Waiting On Wednesday (7)

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

There were no surprises in Gatlin County. We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.At least, that's what I thought.Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.There was a curse.There was a girl. And in the end, there was a grave. 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. Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

This book caught my attention immediately.
I'm really looking forward to reading this one. All this mystery thing has me wanting to know what happens in this place and what is this secret.
Another good book for December!

Waiting On Wednesday was started by Breaking The Spine.

Lots of Thanks!

I'm really happy.

This past week I received a lot of awards. Thanks to all of you people!

Here are the awards I received:

The Zombie Chicken Award from Michelle's Bookshelf

"The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all..."

The One Lovely Blog Award from Katie's Book Blog, Kd's Library, Review a Book, Romance Sap, and T.V And Book Addict

"This award is given to new blogs and blogging friends.The rules to follow are:1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award."

The Let's be Friends Award from Michelle's Bookshelf

"Blogs that receive the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers."

So here are my nomines:

For The Zombie Chicken Award
*Reverie

*Steph su

*Nadine

*Hope

*Kristi

For The One Lovely Blog Award

*Lauren

*Amelia

*Carrie

*Karin

*Michelle

*Jessica

*Ravenous reader

*Bookworm

*Morgan

*Lenore

*Cupcake Witch

*Lilibeth

*Stephanie

*Megan
*Emily

For The Let's be Friends Award

*Amy

*Alba

*Katie

*Nadine

*L.Fitz

*Danielle

*Shalonda

*Tiqa Khairi

Wow, I've finally ended writing. It has take some time to do this!

So, before finishing I want to thank all of you who gave me the awards, to all of you who visit my blog. At first I wasn't really sure if this was a good idea, I thought nobody was going to follow, comment or even visit my blog and I have to thank you all because everytime I read a comment or I see a new follower I'm really happy, cause I'm making new friends while I write about one of the things I love most in this world: Books!

THANKS!!! ;)

In My Mailbox (4)

This week I'm very excited cause I got two things I really wanted to have.


Received


I won my first ARC ever at Presenting Lenore

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

Forget everything you ever knew about unicorns…
The sparkly, innocent creatures of lore are a myth. Real unicorns are venomous, man-eating monsters with huge fangs and razor-sharp horns. And they can only be killed by virgin descendants of Alexander the Great.
Fortunately, unicorns have been extinct for a hundred and fifty years.
Or not.
Astrid Llewelyn has always scoffed at her eccentric mother’s stories about killer unicorns. But when one of the monsters attacks her boyfriend in the woods – thereby ruining any chance of him taking her to prom – Astrid learns that unicorns are real and dangerous, and she has a family legacy to uphold. Her mother packs her off to Rome to train as a unicorn hunter at the ancient cloisters the hunters have used for centuries.
However, at the cloisters, all is not what is seems. Outside, the unicorns wait to attack. And within, Astrid faces other, unexpected threats: from crumbling, bone-covered walls that vibrate with a terrible power to the hidden agendas of her fellow hunters to – perhaps most dangerously of all – her growing attraction to a handsome art student… and a relationship that could jeopardize everything.

Lenore it finally arrived! I've just read the first page but I got this feeling of "I think I'm going to enjoy this book". Oh, and thanks for the nice bookmarcks!


Bought

Twilight (Two-Disc Special Edition)(Spanish Edition)

I don't know if this edition is exclusive of Spain or not. This edition is like a book of the film with the two dvds. It is really nice. I have it with my books in the bookshelf.

So what did you get?

In My Mailbox was started by Kristi of The Story Siren.

Sant Jordi (Saint George)

So as I promised today I'll tell you about Sant Jordi (Saint George).

Here, in Catalonia, we celebrate Sant Jordi every 23th of April.

This celebration comes from an old legend of a knight called Sant Jordi who killed a dragon to save a princess. When the dragon died, his blood became a garden full of roses.

Well, actually this is a very short explanation^^ .

If you want to read the legend here's a document from the Wikipedia that I think explains it very well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_George.

On saint george's day it is tradition that the boys give a rose to the girls, and the girls buy a book for the boys (what I find unfair cause I want a book too^^).
This day there are a lot of stands of roses and books everywhere and there are a lot of representations of the legend.

In my High School, there are a lot literary competitions (writting essays and short stories) and today we had a party, with a representation of Sant Jordi and musical performances by the students, where the winners were anounced.

I entered 4 competitions and I've won 3. I'm really happy^^ I was first in Catalan and English and I got the second place in Maths. In the last one we had to do a photo of what we wanted and put them a name related to maths.

The prices are always money to spend in a bookstore. I got 45€ in total (59$ more or less).

Happy Sant Jordi to you all.

Waiting On Wednesday (6)

I couldn't post yesterday 'cause today I had a big math exam so I didn't have lot of time.


Today I decided to pick a book that has an amazing cover and I really can't wait to know what is that truth the book tells us about.

Liar by Justine Larbalestier

Micah is different. She has always been a loner and freely admits to being a liar, but when her secret boyfriend dies mysteriously, her whole life comes under scrutiny. Now she plans to tell you the truth, the whole truth...or so she says.

This is a short summary but it makes me want to know about that mysterious truth.
So what do you think about it?


Ah, I nearly forgot to tell you that tomorrow is Sant Jordi (this event I told you about at In My Mailbox last week) and I'll do a post explainig it.

Waiting On Wednesday was started by Breaking The Spine.

You, Me, & Mondays (1)

Last week, Cupcake witch, started a new meme: You, Me, & Mondays.

I thought it would be entertaining and funny.

That's how it works:

Post the book you are currently reading (you can provide a description if you want), name one of the characters in the book (it doesn't have to be the main character), and then say something you have in common with them.

So here I go:

My pick for this week is Katsa of Graceling by Kristin Cashore.

I like Katsa because she has a lot of things I don't have and I would like to: She's strong, brave and self confident, she doesn't pay attention to whatever people tell about her and, of course, she has Po XD.

There are also things we have in common, starting with the age; we both are 16.

I think the thing in which we are really alike is that we both are really stubborn.

You could tell us what is better to do all times you want, but if we've already done a decision it's saliva that you'rr wasting 'cause unless you force us to do the contrary, we'll rarely change our mind.

So well, that's all for today.

Ah, yes! I've just finished Graceling so I hope I can post the review soon.

In My Mailbox (3)

Today, in Ripollet, my town, there was a celebration because next Thursday is "Sant Jordi" a Catalonian event. (I'll make a post next week explaining it) It's a great day for literature!

In the streets there were parades of the local book stores, activities for the kids (workshops of book marks, drawing contests, games), music (Çardanes -> A typical dance of Catalonia), shows and parades of jewery, bags, etc.

I went this morning with some friends to go for a walk and look around.

(Sant Jordi has something to do with a dragon)

I had a good time but I didn't buy anything, but when I got home I found out that my mother had bought some books she found that were a little bit cheaper because they were of second hand (she's really good finding bargains ^^) .

And which was my surprise?

She bought:

Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

She's just a New York City girl living with her artist mom…

NEWS FLASH: Dad is prince of Genovia. (So that's why a limo meets her at the airport!)

DOWNER: Dad can't have any more kids. (So there's no heir to the throne.)
SHOCK OF THE CENTURY: Like it or not, Mia Thermopolis is prime princess material.
THE WORST PART: Mia must take princess lessons from her dreaded grandmère, the dowager princess of Genovia, who thinks Mia has a thing or two to learn before she steps up to the throne.
Well, her father can lecture her until he's royal–blue in the face about her princessly duty—no way is she moving to Genovia and leaving Manhattan behind.
But what's a girl to do when her name is PRINCESS AMELIA MIGNONETTE GRIMALDI THERMOPOLIS RENALDO?

I've seen the film but I really wanted to read this series.

Thanks Mom!

In My Mailbox was started by Kristi of The Story Siren.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Reading level: Adult
Hardcover: 624 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away.
Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.
When Melanie, one of the few remaining "wild" humans is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.
Wanderer probes Melanie's thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer's mind with visions of the man Melanie loves—Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love.

Review

This book was amazing. I loved it.
The characters were well developed and the plot was really good.

Our world is invaded by the souls -bodyless creatures that live in diferent planets using the bodies of their populations as hosts-.

Wanderer is a Soul destinated to the Earth. Melanie is part of the human resistance. Both in the same body, both knowing what each other thinks.
Wanda (wanderer's nickname) is a kind character -always putting the others before herself and always worried, thinking about if she's doing the right thing-, while Melanie is very determined and knows exactly what she wants.
But both of them are strong and fighters, and both of them would do anything to keep save Jamie and Jared, without worring about what happens to themselves.

I love Ian. He's such a lovely character. A very nice and cute guy; maybe a little bit too protective, but knowing Wanda it is OK to be like that. My first impression of him wasn't that good but as the story continue you get to know him better.

Jamie and Jared are good characters too.
Jamie is so sweet. I found it very funny everytime he complainend because he thought the others treated him as a child, but the truth was that he was the one that wanted to do things that wasn't for a boy to do.
Jared was a character that sometimes made me be angry although I knew it was just natural for him to act like that because of his strong personality and because all the thing going on was very hard for him.

Jeb a Doc touched my heard too.
Jeb was very bossy and sometimes seemed a bit too impulsive, but in reallity he was the most sensible; he was aware of things that others overlooked and was impartial -he acted in the same way with everyone, no matter what they were-.
Doc turned to be an affectionate person. He tries to find a way to save the humans and return them their body but he feels so bad everytime something turns wrong in his experiments. He cares a lot about the others and is very trustworthy.

The other characters were nice as well, though I couldn't help but to think that Maggie and Sharon were way too stupid and unsympathetic.

The story run in a good pace and with lots of descriptions that made me want to really be there, walking where they were walking, seeing what they were seeing and feeling what they were feeling.

Overall: An amazing book written in a very nice way with which Stephenie shows us again the great writer she is.

Here's a trailer I've just found:

Now I only hope we can soon have the sequels "The Soul" and "The Seeker".
Good job Stephenie!*

Waiting On Wednesday (5)

Candor by Pam Bachorz

Get ready for CANDOR, where you are what you hear...
...in a town where his father brainwashes everyone, Oscar Banks has found a way to secretly fight the subliminal Messages. But when he falls in love, he must choose whether to let Nia be lost to brainwashing-or risk himself.
Oscar Banks has everything under control. In a town where his father brainwashes everyone, he's found a way to secretly fight the subliminal Messages. He's got them all fooled: Oscar's the top student and the best-behaved teen in town. Nobody knows he's made his own Messages to deprogram his brain. Oscar has even found a way to get rich. For a hefty price, he helps new kids escape Candor, Florida before they're transformed into cookie-cutter teens. But then Nia Silva moves to Candor, and Oscar's carefully-controlled world crumbles.

I found about this book few days ago and it sounded interesting and I love the cover, isn't it awesome?

It comes out in september, still a lot to wait.

It's a bit late but thanks Lauren for nominating me for the Sisterhood award. Since I've done it I'm not doing it again but I'm so happy to receive it! Thanks^^

Waiting On Wednesday was started by Breaking The Spine.

Kind of personal interview ¿?

Well, I've seen this in several blogs so I've decided to post it so you can know a little more about me.

Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback?
I like Hardback better (I find my book more protected) but recently I'm buying more paperbacks because of the price.
Barnes & Noble or Borders?
Since I'm from Spain all I can say is NO ANSWER!
Bookmark or dog-ear?
Bookmark, definitely. I just can't stand bending the pages, I want my books in perfect state.
Amazon or brick-and-mortar?
Amazon.
Alphabetize by author, or alphabetize by title, or random?
Random. Sometimes by subject or covers.
Keep, throw away, or sell?
Keep. I'm not capable of throwing or selling my books, I feel like something is missing. I always think "What if I want to re-read it someday?".
Keep dust jacket or toss it?
Keep. It's nice.
Read with dust jacket or remove it?
Remove it. I don't want it to get bend or something.
Short story or novel?
Novel.
Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
I've only read Harry Potter and I've enjoy it, so this is my choice.
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
At chapter breaks but sometimes, when I'm really tired, I just fall asleep.
“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
It was a dark and stormy night. Mystery forever!!!!
Buy or borrow?
I like buying the books. I like to have them so I can re-read them whenever I want or check some information or sentence I like of it.
Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?
Well, a little bit of all. If someones recommens my a book and I like the what it is about, I'll may read it, but since I'm the one who reads books from the outside that aren't realeased here I can't rely in this.
For picking a book I read the summary first and if I'm not sure about it I read the amazing reviews all of you write in your blogs.
Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
Tidy ending but with a little suspense if it is a series.
Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?
Whenever I can.
Stand-alone or series?
I've always liked series more because I love to know well the characters and all the story.
Favorite series?
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare.
Favorite children’s book?
The Tinger Team by Thomas Brezina. I started to like reading because of this series when I was around 9-10 years old and the school gave to everyone in tha class a book of this series to read during the summer. I didn't read it since I didn't like reading (or I hadn't try it) but I remember that a day of the next summer I was very bored and I started reading the book. And now here I am, still buying and reading this books that are from 9 years old onwards.
Favorite YA book?
Twilight.
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
Don't really know.
Favorite books read last year?
Twilight XD
Favorite books of all time?
Twilight (too many "Twilights" here but I really love it).
What are you reading right now?
Graceling by Kristin Cashore.
What are you reading next?
Love is Hell by Melissa Marr, Scott Westerfeld, Justine Larbalestier, Gabrielle Zevin and Laurie Faria Stolarz.
Favorite book to recommend to an 11-year-old?
The Tinger Team by Thomas Brezina
Favorite book to re-read?
Don't know, just what I feel like reading at that moment. I could re-read any of my favourites books.
Do you ever smell books?
Always!!!
Do you ever read primary source documents like letters or diaries?
When I need it for class.

If you've post it in your blog let me know and I'll pass by.


Ah, one last thing. Today we have to wish a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to:

Jess of Book Reviews by Jess
and
Cyn Balog author of Fairy Tale http://cynbalog.com/ http://cyn2write.livejournal.com/

In My Mailbox (2)

This week I've only got two books but I'm very excited.


Received


I received a copy of "Love is Hell" signed by Laurie Faria Stolarz which I won at The No So Closet Geeks. It came with a signed card too!


Love is Hell by Melissa Marr, Scott Westerfeld, Justine Larbalestier, Gabrielle Zevin & Laurie Faria Stolarz

Sure, love is hell. But it,s totally worth it.
In these supernatural stories by five of today's hottest writers—Melissa Marr (Wicked Lovely), Scott Westerfeld (Specials), Justine Larbalestier (Magic or Madness), Gabrielle Zevin (Elsewhere), and Laurie Faria Stolarz (Blue is for Nightmares)—love may be twisted and turned around, but it's more potent than ever on its quest to conquer all.
From two students who let the power of attraction guide them to break the hard-and-fast rules of their world to the girl who falls hard for a good-looking ghost with a score to settle, the clever, quirky characters in this exciting collection will break your heart, then leave you believing in love more than ever.

Thanks so much!!!


Bought

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug. She never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po. She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace—or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone. With elegant, evocative prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, debut author Kristin Cashore creates a mesmerizing world, a death-defying adventure, and a heart-racing romance that will consume you, hold you captive, and leave you wanting more.


So this is what I got this week.
In My Mailbox was started by Kristi of The Story Siren.

"Say It Again" Saturday (1)

"Say It Again" Saturday was created by the fabulous Karin.

I've decided to start doing this meme post to share those lines I love from the books I read.
Sometimes while reading a book I find some sentences that I have to write down because for some reason they catch me.
Today I'll post some "quotes" of:

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

"My first language, the true language of the soul that was spoken only on our planet of origin, had no word for betrayal or traitor. Or even loyalty - because without the existence of an opposite, the concept had no meaning." (pg 90)

"My legs moved me forward without any thought on my part. The crunching rhythm of my steps was background music, low and tedious.
There was nothing to see; one twisted, brittle shrub looked exactly the same as the next. The empty homogeny lulled me into a sort of daze - I was only aware of the shape of the mountains' silhouettes against the pale, bleached sky. I read their outlines every few steps, till I knew them so well I could have drawn them blindfolded." (pg 102)

"His cheek slowly slid back, and his chin tilted to the side so that his mouth covered mine.
He tried to kiss me softly. I could tell that he tried. But his intentions went up in smoke, just like before.
There was fire everywhere, because he was everywhere. His hands traced my skin, burning it. His lips tasted every inch of my face. The rock wall slammed into my back, but there was no pain. I couldn't feel anything besides the burning.
My hands knotted in his hair, pulling him to me as if there were any possible way for us to be closer. My legs wrapped around his waist, the wall giving me the leverage I needed. His tongue twisted with mine, and there was no part of my mind that was no invaded by the insane desire that possessed me." (pg 432)

I sure could write more cause I really love Stephenie's writing. I'm finishing this book and I'm enjoying it a lot. I'll post soon a review^^

Waiting On Wednesday (4)

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.
Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Doesn't that sound good?
Shiver comes out on August 1st.

I haven't read anything of this author yet but I want to read Lament soon too.

Waiting On Wednesday was started by Breaking The Spine.

Vampire Diaries' Cast

Well that's the main cast for the tv series of Vampire Diaries:




*Ian Somerhalde as Damon
*Paul Wesley as Stefan
*Nina Dobrev as Elena


There will be some modifications in the series:

-Elena won't be blonde, the actress will keep her hair's color.
-While in the books Elena is very popular, in the series she will be a
very lonely girl, traumatized because of the tragical death of her parents.
-Now Elena will have a little brother.
-Will be a change in the Salvatore's brothers last name. We don't know the new last name yet but it will be americanized.



Information from: Leer es adictivo (Reading is addictive)

Need by Carrie Jones

Need by Carrie Jones

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

Zara collects phobias the way other high school girls collect lipsticks. Little wonder, since life’s been pretty rough so far. Her father left, her stepfather just died, and her mother’s pretty much checked out. Now Zara’s living with her grandmother in sleepy, cold Maine so that she stays “safe.” Zara doesn’t think she’s in danger; she thinks her mother can’t deal.Wrong. Turns out that guy she sees everywhere, the one leaving trails of gold glitter, isn’t a figment of her imagination. He’s a pixie—and not the cute, lovable kind with wings. He’s the kind who has dreadful, uncontrollable needs. And he’s trailing Zara.

Review

The first thing that called my attention of this book was the fact that people said it was similar to Twilight. It's true that at the beginning the main scenery was practically the same:
A girl who is sent to a remote village covered everywhere by snow, strange things happen, etc; but apart of this, the book is a completely new story.

Zara is a strong character who collects phobias. Yeah you read well, PHOBIAS. Every chapter opened with the name of a phobia, I learnt about a lot of phobias I didn't know even existed- I love this one: Didaskaleinophobia -> fear of going to school. ^^

The main characters, Zara and Nick were great but I felt that the secondary characters were flat, I mean, we don't get to know them very well and they don't really seem to show well their feelings. Betty, Devyn and Issie are there, and they could have had a more important roll in the story but I felt like I didn't have enough information of them to consider them more than accompaniment characters.

Another fact that bothered me was that sometimes, when Zara talked about her father it felt confusing because I didn't know if she was talking about his biological father or about her adoptive father.

Overall: Leaving this to one side, I enjoyed this book, the story was a little fast at some points but it didn't interfere in the reading.

Waiting On Wednesday (3)

Willow by Julia Hoban

Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen year- old Willow’s parents died in a horrible car accident. Willow was driving. Now her older brother barely speaks to her, her new classmates know her as the killer orphan girl, and Willow is blocking the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when one boy —one sensitive, soulful boy—discovers Willow’s secret, it sparks an intense relationship that turns the “safe” world Willow has created for herself upside down.
Told in an extraordinary fresh voice, Willow is an unforgettable novel about one girl’s struggle to cope with tragedy, and one boy’s refusal to give up on her.


This book sounds amazing, I can't wait to read it!
At first I didn't know which book to choose for my Waiting On Wednesday this week, but since Willow is finally out tomorrow I decided to dedicate this week's post to this fabulous book that I'm sure I'll enjoy reading a lot.
So tomorrow run to the nearest bookshop and get this book!!!!

Waiting On Wednesday was started by Breaking The Spine.