Looking for Alaska by John Green

title: Looking for Alaska

written by: John Green 

series: -

genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemp

page count: 211

publication date: January 1st, 2005

Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps.

Oh. My. Freaking. Gosh! John Green did it again! His first book, for me the last, is a masterpiece! Looking for Alaska belongs on my shelves, between my most-loved books. I never want to return it to the library. Ever. So, first of all, John Green - write more books. Please. For me? Otherwise ... ...  *scary glare* Looking for Alaska was not my favorite John Green book, that will, and will always remain to be, the Fault in our Stars. I absolutely LOVE that book. Make sure to read it!

Looking for Alaska is a typical John Green book. It is a) realistic, b) full of words I have to look up in my dictionary, c) is enormously sad, and d) I can talk about it for hours, and I will...  Especially d) -well, only d)- really annoys my friends and family. I will go rambling about this book for hours and they just have to listen. I think most of them have developed a mental mute mode with which they can switch the sound of my voice on and off... Actually it would be great if a thing like that existed :)

The characters were so wonderful. Miles, the main male character, was so a-dore-able. I totally want to hug him at the moment. His obsession with last words is one that is amazing and so original. Maybe I should pay more attention to them, too. :) And Alaska is so 101% messed up I just had to love her. I mean, you can choose your own name, and you choose Alaska, that told me a lot about her character already! Then there was Chip, the genius annex rebel and Miles' roommate. The three of them formed an amazing group of friends. I wish I knew them, and could be their fourth(/fifth) messed up friend!

John Green is the master of character development. This book had one major turning point, not very hard to locate because of the before-after writing style, which was pretty unique, just like the whole book was a one-of-a-kind book. Miles changed só much, but Green still made the whole transition look realistic. He totally deserves a medal for that! A big fat gold with diamonds medal!

The plot, however, was the best thing about this book. Never have I ever read a book with a plot as well thought-through and perfect as Looking for Alaska's. Everything worked out, every word sucked me deeper into the story and the lives of Miles, Alaska and Chip, and I loved everything about it! Most of the times I'm like - bwhlegg another college/high school story. But this one was indescribably good, incredibly close to perfection. The Before--After writing style was perfect for this book. It made the story easier to read, and made me interested. What was going to happen?!?! When I had found out I wished I could turn back the time. Oh my, I cried. I cried buckets full of tears. Like the girl in Absolutely - nine days. I quote: "this is the story of a girl, that cried a river and drowned the whole world" That song has been stuck in my head for days. Then there was the Great Perhaps and it made me think so much, about the labyrinth of suffering and all of it. 

Anyways, what usually bothers me about John Green's books, his use of extremely difficult words, was no problem with this book. Miles was a kind of genius, and so were -most of- the other characters, so I could imagine them really speaking like that. 

I've heard that people in America have to read this book in class. Lucky bastards! I wish I were reading such amazing books in class, but the only book I have had to read in class was Romeo and Juliet... 

I will never be able to give this book a rating worth it. It should get the highest number possible +1 out of 5!

DFTBA!!!

Love, Mar

ps; did you read this book? Do we share the same feelings about it? Let me know :)

Manga Tuesdays; Heaven's Door

First of all I should say that I'm really sorry for not posting last week and for the short and late post of this week. I'm really busy and really lazy and I just forgot to do it last week, since I was too busy and didn't feel like doing it in the weekends and then I wanted to do it on wednesday, what I forgot, and well... okay I should stop with the excuses, I'm sorry for my laziness and stuff.

Manga: Heaven's door

Written by: Hongou Rango

Genres:  Comedy, drama, romance, shoujo

Volumes:  1

Anime: no, but it's actually based on a movie

own/ library/ borrowed/ read online

read online via the site(s): www.manga.animea.net and

completed/ ongoing

publisher: Shogaku Kan

Summary:Harumi has been in the hospital practically her whole life. She has a life-threatening disease, and is kept inside at all times. Her life is incredibly mundane until she meets Masato, a new patient. He isn't the best influence, being a heavy smoker and drinker, but since they've both got nothing better to do, they become friends. This humorous story follows their meeting and the night they spend together, talking about what it means to die early.source: http://manga.animea.net/heaven-s-door-hongou-ranko-.html

Review:

Heaven's door movie

Actually it was a pretty eye-opening story. I mean, both of these (young) people were about to die and you could feel that well. I also liked both of the characters. The art isn't really good, not too bad either, still really shoujo like. I also like the fact that it's definitely a tragedy, but it's really funny as well. Harumi doesn't know anything about the outside world while Masato is the kind of guy who has tried everything (at least, it seems that way).

Actually the whole story is about the last thing they want to do before they die, at least, before Harumi dies.

1. Kiss a cool guy

2. Go to the sea (she only wants that after she has talked about it with Masato)

The journey is hilarious, it's really the kind of journey you only can't afford to make if you are sure you die after it.

The ending is sad, but it's kind of predictable.

Rating:

4 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 (it also can be that the translation group is a bit slow. DON'T EVER GET ANGRY BECAUSE OF THAT THOUGH! Manga's are translated by volunteers, and not very much people speak both English and Japanese well enough to translate them. If your bothered by it, join such a group! They are always looking for new members! Also editors and cleaners are needed!).

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

white cat by Holly Black

book: White Cat

written by: Holly Black

series: Curse Workers #1

genre: young adult, fantasy, Mystery

pages: 310

publication date: January 1st, 2010

publisher: McElderry

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers—people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, all by the slightest touch of their hands. Since curse work is illegal, they’re all criminals. But not Cassel. He hasn’t got the magic touch, so he’s an outsider—the straight kid in a crooked family—as long as you ignore one small detail: He killed his best friend, Lila. Now he is sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat. He also notices that his brothers are keeping secrets from him. As Cassel begins to suspect he’s part of one huge con game, he must unravel his past and his memories. To find out the truth, Cassel will have to outcon the conmen.

So, I have finished my first Holly Black book. After watching the movie 'The Spiderwick Chronicles' I wanted to read that book(s) but I just couldn't find them anywhere. Some libraries suck, especially the small Dutch ones... Anyways, I did have high expectations of this book -yeah, I know, dangerous- and was not amazed by it. Still, I liked it :)

Holly Black is a master of writing fantasy, since her fantasy becomes realistic. I hardly ever come across a great fantasy book that is also realistic, so a 1+ for that. Also, the writing style of this book was marvellous, I could read it very easily, and I just felt very comfy reading it. -call me crazy, but some writing styles can seriously make me feel uncomfortably-

Blacks characters were great, but hard to relate to. Cassel, the male main character, was special from the inside, but didn't impress me, neither did most of the other characters. Only the cat, I absolutely loved it. Cats are walking around this planet to kill people that are allergic to adorableness... 

anyways, I wasn't impressed at all with the plot. I had expected way more of it. Not that it was bad, but after seeing the movie of the Spiderwick Chronicles -and after hearing that the book was better- I was sure White Cat was going to be freaking amazing. And it was just average amazing, so I was disappointed. Probably my own fault... Whatevs. 

I rushed through this book, and finished it in about 3 hours (that's over 100 pages per hour... is that even legal?) and that's one of this indicators that I didn't find this book extremely interesting. Usually, when I truly like a book, it takes a long time to read it, because I feel like I have to read every word that's written, but with this book I didn't have that feeling.

White Cat is a great fantasy for teens, but don't expect too much from it! I guess it just wasn't my cup of tea...

I give this book 3 stars

Guest post + Review - Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00 by C.R. Hiatt

And here I am again, risen from death (or from my lazy ass), with a tour stop of the wonderful YA mystery novel, Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00 by C.R. Hiatt. I will review it and there is an amazing guest post. Make sure not to miss it!

book: Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00

written by: C.R. Hiatt

series: McSwain & Beck #1
genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Action
pagecount: 351
publication date: April 31st, 2012

Sydney Marie McSwain and her pal, Cody Beck, team up to take on a secret club called The Devil's Door where members are branded with the tattoo of a devil and call themselves The Privileged Ones.
 Sydney Marie McSwain loves her mom, Anna - a private investigator in the coastal city where they live - but they had a major issue between them. Anna refused to give Sydney the identity of her father. On the day of her high school graduation, they were battling it out, once again. An hour later, Sydney, Cody and Jaden were at the local café, and watched as Anna was gunned down, and it was broadcasted on live TV.
 Faced with immediate responsibility, Sydney and Cody agreed to take over the agency, only they changed the name to McSwain & Beck. At the same time, Sydney convinced Sutter Beach Detective, Ace Carter, to help her track down her father.
 Out of the blue, a model walked in and hired them to follow her step-brother. While Cody was busy editing a trailer to solicit new clients, Sydney settled into her lemon-yellow pickup to do surveillance, and wound up staking out a secret club called The Devil’s Door whose suspicious members wore the tattoo of a devil.
 That same night, Sydney received a call from one of her mom’s former clients, only the client was gunned down at the location where they agreed to meet. The mysterious discovery of a DVD revealed the possibility that teenagers were being abducted, only nobody reported them missing.
 On the hunt for the victims, McSwain & Beck were chased by men in ski masks, nearly gunned down by members of a cartel called the outlaws, Sydney’s precious pickup was broken into; then the step-brother they were hired to follow, was found dead and Sydney was the number one suspect.
 If things weren’t bad enough already, they had to figure out how to crash a red-carpet Mardi Gras bash being held on a private cruise ship, before it sailed off into the sunset, where they just might meet the devil, himself.
 Now, the clock was ticking…
 And time was running out…
 How was she ever going to find her father, now?

“Their lives were in the hands of two 18 year-olds…”

Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00 was a wonderful book full of surprises and packed with action. I don't read a lot of action novels, but I enjoy reading them once in a while. This book really was worth the time it took me to read it.


I was amazed by the characters. They were great, and not some lame stereotypes. The girl, Sydney, was not very girlyl, but more of a tomboy. She definitely kicks ass! Then there was her a) hot, and b) great fighter bst friend Cody. He loves filming and photographing, which is why his parents kicked him our. He lives in the house of Jaden, the third, and last, one in the friend group. Together they form a marvellous trio of teenagers that might be able to arrest some major criminals...


The plot of this book sounded very promising, and it was just like I expected it to be. There was only one empty spot; no(t much) romance. Not that I am a 100% romance lover or something, but I just like to have some in every novel. But I get it, action and romance isn't always the best combination... Still, I was okay with it because of the whole story. Some teens who kick ass and save the world from criminals always are great to read about -this explains my obsession with Anthony Horowitz' Alex Rider series- and I adored all characters.


It was very well-written and easy to read. However, sometimes it was just so easy to read for me. As a Dutch girl that's still learning English, I am used to having a hard time reading novels because of the use of difficult words. This book was so easy to read... Maybe I'm just getting better at English. That would be great :)


A book I'd recommend to all teens that love books packed with action, mystery and humor. You will not be disappointed.


I give this book 3 stars!



Now who's up for a guest post? :P

What are my writing quirks and must haves to write?
 a guest post by C.R. Hiatt
Before I sit down and start writing, a lot of things need to be in place. Some may call them quirks. I call them: tools to a future bestselling novel. J 

For starters, where I write is critical. I am somewhat of an odd ball when it comes to that. I don’t have an office (by choice) - at least not the kind of office that everyone would consider normal. I love the outdoors, and don’t like being confined to a room with a desk and a computer, or four walls closing in on me. Instead, I bought myself a portable laptop desk that I can move around to wherever I plant myself for a particular day. The portable desk has compartments for all my accessories, phones, Kindle and USB cords. The legs can be folded underneath, and it can easily sit on my lap, or I can put the legs down and sit opposite a comfortable chair.

If the weather outside is poor, I park myself in front of a large window of the seasonal home. Now that summer is creeping up on us and the temperatures are starting to get warm, I will move the portable desk out on a screened-in deck, or I might even park myself down by the water.

Another quirk is; I need noise. A lot of writers need it to be completely quiet when they’re writing. If I’m stuck inside because of rotten weather, I either have the TV on tuned into an action flick, or I have the music cranked up. When the weather cooperates and I can sit on the deck, I put a sign out letting the neighbors and toursis know I’m “working”; then they know to steer clear. I may like the noise when I’m writing, but I prefer to not be interrupted when I’m in the middle of plotting a scene.

Now comes the must haves…I must have tons of dark chocolate in the refrigerator, and a case of Dasani water. Once I start the writing process, the only thing that I will definitely break for is; exercise. Exercise is a major part of the process to keep the juices flowing. Chances are; I won’t have time for full meals during my process, so I will have stocked up on salad fixings, and of course, my chocolate. To keep the hunger at bay, I will nibble on small pieces of the chocolate. It also helps with my concentration - at least that’s my excuse for getting to eat chocolate. J

When I’m finally seated and settled, first I check emails and social media outlets. I CANNOT start writing unless that is done. Otherwise, my mind will constantly drift off while I’m writing, worrying that I might have missed something. With that out of the way, I begin my writing process using my regimented “quirky” process, and I do not deviate from:

1. Write out a one or two sentence logline describing the story.
2. Write out a list of my characters and mini bios and backgrounds.
3. Using my logline as a guide, I write a one-page outline which can be used as a synopsis later.
4. Using my outline as a guide, I then write a draft screenplay using the three-act structure, and make sure to include the action scenes and dialogue.
5. Now that I have three-act screenplay (beginning, middle and end), I start adapting the story into a novel. Author Bio 

CR HIATT is a writer of screenplays and an author of YA action-mystery novels. The daughter of a military veteran, CR grew up in a small town where she became an All-American athlete. CR knew early on that she wasn't cut out for the nine to five type of job - her tendency to day dream about adventures often got in the way. But, being the daughter of a Navy Veteran she also knew one had to do what was necessary to be ecure, so she disciplined herself to push those dreams aside and settled on working in the entertainment legal field. When those dreams invaded her world once again, CR finally gave in and set out to write her own adventures. What the heck, right. If you can't live 'em, you might as well write about them. The McSwain & Beck series are works of fiction, only based on real life events. Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00 is the first in the series, and available now. Fireworks on the 4th will be released in late June, just before the 4th of July holiday season. 

website:
Blog:
Twitter @mcswainandbeck
Facebook Author
Facebook Book

So, are you going to read Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00?

Love, Mar

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*