Book-Review: Easy by Tammara Webber

Easy by Tammara Webber

Publisher: Berkley Trade
Year Published: 2012
Pages: 310
Rating: 

Rescued by a stranger.
Haunted by a secret
Sometimes, love isn’t easy…

He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior…

The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.

Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth—and find the unexpected power of love.

(Mature Young Adult/ New Adult)

I have to rate this book somewhere between 2.5 to 3 stars.

The story was (for me) very predictable. I have to say that most (all) of my predictions had come true. So, unfortunately there was not so many surprises at all (at least for me). I am not so sure what to write on my review tho (I am kinda in my reviewing-slump period). It wasn't a bad read, it was just an usual one.

The characters, hmm...... say I didn't really like the girl at the beginning (and at the end, I'm just Okay with her). I mean she was just a very typical damsel in distress kind of girl that needed to be saved and voila! there was ur prince.. So as the story went, it was just becoming more predictable. Talk about the guy, I am not so sure how to describe him without giving the spoilers.. At first I thought he was just too perfect to be true, a caring bad-boy-emo-good-looking guy with nerd-economics-engineering-brain-quality (who I thought can only be found only at a custom-made market, U know I want one), but no one is perfect, there was always a dark background story to this kind of character, which I think would be more interesting if the story kinda told from his perspective, there'd be more emotional twists... but well yeah just my random thoughts.. and as for other characters, I don't have anything to say, I think they were just alright character companions.

The redeeming quality of the book was and still is definitely the issue it raised. And for that only reason, I think this book is a good read for many young female readers. It gave a general understanding of a sexual crime towards women and showed on how people (esp. women) might be able to handle or prevent it. The issue itself is already a pretty heavy subject if it was explored deeper in the story, but the book was heavier on the romance-story side so it was light and easy to read and understand.

Book-Reviews December 2012: Classics and Modern Classic

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Publisher: Modern Library
Year Published: 2001 (Book), 1811 (first published)
Pages: 282
Rating: 

Published in 1811, Sense and Sensibility has delighted generations of readers with its masterfully crafted portrait of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Forced to leave their home after their father's death, Elinor and Marianne must rely on making good marriages as their means of support. But unscrupulous cads, meddlesome matriarchs, and various guileless and artful women impinge on their chances for love and happiness. The novelist Elizabeth Bowen wrote, "The technique of [Jane Austen's novels] is beyond praise....Her mastery of the art she chose, or that chose her, is complete."

This Modern Library Paperback Classics edition contains a new Introduction by Pulitzer Prize finalist David Gates, in addition to new explanatory notes.

I am not so sure how to review a classic work.. I didn't even consider to put classic books reviews on my blog, because I think classic works need more comprehensive and deeper analysis >.< and I think I was not confidence/qualified enough to do it.. But it doesn't mean that I do not enjoy classic or modern classic books. They are so good! some of them are even my all time favorites! So now I am giving myself a shot to do reviews of them. Well, I need to start at some point.. So..... here it goes..


Reading JA's (Jane Austen) works always amused me.. Now the only JA's books that I haven't read are Persuasion and Emma. Persuasion is definitely in my TBR for January 2013 :)

I really like this book, but it is not my most fave JA's books. So far my fave JA book is still Mansfield Park which I read about two years ago.. Sense and Sensibility was a thin book of classic romance drama of the Dashwood sisters, Marrianne and Elinor. The drama was a very common typical classic romance, family, and customary drama (well all of JA's books are). 

I enjoyed the story a whole lot! It was well-developed and paced. It had some dramatic moments, then it had also some wow factors where we learned quite shocking facts about some of the suitors for the ladies, really scandalous (at the time).

The characters of the main-ladies, Marrianne and Elianor were so different, it was really refreshing to see how these two sisters had different approaches on their romantic drama. Marrianne, who was more spontaneous and passionate, then we also have Elianor who was always pretty sensible and logical. It was definitely intersting to see these two sisters in their own drama.

My fave characters in this book were Colonel Brandon and Elinor Dashwood.. <3 <3 <3

I just wished that there were more details in relationship-stories of Edward Ferrar and Elinor Dashwood, Richard Ferrar and Lucy Steele (this relationship in my opinion needed more explanations), John Willoughby and Marianne Dashwood, and lastly, Colonel Brandon and Marianne <3

I have watched the Movie Adaptation and I really recommend everyone to watch it, because they did a very great movie adaptation of the book. If you do not want to read the book, you can just watch the movie, it was just perfect. Almost all (or all) of the scenes in the book were captured perfectly well in it. I strongly recommend you to watch the movie (1995) where Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, and Hugh Grant in it.

Complete Ghost Stories by Charles Dickens

Publisher: Wordsworth Classics
Year Published: 1997 (Book), 1866 (First Published)
Pages: 329
Rating: 

Interest in supernatural phenomena was high during Charles Dickens' lifetime. He had always loved a good ghost story himself, particularly at Christmas time, and was open-minded, willing to accept, and indeed put to the test, the existence of spirits.
His natural inclinations toward drama and the macabre made him a brilliant teller of ghost tales, and in the twenty stories presented here, which include his celebrated A Christmas Carol, the full range of his gothic talents can be seen.
Chilling as some of these stories are, Dickens has managed to inject characteristically grotesque comedy as he writes of revenge, insanity, pre-cognition and dream visions, he indulges also in some debunking of contemporary credulity.

What a joyful and mildly scary collection of short stories this book was.. ;)

This book contains 20 short ghost stories by Charles Dickens, including "Christmas Carol". I have to say that this book is a really awesome seasonal book to read in December. If the Christmas or December hasn't yet (almost) over, I would recommend people to read this during the month or just buy it as a christmas present. It's really a great book to have.

There are five stories that I really like (a lot). They are "A Madman's Manuscript", "A Christmas Carol", "To be read at Dusk", "Four Ghost Stories", and "The Portrait Painter's Story". These five stories are my absolute favorites! Very rereadable! and great stories to read whether in Halloween or Christmas time.. or just anytime we wish for short and quick bedtime stories..

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Year Published: 2012 (Book), 1953 (First Published)
Rating: 

Ray Bradbury’s internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451is a masterwork of twentieth-century literature set in a bleak, dystopian future. Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden.

Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But then he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television.

When Mildred attempts suicide and Clarisse suddenly disappears, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known. He starts hiding books in his home, and when his pilfering is discovered, the fireman has to run for his life.

Oh Wow!It's a thin modern classic dystopian story book, probably one of some earlier dystopian works. It got me to think and grateful for a lot of things.. 

I have read quite few of recent-dystopian books, but this book (in my opinion) is the scariest (so far).. I can't imagine to live in the world like that where people couldn't feel.. I think it was like the most terrible-state to be..I enjoyed and loved the story.. The ending is kinda open-ended, but I like it.. Most of modern classics books that I have read so far have this kind of ending..

Everything was well built; the characters, the story, the plot, the setting.. I personally have no problem with the contents. Somehow, this book made me think about a lot of things, like I have mentioned earlier. It's fantastic, I have no words to describe it.

Now, I am really curious with some other dystopian modern classic books such as 1984 by George Orwell or A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess.. Those book are also in my TBR for 2013.. So excited!

December 2012 Wrap-Ups! and updates

So these are the pile that I finished reading this December 2012 XD

My only read that I am still currently-reading is eARC of A Conspiracy of Alchemists (just started reading it today 30.12.2012) and I am already loving it! so I think I might be able to finish reading it either tonight or tomorrow morning.

I am planning to post the book-reviews tomorrow, yup just exactly at the end of the year (except for Spirit Bound and Last Sacrifice which I have already included in the collective review-post for The Vampire Academy series)

Starting January 2013, I am committed to myself to read at-least one classics and one modern-classics every month. The rest can be either YA, New-Adult, or Adult books.

and I know that I am not quite active blogging this past couple of days or weeks. I apologize for my laziness, I don't have any good excuse for that tho.. I am sooo envy to people who can read one book a day.. haha.. they are def superhuman!

hmm.. what else.. what else.. oh.. I also haven't posted any new book-haul post XP .. Actually, I did get new books this month, since December is my fave month of the year coz there are so many festivities to celebrate; my birthday, christmas and new year, so I got some pretty awesome books xp . I think I will post What's New sometime later in January 2013, a bit late but then I can post December/Birthday/Christmas/New Year book haul in one post.. Totally gonna skip January Book Haul.. I already got too many..

Alright then.. That's all for now.. Until the next post ;D

Have a fun read, people! <3

Books:
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Complete Ghost Stories by Charles Dickens
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Easy by Tammara Webber
Spirit Bound (TVA #5) by Richelle Mead
Last Sacrifice (TVA #6) by Richelle Mead
A Graphic Novel: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
A Conspiracy of Alchemists by Liesel Schwarz

Series Review: The Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Years Published: 2007-2010

Publisher: Razor Bill

Total books in the series: six (in order: Vampire Academy, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound, and Last Sacrifice)
Collective Rating: 

synopsis taken from the first book "Vampire Academy":

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

So I have mentioned on my review of Last Sacrifice on GR that I would make a collective review for this series.. hehe.. and here they are..

I would say that TVA series is definitely a Mandatory YA Book-Series to read! It's just super super super good! and I think I am glad that I started reading it when the series is finished.. I don't think I could bear the thrilling anticipation of it..

This book is set during the modern-human time where the vampire races kinda hide from the human world and only selective few of humans know about the existence of the vampire world. But let's not talk about human world, coz this mundane world was kinda oblivious to the story. The setting of the vampire world in this series was also very unique and original, there were two races of vampire, one was the living-vampire called Moroi who in a way rule the vampire world and the other one was the dead-vampire called Strigoi (who basically everything evil vampires that we all are familiar with). And also there was this unique race called Dhampir (who basically the result of intimacy between Moroi and Dhampir OR Moroi and Human)and they are kinda the protector or guardian or just basically bodyguard to the Moroi. Moroi world was just everything you can imagine from a monarchy government, there were Queen/King, Princesses, Princes, Royal Family, etc etc. So imagine with the monarchy vampire world setting came the political drama.. yes.. imagine the modern Tudors with vampire and magic.. voila! 

I love the setting a lot! It's totally unique and refreshing! The intrigue and drama evolved as the story went. and as for the characters, there were Rose and Lissa who were the main focus of this series. The series was telling from Rose POV. She was a Dhampir who would be assigned to be Lissa's guardian, a Moroi royalty. They were bestfriends (forever). Rose would do anything for Lissa and the feeling was mutual. And in each books, their characters and dramas evolved. New secrets revealed and it seemed that danger and problem were their middle name. Then come other characters such as Christian, Dimitri, Adrian, Mia, Eddie, Mason, Janine, Sydney, Abe, Victor, and so many more... I just love them all! Richelle really did amazing work in developing these awesome characters. They were very unique and (here I say it again) refreshing! I laughed, screamed, yelled, scoffed, smiled, and cried (oh well, the last one, not really) with them.. But mostly laughed and scoffed.. hehe.. This is one of those series where the characters were just lovable and hatable depends on how you see it, I guess.. But mostly lovable..

Oh can I say how much I love Christian? I just LOVE everything that came out from his mouth.. Really world-class-snarky-person ever he was (along with Rose).. classy ;P

aaaah... how about the Romance.... Honestly, I think this is one of the most important key to the story... There were several love stories in the series.. The conflicted and full of drama one... the cute and affectionate one.. the loyal one.. the against-all-odds one (guess it's pretty much the theme of all love stories in this series).. Love triangle drama? (haha.. definitely).. The painful one.. hah.. I would just say that there were so much emotions involved in describing this romance department.. :)

Okay, so here is the highlight of what I love from this series:

"I love all banters and interactions between these characters.. love the plot.. love the development.. and lastly I LOVE the surprises (trust me, so many of this)"

I think that was as general as I can be to describe the general theme of this book. Not exactly in details, but I hope it's enough to prick your interest to read this series. Trust me it's worth to invest your time in reading this series. xp

Oh I almost forgot to mention that Richelle also writes the spin-off series of TVA called Bloodlines. Is it actually a spoiler if I mention the general review of Last Sacrifice (final book of TVA)? hmmm.. oh well, actually, the ending of Last Sacrifice still left a kinda open-questions and opportunities of anything good or bad can happen to the characters. It was TOTALLY INTENTIONAL from the writers to leave things as it was at the end of Last Sacrifice so we will pick up and read Bloodlines (yes yes, I will read this series next year). But don't worry coz of this..... You guys who haven't read TVA will have a good time in reading this series! hehe..

so read this series? ;) <3 <3 <3

Lindsay Writes: Holiday Book Giveaway! (GUYS YOU NEED TO CHECK THIS OUT!!!!)

HOW COME YOU DON'T WANT THIS!!!! XD

I AM SO EXCITED!!!

YOU NEED TO CHECK THIS OUT! Click and be part of it!!!

*haha.. sorry for the caps lock, I'm just so excited! xp*

and I personally wish for Requiem, Unravel Me, Shards and Ashes or signed copy of Divergent???? OH YES PLEASE!.. Anything really.. ;)

This is such an awesome Giveaway! <3

Lindsay Writes: Holiday Book Giveaway!:     REQUIEM releases March 5, 2013 from HarperCollins UNRAVEL ME Releases Feb 5, 2013 from HarperCollins SHARDS AND ASHES releases...

Unwholly (Unwind #2) by Neal Shusterman

Year Published: 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Pages: 402
Rating: 

Thanks to Connor, Lev, and Risa — and their high-profile revolt at Happy Jack Harvest Camp — people can no longer turn a blind eye to unwinding. Ridding society of troublesome teens while simultaneously providing much-needed tissues for transplant might be convenient, but its morality has finally been brought into question. However, unwinding has become big business, and there are powerful political and corporate interests that want to see it not only continue, but also expand to the unwinding of prisoners and the impoverished.

Cam is a product of unwinding; made entirely out of the parts of other unwinds, he is a teen who does not technically exist. A futuristic Frankenstein, Cam struggles with a search for identity and meaning and wonders if a rewound being can have a soul. And when the actions of a sadistic bounty hunter cause Cam’s fate to become inextricably bound with the fates of Connor, Risa, and Lev, he’ll have to question humanity itself.

Rife with action and suspense, this riveting companion to the perennially popular Unwind challenges assumptions about where life begins and ends—and what it means to live.

I DON'T KNOW HOW TO EXPRESS MY LOVE FOR THIS BOOK!!!

If Unwind has just enough everything for a dystopian story. Than UNWHOLLY (Unwind #2) HAS TOO MUCH OF EVERYTHING FOR A DYSTOPIAN STORY!

I am not kidding if I am going to say that this book is probably the most lovable and also creepiest book I ever read this year (or so far in 2012).

I STILL WANT TO MARRY ALL CHARACTERS in this book (maybe only Connor, Risa, Lev, and Hayden.. Plus the new character, Miracolina and maybe that good stranger at the end of the story).

NOT GOING TO GO SPOILERY..

I just wanna say that I LOVE EVERYTHING IN THIS BOOK!

E V E R Y T H I N G ! More than Unwind actually..

I LOVE ALL CHARACTERS! (the good and the bad, although I only want to marry the good one)

I LOVE THE STORY LINE! It's just perfect! The pace, the surprise, the flow, everything!

I LOVE THE DEVELOPMENT! The character and story development for this story are just perfect as well! The character, all of them are (as always) well-developed! and the story, what can I say other than that I LOVE IT!!

What else.. what else.. I don't know what else, the only thing I know, I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!

Even the romance, OMG!!! I just...... aaaahhhhh... I'm breathless and restless.. when I thought they'll be..... but then.... aaaaghhhh... I NEED THIRD BOOK NOW!!!!

I think I will make a video of my reaction for this book, probably there would be no words spoken in it, just me doing "oooohhhs... aaaaahhhsss.. and rolling on the floor.."

I will sleep hugging this book tonight..

and hoping that Mr. Neal Shusterman will not spend another five years for the next book to come out..

PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT!!! JUST SOLID FIVE GOLD STARS!!!

Ah, and I got this book in UK version cover.. so it's not technically matched with my US version cover of Unwind.. SOOOOOOOO because of my huge love for this book, I will purchase the US version one.. hah.. I love you book.. <3

Isn't it awesome??? It's Camus Comprix!!! (what or who is he? Read this book!)

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Year Published: 2006 (book), 1937 (story)
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 353
Rating: 

Whisked away from his comfortable, unambitious life in his hobbit-hole in Bag End by Gandalf the wizard and a company of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon...

What an Epic Adventure Tale!

It has to be a classic read that will be read forever..

Now I really can not wait for the Movie! I have a very great expectation for many of my favorite scenes from the book to be visualized in the movie..This is so refreshing, I have already read LOTR and The Two Towers.. But The Hobbit is really something else.. I love to read Mr. Bilbo Baggins epic adventure.. It feels so wonderful.. Also to know more about some magnificent characters and tales that were only mentioned slightly on LOTR series..

Well the story was kinda started with Mr. Baggins's unexpected involvement in the Thorin's dwarfs party to fill in the mission of taking back the dwarf's lost kingdom under the lonely mountains where a certain vicious dragon lived and ruined many lives of many tribes of dwarves, men, and elves. And along the way to the lonely mountains was where all the epic adventures happened. It was just fantastic!

I love this wonderful feeling.. It's such a good and enjoyable read.. Totally must-read for all epic-fantasy story-lovers.. This is just great.. <3

Watch the awesome trailer and get ready to watch this epic movie in this December! :D I know that I can't wait!

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

Year Published: 2012
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 503
Rating: 

A BIG NOVEL ABOUT A SMALL TOWN ...

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils ... Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

If I can describe this book in two words, it will be DRAMATIC & UNPREDICTABLE.

This book is amazing! now that I have read this book, I am confused on why it has such a low-rating (based on GoodReads). Well I think it depends on the reader's preference. If you expect smth similar to Harry Potter, you better stay away from this book. It's far far away from it, not even half millimetre close.

If you want to read this, you need to be open-minded and ready to be blown away.

There are three things that I love the most about this book; The Characters, The Endless Drama (Story-Line) and The Feeling of you-have-no-idea-what-is-going-to-happen (Unpredictable).

The characters (for me) were the selling point of this book. They were so rich! It felt like they were real! Rowling's writing style is so vivid and realistic, so it allowed me to feel the emotions of those characters. It was crazy!

The Endless Dramas (story-line), I was not kidding when I said it was dramatic. It brought the meaning of dramatic to a whole new level. The death of Barry Fairbrother triggered multiple dramas in the small town of Pagford. These multiple dramas were so complex, dramatic and different but somehow they were all connected in a strange way but made-sense! And the writing was flowing easily, it felt like I was watching a drama TV series that dragged me for seasons of heartache (in a very good and realistic way).

and it was so UNPREDICTABLE! This is one of among very few books that until the end I could not see or guess or predict what will happen. It was surprising until the end.

phew.. I can tell you that it was such an emotional roller coaster.. I love it and this is definitely one of my faves. I voted this as the best contemporary fiction in 2012. <3