A great non-fiction read

Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach

This is truly a great book. I have always been interested in some of the Buddhist teachings and came across this book last week. It has gotten great reviews and I am truly enjoying reading it. It definitely makes you look at the world in a different way.
Tara Brach also has a ton of Poscasts that you can listen to. She's such a great speaker with some wonderful ideas.

Synopsis: For many of us, feelings of deficiency are right around the corner. It doesn’t take much--just hearing of someone else’s accomplishments, being criticized, getting into an argument, making a mistake at work--to make us feel that we are not okay. Beginning to understand how our lives have become ensnared in this trance of unworthiness is our first step toward reconnecting with who we really are and what it means to live fully.

Some non-fiction this week

This week I felt the need to pick some books off my non-fiction shelf. I spent a week off work on sick leave and was looking for something light and fun to read. What better books than Jen Lancaster's hilarious memoirs. This week I am reading Pretty in Plaid. She has 7 books in her series of memoirs. I'm on her 4th and each one has not yet disappointed me.

Reading Challenges: Do or Don't?

For the past couple of years I have been participating in the Goodreads reading challenges. Each year you are able to set a goal of how many books you'd like to read and as you read them, it tracks your progress telling you whether you're on track or not. After having completed some reading challenges and signing up for this year's challenge, I all of a sudden decided that these challenges were taking the fun out of reading. For me, reading is about getting lost in a good story. It's about escaping from the daily stresses and entering into a new world. I lost sight of that. My goal was to try to reach that magical number that I had set at the beginning of the year. I would pick books that were shorter so I could finish them quickly. And all of a sudden I found that reading didn't have that same appeal that it used to because I was too focused on challenging myself to read more and to read quicker. This may be what caused my reading slump. So I took down my reading challenge and have decided that I am going to read at my own pace and enjoy each story I pick up.

Reading Slumps Suck

I have been in a reading slump since the beginning of the year and I cannot seem to shake it. It's not like I've been trying to read boring books. I just can't seem to sit down and read a book for long enough to finish it. I get restless half way through the book and want to start something new. There hasn't been a book to truly catch my attention this year...until now. I have always loved fairy tales so when I saw this book I just HAD to have it. And I cannot wait to dive in! Maybe this will finally be the book that breaks me out of my reading slump.

Monday Reads: My TBR pile on my bookshelf

Here are the top 10 books on my bookshelf that I'm itching to read. Because I collect books faster than I read them, I have a big pile of books that I have yet to read.

 Dearly Beloved by Lia Habel

 Wither by Lauren DeStefano

 Sever by Lauren DeStefano

 Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

 Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

 The Evolution of Mara Dyer

 Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

 Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Evernight by Claudia Gray

Monday Reads: Book purchase from eBay

This is a book I have been looking forward to reading for quite some time now. A couple of years ago I picked up the first volume of short stories in this series The Book Lovers’ Appreciation Society for $2 on the bargain table at Chapters. I didn’t think too much of it and it sat on my shelf for quite a while. The reason I bought it was because I noticed some famous chick-lit authors on the list of short story contributors. I threw this book into my bag on my trip to NYC that fall and completely fell in love with the stories. I am more used to reading novels, but there’s something so great about picking up a book of short stories. It’s so easy to read a whole story on a lunch break or before bed. I recently found out that there is another book of short stories by many of the same authors called The Sunday Night Book Club. It seems to be out of print everywhere, but I managed to snag a copy off of eBay for $2 a few days ago. I cannot wait for it to come in the mail. Some of the authors included in this collection of short stories are: Wendy Holden, Maggie O’Farrell, Cathy Kelly, Adriana Trigiani, Patricia Scanlon, Andrea Levy, Joanne Harris, Alexander McCall Smith, Claire Bolan, Katie Fforde.

Monday Reads: The Siren

After reading Jackson Pearce's fairytale retellings, I have been searching for other fairytale retellings to quench my thirst until Jackson releases her next installment. This week I picked up The Siren by Kiera Cass. Having loved her book The Selection, I have high hopes for this one. The Siren is a retelling of The Little Mermaid and so far has been quite an intriguing read. I can already see how she has left elements of the old fairytale in tact as well as adding her own twists and turns. I am not very far into the book but so far am enjoying it very much.

The Siren by Kiera Cass

Synopsis: "You must never do anything that might expose our secret. This means that, in general, you cannot form close bonds with humans. You can speak to us, and you can always commune with the Ocean, but you are deadly to humans. You are, essentially, a weapon. A very beautiful weapon. I won't lie to you, it can be a lonely existence, but once you are done, you get to live. All you have to give, for now, is obedience and time. . ."The same speech has been given hundreds of times to hundreds of beautiful girls who enter the sisterhood of sirens. Kahlen has lived by these rules for years now, patiently waiting for the life she can call her own. But when Akinli, a human, enters her world, she can't bring herself to live by the rules anymore. Suddenly the life she's been waiting for doesn't seem nearly as important as the one she's living now.

Wednesday Health and Beauty: Yoga Cures

I used to be really into yoga. I have tons of books and DVDs and I used to attend yoga classes weekly. In the last couple of years I have let the whole fitness aspect of my life fall aside. I found that I was too busy with work and too exhausted to consider doing anything active after a long day in class with all my screaming students. I got most of my exercise teaching gym class last year. I would always play the sports with the kids or run around with them. I taught gym almost everyday, so that got me moving a lot during the week. This year I have no gym classes and have started to feel quite stiff and out of shape. After getting my third migraine since September I tried to look for some natural ways to cure the migraines. This is when I came across Tara Stiles' new book Yoga Cures. I picked it up this weekend and started to read through it and have developed a routine for myself which will hopefully help with my headaches and sore muscles. I am excited to get back to practicing yoga daily. Now that I have moved into a bigger apartment I have a lot of space and quiet to do these routines.

For more Tara Stiles, visit her YouTube page. She does wonderful videos on exercise, meditation and healthy eating.

Monday Reads: Blackberry Winter

I know I have been horrible with posting in the last few weeks. I thought I was out of my reading slump but after my last post, I got into another one. It seems that September and October were big reading slump months. In the last week, I have finally started to read at a more regular pace and I am starting to get more excited about finishing books and starting new ones.

I started this book a couple of days ago and I am LOVING it. I have had a hard time putting it down. I was even reading it as I was waiting for the elevator at my apartment and in the elevator and as I walk places. It is that good. This is the third book by Sarah Jio and her first two books The Violets of March and The Bungalow have become favourites of mine. Even though I am not yet finished her latest, I am sure it will also become one of my top books.

Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio

Synopsis: In 2011, Sarah Jio burst onto the fiction scene with two sensational novels--The Violets of March and The Bungalow. With Blackberry Winter--taking its title from a late-season, cold-weather phenomenon--Jio continues her rich exploration of the ways personal connections can transcend the boundaries of time. 

Seattle, 1933. Single mother Vera Ray kisses her three-year-old son, Daniel, goodnight and departs to work the night-shift at a local hotel. She emerges to discover that a May-Day snow has blanketed the city, and that her son has vanished. Outside, she finds his beloved teddy bear lying face-down on an icy street, the snow covering up any trace of his tracks, or the perpetrator's.

Seattle, 2010. Seattle Herald reporter Claire Aldridge, assigned to cover the May 1 "blackberry winter" storm and its twin, learns of the unsolved abduction and vows to unearth the truth. In the process, she finds that she and Vera may be linked in unexpected ways...

Monday Reads: A new series I am excited to start

After a really really long reading slump, I am finally getting back into the swing of things. I am almost done City of Glass, which I feel I started ages ago. But I am finally picking up the pace and have a ton of books waiting for me that I can't wait to read.

I discovered this series while looking through some of my recommendations on goodreads. I must admit that the title wasn't something I was drawn to at first. But after reading the synopsis, this series was placed on my "to be read" pile.

 The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Synopsis: Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him -- something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

 The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

Synopsis: Reaching the end of their flight in THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO, Todd and Viola did not find healing and hope in Haven. They found instead their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss, waiting to welcome them to New Prentisstown. There they are forced into separate lives: Todd to prison, and Viola to a house of healing where her wounds are treated. Soon Viola is swept into the ruthless activities of the Answer, while Todd faces impossible choices when forced to join the mayor’s oppressive new regime. In alternating narratives the two struggle to reconcile their own dubious actions with their deepest beliefs. Torn by confusion and compromise, suspicion and betrayal, can their trust in each other possibly survive?

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

Synopsis: As a world-ending war surges around them, Todd and Viola face monstrous decisions. The indigenous Spackle, thinking and acting as one, have mobilized to avenge their murdered people. Ruthless human leaders prepare to defend their factions at all costs, even as a convoy of new settlers approaches. And as the ceaseless Noise lays all thoughts bare, the projected will of the few threatens to overwhelm the desperate desire of the many. The consequences of each action, each word, are unspeakably vast: To follow a tyrant or a terrorist? To save the life of the one you love most, or thousands of strangers? To believe in redemption, or assume it is lost? Becoming adults amid the turmoil, Todd and Viola question all they have known, racing through horror and outrage toward a shocking finale.

Fall Releases

I know I have been sporadically blogging in the past few months. Now that I am settled back at school with my classes, I plan to get back on track with my weekly schedule of posts.

There are so many amazing books coming out this fall! I have been trying to pick them up as they are release..some in hard copy and some on my kobo. I will admit that I have been in another reading slump. I have fallen very behind on my reading challenge for the year. Even though I enjoy the books I am reading, I am not as quick to pick up books when I get home or when I have some down time. I have been distracted by other things especially my new access to the American Netflix. I am catching up on so many of my favourite shows. But with so many great books coming out, I am slowly getting back into reading mode. So far I have only read Fathomless and I loved it. Look for a review on my Monday Reads post.

 September 4th: Fathomless by Jackson Pearce

September 18th: Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

September 25th: Dearly, Beloved by Lia Habel

 September 25th: Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio

 October 2nd: Destroy Me by Taheri Mafi

November 13th: Reached by Ally Condie

I am so excited for this release

Tomorrow Fathomless comes out. I have been anxiously awaiting the third installment in Jackson Pearce's fairytale retellings and am especially excited that this is a retelling of The Little Mermaid (my personal favourite of all the Disney movies). I will be picking this up tomorrow!

Synopsis: Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo.

Lo doesn't know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea -- a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid -- all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality.

When a handsome boy named Jude falls off a pier and into the ocean, Celia and Lo work together to rescue him from the waves. The two form a friendship, but soon they find themselves competing for Jude's affection. Lo wants more than that, though. According to the ocean girls, there's only one way for Lo to earn back her humanity. She must persuade a mortal to love her . . . and steal his soul.

Cinder (a review)

Synopsis: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. 

Review: I don't really know where to begin with this review. I heard such great things about this book but was never compelled to by it when I'd see it in the bookstore. And then I found copies on the bargain table for $4.99 and decided to give it a shot.

I've been big on fairy tale retellings since I read Sisters Red and Sweetly by Jackson Pearce and Beastly by Alex Flinn. Even though I knew the older versions of those stories, the author managed to keep me engaged and guessing with different twists added to the story. Although Cinder has quite a big twist: she is a cyborg, there were no interesting elements to the plot that kept me wanting to read. I put the book down many times and struggled to pick it up again. I had some instances where I would try to guess what would happen. Even though I was on the right track, I felt that it was all anti-climactic. I will pick up part two, which is due next February only because we are left on a cliff hanger at the end of this book. I am hoping that the second book packs the punch that this one did not have.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight (a review)

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith

Synopsis: 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.  


Review: Wow! I absolutely loved loved loved this book!! I read reviews about this book a few months ago, and although I was intrigued, I was worried that it would just be another cute story with no real substance. For a story spanning only 24 hours, it really had depth. I related to Hadley and her feelings on so many situations that were brought up in this short story. Oliver was swoon worthy and I fell for him the second he appeared in the story. This is definitely a sweet well thought out story that does not disappoint!


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Selection (a review)

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Synopsis: For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined. 

Review: When I first saw this book, I told myself that I would never pick it up. Neither the cover nor the synopsis caught my attention. I then saw some great reviews about this book on both Goodreads and YouTube and decided to give this book another shot. I am definitely happy I did. The best way to describe this book is that it is The Hunger Games meets The Bachelor, although there seems to be more elements of the latter present. I compare it to The Hunger Games for a few reasons. The main character, America, reminds me a lot of Katniss. Her younger sister also reminds me of the relationship Katniss and her younger sister had. Like in The Hunger Games, where people live in districts, in this book people live according to caste. Their jobs and homes are all based on which caste they fall into (1 being royalty and 8 being poorest). America is also thrown into a competition where only one will be winner at the end. This is where the similarities to The Hunger Games ends. 

The story is centered around the competition between thirty-five girls to win the heart of Prince Maxon. Unlike The Bachelor, America goes into this competition knowing that she does not want to win the Prince's heart. She agrees to compete because it will mean helping her family out back home. America is fiesty, speaks her own mind and is the most original out of all the contestants. She enters the competition with a broken heart, having just been dumped by her boyfriend back home and wants nothing to do with romance. But she does begin to develop a friendship with the prince. You find yourself rooting for her to fall in love with the prince as their friendship begins to grow. And then the book ends abruptly. I did not expect it to end so suddenly with so many unanswered questions. I loved this story and hate the fact that I have to wait until next year to find out what happens.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

What I am reading this week

I am happy to say that I have been keeping up with my summer reading list. Perhaps this is because I have been picking smaller lists. My next books to be read this month are:

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Synopsis: For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined. 

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Synopsis: In the violent country of Ludania, the language you speak determines what class you are, and there are harsh punishments if you forget your place—looking a member of a higher class in the eye can result in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina (Charlie for short) can understand all languages, a dangerous ability she’s been hiding her whole life. Her only place of release is the drug-filled underground club scene, where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. There, she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy who speaks a language she’s never heard, and her secret is almost exposed. Through a series of violent upheavals, it becomes clear that Charlie herself is the key to forcing out the oppressive power structure of her kingdom….

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Synopsis: Some race to win. Others race to survive.

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line.
Some riders live.
Others die.
At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.
Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn't given her much of a choice. So she enters the competition - the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.
As she did in her bestselling Shiver trilogy, author Maggie Stiefvater takes us to the breaking point, where both love and life meet their greatest obstacles, and only the strong of heart can survive. The Scorpio Races is an unforgettable reading experience.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith

Synopsis: 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.  

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Synopsis: Survival. Of the fittest.

The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream Pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner.

What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of  the  program - or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan - or learn to run wild?  And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?  

Revived (a review)

Revived by Cat Patrick

Synopsis: As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.
A secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she discovers the agency's true goals, she realizes she's at the center of something much larger -- and more sinister -- than she ever imagined.

Review: I went into this book thinking that it was a dystopian. Maybe I have been reading too many dystopian books and now expect most of the YA books I read to be dystopian.

I would describe this book as a contemporary with a sci-fi twist. I really enjoyed it. It was very quick paced and hard to put down. It makes you wonder what life would be like if there really was a drug that could bring people back from the dead. You get to know and love Daisy and feel everything she goes to through the novel. From confusion, to loss, to love, to betrayal, Daisy comes to an understanding of this Revive program and the implications it has. Although this book is not a heavy read, it has layers and is deeper than the synopsis makes it out to be.

Patrick has a lovely way of writing that truly allows you to experience everything the characters are going through in this novel. A definite must read!


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Perception (a review)

Perception by Kim Harrington

Synopsis: When you can see things others can't, what do you do when someone's watching you?
Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern. She's the psychic girl in school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden visions from the past.
Only Clare would rather not be a celebrity. She prefers hanging back, observing. Her gift is not a game to her.
But then someone starts playing with her head... and heart. Messages and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns. Could they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing? Or from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriend who'd do anything to win her back?
One thing is certain. Clare needs to solve this mystery, and soon. Because the messages are becoming sinister, and a girl in town has suddenly disappeared. Clare needs to see her way to the truth—before it's much too late.

Review: I loved this book! I was worried that this book would suffer from the sequel syndrome meaning that it would not come close to the first in the series. But I actually think I enjoyed this one more than Clarity. This book allowed for a lot more character development. Like in most YA novels there was a love triangle but I am very very happy with it was resolved. I don't know if there will be other books in this series. I really hope she continues. I would love to spend some more time with these characters. Part of me feels as though there may not be anymore books to come in this series because many of the loose ends that we were left with in the first book are tied up in this one. One can only wish. This is a must read!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

More Frequent Book Posts

It's finally summer holidays for me. Part of me feels like this school year was super long and another part of me feels as though I only started teaching yesterday. I will miss my students so much (especially those graduating), but am definitely looking forward to two months of down time. Since I am off for these next two months, I thought that I would focus more on posts about books. This means that I won't be sticking to my regular themed posts. I am so behind on my book challenge (I am 11 books behind). So I am taking these two months to do some major reading catch up.
Today I finished my first read of July:

Clarity by Kim Harrington

Synopsis: Don't close your eyes. Except when the truth is too dark to bear.
Clarity
"Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like
stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a
certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.
And a curse.
When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to
help solve the case -- but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk.
Then Clare's brother -- who has supernatural gifts of his own -- becomes
the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with
Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture
into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer.
But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

Review: I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Last year I read a book The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June, which is about three sisters who each have special psychic powers. I really really had a hard time finishing that book even though it was a pretty short read. So when I read the synopsis of Clarity, I was immediately reminded of that book. I was worried that I would not enjoy it, that it would take me forever to read and that I would have once again wasted my money on a book I did not enjoy.
I was hooked from the first page and had a hard time putting it down. This book is quick paced and fun to read. It lacks some depth in terms of character development but it is definitely an enjoyable and quick summer read. I thought I had the murderer figured out early on but there was a twist that I did not expect. I love when I am proven wrong in these mystery type books.
I am starting the second book in the series Perception and am really looking forward to seeing what happens next in the lives of Clare (Clarity), her family and friends.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: When you can see things others can't, what do you do when someone's watching you?

Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern. She's the psychic girl in
school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden
visions from the past.
Only Clare would rather not be a celebrity. She prefers hanging back, observing. Her gift is not a game to her.

But then someone starts playing with her head... and heart. Messages
and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns. Could
they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing? Or
from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriend who'd do anything to win her
back?
One thing is certain. Clare needs to solve this mystery,
and soon. Because the messages are becoming sinister, and a girl in town
has suddenly disappeared. Clare needs to see her way to the
truth—before it's much too late.

Next on my list to be read this week:

Revived by Cat Patrick

Synopsis:
As a little girl, Daisy Appleby was killed in a school bus crash. Moments after the accident, she was brought back to life.
A secret government agency has developed a drug called Revive that can
bring people back from the dead, and Daisy Appleby, a test subject, has
been Revived five times in fifteen years. Daisy takes extraordinary
risks, knowing that she can beat death, but each new death also means a
new name, a new city, and a new life. When she meets Matt McKean, Daisy
begins to question the moral implications of Revive, and as she
discovers the agency's true goals, she realizes she's at the center of
something much larger -- and more sinister -- than she ever imagined.


Look for reviews of Perception and Revived later this week!

 

**all synopsis from Amazon.com

Monday Reads (Part Two): eReaders vs Books

After posting about my new ereader purchase yesterday, I thought I would write my thoughts about ereaders vs books. I am not new to ereaders. I have had a few ereaders since they came out a few years ago. When they first came out, I promised myself that I would never buy one. I loved my books too much. But then when I actually held one and got to use it, I was intrigued. I eventually caved and bought my first ereader. This did not mean that I stopped buying books. I am, to this day, still buying many hard copies of books and filling up my bookshelves. So why do I have an ereader? And why, if I enjoy reading on an ereader, do I keep buying hard copies of books?

If you were born in the 70s or 80s, you remember cassettes. I remember buying my first music tapes and playing them on the big tape player at home. Now, those tapes are pretty much obsolete. You cannot buy them from a store and playing cassette tapes you already have is difficult if you don't have a working tape player. Technology is advancing at such a quick pace that it's hard to know when one thing will be traded for another. Tapes became CDs and then CDs became mp3 files. This is why I still buy real books. Books that I read and I love and want to read over and over again, I buy hard copies of. I am terrified of where all the ebooks will end up years from now. Maybe they will be lost in cyberspace somewhere. So I make sure to try my best to collect all my favourite books in hard cover so I can take them with me, grow with them and eventually pass them on to my kids.

So then why would I even bother buying an ereader? There are a few advantages. The new ereaders, the ones with wifi, allow you to preview samples of books that you are interested in. I keep a list of books that I am interested in buying. With an ereader, I can download a free sample of the book and read a few chapters before I decide to buy it. Also, ereaders are now allowing you to borrow books from the library. Since I like to read in bed, I don't often like bringing books home from the library, especially when you do not know where they have been. There are thousands and thousands of free books that you can download. And the books that are not free are usually much cheaper than the physical book. I recently read a book on my ereader that was 34.99 in hard copy but only 12.99 as an ebook. Carrying an ereader is a lot easier than carrying a book when you're on the go. And if you're going on vacation, your ereader can hold up to a 1000 books so you don't have to be picky about which books you are going to bring with you.

That being said, I will always love my books. I will always love the smell of them, turning the pages, making my own mark on my books. So I always collect hard copies of books by my favourite authors as well as series I love. My ereader allows me to discover new books, to download books I know I won't read again and the ability to carry around my own personal library.

So if you own an ereader, that does not mean you're giving up on real books. It just means that you are taking reading to a new level.