W...W...W...Wednesday (3.16.11)

W...W...W...Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted be ShouldBeReading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

--What I Am Currently Reading

The Maze Runner - James Dashner 

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he's not alone. When the lift's doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade-a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.
Just like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they've closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up-the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

--What I Recently Finished Reading

Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles

This book was a completely spontaneous read. I had never even heard of it before, but I was really burnt out on the whole Paranormal Fiction and needed a quick break. Its basically a modern West Side Story, and I loved it. I read it in one afternoon.

--What I Think I Will Read Next

Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

This has been in my TBR pile for a while. I may finally get into it..

Sooo...What are your W...W...W...Wednesdays? Be sure to share your blog post in the comments. =)

Teaser Tuesdays (3.15.11)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read

* Open to a random page

* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

"The anticipation of what might happen was overpowering, a suffocating blanket of misery and fear that began to take on a life of its own. He almost wished the suckers would just come and get it over with."

--The Maze Runner - James Dashner-- 

 


What are your teasers? Leave them in a comment below or link to your blog!

P.S. Does anyone else WAAY over-think these things? I can't just flip to a page...I end up spending a good 5-10 minutes searching for that *perfect* teaser.  ;)

Angel Burn Review

Angel Burn
L.A. Weatherly
Release Date: May 2011

Synopsis:
Willow knows she’s different from other girls, and not just because she loves tinkering with cars. Willow has a gift. She can look into the future and know people’s dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She has no idea where this power comes from. But the assassin, Alex, does. Gorgeous, mysterious Alex knows more about Willow that Willow herself. He knows that her powers link to dark and dangerous forces, and that he’s one of the few humans left who can fight them. When Alex finds himself falling in love with his sworn enemy, he discovers that nothing is as it seems, least of all good and evil.

Review:
I was actually pretty impressed with this book. It had an interesting concept, one where the Angels aren't exactly the good guys. It was told from several POV's which, if your not expecting it, can thrown you off at first. But I grew to actually enjoy the switch-ups. I really liked the main characters. It was nice to see a female lead character who wasn't whiny, weak, and annoying. The friction between Willow and Alex was entertaining and believable, but once they got past that, it got a bit too sappy and cliche for my tastes. Some of the lovey-dovey parts dragged on a bit too long as well. But you can't have it all right? Aside from that, it was still pretty fast-paced and action-filled. I enjoyed Weatherly's writing style. It's very simplistic, she doesn't use fancy adjectives or over-detail every little thing. Which is a breath of fresh air sometimes. It was very easy and engaging to read. This is definitely one you Paranormal YA fans should read.

I am rating "Angel Burn"

 

New M-Edge Goodies!!

Sooo...I got my M-Edge package in the mail today! I got the M-Edge Trip Jacket for Nook (Hot Pink/Lime Green) and the brand-spankin'-new E-Luminator Touch. I couldn't wait to take pictures and share with you guys. I intend to do a pretty in-depth review on both of these products along with videos. But I wanted to wait about a week on that so I can get some time to get a good feel for them.
Now for the reveal... =)

The M-Edge Trip Jacket - Initial Thoughts:
Exterior:
So let me just start off by saying I LOVE the color! I dig eye-popping and funky color combos, so the Hot Pink and Lime Green (as unappealing as it sounds) is actually quite a fun combo and great for the Spring and Summer coming up. The pink covers are made out of a canvas material that must be enforced by something soft and plushy. It is very comfortable to touch and hold. It is bound by a neutral leather spine. After first opening and closing it a few times, the spine definitely felt very stiff and rigid, but with a tad bit of encouragement, it will fold completely back on itself (see exhibit a & b). In fact, I folded the cover back and wrapped the elastic around it to help hold it back there. After being in this position for a few minutes, when open, the cover would lay completely flat, instead of popping closed. So this leads me to believe it just may need some breaking in.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Interior:

The covers are lined with a neutral tan suede material. This not only provides a soft backing for the nook, but also quite a nice texture to feel while reading. The Nook is held in by two Leather pocket/bracket like things on the bottom and a Leather/Elastic combo on the top.

Here arises another concern that will hopefully sort itself out after some regular use and breaking-in. The Nook doesn't appear to settle quite all the way down into the bottom Leather holders. Which presses the Nook out of the top of the case a little more than I think it was designed to. But, like I said, I am hoping the holders loosen up over time and will be sure to update you guys later on how they are doing.

So, needless to say, I am stoked to start using this case! It's slim, lightweight, and colorful.

The E-Luminator Touch - Initial Thoughts

Well since I can't really break this one into 2 categories like I did the case, I'll just get right down to it. This is such a cool little light! First off, it only uses 1 AAA Battery. So that not only makes it light, but the light stays steady until the end and the batteries are affordable to replace. The paperclip style make it a viable option for not only e-book readers but also DTB(dead tree book) readers. The base snaps into several different angles and the neck stay in whatever position you put it in. The touch sensor is incredibly responsive and has 3 different brightness settings.

So far it seems to be a pretty awesome light!

Hush, Hush - Review

Hush, Hush
Becca Fitzpatrick

Synopsis:
For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Review:
I thought Hush, Hush was a great quick read. I mean, the story isn't anything ground-breaking...Handsome and mysterious male attracts unsure, yet curious female and love ensues. But I must admit, I am a sucker for those stories. Parts of it were pretty predictable, but there were still a few surprises thrown in that were of redeemable quality. It has suspense that kept you wondering who, what, and why. 
I wouldn't necessarily say that this book was WOW! material. But it was definitely intruguing and entertaining. What strikes me as odd though, it apparently there is a sequel, Crescendo. Normally when I start reading a series, I can't stop until I have read them all. However, I'm quite content with how this one ended and I wasn't left with any gnawing questions that will drive me to read the next one. So I don't think I will right now. I may pick it up a little later on just to see how Patch and Nora are doing. But I'm okay with not knowing for now. I'm not quite sure how I feel about that...

I am rating "Hush, Hush":

Treats for your Ears

Every so often a new song will come out that I put on repeat and listen to all day. Right now, that song is E.T. by Katy Perry. I can't say I have been a die-hard fan of hers. Some of her songs are catchy, others I could do without. But I just LOVE this one. Enjoy my friends...

W...W...W...Wednesday (3.9.11)

W...W...W...Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted be ShouldBeReading. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

--What I Am Currently Reading

Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick 
This book has been on my To Be Read list for a while. Quite honestly, I wasn't planning on starting this book yet. I recently got approved for several Advanced Readers Copy(ARC) books from NetGalley and I really wanted to start one of those. But I happened to finish Water for Elephants while I was at work. (Don't judge me, apparently nobody likes to tan during Thunderstorms). I hadn't loaded any of the ARC books onto my Nook so I had to pick something that was already on there. Hush, Hush was the shortest one.
So far I am really enjoying it. =)

--What I Recently Finished Reading

 

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen

I just posted my review of this book. I honestly can't say this book was one of my absolute favorites. I also can't say I was hooked on it. But I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it and thought the story was both charming and a bit dark. I would definitely recommend this to others to pick up. 

--What I Think I Will Read Next

Angel Burn - L.A. Weatherly
This was the first book I was accepted for from NetGalley, so I figured it would be a good place to start. It is about a girl named Willow who has the ability to look into the future and know people’s dreams and hopes, their sorrows and regrets, just by touching them. She doesn't know where this ability comes from, but Alex does...

Looking forward to reading and reviewing this one.

Water For Elephants Review

Well, I finally finished Water for Elephants. I posted a summary of the book in one of my previous posts and am also linking to the book on Barnes and Noble, so I won't bother posting a summary here. Just my opinion/review of it.

I must say, it really wasn't a bad read. I did take me over a week to finish reading, which is highly unusual for me. Although the story was interesting, it didn't have me so engrossed that I just HAD to keep reading. But that is not to say it was UNinteresting so to speak. Just a bit slow at times. It started off a bit slow, but did pick up about half way through. The author did such a good job of portraying the main character "Jacob" that I completely forgot she was a woman. She definitely did her research on "Circus Life" and I felt like I got a glimpse of what that life would have been like. The character of August was definitely an interesting one to see develop as well. I know Christoph Waltz will be playing the character of August in the movie that is coming out and I am so excited for that. I think he will do a phenomenal job portraying the crazyness that is August.

As much as I enjoyed the book, I really didn't feel the characters were very deep emotionally. The relationships between the characters just weren't incredibly believable to me. They didn't make me feel what they were feeling. If that makes any sense.

That being said, All-in-all I don't regret reading this. It's definitely a great book to pick up to get a glimpse into a different time of life and to witness a quite unique love triangle.

I am rating "Water for Elephants"

Growing Sweet Peas (3.4.11)

So it has only been 4 days since my first post of my Sweet Pea sprouts, but I just had to share their progress. They have grown SO fast! Plus I found a little surprise. Remember how I mentioned that I used the soil from my failed Strawberry attempt? Well...apparently there was still an ungerminated seed left in the soil somewhere because I checked on them today and saw a baby Strawberry sprout!

The tiny sprout with two round leaves on the right is the Strawberry plant. The whiteish dot on the left is the last Sweet Pea that is just beginning to sprout.
I'm so proud of these little guys! I have a feeling it won't be long before I am planting my Basil in here next. :)