allisonallain
Strathcona County Library
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allisonallain's rating:
Added Apr 28, 2013
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Added Apr 18, 2013
Shades of LondonShades of London, BookBook 01, The Name of the Star
by Johnson, MaureenBook - 2011Book, 2011
allisonallain's rating:
Added Apr 05, 2013
allisonallain's rating:
Added Dec 09, 2012
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Meg and her best friend Minnie are making their way over to Henry Island for a party taking place over the long weekend. The only way to and from the island is by ferry which has been chartered specially to take them over. The guest list is very secretive so they aren’t even sure who will be there with them. Without telling their parents where they are going they set off in anticipation of a great weekend of fun. The exclusive house party was supposed to be the best weekend of their lives, but it quickly goes downhill. When they arrive on the island they find that there are 10 people staying at the house. They find a strange DVD and watch it to find a disturbing video with a prominent message ‘Vengeance is mine’. People don’t pay attention to the DVD until people start turning up dead. Now with a storm raging outside, and cut off from the outside world they have to survive the entire weekend until the ferries come back. This is probably going to be a ten minute gush fest of how much I loved this book. Prepare yourself. This book is based on Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None’ (Originally published as Ten Little Indians) which was first published in 1939. This is the first thing that I’ve read by Gretchen McNeil and I loved it!! 10 reasons that I loved ‘Ten’ The writing was amazing. The characters were believable. They felt like they were actual teenagers. They spoke like normal teenagers and acted like them as well. The murderer was a mystery. I was constantly second guessing my thoughts. I was positive that I knew who the killer was from the very beginning. Then I kept changing my minds and I was genuinely surprised by the reveal. It was creepy, scary and slightly gory. I found the fright level was perfect. It was just enough to creep me out, but I wasn’t too scared to read the book alone. It was a modern re-imagination of the original but not a copycat. I think that Gretchen McNeil took the good parts of Christie’s version and repurposed them, but it was done so well that I didn’t feel like she was just trying to be the same. The ending was logical and wrapped everything up nicely. It was nice to have the explanation of how everything happened and how and why the killer did it all. The book was so exciting that it kept me engaged the entire time. I literally didn’t want to put it down, and thus I finished it very quickly. Quick read. This book didn’t take very long as I mentioned above. This is the type of book that people could sit down and finish easily in a day. The story wasn’t heavy so a good read for vacation or weekend. Lots of people will enjoy this book. This book knows no gender bounds. I know that both guys and girls will enjoy this book even though the main character is a girl. I am going to recommend this book to my brother even though he isn’t a very big reader. I know that he will like it. I love the cover it’s very fitting to the story. It’s creepy and you see this island in the middle of the sea. I love the tag-line , and even the font is fitting! So as I said this is based on the Agatha Christie book which I’ve also read. I found that they were both amazing and I rated each of them 5/5 stars. I thought that both have surprising endings but I personally found that the end of Christie’s version really came out of nowhere. I want to tell everyone about this book because I loved it so much and I think that more people should read both ‘Ten’ and ‘And Then There Were None’. Check out my blog for more reviews: http://bibliophilesisters.wordpress.com/Meg and her best friend Minnie are making their way over to Henry Island for a party taking place over the long weekend. The only way to and from the island is by ferry which has been chartered specially to take them over. The guest list is very…
allisonallain's rating:
Added Dec 06, 2012
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Cas Lowood has inherited the family business when his father suddenly passed away. Some may think it’s a weird profession but to Cas killing the dead comes naturally. With his father’s athame, a deadly knife, he does a good job of slaying angry ghosts. Cas gets a tip which asks him to go to Thunderbay Ontario to take on a new case, so with his mom and their cat in tow they make the move to Canada. The ghost in this town is known as Anna Dressed in Blood. Local lore tells that she wears the white dress she was murdered in which has become stained red from her dripping blood. She haunts a local house and has been known to kill anyone who enters her dwelling. Cas expects that this will be a quick case: research, track, hunt then kill her. But when Cas befriends some of the local teenagers and finds himself on the doorstep of Anna’s house all he can do is stand by watching as Anna tears apart one of the teenage boys who pushed him into the house. Anna has a rage like Cas has never seen, but for some reason she doesn’t hurt Cas. He soon realizes that this is not an ordinary ghost like he has dealt with before. So begins the hunt to rid the world of one more angry ghost.
I read this book in October because it was very fitting to our Halloween theme, and I’m definitely enjoying the trend of horror books in YA right now. I don’t think this was one of the scariest books that I’ve ever read, but there were definitely times when I was holding my breath and wondering what was going to happen next. I guess that’s a good thing because I don’t want to be too scared so this was just the right amount of scary to borrow a term from Goldilocks.
I really liked the story because it was like nothing else that I’ve read, and I found myself eager for the ending to find out what was going to happen. I found that the story was so well written that I was never bored and never wanted to put the book down. I also really grew fond of the characters: It’s crazy that you can really become attached to this ghost who kills everyone that comes into the house where she lives. That’s when I know that an author has done a good job when I care for someone who I should be afraid of and/or hate. Her back story was heartbreaking and it made me want her to succeed even more. I also like reading from a guys point of view and I think Kendare Blake did an amazing job writing for Cas. I found myself liking him and cheering him on. I loved his personality and the fact that he was just so confident and cool.
A lot of people are complaining about the “love” in the book because they felt it came out of nowhere and that it was insta-love. I don’t necessarily agree with this, but I didn’t really understand that part of the story at the same time. There is another book in the series called “Girl of Nightmares” Which I definitely want to read. I don’t know where the book is going to go in the future so I will be reading that soon. I think this story will appeal to lots of different people so if you want a little bit of goose bumps one night then pick this story up for some fun.
PS: How much do you love this cover?? Check out my blog for more reviews http://bibliophilesisters.wordpress.com/Cas Lowood has inherited the family business when his father suddenly passed away. Some may think it’s a weird profession but to Cas killing the dead comes naturally. With his father’s athame, a deadly knife, he does a good job of slaying angry…
The Maze Runner TrilogyThe Maze Runner Trilogy, BookBook 01, The Maze Runner
by Dashner, JamesBook - 2009Book, 2009
allisonallain's rating:
Added Dec 04, 2012
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The Maze Runner was written by James Dashner and originally published in October 2009 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers.
This is the first book in the YA dystopian Maze Runner series. It all starts when, a teenage boy, Thomas wakes up in an elevator and the only thing that he remembers is his name. The elevator deposits him into the ‘Glade’ which is inhabited by other teenage boys and is surrounded by a giant maze. It takes a while for Thomas to figure out that these boys have been left here and have been working for years to find a way out of the maze. Each month there is a new boy that is brought in with Thomas being the latest addition. Normally it takes an entire month until there is someone new but this time something different happens the next day the first girl arrives in the elevator which seems to trigger something important. Thomas is still learning all about his new environment and trying to figure out why he doesn’t remember anything but seems to remember the girl. Each day the designated runners go through the maze and try to find a way out and each night they come and the gates close to the maze. Thomas is shocked to see that inside the maze there are ‘Grievers’ creatures which can attack and kill people. Soon things begin to change and Thomas knows that he somehow has to become a runner and figure out the tricks of the maze. He doesn’t know why but he has been sent here for a reason and he wants to know what that reason is.
Wow this book sure was action packed; from the very beginning I wanted to know what was going on and I couldn’t figure it out. Even after finishing the book there are still so many unanswered questions that are driving me crazy meaning of course that I have to pick up the sequel “The Scorch Trials” sooner rather than later. I think that lots of people both boys and girls, young and old will enjoy this story because there is so much to going on that keeps your attention throughout the entire story. It’s a new take on the lost boy story like “Lord of the Flies” which I personally didn’t like.
I liked Thomas because I was glad that he kept pushing to get answers from the other boys. I mean if I had just been put into a weird place and didn’t remember anything then I would want to know what was going on. It seemed that the boys were very nonchalant like you will learn things as you need to or whatever. Of course he has a ton of questions because he wants to get the hell out of this maze and back to whatever life he had before. I also enjoyed the other boys especially Chuck the other newbie who kind of took Thomas under his wing and showed him the ropes since he knew what it was like to be the newest boy. It was interesting that they had developed their own slang and ways of doing things; they had a functioning society. Each boy had a job and something that he was responsible for as well they had developed a government of sorts to make sure that decisions were made to benefit the entire group.
Like I mentioned before the ending was irritating because I now have to read the next in the series to find out what is going on. I don’t know why it took me so long to read this book because I’ve heard nothing but good things about the entire series. Now that all the books are out as well as the prequel I have no reason to put it off any longer. I will definitely be continuing with the rest of the books, and I will recommend this book to friends for sure. I also read that there is a movie in the works. It has been on the back burner since 2011, but from what I understand there is a script already written by James Dashner himself and a director attached. I hope that it actually gets made.
Check out my blog for more reviews http://bibliophilesisters.wordpress.com/The Maze Runner was written by James Dashner and originally published in October 2009 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers.
This is the first book in the YA dystopian Maze Runner series. It all starts when, a teenage boy, Thomas wakes up in an…
Artemis FowlArtemis Fowl, BookBook 01, Artemis Fowl
by Colfer, EoinBook - 2002 | 1st American edBook, 2002. 1st American ed
allisonallain's rating:
Added Dec 03, 2012
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Artemis Fowl was written by Eoin Colfer and was originally published in April 2003 by Disney Press.
The story revolves around Artemis Fowl a very rich, genius criminal mastermind oh and did I mention that he is only 12 years old, and the son of an Irish crime lord. Artemis is doing his best to keep his family afloat; since the disappearance of his father his mother has rarely left her bedroom and is slipping more often into a delusional state, barely recognizing her own son. Artemis wants to ensure that the family continues to survive so with the help of his bodyguard he develops a plan to capture a fairy and hold her for ransom. He knows that the fairies have lots of gold and he wants it. After lots of research he finds a fairy nearby and captures her. The fairy, Holly had been out on duty trying to capture a rogue troll, but she is weak because she hasn’t recharged her magic and so she is taken hostage by the boy. She is not any old ordinary fairy she is part of the LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance) team which is a covert operation team that works to ensure that humans never learn about the fairies underground fortress. The LEP retrieval team underestimates Artemis because they don’t know his secret weapon is the holy book he tricked a fairy into giving him which gives away all their secrets. Will he get the gold that he demands in exchange for Holly or will a covert team swoop in and save her and spoil his plans?
I enjoyed this book. I didn’t really know anything about it before I picked it up. I didn’t even read the synopsis before I started reading. So I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that Artemis was a “villain”. I like that he wants to do whatever he can to help his family and he is very loyal to his friends/workers. Throughout the book we see glimpses of Artemis becoming a nicer person. There are little instances where he makes a joke and laughs inwardly and I really liked that. You get to see that he is a boy after all. I also really liked the other characters in the book. It was interesting to think that there would be a whole police force for the fairies it was as if I was watching an action movie. There was the technology friendly Centaur Foaly and the mean Commander Root to name a few of the interesting mystical creatures living underground. I liked Holly though at times I found her irritating; I think that she will play a role in the future books so I look forward to getting to know not only her but the other characters more.
Something I liked about the book was the code on the front cover and throughout the book. It is a string of Gnommish symbols that compromised a substitution cipher. It is pretty long so I didn’t take the time to figure it out myself. Since this book came out in 2003 it was easy to get the translation from Google. I think that this would be a good activity for a child to do after completing the book.
I plan on picking up the continuation of the series this month (as aforementioned in my above TBR video). I can’t wait to see where it goes from here. Now that the final book in the series was released this summer it makes it easier to read the series knowing that you never have to wait for the next book to come out. Check out my blog for more reviews. www.wordpress.com/bibliophilesistersArtemis Fowl was written by Eoin Colfer and was originally published in April 2003 by Disney Press.
The story revolves around Artemis Fowl a very rich, genius criminal mastermind oh and did I mention that he is only 12 years old, and the son of an…
I'd Tell You I Love You, but Then I'd Have to Kill YouI'd Tell You I Love You, but Then I'd Have to Kill You, Book
by Carter, AllyBook - 2007Book, 2007
allisonallain's rating:
Added Nov 13, 2012
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I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter was originally published by Hyperion in 2006. It is the first in the Gallagher Girls series.
Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women your typical all girl private school for genius, well except for the fact that the girls are actually being trained to become elite spies. With classes like advanced martial arts, covert ops and CIA code breaking for extra credit things can get intense. Cammie is known as a chameleon; she is capable of blending into any environment. She has never really been noticed before, that is until she is seen on an undercover mission by a normal teenage boy, Josh. Sure she knows 14 languages and could kill a man with her bare hands, but interact with a teenage boy, especially one who as cute as Josh, now that’s tough. She can easily tap his phone and hack his computer but can she make him believe she is who she claims to be? Can she carry on a relationship with him without anyone finding out? It shouldn’t be so hard when you have your genius best friends helping you. All seems to be falling in to place except did I mention that Cammie’s mother is the headmistress of the school. Will Cammie and her friends be able to complete this dangerous mission?
I have been a fan of Ally Carter’s other YA series Heist Society for a while now, so I don’t know what took me so long to pick up the this book (I will blame ignorance and a giant TBR list). I’m really glad that I did get this book and start reading the series because I really enjoyed this book. I started listening to the audiobook and I also had the book so I was able to read along with the story. I found that some of the voices were annoying though. I thought the story was very cute, and I love that it was from a girls point of view; I’ve looked and it’s really tough to find books about female spies. There are some irritating or cheesy moments in the story, but I can overlook them and continue on with the series in the near future because I really want to see what happens to the girls next. I feel that some of the backstory we learn in this book will become relevant in the next books. There are currently five books in the series so if interested in picking up the series you don’t have to wait between the books to continue. One more thing I want to mention is the title and the cover. First of all the titles of the books are all pretty long, but they are fitting to the theme. I like that the covers have some of the words written in what looks like letters cut from magazines and therefore it look like a ransom letter. The one thing that I don’t like about the covers is the girl’s head is cut off; this is just a pet peeve of mine. Previously there were talks of a film and the rights were optioned by Disney. I think it would make a great movie or even a TV series.
Check out my blog for more reviews http://bibliophilesisters.wordpress.com/I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter was originally published by Hyperion in 2006. It is the first in the Gallagher Girls series.
Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women your…
allisonallain's rating:
Added Nov 03, 2012
Added Oct 09, 2012
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Thirteen Reasons Why was written by Jay Asher and originally published in October 2007 by Razorbill.
The story follows what started out as a normal day for Clay Jensen. He is a good guy who is smart and well liked, so he thinks nothing of it when he receives a package one day. When he opens it up he finds seven cassettes from his former crush Hannah Baker who has recently committed suicide. When he listens to the tapes he hears that there are thirteen reasons why she took her own life and he happens to be one of those reasons.
“I hope you're ready, because I'm about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you're listening to these tapes, you're one of the reasons why. The rules are pretty simple. There are only two, rule number one: you listen, number two you pass it on.”
Now Clay must listen to the cassettes as hard as it is to find out how he impacted Hannah’s life. He doesn’t know how he fits in but he will follow the rules and see what those thirteen reasons are.
What a hauntingly beautiful book. I don’t know why I waited so long to read it (I guess it’s because I thought the subject matter was depressing) If you haven’t read it yet I highly suggest that you do. This book is a great example of the importance of treating people with respect and how truly fragile humans can be.
The story is told through dual narration from both Clay’s thoughts and Hannah’s recorded words on the cassettes. At times it is a little confusing because Clay is thinking something and Hannah is talking about something else.
I found it very hard knowing from the get go that nothing would change the outcome for our character and that the ending would not be a happy one. It is especially heart breaking because Clay genuinely loved Hannah from afar but neither of them really got the courage up to talk to each other even though they spent so much time together at work. I was angry that Hannah was kind of selfish to put the people through this especially Clay and really only reached out for help partially. She had made up her mind to take her life and so it felt like she didn’t really want to get help. Sometimes I sympathized with Hannah and other times I wanted to scream at her.
Clay really starts thinking of all the things that he can remember about Hannah and it makes me think about things that have happened in my life as well. You need to be aware that action and/or inaction can truly have a big effect on others. Ths is a good story to get teens talking about suicide and also to get them talking and thinking about bullying, guilt, love etc. I think that this would be a great addition to junior/high school curriculum to start an awareness and dialogue between teens. We need to make these students realize that what they say and do is important.
Universal studios purchased the film rights in February 2011. Hopefully the movie will get made and do the book justice. It’s such a great story that could really impact people’s lives. I would rate this book 4.5/5. Have you read this book?? Let me know what you thought.
Check out my Blog for more reviews: http://bibliophilesisters.wordpress.com/Thirteen Reasons Why was written by Jay Asher and originally published in October 2007 by Razorbill.
The story follows what started out as a normal day for Clay Jensen. He is a good guy who is smart and well liked, so he thinks nothing of it when…
allisonallain's rating:
Added Sep 28, 2012
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Between the lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer was originally published in June 2012 by Simon Pulse. The story is about Delilah who is not your typical high school student; She would much rather spend her time reading books and hanging out in the library than spending time with friends or participating in school activities. There is one book in particular she likes called Between the Lines, a fairytale meant for children. Delilah has felt a connection with the main character Prince Oliver because they both grew up without their fathers. She has begun carrying this story around with her wherever she goes even though her mother is not thrilled about her spending so much time fixated on the book. Once when Delilah was re-reading the book again she notices something in the illustrations was different. She is shocked when she starts talking to the Prince and he starts talking back. They start working together to get Oliver out of the book where he feels he doesn’t belong.
I have read some of Jodi Picoult’s novels in the past so when I saw that she was writing a young adult book with her daughter I was excited to read it especially after reading the summary. The storyline really intrigued me first of all a book about a book is awesome, but to think about what happens when the book is closed is such a great concept. Who doesn’t want to know what goes on when you set down your book? To think that the characters have lives, hobbies and friends outside of the plot of the book they live in is so refreshing.
Then I saw the finished copy of the book and was astounded by the beautiful color photos that are throughout the book. I also like that there are smaller pictures on most of the pages which made the book fun, interesting and race by so quickly. I really liked that each chapter is told by a different point of view, and the color of the font corresponds to the character which makes it so much easier to determine who is speaking and you never get confused. There are also chapters that are from the fairytale itself so you read along the story with Delilah and Oliver.
So the storyline is a fresh idea and the artwork is fantastic, but the actual story fell a little flat for me. It’s supposed to be targeted to young adults but it’s written much younger like middle grade. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I felt that the writing was very juvenile and awkward at times. I like the story because I couldn’t guess what would happen at the end, but was slightly disappointed how it finished. I think it’s still a good story that I would recommend this book especially for the pictures, but I feel it could have been more.
Check out my blog for more reviews: http://bibliophilesisters.wordpress.com/Between the lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer was originally published in June 2012 by Simon Pulse. The story is about Delilah who is not your typical high school student; She would much rather spend her time reading books and hanging out…
Added Sep 20, 2012
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‘Me and Early and the Dying Girl’ was written by Jesse Andrews and originally published in March 2012 by Harry N. Adams. The story is told by Greg Gaines a teenage boy in his senior year of high school. He prides himself on blending into each group/clique at school and basically being invisible in school. He might be friendly with everyone, but his only friend is Earl with whom he makes and remakes movies. When a school mate, Rachel is diagnosed with leukemia Greg’s mother essentially forces him to become friends with her. Greg abandons his invisibility to befriend Rachel and strives to make her laugh. While undergoing her chemotherapy Earl lends their movies to Rachel so that she has something to do. When she finally abandons her treatments Greg and Earl decide to make a movie dedicated to Rachel to get her through this tough time. It quickly becomes the worst movie that they have ever made however they learn about themselves from making this movie.
Going into this book I thought it would be similar to John Greene’s ‘The Fault in our Stars’ which I had recently finished and loved. From the get go you realize that these books have little in common besides both being about cancer. This book is very unique first of all it is hilarious! Greg is a very self-deprecating character. It was cool that the story is told in first person narrative and I liked that Greg actually talks to the reader like asking them why they are still reading and being surprised if anyone would actually be able to finish the entire book. There were instances in the book when I would actually burst out laughing. I’m pretty sure I looked weird on the bus during my commute as I chuckle and try to hide my laughs from this book. Especially if people see the title; they were probably thinking why is this girl laughing about a dying girl?? I couldn’t believe that there could be so many jokes about pillows, and how can accidentally getting high not be hilarious?
I also really liked that the story is told in different formats first person narrative, screenplays, lists, bullet points. It really made the story which is already fast paced really fly by. The book is also short so someone could easily finish it in a sitting or day. I enjoyed the normality of the characters. They seemed like they were people you could actually find at the local high school and all the groups he describes seem very familiar from my time in school. The story might have had cancer in it, but it really wasn’t the focal point of the story. It was more about the relationships between the characters. The story and the characters are awkward and I loved them for it.
One more thing I really liked the way that the cover was designed. I love the bright colors and how you can see the main characters, and how it ties into the chapter heads. So needless to say I really enjoyed this story. I would definitely recommend this to friends in the future.
Check out my blog for more book reviews it's pretty awesome!!http://bibliophilesisters.wordpress.com/‘Me and Early and the Dying Girl’ was written by Jesse Andrews and originally published in March 2012 by Harry N. Adams. The story is told by Greg Gaines a teenage boy in his senior year of high school. He prides himself on blending into each…
Pretty Little LiarsPretty Little Liars, BookBook 01, Pretty Little Liars
by Shepard, SaraBook - 2007Book, 2007
allisonallain's rating:
Added Sep 18, 2012
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Review: Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
This is the first book in the YA series by Sara Shepard which was originally published in October 2006 by HarperCollins. The story is about 5 best friends. Alison is somewhat the leader of the group. She is the one that the other girls go to and tell their deepest and darkest secrets which no one else knows about. During a sleepover one summer something happens and Alison walks out never to be seen again. After her disappearance the other girls have nothing holding them together so they each go their separate ways. Fast forward three years and the girls are now juniors in high school each living their own lives.
• Emily is a dedicated swimmer who is shy and sweet. She becomes friends with Maya the girl living in Ali’s old house, and struggles with her bisexuality.
• Spencer is extremely competitive in everything she does. She strives for perfection and competes against everyone especially her sister who seems to always be one step ahead.
• Hanna is the nice girl who becomes much prettier when Ali disappears. She struggles with insecurities of her appearance and turns to bulimia/anorexia to ensure she stays in control of her weight. She becomes friends with Mona a girl with whom she made a pact to become beautiful/popular after Ali is out of the picture
• Aria is artistic and independent. After Ali disappears her family leaves for Iceland while her father is on sabbatical. When she returns to Rosewood she feels like she doesn’t fit in anymore.
When the girls start receiving mysterious text messages and emails signed ‘A’ which reveal their inner secrets. They start wondering if Alison could be back and how they will keep their secrets hidden. Who is A?? Will everyone’s secrets be revealed??
I really enjoyed the book. It was fast paced and a very quick read you could finish in a sitting. I like that each chapter was written from one girl’s point of view. I liked getting to know each girl and I think that this is a great introduction to the story, the characters and the series! I’m very late to this party since the first book has been out now for six years and I don’t know why I put it off for so long. There are currently 11 books in the series and I can’t wait to continue with the books and see what happens next. There is so much suspense and excitement surrounding the story I need to know who ‘A’ is.
After I finished the book I watched the pilot of the TV show which originally aired on June 8, 2010. The television series is loosely based on the book series. The pilot follows the plot of the entire first book. I really enjoyed the show. I thought it was a great adaptation of the book. I didn’t think that the characters looked like they do on the covers or as they are described in the novels, but I got past that pretty quickly since the storyline was very similar. Of course the show left off with a cliffhanger that intrigues me to want to watch the next episodes. I will eventually watch more when I have read a few more books. There are already three seasons of the show so they must be doing something right because people are watching it.
I can’t wait to continue with the series. Have you read any of these books? What do you think of the books? Television series??
Check out my blog for more: http://bibliophilesisters.wordpress.comReview: Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
This is the first book in the YA series by Sara Shepard which was originally published in October 2006 by HarperCollins. The story is about 5 best friends. Alison is somewhat the leader of the group. She…
Warm BodiesWarm Bodies, BookA Novel
by Marion, IsaacBook - 2011 | 1st Atria Books hardcover edBook, 2011. 1st Atria Books hardcover ed
allisonallain's rating:
Added Aug 19, 2012
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Warm Bodies is the debut novel by Isaac Marion that was originally published in 2011 by Atria (originally self-published in 2010).
A zombie who yearns for a better life ends up falling in love—with a human
The world is in shambles post apocalypse, and R is a young man mid-identity crisis because he is a zombie. He might not have any memories from his previous life or a pulse, but he can dream. Sure he may eat people’s brains, but he also feels, talks and thinks. Unlike his fellow undead who mindlessly crave blood and brains he doesn’t enjoy killing people. What he does like is riding the escalators of the airport he calls home and listening to old Sinatra records. He might be able to speak only a few grunted syllables, but his inner thoughts are profound and full of wonder and longing. On one particular hunt he eats the brain of a teenage boy and with it he devours his memories. Suddenly R makes a surprising choice to protect the girl in the boy’s memories. This is the start of an awkward yet sweet relationship with the victim’s girlfriend. Julie is the vibrant colors that have been lacking in the otherwise dreary and gray world that R knows. This decision to protect Julie will transform their lives and just might change their whole lifeless world.
I am a very big zombie fan. I love books, movies and TV shows in this genre, so of course I had to read this book. I had heard good things about it so when I saw that it was becoming a movie I knew that it would fit well into this month’s theme book to movie adaptations. First let me say that I love this book, and that it was way too short I could have read an additional 200 pages of R’s life and inner thoughts. This is definitely not your typical zombie novel! R is not like other zombies you have read about before because he wants so much more than just eating people. He thinks and has great inner dialogues. There aren’t any books about zombies that have made me feel like this because I found myself sympathizing with R. He was so human from the beginning even with his decaying skin and human guts on his clothes. The way that Isaac Marion wrote the novel is fantastic though R has limited speech you experience everything through his poignant thoughts. My favorite quote from the novel expresses R’s frustration of his inability to express his thoughts and emotions “I want to change my punctuation. I long for exclamation marks, but I’m drowning in ellipses.” I also liked Julie I thought she was realistic, and not annoying. From the very beginning I wanted to find out how this was going to end. It caught me from the first page and I was hooked. It was like after finishing the book I could finally exhale again.
I would definitely recommend this book not only to people who are zombie fans *though if you are read this book! The story really injects humanity into zombie story, and so I think this is like any love story. People will appreciate the way that R shows them his world. I can’t wait to watch the movie I hope it does justice to the book. The movie adaptation is set for release in February 2013. Nicholas Hoult who is best known for his role in x-men (and for dating Jennifer Lawrence) will play R and Teresa Palmer (I am number four) will be Julie. The movie is directed by jonathan Levine and is being released by Summit Entertainment (Twilight)
Check out my blog for more book reviews http://bibliophilesisters.wordpress.com/Warm Bodies is the debut novel by Isaac Marion that was originally published in 2011 by Atria (originally self-published in 2010).
A zombie who yearns for a better life ends up falling in love—with a human
The world is in shambles post apocalypse,…
SavagesSavages, Book[a Novel]
by Winslow, DonBook - 2010 | 1st Simon & Schuster edBook, 2010. 1st Simon & Schuster ed
Added Aug 10, 2012
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When I read this book I had already seen the movie which is something I would normally never do. When I first saw the trailer for this movie I was excited to see it, and I didn’t even know that it was a movie. That same day I was in a store and saw the book, so I picked it up with the intentions of reading it before the movie came out. That’s not exactly the way it turned out and I was blindsided into seeing the movie first. I really hate reading a book after seeing a movie because you know what’s going to happen. I guess these days screenwriters and directors often change the plot so much you can barely recognize the story, but I digress more on that later.
This is not normally something that I would read. I don’t like reading about drugs in any form really and this book is a little too adult for me. I actually liked the storyline, but with some of the acronyms and slang talk I struggled to really enjoy the book. I did like some of the characters especially Ben I liked what he stood for. In one way it was okay to read the book after the movie because I could picture things happening. I also like that with the book of course we get more background information like about the Esteban character. I would probably rate this book at a 2.5. The movie was a pretty good adaptation of the novel except of course for the ending. I don’t know why Oliver Stone ended the movie the way that he did…I would also rate the movie about a 50% (It was rated 53% on Rotten Tomatoes)
Check out my blog for more reviews: bibliophilesisters.wordpress.comWhen I read this book I had already seen the movie which is something I would normally never do. When I first saw the trailer for this movie I was excited to see it, and I didn’t even know that it was a movie. That same day I was in a store and saw…
allisonallain's rating:
Added Aug 03, 2012
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Kevin Emerson’s Lost Code is Book One of the Atlanteans series. This was originally published in May2012 by HarperCollins Children’s Books. This book took me forever to actually finish and it’s not because it was boring or bad really it was because I had no urge to read anything as well as no free time to do so. No fault to the book it was just a case of being picked up at the wrong time. In the end it might have taken me over 2 weeks to finish this book but it was worth the read. I have always liked reading about Atlantis (I have about 5 novels about Atlantis sitting on my shelf right now) so when I saw that this book was coming out I knew that I had to read it.
I liked that the story takes place at a summer camp under a large dome. Since the earth is basically inhabitable in many places they created these locations to simulate what life was life before the ‘Great Rise’ I was intrigued from the very beginning. There are some slow spots in the story but all in all I think it’s a fun summer read that is full of mystery and excitement.I liked the main character Owen, he felt genuine and I rooted for him the entire time. I think that boys and girls alike will like the story, and become as fascinated by Atlantis as I am. I have questions I want answered like what is going to happen next? Who is the third Atlantean and Will Owen’s family come into play in the future? I think I will read the second book to find out, but I will probably rent it from the library instead of buying it. Check out my blog for more book reviews. http://bibliophilesisters.wordpress.com/Kevin Emerson’s Lost Code is Book One of the Atlanteans series. This was originally published in May2012 by HarperCollins Children’s Books. This book took me forever to actually finish and it’s not because it was boring or bad really it was because…
allisonallain's rating:
Added Jul 15, 2012
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Have a Hot Time, Hades! by Kate McMullan (Myth-o-mania #1)
Hades, king of the underworld, reveals the true story behind the myths. When he and his siblings were born, their father Cronus swallowed them whole because of a prophecy that said one of his children would be mightier than he. Can Hades and his brothers and sisters overthrow their big, bad dad?
This is a fun take on Greek Mythology that is told through Hades point of view. He claims that his little brother Zeus is a giant liar. When he read the myths based on what Zeus had written he wanted to set things straight and let people know what truly happened. There are great origin stories like how the Olympics were created and how the Olympians defeated the Titans.
Anyone who likes mythology and retellings will eat this up. The books are fun and have a glossary at the back of the book so that young readers (and adults alike) can understand who the gods are and how to pronounce their names. Also the books include the version of the myths that we all know so you can compare what happens in both perspectives.
Fans of series like Goddess Girls or Percy Jackson will appreciate these quick stories that will have you contemplating the myths as we know them.
Check out http://bibliophilesisters.wordpress.com/ for more reviews.Have a Hot Time, Hades! by Kate McMullan (Myth-o-mania #1)
Hades, king of the underworld, reveals the true story behind the myths. When he and his siblings were born, their father Cronus swallowed them whole because of a prophecy that said one of…
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Added Jul 11, 2012
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Added Jun 30, 2012
The Fault in Our StarsThe Fault in Our Stars, Book
by Green, JohnBook - 2012 | 1st ed. --Book, 2012. 1st ed. --
Added Jun 30, 2012
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Added Jun 30, 2012
Added Jun 30, 2012
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