Karenschoice books

book info: ages: 13 and up grades: 8 and up, Years 9 and up on sale: now copy from: library pages: 456 title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer author: Michelle Hodkin Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. It can. She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed. There is. She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love. She’s wrong. I've read this book in about a day. I was, an unsuspecting girl looking through the shelves of my young adult section at the library. There are old, faded spines and books I've seen there since the beginning of time...and then this. I was so thrilled to find this! I'd expect there to be a queue of like, a hundred people, but for this to be left on the shelf? Magnificent. On with the review! It's absolutely amazing how Ms. Hopkin's can suddenly change from ...

book info: ages: 9 and up grades: 3 and up on sale: now (amazon) copy from: author pages: 295 title: XOR: The Shape of Darkness author: Moshe Sipper On his twelfth birthday Lewis Nash comes home from school to find that his house has blown up to smithereens, killing his father. Having lost his mother in an accident four years earlier, Lewis realizes he is now an orphan — but he has no time to dwell on it. The moment he gets off the school bus a fearsome wolf-man tries to grab him. The boy is saved in the nick of time by Master Long, who reveals to him that he’s a Shaper from a place called Xor, which is being devoured by the Realm Pirates. Lewis learns that he must do his utmost to become the powerful Shaper he was destined to be. Because, it would seem, he’s the one and only chance Xor has. I was asked by the author, Moshe Sipper, to review this book. I thought, of course, that it was a science fiction for young adults, and eagerly accepted. But I soon found out that it's a more a...

I don't like Feature and Follow Friday's because it forces people to follow this blog, of whom are not really interested in my content, and are only interested in getting followers for their blogs. I know this isn't true for everyone, but it's an underlying concept. Therefore, I've changed it a bit to fit me. Why? Because a blog that doesn't grow is stale and boring. And as a blogger and person, I'm constantly craving meeting people and interacting. SO If you're visiting (thank you so much!) here's what's happening: If I followed you, you are NOT required to follow me back: only if you want to If you follow me, I'll seriously consider following you back, but it's not guaranteed I know it's part of the hop, that it's basic courtesy to follow you back, but...I'm not sure I can do it. I don't believe in following a blog that I don't think I'll enjoy, even though you're an awesome person. Gosh, I feel like I'm ...

book info: ages: 15 and up grades: 9 and up on sale: now copy from: library pages: 319 title: Life of Pi author: Yann Martel Growing up in Pondicherry, India, Piscine Molitor Patel - known as Pi - has a rich life. Bookish by nature, young Pi acquires a broad knowledge of not only the great religious texts but of all literature, and has a great curiosity about how the world works. His family runs the local zoo, and he spends many of his days among goats, hippos, swans, and bears, developing his own theories about the nature of animals and how human nature conforms to it. Pi’s family life is quite happy, even though his brother picks on him and his parents aren’t quite sure how to accept his decision to simultaneously embrace and practise three religions - Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam. But despite the lush and nurturing variety of Pi’s world, there are broad political changes afoot in India, and when Pi is sixteen, his parents decide that the family needs to escape to a better life....

book info: ages: 15 and up grades: 9 and up on sale: now copy from: Barnes and Noble (my brother) pages: 760 (small pages and print) title: The Agony and the Ecstasy author: Irving Stone From the tumult of life, his brilliant work made a grasp for heaven unmatched in half a millennium. Now, in a special ediction celebrating the 500th anniversary of Michelangelo's David, Irving Stone's towering triumph: The Agony and the Ecstasy The Renaissance was a turbulent time of plotting princes, warring popes, the all-powerful de' Medici family, the fanatical monk Savonarola... and the brilliant young artist Michelangelo Buonarroti. This is the assigned summer reading book for AP European History. I think it's prepared me for the immense amount of reading the class will include, but also the delights of learning of history.   Irving has created this...biography, that's both fictionalised and factual in this seamless story. I had read the start of this previous summer (or the s...

dear Readers:   this blog is undergoing some maintenance and editing, so if you'll not take into consideration any of the changes that are going to be happening until it's all done. Sorry for the inconvenience!  Also, the lovely absolutely amazing designer that's helped me with all this is creating her design blog, so I'm going to wait until it's complete to introduce her to you all!

I've got a treat for everyone! My first interview in ages, with a brilliant author called Marissa Meyer . In an age of dystopian novel frenzy, she's created a unique story of her own, set in futuristic China, striking a balance between the old and new world. It's called: Cinder (in case you don't know, being stuck in a box or something, haha) And I'm absolutely thrilled to have her here! She's so sweet and incredibly kind and I hope you all enjoy this interview as much as I have! K: Hello Mrs. Meyers! Thank you so much for stopping by! How are you? M: I’m fantastic, thank you! Very happy to be interviewed on Pages today. J   1.  What was most challenging about writing a novel set in the future? Trying to balance the world-building with the story. I wanted to create a futuristic world with technology that was both impressive and realistic, but I didn’t want the reader to feel like they were drowning in techy terminology and explanations of how things work. I fou...

I've always wanted to read Shakespeare, with so many lovers of it and so many references to it. So I just came back from Barnes and Noble where I purchased this beautiful thing: When reading complicated or hard to understand works, I enjoy having my own copy to write and take notes in. I could've just gone to the library and checked out each of his books but having my own copy, and it being all in one is amazing. I'm so thrilled and I can't wait to start! Do you have any advice or experiences you'd like to share about reading Shakespeare? I'd love to hear it!

My god, I just have it going with these topic posts, eh? Sorry sorry! Actual reviews to come up soon :) I'd like to discuss parents in YA, or rather, the  absence  of them. How?    Most frequently, I've seen, is the car crash method. Most of the family dies in a tragic car crash. But it's an effective method, really. Another would be the too-rich-to-care parents who are so rich, that they leave their child alone a lot. Or maybe the parents are divorced, and the one with custody of the MC goes on vacation or something. The possibilities of getting rid of these troublesome characters are endless. Why?    Once again, an writer has several reasons for doing so. Not wanting to take the trouble to write them in They're a hinderance  Not important Very important (them being dead or absent may be the centre plot of the story, revolving around the MC) "lazy writing"    There are some stories where the parents die, and it's all about the main...

In the past few weeks, I've heavily considered doing this post about following,  and what it means to follow. In a perfect world, readers would follow a book blog purely for the enjoyable, intellectual and enhancing posts, the well written reviews and up-to-dates on book news. However, that's just not it. The Bad It'd be best if I get this part over with :) The...undesirable part about following is when people do it for the wrong reasons, though it may seem the only way at first. For instance, giveaways . I require people to follow me to enter giveaways for the wrong reason: I want followers. And that's something I am hoping to change in the future. I feel like I'm bribing readers to follow me with free things, but I want to achieve that steady base of about seven hundred. After that point, I think, I'll just let anyone enter and win. But people who follow just to enter a giveaway, in the end, backfires. I've done it many times because of all the fantastic i...

What do these new 2012 books have in common? The models on their covers. It seems that many of the young adult books you see today have young, enticing looking models on their covers. There's swirls and smoke and misty flowers and an ethereal quality to all them Timekeeper looks like some sort of eighties cover with the boy and his haircut and random tux. Sigh.   An airbrushed girl wearing a lacy white and black dress on massive rose petals staring seductively at me. The Fallen covers have really bugged me. I don't like how Luce (presumably) is just like "Ohh, let me stand around in pretty dresses posing with my arms in my hair, and walking around innocently in dreamy backdrops" The story of Fallen itself is weak, so choosing one central idea or item that could be on the cover is not an option.  And the Temptation of Angels cover: the model's face is heavily airbrushed, and she's just looking off into the distance with a gorgeous, lost look in her purple-conta...

I have two giveaways that end today. ARC of Fracture by Megan Miranda: Entry #1: Bethie True Random Number Generator Out of 7 entries Result: 1 Powered by  RANDOM.ORG armchair BEA prize pack: Entry #30: Viari Rose True Random Number Generator Out of 46 entries Result: 30 Powered by  RANDOM.ORG And my five hundred follower giveaway (that I never announced): Isa Congratulations to all of you and thank you very much for entering! The winners have been contacted and have twelve hours to respond, or I'll pick another winner. I haven't gotten any of these books out to shipping yet partly because I've never shipped any books before, it's always been my Dad. And while he's away on a two-week trip, I'm going to have to find a way to send all these. I apologise for the delay in getting these to you!

information book info: ages: 16 and up grades: 10 and up on sale: now copy from: local library pages: 473 title: The Lady Elizabeth author: Alison Weir stars: 4.5 Even at age two, Elizabeth is keenly aware that people in the court of her father, King Henry VIII, have stopped referring to her as “Lady Princess” and now call her “the Lady Elizabeth.” Before she is three, she learns of the tragic fate that has befallen her mother, the enigmatic and seductive Anne Boleyn, and that she herself has been declared illegitimate, an injustice that will haunt her. (I will not include the rest of the summary as it contains spoilers) my thoughts:    I will start by saying that this is assigned summer reading for AP European History. I've always been deeply fascinated with court life in England, and the Tudors as well. I've heard loads about the television drama, but have deemed it too inappropriate to my young eyes. I'll watch it when I can, haha.     Now I started this boo...

Hello everyone! This is my second time participating in this Feature and Follow hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read :) I have a feeling that I should post some sort of content on here for you blog hoppers to possibly comment about. I think this merits some funny pictures :D I love funny pictures, I hope you know! I was going to post another Harry Potter picture but, this just cracks me up all the time! Now, this week I'm supposed to feature a blog I love. Well :D "> There's something that I just like about reading this blog. There are lots of great reviews and The Norwegian Book Girl updates me on what's new in the book world. :) I hope you've had a good laugh :) Thank you very much for stopping by!

of fangirls Alright. BEA is over! I can post whatever I'd like to now! Well, as you all have probably seen The Avengers and maybe Thor, I think it won't be too exclusive to post about how much I absolutely adore Tom Hiddleston. He is the perfect man. He's got the looks, the voice, the charm, and the gentlemanly manners that add up to perfection. Honestly. I don't think I can write anymore but to inform you all that he is my idol. I had a dream about him last night. I met him and we had ice cream together and we talked . Oh it was so real. But I have reason to be a fangirl. He's inspired me to be polite and more composed and to put aside my bad moods and be good to everyone despite how awful I feel. I don't know why, but when I'm feeling particularly destructive, I think about Tom Hiddleston, and I just become a nicer, happier person :) I'm not going to post this to his twitter, which he's quite active in, purely because of embarrassment. But on my qu...

I think blogging for four years merits me the opportunity to give advice. I have a feeling this has been repeated in yesterday's post, but here it is nonetheless. "Something I never want to repeat [in blogging]" Getting obsessed. I used to visit hundreds of blogs, read tons of reviews, dig into books for days and ignore everything else. I used to jump onto my computer every hour to do something blog-related. I recognise that it's happening again (with the sudden gain of followers) and I hope that I can prevent it before it goes full on. "What makes blogging easier" Having fun. The reason why I had taken several long hiatuses from blogging was because I thought it wasn't fun anymore. I lost interest in posting reviews and I didn't read as much. Blogging then was like a job that was necessary, that I had to post a certain number of times a week, and that I had to be involved. It was a commitment problem, I think, that I didn't fully understand. Nat...

Tips that will help you move your blog forward or perhaps your own personal goals of writing and making an income from what you love to do. I am a writer. I truly enjoy writing, and I'll had nearly twenty Chapter 1's for many brilliant ideas I've gotten. But of course, it's so hard to shoot off from there. Hopefully, I do get published. But I want to get published just so other readers can read my writing and enjoy it, not for the money aspect. But if I did earn any money, it'd go straight to my parents. Like you may have noticed, we're in a tough financial situation and they're kind enough to support my blogging and pay shipping for my giveaways. I should tone down on them, come to think of it. Yeah.... I'm inexperienced in publishing and making money in that sense, so I don't think I should try to give false advice. However, I've got tips on moving one's blog forward (based off of experience with mine) Tips On Moving One's Blog Forward ...

Ever since I was five years old, I've been going to the library. My mum took me there and taught me how to read. I used to check out Arthur the Aardvark cassettes, and bag fulls of picture books and Junie B. Jones books. Nevertheless, these librarians have known me for quite a long time. I used to go to their arts and crafts events when I was younger, but with budget cuts, there aren't many frequent activities. Using my book blog benefits, I donated the books I had won from other blogs or received from companies (they were not ARCs) which consisted of about twenty books. And---I feel like I'm bragging here. But yes, that's how I've been "networking" in real life. I've never really attended an actual books signing, and the closest I've gotten to that were the midnight magic parties for the Harry Potter books' release. The idea of getting together with other book bloggers in real life is inconceivable. I'd love to do it, I would! I've jus...

Yesterday was introduction day for Armchair BEA and I killed my eyes visiting so many blogs and commenting. Thankfully, today is a relief! It's an ARC prize pack that includes: Out for Blood by Alyxandra Harvey After Obsession by Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies A special surprise :) Unfortunately, it's only for U.S and Canada residents . Many apologies, my international friends! I should have one for you guys sometime this year! I considered doing a book depository gift card, but my family is strapped for money and we need to save on anything, even ten dollars. Shipping books in the US and Canada is cheaper. I'm sorry: once again >_< But if you do live in these areas, whopee! It ends exactly five days from now: June 10th 2012 All one has to do is fill out the form below: (closed) This giveaway is over The topic for today is also to share a favourite book of 2012. Now I haven't been reading modern 2012 books actually, let ...

With me! Hello everyone :)    As part of this event, I'm to choose out of ten questions, five to answer. I reckon I'll bore you all with my answers. I'll keep them as concise as I can :D Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging? I'm Kirthi, an introverted teenage book blogger. I've been blogging for nearly four years now! How did it all start, you ask? My friend Nathan and I were global warming activists in our own, young way. We thought that we could bring awareness by starting a global warming blog, which we did. First, we went to the obvious: blog.com, and realised it was a failure. So we moved to blogspot. And after blogging quite a lot on global warming issues, I thought that I should make my own blog, but about something I enjoy personally: reading. I wanted, at first, to just log and keep record of the books I read and whether I enjoyed them or not. Then I realised there was a w...