COVER CRAZY: Kinslayer (The Lotus War #2)

One of the books I have read last year that had a slightly different taste from the other books I have read was Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff. Though I admit that it took me a while to finish the book, I'm still glad to say that I liked it. It is refreshing -- something good and action-packed without vampires, werewolves or witches; something not set in America or in Europe; something that touches another culture and their beliefs. It was a very worthwhile read.

Now, what was really the first thing that made me pick up the book?

THE COVER! I love the US cover of Stormadancer. It is so awesome, so cool, so kick ass, so good  to look at. I swear, I just love that cover. I even set is as my mobile phone and desktop wallpaper for a few weeks. The UK cover was not that eye-catching, though.

You be the judge... Which is better? The US cover (left) or the UK cover (right)?
(Click the images to read the synopsis)

But now on to some more exciting news... KINSLAYER's cover, the second book from the series (not sure if this is a series or a trilogy or what), has now been revealed! And I love it! It looks like it came straight out of Japan, like some sort of Manga. Yukiko still looks as cool as ever with her tattoos while holding her katana (Is that correct? Sorry, I'm not sure).

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

I know I'm a bit late with my greetings. I just had a busy weekend and a busy Monday.
Happy Mothers Day to all Mothers, Mommies, Mamas, Nanays, Inays out there!!! We are all thankful to have such wonderful women in our lives.

Feature & Follow Friday (4)

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly meme

hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read!

QUESTION:

Happy Mother's Day! Who is your favorite mom from fiction?

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Mrs. Garrett from Huntley Fitzpatrick's My Life Next Door. If you haven't read it yet, and you like heart-warming family stories and you want a sweet dose of contemporary, you should definitely read this. Mrs. Garrett's family is funny and awesome, and they will surely put a smile on your face.

Also, Mrs. Weasley, but I feel like I'm cheating if I choose her because I haven't really read the Harry Potter series. My judgement is based from the movies. But she really is a bada** mom.

Kindly leave your #FF links in the comments below

so I can visit and follow your blog.

COVER CRAZY: Allegiant (Divergent #3)

Is Veronica Roth the best at revealing things or what? When she announced the title of Divergent's 3rd book, she (or maybe not her, maybe her publisher or whoever made her do it) made a video. Now, just to reveal the cover of Allegiant, she gets to be interviewed by Ryan Seacrest on Today. Wow! A cover reveal on television. Yeah, Veronica Roth is that awesome. But let's get to the best part, shall we? ALLEGIANT's cover!!

So, the third book is really orange. Is it really that orange? Or is this because of the quality of the image? It's a bit too bright when compared to the first two books, and that logo is not familiar. I can't wait to find out what this is all about. There's a few more months to go before Allegiant's release, so patience. 

If you have missed Veronica's interview, here is the video:

BOOK BLURB: This Is What Happy Looks Like

THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Publisher: Headline

Number of Pages: 416

Date Published: April 4, 2013

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Goodreads:

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

In This is What Happy Looks Like, Jennifer E. Smith’s new YA novel, perfect strangers Graham Larkin and Ellie O’Neill meet—albeit virtually—when Graham accidentally sends Ellie an email about his pet pig, Wilbur. In the tradition of romantic movies like “You’ve Got Mail” and “Sleepless in Seattle,” the two 17-year-olds strike up an email relationship, even though they live on opposite sides of the country and don’t even know each other’s first names.

Through a series of funny and poignant messages, Graham and Ellie make a true connection, sharing intimate details about their lives, hopes and fears. But they don’t tell each other everything; Graham doesn’t know the major secret hidden in Ellie’s family tree, and Ellie is innocently unaware that Graham is actually a world-famous teen actor living in Los Angeles.

When the location for the shoot of Graham’s new film falls through, he sees an opportunity to take their relationship from online to in-person, managing to get the production relocated to picturesque Henley, Maine, where Ellie lives. But can a star as famous as Graham have a real relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie’s mom want her to avoid the media’s spotlight at all costs?

Just as they did in The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, the hands of fate intervene in wondrous ways in this YA novel that delivers on high concept romance in lush and thoughtful prose.

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My Thoughts:

From the very moment I read the synopsis of This Is What Happy Looks Like, I knew that I should have the book once it comes out. Who wouldn't want to read about a movie star exchanging e-mails with an ordinary girl? I fell in love with its plot in an instant and it went immediately to the upper part of my “To Be Read” list. Plus, I love the look of the bright sunny yellow cover with the silhouette of a couple in a small boat. And I also have a thing for long titles. Everything about this book screams “READ ME!” and luckily, I was able to snag a copy when it came out. So on to my thoughts…

MOVIE MADNESS: No Strings Attached

NO STRINGS ATTACHED (2011)

Lead Cast: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher

Director: Ivan Reitman

Paramount Pictures

Romance-Comedy

Rotten Tomatoes:

In this comedy, Emma (Natalie Portman) and Adam (Ashton Kutcher) are life-long friends who almost ruin everything by having sex one morning. In order to protect their friendship, they make a pact to keep their relationship strictly "no strings attached." "No strings" means no jealousy, no expectations, no fighting, no flowers, no baby voices. It means they can do whatever they want, whenever they want, in whatever public place they want, as long as they don't fall in love. The questions become - Can you have sex without love getting in the way? And can their friendship survive?

*****

Movie Caution:
Contains mature scenes (sexual content) and language. 

While waiting for a large file to finish downloading last night, I entertained myself by watching a movie. I watched more or less the first ten minutes of several movies before finally deciding to watch a romance-comedy starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher.

This is a the story of an independent woman who is afraid to fall in love and get hurt and a man who is “annoyingly happy all the time.” They have met in a summer camp 15 years before, never really kept in touch but have bumped into each other on a few occasions. Now, an unexpected turn of events have caused both of them to get into a “friends with benefits” situation wherein deep feelings for one another is strictly prohibited, just a purel physical relationship. But we all know what’s going to happen… somebody eventually falls in love with the other and it messes up the friendship blah blah blah. As clichéd as it sounds, I still liked this film.

Stacking The Shelves (2)

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! Hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

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Five more books to add to my nonexistent shelf.

Feature & Follow Friday (3)

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly meme

hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read!

QUESTION:

Give us a sneak! What are you reading? Tell us about a fun or fail scene in your current read.

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If you are my friend in goodreads, you will probably see that I am currently reading two books at the moment: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor and Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. I have been reading these books since mid-April (I think) and I just can't seem to finish them. I am halfway through Daughter of Smoke and Bone and on page 4 of Shatter Me.

I don't know why, but Akiva and Karou (Daughter of...) aren't really working for me. I feel no sparks or chemistry between them. So the sweet/romantic scenes are a bit of a failure. Maybe that would still change once I get to the great parts of the book.

Shatter Me is I don't know... A lot of people loved it, but in my third attempt to finish it, I still feel laz and bored. So, no comment on that. :)

As you have read, I am not reading anything fun, or I am not having fun with these books.

Kindly leave your #FF links in the comments below

so I can visit and follow your blog.