Hey guys!
So I know I've been really absent lately, and the only excuse I have is that I have been extremely busy with school. I'm trying to improve my grades in most of my classes, and my weekends are devoted to practice SAT tests. I never have as much time to read anymore, and that makes me feel like I'm neglecting this blog. Which I kind of am, and I'm sorry. I keep telling myself that I'll read more and write more reviews during my breaks, and I try to do that, but that still doesn't change the fact that I don't have as much time as I would like to read. I've come to the conclusion that things aren't really going to slow down until my AP tests and finals are over, so I've decided to take a break until June-ish. That doesn't mean I'll be entirely gone though. I'll still be reading when I can find time, and if a book really stands out to me, I'll be sure to write a review. I'll also try to post upcoming releases once a month and some other fun stuff. But while I'm gone, I'm afraid there will be less reviews. I'm also not going to be able to take requests. Again, I'm really, really sorry for the inconvenience, but I hope to be back as soon as possible!
Thank you so much to everyone who follows me, I truly appreciate you all. :)
-Pepa @ Anonymous Reads
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Friday Memes #6
Follow Friday is hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee's View.This week's question:
Keeping with the Spirit of Giving this season, what book do you think EVERYONE should read and if you could, you would buy it for all of your family and friends?
Well, my first answer would obviously be the Harry Potter series. I'm always going to recommend these books to everyone because they're purely magical and simply amazing (no pun intended? haha). I grew up with these books, and I still continue to re-read them every year.
Another book that I would recommend to everyone is Looking for Alaska by John Green. This book is amazing. John Green's writing has such great meaning, and he captures the teenage voice perfectly. His books are always hard-hitting and astounding. Every time I read Looking for Alaska, I love it more and more. And I know I'm gushing about this book, but it's just so good!
What books would you share with everyone you know?
Another book that I would recommend to everyone is Looking for Alaska by John Green. This book is amazing. John Green's writing has such great meaning, and he captures the teenage voice perfectly. His books are always hard-hitting and astounding. Every time I read Looking for Alaska, I love it more and more. And I know I'm gushing about this book, but it's just so good!
What books would you share with everyone you know?
Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton
Published: September 29, 2011
Pages: 338
My Rating: 4.5/5
Misc.: Contemporary, companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss
Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.
When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.
Summary taken from goodreads.
My Review:
Stephanie Perkins is pure genius. Seriously. She is the sole reason I even read contemporary romance-y type books. This was the perfect companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss.
Let's start with the plot. This book's main character, Lola Nolan, loves to create crazy costumes and just be herself, which some people have a hard time grasping. In the summer, her old next door neighbors, with whom she's had problems with in the past, move back to San Francisco. Their return brings back a stir of mixed feelings for Lola, and the book takes off from there. Stephanie Perkins' writing was amazing, as usual. Everything flowed together so well, and the pacing of the book was pretty fast. Everything worked together well.
I think my favorite part of the book would have to be the characters. Aside from the amazing love interest (and oh my, he was amazing. The chemistry between him and Lola was written beautifully), I loved the family dynamic in this book. When we first started reading, Lola and her dads seemed like a perfectly happy family. But like most families, nothing is perfect. There were twists, and I love how Stephanie Perkins was able to weave together the romance and the more serious issues. Aside from family, the Bells were my other favorite characters. Their entire family was so interesting and so well developed that I couldn't help loving their characters. And then I absolutely loved how Anna and St. Clair were more than just side characters. They played a crucial role in the story. The way all of the characters interacted with each other was just so well done that I can't get over it.
This was an amazing companion novel to Anna, but I can't really compare the two. Each were their own separate story, though they both shared Stephanie Perkins' writing style. I can't wait to see what Perkins has in store for us with the final companion novel!
Stephanie Perkins is pure genius. Seriously. She is the sole reason I even read contemporary romance-y type books. This was the perfect companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss.
Let's start with the plot. This book's main character, Lola Nolan, loves to create crazy costumes and just be herself, which some people have a hard time grasping. In the summer, her old next door neighbors, with whom she's had problems with in the past, move back to San Francisco. Their return brings back a stir of mixed feelings for Lola, and the book takes off from there. Stephanie Perkins' writing was amazing, as usual. Everything flowed together so well, and the pacing of the book was pretty fast. Everything worked together well.
I think my favorite part of the book would have to be the characters. Aside from the amazing love interest (and oh my, he was amazing. The chemistry between him and Lola was written beautifully), I loved the family dynamic in this book. When we first started reading, Lola and her dads seemed like a perfectly happy family. But like most families, nothing is perfect. There were twists, and I love how Stephanie Perkins was able to weave together the romance and the more serious issues. Aside from family, the Bells were my other favorite characters. Their entire family was so interesting and so well developed that I couldn't help loving their characters. And then I absolutely loved how Anna and St. Clair were more than just side characters. They played a crucial role in the story. The way all of the characters interacted with each other was just so well done that I can't get over it.
This was an amazing companion novel to Anna, but I can't really compare the two. Each were their own separate story, though they both shared Stephanie Perkins' writing style. I can't wait to see what Perkins has in store for us with the final companion novel!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Review + Blog Tour: Farsighted by Emlyn Chand
Title: FarsightedAuthor: Emlyn Chand
Publisher: Blue Crown Press
Published: October 24, 2011
Pages: 206
My Rating: 3.8/5
Misc.: First in series
Emlyn Chand's Farsighted was a refreshing read. The author does an amazing job using descriptions to show us everything that's happening. Since the main character, Alex, is blind, she gives us detailed descriptions of smell, sound, and touch. And even though there are virtually no descriptions of sight, I was still able to picture everything clearly in my mind. Her writing had a certain flow to it, and everything was very nicely paced. The bits of prophecies before each chapter also added something to the story.
Let's talk about the plot. I've read books that contain psychic people or small psychic elements, but never an entire book about the topic. After reading this book with all the different types of abilities it contains, I'm excited to find some more. The story centered around Alex and the development of his new powers. Along with that came new friends and journeys. There were parts where I actually gasped due to some small twist that was thrown in. The plot plays out nicely and in my opinion, very well paced.
However the one thing that I didn't really like was the dynamics between the characters. Separately, I loved all of them. But for me, the dialogue between them didn't always seem plausible, and the relationships developed really quickly. I understand that the relationships had to develop for the pacing to go as evenly as it did, but it just seemed off to me. But other than that, the characters were all great! All of the "good" characters were like-able and for the most part relate-able (except for the being blind part, I can't really relate to that. Though, as I said before, the author did a great job with that) while all of the "bad" guys were infuriating and frustrating.
If you're looking for a different, even paced read, Emlyn Chand's Farsighted is the book for you!
About the Author:
Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb. Visit www.emlynchand.com for more info. Don’t forget to say “hi” to her sun conure Ducky!
More about the book:
Misc.: First in series
Alex Kosmitoras’s life has never been easy. The only other student who will talk to him is the school bully, his parents are dead-broke and insanely overprotective, and to complicate matters even more, he's blind. Just when he thinks he'll never have a shot at a normal life, a new girl from India moves into town. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Yes, sophomore year might not be so bad after all.My Review:
Unfortunately, Alex is in store for another new arrival—an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to “see” the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they begin to suggest that Simmi is in danger. With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and new friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex must embark on a journey to change his future.
Synopsis taken from goodreads.
Emlyn Chand's Farsighted was a refreshing read. The author does an amazing job using descriptions to show us everything that's happening. Since the main character, Alex, is blind, she gives us detailed descriptions of smell, sound, and touch. And even though there are virtually no descriptions of sight, I was still able to picture everything clearly in my mind. Her writing had a certain flow to it, and everything was very nicely paced. The bits of prophecies before each chapter also added something to the story.
Let's talk about the plot. I've read books that contain psychic people or small psychic elements, but never an entire book about the topic. After reading this book with all the different types of abilities it contains, I'm excited to find some more. The story centered around Alex and the development of his new powers. Along with that came new friends and journeys. There were parts where I actually gasped due to some small twist that was thrown in. The plot plays out nicely and in my opinion, very well paced.
However the one thing that I didn't really like was the dynamics between the characters. Separately, I loved all of them. But for me, the dialogue between them didn't always seem plausible, and the relationships developed really quickly. I understand that the relationships had to develop for the pacing to go as evenly as it did, but it just seemed off to me. But other than that, the characters were all great! All of the "good" characters were like-able and for the most part relate-able (except for the being blind part, I can't really relate to that. Though, as I said before, the author did a great job with that) while all of the "bad" guys were infuriating and frustrating.
If you're looking for a different, even paced read, Emlyn Chand's Farsighted is the book for you!
About the Author:
Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb. Visit www.emlynchand.com for more info. Don’t forget to say “hi” to her sun conure Ducky!More about the book:
Alex Kosmitoras may be blind, but he can still “see” things others can’t. When his unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it reconsider. Get your copy today by visiting Amazon.com’s Kindle store or the eBook retailer of your choice. The paperback edition will be available on November 24 (for the author’s birthday).
Cash Prizes:
Guess what? You could win a $100 Amazon gift card as part of this special blog tour. That’s right! Just leave a comment below saying something about the post you just read, and you’ll be entered into the raffle. I could win $100 too! Please help by voting for my blog in the traffic-breaker poll. To cast your vote, visit the official Farsighted blog tour page and scroll all the way to the bottom. Thank you for your help with that.
Cash Prizes:
Guess what? You could win a $100 Amazon gift card as part of this special blog tour. That’s right! Just leave a comment below saying something about the post you just read, and you’ll be entered into the raffle. I could win $100 too! Please help by voting for my blog in the traffic-breaker poll. To cast your vote, visit the official Farsighted blog tour page and scroll all the way to the bottom. Thank you for your help with that.
Giveaways:
Win 1 of 10 autographed copies of Farsighted before its paperback release by entering the giveaway on GoodReads. Perhaps you’d like an autographed postcard from the author; you can request one on her site.
Extras:
There's more fun below. Watch the live action Farsighted book trailer and take the quiz to find out which character is most like you!
Extras:
There's more fun below. Watch the live action Farsighted book trailer and take the quiz to find out which character is most like you!
**Quiz had to be removed due to malfunctions.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
Title: Paranormalcy
Author: Kiersten White
Publisher: Harper Teen
Published: August 31, 2010
Pages: 335
My Rating: 3/5
Misc.: First in Paranormalcy Trilogy, Paranormal
Can I just start this review out by applauding Kiersten White for portraying some scary creatures of the night as actually scary? It's not very often that we see vampires or werewolves as threatening paranormal creatures anymore, but this book did a good job showing the dangerous side of paranormals.
Let's start with Evie. She's our main character, and not only is she kick-ass, but she is girly too! I don't see that very often. Or at all, actually. Kiersten White created a really good balance between the two, so Evie didn't come off as annoying. I also love how most of the characters weren't human, but they weren't "typical" paranormals either. There are faeries, goblins, werewolves, vampires, mermaids, and entirely new species that most of us haven't heard of before. And I absolutely loved the relationship Evie had with her best friend and Lend, the shape-shifter.
The plot was also pretty good. From the beginning, I was captured by the thought, "Why is this human girl working for a paranormal agency?" And then the plot builds on that question. It was beautifully done. By the end, I was really rooting for Evie to succeed.
The one thing I didn't really like about this book was the pacing. It's not that it wasn't fast paced, it was just that whenever I put the book down, I didn't feel the need to pick it back up again. I ended up going on a two week vacation in the middle of reading the book, and it wasn't until I left that I realized I left the book at home. The author's writing is also just okay. Nothing stood out for me too much.
But overall, I did enjoy this book. It was an okay, funny read. I'm definitely going to check out the second book in the series when I have time. I'd recommend this book for anyone looking for a light read or something to do to pass the time.
Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie’s always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.My Review:
Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.
So much for normal.
Synopsis taken from goodreads.
Can I just start this review out by applauding Kiersten White for portraying some scary creatures of the night as actually scary? It's not very often that we see vampires or werewolves as threatening paranormal creatures anymore, but this book did a good job showing the dangerous side of paranormals.
Let's start with Evie. She's our main character, and not only is she kick-ass, but she is girly too! I don't see that very often. Or at all, actually. Kiersten White created a really good balance between the two, so Evie didn't come off as annoying. I also love how most of the characters weren't human, but they weren't "typical" paranormals either. There are faeries, goblins, werewolves, vampires, mermaids, and entirely new species that most of us haven't heard of before. And I absolutely loved the relationship Evie had with her best friend and Lend, the shape-shifter.
The plot was also pretty good. From the beginning, I was captured by the thought, "Why is this human girl working for a paranormal agency?" And then the plot builds on that question. It was beautifully done. By the end, I was really rooting for Evie to succeed.
The one thing I didn't really like about this book was the pacing. It's not that it wasn't fast paced, it was just that whenever I put the book down, I didn't feel the need to pick it back up again. I ended up going on a two week vacation in the middle of reading the book, and it wasn't until I left that I realized I left the book at home. The author's writing is also just okay. Nothing stood out for me too much.
But overall, I did enjoy this book. It was an okay, funny read. I'm definitely going to check out the second book in the series when I have time. I'd recommend this book for anyone looking for a light read or something to do to pass the time.
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