Top Ten Tuesday (3)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Yay lists! This week's topic is Top Ten Books I HAD To Buy... But Are Still Sitting On My Shelf Unread. Ahhh, the guilty list. I have WAY too many books on my shelf that still need to be read.

1. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: I know this one wasn't even released too long ago but the level of excitement I had for it warrants it being on this list, I think. I couldn't stop bouncing for WEEKS and then I just dumped it on to a shelf. I'll be back for you, my pretty <3

2. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver: Sonia, what???? I don't know what's wrong with me. I LOVED Delirium and Lauren Oliver is one of my favourite authors. SO WHY WON'T I JUST READ IT ALREADY???

3. Crossed by Ally Condie: I loved Matched and pre-ordered this one (something that's pretty rare for me). Then I read a couple of bad reviews and I think I was a little nervous... but maybe like almost a year and a half is enough time for that to stop me? SERIOUSLY.

4. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev: I was SO unbelievably excited for this one from the summary and I still am! I just need to make some time for it (and uh, remember that it exists when I go to choose my next book, I'm terrible at that).

5. The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann: Harry Potter + Hunger Games. If that's not enough to make me read a book, I don't know what is. And yet, here we are...

6. The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton: Another pre-order! Okay, I was buzzing for this book for months. I was already partying with my bookmarks, postcards and button which, at the time, was such an exciting novelty. I will have to read this one SOON!

7. Entwined by Heather Dixon: I think this cover was enough to make me want to try out the book but then I heard about the plot. AHHH! HOW have I not read this already with a beautifully-sounding plot AND to-die-for cover.

8. Fateful by Claudia Gray: I don't know what it is about the Titanic + werewolves but even now, that concept gives me some thrill. I am really, really curious to see if it works for the book and really, really regretting that I haven't already done so.

9. The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima: This is probably one of the most guilty books on the list because not only do I own the first one, I own ALL OF THEM. And it's fantasy. And everyone seems to love them. And it's fantasy. Did I mention it's fantasy? 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
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This isn't going to be a review, not really. I think pretty much everyone on the Internet (at least those that will wander here!) has read/heard of this book somehow and I don't have the words to properly review it anyhow. What I do want to do is profess my love because if there's anything I like doing with you, it's fangirling.

SO a girl in my Philosophy class was just starting this and I basically pounced on her and went all, "IT'S SO GOOOOOD, YOU'RE GOING TO DIE OF SADNESS!!!" and I think she was a little scared. But us fellow booklovers understand each other so that little soul connection patched things up. But now I am in the mood to talk about The Fault in Our Stars and you, my lucky reader, get to listen.

1. Characters

Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters and other characters but mostly them. My goodness. The ONE THING I need in a book (/movie/TV show/whatever) is to connect to the characters on a deep, personal level and TFiOS hits that so quickly. These characters are flawed and weird and pretentious and I really really really want to hug them. Because they are also so good and kind and normal. And okay YES, Augustus was a little cute. Hazel was a lot cute.

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2. My Heart Broke and That is a Good Thing

Because I am a bit of a masochist, I like pain in books and few books hurt like this one (really John Green, A+ on the pain scale). Honestly, it wasn't really the end for me that did it like everyone else but I think that's mostly because I ran out of tears before I could get to that point. I was an emotional MESS while reading this. A MESS. <-- That's going to be the next public selling point for this book, I'm telling 'ya. 'Do you want to cry buckets of tears while enjoying a nice novel? Well then, John Green is for you!'

3. Words and Stories and Depth

Okay, I'm not going to lie and say that I totally recognized all of the symbolism and foreshadowing and whatever else that I read about on John's website after finishing the book (although finding it after was awesome and I soaked it all up). TBH, I probably wouldn't have really cared much at the time because HAZEL AND AUGUSTUS WERE TALKING. But even the passages and expressions, some of them got to me just because they were so beautiful and relatable. This is so much more than a Cancer Book, it is a wonderful story about two teenagers that are really cool human beings living out their lives.

I DON'T KNOW if this made sense or if it was just a lot of run-on sentences and talk about my reader pain. But either way, I HOPE YOU LIKED IT <3

Have you read The Fault in Our Stars? Imagine me chasing you with the book until you do.

Divergent Movie News!

I don't know if you've seen this or not but Divergent has a Four! I am getting so ridiculously excited for this movie already, despite the fact that it's months and months away from release. I just feel like Divergent is one of the most difficult books to set down for a second and that it would translate SO WELL to screen. Here's the cast so far, what do you think?

Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley)        
Four (Theo James)
Caleb Prior (Ansel Elgort)
Christina (Zoe Kravitz)
Tori (Maggie Q)
Eric (Jai Courtney)

Which movie adaptations are you excited for? My list is never-ending!

Bitopia by Ari Magnusson

Bitopia by Ari Magnusson

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Source: c/o BookSavvy PR
Publisher: Ollivander Press
Format: Paperback, 240 pages
Release Date: February 25, 2012

 

When you run from bullies, you never know where you might wind up…

Bitopia is a wonderland of fantastical foliage and mysterious creatures. It’s also a place where Venators lurk, vile creatures that relentlessly hunt children. So the children of Bitopia, the only human inhabitants, are forced to live in a high-walled city for protection, a medieval metropolis of cold and shadow where time passes but no one ages, a place of no escape.

Like all the other children of Bitopia, Stewart arrives there unexpectedly while fleeing from bullies. And, like all Newcomers, Stewart dreams of finding a way back home. Risking exile from the city and the protection that it offers, Stewart and Cora, his Finder, discover a clue to escaping, one that presents them with a terrible choice: face their greatest fear and risk death, or be trapped in Bitopia forever.

A fast-paced adventure that addresses a fundamental element of bullying-fear-and provides readers with an example of how to deal with bullying on their own.

A powerful story of bullying, prevention and self-confidence, Bitopia is an excellent read for people of any age.

The writing in this novel makes it so easy to imagine yourself in the strange and wonderful world of Bitopia. The passages describing the land are full of imagery and clearly imagined description. Whether back in Stewart's home of Harrison City or inside the stone walls of Bitopia, it's easy to feel as though you've been whirled away somewhere new.

Stewart was an interesting main character. There was a decidedly logical way to how he approached most situations and I liked the consistency in his behaviour -- bully situations aside. He was fairly easy to sympathize with but honestly, I feel that could be true for any bullying victim. If there's one thing I wish this book had done a better job of, it would be giving me a stronger personal connection to Stewart, although that is most definitely an individual assessment. Overall, I just felt there could have been a bit more development to his character.

Ari Magnusson handles the sensitive issues in this novel with such grace. It is a truly well-thought out guide to bullying and one that I think will resonate with a lot of people -- it certainly did with me. The message is simple but also realistic. It encourages self-confidence and promotes peaceful, lasting interactions.

Worth a read!

Cover Comments: Visually, I'm not overly impressed but I do appreciate all of the little things that ring true with the contents of the book.

4 Golden Crowns!

Top Ten Books for Spring 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Yay lists! This week's topic is Top Ten Books At The TOP Of My Spring 2013 TBR List. I love these lists where I get to go through my to-read shelf on GR and re-discover books that I'd forgotten about. There's a pretty fair mix in here of authors that are old & new to me. Hope you enjoy!

 

 

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10

Ahh, spring. So soon! I actually love winter and the cold weather so lucky for me since it seems it's here to stay! ;) That said, I am enjoying my sunny vacation and hope that the weather is great near you. Happy Tuesday!

2 Years Later!!!

Two years ago (from yesterday, shhh) I started The Story Queen. I had been following a few other book blogs for a while and frankly, it just looked fun. So I gave it a shot. And while I didn't quite anticipate the amount of work it would be (you're all superheroes) it turned out to be every bit as challenging and rewarding and fulfilling as I could have hoped for. Blogging has taught me so much -- about people, about this industry and about myself. So thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for helping me do it! Every minute of this experience has been worthwhile and I hope that I continue to love it for years to come.

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Hugs and dessert for everyone! ♥