Feature & Follow Friday

Today's task is:
You're a matchmaker—your goal, hook up two characters from two of your favorite books. Who would it be? How do you think it would go?

Answer:

  I would definitely pick Hermione from Harry Potter and Jace from the Mortal Instruments. They're both intelligent, brave and ambitious so I guess they would have a strong relationship. Then again, I#d love to see them arguing as snarky and sarcastic and smart as they are :)

Review #16 - Social Suicide by Gemma Halliday

Goodreads summary:

Twittercide [twit-er-sahyd]: the killing of one human being by another while the victim is in the act of tweeting.

Call me crazy, but I figured writing for the Herbert Hoover High Homepage would be a pretty sweet gig. Pad the resume for college applications, get a first look at the gossip column, spend some time ogling the paper’s brooding bad-boy editor, Chase Erikson. But on my first big story, things went... a little south. What should have been a normal interview with Sydney Sanders turned into me discovering the Homecoming Queen-hopeful dead in her pool. Electrocuted while Tweeting. Now, in addition to developing a reputation as HHH’s resident body finder, I’m stuck trying to prove that Sydney’s death wasn’t suicide.

I’m starting to long for the days when my biggest worry was whether the cafeteria was serving pizza sticks or Tuesday Tacos..

Published: 2012

Pages: 277

Genre: Mystery

LONG STORY SHORT:

I will confess that I did have some sequel-trouble with Social Suicide, although it was nothing major. Readers who loved the (continuosly) snarky voice in Deadly Cool might be a bit disappointed (as I was) because I felt like the plot and character development took higher priority in this one than language, but pay attention to my choice of words. Everything I loved in Deadly Cool - Hartley and her easy view on things/ her snarky voice, the not-lovey-dovey romance, the suspense in the end and the complete confusion over who killed whom - where still there. The emphasis on some aspects was just (in my opinion) different from the first book. All in all a fun novel that I will definitly reread when life gets tough!

REVIEW

After reading Deadly Cool - the first book in the series - I was convinced I would never be able to read about anything but Hartley and her great, funny, dangerous (well...kind of) mystery stories. I was so into her world and her character and her voice - it was amazing! So amazing that I had to preorder Social Suicide immediately, couldn't wait to start it and didn't want it to end.

Honestly, Deadly Cool and Social Suicide are amazing novels that make me laugh and forget reality. The perfect mix of fluent sarcasm and everyday situations that everyone knows so well result in a book that teaches you to "just deal with it" and that everyone else goes through the same things you do (like meat(ish) loaf and a paranoid mom).

I feel like I'm repeating myself, but what I love most about Social Suicide is Hartley's attitude towards life. Being more of a pessimist myself, I'm always inspired how she can freak over minor things just as teenagers do but always stays positive in a way. It's hard to describe. Like, she has that ability of staying happy, laughing about things that get thrown in her way instead of being grumpy about it.

Apart from that, I couldn't figure out the mystery in this one which really is a good thing. They took so many different directions in an effort to find out how Sydney died that I was too confused to work on it with my own brain. Again, this is not a negative aspect! I hate when you can tell what happened to the victim after the first few pages or so. The ending itself came so unexpected! I would never have guessed that! Also, we do see some development with Hartley and Chase but it's not too over the top and although this is a sequel - there is no love triangle! Yay! Sam was as amazing as ever - the best friend you could wish for!

The only thing I missed was how Hartley did not - not one single time - get the secret can of ice cream out of the fridge. I was so disappointed by that!

 Overall, I would say I had a little bit of sequel-trouble with this one, but I expected that to happen. My expectations towards most sequels are usually way over-the-top so that I always get a bit disappointed with seconds in series. Which should not mean that Social Suicide was a disappointment. I missed the snarky language from Book One a little bit (it wasn't as consistent-but-not-obvious) and sometimes I felt like the events were a bit rushed and fewer places to go and things to find out would've made it too, but most things I loved about Deadly Cool were still the same.
There's only one thing I really don't like about Social Suicide: the fact that it's already over.
Everyone: get it, read it, see new sense in life.
To the author: I want more! Please, please,please! And fast!

RATING: 3 out 0f 3 Smarties

WWW Wednesday #3

What are you currently reading?

I'm actually preparing a little summer feature right now, so I'm eager to finish The Summer I turned Pretty (tonight? maybe??)

What did you recently finish reading?

Summer's almost here guys - I cannot wait!

What do you think you'll read next?

And again, you feel the hot sun and blue sky? Me too!

Top Ten Tuesday #2

This week is about books that were written in the past ten years that we wish will stay with us for the next thirty years, so this is my selection:

1. Harry Potter

If this book doesn't make a child read, no book will. 

Great story. Great, great, great.

Full of moral and  meaningful messages.

This series changed my life. 

2. Delirium

Not only because it's my new, absolute favorite book, but also because I love the message it provides and of course Oliver's wonderful, beautiful, amazing writing! I wouldn't want future generations to miss out on that!

3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Not actually because I enjoyed reading it (I did, though!). But because I felt like our world is not that far from ending up like that. Sometimes I wonder if we treat the poor parts of our world much better than the capital treats the districts...I just think people should remember that more often.

4. Divergent by Veronica Roth

I think you could pick most dystopians for this list, but I chose Divergent especially for the five factions and everything it taught me about being "divergent".

5. If I Stay by Gayle Forman

It's beautiful. Other than that I think it really makes you appreciate all the things you have in life. Family, friends, the fact that your life is a gift that was given to you. I'd want my kids to read this.

6. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

I've read this one in German. A long, looong time ago. Anyway, I love her writing. The funny thing is that she talks like that, too. All fairy-tale-is. She always pretends like the worlds and characters she invents were true. Sometimes I think her stories will end up as the fairy-tales of the people who live like...300 years from now.

7. Looking for Alaska by John Green

I've only read this one book of his, but I loved it. And everyone loves him. So I figured he deserved a spot on this list :)

8. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Because those years from 12 to I-have-no-idea-when-it-will-end-but-it-doesn't-till-you're-almost-seventeen suck. Well...most of the time. And I, at least, need something to pick me up at times. Anything.

9. 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Because it really made me think of how I treat people and how my actions might effect others. Nowadays, I often feel like some people should pay a bit more attention to that, too.

10. Rosebush by Michelle Jaffe

This might sound ridiculous, but I think this one could be very helpful for people at any time, because it teaches a great lesson about popularity that I think everyone should keep in mind in their everyday lives :)

Review #16 City Of Lost Souls - Cassandra Clare

Goodreads summary:
The demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace has been freed from her captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive to rescue him, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing–but so is the boy she hates, Sebastian, the son of her father Valentine: a son determined to succeed where their father failed, and bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.



No magic the Clave can summon can locate either boy, but Jace cannot stay away—not from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror Lilith’s dying magic has wrought—Jace is no longer the boy she loved. He and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become what he most feared: a true servant of Valentine’s evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. Will the Shadowhunters hesitate to kill one of their own?


Author: Cassandra Clare
Pages: 534 (Hardcover)
Release Date: May 8th 2012
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series? Yes. No.5



LONG STORY SHORT:

The Mortal Instruments Series - at least in my opinion - gets better with every new installment. This one now really drew me into the Shadowhunter world, made me want all the characters to exist in real life so I could experience their sarcastic dialogues first hand. City Of Lost Souls made me laugh and cry, provided some great messages. But most of all I'm starting to wonder if it is possible to invent a story like that - a story world like that. I'm almost convinced Cassandra Clare has some bonds to the Nephilim because otherwise I couldn't explain how she fabricated that work of art that COLS is.

REVIEW:

Why I bought City Of Lost Souls? Is that a question? I mentioned before that I wasn't a big fan of the first installments of the series. It got better with number three and I felt at home for the first time in the Shadowhunter world in City of Fallen Angels. Seeing how huge (page wise) City of Lost Souls was I couldn't wait to get into it.

I have to admit I haven't read other people's opinions on this book yet so I don't really know how the general view on this book is. I love the atmosphere Clare puts into her novels, like she knew the characters personally and simply describes what she remembers. Also, she put great twists into this book that kept the suspense high until the end and that made me race through it way too fast because I was dying to find out if and how they could solve all the problems that came up.

I don't think I have to talk about if I liked the characters, because - hey, I was reading the fifth book here! - of course I did. What really caught my eye this time was what I missed last time: how each and everyone grew up. They all reach that time of your life where you start knowing what you want in life and what you are willing to sacrifice. Besides all the Shadowhunter action that happened you could see how everyone made decisions that were important for their lives and how almost all of them stopped thinking like enthusiastic teenagers, but more like young adults who know that nothing is forever and that all of your actions come with certain consequences.

The only thing that bothers me - and that has always bothered me - is Clare's tending to stop reasonable world building when it would just be very important. I have been a bit disappointed of every Mortal Instruments installment until now, because at the end I feel like she moves things into the direction she wants them to go without having a real explanation for why this or that is possible all of a sudden. As I read the last few pages I caught myelf thinking stuff like "Okay, that could've happened right at the beginning - without the 500 pages in between!", so that was a little sad.

Overall, if you like the Mortal Instruments I think you will definitly devour this book! As I said, I enjoyed entering this world again so much that I couldn't even focus on some flaws the book might have had. The only thing I noticed was how easy Clare always makes it for herself in the end. She thinks of this amazing, twisted but very reasonable plot throughout the whole novel and then the (round about thirty pages long) epilogue disappoints me. Other than that, I loved it!

RATING: 3 out of 3 Smarties

Having My Coffee #4

Hello and a happy Sunday everyone!
I actually don't have that much to say today. Except for that thing I have to tell each and everyone of you guys who are reading this post right now: As I'm typing this over 40 people are following me, the Booksmartie via GFC which is something I never expected to happen. Not this fast, at least. So lately I've been thinking of a way to thank you for supporting me and I'm planning to host a Giveaway as soon as I reach 50 GFC followers (and figured out how it works...).  As I said I started blogging with very low expectations. I mean, English is not my first language and I'm often asking myself if this or that expression is used correctly. Besides, as much as it is impressive it is also intimidating seeing all these huge bloggers in the book community posting great reviews and author interviews and guest posts and what not and juggling blogging and reading in their schedules seemingly like nothing! Some of them even have a Youtube channel to manage as well!
So, yes it was intimidating starting out and sometimes it still is but I'm so happy for all of you great people following and commenting and for the heartly welcome you can sense anywhere in the community as a new blogger!
Blogging has become a huge part of my life by now and I never, ever want to stop doing it!

So thank you,
the Booksmartie

Books I got this week:

Ebooks:

from Amazon:



for review:




Thanks so much to Middleton Books for offering me the review copy!

from NetGalley:

Soundtracks...

So, I recently fell in love with movie soundtracks. I remembered how I used to listen to the Harry Potter soundtracks online as I was reading the books over and over and over again and then someone from my school introduced me to the awesome music in the background of Torchwood and now...I'm obsessed. I think it's just so beautiful!

If you have any suggestions for movie soundtracks, please leave me a comment! I'm seriously considering not spending all of the money I make on books and save a bit for a few new CDs :)

Happy Saturday!

Feature & Follow Friday

Todays question is:

Activity! Dream cast your current read.

Brigitta:

Emma Roberts

"Luke"

Review #14 Evernight-Claudia Grey

Published: 2009
Pages:
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Long Story Short: Not really my cup of tea...
Goodreads synopsis:

Bianca wants to escape. 
She's been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in. 
Then she meets Lucas. He's not the "Evernight type" either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and warns Bianca to be careful—even when it comes to caring about him. 
"I couldn't stand it if they took it out on you," he tells Bianca, "and eventually they would." 
But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can't be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart . . . and to make Bianca question everything she's ever believed.


I got Evernight for free on Amazon.com but the cover drew me in immediately. I started reading it and actually really liked the main character and the author's writing style. In the end, the plot and Lucas didn't make it for me.

I did enjoy this book for like...the first half of it. I could identify with the main character, Bianca, really well. Whatever she was feeling, her character traits and her relationship with her parents were so familiar! I loved that there was a child-parents-relationship that wasn't troubled throughout puberty.

As the story unfolded, the plot started really bothering me, though. What I expected was a nice, dangerous fantasy novel with a cute romantic love story thrown in. What I got were two hundred pages describing two teenagers falling in love who have some telling-the-truth struggles along the way in a fantasy environment that doesn't actually matter much for the development of the story.

I figured by now that I shouldn't have been disappointed. I tried Twilight, I tried Hush Hush, now I tried Evernight. I should know by now that books that only deal with the relationship problems paranormal elements can cause and not the dangerous life and humanity threatening issues Fantasy and High Fantasy novels offer just won't do it for me. Ever. I'm not that interested in relationship issues that I'd read a whole book in order to figure out if they stand through the suffering or if they die out of love sickness.

The other major thing I didn't like was Lucas, one of the love interests in this book. Although in the end it was explained why he acted the way he did, I just couldn't feel okay about it. Not only that he was very mean in the beginning. What annoyed me was how boldly mean he was. As if the author wanted to scream in my face: "Look! He's hiding something! Look! See? See?" It was way too obvious and ruined my sympathy for that character pretty early.

Okay, I understand that I haven't said a lot about Evernight until now. And I won't. I think that a lot of people liked it and it is likable. As I said, most of the characters (apart from super-rude Lucas) were very nice and the overall story idea and especially the easy writing and the fast flow of the story really drew me in. The story itself, though, just wasn't for me.


RATING: 1 out of 3 Smarties

WWW Wednesday #2

What are you currently reading?

 

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

What did you recently finish reading?

Ever more by Alyson Noel

What do you think you'll read next?

Narrative Loserdom by Ryan Collins

The Summer of No Regrets by Katherine Grace Bond

Top Ten Tuesday

I'm obsessed. With lists. Like, seriously, it's bad. On some days I will sit in my room making grocery lists, to-do lists, winter-clothing shopping lists. When I was little I would make lists of my friends and on whom I liked most and least ( I know, it's mean but I never showed them to anyone and come on, I was seven!).
Anyway, I decided to do Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, because I could no longer stand seeing all these amazing lists on other blogs and never being able to make one on my own :)
Tune In Tuesday will come back to this blog in the future but I won't do it regularly anymore.

1. seventeen.com
I know, I know. I'm the geek, the weird girl that barely notices you when you sit next to her because she practically lives with a book glued to her nose. What many wouldn't suspect of me is that I'm obsessed with make-up, clothes and - more than anything - the private lives of celebrities (most of whom are barely even allowed to drive yet). So even though I would never bring up the courage (or motivation) to follow the strict rules teen magazines give you to fit in and make high school the best time of your life, i do love to read about it from time to time.

2.JustJaredJunior
Remember what I said above about teenage celebrities? I strongly believe that I have every right to give in to this guilty pleasure. I mean, by the time I entered my tween and teen years the only movies, TV-shows, music and magazine articles you could find featured no one but Disney/Nickelodeon stars. As a result, I see myself now stalking all those (former) teens. And secretly wishing that someday, sometime Zanessa will be real again...

3. Teenvogue
I will admit it. I'm addicted to fashion.

4. Runnersworld
I don't think I've mentioned it on the blog yet, but I actually love to run in my free time and you can get a ton of amazing tips on training improvement, nutrition and all that fun stuff there.

5. Rookie
I don't even know how I discovered this, but that site is amazing. Uh-mah-zing! I love reading all the stories on there - they're so inspirational and sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes funny and just - great! You should check it out!

6. NY Times
There are days when I don't feel like reading the news at all. And then there are days where i feel like I should start acting like a grown-up a little bit more. It doesn't occur particularly often.

7.I'm out of ideas. Seriously. The only thing I check regularly (and religiously) are book related sites.

8. Elle and Blair
I love how they blog pretty much all over the place. Of course it's mostly beauty and fashion, but they also write about staying healthy, room decorations, candle scents, books - you name it. I'm never bored when I'm on their site.

9. Oh my goodness. Two more??? I so can't do it!

10. Tumblr
Does this even count???

As you an see this is mostly magazines. We don't have ones here in Germany that are as great as the ones in the US. That's what I think at least.
Sooo....tell me some sites you love, because I seriously have to bookmark some new ones :)

Bout Of Books 4.0 Wrap Up

Woah. It's done. What a week! I'm actually still recovering even though I didn't even reach all the goals I set for myself. But let's do this one step at a time.
Considering the amount of books - 4 and a bit of number 5 - I didn't even do that bad. My goal was to read more than I'd usually read in a week which is 2 to 3 books. This was my first Readathon and I had no idea what to expect so I wanted to keep things settled.
Books I finished:


I started City Of Lost Souls but right now it's Monday night where I live and I'm only almost halfway through so that doesn't count :)
Anyway, I learned during that past week that I do read a lot faster when I'm in school than when I'm home all day which is really surprising (and has a lot to do with the fact that I don't have internet access at school...)
As for my other goals I did spend more time reading than sitting around doing nothing (important). I think during a Readathon you just learn to take every chance you get to open a book. The one thing I'm really proud of was my interaction with other bloggers this week. I mean, there's probably a million bloggers out there who are still better at socializing than I am but I put a lot of time into commenting and Twitter and all that and I had so much fun exchanging thoughts and opinions with others! Really, I think that is the main reason I'm doing all this!
My last goal was to bring more variety into my reading which I did, too, by choosing to read from four different genres (Mystery, Dystopian, Contemporary, Paranormal) and four different authors.
All in all I had an AMAZING time during my first Readathon. Not only reading but especially tweeting and commenting and reading all the great comments on my own posts. It is definitely something I think everyone should've done at some point in their (blogging) life and I will do it again, too!
A great experience!