Bookaholic & Bliss

Alan Rickman's good-bye letter as Snape to all Harry Potter fans.

noreply@blogger.com (Soon Hana) — Tue, 24 May 2011 01:23:00 +0000

Follow Friday: What's Your Five Quirky Habits?

noreply@blogger.com (Soon Hana) — Fri, 20 May 2011 06:26:00 +0000

Wow, I haven't been writing on my blog for quite some times (cos it's HOLIDAY, you party people!! Woot!)

It's great to be back home and just hang out with my family and cousins, laughing and experimenting with new recipes (I managed to make a dessert that taste like the 'smell' of shower cream). But I'm missing my best friends back at college so it's time to go back I suppose.. Anyway... this week Follow Friday is very interesting so I'm going to join in the fun! ^^

Follow Friday is created by Rachel at Parajunkee's View. Basically, this meme is about sharing your thoughts about books and life in general. It is also a great way to make new blogger friends!

This week's feature is Ninja Girl from Ninja Girl Reads.

This week's question is: It's circle time. Time for us to open up and share. Can you tell us FIVE quirky habits or things about you. We all have them...

I smell EVERYTHING. Not just books but pretty much every object I use. For example, when I want to use a pen, I have this strong urge to sniff the pen first before I use it. Weird, I know, people look at me all kinds of wrong when I do that but the urge is hard to squelch.
I like to munch my pencils when I was in primary school until it was as short as my pinky. I also like to chew papers. Luckily, I was one of the 'popular' kids so no one said anything. Weird thing was, they actually thought my pencils looked really cool. Haha
Sometimes I wake up a few times at night just to smooth my bed covers and fluff my pillows before going back to sleep.
I'm a quiet person but I tend to gravitate toward the loud groups. There's something calming about sitting amidst the chaos, about being surrounded by people who seem to possess all the confidence in the world, while their laughter, love and crazy ideas envelope you in a thrilling hug. Your lungs feel bigger somehow.
I can't eat papayas (this is a local fruit in my country) without feeling nauseous. My dad thinks I'm crazy.

So those are some of my quirky habits. Do tell me about your quirky side, I would love to read them!

Wishlist: Take Two

noreply@blogger.com (Soon Hana) — Wed, 04 May 2011 14:27:00 +0000

'Take two' because the 300+ books in my mountainous TBR pile is clearly not enough that I'm doing another wishlist. As the saying goes, my fellow reading friends, 'you could never have too many books'.

Seventeen-year-old Luke lives and works at the Moonflower Motel in Moab, having fled New York City where his father Frank drowns his sorrows after the death of Luke’s mother. Back in New York, eighteen-year-old Ava meets Frank at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. When these lost souls converge in Moab, what happens transforms them all.

A story of love and grief, addiction and redemption, set in both NYC’s Upper West Side and in the red rock desert of Moab, Utah.

What attracts me to this novel is its cover. I love the boy sitting on the edge with the girl standing behind him with that breathtaking view surrounding them. They are in a relax pose, leaning back while looking overhead and it makes me wonder what's their story; how did they end up there.

The summary reads like a potential good read and this book gives me a similar vibe like Amy & Roger's Epic Detour (which I LOVE!) so naturally, it is in my wishlist. Interesting fact: the author of this book is the granddaughter of Madeleine L’Engle (A Wrinkle in Time, anyone?)

Hilda and best friend Benji are obsessed with celebrity deaths. One celebrity death leads them to an apartment room of Hank, an odd old bat. Hilda becomes attached to Hank in his sad, solitary room and a level of understanding when he presents her a tile from Jayne Mansfield’s pool. One day as she stops by his apartment to share in their enjoyment of old American classic films she finds not Hank in her room, but Jake—Hank’s downstairs neighbor. Jake is a 19-year-old high school dropout, Hollywood screenwriter, whose ambition led him where he is today. Jake it seems has been taking care of Hank, but Hilda is the only who will get all of Hank’s secret: One haunting enough to try to commit suicide.

Characters that are obsessed with death? They sound quirky and a little off to me which I think, will make a perfectly fascinating read! And with epic lines like the one below, it's a no brainer this book is in my wishlist. Its presence, justified.

"what the hell do ya think I'm gonna do? My cock's been useless for years. I'm lucky to get any piss out of it, let alone make it stand to attention long enough to get my rocks off"

Vera's spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she's kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.

So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to?

Okay, this book? It's going to be a great read. I just have this gut feeling it's going to put me in an emotional spinner of heartbreaks and tears then spit me back out when the glimmer of hope starts to rise from the horizon. It probably doesn't make any sense but I just know.

Kara hasn't been back to Oak Park since the end of junior year, when a heroin overdose nearly killed her and sirens heralded her exit. Four years later, she returns to face the music. Her life changed forever back in high school: her family disintegrated, she ran around with a whole new crowd of friends, she partied a little too hard, and she fell in love with gorgeous bad-boy Adrian, who left her to die that day in Scoville Park....

Amid the music, the booze, the drugs, and the drama, her friends filled a notebook with heartbreakingly honest confessions of the moments that defined and shattered their young lives. Now, finally, Kara is ready to write her own.

Good stuff has been said for this book and so, I am ready to devour this book. Sadly, I couldn't find it anywhere in my country.

The sad thing about a wishlist is, I don't know when I'll be able to read these awesome books :( That being said, I'm currently in a mood for some dark, sombre, tears-falling kind of books.

Make my day and donate me a book will you? V(^.^)V

Another kiss from Nalini Singh: In which I squeal like the fangirl I am

noreply@blogger.com (Soon Hana) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 06:57:00 +0000

Oh my God, another Kiss of Snow teaser from Nalini Singh. Eeeekkk, Hawke and Sienna's sizzling sexual tension is making me breathless! Goodness god, I feel like putting myself in a cryogenic until May 31st come.

And you guys, seriously, if you like paranormal romance, hot changelings, great storyline and awesome writings, this is the series for you. PICK THIS ONE UP!! Pronto. Nalini Singh and Ilona Andrews are my favorite paranormal/urban fantasy writers.

Teaser: Sienna and Hawke are in a vehicle and let's just say someone's living a little dangerously. ;-)

[Sienna] “Do you like my top?”

“Is that what it is?”

“Latest style,” she assured him, ignoring the silky menace of his response. “Laces up the side, so it’s easier to take off.”

His hands clenched on the steering wheel as he headed up into the mountains.

“And the boots.” She lifted one leg up to the dash, stroked her hand over her thigh. “They make me—”

The car shuddered to a halt near the perimeter of den territory.

Potterheads, this is the end love. For Real

noreply@blogger.com (Soon Hana) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 04:13:00 +0000

Unless, of course, J. K. Rowling decides to pull a Cassandra Clare and make Harry Potter 8... this is it *Did I ever tell you how glad I am that Deathly Hallows didn't disappoint like Breaking Dawn? Hahaha, suck on THAT twihards*

Seven years of my life (I was 14 when I first read HP) and I'm glad it will end with a BANG! i.e. a summer blockbuster.

So, grab your butterbeer, sit back and be ready to gape in awe

Be sure to wear your Hogwarts robe to the premiere!

p/s: Arriving with a Firebolt is optional.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Girl in the Steel Corset

noreply@blogger.com (Soon Hana) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:57:00 +0000

[Waiting on Wednesday description: A post where I rant about books that have not yet been published but my omg-this-might-just-be-a-good-book sensors think will be a good read. This weekly meme is created by Jill at Breaking the Spine.]

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

Release Date: May 24, 2011

In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her. When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch. Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret. Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in. But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on—even if it seems no one believes her.

How catchy is that title? It would have definitely stop me in my track if I see it in a bookstore. The interesting combination of steel + corset bounds to be awesome, right? Plus, did u read the summary? A girl with spine, a duke and another girl falling for a part human part robot? This just gets better and better! Oh, and a cowboy. You gotta love a cowboy.

It's steampunk, it has a Gothic vibe, mayhem and a gorgeous cover. No wonder my sensors twanged. Hopefully, it will live up to my expectation if I buy it.

Fancy reading an excerpt? Click here!

Sunday Slumber: The Things They Carried Excerpt + Free Weekly Blog Planner

noreply@blogger.com (Soon Hana) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 01:00:00 +0000

I love Sunday. At the place I'm living now, time seems to move a fraction slower on Sunday and everything is so quiet. Birds chirping, tousled sheets and vanilla latte. Today is the best time to lie down and perhaps crack open a book while slow music plays in the background.

♫ Anya Marina - Waters of March

So no reviews or meme or ranting in general today. Let's just bask in Tim O'Brien's talent to weave beautiful sentences. Seriously, some people just got it you know? Make us mere mortals feel even more self-conscious of our own writing.

First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried letters from a girl named Martha, a junior at Mount Sebastian College in New Jersey. They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping so he kept them folded in plastic at the bottom of his rucksack. In the late afternoon, after a day's march, he would dig his foxhole, wash his hands under a canteen, unwrap the letters, hold them with the tips of his fingers, and spend the last hour of light pretending. He would imagine romantic camping trips into the White Mountains in New Hampshire. He would sometimes taste the envelope flaps, knowing her tongue had been there. More than anything, he wanted Martha to love him as he loved her, but the letters were mostly chatty, elusive on the matter of love. She was a virgin, he was almost sure. She was an English major at Mount Sebastian, and she wrote beautifully about her professors and roommates and midterm exams,
about her respect for Chaucer and her great affection for Virginia Woolf.

She often quoted lines of poetry; she never mentioned the war, except to say, Jimmy, take care of yourself. The letter weighed four ounces. They were signed Love, Martha, but Lieutenant Cross understood that Love was only a way of signing and did not mean what he sometimes pretended it meant. At dusk, he would carefully return the letters to his rucksack. Slowly, a bit distracted, he would get up and move among his men, checking the perimeter, then at full dark he would return to his hole and watch the night and wonder if Martha was a virgin.

Aaawesoomee.... *rub hands* I'm gonna read that again.

Feeling suffocated with an avalanche of bloggy things to-do? Sunday is the perfect time to de-clutter your mind by jotting down your plans for the week to come on a paper or better yet, a planner! Especially if it's free and as cute as this!

Download your cute planner here: oh my! handmade goodness

Review: Butterface by Gwen Hayes

noreply@blogger.com (Soon Hana) — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 12:29:00 +0000

Butterface by Gwen Hayes
Short Story (Ebook)

Publisher: Gwen Hayes

ISBN: 978-1-4524-6529-6

Beth wasn't pretty. Born with hemifacial microsamia, she's supposed to feel lucky that it wasn't worse, that the surgeries made her almost normal, and that the scars are mostly not noticeable. Nobody told her how to hide the scars on the inside though.

Lucas O'Leary, Lucky, doesn't even notice Beth's face. He's finding out that underneath her granite hard shell, she's really a sweet girl. He enjoys spending time with her and is beginning to realize he might want to be more than just her friend.

But Lucky has a secret--if he doesn't bring Beth to the "dog dinner" party his roommates are having, he's off the team. The soccer scholarship is paying his college tuition--he HAS to stay on the team. But if Beth ever finds out she's his entry in the contest for ugliest date, he stands to lose even more.

Butterface is such a sweet love story. This is a wonderfully written short story with three-dimensional characters that are real and strong. Beth was funny in a sharp, sarcastic way (“I always look weird. I was just standing here wishing I was a lesbian is all.”) while Lucky was a sweetheart ("There wasn’t a villain in sight—how does a guy slay dragons for a girl when they’re all in her head?"). I was fully immersed in the story from the first page when we were first introduced to Lucky who was studying at a diner where Beth worked. Their progress from a platonic relationship into something more was very endearing to read without overdosing on too much saccharine. But keep in mind, Butterface is not an empty fluffy story; both Lucky and Beth struggled with self-image issues and Gwen Hayes handled it with taste. My only complain would be the length of the story. It was too short leaving me wanting for more . The ending also feels a bit rushed. I wanted more! I actually like this short story more than Gwen Hayes's debut novel, Falling Under.

Pick this up if you fancy a quick, fun read with a cute story that will touch your heart!

Find it here: Amazon | Smashwords

Review: Before I Die by Jenny Downham

noreply@blogger.com (Soon Hana) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 08:52:00 +0000

Before I Die by Jenny Downham
Young Adult Fiction
Publisher: David Fickling Books
ISBN: 9780385613460 (Hardback)

Tessa has just a few months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, she compiles a list. It's her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is sex. Released from the constraints of 'normal' life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up.

I wish I had a boyfriend. I wish he lived in the wardrobe on a coat hanger. Whenever I wanted, I could get him out and he’d look at me the way boys do in films, as if I’m beautiful.

Jenny Downham starts the story with these lines and I was immediately hooked.

Tessa was 16 and she was dying of leukaemia. So she made a list of things she wanted to do before she dies and she intends on completing each one of them. However, the central theme of this book wasn’t about her heroic adventure while completing the list while making new friends, no, although the list was certainly part of the story.

It’s about Tessa, trying. Trying to live through her days the best way she knows how. In the book, she drove her best friend –and me– crazy with all the random things she like to say which seems nonsense on the surface and a bit annoying but then I realized that it was actually her way of trying to hold on to these moments in her life even though they are quickly slipping through her grip. When I realized that, it broke my heart. It really did.

One thing that captured my attention when I read this book was not the plot, but the author’s writing. I love Jenny Downham’s writing. Tessa's voice was strange and beautiful. And it made me wanted to read more, more and more.

I hide under my hat again, just for a bit, because I’m going to miss breathing. And talking. And windows. I’m going to miss cake. And fish. I like fish. I like their little mouths going, open, shut, open.

Another thing that I love about this book is the characters. I love her dad and I adore her little brother, Cal, who like to show her magic tricks and wanted to join the Magic Circle one day. Tessa’s dad on the other hand constantly worried about her and was scared out of his mind but he still gave her space to breathe, even lending her his support when she wanted to be famous – next on her list. He was unsure and sad and strong. I love him.

Dad, you played rounders with me, even though you hated it and wished I’d take up cricket. You learned how to keep a stamp collection because I wanted to know. For hours you sat in hospitals and never, not once, complained. You brushed my hair like a mother should. You gave up work for me, friends for me, four years of your life for me. You never moaned. Hardly ever. You let me have Adam.

You let me have my list. I was outrageous. Wanting, wanting so much. And you never said, ‘That’s enough. Stop now.’

There was one character that bothered me though - Tessa’s best friend, Zoey. I wish she was more involved in the second half of the story especially at the end.

But then, I was pretty distracted with the boy-next-door, Adam. Oh my goodness. He didn’t possess the drool-worthiness that almost always exist in the recent ya literature but he was definitely the sweetest bloke ever!

‘I love you,’ he whispers angrily into my neck. ‘It hurts more than anything ever has, but I do. So don’t you dare tell me I don’t. Don’t you ever say it again!’

Their love was sweet and quiet pain; warm and creeping cold that left tears in my eyes. I keep asking in my mind, ‘Why, why can’t they be together? Why can’t Tessa live?’ She wants to go to university, marries Adam and visit her father with her kids someday. "Why can't she have all that?" Their romance was sweet but I know the painful reality was not far behind.

The ending made me cry. It was really hard to read. Silent tears and heaving chest. I felt stabs of pain in my heart and a sense of helplessness as I sat there with Tessa. In Tessa. Waiting. Falling. Fading.

Overall, Before I Die by Jenny Downham was worth it. Grab a copy if you have a chance and read. This is a good book. It might worth your while too.

Follow Friday: ♫ What's on your current playlist?

noreply@blogger.com (Soon Hana) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 07:06:00 +0000

Follow Friday is created by Rachel at Parajunkee's View. Basically, this meme is about sharing your thoughts about books and life in general. It is also a great way to make new blogger friends!

This week's feature is Caitlin from The Cait Files.

This week's question is: What's on your current playlist?

I love this question since I love music. I used to put up this line 'pursuing good music since 1990' in my myspace page. Haha

Right now, I'm listening to:

Tegan & Sara (their song 'Call It Off' is used in Hold, Still book trailer. The trailer is super awesome btw. Never had a book trailer makes me want to read a book so bad)
Azure Ray
The Weepies (you could never go wrong with The Weepies.)
The Republic Tigers (Fight Song and Buildings & Mountains are constantly on repeat in my music player)
The Temper Trap (their debut album is amazing! Try listening to Fader, Soldier On, Sweet Disposition & Love Lost)

So what's on yours? I mean, to quote Owen from Just Listen:

"Silence is so freaking loud"

*grins* Have a great weekend people. Don't drink and drive.

Waiting on Wednesday | Book Boys Will L♥ve: Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach

noreply@blogger.com (Soon Hana) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 07:15:00 +0000

[Waiting on Wednesday description: A post where I rant about books that have not yet been published but my omg-this-might-be-a-good-book sensors think will be a good read. This weekly meme is created by Jill at Breaking the Spine.]

[Books Boys Will L♥ve description: A book that might interest the Y chromosome, enough to make an avid reader out of the reluctant ones]

Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach

Release Date: June 6, 2011

Fifteen-year-old Felton Reinstein has always been on the smallish side, but in his sophomore year he starts growing...and growing.

During gym one day he smokes the football jocks in a 600-yard race. Felton has never been interested in sports, but there's no doubt-he is "stupid fast." As he juggles his newfound athletic prowess, his mom's sudden depression, an annoying little brother, and his first love, he discovers a shocking secret about his past which explains why he's turning out the way he is. (Summary taken from goodreads)

This book intrigues my feel-good-book sensors. It sounds funny and reviews that had surface can't recommend this book enough. Plus, it has been quite some time since I read a book from a boy's pov, the last one being Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl. Hopefully it will reach bookstores in my country someday/soon because I would love to read Stupid Fast!

Find it here: Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble

Wishlist: Australian Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Soon Hana) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:58:00 +0000

Wishlist description: A post about books that have already been published that I unfortunately can't get my grubby hands on either because the bookstores in my country don't carry them or due to insufficient funds. *sniff*

For my first Wishlist, I would like to rant about books by Australian authors. The reason why is because bookstores in my country don't carry a lot of books by Australian which is disturbing, really. So here are the books that made into my wishlist:

1) Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar

The ocean is a vivid emerald colour and the wind ruffles the wave faces so that they shatter the sunlight like glass. Seeing that glittering skin always tightens my throat with joy … I forget about the underbelly of things, my secrets, and I feel easy and free.

Carly has dropped out of uni to spend her days surfing and her nights working as a cook in a Manly café. Surfing is the one thing she loves doing … and the only thing that helps her stop thinking about what happened two years ago at schoolies week.

And then Carly meets Ryan, a local at the break, fresh out of jail. When Ryan learns the truth, Carly has to decide. Will she let the past bury her? Or can she let go of her anger and shame, and find the courage to be free? (synopsis taken from http://www.kirstyeagar.com/)

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I am tempted to read Raw Blue after reading reviews by bibliophile brouhaha and Steph Sue. Before, I have never even heard of Kirsty Eagar but after googling about this book and its author, I really really need to get my hands on this one. Sounds like a gem. I want I want I want!

2) Girl Saves Boy by Steph Bowe

The first time we met, Jewel Valentine saved my life.

Isn’t it enough having your very own terminal disease, without your mother dying? Or your father dating your Art teacher?

No wonder Sacha Thomas ends up in the lake that Saturday evening…

But the real question is: how does he end up in love with Jewel Valentine?

With the help of quirky teenage prodigies Little Al and True Grisham, Sacha and Jewel have a crazy adventure, with a little lobster emancipation along the way.

But Sacha’s running out of time, and Jewel has secrets of her own.

Girl Saves Boy is a hugely talented debut novel, funny and sad, silly and wise. It’s a story of life, death, love… and garden gnomes. (synopsis taken from http://heyteenager.blogspot.com/)

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There are plenty of reasons for me to read this one. First, there's the beautiful cover and the eye-catching title. Then, there's the fact that the author, Steph Bowe is only seventeen but reviews for her debut novel are glowingly positive. But no, I want to read this book because Steph Bowe is a blogger that I like. I admire her honesty when reviewing books eventhough she is a published author. Another thing I love about Steph is, she's younger than me but it's hard to tell from her insightful posts and witty opinions. Those two reason alone is enough for me to fork out money to buy this book. Come book, come to Malaysia's shore! [visit Steph Bowe at Hey! Teenager of the Year]

3) A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley

Charlie:
“Who’s this?” Dad asks when a catchy tune comes on the CD mix I made for the trip. We pass the skeleton tree that never has leaves, no matter what the time of year. Bare gray branches wave us on.
“No one you know, Dad,” I say.
It’s me.

Rose:
“You’ll go if you want to, Rose,” Mrs Wesson said this year. It takes a lot of wanting to get out of a place like this, though. It takes wanting so bad, it’s all you care about, all you breathe. Some days I think it takes more wanting than I’ve got.

Charlie Duskin loves music, and she knows she’s good at it. But she only sings when she’s alone, on the moonlit porch or in the back room at Old Gus’s Secondhand Record Store. Charlie’s mom and grandmother have both died, and this summer she’s visiting her grandpa in the country, surrounded by ghosts and serving burgers to the local kids at the milk bar. She’s got her iPod, her guitar, and all her recording equipment, but she wants more: A friend. A dad who notices her. The chance to show Dave Robbie that she’s not entirely unspectacular.

Rose Butler lives next door to Charlie’s grandfather and spends her days watching cars pass on the freeway and hanging out with her troublemaker boyfriend. She loves Luke, but can’t wait to leave their small country town. And she’s figured out a way: She’s won a scholarship to a science school in the city, and now she has to convince her parents to let her go. This is where Charlie comes in. Charlie, who lives in the city, and whom Rose has ignored for years. Charlie, who just might be Rose’s ticket out.

Told in alternating voices and filled with music, friendship and romance, Charlie and Rose’s “little wanting song” is about the kind of longing that begins as a heavy ache but ultimately makes us feel hopeful and wonderfully alive. (synopsis taken from http://cathcrowley.com.au/)

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Sadly, I have seen the cover of this book many, many times but it has never make me curious to know more about the story. Perhaps it's the model who I personally do not find aesthetically pleasing enough (I know, I'm shallow like that but I'm working on it) or the simple desaturated image, but something about the cover really turns me off - I do like the flowery swirlies tho.

It wasn't until one blogger who is known to be very critical and strict with her reviews recommended this book that I sat back and started to notice A Little Wanting Song and its intriguing synopsis. People gushes about Cath Crowley's beautiful lyrical prose and how amaZZing this book is, so naturally it is in my Wishlist. Besides, anything with music will attracts me. Not only that, this book supposedly would appeal to fans of Sarah Dessen *raises hand* and Melina Marchetta *me again!*

4) Feeling Sorry For Celia and The Year of Secret Assignments - Jaclyn Moriarty

Feeling Sorry For Celia

Life is pretty complicated for Elizabeth Clarry. Her best friend Celia keeps disappearing, her absent father suddenly reappears, and her communication with her mother consists entirely of wacky notes left on the fridge. On top of everything else, because her English teacher wants to rekindle the "Joy of the Envelope," a Complete and Utter Stranger knows more about Elizabeth than anyone else.

But Elizabeth is on the verge of some major changes. She may lose her best friend, find a wonderful new friend, kiss the sexiest guy alive, and run in a marathon. So much can happen in the time it takes to write a letter...

The Year of Secret Assignments (US) aka Finding Cassie Crazy (UK)

The Ashbury-Brookfield pen pal program is designed to bring together the two rival schools in a spirit of harmony and "the Joy of the Envelope." But when Cassie, Lydia, and Emily send their first letters to Matthew, Charlie, and Sebastian, things don't go quite as planned. What starts out as a simple letter exchange soon leads to secret missions, false alarms, lock picking, mistaken identities, and an all-out war between the schools--not to mention some really excellent kissing.

When Lydia, Emily, and Cassie are assigned pen pals among the thugs at Brookfield High, they respond in characteristic style:

Cassie: “Ialways think it’s funny when a teacher tries to be cool. I want to sit them down and say ‘It’s okay, you’re a grown-up, you’re allowed to be a nerd,’ and they will look up at me confused but also relieved and teary-eyed.”

Lydia: “I am a fish. You wouldn’t think so to look at me, what with my uniform and the hair on top of my head and all that. But it’s true. I am a fish.”

Emily: “Don’t get me started about chocolate! My nickname might be ‘Em,’ but sometimes it’s also Toblerone! I think this is an angiogram of Thompson, which is my last name.”

And their pen-pals? Sebastian is an artist, a black belt in Tae Kwan Do, and a major hottie. Charlie is utterly gullible, a car expert/occasional thief, and a really sweet guy. But Matthew is…well, he’s either a psychopath or a figment of Cassie’s imagination, neither of which is a good sign. And what starts out as a simple letter exchange leads to secret assignments, false alarms, lock picking, legal drama, mistaken identities, Dates with Girls, and all-out war between the schools . . . the biggest challenge Lydia, Cass, and Emily’s friendship has ever faced. (synopsis taken from http://www.jaclynmoriarty.com/)

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Both books by Jaclyn Moriarty are loved and treasured by many in the ya blogosphere. I would love to join in the fun but monthly income seems to hate me right now. *wipe tears*

[Extra: Jaclyn Moriarty wrote her first novel at the age of 7 about talking toys. She later did her Masters in Law at Yale then her PhD in Law at Cambridge. Talk about aaawesooome!! She also shares some awesome tips about the creative writing process at her website. ]

Btw, if you any of you is generous enough to give me one of these books, please, by all means do contact me!! V(^^)V

Dying to Read: Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh

noreply@blogger.com (Soon Hana) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 19:20:00 +0000

*Why is the wolf on the cover black? WHY??? Hawke's wolf is WHITE damnit!*

Coming out JUNE 2011!

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh’s exhilarating world of shapeshifters and psychics is “paranormal romance at its best” (Publishers Weekly). Now comes the story of an alpha wolf named Hawke used to getting exactly what he wants--and of the only woman who dares tangle with him.
Since the moment of her defection from the PsyNet and into the SnowDancer wolf pack, Sienna Lauren has had one weakness. Hawke. Alpha and dangerous, he compels her to madness.
Hawke is used to walking alone, having lost the woman who would’ve been his mate long ago. But Sienna fascinates the primal heart of him, even as he tells himself she is far too young to handle the wild fury of the wolf.
Then Sienna changes the rules and suddenly, there is no more distance, only the most intimate of battles between two people who were never meant to meet. Yet as they strip away each other’s secrets in a storm of raw emotion, they must also ready themselves for a far more vicious fight…
A deadly enemy is out to destroy SnowDancer, striking at everything they hold dear, but it is Sienna’s darkest secret that may yet savage the pack that is her home…and the alpha who is its heartbeat…

[Dying to Read description: It's a no brainer really. It is a post where I occasionally rant about a book that I'm DYING to read. Like NOWWW!!! I yearn for the book so badly I stalk the author's website everyday for any kind of news about the book or spoilers and obsessing over it in my head from the moment I wake up until I go to bed. It even haunts me in my dreams. Needless to say, such books are very RARE]

The bookaholic in me is lying on a cold floor like a limp starfish and curling up in pain while trying to will June to come faster. You know how many times I've read the ENTIRE series this year just so I could ease my desperate need for Kiss of Snow? Three times. Three freaking times. Including the novellas. I'm going bonkers. This is pain. Seriously, no joke.

I've been waiting for Hawke's story since I first read book 1 in the Psy/Changeling series - Slave to Sensation. In each book that comes next, we could only get brief glimpses of Hawke's past. She's torturing me, that Nalini Singh. Somehow, these short glimpses only intensifies my curiosity and love for Hawke. He's my favorite character in the series and I don't know why.

When Sienna's crush on him was revealed in Riley & Mercy's book (Branded by Fire) I was stoked! I thought it was a perfect match. My obsession only gets worse as I pray 'oh please please let Sienna be with Hawke.'
All the early reviews that had came out from those who were blessed with the story ARCs *curse you all!* had been nothing but glowing with praises.

So, as we all know there is a significant age difference between Hawke and Sienna. In book 3, Caressed by Ice, Sienna was seventeen and Hawke said that he was 32 years old. Sienna is nineteen years old now so... you do the math. I know some people are bothered by the age issue but somehow I don't really mind it.

I have always been fascinated with Sienna's strength and intelligence. She's also an X-Psy - a designation even the Psy run away from. That's just gotta kick ass right! Sienna risked her life alongside her uncles by walking into the SnowDancer's territory after they defected for the sake of the two children in the family - Toby and Marlee. They expected certain death (SnowDancers are known for their ferocity and swift justice) but were hoping the wolves had enough mercy in their hearts to spare Toby and Marlee and to take them into their care. Now, personally I think that speaks volume of a person's strength and maturity especially when that person was only sixteen years old at the time.

Moreover, I love the fact that she was a very smart girl. Sienna was the one who came up with the idea on how to survive after they dropped from the PsyNet. I really like Sienna even though I don't know her really well. Maybe because we are of the same age? Many female main characters that plagued the young adult world have a cardboard as a personality (hello there, Bella Swan), whiny and have an obsession with a guy who wants to murder them/a 100 years old stalker/plain jerk. (cough*Patch*cough*) I guess I'm just thrill to read about a young heroine who is strong, powerful, feisty and possesses a big heart - in adult paranormal romance no less. I adore it! Thanks Nalini Singh for respecting girls my age enough to create a young female character who is smart and admirable which is something many young adult authors have failed to do.

Hawke, on the other hand... well, he's Hawke. The SnowDancer's alpha. Nuff said. I just would like to drool from here on.

*goes back to a limped starfish doubling in pain*

Read excerpt here.

Review: Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver

noreply@blogger.com (Soon Hana) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:36:00 +0000

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Young Adult Fiction

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton General Division Published 2010/07(UK)

ISBN:9780340980903 (Paper cover book)

They say that when you die your whole life flashes before your eyes, but that's not how it happened for me. Sam Kingston is dead. Except she isn't. On a rainy February night, eighteen-year-old Sam is killed in a horrific car crash. But then the impossible happens: she wakes up in her own bed, on the morning of the day that she died. Forced to live over and over the last day of her life the drive to school, skipping class, the fateful party she desperately struggles to alter the outcome, but every morning she wakes up on the day of the crash. This is a story of a girl who dies young, but in the process learns how to live. And who falls in love... a little too late.

I bought this book on an impulse the other day. I walked uphill to a bookstore with my best friend late in the evening, under misty rain just to torture ourselves with the smell of new books, promising each other that we were there just to ‘look around’. Mission failed. We cracked under pressure.

I saw the new beautiful UK cover for Before I Fall and croaked. She saw a couple new psych self-help books and croaked. There goes our hundred dollars. Poof it went.

On to the review then. Well, I am still reeling from the effect this book had on me. It was a confusing feeling. A tinge of sadness, relief, a load of frustration, a swell of happiness. Letting go, letting go, letting go.

My first rule in reading a fiction book is I have to like the MC. At least to a certain extent. So I was frustrated with the main character in this story, Sam. My goodness, What. A. Bitch. I hated her at first. I didn’t understand how a person’s heart can be so vile and black. There were moments I just felt like giving up because I can’t stand being in her head, reading the inner thoughts of such a mean girl. When she died the first time around I felt sated, like the feeling you get after a full lunch in hot afternoons. My face muscles twitch in satisfaction. “There you go bitch, you deserved to die!! People like you are a waste of space.”

Yet, somehow, I can’t put the bloody book down. I needed to know. I needed to keep going and continue being soaked up in Oliver’s words. This woman is good, man.

But I’m not exaggerating, Oliver really made Sam a character you would love to hate and you will hate her. It wasn’t until later that I realized that making the readers hated the main character so early in the book was a deliberate move. Oliver had managed to make Sam transformed from this ugly thing into a beautiful person while avoiding the usual cheesiness of the typical made-for-tv/Disney movies. Bravo.

I came from hating her to caring about her and by the end, I love her. I love her courage, her fears and the abundance of love that sat heavy in her heart. Oh my, what a wondrous thing to be able to witness how much she'd change.

Speaking of love, I really love the intense friendship she shared with her three best friends. Some of their interactions were laugh out loud hilarious! Bitches that they were, but they were funny, loyal and they got each other’s back. It was not a perfect friendship but it was real.

And then there was one Kent McFuller - who wore bowler hat and drew weird cartoons and had a pair of green eyes the color of grass. Adorable, adorable, adorable. It was Sam’s thoughts and time spent with him that made me smile the most while reading this book.

This book is about second chances, even if it's just for a while. It's about making things right and if you have the chance to do so, you should. Because we made a lot of wrongs in our lives. Each of our word, actions and decisions matter and it can hurt people, scarring them for a long long time. But most of the time we don't even realize it.

This book frustrated me, made me laugh, broke me apart, made me goes awww, smile, cry cry cry and then some. Like I said, I’m still reeling from it.

But one thing is true: It’s one of my best reads so far and you, my dear need to read this book. When you’re ready, get your hands on it and open its pages and get lost in it.

Ok, perhaps you should smell the book first. Books have good smell. Even the musty ones.

Recommended Reads: Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Waiting on Wednesday: Inheritance

noreply@blogger.com (Soon Hana) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 17:45:00 +0000

Release Date: November 8, 2011

Not so very long ago, Eragon—Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider—was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances.

The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

This is the much-anticipated, astonishing conclusion to the worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle.

My love for this series started when my sister gave Eragon (book 1) as a birthday present. After I finished the first book, I immediately bought the special edition of Eldest. It was maroon, hard-bound, pretty. And awesome, of course. It's been two years since I last read Brisingr. The third book was ehhh but it's too late to stop now. Oh November please hurry!

Tribute to Twilight

noreply@blogger.com (Soon Hana) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 01:41:00 +0000

I know a group of 15-year-old girls who whited out the name Bella in every single page in the Twilight Saga and replaced it with their own so that they could fully indulge in a fantasy relationship with the romantic, dreamily good-looking 150-year-old hero. Creepy.

Yes,ladies, I had experienced the full effect of how obsessed one can be with Twilight.

These girls in the videos below certainly amazed me with their effort to transform their bedrooms into a Twilight-themed haven. And I believe they have succeeded to do so.

Review: Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

noreply@blogger.com (Soon Hana) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:10:00 +0000

One day Clay Jensen comes home from school to find a shoe box package with no return address. At first he’s excited, but when he opens the box, he finds seven cassette tapes. And when he plays them, he finds that they were recorded by a classmate named Hannah Baker, a girl who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

Recorded on the tapes are thirteen reasons why Hannah chose to end her life. The reasons are all linked to specific people, and the tapes are passed onto those people in the order they are on Hannah’s list. They are all, in some way, responsible for Hannah’s death. Clay stays out the whole night, listening to the sounds of Hannah’s voice leading him throughout the town, basically reliving select experiences from Hannah’s life that lead up to her decision to end it.

For a debut novel, Thirteen Reasons Why is exceptionally well-written especially considering the topic. Hannah's narration interweaves with Clay's comments and memories which makes it a bit confusing to read. I read this book in one go. Disturbed, would be an understatement on how I felt while reading this book. I feel what Clay feels. I was sweating while reading this book like he was while he was listening to Hanna's tapes, and I'm sure I look terrible then just like him. It was hard for me to read this book and by the end of it I felt a sense of hopelessness and I want to wept for Hannah.

This book demonstrates perfectly how even the smallest of your actions can affect people in a significant way. However, I have a mixed feeling for Hannah, I felt sorry for her but in the same time, I was annoyed with her. Yes, she had some major issues but they were mostly psychological and had nothing to do with the people on the list. Also, I felt as if the drama was forced. Tape after tape, I sat waiting for major crimes created by the people on the list that could have push Hannah over the edge but there was none. I failed to understand her motives to kill herself, perhaps because I personally know a couple of girls her age who have gone through a lot worse and still have to fight the demons of their past but yet still have a strong will to keep on surviving.

Despite everything, Thirteen Reasons Why is a powerful read, one that will make you cry, hate and ultimately, one you will come to love. And hopefully, a book that you will remember...