Manga Tuesdays; NANA

Hello everybody!

So... I'm new here....

Yeah...

Nice...

....

Urm, let's start my first review ever!

Manga: NANA

Written by: Ai Yazawa

Genres: Shoujo, Mature, Drama, Romance, Music, Comedy, Slice of life (I personally think it's more like a tragedy though...)

Volumes:  21 (84 chapters)

Anime: Yes (it's not as good as the manga, it misses the humour), there is also a movie

own/ library/ borrowed

 (Well actually I just own 11 volumes, but I'm still collecting them. There are just 14 volumes in Dutch though. The rest of the volumes I read online via the sites: www.manga.animea.net and  http://www.mangareader.net )

completed/ ongoing, and maybe forever TT_TT, because while Ai Yazawa was writing this story she got seriously ill. Luckily she has recovered, but she still hasn't decided if she will continue NANA or not!

publisher: shueisha

Note: This was the very first manga I have ever read and I still haven't found a manga that could beat this one. (This also might be the case because I have read every volume I own like eight times.)

Summary:
NANA is the story of two different girls who share the same name, Nana. They come from completely different worlds and have unanimously different personalities. Oosaki Nana is a proud woman whose dream is to sing, and Komatsu Nana is a fickle girl whose dream is to love. Together they bump amongst the stone covered road called life; with or without each other. Like other beautifully structured Ai Yazawa works, Nana unfolds in such a beautiful breakdown of human nature that inspires the readers' minds and leaves an impression of one of the most convincing love stories ever to be written.
(from manga.animea.net)

Review:

As I already said: I really, really, really, really love this story.

It starts really happy, like every normal shoujo manga, but then something happens (I'm not going to spoil it) and everything changes.

Really, after volume seven I cried until volume 14... (I must say, I cry quite fast and I really love each and every character in NANA, I know all of their life stories and so on, so for me this was a difficult moment :(   ) and from then on the story gets a hell of a lot more serious. But Ai Yazawa still manages to add some humour to the story, so I had quite a few times that I laughed while tears were running down my face.

What I really like about Ai Yazawa's writing style is that she doesn't make the characters perfect. In most Shoujo mangas the characters are perfect, even their mistakes are perfect and I think that's super annoying. Anyway in Nana are the characters quite realistic, of course their daily life is a bit more exciting than that from most of us, but that's why there is no story written about my life -__-

The only thing that I don't like about the story, but what does make it more realistic is the fact that there doesn't really happen a lot. In all the 84 chapters just 2 major events happen, which is, as you probably know if you sometimes read shoujo manga, not really a lot (usually you get a new event every 4 chapters or so).  

Rating:

5 stars

Some things about manga for non-manga readers :P :

Manga is a Japanese cartoon or comic. There are lots of them in all kind of different genres (really from porn to manga for little girls). Of most mangas there is a new chapter released every month, so that's why some are ongoing.

If you are too lazy to read, of most mangas there is an anime to watch ;)

If you consider reading manga pay attention! Manga is written from right to left!

some terms:

Shoujo= Manga for mostly teenage girls (it can be very childish, it can be really mature)

Shounen= Manga for mostly teenage boys (example: Naruto )

Josei= Manga for older women (the manga site says: late teenage and adult audiences, this is usually because the characters in the manga are not in high school anymore, this doesn't mean it's not fun to read if you are younger)

Seinen= Manga for older men (also for late teenage and adult audiences, also usually fun to read if you're younger)

School life= is sometimes quite interesting because the japanese school life seems very different than what I am used to

Shoujoai= girls love

Shounenai= boys love

Yuri = let's just say: the more advanced version of girls love

Yaoi= the more advanced version of boys love

Love, Lua

BOOK NEWS: City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Hi Everyone :)


I have not posted much on my blog lately. This is not due to lack of interest ;) I was ill for almost a week , but I'm doing great now. And yesterday I saw something great on Tumblr. Cassandra Clare posted the chapter titles for City of Lost Souls, part 5 in the Mortal Instruments. They are epic awesomeness!


City of Lost Souls Chapter Titles

Prologue: Consecrated

Read it here.

Chapter One: The Last Council

In which we meet some new characters

Chapter Two: Thorns

A place shaped like a heart is full of thorns and roses — Yeats

Chapter Three: Bad Angels

Along the wall were the pegs where the residents of the Institute hung their coats when they came inside: one of Jace’s black jackets still dangled from a hook, the sleeves empty and ghostly

Chapter Four: And Immortality

“Lead us from the unreal to the real,” she read aloud. “Lead us from darkness to light. Lead us from death to immortality.” 

Chapter Five: Valentine’s Son

he knew perfectly well that Sebastian had kissed her

Chapter Six: No Weapon in this World

“Quick! To the weapons room!” (Okay, not really)

Chapter Seven: A Sea-Change

Of his bones are coral made; Those are pearls that were his eyes: Nothing of him that doth fade. But doth suffer a sea-change. Into something rich and strange — The Tempest

Chapter Eight: Fire Tests Gold

Ignus aurum probat

Chapter Nine: The Iron Sisters

What it says

Chapter Ten: The Wild Hunt

Gabriel’s Hounds

Chapter Eleven: Ascribe All Sin

“I don’t think I can do it,” Alec said miserably. “I’m sorry.”

Chapter Twelve: The Stuff of Heaven

The stuff of heaven in this case is the substance the demon towers are made out of, sometimes called adamant

Chapter Thirteen: The Bone Chandelier

Modeled on this.

Chapter Fourteen: As Ashes

in the dimness, he looked very like the boy she had known in Idris before the Circle had been formed

Chapter Fifteen: Last of the Morgensterns

You and I, we are the last. The last of the Morgensterns.

Chapter Sixteen: Brothers and Sisters

He’d been pacing his apartment for the last hour, sometimes taking his phone out to see if Maia had texted

Chapter Seventeen: Valediction

Our two souls therefore, which are one

Chapter Eighteen: Title Too Spoilery

Chapter Nineteen; Love and Blood

“You did,” he said. “You slept with him.”

Chapter Twenty: A Door into the Dark

All I know is a door into the dark. (Seamus Heaney)

Chapter Twenty-One Raising Hell

If I cannot otherwise reach Heaven, I will raise Hell.

Epilogue

How awesome is that? I want to read City of Lost Souls now! Why do I have to wait until its release date, which is in May ;c

xo Mar

The Diary of a young girl by Anne Frank

book: The Diary of a young girl
written by: Anne Frank
genres: holocaust, literature, non-fiction, young adult
pages: depends on language... abt 300
own / library / borrowed
publisher: a Dutch press ;)


note: 
this is the only book I've got 2 copies of, which seems ridiculous to most people, but I just love to read them both *it are the Dutch and English version...* so I've read this book 7 times now, and it still made me cry... *sigh*

the book:
the Diary of Anne Frank *sorry, I'll call it like that* was written during the second world war. Anne was a jewish girl, and she had to go into hiding, or the Nazis would come for her and her family and put them into concentration camps. When Anne goes into hiding in the 'Secret Annexe' (I will call it the 'achterhuis'!) she writes everything that happens in her diary. After the war this diary was published, and became holocaust literature, and it's now translated in 37 (or more) languages. The diary was officially written in Dutch.

my review;
first of all, everyone should read this book. Some will not like it, but it is all written so honest. Anne writes about her life to her imaginary friend, Kitty, in her diary. She deals with normal teen problems most of us have (had) to deal with and not whining about how terrible the war is anytime. You can see on her writing which mood she was in, and to me that was just funny. When she was angry she used words she would never use when she was happy and vice versa. This is easier to see in the Dutch version btw...
This book is so special because everyone knows how to end. Everyone knows that everytime you turn a page her life gets shorter. Everytime you read about her dreams you know they will never come true, or at least most of them won't. And you, as the reader, already knew her life would end on the final page of this book.
As a dutch girl, I think it touched me even more than most not-dutch people. *or maybe not...* because I know all the things she is talking about. I know the cities, know the types of food, clothing, and other culture bits in this. And that makes this story feel so close, as if Anne was the girl next door...
Haven't you read this book yet? You should read it sometime in your life! It's not boring at all ;)
You will be drawn into this story, feel as if you are Anne's friend , Kitty, and this book will never let go of you!
Anne's dream came true, she became a writer, and her story changed lifes of lots of people


well, not a great review, more of a praise I think. But reviewing literature is difficult xD


rating:
5 stars!


xo Mar

Before I go to sleep by S.J. Watson

book: Before I go to sleep

written by: S.J. Watson

genre: psychological, amnesia, adult

pages: 364

own / library / borrowed

release date: 14th of June, 2011

series? nope

publisher: Harper

note: This cover is gorgeous! I love covers with eyes on them, and this one is one of the best I have ever seen!!

the book: 

after a mysterious accident, Christine gets amnesia. Every day she wakes up, without knowing who she is, what happened to her and who is lying next to her. Everything she has done in her past is erased by her memory. She thinks she's young, but finds out she's older. She is married with someone she does not remember, has forgotten all of her friends and does not even know her own name. And what if the only person in her life that she could trust is not telling her the truth? 

my review:

This was epic awesomeness! I would call this 50 first dates meets suspense. You are guessing all the time what´s going to happen next, it keeps on surprising you. Altough the ending of the book was not unexpected, the beginning of this book was great.

Sometimes I think this book used too many pages, because you could easily skip a few pages without missing anything, but it was beautifully written so I did not really care. 

Also, the main character, Christine, was a strong character. Most of the people would not fight agains their amnesia as long as she does. Sometimes she acted unrealistic, but most of the times it was all right!

This book is classified as Adult, but it is not more complicated than a Young Adult novel. Actually, this was a pretty easy read, so I could read it when it was late, too :)

Some parts of the plot were predictable, and some were not, as I stated above. You will start to believe everything in the beginning, and then you see that all the others and Christine's mind are fooling you, so you never know what is true and what isn't.

This is a great debut novel and I will sure read more of S.J. Watson's books! A must-read for people who love to read a non-fantasy/paranormal/sci-fi book sometimes, and like suspense. 

my rating:

4/5 stars

xo Mar

Dutch Carnival

Hello everyone,


Yesterday it was carnival in the Netherland. People from the Netherlands like to party for 4 days straight, but sunday is the official carnival day! There are carnival parades, and there are some awesome creations, of which I'd like to share some photo's with you :D

 

Well, I know these are not the best pictures ever, but it's the best I could take with my phone...

What do you think about this kind of carnival?

How do you celebreate carnival in your country?

xo Mar

In my mailbox #5

Hi guys,


IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @The Story Siren
I had a great deal of awesome books IMM this week! Here's what I recieved:


the fault in our stars - John Green

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

read my review here

the future of us: Carolyn Mackler and Jay Asher

It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long - at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail,his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.
By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right - and wrong - in the present.

ghost crown (The Tracks, #2) : J. Gabriel Gates and Charlene Keel

After their harrowing adventures, Middleburg's teens are hoping life will return to normal. Despite a tentative alliance between the goth Flatliners and the rich, preppie Toppers, any hope of peace is dashed when Topper girl Aimee arrives at the homecoming dance with Raphael, a Flatliner. A fight erupts between the two gangs and, in the midst of the rumble, a bizarre catastrophe occurs when Middleburg's homecoming queen discovers she has supernatural powers.
To make matters worse, Middleburg real-estate moguls who have bought up most of the land in the Flats have started evicting their tenants. They are searching for a priceless treasure prophesied in ancient Chinese writings and will stop at nothing to find it. But Raphael and his impoverished Flatliners vow to get it first and use it buy back their homes. Meanwhile, a handsome, charismatic half-angel, half-human comes to Middleburg with plans to steal Aimee from Raphael. As Raphael and his Flatliners and Zhai and his Toppers work to perfect their supernatural abilities and find the treasure, Aimee begins kung fu training, intent on becoming strong enough to locate and rescue her missing mother. When she discovers that the mysterious treasure may be the key to finding her mom, the race to find it intensifies.
But there are others who seek the treasure, too, forces powerful enough to reduce all of Middleburg, and perhaps the world, to ashes…

Before I go to sleep - S.J. Watson

As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I'm still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me ...' Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love - all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story. Welcome to Christine's life.

How I live now - Meg Rosoff

Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy.
As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.

Just in case - Meg Rosoff

Justin Case is convinced fate has in for him.
And he's right.
After finding his younger brother teetering on the edge of his balcony, fifteen-year-old David Case realizes the fragility of life and senses impending doom. Without looking back, he changes his name to Justin and assumes a new identity, new clothing and new friends, and dares to fall in love with the seductive Agnes Day. With his imaginary dog Boy in tow, Justin struggles to fit into his new role and above all, to survive in a world where tragedy is around every corner. He's got to be prepared, just in case.

what did you recieve in your mailbox? Please post it in the comments :D
xo Mar

Fallen in love by Lauren Kate

book: Fallen in Love
written by: Lauren Kate
genres: romance, fantasy, young adult
pages: 201
own / library / borrowed
release date: 24th of January, 2012
series? yup, Fallen #3.5
publisher: Random House


note: I do not like the fallen series, and I do not like short 'in between' stories, so it is not very surprising that I did not like this book. This review will be honest, but I'll tell you one thing, if you like the Fallen series you might not like this review...

the book:
The book contains 4 short stories:

1. The story of Miles and Shelby
2. The story of Roland
3. The story of Arianne
4. The story of Luce and Daniel

The stories are all about the same Valentine's day, which they all spend with different people. Also, this book contained an excerpt from Rapture, the final installment in the Fallen series.

my review:

when I read about this book, I was like: 'NOOOO now I have to read this book, too. Why can't she just give me Rapture now so that I'll be done with this series, and can leave it all behind?! Lauren Kate decided to torture is with some 'romantic' stories about the Fallen characters. I still have problems with most of the characters. My main problem lies with Luce. I mean, she annoys me more than Bella Swan, which is almost impossible. She falls in love with a guy that pretends to hate her, then she finds out that she may combust when she kisses him, and she is not scared at all (?) and then she runs away because she wants to know about their past. 

This book added nothing special to the series, it was just another book that had nothing to do with the story, but was just written for the 'fun' of the readers. Well, I like to read something in an 'in between' story that gives me more information about the next book, not something that just makes everything more complicated.

The first story *Shelby and Miles* was not very romantic at all. Basically, I have already forgotten what it was about *sigh* The second story *roland* was better. It showed me that angels and humans can't be lovers, and it'd be a great thing if Luce and Daniel finally figure that out.

In the third story I had a WTF-moment. *MAJOR SPOILER* Arianne is Lesbian *end of the spoiler* sorry just had to tell you... So that was my WTF moment in this story. I think it was the best story, tough it was strange... She was being 'I am good, or I am evil and my lover loves me' which shows us that the lover does not love her at all, otherwise she wouldn't have to choose -.- How come these stories do make people cry?!

And finally, the Luce-Daniel Story. The only Valentine's day they have ever spend together. How heartbreaking *cough* *ahem* Seriously, this piece of the book made me want to step into the book, walk towards Luce and slap her into the face. Or even worse. I just can't stand her... 

And then I read the excerpt from Rapture, and I found out that I would not like this book, but that I had to read it, so that I could have finished the series and continue with my life.

This book made me see that being alone is not always bad, because being together can be awful. I did not like Valentine's day before, and now I hate it... Maybe this is just not my kind of book...

rating:

1 star... Sorry...

what did you think of this book? Share your review/your thoughts in the comments, please!

xo Mar

The Fault in our Stars by John Green

book: the Fault in our Stars
written by: John Green
genres: young adult, disease, romance
pages: 317
own / library / borrowed
release date: january 10th, 2012
series?: nope
publisher: Dutton Juvenile


note:
Dear John Green. You are genius. No, you are more than that. You are the god of writing. Never ever will I read a book the same! This book is life-changing heart-breaking supermegafreakingawesome! I have been looking for the best words to describe and review this book for the past two days, and still I know I just haven't found the right ones. Just this one that flooped out of my mouth after reading. "WOW"

the book:
2 years ago, a miracle happened to Hazel. The tumors in her lungs shrunk, and she could live like a normal person again. She knew this was just pretending, and that she was not cured forever. But she never became her disease, like other cancer patients. She kept on fighting until she conquered her disease, which seems like an impossible mission.
Hazel is part of a cancer support group, which she does not want to be part of at all. Her mom makes her go there, to make some friends. There she meets August Waters, a guy she's immediately interested in. And, to her surprise, he is interested in her, too!
There is only one thing between them and their future, the disease. Will they conquer it or will the disease take their lives away?

my review:
This book was perfect!!! Everyone should read it! The title, which is based on a Shakespeare-quote, was perfect for this book, and I cannot think of any improvements to this book, honestly.
I will list a few things I loved about this book below:

• the characters: They both have this great sense of humor, and they both are not their disease, but just themselves. They love to read, they care about their friends, their love is real, they are honest. Everyones should be like them - the disease...
• the story in general: Most of the books about kids with cancer are boring and just not my thing. This story was great, because it was not a normal cancer story. The characters were not boring, they were not sad, they do other things than suffer, they live. Things happen to them, even when they have cancer. It just seemed so realistic!
• the parts about the Netherlands: I, as a Dutch girl, do love to read about American *or from every other country* people visiting the Netherlands. I love to read about what other people think is stange about the coutry I live in, because to me it is just normal. And I love to read about prejudices made about Dutch people. This book included 'All Dutch people talk in lots of languages' 'there are coffeeshops on every corner of the street' and 'Dutch people dare to ask questions American people would not ask.' And you know, they all are *partly* true!
• the ending of the story: How on earth could you break my heart like this, John Green. This book changed my like. An ending like this will leave everyone heartbroken, and by that I mean EVERYONE! This is a very unusual ending, and it fitted the book so well. It was very sad and funny at the same time. It was like the characters, it was like it really happens. It almost seemed as if it were a non-fictional book. I even looked at the first page again, and read again the words of the author that really said that this was a work of fiction, which left me surprised
• how this book changed me: As Cassandra Clare once wrote: “One must always be careful of books, and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.” This book has changed my view on the world. It showed me that we don't have infinity, and that we just have to make the best of the timee we have. It shows us that Dutch people really are lunatics, especially if they're from Amsterdam. It showed me that people that have cancer do not have to be sad always, because they are going to die. It showed me that books really do change your life. It showed me a way more things I had never really thought about before, and made me think about them a lot.
• how this book made me feel: I have never cried this much while reading a book. I have to be honest about this. I do not cry while reading very quick, but this book made me first cry around page 50, and I did not stop crying until hours after finishing this book. The day after reading this I looked like a zombie *in a bad way* and almost fell asleep during classed
• John Green did live in Amsterdam for 2 months! In a street I have been to. John Green lived someplace I had been before. GOD lived in Amsterdam, in my country!!

conclusion:

run to your bookstore. Go buy this book! Is it night? Go to amazon/bookdepository/barnesandnoble/whatever and but this book! But only start reading it when you have enough time to read it in one sit, or you'll end up like a total zombie!! 

total:

I would give this book a zillion stars out of five :) 

100000000000000000000000/5 :) (or just 5/5, since that is the highest rating available...)

xo Mar

If I stay by Gayle Forman

book: If I stay
written by: Gayle Forman
genres: death, young adult
pages: 210
own / library / borrowed
release date: april 9th, 2009
publisher: Random House children's books


note: This book looked so thin, I thought this would be a quick and easy-to-read book. But reading it took longer than expected, it made me think. What would I choose?

the book: 
Everybody has to make choices. Some might break you. For seventeen-year-old Mia, surrounded by a wonderful family, friends and a gorgeous boyfriend decisions might seem tough, but they're all about a future full of music and love, a future that's brimming with hope. 


In a horrible accident, Mia's parents die. But that's not all. She herself is severely wounded and ends up in the hospital. Only, there is something strange happening. Why does nobody hear her when she screams, and why can she see her own body lying a few feet away from her? That's when she finds out that she is a ghost. She gets to choose: Will she choose to stay alive, or will she die, leaving behind her best friend, boyfriend and what's left of her family. How valuable is her life?

my review:
This book was nothing like I expected it to be. It was way better! The characters were great, and easy to relate to. Their love for music was awesome, since I love music, too. This book made me want to listen to classical music, something I have never ever wanted to do before.
The plot was very interesting. I have never read anything like this before, which means it's quite original :)
The book was written in a few present-time pieces and a lot of flashbacks, which I totally love. Flashbacks make the story look way longer than it actually is.
The love in this book *only in flashbacks* was great, it was not like boy meets girl and BOOM! love, but more like boy and girl are friends and fall in love slowly. That is so much better than most YA romance!
This book was a fantasy novel, but it was so realistic. It made me wonder if we all have to make this choice someday, and that made me think about it until I got a headache *which took pretty long*, and I think that the realism in this book contributed in the popularity of this book. If she were a 'ghosty' ghost flying around and walking through walls no-one could have related to her as much as you could when she was just a 'normal' girl.
The way the family of Mia and her friends deal with the accident seems realistic, like the author has experienced it herself.
Of course there were the few things that annoyed me, like the shortness of the story and the continuous 'should I stay or should I go' and a few minor other things, but overall it was a quick, great and most of all moving book with lots of almost-cry-moments. *yes, almost, I have not cried, only almost*


overall rating:
3.8 stars!!

In my mailbox #4

IMM is a weekly event hosted by Kristi @The Story SirenThis includes books that we have either bought, recieved, borrowed or traded over the last week.


hi guys,
Last week was very busy, so I did not read or review a lot, sorry. I still do not have any schedual for reviewing, sorry for that... Here's what was in my mailbox over the last week:


Putting boys on the ledge (A girlfriend's guide to the boys, #1) - Stephanie Rowe
Thanks to TKA Distribution :D

Meet Blueberry Waller, whose name is the only interesting thing about her life. Until now.
Not only is Blue dealing with the worst name in the world, crazy parents and a clingy younger sister, she just got a part in the school play. And now she’s acting with Heath Cavendish, total crush-worthy senior. He would never give a second look to a girl like Blue. Except he has.
Her friends say Blue should play it cool, put Heath on the Ledge so she can keep the upper hand. Trouble is, she doesn’t know how to be clever around boys. Thankfully her pal Colin offers his help in teaching her how to get the guy. But he’s just being a good friend. Isn’t he?
Suddenly the wallflower is getting all the attention. But will being in the spotlight keep Blue from making the right decisions...for her?
A Girlfriend’s Guide to Boys: For these four friends, understanding the world of boys is only half the battle.

Torn - Stephanie Guerra
thanks to Marshall Cavendish :D

Stella Chavez is your classic good girl: straight A's, clean-cut boyfriends, and soccer trophies. You'd never guess that Stella's dad was a drug addict who walked out when she was a kid Or that inside, Stella wishes for something more.New girl Ruby Caroline seems like Stella's polar opposite: cursing, smoking, and teetering in sky-high heels. But with Ruby, Stella gets a taste of another world, a world in which parents act like roommates, college men are way more interesting than high school boys, and there is nothing that shouldn't be tried once. It's not long before Stella finds herself torn: between the best friend she's ever had and the friends she's known forever, between her family and her own independence, between who she was and who she wants to be. But Ruby has a darker side, a side she doesn't show anyone, not even Stella. As Stella watches her friend slowly unravel, she will have to search deep inside herself for the strength to be a true friend, even if it means committing the ultimate betrayal.

Fallen in Love (Fallen 3.5) - Lauren Kate

What makes your heart race a little faster? Just in time for Valentine's Day, it's FALLEN IN LOVE, four wholly original new stories collected in a new novel set in the Middle Ages by Lauren Kate. FALLEN IN LOVE gives fans the much-talked about but never-revealed stories of FALLEN characters as they intertwine with the epic love story of Luce and Daniel. The stories include: Love Where You Least Expect It: The Valentine of Shelby and Miles , Love Lessons: The Valentine of Roland; Burning Love: The Valentine of Arriane; and Endless Love: The Valentine of Daniel and Lucinda.

(I think this will be my valentine's day read)

Paper Towns - John Green

 

Who is the real Margo? Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows. After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. She has disappeared. Q soon learns that there are clues in her disappearance ...and they are for him. Trailing Margo's disconnected path across the USA, the closer Q gets, the less sure he is of who he is looking for.

So that's what I recieved this week.

What did you recieve? Link back to your IMM post in the comments :)

xo Mar

First Date by Krista McGee

book: First Date
written by: Krista McGee
genres: romance, chicklit, religious
pages: 322
own / library / netgalley
release date: January 10th, 2012
series? nope
publisher: Thomas Nelson


note: thanks to NetGalley and Tomas Nelson press for letting me read this book, I loved it. It was slightly out of my comfort zone, but that did not make me hate this book!

the book:
Meet Addy Davidson, a normal teenager who is happily living with her uncle, in a normal American town. But her life is about to be changed dramatically. She is asked to be one of the hundred girls who are participating in The Book of Love, a new reality soap in which they look for the prom date of the president's son, Johnathon Jackson. Addy does not want to participate in it, but in the end she goes. Immediately she finds out she is not like all the other girls that are participating. She wants to be smart, instead of popular, and is not as pretty as the other girls. Her #1 mission is to go home, as soon as possible. But when she gets to know some of the girls and the presidents son better, her opinion changes.
In this story you will get to know the importancy of religion and how it can affect parts of your life!

my review:
I would call this book: 'The Bachelor' meets 'America's Next Top Model' meets God, which is a very strange mixture, which turned out to be pretty good. This great debut novel of Krista McGee was nothing like I espected a religious book to be, and that is a good thing, because I espected all religious books to be kind of boring, but it was not boring at all.
Addy is the normal girl. The one that says she does not want to be famous, but finds out she actually has to, because god wants her to. The whole book is based on a TV reality show, 'The Book of Love' which seems kind of boring, but also seems like some show lots of people would love to watch, and that makes it a fun book. I loved the whole 'normal but actually not' thing :D
The plot of the book sounded pretty interesting, whit the whole TV-show thing, but it did not sound as something special. And I was completely wrong on that. This book was not some book you could call normal, maybe that's because of the whole religion thing, and maybe it is just about the book, but it's just the way I felt after reading it.
The characters in this book were pretty good. I would not say that I could perfectly relate to them, but they were not bad! At least the girl was not one of the stupid girls that fall in love with someone on the first sight, and the boy seemed pretty nice.
This book is also like America's Next Top Model in some ways, mainly because of the girls that compete agains each other, they are all so ANTM-like. Addy is the one special girl you always have, also with ANTM, the one that just does not fit in the group, and the one that wins in most cases. But I'm OK with the fact that it is like ANTM, since I love that show :D
There still are points that could be improved on this book, but this is a great start!


A wonderful debut novel of an author we definitely should keep an eye on!


I would recommend this book to: girls who love YA contemporary romance, they'll love this book!


my rating:
3/5 stars!


xo Mar

about the author:
Krista McGee writes for teens, teaches teens, and, more often than not, acts like a teen. Along with her husband and three kids, Krista has lived and ministered in Texas, Costa Rica, and Spain.