Feature and Follow Friday: Casse-Noisette

Parajunkee / Alison Can Read

FEATURE & FOLLOW FRIDAY

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

Q: Do you have any fun collections (other than books) ?


Nutcrakers!! I don't know what that says about my relationship with men or nuts (I only eat almonds). But they look so adorable.

It also explains why I wasn't scared of Jigsaw from the Saw movies. I mean look at him, he is a nutcraker.

What do you collect?

Review: The Chosen One

Life is full of choices we don't get to make...

Kyra belongs to the Chosen Ones, a sect religion that places the prophet's needs above the rest of the community. Together with her siblings, mothers and father, Kyra lives within the community hidden in the forest. She even has a crush named Joshua who is hinting at marriage. But then the prophet has a vision that she is meant to be married right away-- not to Joshua - but to her sixty-year-old uncle Hyrum. Can Kyra defy her religion even if it means placing everyone she loves at risk?

Lynch Williams made this book impossible to put down. Once the marriage announcement to uncle Hyrum is set, the deadline seems imminent and the pages just kept turning themselves. The topic of obedience vs punishment gets quite tense as Kyra's situation forces other members of the community to ponder on their beliefs.

Lots of action, stolen kisses and thought provoking plotlines.

Review: If you could be mine

There is nothing more hurtful than loving someone who can't love you back. 

In Sahar's case, it's more complicated than that. Nasrin and her have been lovers since their lifelong friendship turned into something more. But life in Tehran impedes them from expressing their love publicly. Now that Nasrin is about to be married, Sahar grows frenzied, and the only solution she can find to saving their love is a sex reassignment surgery.

Farizan turned a forbidden love story into a debate about how far we are willing to compromise our values for love. Sahar is against adultery, but a sex change is considerable? She meets Parvern, a transgender boy who went through the surgery and together they discuss several LGBT themes.

A short contemporary story that makes you realize how pointless a relationship looks when only one person is willing to sacrifice to sustain it.

Caught my arrow #40

Caught my Arrow is a meme similar to Stalking the Shelves featuring books that were purchased, borrowed or received that week.

I am overbooked this week -- can you tell.  But no worries, I still have a few more vacation days left to read away.

Received from Publisher

Une photo publiée par natalia (@natyuniverse) le Déc. 12, 2014 at 9:46 PST

The Darkest part of the Forest by Holly Black

Received from Netgalley

Both of Me by Jonathan Friesen 

Kiss and Tell by Jacqueline Green

Borrowed from library

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

The Jewel by Amy Ewing

Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Michelle Hodkin

What are you reading this week?

Feature and Follow Friday: Mad About You

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 was your favorite book of 2014 -- or books if you can't name just one?

Last year went by so fast. As always there were several new releases but the ones who stuck the most with me have to be:

 Ashes to Ashes 

The conclusion to the Burn for Burn series took me by surprise. I kept reminding myself that this was a collaboration, and so, for the authors to dig so far into the taboo subject of suicide that way and agree, translates as a good artistic connection.

Better off Friends

Nothing compares to the romance of first love. Short, sweet and heartbreaking as well.

 Hollow City

Miss Peregrine's home for Peculiar Children was so bizarre, I didn't expect the sequel to be able to keep up. Not only did it keep up, but managed to surprise me.

The Walled City

YA or NA? Not sure if the topic of sex slaves fits in the YA genre as introduced into the market, but nevertheless, the book had interesting characters with an all action plot.

We Were Liars

I fully understand why it won best YA fiction on Goodreads this year. At first sight, the fragmented sentences and short chapters got on my nerves. I thought the author had trouble with her printer or something. But after the revealing ending -- it all made sense.








Which book topped your 2014 list?