Book Recommendation- The Eternal Ones

The Eternal Ones
By Kirsten Miller

Blurb from Goodreads: " What if love refused to die?

Haven Moore can’t control her visions of a past with a boy called Ethan, and a life in New York that ended i ...more What if love refused to die? Haven Moore can’t control her visions of a past with a boy called Ethan, and a life in New York that ended in fiery tragedy. In our present, she designs beautiful dresses for her classmates with her best friend Beau. Dressmaking keeps her sane, since she lives with her widowed and heartbroken mother in her tyrannical grandmother’s house in Snope City, a tiny town in Tennessee. Then an impossible group of coincidences conspire to force her to flee to New York, to discover who she is, and who she was. In New York, Haven meets Iain Morrow and is swept into an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Iain is suspected of murdering a rock star and Haven wonders, could he have murdered her in a past life? She visits the Ouroboros Society and discovers a murky world of reincarnation that stretches across millennia. Haven must discover the secrets hidden in her past lives, and loves¸ before all is lost and the cycle begins again."



I really enjoyed the premise: That people can go from life to life carrying a special talent or memories. What a cool idea! I mean, why not? It could totally be true.

Anyway, I very much enjoyed the book. Haven is a very likable character and she is easy to relate to with all the trouble she has had at school through the years. I also loved that she lived in such a small town -- I grew up in one myself, and the dynamic is right on.

There were a couple of times close to the end of the book that I wished I could reach in and punch Haven in the face. She was being stupid and it made me SO MAD. It took her a bit longer than it took me to figure things out. lol  I guess that's when you know a book was really good, huh?  ;)

In the end though I was very happy with the whole story. It flowed well and the writing was great.

Definitely something to add to your list.

Road Trip Wednesday

Iiiiiiiit's Road Trip Wednesday! Visit the YAHighway for everyone's answers.

This week's topic: How would YOU impress (or not impress) the Hunger Games judges?

Do I get a gun? As random a question as that may seem, I'm an excellent shot. Okay, so, I was raised in the South with a dad who hunted -- of course I know how to handle a gun. I can, in fact, take down a moving target that is obscured by brush and trees.

My dad used to set targets up randomly out in the woods, just to see if I could hit them. I could. I don't think I ever missed one.

So, if I could have a gun, I'm pretty sure I could impress the Hunger Games judges with my mad skillz. lol Not that I would be able to shoot people if I were in the games. I think I'd have to show them just what I thought of their games, and take my life back into my own hands.

That's a really morbid thought, but this is the Hunger Games we're talking about. I wouldn't spit the berries out.

Show of hands, how many of you are reading, or have already consumed, Mockingjay? I'm about half way through -- I had to force myself to go to sleep last night so I can savor the ending tonight. lol

One last reminder!

Today is the very last day to enter my Birthday Party, Follower Celebration Contest BONANZAAAA!!

Get your entries in (on the original post) by 5 pm today!!

FYI- I am SO SUPER EXCITED about this weekend! 3 days and counting 'til I leave!



And just in case you forgot: Mockingjay released today!! I've already downloaded it on my Nook ;)

Don't Forget!

Don't forget to enter my Birthday Party, Follower Celebration Contest BONANZAAAA!!

Prizes!!

One lucky winner will receive:

A surprise from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
Your choice of an ARC: The Wave by Susan Casey, The King's Mistress by Emma Campion, or Leaving the World by Douglas Kennedy.
My copy of Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
AND one of my favorite pens- Uniball Signo


The winner will be chosen on August 28th (my birthday) in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

I'll post the winner on Monday August 30th along with pictures!

Entries close tomorrow at 5pm EST! (Leave your entry comments on the main post, not this one).

Friday Fun

I have fallen in love, my lovelies!
With my new Nook.

What did you think I was in love with? Not something non-book related I hope? ;)
I went yesterday on my lunch break to Barnes and Noble (which is located quite conveniently -- only 4 miles from my office). Now, I had planned to wait until Saturday to purchase my new toy, but where's the fun in that? Happy early birthday to me! (I like this using my birthday as an excuse to buy things for myself idea. Wonder how long I can keep it up...)

I'm the most impatient person, like, ever. Let's just be honest.

I got a pretty case for it too... Which turned out quite well -- they didn't have any more in stock, so I had to buy the display, so I got 30% off! Rock on. This was the case I really wanted, so I wasn't going to buy a different one. And who doesn't love a bargain? (The back of it is a ? I find it so funny.)


So, I sat in the Starbucks area, whipped out my netbook (another thing I'm in love with), and set it up. I downloaded 3 books and preordered Mockingjay all before I left. Haha.

IT IS SO COOL! As a small note -- I have no problem with the touch screen navigation (I had seen some iffy reviews on it).

I started reading The Eternal Ones on it last night. You'll get that review on Thursday.

Point being -- I'm a happy camper, I totally love it. Thanks to those of you who helped me make my decision.

Don't forget to enter my Birthday Party, Follower Celebration Contest Bonanza!!!

Book Recommendation - 13 Reasons Why

Don't forget to enter my Birthday Party, Follower Celebration Contest Bonanza!!!

Thirteen Reasons Why
By Jay Asher

Blurb from Goodreads: "Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out how he made the list."

Guys, this is the kind of book that you finish the entire thing before you even realize you're more than 100 pages in. Seriously. I flew through this book, unable to stand the anticipation of what was coming next.

It was a one-nighter.

The beginning was a little awkward. You start out at the post office, with Clay sending the package on, and then jump back to when he received the package. It threw me off at first, but I caught on eventually. lol

Either way, the things you learn about what happened to Hannah and why Clay is mentioned in the tapes...it's incredibly moving. At times I would be angry at Hannah, and other times I was angry at some of the other characters. The whole time, however, I felt nothing but sorry for Clay. He is such a likable character -- easy to relate to.

This is the kind of book that really teaches a lesson along with the story, but you don't realize it until later when you're still thinking about it.

Definitely a must read.

Road Trip Wednesday

You know what day it is -- it's Road Trip Wednesday on the YA Highway! This week's topic:

What book ending would you rewrite and why?

Well, I'll have to go with Nightshade here. I know, how rude of me to choose an ARC! It's just the one that stands out in my mind the most.

I was so pulled into the story and so invested in Calla's struggle the ending was just sort-of a let down. I really wanted some answers -- some kind of a half-way solution at least. The ending felt rushed and left so many loose ends I was pretty frustrated with it actually. But only because I wanted to read more. ;)

What about you? What book's ending would you rewrite?