Waiting on Wednesday: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

It gives people a change to share what books we're so excited about that we can't wait for them to come out.




Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Summary from GoodReads:
A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here—one of whom was his own grandfather—were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

This cover just looks so creepy. This book comes out June 7th, 2011 and I can't wait. What are you hoping to read soon?

Armchair BEA: Interview Time

Today is Day 3 of Armchair BEA and today gave bloggers an opportunity to network and meet new bloggers. I am so happy to say that I was able to work with not one but two different bloggers for this interview.






Today I am interviewing Chrystal from Snowdrop Dreams of Books. I follow her blog and it is amazing (you definitley have to check it out if you haven't already). Chrystal is a fellow Canadian and it was fun getting to know her. Here is our interview:

1. How would you describe yourself in 5 words?
sassy, crafty, hopeless romantic, dreamer, nerd
(I guess that is six words really LOL)

2. What inspired you to start blogging?
I had found a site quite a few years ago where I reviewed romance books for them and finally I decided that I'd like to review a wider variety or books. I stumbled upon a book blog (All About {n} )while searching for info on a book (can't remember the title) and as soon as I realized that people were really blogging about books they read I jumped right on the bandwagon. *By the way All About N is one of my favourites too- go check it out!*

3. How would you describe your blogging style?
There are times where I am on the ball and have things set to auto post and other times I am flying by the seat of my pants and spazzing that I'm not posting enough or have good quality posts. I'd say that I get a little obsessed with having the perfect looking post and will spend a lot of time making sure it looks just right.

4. What are you top 5 favourite books?
This is a really hard question. There are so many amazing books out there. Hmmm. I would have to go with:
-To Kill A Mockingbird b Harper Lee
-The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
-The Happiness Project by Gretchen Ruben
-anything by Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak, Wintergirls)
-The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa
I have more than this, but right now those are my top. (I'd add Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger too).

5. Paperback, Hardcover or E-Book?
All of the above! I prefer paperback, because I kind of dislike the dustcovers on the hardcover version - I always take them off when I'm reading. I have one author completely in hardcover because that is how I found her books initially and now I just keep collecting them that way to keep them all the same (I'm OCD like that). And well ebooks are fun too - I do have an e-reader and love being able to take multiple books with me - I pretty much use it for the books I get from NetGalley right now.

6. Do you ever find it difficult to balance blogging with your personal/work life?
ALL THE TIME! I am really behind on my TBR pile and books for review. I was just asking other bloggers for tips and tricks to stay organized. It sometimes makes me feel overwhelmed, but I wouldn't give it up for the world - I love reading, reviewing and blogging too much. :) I try to read on my lunch hours and in the evenings before bed. Weekends are easier because I read while doing laundry. And sometimes I listen to audiobooks so I can multitask.

7. What is the best advice you have ever received?
Don't say yes to everything just to try getting your name out there - read only what you love. (I started out saying YES to everything. Boy was that a mistake - I took on too much too fast and from all genres. Now not so much. I only say yes when I can handle it or it's something I'd love to read.)

8. What BEA event do you wish you could attend?
I pretty much wish I could just be there to experience it all - there are so many different things to check out. I'd love to meet a few of my fave authors and bloggers. I'd love to listen to some authors talk about writing.

9. Anything fun planned for the summer?
Not a lot this year - trying to save as much money as we can for the wedding next fall. Might go to the Toronto Zoo, the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Royal Ontario Museum in June. And my sister is having a baby this summer (in July), so I am sure I will be over there all the time helping out with my new nephew! :)

Now I did say that I got to work with two different bloggers. Well, I got to work with another blogger to answer some interview questions. That being said my answers can be found over at The Book Mystress. Don't forget to check it out!

Armchair BEA: Top Books

Today's topic is the top books of 2011 thus far. I have read quite a few books published this year and here are my favourites:


If you get a chance to read Divergent by Veronica Roth do it!!! It's better than The Hunger Games and I loved that trilogy! Anyhow I know it's short and sweet but I look forward to seeing yours.

Top Ten Tuesdays: Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

Top Ten Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's edition is the Top Ten Books you have Lied About. This can mean you've lied about reading a particular book or you've lied about not reading a particular book.

I have to admit that I don't often lie about the books that I do read. I have however lied about a few and here they are:

1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
I have listed this in my read pile but in reality I couldn't finish this book. My friend and I got the exact same spot in this book and quickly became bored of it. I think I need to pick it back up again soon.

2. Anything by Shakespeare
I took an English degree in University and included in my degree I had to take an entire course dedicated to Shakespeare. During this year in university I was diagnosed with depression and as a result I missed close to two months of classes. I fell quite behind so what I did to rectify this situation is use Sparksnotes to summarize all of my Shakespeare plays and I was able to write two essays and pass my exam. I did get a B+ in this class but I never read a single play.

3. Gemma Townley novels (or really anything super chick lit like)
I'm not sure that it's exactly lying but I never really admit to reading as much chick lit as I do. I like to read at least 10 chick lit novels a year. I usually read them after a particularly emotional read.

To be honest I think this is about it. I don't often lie about what I have read. I'm curious to read about all of you liars :)

Armchair BEA: Me and Books

Well there are quite a few bloggers who are off in NYC right now at BEA and I'm not going to lie, I am a bit jealous. In order to feel a little less involved I signed up for armchair BEA. Each day there are different topics and I will try to post as many as I can throughout the week. Anyhow without further ado here is the topic for today.

Today's topic is to introduce yourself and explain how you will armchair BEA. To start, I am a 28 year old Canadian who teaches elementary school. I have loved reading since I was a young child and can remember leaving the library with 10 books everytime I went. I was actually born in the Yukon (right beside Alaska) and I have travelled past the Arctic Circle. To be honest, all this was done before the age of 4 so while I remember some of it, I definitely don't remember it all.

I am currently planning my wedding which will be on August 27th and boy is that a lot of work. I have most of the big things booked but I still have a few smaller things to do. I can't wait to walk down the aisle!

As mentioned above I teach elementary school. It is quite difficult to find a permanent job in teaching here in Canada and for the time being I am supply teaching. I do, however, have my own grade 1 French class every Wednesday. I love my job and couldn't imagine doing anything else. The bonus- I get the summer off which means I am free to read to my heart's content.

I grew up in a crazy household; I have 2 sisters and 3 brothers all younger than me and all with the same two parents. To say that things were chaotic in my house growing up is an understatement but I couldn't imagine not having any of my siblings in my life.

I started Feeling a Little Bookish originally about a year ago in October but I only wrote a few reviews and then abandoned the project. I started back up again and revamped my blog, changed the name and really started taking blogging serious again in October of this year. For the most part I read adult contemporary fiction. That being said, since starting blogging, I find that I have been reading mostly YA. There are so many good bloggers out there and I can't help but take their recommendations. I definitely have way more books than I should. Everytime I come home with more my fiancee gives me a look and jokingly calls me a book hoarder. I can't help it, I just love books and I have always felt happiest surrounded by them.

So, how am I going to Armchair BEA? Well, I have been following quite a few people on Twitter and I feel like I am getting a pretty good idea as to what's going on. It still isn't quite the same as being there. I am also participating in these posts and I look forward to reading other people's posts as well. I will definitely have to seriously consider attending BEA next year.
Anyhow that's it for me. I can't wait to read all about you.

Review: Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Publishing Date: May 23rd, 2011
Genre: YA/Dystopia
Pages: 352 pgs
ISBN: 9780547371481

Rating: 4.5 stars

Summary from GoodReads:

Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her.

Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking.

In this not-so-brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space.

My Review:

This is a book set in the future and is set in a society where everything is done electronically. Students go to school online, go on dates via webcam and simulations and no one goes outside anymore. When people are in the outside world they are so preoccupied with being plugged in that they miss the beauty around them. That being said, most of the beauty around them is also simulated; they have fake trees and fake grass and as a result they have little wildlife. I have seen this theme on television but I haven't read any books that deal with the electronic revolution. While reading this book I thought that it really doesn't seem far off. How long can I go without going online, checking my phone, using my Ipod? I wouldn't lose my mind if I had to go without these things but it's not often that I decide to be unplugged. I'm sure this is true with many people my age. It's scary to read this book and to think of where the world could go. That being said, I find it highly unlikely that people would allow their lives to get to that point. I mean it's wonderful to talk to people via Skype but it can't beat hanging out in real life. My favourite thing in the world is to get outside in the summer and read my book. I couldn't imagine living indoors all the time. I know that when I do stay indoors too long my brain becomes mush and I become highly unmotivated to do anything. Anyhow, back to the book. Kacvinsky is an incredible story-teller. I couldn't put this book down. I felt personally invested in Maddie's life and I wanted to know what was going to happen with her. At one point in the book she is out with Justin doing things she shouldn't be doing and I just kept thinking, this is going to come back to bite her in the butt. I wanted to yell at her to think about her actions but at the same time I wanted her to get out and experience the world as it once was. Maddie is conflicted between her family and her increasing views that things just aren't right in the world. She wants to get out and experience more than the surface static that has become her life but she is constantly thinking of how her actions will affect her family. I also really liked Maddie's mother who in her own way encourages Maddie to live her life. I definitley recommend this book, I couldn't put it down and I read it in one day. I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5.

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publishing Date: May 3rd, 2011
Genre: YA/Dystopia
Pages: 487 pgs
ISBN: 9780062024022

Rating: 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

My Review:
After reading so many reviews I had to go out and buy this book. I am so glad that I did because is it AMAZING! Many people compare it to the Hunger Games but I'm going to say it: I think it is even better than the Hunger Games. This is not to say that I didn't like the Hunger Games because I loved them! I think that I really liked Beatrice's character. She was conflicted about her faction when we met her and when the book ends she continues to be conflicted about her faction. I loved Roth's writing style and I felt like I couldn't put this book down. I really liked the idea of her new world. It was interesting to read about why each faction believed the War happened and how they set about trying to change the world and ensure nothing like that ever happened again. I also think it's equally interesting how over time, the core values of the factions began to change slowly. It just shows that we are still dealing with humans who can be corrupted by power and control. In this book, we see that the Erudites and the Dauntless want to take control of the government from the Abnegation and in the end they are corrupted. For the majority of this novel, this not the focus. There is some foreshadowing that things will not end well but most of the book focuses on Tris' training and initiation into the Dauntless faction. She really struggles with fitting in, especially since she is proven to be Divergent. It is interesting to note that because she is divergent she does well in her training. I don't want to give too much away but this book is excellent. You have to go out to your local bookstore and get a copy of it. In fact, this book is part of a series and I don't want to wait for the next book. I wish it was out already! Overall, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.