalized tales of their struggles with the government, Ember and Chase are recognized and taken in by the Resistance—an underground organization working to systematically take down the government. At headquarters, all eyes are on the sniper, an anonymous assassin taking out FBR soldiers one by one. Rumors are flying about the sniper’s true identity, and Ember and Chase welcome the diversion….

Until the government posts its most-wanted list, and their number one suspect is Ember herself.

Orders are shoot to kill, and soldiers are cleared to fire on suspicion alone. Suddenly Ember can’t even step onto the street without fear of being recognized, and “laying low" is a joke. Even members of the Resistance are starting to look at her sideways.

With Chase urging her to run, Ember must decide: Go into hiding…or fight back?

Finally a book who I hated the main character for the large portion of the book. Ember, the girl who couldn't decide what she wanted to do. She ran off numerous times to find herself in more problems than when she started. As well, Chase protects her over and over. and yet she runs from him into turmoil time and time again. I love how this book gets worst and worst as far as how much trouble Ember finds herself in. While I love how Ember evolved in this book, there was much to be desired.

So this week I end on this brilliant note, the second book flushes out that feeling of Ember's weakness with the most wanted list. with the simple question and a common on in nearly every took, fight of flight; Ember is faced with a better decision than in the first book. While I enjoy this nature and how to bring Ember's true character out of hiding there is a better question on my mind. Who is that sniper, and while I would love to see it, it would be great it if was Embers mother. I have a suspicion, but I don't know how well it would fit in with the story.

[Waiting on Wednesday] - #23

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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Title: Teardrop

Author: Lauren Kate

Release Date: October 22nd, 2013

Never, ever cry. . . . Eureka Boudreaux's mother drilled that rule into her daughter years ago. But now her mother is gone, and everywhere Eureka goes he is there: Ander, the tall, pale blond boy who seems to know things he shouldn't, who tells Eureka she is in grave danger, who comes closer to making her cry than anyone has before.

But Ander doesn't know Eureka's darkest secret: ever since her mother drowned in a freak accident, Eureka wishes she were dead, too. She has little left that she cares about, just her oldest friend, Brooks, and a strange inheritance—a locket, a letter, a mysterious stone, and an ancient book no one understands. The book contains a haunting tale about a girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea. Eureka is about to discover that the ancient tale is more than a story, that Ander might be telling the truth . . . and that her life has far darker undercurrents than she ever imagined. From Lauren Kate comes an epic saga of heart-stopping romance, devastating secrets, and dark magic . . . a world where everything you love can be washed away.

My Stance:

Lauren Kate, author of the average Fallen Series. I don't mean to spin that series in any way; read it, and if you enjoy it I'm happy! There isn't anything a blogger enjoys most, other than sharing a good read, or something you enjoy and someone else finds it and enjoys it just as much as the blogger did. While I didn't enjoy Fallen the way some others have, it had the potential to be a rather good read. Now I believe that every author has the potential to put out a work that can change how I view the world, or better yet, how society views its people, and Teardrop is me trying to connect to Lauren Kate again.

   When I reread the synopsis in this book, I found that this could be a similar concept to the Fallen series. I absolutely don't want that, so here's to hoping that it won't. I just don't have my hopes up as much as I did before with this book. The thing is Eureka seems to be that unknowing, in the dark girl just like Lucinda was, and I hate that already. I want a unique character that's strong and independent.

   Then there is Ander, who reminds me much of Cam and Daniel from the Fallen series again, who for some reason knows more about Eureka's past than what she does. I hate how these characters are becoming more and more of a throw back to her previous story. It's like the same characters, just thrown into a new world, with a new twist. It's not unique and has me worried about Lauren's creativity.

   I will go one step further and make a prediction here, I bet you that Eureka is the girl who cries the continent into the sea. As well, that Ander was there and for whatever reason he wants to make things right. I don't know how accurate the later part of that assumption will be, and will be the more likely part to be wrong, but I am nearly positive that she's the one who cried an really big river.

[Flashback Friday] - #25

Flashback Friday is a weekly event, hosted here, that highlights a past released that we're dying to get our hands on...

See something you like here?
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Title: Winter's Shadow

Author: M.J. Hearle

Release Date: June 1st, 2011

Blake Duchamp...

He's all that Winter Adams can think of. Ever since their fateful meeting at Pilgrim's Lament. Ever since he looked at her with those emerald eyes. Ever since he saved her life.

But Blake isn't all that he seems. There is a strangeness about him, something dark and otherworldly. Something dangerous. In his attic is a secret he would kill to defend, but Winter seems to have a special ability to make him forget his duty. And he is her only protection against the gathering darkness.

The only problem is, to protect Winter, Blake must risk exposing her to an even greater danger. Himself.

My Stance:

   Well originally I had Will Grayson, Will Grayson here by John Green and David Levithan, but the more I thought about that book and how invested or pleasure I would get out of reading it, it just wasn't there. I love David Levithan and his works, I just couldn't get into Will Grayson, Will Grayson enough to feature it, and ultimately when it came right down to it, it wasn't a book I would read.

   So the search for a new book began, and soon enough I found a book that I just enjoyed. Winter's Shadow sounds like a fantastic sci-fi book, that melds in romance to bring the world of Blake and Winter together. What I enjoyed most about this synopsis is the fact that Winter is a normal girl with a normal life and it seems all fine and dandy, until she meets Blake. Now I do believe in love at first sight, never happened to me, but I believe it can happen to others or maybe myself if the right lady shows up. Anyways, so the point that these two seem to just fall into each other is great.

   However, that's not always the case. Blake seems to have more hidden than what he lets on. Which makes this book interesting. I am curious to see what he has hidden within and who he really is, and at what cost will he keep the things he wants hidden, hidden. I am hoping the take the twist and make this a sci-fi twist, and give him some powers or some dark curse that they have to lift together. I love the premise of the book, and the hidden nature of Blake!

   The romance needs to be there, the pressure to force Blake to bring out his hidden world. As well, that romance needs to be there for Winter's persona to be believable. Well, to go with the story as well, Winter needs that romance, that love at first sight feeling and without it I am not sure how her persona will work in the end. I hope it does, this book, even for it's age, has a good potential to keep me entertained throughout the story.

Title: The Raft

Author: S.A. Bodeen

Format: Hardcover
Release Date: August 21st, 2012
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0

Robie is an experienced traveler. She’s taken the flight from Honolulu to the Midway Atoll, a group of Pacific islands where her parents live, many times. When she has to get to Midway in a hurry after a visit with her aunt in Hawaii, she gets on the next cargo flight at the last minute. She knows the pilot, but on this flight, there’s a new co-pilot named Max. All systems are go until a storm hits during the flight. The only passenger, Robie doesn’t panic until the engine suddenly cuts out and Max shouts at her to put on a life jacket. They are over miles of Pacific Ocean. She sees Max struggle with a raft.

And then . . . she’s in the water. Fighting for her life. Max pulls her onto the raft, and that’s when the real terror begins. They have no water. Their only food is a bag of Skittles. There are sharks. There is an island. But there’s no sign of help on the way.

My Review:

The Raft was one of the most unique books and immediately brought me back to the movie Cast Away immediately. Robie was a believable character, that I fell in love with, her personality, her choices, and her decisions were just that realistic and believable. S.A. Bodeen created a drama that will move you, and will blow your mind at the end of the book.

I was looking at this book, over and over and when I got into the book it starts off slow and while this book starts to build. We get a glimpse in the boring life of Robie, and how she wants something far different than what she has. Her parents I only assumed were biologists on the island off the coast of Honolulu which is why she was around Hawaii and with her aunt at the time. What was great about this book, is the intro holds the key to making this book great!

Robie in the beginning of the book, is a normal everyday girl and she for some reason convinces her aunt to leave her alone for a week before heading back to her parents. However, through a turn of events the very next day she gets on the jumper plane and heads back to her secluded island, to see her parents and she's completely distraught. I would love to tell you what happened, but I will let you read the book, but the event humanizes her, makes her believable.

While aboard the plane, she believes everything will be okay, that everything will be fine; however that's not at all the case. When one engine fails, the co-pilot, Max, tells her to put on a life jacket and within moments she's in the water with a raft, a life jacket, and Max. Which is where the book becomes great! Robie is a normal girl, a biologist in starting, but she's stuck in the middle of an ocean and faced with every life decision most of us will never get to see in our lifetime.

Even though this is a smaller book, the story was great and Robie's tale of how she's surviving on the water. I love how the mental illnesses crop up through the book, and Bodeen does a great job of masking what illness those are throughout the book until the end, and the pieces fit together and the ultimate journey comes together with an eye opener of just how bad she had it out on the water. I loved this book, but it was just too short, I found myself wanting to know more about Robie after the book was over, and wanting to know what happened to her. I guess though, that leaves it open, and says just how good a book this was.

[Stacking the Shelves] - #25

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your bookshelf, be it the physical one or your digital one!

This week I fell behind slightly. I have been under the weather, and really haven't been feeling all that good. As well when it came to do this on Sunday night I happened to be in Chicago, paying a visit to one of my favorite bookshops. Guess which one that was. I apologize for falling behind on this segment, and I will try to make it up to you when I get the chance this week! I am a bit behind so hang on.

As well this week is rather simple, I picked up two series which I will only really go into the first books in both series, but I will display the other books with their synopsis, to show they are on my shelf now. I hope to get a few of the series out of the way so I don't have to keep talking about series I haven't started yet. But without any further waiting, I'll just jump into it!

Mailbox Pickup:

Title:Shiver

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Format: Hardback
Release Date: August 1st, 2009

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Many of you know who Maggie Stiefvater is, and I won't waste my time giving her the normal praise everyone gives her. So here is what I would say is what she's most known for. I have seen this book all over the place, and heard how wonderful it was supposed to be. It took me a long while to get into this book, because while I preach this over and over, I thought the covers were a bit childish and it was going to be a child's book, not a young adults book. However when you get into the synopsis I realized just how wrong I was.

I am going to say this is by far the oddest synopsis I have read. Mainly because it sounds like it's going to be told in two persons perspectives; Grace who is your normal country-ish girl who seems to have her own wolf, and Sam who for the lack of a better word is a werewolf. The odd part I find with this, is that I would think that the werewolf would transform at the full moon, but in this book its winter, which is a nice twist. It turns the wolfs into something unique to this story. As well, when Sam wants to be with Grace, he has to fight against the transformation. Which will be an interesting twist on how that can be done.

Title: Linger

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Format: Hardback
Release Date: July 13th, 2010

The astonishing #1 New York Times bestseller.

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

Title:Forever

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Format: Hardback
Release Date: July 12th, 2011

then.
When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their loved moved from curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives.

now.
That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be kill in one final, spectacular hunt.

forever.
Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment - a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.

Title: Virals

Author: Kathy Reichs and Brendan Reichs

Format: Hardback
Release Date: November 2nd, 2010

Tory Brennan, niece of acclaimed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (of the Bones novels and hit TV show), is the leader of a ragtag band of teenage "sci-philes" who live on a secluded island off the coast of South Carolina. When the group rescues a dog caged for medical testing on a nearby island, they are exposed to an experimental strain of canine parvovirus that changes their lives forever.

As the friends discover their heightened senses and animal-quick reflexes, they must combine their scientific curiosity with their newfound physical gifts to solve a cold-case murder that has suddenly become very hot if they can stay alive long enough to catch the killer's scent.

Fortunately, they are now more than friends they're a pack. They are Virals.

While I showed off the Temperance Brennan series earlier, this is the series that caught my eye first. I just couldn't find it at a decent price, and well ... available. While I think the Temperance Brennan series will be a great read and when I need an escape or something to cleanse my palate for a while, I'll jump into it. However, the Viral series is a completely different genre, and I am not sure if she has it in her to make this interesting, lets hope so.

What caught my eye is the niece of the acclaimed star, but her world and knowledge is much different. I like how this book greats a sci-fi feel almost immediately, however it does have its flaws. First off a dog transmits a viral disease, and the teens change to possess some soft of animalistic traits. I am very curious to see what those traits are and how they are used, it would be a great to show how a villain uses those for personal or evil motives, while the rust have to hunt them down. Now, the issue I have with this book is that these teenagers are posed as trying to solve, this mutation. However, I don't by into that they would have the knowledge to solve this let alone what it would take find who did this or whatever. I don't see it happening, but I'm willing to give it a shot and try it.

Title: Seizure

Author: Kathy Reichs and Brendan Reichs

Format: Hardback
Release Date: October 18th, 2012

Ever since Tory Brennan and her friends rescued Cooper, a kidnapped wolf pup with a rare strain of canine parvovirus, they've turned from regular kids into a crime-solving pack. But now the very place that brought them together - the Loggerhead Island Research Institute - is out of funding and will have to shut down. That is, unless the Virals can figure out a way to save it.

So when Tory learns of an old Charleston legend about a famous she-pirate, Anne Bonney, whose fortune was never found, she can't believe her luck - buried treasure is exactly what she needs to save the Institute on Loggerhead! Trouble is, she and her friends aren't the only ones looking for it. And this time, the Virals' special powers may not be enough to dig them out of trouble . . .

[Waiting on Wednesday] - #22

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

See something you like here?
Click the book title to add it to your Goodreads TBR List!

Title: Quintana of Charyn

Author: Melina Marchetta

Release Date: April 23rd, 2013

The climactic conclusion of Printz Award winner Melina Marchetta’s epic fantasy trilogy!

Separated from the girl he loves and has sworn to protect, Froi and his companions travel through Charyn searching for Quintana and building an army that will secure her unborn child’s right to rule. While in the valley between two kingdoms, Quintana of Charyn and Isaboe of Lumatere come face-to-face in a showdown that will result in heartbreak for one and power for the other. The complex tangle of bloodlines, politics, and love introduced in Finnikin of the Rock and Froi of the Exiles coalesce into an engrossing climax in this final volume.

My Stance:

Its a late friday night and I hate to say it, but Goodreads is down. They are working on getting it back up so I will come back and edit the information and complete synopsis to a better version. Currently I used what Barnes and Noble had, and frankly it upsets me. I haven't read Froi yet and it's on my list of books to get to soon. I am not sure exactly when I will get around to it, but I definitely will sometime soon.

First off, much like music, if I know I like the artist I will straight up by the CD and not question the quality of the music and whatnot, books are somewhat similar. There isn't many authors I have read, that I can say that they make me want to run out and purchase every book they have; except, Melina Marchetta is one of those authors. There is a small list that I would do that will, mainly because their diverse work and the way they can take a topic I am not normally into and wouldn't that I would be interested in reading about, and twist it into something that I just can't put down and can't stop reading till I finish the book. Melina is a great author!

Now, first off Finnikin of the Rock was a fantastic read, and so was the other books that Melina has done (Saving Francesca and Jellicoe Road), so I have complete high hopes for this book. But to comment more on this book and the great deal of fantasy, romance, and environment that only Melina is capable of, I would need to read Froi first. However, I am curious on the title of the book, Charyn was the enemy of Lumatere (I believe) from the first book, so what does Quintana have to do with Lumatere. I am interested in finding that out, and knowing me that's answered in Froi which I haven't read, yet.

[Featured Discussion] - Accessories: Part #1

Featured Discussion:

When I first started reading I did it with a simple piece of paper to keep track of where I was. A makeshift bookmark if you will, it was handy and went through numerous books with me. However, as time went on I realized that my poor paper was starting to die on me and I needed something a bit more stable. So this week when I talk about different Accessories you can get to help read or frankly aid in the reading process, I am going to focus on the simple thing; Bookmarks.

Now there are the cheaper paper/plastic bookmarks that are all over the market. I just hate how while you spend the money on them, and they will last for a decently long time, eventually they will die just like my little piece of paper. As well they tend to show their wear more often than anything else, and I hate that. I want my products that I use to last, something that catches peoples' eyes and get a conversation started, or makes them want to go out and do the same thing.

So what type of product do I look at when I purchase a bookmark. Well I have three at the moment and I have to say for a bookmark they are rather expensive, but I enjoy them. Best of all though, people have asked me where I got my bookmarks! That's the best!

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams." - Henry David Thoeau

This was my first bookmark and as you can see. I prefer the harder, stainless steel bookmarks. While they are a bit more pricey, they will last. The only difficulty I have found with them, is the little ribbon at the top, has come unraveled a few times and I have spent hours trying to tie it back on.

The reason I use and prefer the stainless steel bookmarks is when I drop them, or bend them like I normally do it doesn't affect the bookmark like the paper or plastic counterparts. I absolutely hate the bend marks, I hate the blemishes and the imperfections that arise as the life of your bookmarks go on. The stainless steel, doesn't have that, the most that I see out of mine is the fingerprints that arise from use, but with water and a towel that's easy.

"Make the most of yourself. For that is all there is of you." - Emerson

What do I look for, and what makes a bookmark unique to me. I enjoy reading and quotes very much so. Here the famous authors, and the infamous lines add a bit of my passion and the pure upbeat messages that make me smile each time I look at them. As well, I enjoy sharing the positive messages to friends, and other random people.

Now if you you have any hobby or anything specific you find that you enjoy, I suggest finding a bookmark that revolves around that. For me it was the positive messages, the pure upbeat nature of this bookmarks that keep my attention happy. So these while they are rather general, to me they are special and unique. The people around me realize that as well, and that makes them much a part of my hobby as I am.

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." - Les Brown

Now if you are interested in the three bookmarks that I have shown, realize that I spent a bit more than probably what you were thinking on them, but for something that's really good quality I believe it was worthy every bit of it. I would recommend this brand to anyone, I just wouldn't recommend their website.

This is the Link to search Barnes and Noble, and while there was some on Amazon I don't see any at the moment. Sacchi Bookmarks and done by Swing Design. I love the model and the designs. While my designs seemed more oriented towards guys or gender neutral, they do provide a lot of designs and styles for girls. I would recommend checking them out and looking around at Sacchi and Swing designs bookmarks, they are so great and worth it!

Next accessory I will talk about will be the choice of review mediums. Going into Blogger, Wordpress mainly; however, I am open to test and use other blogging options for posting reviews. As well I want to talk about why a reader should review the book. I hope to see you around!

Current:	Next:

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet	All the Rage by Courtney Summers

[Flashback Friday] - #27

My Stance:

[Book Review] - Fracture by Megan Miranda

My Review:

[Stacking the Shelves] - #27

Mailbox Pickup:

[Waiting on Wednesday ] - #24

My Stance:

[Featured Discussion] - Save the Books!

Featured Discussion:

[Flashback Friday] - #26

My Stance:

[Book Review] - Ten by Getchen McNeil

My Review:

[Stacking the Shelves] - #26

Mailbox Pickup:

[Waiting on Wednesday] - #23

My Stance:

[Flashback Friday] - #25

My Stance:

[Book Review] - The Raft by S.A. Bodeen

My Review:

[Stacking the Shelves] - #25

Mailbox Pickup:

[Waiting on Wednesday] - #22

My Stance:

[Featured Discussion] - Accessories: Part #1

Featured Discussion:

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