Title: 13 Little Blue Envelopes

Author: Maureen Johnson

Series: Little Blue Envelope, Book 1

Summary:

When Ginny receives thirteen little blue envelopes and instructions to buy a plane ticket to London, she knows something exciting is going to happen. What Ginny doesn't know is that she will have the adventure of her life and it will change her in more ways than one. Life and love are waiting for her across the Atlantic, and the thirteen little blue envelopes are the key to finding them in this funny, romantic, heartbreaking novel.

My rating: 4 of 5

My thoughts on the book:

I enjoyed this book a lot! It was fun and sad and funny & I'm actually happy that I didn't read it until now, 'cause now I have the galley of the sequel & I can't wait to read it! The ending was really good & I recommend it a lot! 

Challenges:

• 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2011
• 2011 YA Reading Challenge
• 1st in a Series Reading Challenge 2011
• The Four Month Challenge, Part 5
• Mini Book Challenge

Title: White Cat

Author: Holly Black

Series: The Curse Workers, Book 1

Summary:

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers -- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail -- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love -- or death -- and your dreams might be more real than your memories.

My rating: 5 of 5

My thoughts on the book:

I loved this book! I just loved the world Holly Black has created & I couldn't stop reading this book. I loved Cassel as a character. Definitely one of my favorites & I highly recommend this book!

Challenges:

• 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2011
• 2011 YA Reading Challenge
• 1st in a Series Reading Challenge 2011
• A-Z Reading Challenge 2011
• Alphabet Challenge 2011

Title: Shockingly Sensual

Author: Lori Wilde

Summary:

Callie Ryder's life has forever been about shocking people. She's even doing it for a living -- giving sex advice to female callers on her late-night radio show. The ratings, not to mention Callie's popularity as a shock jock, are off the chart, but she's still got places to go....
When Callie's on-air sex tips result in a West Coast book tour, even threats against her "telling it like it is" aren't going to slow her down. Instead, she gets a bodyguard for protection. And not just a bodyguard. But the best bodyguard -- Luke Cardasian. Heart-stopping to look at, he's tough as nails and strong like steel, with animal instincts...and appetites.
A dangerous, sensual, sex-filled road trip. Who will survive?

My rating: 3.5 of 5

My thoughts on the book:

I enjoyed this book a lot! It was fun & funny & the chemistry between the main characters was likable & the ending was good, too!

Challenges:

• 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2011
• Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge 2011  
• New Author Challenge 2011

Title: Wither

Author: Lauren DeStefano

Series: The Chemical Garden, Book 1

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Imprint: Simon & Schuster

Pages: 368

IMDB: 978-1-4424-0905-7

Summary:

What if you knew exactly when you would die? 

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.
When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.
But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.

My rating: 4.5 of 5

My thoughts on the book:

I liked this book a lot! I have to admit that I didn't really connect with the characters or liked them. Also, the pacing was slow, but that wasn't bad, because it fit the book! So, even with all that, this book was good! I liked Lauren DeStefano's voice & how she slowly wrapped me up in the story! Although I wasn't surprised how the book ended, I wasn't happy with the ending ;)  I'll probably read the sequel, too! I recommend it to all dystopian fans!

Challenges:

• The 2011 Debut Author Challenge
• 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2011
• 2011 YA Reading Challenge 
• New Author Challenge 2011

Title: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

Authors: Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Summary:

 

'I've left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don't, put the book back on the shelf, please.' 

 

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

My rating: 4.5 of 5

My thoughts on the book:

I loved this book! I liked both Dash & Lily as characters & I loved all of their dares! They were just so much fun & hilarious at times! I highly recommend this book! Also, I have to mention that this is the first book I've read from Rachel Cohn (she wrote Lily's POV) and the first book by David Levithan that I've read (he wrote Dash's POV) and I enjoyed their writing styles, so I'll definitely read more of their books (joint-written or alone) in the future!

Challenges:

• 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2011
• 2011 YA Reading Challenge
• New Author Challenge 2011
• A-Z Reading Challenge 2011

Title: Too Hot to Sleep

Author: Stephanie Bond

Summary:

Nurse Georgia Adams can't sleep--and it's got nothing to do with the local heat wave. She's got a lukewarm boyfriend, a nonexistent love life--and she's frustrated, really frustrated. So she decides to take the edge off by calling her boyfriend for a little phone flirtation--and a lot more! Only, she doesn't realize she's dialed the wrong number!
Police officer Ken Medlock can't sleep, either-his libido is in overdrive thanks to his sexy midnight caller. He's captivated by her voice--and when he meets and recognizes her the next day, he realizes he has to have her in his bed-not at the end of his phone line. But first he has to convince Georgia that her wrong number has turned into a very right connection...

My rating: 3 of 5

My thoughts on the book:

I enjoyed this book! It was fun & I liked the chemistry between the main characters & the story! 

Challenges:

• 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2011
• Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge 2011  
• New Author Challenge 2011

Title: Northanger Abbey

Author: Jane Austen

Summary:

"A wonderfully entertaining coming-of-age story, Northanger Abbey is often referred to as Jane Austens Gothic parody. Decrepit castles, locked rooms, mysterious chests, cryptic notes, and tyrannical fathers give the story an uncanny air, but one with a decidedly satirical twist. The storys unlikely heroine is Catherine Morland, a remarkably innocent seventeen-year-old woman from a country parsonage. While spending a few weeks in Bath with a family friend, Catherine meets and falls in love with Henry Tilney, who invites her to visit his family estate, Northanger Abbey. Once there, Catherine, a great reader of Gothic thrillers, lets the shadowy atmosphere of the old mansion fill her mind with terrible suspicions. What is the mystery surrounding the death of Henrys mother? Is the family concealing a terrible secret within the elegant rooms of the Abbey? Can she trust Henry, or is he part of an evil conspiracy? Catherine finds dreadful portents in the most prosaic events, until Henry persuades her to see the peril in confusing life with art. Executed with high-spirited gusto, Northanger Abbey is the most lighthearted of Jane Austens novels, yet at its core this delightful novel is a serious, unsentimental commentary on love and marriage."

My rating: 4 of 5

My thoughts on the book:

I finally read this book & I enjoyed it a lot! It's just as fun and as sweet as I imagined & Mr.Tilney is really charming & I liked him a lot as a character. Although not the best Jane Austen book, still really good & enjoyable & I recommend it!

Challenges: 

• Mini Book Challenge 
• 2011 Original TBR Challenge
• The Four Month Challenge, Part 5
• A-Z Reading Challenge 2011
• Page to Screen Reading Challenge 2011 
• 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2011
• Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2011  

Title: Gossip Girl

Author: Cecily von Ziegesar

Series: Gossip Girl, Book 1

Summary:

Welcome to New York City's Upper East Side, where my friends and I live, go to school, play, and sleep--sometimes with each other.

S is back from boarding school, and if we aren't careful, she's going to win over our teachers, wear that dress we couldn't fit into, steal our boyfriends' hearts, and basically ruin our lives in a major way. I'll be watching closely...

You know you love me, 

Gossip Girl

My rating: 3 of 5

My thoughts on the book:

Ever since I started watching Gossip Girl, I wanted to try the books! Although the book wasn't that good, I still liked it & it was fun & fast read! There are some differences from the tv series & I'm interested to see what else is different in the other books & how the story will develope in the books. I already have the second book & I'll read it soon!

Challenges:

• 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2011
• New Author Challenge 2011
• 2011 YA Reading Challenge
• 1st in a Series Reading Challenge 2011
• A to Z Challenge 2011
• A-Z Reading Challenge 2011
• Page to Screen Reading Challenge 2011
• Alphabet Challenge 2011

Title: The Princess in His Bed

Author: Lila DiPasqua

Series: Fiery Tales, Book 2

Summary:

A new collection of erotic fairy tales that would make even the Grimm Brothers blush, inspired by "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Ugly Duckling," and "The Princess and the Pea."

The Marquis' New Clothes: 
To search his wardrobe for a missing ring, Aimee will have to get very close to the seductive Marquis de Nattes, and soon finds that his clothes-and hers-are utterly forgotten... 

The Lovely Duckling: 
Joseph d'Alumbert will stop at nothing to peel away the inhibitions of Emilie de Sarron and reveal the beautiful swan inside...

The Princess and the Diamonds: 
Princess Gabrielle can't sleep. There is something hard in her bed. Not just the stolen diamonds tucked under her mattress - but the handsome marquis on it.

My rating: 4.5 of 5

My thoughts on the book:

This is the second book in Lila DiPasqua's adult fairy tale re-tellings, and although I liked the stories in the first book, these were much better. I was actually surprised by them & now I'm looking forward to her next book! I give both The Marquis' New Clothes & The Lovely Duckling rating 5 of 5 & The Princess and the Diamonds rating 4 of 5! I loved all the characters & their love stories, they really are fiery & I could really feel their chemistry, so I highly recommend this collection!

Challenges:

• Retold Fairy Tales & Enchanted Cousins Reading Challenge 2011
• 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2011
• 2nds Challenge 2011
• Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2011 

Title: The Comet's Curse

Author: Dom Testa

Series: Galahad, Book 1

Summary:

When the tail of the comet Bhaktul flicks through the Earth's atmosphere, deadly particles are left in its wake. Suddenly, mankind is confronted with a virus that devastates the adult population. Only those under the age of eighteen seem to be immune. Desperate to save humanity, a renowned scientist proposes a bold plan: to create a ship that will carry a crew of 251 teenagers to a home in a distant solar system. Two years later, the Galahad and its crew - none over the age of sixteen - is launched.
Two years of training have prepared the crew for the challenges of space travel. But soon after departing Earth, they discover that a saboteur is hiding on the Galahad! Faced with escalating acts of vandalism and terrorized by threatening messages, sixteen-year-old Triana Martell and her council soon realize that the stowaway will do anything to ensure that the Galahad never reaches its destination. The teens must find a way to neutralize their enemy. For if their mission fails, it will mean the end of the human race...

My rating: 4 of 5

My thoughts on the book:

I enjoyed this book a lot! It was fun, I liked the story & I enjoyed getting to know all the characters. Now I'll have to get the other books in the series, 'cause I can't wait to see what will happen next! I recommend it!

Challenges:

• 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2011
• New Author Challenge 2011
• 2011 YA Reading Challenge
• 1st in a Series Reading Challenge 2011
• A to Z Challenge 2011
• Mini Book Challenge
• 42 Challenge 2011
• Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge 2011
• Science Fiction Challenge II
• Books Won Challenge 2011

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is being hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

This is a great weekly event where everyone can keep track of the books finished last week & the books planning to read this week!

Last week I read the following books:

Shockingly Sensual by Lori Wilde; White Cat by Holly Black & 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson!

  

This week I'll continue reading:

Red Glove by Holly Black

 

Title: A World Without Heroes

Author: Brandon Mull

Series: Beyonders, Book 1

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Imprint: Aladdin

Pages: 464

IMDB: 978-1-4169-9792-4

Summary:

Jason Walker has often wished his life could be a bit less predictable--until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank to a place unlike anything he's ever seen. In the past, the people of Lyrian welcmoed visitors from the Beyond, but attitudes have changed since the wizard emperor Maldor rose to power. The brave resistors who opposed the emperor have been bought off or broken, leaving a realm where fear and suspicion prevail.
In his search for a way home, Jason meets Rachel, who was also mysteriously drawn to Lyrian from our world. With the help of a few scattered rebels, Jason and Rachel become entangled in a quest to piece together the word of power that can destroy the emperor, and learn that their best hope to find a way home will be to save this world without heroes.

My rating: 5 of 5

My thoughts on the book:

I loved, loved this book! I loved everything about it: the story, the characters, the writing style, everything! I was captured from the beginning of the book until the very end! It's really great adventurous fantasy, that's suitable for all ages, that's fun & humorous & with lots of action and I can't wait for the sequel! In the meantime, I think I'll finally pick up Brandon Mull's Fablehaven series. Because I read it from galley, I'll definitely buy it & read it again & again. I highly recommend this book to every fantasy fan!

Challenges:

• 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2011
• New Author Challenge 2011
• 2011 YA Reading Challenge
• 2011 Fantasy Reading Challenge 
• 1st in a Series Reading Challenge 2011

 

Title: Altar of Bones

Author: Philip Carter

Summary:

“They didn’t have to kill him…He never drank from the altar of bones.”  

Cryptic dying words from a murdered homeless woman in present day San Francisco unlock a decades-buried secret that changed history.  Now a pair of ruthless assassins are sent to cut the few living "loose ends."  And a young, resourceful woman on the run encounters a determined man with his own connected past and vengeful agenda.  Forced to partner for survival and answers, a fast-paced and deadly game of cat and mouse ensues, taking them across the globe from the winding streets of Paris to the faded palaces of Budapest to the frozen lakes of Mongolia...where destiny, passion, and further betrayal await them.
Altar of Bones has it all: The Russian mob.  KGB spies.  Presidential assasination.  A doomed Hollywood legend.  Deathbed confessions.  Corrosive power.  Shattered families.  Guardians of an ancient religious icon housing a secret others will kill to possess.  The dark promise of immortality. And it delivers on its ambitious premise to leave you stunned and breathless at the end.

My rating: 3.5 of 5

My thoughts on the book:

I enjoyed this book! It starts good, the idea was interesting, so I was captured at the beginning, but after that it was only enjoyable, so I wasn't that wrapped-up in the story. Maybe the reason for that was because I didn't really care about one of the aspects of the story, so although it was fast-paced, with lots of action & car-chases, and a little romance, for me it lacked in suspense, and there weren't really any surprises in it. But, even with that, I still enjoyed it!

Challenges:

• 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2011
• Alphabet Challenge 2011
• Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge 2011
• New Author Challenge 2011

Title: Mysteries

Author: Knut Hamsun

Summary:

The main character, like the title says, is a mysterious guy. 

Nagel arrives in a Norwegian town with plenty of money and goodwill, and though kind of an eccentric, seems to start to fit in with the local crowd. But it's almost as if Nagel only just landed on Earth, and while he wishes to live correctly, has no idea how to do it. 

Published at the end of the last century, Mysteries is an existentialist novel, very strange, often very funny, often sad and largely asking the question, "Why live?".

My rating: 3 of 5

My thoughts on the book:

I didn't quite know what to expect when I borrowed this book, 'cause I haven't read any of Hamsun's books, and although it's not quite my type of book, I still liked it! It's just as the last sentence in the summary above says: it's funny & really strange & sad. I liked the main character Nagel, he was quite unpredictable what will do or will say next, although the ending wasn't a surprise.

Challenges:

• 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2011
• New Author Challenge 2011
• The Four Month Challenge, Part 5
• Mini Book Challenge

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is being hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

This is a great weekly event where everyone can keep track of the books finished last week & the books planning to read this week!

 

What did I read last week?

I read Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan & I loved it!

I also finished Wither by Lauren DeStefano & I enjoyed it a lot!

What I'm reading or I plan to read this week?

Title: The Poison Eaters And Other Stories

Author: Holly Black

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Imprint: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Pages: 224

Publication date: March 22nd, 2011

ISBN: 9781442412323

Summary:

In her debut collection, New York Times best-selling author Holly Black returns to the world of Tithe in two darkly exquisite new tales. Then Black takes readers on a tour of a faerie market and introduces a girl poisonous to the touch and another who challenges the devil to a competitive eating match. These stories have been published in anthologies such as 21 Proms, The Faery Reel, and The Restless Dead, and have been reprinted in many 'Best of' anthologies. The Poison Eaters is Holly Black's much-anticipated first collection of stories, and her ability to stare into the void - and to find humanity and humor there - will speak to young adult and adult readers alike. 

My rating: 5 of 5

My thoughts on the book:

First of all, I have to say that although I've wanted to read Holly Black's books for years, I hadn't until now. I loved this collection of stories & I loved her writing style! I loved almost all the stories (there are 12) & I can't even choose my favorite, 'cause I loved so many of them. I'll definitely pick up her books soon ;) I highly recommend this collection of great stories & it's definitely a book I'll buy & read again & again!

Challenges:

• 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2011
• New Author Challenge 2011
• 2011 Fantasy Reading Challenge
• Awesome Author Challenge 2011