Top Ten Books on my TBR list this Fall

Top Ten Tuesdays is a weekly/feature meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Here are ten novels I'm brimming for this Fall:

1. The Hidden by Jessica Verday: This has got to be one of my most highly anticipated! I was sucked into The Hollow and The Haunted, and now I can't wait to read the last in the trilogy. It's such a beautiful premise, with details I just devour with each page turned! Oh, what will become of Abbey and Caspian?


2. Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick: This is my second most highly anticipated choice! Who can get enough of Patch? Hush Hush was an entertaining read, but, Crescendo is what really captured my attention. 


3. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin: I'm looking forward to reading this because it seems to have angelic affiliation, and I would love to discover whether this suspicion is true!


4. All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin: I read Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, and I loved it, the writing style, the details, and the beautiful storyline! I'm looking forward to Zevin's newest Dystopian tale packed with romance, illegal chocolate, and crime bosses.


5. The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle: I would love to observe the growth of romance between Laurel and David after they've both experienced such trauma. There's something about angsty stories that always draws me.


6. Perfect by Ellen Hopkins: Really, all you have to mention is Ellen Hopkins to peak my interest. I love Hopkins for her beautiful verse, and her undeniably raw topics. My favorite of hers so far is Impulse, and I'm looking forward to this companion novel!


7. As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott: I love the mystery around characters so steeped in the haze of amnesia that they cannot trust the information given by those they used to know. It's the closest to mystery that I can take.


8. My Beating Teenage Heart by C.K. Kelly Martin: This novel captured me immediately by its beautiful premise! Ashlyn is trapped in a coma and Breckon is imprisoned by grief. Somehow, Ashlyn vows to help him even as she is trapped between realms.  Sounds wonderful! I also love the haunting feel of the cover! 


9. The Winters in Bloom by Lisa Tucker: This is my first adult fiction novel on the list. The premise of a family whose child is kidnapped, forcing them to face their past demons, seems pretty interesting to me!


10. Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen: 1929, socialites, vintage new york, romance and drama? Sounds great to me!!!

What books are you looking forward to reading this Fall?

Journey towards the Sorting Hat: Pottermore Review

I'm excited to have had the opportunity to be one of the lucky few who gained access to J.K. Rowling's highly anticipated project, Pottermore. I must admit that I'm pretty late to the fandom. I've always been a huge fan of the films, but by the Order of the Phoenix, I thought it might be better to wait to start on the novels until the last film premiered. I've recently started on the Sorcerers Stone, and I'm delighted with Rowling's astounding world. It is, without a doubt, the most imaginative world in literary history! 

That being said, Pottermore is a dream space for Potter fans to explore all of the many world's they've read and imagined for so long! Rowling has given us all the opportunity to receive a Hogwarts acceptance letter from Dumbledore, himself. I have a great deal more exploring to do of Pottermore, but so far it's been pretty cool. Within my first day, I've shadowed Harry's steps through the Sorcerers Stone novel, purchased my school supplies, had my wand choose me, and discovered that although I've linked with the Hufflepuff house for so long, the Sorting Hat placed me in Ravenclaw. I was a bit disdained at first, but then I couldn't help but love being dubbed an eccentric genius. I observed the great lengths taken by its' creators to bring the world to life. The world is artful and very detailed, from the owls/cats, to the train carriages. The only criticism I would have about this is that they have not enhanced the experience with music yet. I'm sure that by October, everything will be fresh and ready to go!

Pottermore is definitely the site to look forward to with expectancy! I cannot wait to see you all there, sorted into your respective houses! My name is MoonGold31, please feel free to friend me!

Did you gain access? What do you like (or not) like about Pottermore?

Source: 1

Looking Forward To...

Ninety-five days, and then I’ll be safe.

I wonder whether the procedure will hurt.

I want to get it over with.

It’s hard to be patient.

It’s hard not to be afraid while I’m still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn’t touched me yet.

Still, I worry.

They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness.

The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don’t.

Lauren Oliver astonished readers with her stunning debut, Before I Fall. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called it “raw, emotional, and, at times, beautiful. An end as brave as it is heartbreaking.” Her much-awaited second novel fulfills her promise as an exceptionally talented and versatile writer. -Barnes and Noble

I've recently started on what I believe will be one of the most beautiful new series' of 2011. Delirium starts off with five cups of Earl Grey simply because it incorporates love and dystopian literature. Is not, "It has been sixty-four years since the president and the Consortium identified love as a disease, and forty-three since the scientists perfected a cure," one of the greatest opening lines? Lauren Oliver is such a lovely writer, I adore the writing style! I can't wait to see how it unfolds, and I'm even more delighted to know that it's the first of a series. Also, this is my first hardcover since purchasing my Kippa, and it is STUNNING. Seriously, I spent and entire week just staring at it on my glass table! It's one of those books to save and show off in your bookcase.  So far, Lauren Oliver is a genius in my book!

Jazz . . . Booze . . . Boys . . . It’s a dangerous combination.

Every girl wants what she can’t have. Seventeen-year-old Gloria Carmody wants the flapper lifestyle—and the bobbed hair, cigarettes, and music-filled nights that go with it. Now that she’s engaged to Sebastian Grey, scion of one of Chicago’s most powerful families, Gloria’s party days are over before they’ve even begun . . . or are they?

Clara Knowles, Gloria’s goody-two-shoes cousin, has arrived to make sure the high-society wedding comes off without a hitch—but Clara isn’t as lily-white as she appears. Seems she has some dirty little secrets of her own that she’ll do anything to keep hidden. . . . 

Lorraine Dyer, Gloria’s social-climbing best friend, is tired of living in Gloria’s shadow. When Lorraine’s envy spills over into desperate spite, no one is safe. And someone’s going to be very sorry. . . . 

From debut author Jillian Larkin, VIXEN is the first novel in the sexy, dangerous, and ridiculously romantic new series set in the Roaring Twenties . . . when anything goes.          - Barnes and Noble              

I discovered The Flappers Series a few weeks ago, and I'm excited to start on this. I find the Roaring 20's to be such an intriguing era, yet it also seems to be one of the more overlooked era's in terms of YA Fiction. High society, Short bobs and finger waves, silent films, cupids bow lips, parties in vintage Chicago and Jazz...sounds good to me! It will be my first time reading a novel involving loads of Gossip Girl-esque drama (and normally, I run away from such books), but Jillian Larkin seems to have captured something special. I hope to have an awesome review up for this series very soon!

What books are you looking forward to reading (new or old)?

Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles Book Review

Luis Fuentes is a good boy who doesn’t live with the angst that his big brothers, Alex and Carlos, have always lived with. Luis is smart, funny, and has big dreams of becoming an astronaut. But when he falls for the wrong girl, Luis enters a dark world he’s never known, and just when he thinks he’s got life all figured out, learns some disturbing news about his family that destroys his positive outlook on life. Will that Fuentes bad boy streak come out with a vengeance and lure Luis to live on the edge like his new girlfriend and his own father?

Continuing all the steamy romance of the first two books, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Simone Elkeles gives fans one more satisfying taste of the irresistible Fuentes boys. -Amazon

I've just finished reading Chain Reaction, the last novel in the Perfect Chemistry series by Simone Elkeles, and I am so chuffed! This novel was the sugary icing atop the buttery cupcake. There really isn't an aspect of this novel that I didn't like. 

Elkeles uses this third and final novel to shine the spotlight on Luis, the youngest Fuentes brother. He's, seemingly, the antithesis of Alex and Carlos: ambitious, a high achiever, and trying as hard as he can to stay out of trouble. But of course,  he's a Fuentes, and that means that there's only a matter of time before trouble curls its finger come hither in his direction. I adored him. He's fresh, fearless, and willing to show his vulnerable sides if it means he'll capture the attention of Nikki Cruz. Luis undergoes a full-circled, metamorphosis in this novel: from wide-eyed thrill seeking kid, to this dangerous man capable of moving to the darkside. However, in the midst of this you can see through to his heart, and realize his confusion as he fights within himself not to succumb to the person that the Latino Bloods want him to be.

Nikki Cruz is one of those characters that I think anyone who's experienced heartbreak can relate to. There's a method to her embittered madness and I sympathized. Experiencing the trauma that she undergoes at 15 is enough to understand why she's so callous to Luis at times. However, there were moments when I wanted to slap her and scream: "CAN'T YOU SEE HE LOVES YOU!" Nevertheless, I felt this characterization worked very well in the novel! 

Chain Reaction is chock full of wonderfully adorable moments, from Luis and Nikki's first meeting, to Nikki's first moments with the Fuentes family. I love that in each novel, Elkeles makes sure we get our fill of each brother, watching how they all grow in each individual relationship. Carlos is still spastically hilarious, and Alex is still fun-loving, but on top of his responsibilities!

One of Elkeles' strengths are action scenes. She can weave a love scene with passion, and she can compose a gunfight that will make you gasp and glue your eyes to the page. Full on entertainment! I felt the threat that Latino Blood King, Chuy, posed to the Fuentes Family, and a driving need to see him taken down! Her prose flows, and she uses the mixture of Spanish and English very well in both dialogue and narration. She believably gets into the minds of Luis and Nikki without any blending of the two, and this I can appreciate as I, myself, struggle with this in my own novel!

Chain Reaction was a wonderful read, and I find I'm saddened by the fact that this is the last time I'll experience the Fuentes family...unless Elkeles has a few secrets waiting to unfold!

I give Chain Reaction 5 out of 5 cups of Earl Grey, plus a tray of cucumber sandwiches, and scones with sweet cream and jam.

Let us have a moment of silence for these utterly adorable, knee weakening Fuentes men. And hope that somehow there will be a film, and that these actors will be the signed on!

Book Birthday 8/23/11: The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Book Birthday Shout Out is a weekly meme hosted by Bewitched Bookworms created to celebrate authors and the release of their latest novels. For more information, click here.

A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past.

The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings.

Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning what’s been missing in her life, and when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness. -Barnes & Noble

I am SO excited about The Language of Flowers (BN/Amazon)! I've always been so intrigued about how those in the Victorian Era used flowers to communicate so many things. I would love for our generation to go back to this kind of romance. It's a bit like handwritten letters and lock's of hair given in an envelope! In my own novel, I touch on this beautiful art a bit, and I'm so chuffed to see how it factors out in this novel. The story line also seems very layered, what with the romance of flowers, blending with the reality of a life spent in foster homes, or mistreatment.  I have such expectation for beautiful writing! I'm hoping to pick this one up very soon!

Happy Book Birthday, Vanessa Diffenbaugh, and thank you very much for writing a novel that will no doubt keep us intrigued!

Please watch the Amazon video interview on The Language of Flowers.