The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting

>> MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS FROM THE BODY FINDER 1 & 2 <<

Title: The Last Echo (The Body Finder #3)
Author: Kimberly Derting
358 pages, April 17th 2012, HarperCollins

Goodreads' synopsis: "Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet’s talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it’s Violet’s job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice.
When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by “the girlfriend collector” she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new “relationship” and Violet may have caught his eye..."

Top Ten Tuesday #4

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you have to make your own Top Ten list. This week the "question" is: 

Top Ten New to Me Authors of 2013

Top Ten Seven New to Me Authors of 2013

I've only read 49 books so far this year (which is the lowest number of books I've read in a year, since I started reading for real), and not that many of the authors of those books were new. I bought a lot of the books I read this year in 2012 or the year before that, so I knew about the author, but I hadn't read anything by that author before this year, and I am going to include those books on this list, I don't know if this counts, but I'm going to do it anyway, because otherwise it would only be a list of two books or something. 

1. Kasie West (Pivot Point): Is that a surprise? Because it really shouldn't be. I LOVE her.

2. Gayle Forman (If I stay, Where She Went & Just One Day): I've read three of her books in the past four months, which is a lot considering the fact that I've only read nine books in the past four months. -  I had exams in May and June, and I haven't had much time to do anything (besides school and sports) since I came to the States, which makes it okay.

3. Julie Cross (Tempest, Vortex & Tomorrow is Today): Beautiful. Loved her characters! 

4. Veronica Rossi (Under the Never Sky): I really don't need to explain this one ...

5. Katie McGarry (Pushing the Limits, Dare You To, Crash Into You & Crossing the Line): Her first book was released in July 2012, and now she has three books and a short story released. She writes fast, which to me is always a good thing, especially if you write well at the same time.

6. Jandy Nelson (The Sky is Everywhere): She needs to just write more books. This one was incredible. 

7. Lauren DeStefano (Wither & Fever): I can't believe I still haven't read the last book in the trilogy. The two first books are almost always on my mind. 

Ebook Deals

I prefer reading books rather than ebooks, but every month Amazon has a new monthly deal: $3.99 or less, and sometimes the books are really great too. This month two of my favorite books are part of this deal, and if you haven't already read them you should get them now that they are on sale. 

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Title: Just One Day (Just One Day #1)
Author: Gayle Forman
368 pages, January 8th 2013, Dutton Juvenile
Contemporary Romance

Goodreads' synopsis: "When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines."

Poetry Out Loud

So, at my school Poetry Out Loud is a thing the teachers love to make us do. Usually it's only 9th graders - sometimes 10th graders too - who have to do it, but my AP English teacher thought it would be great for us to do it too. I am not much of a poetry lover, and honestly don't understand much of it. I get music, which is kind of poetry, but with singing and stuff. Anyway, I just thought I would share the poem that I chose, because it is one of those rare ones that I actually love. 

If anybody is interested in knowing, I only got a B on my reciting, because I kind of panicked and forgot everything, but that doesn't matter, here you go:

Serenade

by Mary Weston Fordham

Sleep, love sleep,

The night winds sigh,

In soft lullaby.

The Lark is at rest

With the dew on her breast.

So close those dear eyes,

That borrowed their hue

From the heavens so blue,

Sleep, love sleep.

Sleep, love sleep,

The pale moon looks down

On the valleys around,

The Glow Moth is flying,

The South wind is sighing,

And I am low lying,

With lute deftly strung,

To pour out my song,

Sleep, love sleep.

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

>> MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS FROM PUSHING THE LIMITS 1 & 2 <<

Title: Crash Into You (Pushing the Limits #3)
Author: Katie McGarry
474 pages, November 26th 2013, Harlequin Teen

Goodreads' synopsis: "The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.
Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.
But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other."

An update about school, stuff and books

Okay so I just switched into Chemistry, Intensified instead of the regular one and have to catch up on this Science Project that they did as a summer assignment, so I have not have time to read; the only time really have time is on the bus to school, and sometimes I'm just way too tired, because I only got five hours of sleep, so I choose to sleep instead <-- bad me.
In case anybody is curious I take: Algebra II, int., AP English, Chem, int., Film Study, Guitar, Theatre Arts, US&VA History, this is enough homework for me, but my history teacher apparently thinks that I could do well in AP History (as if that is ever going to happen, hah!)

I just wanted to write something even if it isn't really about books. To make everything better, I just got a cold and really shouldn't go to school, but I have waaay too many quizzes and tests to stay home ... I could talk all day about giving homework and quizzes. Also, what is the point of imaginary numbers? They don't exist (hint: imaginary), so why do we need to know about them? 

I decided to write, because I just got this book in the mail, will read it SOON (hopefully):

Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles,

and I am SO freaking excited about it. Yay! 

So was that enough for an update, 'cause I gotta go to schooooool. At least it's Spirit Week, so I get to wear all of these crazy things. :-D

New Books #2

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but on August 7th I jumped on a plane (got off, got on a new one and repeated that a couple of times) to the USA. I'm from Denmark, in case anybody was wondering. For the next year I will go to High School here in the States, which to me is like the biggest thing ever. So I have only been here a month and I already got more books than I did the last four months, it's sad. It is not healthy to live ten minutes from a Barnes and Noble ... At least one of them is from the library and the other one is for school. 

I will start from the top and go down. 

Walden and other Writings by Henry David Thoreau

(It's not even difficult to guess which one is the book for school, is it?)

Just One Day by Gayle Forman (My Review)

Where She Went by Gayle Forman 

(I also got If I Stay by Gayle Forman as an ebook, but I already owned it in paperback, so it doesn't count as new, but I didn't want to bring any books)

Vortex by Julie Cross

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Top Ten Tuesday # 3

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you have to make your own Top Ten list. This week the "question" is: 

Top Ten Favorite Beginnings/Endings in Books

Beginnings

1. Fracture by Megan Miranda
"The first time I died, I didn't see God."

2. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
"Gram is worried about me. It's not because my sister Bayley died four weeks ago, or because my mother hasn't contacted me in sixteen years, or even because suddenly all I think about is sex. She is worried about me because one of her houseplants has spots."

3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

(Not the opening line) "Prim named him Buttercup, insisting that his muddy yellow coat matched the bright flower. He hates me. Or at least distrusts me. Even though it was years ago, I think he still remembers how I tried to drown him in a bucket when Prim brought him home."
4. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
"When I was little, my dad used to tell me, 'Will, you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose'"
5. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
"'Wait - did you - You just yawned!' The vampire's arms, raised over his head in the classic Dracula pose, dropped to his sides. He pulled his exaggerated white fangs back behind his lips. 'What, imminent death isn't exciting enough for you?'"

Endings

~ These are the last few lines of the following books, so it may include spoilers. Consider yourself warned! ~

1. The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
"This is what I knew: I was trapped in my body, in that bed, at that moment. But even as I looked out through the windows of my eyes, through the bars of my prison, I knew I wouldn't be trapped forever. They rattled my cage to see if I'd bite. When they released me, they'd see that the answer was yes."

2. Tempest by Julie Cross

"I retrieved my journal from the bag lying in the grass and wrote only four words. A reminder for days even more difficult than this one. Because truth is ... even though I have no idea what comes next ... at least for today ....
I have no regrets."

3. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
"'And for those of you who want to start any trouble, I have a zero tolerance policy ...'" 

4. Before I fall by Lauren Oliver
"I'm not scared, if that's what you're wondering. The moment of death is full of sound and warmth and light, so much light it fills me, absorbs me: a tunnel of light shooting away, arcing up and up, and if singing were a feeling it would be this, this light, this lifting, like laughing ....
The rest you have to find out for yourself." 

5. The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle
"As I pulled out of the driveway and pointed the car down the hill, I looked at the house one more time. A wide, swallowing look, like I could take one more gulp and I'd have everything I needed to take with me.
Then I closed my eyes.
That was it. That was Before. Now here we go into After."

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Title: Catching Jordan ( #1)
Author: Miranda Kenneally
281 pages, December 1st 2011, Sourcebooks Fire

Goodreads' synopsis: "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 on 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 now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team... and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate."

Quick: Read or Don't #June&July

~~ In this series of posts I will wrap up the books that I read throughout the past month, but didn't review. (Hopefully) I'll post it in the end of every month. ~~

-------------------------

 Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally 
242 pages ~ Published on October 1st 2012 by Sourcebooks Fire
Book's Goodreads ~ Author's website
To be honest I only read the first few pages, but only because I'd already bought it and wanted to give it one more chance. I had to quit a few chapters in, because I could tell I wouldn't like it. Didn't want to waste my time.
I'm not even going to try the third book, even though I already bought it (bought all three at the same time, because I thought I'd love them).
Conclusion = Didn't finish.

-------------------------

New books!

So I haven't bought new books in three months now, which is a huge record for me, but two days ago I accidentally (not true, I totally knew what I was doing) pushed the "Place your order" button, ups. And then see what I received this morning, yay! :-D

Pivot Point by Kasie West

Devoted by Hilary Duff

I've already read Pivot Point (Click to read my review), so this is my second time buying it, it is that good. 

Top Ten Tuesday #2

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you have to make your own Top Ten list. This week the "question" is: 

Top Ten Words/Topics That Make Me Not Pick Up A Book

Wow, already Tuesday again. That week went by so fast. 

Pivot Point by Kasie West

Title: Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1)
Author: Kasie West
343 pages, February 12th 2013, HarperTeen

Goodreads' synopsis: "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. ."

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you have to make your own Top Ten list. This week the "question" is: 

Top Ten Authors Who Deserve More Recognition

I decided to give it a go this week, though I don't know if I'm going to remember doing it every week. And also, does it have to be Top Ten? because with this "question" I don't want to do it in any particular order, I love them all equally. 

My Top 5 Best Summer Reads

Even though it's in the middle of summer, it's not too late to find a new book to read. If you haven't read these five books, this will be the perfect time to do so! I wanted to make a list of really good books that not everyone have heard of, but should have.
- The books are in no particular order, I really can't choose.

Tempest by Julie Cross

Title: Tempest (Tempest #1)
Author: Julie Cross
352 pages, November 3rd 2011, St. Martin's Press

Goodreads' synopsis: "The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun. That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.
Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.
But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.
Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world."

The Summer Trilogy by Jenny Han

Since I read the entire trilogy in a row I thought I'd do a post of them all at the same time and just tell you real quick what I thought about them.

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer #1)
Author: Jenny Han
276 pages, May 5th 2009, Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers

Goodreads' synopsis: "Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place always from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Bella has known since her very first summer - they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way is should have been all along."

I think I read this book in a day, barely two sittings that was how much I loved it. I loved the whole idea of them coming together every year for the summer.
Just like Belly, I fell in love with Conrad immediately and Jeremiah was just this great best friend character. I loved how some chapters took you back in time and showed you a little bit of Belly's story with the boys throughout the years, it worked so well and made it all better. I felt so bad for younger Belly, when she wasn't allowed to come with the boys, when they went somewhere.
Really, just thinking about the books makes me want to read them all again. Can't say anything else than READ READ READ!

It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

April 27th 2010 ¤ 288 ¤ Hardcover         

Since this is the second book in a series, I am not going to write the synopsis, but I will say that I absolutely loved this book and I barely had an eye dry throughout reading it.
And also, we got to see the story through Jeremiah's point of view, too. Awesome!

We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

April 26th 2011 ¤ 291 ¤ Hardcover         

I won't write the synopsis for this book either, since it is the third - and last - one in the series. I will say that it was an amazing read and I wish that I hadn't read it so that I could experience the entire book for the first time again. I loved the way the series ended, it worked so well and I couldn't be happier.
Uh, and also in this book we saw some of the story through Conrad, could it possibly get any better? I don't think so. 

 

Simon & Schuster | Jenny Han's website

Dare You To by Katie McGarry

>> MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS FROM PUSHING THE LIMITS <<

Title: Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2)
Author: Katie McGarry
462 pages, May 28th 2013, Harlequin Teen

Goodreads' synopsis: "If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....
Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him. But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all..."