RAK: August 2011 Wrap Up!

RAK: August 2011 Wrap Up! So as you know I am part of the rak community which I have done a video and post about nearly every month so check it out if you dont know what rak is. It is hosted by Booksoulmates, and its a wonderful place where people do an random act of kindness and they give and recieve books to each other, its such a wonderful place. And as you know it was my birthday last month so I got an incredibal amount of books of people which Im so grateful for that they deserve a thankyou!! I recieved - ----------------------------

Random Act OF Kindness:

Michelle Smith - Matched - http://muchlovedbooks.blogspot.com/

Shannon Lovell - The Summer I turned pretty

Helena Norlin -The summer I turned pretty x (http://www.helenasbookshelf.blogspot.com/)

Nicole Sobon - The Hunger Games x ("http://yabookhaven.wordpress.com".com

Ambur Hostyn - The Duff x(http://burningximpossiblyxbright.blogspot.com/)

Harpreet Singh - Jekyl and Hyde x (http://booksforteens6212.blogspot.com/)

Cassie Preece -The Luxe x (http://baileysdarkfantasyreviews.blogspot.com)

Karis - Bumped (http://yalitwit.blogspot.com/)

Alice Priday - The Iron Witch http://bestbooks1.blogspot.com/

You guys are the best seriously, couldnt wish for better birthday presents. I also sent Remembrance to : Rensrambles (http://rens-rambles.blogspot.com)

Cant wait to do rak again this month, because Ill be sending alot more books hopefully :D. What did you get this rak month.

Review: Jessie Hearts NYC By Keris Stainton

Title: Jessie Hearts NYC.

Author: Keris Stainton.

Genre: Young adult.

Summary:

Jessie's just arrived in New York, hoping to forget about her awful ex.

New Yorker Finn is in love with his best friend's girlfriend.

They might be perfect together, but in a city of eight million people, will they ever find each other?

Review:

I really enjoyed this light easy read story. It takes place when Jessie and her bestfriend Emma are going on a trip to New York (since Jessies mom lives there) so shes gone to visit her and to explore all of New York because its her dream. It also takes place around Finn who lives in New York and was brought up there. They both have problems of their own with them both in New York, Jessies with her and her moms relationship and also from just splitting up from her ex. Finns problems consist around him being in love with his best friends girlfriend.

I really enjoyed it because everything was around New York. This book made you feel like you was actually there. And since its been a dream of mine to actually go it felt nice to read a story that is mainly based around everything there. It spoke of the films made there, the tv shows and the most famous places, it was so cute.

I think this books main focus was fate. About how fate can make Jessie and Finn be brought together. How out of eight billion people these two were made for each other. I loved the whole concept of the two of them always bumping into each other but not noticing the other, because it made you think that have you ever bumped into your future relationship without you knowing. It always made you think that everything happens for a reason.

The characters were amazing. I loved Jessie, I felt why she couldnt get along with her mom because I wouldnt either if I was in the same situation. I felt she was very natrually easy going and nice and just wanted to get her moms attention now and then. I loved Finn too. I understood it was bad of him to like his best friends girlfriend, but sometimes these things happened and he wasnt a bad person because he didnt want to hurt his friend. He is the easy friendly going guy who just wants to be able to make his own choices, instead of his family making them for him.

The only thing I did not like about this book was that there wasnt alot of romance. Even though it was about Jessie and Finn keep bumping in to one and other and romance in New York, I didnt find there was alot of it. I wanted more, I know I sound greedy but I did. I wanted to see more of there friendship and relationship. There could of been a few more chapters for me, so I hope she makes a companion or sequel.

But I did enjoy it overall because Im obsessed with New York and hope one day to go there to. Because I wouldnt mind following in Jessie footsteps and having an amazing trip like her.

Overall I rate this an A.

My Book Wishlist (1)

So once a month I've decided to write a post with my wishlist because I like to keep track on what I want plus you guys could take a look and get ideas on what books you love aswell and if your in the rak communitiy (I have a post on it) you could even send me a book :D Not that you have to aha. Will put a cross next to my list once Ive brought it or got it.
Heres my list:

1. Its not summer without you. By Jenny Han
2. Falling for Hamlet. By Michelle Ray
3. Ripple. By Mandy Hubbard.
4. Going to far. By Jennifer Echols.
5. Divergent. By Veronica Roth.
6. Tigers Curse. By Collen Houck.
7. Shutout. By Kody Keplinger.
8. Perfect Chemistry. By Simone Elkoles.
9. Epic Fail. By Claire LaZebnik.
10. The Girl in the steel corset. By Kady Cross.

Put your wishlists down below if you want with your wishlists. I love checking peoples out.

Review: A Kiss In Time By Alex Flinn

Title: A Kiss in time

Author: Alex Flinn

Genre: Young adult

Summary:

Talia fell under a spell...Jack broke the curse.
I was told to beware the accursed spindle, but it was so enchanting, so hypnotic...
I was looking for a little adventure the day I ditched my tour group. But finding a comatose town, with a hot-looking chick asleep in it, was so not what I had in mind.
I awakened in the same place but in another time—to a stranger's soft kiss.
I couldn't help kissing her. Sometimes you just have to kiss someone. I didn't know this would happen.
Now I am in dire trouble because my father, the king, says I have brought ruin upon our country. I have no choice but to run away with this commoner!
Now I'm stuck with a bratty princess and a trunk full of her jewels...The good news: My parents will freak!
Think you have dating issues? Try locking lips with a snoozing stunner who turns out to be 316 years old. Can a kiss transcend all—even time?

Review

First of all wowza this book was just everything I wanted it to be. It takes place first of in the 1700 century with Talia and tells of the tale similar to sleeping beauty on how she pricks her finger and sleeps. The story then jumps three hundred so years and thats where one of our main chracters Jack (awesome but slacker) Jack comes into it. He decided to skip his europe tour and ends up coming across a magical place where everyone seems to be asleep and not helping himself he wakes up Talia (Beautiful but bratty) princess. The story then properly starts with this whole adventure happeneing with Talia and Jack running off together to his own country, not by Jacks choice but because Talia is not on good terms with her family. The story is about Talia understand the meaning of a different century on how different it is compared to her own time, the story of Jack and Talia falling in love and how the evil witch Malvolia is still alive and set out on making sure that Talia goes back to her fateful life of sleeping, since she was not meant to wake up by Jack since he wasnt her actual true love.

The character were simply awesome in this story, I love them both. When normally in a story I strongly agree with one character more than the other. It was set in both points of view, and surprisingly I did not mind. Now normally I hate the boy and girl both having their own minds because I get so confused with them but I loved this because I wanted to know what both of them were thinking and feeling in different situations, Alex Flinn did a good job with that. Talia was the bratty princess, always getting her own way, and because of this she wants Jack, yet she dosent want her. You learn shes human though and she just wants to be able to want what any other human being can do instead of being bodyguarded all the time, you learn shes a very friendly person to everyone and seems to listen to Jacks and everyones problems shes also quite funny in parts because she isnt used to new technology thats been made. You can tell that she really cares about Jack aswell. I loved Jack to. He was totally laid back and not one of those annoying male leads that are horrible, arrogant or think their way better then anyone else. All Jack wants is his families attention, this is what makes him bring Talia home in the first place. Hes a real good friend and just wants to be able to do something he enjoys not do what his parents want him to do. Oh and I also loved his friend Travis, he cracked me up in some times how he was always obsessed with food. I loved his role for a friend.

All over this was a A+ for me. I love it so much I may well read it again sometime soon, it was such an enjoyable read. Didn't take me too long, and I can deffinetly see it becoming a film. It would make a great movie.

This is how I picture my princess Talia.

In My Mailbox 5

Thankyou to everyone who sent me RAK gifts for birthday presents or sent me books publishers to review. Will eventually get around them all.

After The Kiss Winner.

After the Kiss Winner.

So after all those fabulous entries, we ended up getting a winner. So welldone to the wonderful Rabiah Rowther @ Confessions of a readaholic. (Who we have already contacted)And don't worry if you didn't win because I have another giveaway coming soon enough, so keep your eyes open :D

Review: Remembrance By Michelle Madow

Title: Remembrance.
Author: Michelle Madow.

Genre: Young adult

Summary:

New Hampshire high school junior Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet.

Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she seem to get him out of her mind?

Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, the pair of them soon find that fighting fate isn't going to be easy.

Review:

So I was given a pdf copy (which I don't usually take to read) but because of how amazing the summary was I couldn't help myself but to read it. This story takes place in our time around a girl named Lizzie and a boy named Drew. Lizzie and Drew are drawn to each other from the moment they met and Lizzie realizes shes saw him before she feels like she fell in love with him before and its because in their past life they were lovers. This story takes place around that and how Lizzie cant keep away from him even though shes got a boyfriend and how for some reason Drew dosent want to be around her and dates her bestfriend and is trying to fight his feelings for her for a reason which is not told until the end of the book. It's about lovers who were torn apart for a reason and should be together.

I loved the characters in this. I liked Lizzie because she was genuine and just a regular teenager you could relate to with boyfriend problems. The only problem with Lizzie was that I felt that maybe she was sometimes in the wrong too in her relationship with Jeremy and even though her boyfriend was an idiot I felt that she could of tried harder with the relationship or broken up sooner instead of just being one of those girlfriend who whine about her boyfriend all the time, which she did. Her and Jeremy's relationship reminded me so much like a this couple at schools, which was awful aswell. My favourite character was Drew. I loved Drew there was nothing wrong with him he was how I wanted him too be. He listened to Chelseas feelings and wasn't like most boys and treated anyone nasty, he was just a sweet guy. Chelsea who was Lizzies bestfriend sometimes did bug me, but then I did felt bad for her at times and could understand why she was upset with Lizzie when she was, because I would of been the same.

My only slight glitch with this story was that I wanted more of their past. We didn't really get a strong storyline of what happened alot in there past more of the present, just parts and I really wanted to know what they were like back then. I wanted more pages and more indepth on the story. And about the man in shop aswell, he only appeared in it a few times and I felt he could of became a bigger character, it would of been alot fun.

But apart from that this book was enjoyable so I rate it: B.
P.S stay around for the author interview and giveaway, surely soon... Michelle Madow is awesome. I look forward to your next books.

Author Interview: Terra Elan McVoy + After the Kiss Giveaway

Today on my blog page I have an fabulous interview for you all from the lovely Terra Elan Mcvoy who was kind enough to spare some of her time to tell me about her books, she also was very nice enough to give away one of her books for you all! Which will be at the end of the interview.

Hi Terra! You have a total of three books that have been published so far, which one would you say is your favourite that you have written?

The problem is, I can’t say! Each book is special to me for different reasons. Pure because it’s my first, but also because the issues in it are important to me. After the Kiss is special because it’s my first novel in poems, and I loved doing that form. The Summer of Firsts and Lasts has a significant place in my heart because it is all about sisterhood. And forthcoming Being Friends With Boys is one I love, because of all the different relationships in it!

You also have a fourth book that comes out next year in 2012 called Being Friends with Boys . Are there any little hints that your willing to share with us with what its about?

I am very psyched about this book, which is about Charlotte, a girl who has mostly guys for friends. Here’s the synopsis:

Charlotte and Oliver have been friends forever. She knows that he, Abe, and Trip consider her to be one of the guys, and that’s how she likes it. She likes being the one who keeps them all together. Likes offering a girl’s perspective on their love lives, and being the behind-the-scenes wordsmith who writes all the lyrics for their band. Char has a house full of stepsisters and a past full of backstabbing (female) ex-best friends, so for her, being friends with boys is refreshingly drama-free . . . until it isn’t any more.

When a new boy enters the scene (hotly) and makes Char feel like, well, a total girl . . . and two of the other guys have a falling out that may or may not be related to one of them maybe wanting to be more than friends with Char . . . being friends with all these boys suddenly feels a lot more complicated.

Where did you get your inspiration from to write all of these books?

Life! Friends, my own experiences and memories, things I see or hear about in the news, popular culture, talking to people I know who are in high school now . . . I’m always trying to keep my eyes, ears, heart and mind open to possible ideas. All of those things get mixed up with my imagination, and viola!

Who would you say your favourite character is, in your book After the kiss?

It is impossible for me to choose between Camille and Becca, so I will say Becca’s boss, Margot, because I think I have been that boss before, and I don’t think I painted a fair picture of her! Who are your favourite authors?

Who are your favourite authors?

There are so many! Lorrie Moore, Richard Yates, William Faulkner, T.S. Eliot, M. F. K. Fisher, Pat Conroy, Jonathan Franzen, Jean Thompson, Alice Munro, Cormac McCarthy, L. Frank Baum, Tom Robbins, Annie Dillard, Annie Proulx, Carson McCullers, Laurie Halse Anderson, John Irving, Beverly Cleary . . . too many to name here!

If you could have written someone else’s book that’s already published, what book would you have written?

This is such a good question and I wish I had a really solid answer for it. Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury is a possibility. It is so complex and so genius and difficult, and it polarizes so many people . . . so that might be a good one. Or maybe Melissa Clark’s In the Kitchen With a Good Appetite, because the recipes are AWESOME and so are the stories!

Out of all of your books which one would you say was the hardest to write and why?

Hmmm. They have all been hard and intimidating in their own ways. But I think maybe Pure was the hardest emotionally, just because I had never written a novel before and I wasn’t sure if I could!

And have you got any plans for any more books in the future?

Oh, I will keep writing books as long as they let me! (And probably even if they don’t.) I definitely have one or two more YA titles in mind, plus some hopes for a short story or two, and who knows—maybe there is an adult book in my future. I didn’t think I could write my first novel, so every book I accomplish is a blessing!

Thankyou so much Terra for answering some questions for me and now for the giveaway bit. To enter the giveaway to win a brand new copy of After the kiss from Terra herself then here are the rules of what to do: Comment below with:

1. Your GFC name (You must be a follower) 2. Write your email address there aswell so that if you win we have a way of contacting you. 3. Write your real name aswell. That is all. The giveaway will end on 16th of August. It's international too :)

Usa VS Uk Book Covers: The Summer I Turned Pretty.

Usa VS Uk Book Covers: The Summer I Turned Pretty.

So I've decided to start doing Usa VS Uk Book cover blog posts weekly since I love the fact that you can debate about which cover you think is the best and how the publishers went wrong on making the other cover and why you don't like it. This weeks I chose The Summer I Turned Pretty.

USA Version.. UK Version

I think out of the two covers my personal favourite is the USA version by far. I seriously hate the UK version. It's plain and all it has is the writing on the front, while the USA version has pictures which looks like the typical beachy summer read and looks more for Young adults aswell, while the UK version looks more like a book for young children and to my expectations just looks like the cheap version of the book. Apart from that I hear the book is good, I havent read it yet since its on my wishlist, but if I were to recieve I would apprechiate the USA version more, it stands out at you and makes you want to buy it when the UK version just makes you think its going to be some really quicky easy read. What are your thoughts? Do you like the USA or UK version better?

Random Act of Kindness: August Sign-Up & Giveaway

The RAK Rules:

• 
  Sign up each month that you'd like to participate.
  Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button :)
  Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
  If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger for their address.
  NEW REQUEST: Please, once you receive a RAK, email or tweet me {Vanessa} so that I can update the Google doc. There are a lot of requests for this!
  At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K! Make a post saying 'Thank You' to whoever granted one of your wishes and share it with us :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE!
Let's keep our International bloggers in mind and in our hearts.
Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!
LINKS YOU WILL NEED:Sign up for August {HERE}See who else is participating in August {HERE}

Now Onto the giveaway.
Simple Giveaway Rules:
The giveaway is open to participants
ONLY.
Please post about RAK and the giveaway info on your blog and paste link
in the same google doc that you use to sign up for RAKOR
If you don't have a
blog, you can still be entered by tweeting about it or Facebooking it
and TAG US
{If you don't have the link by the time you sign up for the
RAK itself, then please email me and I'll add it}That's it
:)
IMPORTANT: If you do not wish to sign up for the giveaway then please
leave a comment in the comments section of the google document.

I didn't get a rak last month, but I hope to get some this month, it is also my birthday month so its very exciting. Here you can check out my wishlist. http://www.amazon.co.uk/registry/wishlist/3SJ16J3R3DZGR

Feel like being kind then do an random act of kindness now and make someones day happy :)
Thankyou Vanessa and Isalys for this.

Waiting On Wednesday: Lola and the boy nextdoor #2

Waiting On Wednesday: Lola and the boy next door.

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.

Summary: Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

My Rant: If this dosent get you excited the summary, then just totally check out the boy on the front of the cover, he's handsome. I am so so so excited for this book you guys wouldn't understand. I'm going to save my pennies for this one once it hits the shops and online. I love these type of romances, their my favourite. Stephanie Perkins has got to be one of my favourite authors, escpically from reading anna and the french kiss.

This awesome book comes out on September 29th. Remember the date

Book Buying Ban :(

So this is the reason I havent been getting many books latley. So from last week, my parents told me I wasnt allowed to keep spending money because we go away for the weekend in over a week and a half and Ive got to save all my pennies for my little weekend holiday. Plus my birthday is august 18th and Ill probably have a few books for my birthday aswell. So Im on a book buying ban for a few weeks. Thats the sad news over with....

But in other good news, Ill have a great book haul maybe from blackpool and deffinetly one for my birthday :)
I will try do more book reviews though because I have a few books thats I've read and need reviewing still.

- Kelsey :)