Weekly Favorites

Another week of spring, warm, sunny weather and laziness :) I'm getting to the point where it's not even easy to pick favorites anymore, because with school being a matter only occasionally for a few hours anymore, I'm freeee like a bird :)

Bike Tours

I am the kind of person who hates biking. I'm a runner, I like to trust nothing and no one but my legs and feet. I especially hate biking with my mom, because she goes for 40+ kilometers every time and she never chooses the same route twice so that we usually end up in the middle of nowhere, completely lost and with me crying in frustration because I want to be home and my legs hurt and I hate not knowing where I am. Not this Sunday, though. I was wise enough to take my phone with me (against my mom's disapproval because she is, you know, such a genius at finding her way back home...) and we actually made it a three hour instead of a six hour tour and it was AH-mazing!!!

Drinking coffee

In the past year, I have tried to give up coffee a solid three times. I failed again this past weekend when I was out shopping with a friend. I don't regret it, though, because of my next favorite:

Life is short. Buy the shoes.

Restricting yourself can make sense, I'll admit as much. For example, I really don't need to buy more books that will end up on my shelf, unread and collecting dust. I do want to drink coffee, though. I want to enjoy a dessert from time to time. I want to be lazy for three days in a row or, you know, buy that super unnecessary, way too expensive pair of shoes. Because, you know, if today was your last day...

Shopping!

Oh, how I missed it. During our exam phase in school - which pretty much lasted four months straight, I did not go shopping once. Not even online shopping. I went on Saturday and didn't even buy much, but it felt amazing. Clearly, it's the best kind of therapy there is.

So, those where my (not exactly bookish, I'll admit it) favorite things this week. What was great about your week? 

Review: Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott

Abby accepted that she can’t measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister Tess a long time ago, and knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible.
Until the accident.
Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby’s life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it's nothing compared to living without her.
She's got a plan to bring Tess back though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli, but then Abby learns something about Tess, something that was always there, but that she’d never seen.
Abby is about to find out that truth isn't always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could..


Hardcover, 250 pages
Published May 24th 2011 by Simon Pulse



Long Story Short:

The premise of this book did sound interesting, but overall, it could not deliver what I hoped for. I didn't like the main character, the plot was pretty much nonexistent, the big secret in the end was...not such a secret at all. Anyway, I liked how Scott pulled the strings together in the end, though.

RATING:
1/3 Smarties

Review for You:

Nope, not for me. I mean I pretty much knew what to expect, having read Scott's Bloom almost one year ago, but still - I was disappointed. I guess one year of actively thinking about if and why I like a book did change my taste a little bit. Between Here and Forever was not bad at all, actually.
 I liked the storyline at the beginning, how Abby felt like she was living in her older sister's shadow and then Tess's coma and her familys's dealing with it. The story could have turned into something very beautiful and meaningful with a great message at the end.
After the first few pages, though, Abby started to get on my nerves. I mean, I get it, she is self-conscious and suffers from a serious lack of confidence BUT I understood that when it was mentioned the first time. And, you know, the second time. And every single time after that. 

This was one of those stories where nothing much happens (It's contemporary, after all) so that character development and relationships should make up for that. In really good contemporaries, they do. The first three fourth of this book were practically just about Abby and Tess and flashbacks to their past - which made it feel very dragging right at the beginning.
Even the one or two stories Abby shared about herself that were quite interesting and made her a bit more unique were overshadowed by that big theme going on in her head about how she was not worthy of anyone's attention or love.

The few developments and turns that were included in the plot seemed predictable to me, especially the big thing Abby finds out about Tess that is mentioned in the synopsis. I had hoped for something...um...bigger :)

Anyway, the ending did kind of make up for the rest. If it had only started sooner! The last fifty pages really kept me entertained, there was finally some movement in the story.
Abby changed, learned a few important lessons. Other characters, her family and a special someone had real appearences and started playing a role instead of just being there and letting Abby tell the whole story on her own.

Then again, that movement seemed rushed. I think the author shouldn't have let the reader wait so long for something to happen and then should have invested  more time (and pages) in the ending.

All in all, this book was not enough to keep me entertained. A good contemporary, in my opinion, has to convince me with its characters, their story and development and - maybe - a really happy ending. I couldn't find any of that in Between Here and Forever - sadly.
If you are a fan of Scott's work, you will probably like this book a lot - it's pretty similar to Bloom. If you are having difficulties getting into contemporary at all or like deep, moving contemporaries that transport you into that world, you probably won't be satisfied with Between Here and Forever.

I'm actually a bit desperate right now. Does anyone have a recommendation for awesome, mind-blowing contemporary? Because lately, I've just been very disappointed :/

Mini Review: Wanted by Sara Shepard

There's just something about Shepard's series that makes me pick them up again and again even if I promise myself that I won't. Practically, plot-wise it's the same thing every time. It's creepy, there are a ton of questions, murder suspects and dangerous noises,voices and notes. On top of that, topical pop culture references, designer brands, lip gloss, bitchy high school girls and cute guys with definite boyfriend material.

Frankly, I dreaded the start of Wanted. I was fed up with the Pretty Little Liars series and the never ending mystery and at the beginning I was seriously thinking about just putting it back on the shelf and leave it there for good. 

Then, something happened. And I couldn't help it, I had to continue. I had to race through the book to find out how things would turn out and I'm telling you, the ending was EPIC. And there wasn't even a real cliffhanger...

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before I start raving, I wanted to quickly continue my rant where I will state that I want Kate and her court to go wherever I won't have to see them again. I hate their constant bullying. I even think that was one of the main aspects that made me turn away from the series. Hanna is not any better, though. She, too, craves "power" and "fame" in her school so much that it's not only weird, it's completely ridiculous. I even skimmed some of Hanna's chapters because I couldn't stand her whining anymore.

Anyway, Sara Shepard surprised me at the end and what she turned this series into really deserves some attention which leaves me with nothing more to say then: give these books a chance if you haven't already. Especially in the spring and summer time, they are the perfect mix of light chick lit pop culture goodness and creepy mystery to keep you on the edge of your seat :)

Wishlist Wednesday

I loved The Iron King! Never expected it to be that good and fairy tale-ish. Now, though, I really have some catching up to do! All those books in the Fey Saga by Julie Kagawa...can't wait to indulge!

The Top Ten Endings That Blew My Mind

Obviously, endings are important. Writing style, character development, plot...that's what makes me enjoy a book as I am reading it. That's what makes me pick it up again and again, although there would clearly be other things I should focus on. They make me come back to the book as long as it is still on my nightstand.

The ending only gets important as soon as I finished the book - and usually way after I reviewed it. 

Einstein once said, though, that knowledge is what stays in your head after you forgot about everything else (or, you know...something like that) and that's how I feel about endings, too.

Let's take Lauren Oliver and her Delirium trilogy, she was the first to come into my mind thinking about this topic. She is famous for making her endings the delicious part of the book, the big showdown that you are actually hoping for in every novel - but that you only get very rarely. Oliver understands how to create an amazing amount of suspense, how to kind of and somewhat satisfy the reader, but to still let so many questions unanswered that it's totally okay to complain about a cliffhanger. For Oliver, that works out. In some other cases, I'll admit, it doesn't, but that's a whole other topic.

Someone else who creates fantastic endings is Richelle Mead in her Vampire Academy Series. In the way she does it, she always reminds me of JK Rowling. All the books I've read so far have had big dramatic scenes in the end, but I never felt like there were just a few pages left out to make me excited about the next book. Mead always delivers a story that can be read by itself, which I admittedly like a lot better than Oliver's cliffhangers.

Similar to Mead's endings are both, the ones we find (or found) in the Caster Chronicles Series and the ones Marissa Meyer creates in her Lunar Chronicles. There, too, we always get one story with one purpose and one ending and if we want to, we can pick up the next book and dive into the story world all over again. 

The queen of cliffhanger (really?) endings is probably Sara Shepard. Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game books usually end with the mystery kind of figured out...and then the next book comes around and we are confronted with a whole new problem all over again.

Another good ending was Partials by Dan Wells - a huge book with such a story to tell - but if it weren't for those last few sentences I would have considered it a standalone novel. The ending itself was epic in several ways. There were action scenes, but also very emotional ones and some major decisions that I did not expect.

Although I'm usually very petty about cliffhangers, for some reason I really liked the ones Julie Cross put in her novels Tempest and Vortex - because they were so unexpected and they made me crave the next books in the series so much.

Lastly, I always enjoy the happy endings in contemporary novels - if they are done the right way. It should not be too easy for the characters to solve their problems, but I like to see them develop a whole lot (after all, that's what contemporary is about, right?) and grow and if they go toward a bright future at the end of the novel, that gives me a warm feeling of satisfaction :) Good examples for that are Katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits (of course) and almost every Sarah Dessen book. 

Weekly Favorites

Hello there! I know, I know. Long time no see. Right now I'm in a current mood roller coaster and motivation battle. My history and English exams are over which is sooo relieving, but I still have to study for Math (UGH) and Social Studies...and the studying part is somewhat suffering. As is the blog. And my reading. And everything except the Sims, really. I don't get it! I never, ever play the game - video games at all, really. It's just when I really have something to get done that I can't resist. Annoying!

Anyway, I have to apologize again for being such an inconsistent blogger - and I know there is no excuse because getting a post done would only take about 30 minutes of my (not SO precious) time. My laziness is to blame - sorry, sorry.

On to the favorites:

Okay, so maybe a German spring looks a tad bit different than this, but...almost all the snow has melted and that means something, doesn't it? Also, today is the first day in shorts and T-shirt - only now do I realize how much I missed the sun!

Yep, that's correct. Sara Shepard actually is one of my weekly favorites? Why? Because it always takes me ages to pick up the next book in one of her series, thinking every time that they're all the same anyway. Then, though, once I finally start, it blows me away every time. I just finished Wanted (PLL#8) and oh my...so GOOD. Now, I'm onto the newest Lying Game book and so far, I think I am addicted.

Inline skating! Something else I do when I should actually be inside, studying. I love going really fast on those...it's just that I don't know how to slow done...advice, anyone? Also, I'd like to learn a few tricks on them :)

And lastly, it's...early morning runs!

(okay, so there's no beach for me...but a girl can always dream, right?)

NEVER thought I'd say that. I love running, but I hate getting up really early for it when it's still chilly outside. Or, I used to hate it. Now, I'm waiting for sunrise every morning and out the front door I go. The super fresh air around 7 AMish is addicting!

Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

by Jennifer E. Smith

 

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it. 

A Long Story Short:

This book is for plane rides, road trips or other activities during which you don't have time to read a whole lot and just need a book for the case that there actually is a free minute when you'd like to read something. If you want to completely sink into a romantic love story that will tear your heart into pieces, this is probably not the right thing for you. I found that the story was not half as unique as I hoped it would be and - apart from that - this book was highly predictable.

RATING: 1/3 Smarties

Review for You:

If I'd been on a trip to say...France or Spain with my girls, completely occupied by hot sun and just as hot boys and sunbathing on the beach all day, too lazy to get up and move or busy my mind with strange activities like...thinking too much, then yes, I might have enjoyed TSPoLaFS a lot more than I did. Because, as it is, I was just at home, desperate to flee from studying and occasional exam - panic into a story that would swallow me whole and let me forget my real life.

This, as a matter of fact, did not happen. Instead, this book was predictable, cute in all the right - but also all the wrong ways - and just simply not enough to actually make me care.

Our two main characters felt to me like their personalities were created by the "random" button in Create-a-Sim mode - just a whole entire lot of character traits mixed together. True, this way, stereotypes can definitely be avoided. The problem is, though, that Hadley and Oliver, yes, were anything but stereotypes. But to me, they didn't feel realistic, either.

The plot? Well, I guess this is what you have to expect when reading a book with a title like that. And just to make that clear - I was prepared for a ton of romantic cheesiness. Frankly, that was what I craved!

However, I wanted the story to stick with me, I wanted to care about the characters and feel their emotions. All of that - and a lot of other things- I didn't feel.

The result of all this? The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is not a bad book. If you're looking for something that you can just read occasionally, something you take with you on, say, a vacation or road trip or to read during your brother's totally lame soccer game to keep your mind entertained - it's great. A very light, fluffy story. But if it's the only book you read at a time, it has a very high potential of turning boring and the uniqueness you feel at the beginning might begin to fade away pretty quickly.