Authors on my Auto-Read List

Hey, everyone! This week's Top Ten Tuesday is "Top Ten Authors on my Auto-Buy List". But since I so rarely buy books (Lies: I bought three books last Friday) and it is no longer Tuesday, I thought I would talk about my favorite authors whose books I actively look forward to coming out.

1. John Green
John Green is probably my favorite modern American author. I have all his novels he's written singularly. He is the best. You should read his books. You will love him.
Recommended books: Paper Towns, The Fault in Our Stars

2. Maureen Johnson
Maureen Johnson is a hilarious author who has written a variety of novels. There's a lot of humor and a little romance and they are delightful.
Recommended books: The Name of the Star, 13 Little Blue Envelopes 

3. Rick Riordan
Rick Riordan is one of the few Middle Grade Authors I really like.  His books are full of action and yet there is still character development, which isn't always usual for plot driven books.
Recommended books: The Percy Jackson series. Start with The Lightning Thief and read for the next couple weeks. Then cry. 

4. Ally Carter
I adore Ally Carter's books! What I really like about them is that they have a lot of strong female characters who kick butt and take names, but they still act like typical teenage girls. It's an awesome balance.
Recommended Books: Start either the Gallagher Girls series or the Heist Society trilogy. Then read the other one. 

5. Stephanie Perkins
It's no secret I love romantic contemporaries, but Stephanie Perkins is the best of the best. Her novels are realistic and though the characters are very much in love, they have lives outside of each other, which is good and healthy.
Recommended books: Anna and the French Kiss or Lola and the Boy Next Door 

And those are the authors whose books I actively look forward to! Who are some of your favorite authors? Let me know in the comments!

Delirium Book Review

photo from Goodreads

Title: Delirum
Author: Lauren Oliver
Published: February 1st, 2011 by HarperTeen

Plot Summary from Goodreads:
THEY SAY that the cure for Love will make me happy and safeforever. And I've always believed them. Until now.

Now everything has changed. Now, I'd rather be infected
with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.

Fiona's Grade: A- 
Delirium kinda falls into a trap that happens to young adult dystopians  You need to build the world that this book is set in, so there may be some sections where that world building is happening and then some action. Sort of a slow-fast, slow-fast pattern. For example, this books starts slow and you're just sitting here reading about this ordinary girl in Portland waiting to be cured of love or the deliria  as it is referred to. However, once you get through the entire book, you realize that it starts slow to emphasize that Lena, our protagonist is not born inherently special, as can be the case in ya fiction. Rather, it is the choices she makes that make her extraordinary.

Truthfully, Lena annoyed me towards the beginning of the novel. She was just so bland.  But then I realized she was trying to keep herself that way because of her rather colorful past. And she feels plain and ordinary throughout the book and she doesn't like it. That's why the love story blossoms so well. Because Alex makes her feel extraordinary. Which is important, because we as people like to feel special and loved, exactly what the government in this novel is trying to get rid of.

Truthfully, I did not see the end coming. This novel really ends on a cliffhanger, leading you wondering how the series is going to continue. I'm really wanting to pick up the next one because I want to know like how it continues, though I think I have an idea. I guarantee that this ending will not be what you expect going into the book.

Overall, if you like young adult dystopian fiction with just the right amount of romance, this is the one for you.

Have you read Delirium? What did you think of the ending? Have you read the next one? Do you think you could live in a world without love? Let me know in the comments. 

New Releases: February

Hey, guys! I am at a conference right now, but here are the February new releases I'm super excited for!

Blaze (Or Love in the Time of Supervillans) by Laurie Boyle Crompton Feb. 1st
This looks like an interesting take on a contemporary romance. I mean when was the last time you read a book about a girl drawing comics? Sounds awesome to me.

Perfect Scoundrels (Heist Society #3) by Ally Carter Feb. 5th 
I am super excited for this book! I enjoy both of Ally Carter's series and can't wait to see what happens next for Kat and Hale.

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger Feb . 5th 
I've been excited for this book since I found out about it in December. It's seems to me it will be like Gallagher Girls but different and I'm really excited!

City of a Thousand Dolls by Miriam Foster Feb. 5th
I saw this book a lot on people's Top 10 Debuts. I'm really intrigued by this city. Plus there is a cat. Cats are awesome.

Pivot Point by Kasia West February 12th
The more I look at this book, the more I am intrigued by its premise. I mean, I would love to see into the future when it comes to my choices.

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys Feb. 12th
I'm really intrigued by the setting of the French Quarter in this one. Plus it's a historical fiction with a paranormal twist. What's not to love?

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson Feb. 26th
I read The Name of the Star in 2011 and loved it! I've been  looking forward to this one for a long time too!

What books are you looking forward to in February? Let me know in the comments! 

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl Review

Photo from Goodreads

Title:Beautiful Darkness
Authors: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Published: October 12th, 2010 by Little, Brown and Company

Plot Summary from Goodreads:
Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

Fiona's Grade: B- 
I have some mixed feelings over this book. On the one hand, I enjoyed it- it was a nice read away from school work.  On the other hand, some of it reminded me of New Moon, which I did not care for. (In short the whole mythical person goes away against there will part accounted for most of that. Though it was made to look as if Lena had no choice. Then she did. Then the reader understood why.)

One thing I really liked about the book was the fact that Ethan was no longer a Mortal stumbling around in a mythical world. He was given a purpose in "The Order of Things" (actual quote in the book). It made his motives more complex throughout the novel, rather than just "I gotta get Lena back" although it was still one of his driving forces. I also really liked the new character, Liv. I think it will be interesting to see if/how she is incorporated into futures books, though I think her primary purpose (of making Lena jealous) is done.

I really didn't like (although after doing some soul searching, I do understand better) was Lena's angst. Angst, angst everywhere. It was understandable towards the beginning but after awhile it just got to be too much. And though I now understand why, it is still a little irksome.

Once again, I didn't really see the romance between Ethan and Lena. I think the authors are telling us rather than showing us this, because after all, a Mortal and a Caster can never be together (physically, a mortal will die.) So, I guess it's some sort of forbidden romance.

Overall, if you enjoyed Beautiful Creatures, you will probably enjoy this. It didn't go crazy off in some other direction, although there were a few twists you probably won't be expecting, which I for one enjoyed. The lower grade than the first is because Lena's angst really started to grate on my nerves, but once I got past that, it was very enjoyable. I do plan to read Beautiful Chaos, but it may take me awhile because the books in this series are not a short read.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Most Frustrating Characters Ever

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme run by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week, there is a new topic and you make a list based on that topic. This week's topic is "Top Ten Most Frustrating Characters Ever". I usually don't find characters very frustrating so this may be another difficult list. Let's get started! 

1. Scarlett from Gone With the Wind
Oh Scarlett. You are so annoying and selfish. But yet you triumph in hard times because of your selfishness. But you're ungrateful and not very likable at all. 

2. Tris in Insurgent
I really enjoyed Insurgent, but Tris's "save-all-the-people" attitude got annoying sometimes. (I'm sure there's a better way to phrase that.) Similar to what Harry suffered in The Order of the Phoenix. Angst, angst everywhere. 

3. Lena in Beautiful Darkness
So I am reading this right now, and OH MY GOODNESS I AM SO ANNOYED! She is just doing so much stupid stuff, and it upsets me. It's vaguely reminding me of New Moon, except Ethan is being proactive. But hopefully the reason for Lena being so annoying will be explained at the end of this book. Note: I finished it, and while I am still annoyed by Lena's angst, I do have a better understanding of it. 

4. Ky in Matched
As you are probably aware, I didn't really care for Matched. And here is the reason why: Ky is the typical guy with a troubled past, even though the past is different because it is set in a dystopian society. I just found him really annoying during his and Cassia's whole "falling-in-love" section. 

5. Jessica Darling in Sloppy Firsts
Don't get me wrong- Sloppy Firsts was great! However, I found Jessica really annoying for the first half of the book. She was an angsty teenager. Thankfully, she improved and has improved as I have progressed with the series. 

6. Andi in Revolution 
I'm beginning to see a pattern here... Andi annoyed me for a bit because of her angst, but at least she had good reason for it. Revolution general is kinda an interesting read. 

7. Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey
Catherine isn't so much frustrating as she is naive. You really just feel bad for her as you read the book, mumbling to yourself, "Oh, Catherine..."

8. Aislinn in Wicked Lovely
I did not enjoy this book, which may be part of the reason I found the main character so annoying. The world building was done well, but I didn't like any of the chracters. They were all dull. 

9. Katniss in Mockingjay
I know I'm not the only one who was a little annoyed with her in the last book of the series. She and Tris (#2) have the whole "save-all-the-people" problem. (still must be a better way to phrase that). 

10. Mia in The Princess Diaries series
I can't remember in what book (it's been awhile since I read all of them) but Mia did annoy me in some of the books during her sophomore year, I think. Which is understandable, because sophomore year of high school is difficult for all of us. 

Those are my most frustrating characters. I am sure there are others I am forgetting. 

What are your most frustrating characters? Let me know in the comments! 

Pride and Prejudice Appreciation Post

Hey, everyone! Today, in 1813, a novel written by "A Lady" called Pride and Prejudice was published by Thomas Egerton of London.  This novel would go onto be Jane Austen's most successful novel (to say the least) and one of the most successful English novels of all time.

YAY!!!

Personally, I have loved Jane Austen since I first read P&P in seventh grade. I think it really molded by reading tastes fro then on out.  If you haven't read this book yet, today is a great day to start it. it's timeless for a reason! 

If you're not the reading type (or simply don't have time), I have a few adaptions to recommend you! 

Firstly, you could watch the Pride and Prejudice movie with Keira Knightley as Lizzie Bennet. 

Or you could watch the BBC miniseries adaptation with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. 

Or you can start The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which is a modern take on the novel, a web series on Youtube. It's still running, so you would get your Austen fix every week! 

Another reason this novel is so timeless are the quotes! I love quotes and this book has some great ones! 


"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man  in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

"In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. you must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."

"Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymous  A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.” 

I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.

Also, check out some of these awesome covers! I love seeing fun covers of older books, like P&P. 

From Penguin. I love Penguin covers!

Random House UK

And one from B&N. Love the simplicity!

And another from Penguin

So in short, you should definitely read Pride and Prejudice because not only is it a good story, but it is also timeless. 

Have you read P&P? Did you love it? Would you marry Mr. Darcy? Let me know in the comments! 

Lock and Key Book Review

Photo from Goodreads 

Title: Lock and Key
Author: Sarah Dessen 
Publisher: Speak (An Imprint of the Penguin Group) April 22nd, 2008

Plot Summary from Goodreads: 
Ruby, where is your mother?

Ruby knows that the game is up. For the past few months, she's been on her own in the yellow house, managing somehow, knowing that her mother will probably never return.

That's how she comes to live with Cora, the sister she hasn't seen in ten years, and Cora's husband Jamie, whose down-to-earth demeanor makes it hard for Ruby to believe he founded the most popular networking Web site around. A luxurious house, fancy private school, a new wardrobe, the promise of college and a future; it's a dream come true. So why is Ruby such a reluctant Cinderella, wary and defensive? And why is Nate, the genial boy next door with some secrets of his own, unable to accept the help that Ruby is just learning to give?

Best-selling author Sarah Dessen explores the heart of a gutsy, complex girl dealing with unforeseen circumstances and learning to trust again

Fiona's Grade: A-

Confession: I didn't like Sarah Dessen books for a long time. No real reason why; I just didn't think her books were for me. I attempted several of her books multiple time with only ever finishing one. Until, I went to my library and decided I would give it one more shot. And I am certainly glad I did.

Lock and Key at its core is a book about the idea of family. Ruby has always been a "one woman operation" and just because her mother has disappeared and she is living with her sister whom she hasn't talked to in years doesn't change anything.

This is a less-plot driven book and more of a character driven book. There isn't a character that makes you think "Oh this is a stereotypical _______." They are all complex, especially our protagonist Ruby. We get to look into her past a little and get inside her head and although she does do things we might find stupid, it somewhat makes since to her. And in the end she does the right thing. 

What I found interesting in this book is that the plot center in this book changes in an interesting way. We go from being a Ruby-centered story- her life and her problems- to being centered around another character and their life and their problems- and in the end, the climax of this book is actually related to them and not Ruby. This is important to notice because it shows that Ruby has gone from being a "one woman operation" to genuinely caring and being concerned about others that she loves. By the end of the novel she has also learned the importance of asking for help. 

Overall, if you enjoy great stories about the idea of family and learning just what that word means, this is a book for you. I'll leave you with this quote.

"Family isn't something that's supposed to be static or set. People marry in, divorce out. They're born. they die. It's always evolving, turning into something else. Even  that picture of Jamie's family was only the true representation for that one day. By the next, something had probably changed. It had to." p. 287.