Top Ten Tuesday: Just give me the whole store

 

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

TOP TEN BOOKS I ASPIRE TO READ BUT DON'T OWN YET

Love the topic this week. It's a nice, gentle way of asking "Should I read this at all? Do you recommend it?" So please, let me know.

Better than Perfect by Simone Elkeles

Found her Perfect Chemistry series addictive. Looking forward to get into this one.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

I don't think there is a YA book blogger out there that hasn't heard of Rowell. Fangirl was a hit.

The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen

Not my proudest words but "the cover got to me!!"

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Read all The Mortal Instruments (even saw the movie) except this one.

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

I'm excited about this one. Amazon Canada has none to sell at the moment O_O  Did they run out?

N0S4A2 by Joe Hill

Comes highly recommended by grown men.

Order of Darkness by Philippa Gregory

I'm due for this sequel.

The Program by Suzanne Young 

Keep reading great reviews about this one, plus I love the way they are holding hands. I want to read about characters that stick together through hard times.

UnSouled by Neal Shusterman

The finale of the Unwind series. I need to know if they can beat the system that wants to keep making organ donation mandatory.

Vitro by Jessica Khoury

I loved Origin, partly because it was a stand alone book. No need to wait for the ending. Khoury has a way of dealing suspense that calls to me. Can't wait to read this one.   

Which book topped your list?

Review: Holes

Do you believe in curses?

Stanley Yelnats sure does. In fact, his great-great-grandfather betrayed a witch and since then bad luck seems to follow him around. Just as Stanley was turning the corner on his way home, a pair of stolen sneakers hit him, and the consequences got him locked up in Camp Green Lake digging up five foot holes. But what exactly is down there to make the wardens crazy with anticipation?

Injustice appears to be a huge theme in the entire book. Not only is Stanley's situation ethically unfair, but his great-great-grandfather experiences heartbreak, and worse is the background story of Kissing Kate. Then we learn about Stanley's camp mate Zero and tears come down to wet the pages.

If only the ending hadn't seem so unrealistic.

Feature and Follow Friday: Netflix This

Parajunkee / Alison Can Read

FEATURE & FOLLOW FRIDAY

Once you answer be sure to leave me your link so I can follow you back

Q: What book/series do you think would make a better TV show than a movie?

Let's face it, some series beat the movie. Take Pride and Prejudice for example, the British TV series stayed true to the book from beginning to end. You could almost follow through the pages along with the screen. Whereas the movie can make any non-reader fail their English Quiz.

Personally, I would love to see The Infernal Devices on the television screen. Steampunk is starting to become more popular every day, and Cassandra Clare's plotline is superb.  A love triangle, a Mystique-like female character, adrenaline fights, betrayal, London!! NBC should be considering this right now.

While we are on the topic of TV/Book adaptations, has anyone seeing Lauren Oliver's Delirium pilot?

Review: The Bridge from Me to You

Lauren and Colby have something in common -- their parents don't understand them. Although, Colby is talented at football, and his best friend Benny would switch places with him at once, he does not aspire to play in college. Lauren, on the other hand, wishes her mom would take an interest in her life. Too bad, alcohol turned her mom into an abusive parent who would rather raise Lauren's baby brother but discard her at a relative's home. Can meeting one another help them feel the love and support they both desperately need?

Schroeder heightens both point-of-views with a mixture of narrative and prose. It was interesting to see Colby's fascination with bridges. His entire personality and the way he includes Lauren with his group -- presenting her to girls she might hit it off -- was swooning. Eventually, Colby and Lauren will have to deal with their respective families, but until then, it's nice to watch them fall, learn, and grow. 

Review: The Rising

All the supernaturals of Kelley Armstrong's Darkness and Darkest series combine for this impending conclusion. 

For Maya, the worst part of the experiment wasn't the shapeshifter side effects, but being separated from her loved ones. Now that everyone thinks they are dead, and a fake funeral is put in place, the only solution to gaining their lives back is by striking a deal with the Cabals. But is negotiation possible or are they all running into a trap?

Having read the Darkest series, I was guarded as to how Armstrong would mix all main characters. Strangely, it was newcomer Ash -- Maya's long lost brother -- who held my intrigue the most. In his own aloof way, he helped her grow into a more decision oriented character. Not only is she the one to pressure the Cabals for a deal, but she also puts an end to the Rafe/Daniel love triangle that monopolised the series. 

Although the ending is open to interpretation, most questions about their powers and the possibility of a cure are answered.