Friday Finds : Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

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17661416MADE YOU UP
by Francesca Zappia
EDITION : HARDCOVER (448 PAGES)
PUBLISHER : Greenwillow Books (May 19, 2015)
GENRE : Young Adult, Contemporary

Reality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. Made You Up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion. This is a compelling and provoking literary debut that will appeal to fans of Wes Anderson, Silver Linings Playbook, and Liar.

Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn’t she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal.

Funny, provoking, and ultimately moving, this debut novel featuring the quintessential unreliable narrator will have readers turning the pages and trying to figure out what is real and what is made up.

I didn’t read the synopsis (like always) because I like it more if I don’t have any idea about the story. I’ve been seeing this book in bookstagram community and I find the cover gorgeous.

Friday Finds is hosted by the awesome Jenn of Books and a Beat. It showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list… Whether you found them online, or in a  bookstore, or in the library – wherever! (They aren’t necessarily booky you purchased)

Me Before You Movie Trailer

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It’s finally here! I’ve been waiting for this ever since I’ve heard that Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin will be playing the main characters. I love Emilia as Daenerys Targaryen in ASOIAF tv series and Sam as Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games movies. I bought the book last year and I’ve decided to finally read it this month. I’m currently on page 49 and I am enjoying it. So that’s enough chitchat. Here’s the movie trailer. Prepare to fall in love!

And? It looks great, right? Emilia is so cute and Sam looks so hot with that beard and hair. I watched it for 15 times already and I always get teary eyes especially when Photograph by Ed Sheeran starts to play.

Me Before You will be released on June 3rd this year. The last time I got so excited like this with book-to-movie adaptation was in 2014 with The Fault In Our Stars. It was also in June.

Have you read the book? Are you also wishing that it’s June already?

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Book Review : Black Crow White Lie by Candi Sary

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First of all, I would like to thank Ms. Candi Sary for sending me a copy of her book. ♥

Black Crow White Lie is a story of Carson, a young boy who has a magical gift of healing, living in Hollywood motels together with her alcoholic fortune-teller mother. She tells him stories of how great he was in his past life including stories about his deceased father as a war hero. During the absence of her mother, Carson finds out the truth about his identity and is confused on what to believe in. Does he really have the ability to heal? Or is he just imagining it the whole time?

Continue reading „Book Review : Black Crow White Lie by Candi Sary“ →

Monthly Recap : January 2016

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Happy February! Can you smell love in the air? January went by so quickly, right? I had a great start of the year and aside from January is my birth month, a lot of awesome things happened too. I’ve discovered new great books and authors, I got new funko pops (Dean and Sam Winchester), Netflix (finally) added the season 8 of The Big Bang Theory, I’m part of a book club called The Literary Lions, and a lot lot more.brNow let me share to you the books I read for the month of January. I read 4 books (total of 973 pages) and they’re all great.

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn // 3.5 out of 5 stars – I totally enjoyed reading this book. Great twist and interesting characters but it’s just way too short. I thought it ended so soon. Read my full review here.

Black Crow White Lie by Candi Sary // 4 out of 5 stars – This is a story of Carson, a young boy who has a magical gift of healing, living in Hollywood motels together with her alcoholic fortune-teller mother. A coming-of-age novel which I totally enjoyed reading. Unforgetable characters and interesting plot twist. My full review soon.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness // 4.5 out of 5 stars – Breath-taking illustrations with heart-breaking story that will definitely melt your heart. The last pages of this book made me cry and I’m pretty sure this book will stay with me for a long time. This is my favorite read in January. My full review here.

More Than This by Patrick Ness // 4 out of 5 stars – I’ve lost count of how many times I wrote „WTH!“ on the pages of this book. So many surprising events and inspiring lines. This book is amazing. Clever storyline, likeable characters and superb writing style. I’ll be writing my full review soon.bhI only got three books in January. This year, I’m trying to buy less books and read more from my TBR list. FYI, I didn’t really buy these books.

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Maegan Spooner – I got this one for my birthday. It’s on my TBR list because I love the cover and I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about the series.

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin – Bookstagram community made me buy this book. Aside from the gorgeous cover, it’s also a historical fiction set in 1956 Germany. I also got this for my birthday.

Emotions by Arnulfo Cantarero – First, I would like to thank the author for sending me this. The story is about an emotionless extraterrestrial born to human parents guy with his mission to gain permanent emotions. Sounds interesting, right? The cover is lovely too. I’m excited to read this one.

How was your January? Have you also read some great books? Let me know by commenting below. ♥

Waiting On Wednesday : This Savage Song

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 23299512THIS SAVAGE SONG
by Victoria Schwab
Expected Publication: June 7, 2016
Series : Monsters of Verity #1
Edition : Hardcover (464 PAGES)
Publisher : Greenwillow Books

The city of Verity has been overrun with monsters, born from the worst of human evil. In North Verity, the Corsai and the Malchai run free. Under the rule of Callum Harker, the monsters kill any human who has not paid for protection. In the South, Henry Flynn hunts the monsters who cross the border into his territory, aided by the most dangerous and darkest monsters of them all—the Sunai, dark creatures who use music to steal their victim’s souls.

As one of only three Sunai in existence, August Flynn has always wanted to play a bigger role in the war between the north and the south. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate Harker, daughter of the leader of North Verity, August jumps on it.
When Kate discovers August’s secret, the pair find themselves running for their lives and battling monsters from both sides of the wall. As the city dissolves into chaos, it’s up to them to foster a peace between monsters and humans.

A unique, fast-paced adventure that looks at the monsters we face every day—including the monster within.

Why Am I Waiting?

Look at that pretty cover! I read my first V.E. Schwab’s book (A Darker Shade of Magic) last month and I loved it. She instantly became one of my favorite authors. Her writing style is astounding, same as the world-building and characters. The second book of ADSOM will be released next month and I’m so excited for it.

Have you read any books from V.E. Schwab? What are your favorites?

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted at Breaking The Spine that spotlights
upcoming releases that we are excited for.

Top Ten Tuesday : Top Ten Books That I Want To Have A Movie Adaptation

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It’s a freebie week! It means we can pick a topic we want and I’ve decided to share my top ten favorite books that I would love to see on the big screen. But I have some rules : The movie adaptation MUST stick to the book and there have to be NO MAJOR CHANGES.

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1. Wonder by R.J. Palacio – Wonder is a very powerful book and I think it’d be great to have a movie adaptation of this book so those who are not into reading would also know the important message of it.
2. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins – Paris is one of my favorite places and that’s one of the reasons why i love this book. Plus Etienne St. Clair is hot! *smiling face with heart-shaped eyes*
3. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han – I love the family dynamic on this book aside from Lara Jean’s love letters. I’ve read that „the rights to Han’s book has been picked up by Will Smith’s production company Overbrook Entertainment.“ (source) so I’m looking forward to this.
4. Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma – This book made me cry. It has a very sensitive topic and it’d be interesting to know the reactions of people who’ve watched it if there’s a movie adaptation.
5. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher – One of the very first YA novel I’ve read. This is a very inspirational book. Last year, I read a news that Netflix is negotiating to adapt this book into a series featuring Selena Gomez. Honestly, I’m not sure if i like it because I’m not a fan of Selena and I’d prefer a movie adaptation than tv series.

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6. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin – One of my favorite Fantasy/Paranormal series. Until now I can’t decide who can play as Noah Shaw if they’ll make a movie adaptation of this book.
7. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – A brilliant book. Le Cirque des Rêves is one of the (fictional) places I want to visit.
8. Cinder by Marissa Meyer – A movie adaptation of The Lunar Chronicles would be awesome! I would love to see how Cinder and the other characters (especially Captain Thorne) would look like. Also the fighting scenes, Earth and Luna, hoverboards and spaceships, almost everything.
9. Angelfall by Susan Ee – I read this book last year and I totally enjoyed it. When I finished it, I looked up on the internet to check if there’s a film adaptation and it turned out that there were news back in 2012 about it. I’m not sure what happened so I hope they will still continue the production.
10. Every Day by David Levithan – A movie adaptation of Every Day is possible because most of Levithan’s books hit the big screen. Not as „famous“ as the adaptations of John Green’s TFIOS or Paper Towns but I think Every Day has a very interesting and unique story.

So that’s it! Do you also want your favorite book to have a movie adaptation? Feel free to share you thoughts!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature/meme hosted by Broke and Bookish.

Top Ten Tuesday : Top Ten Books I’ve Recently Added To My TBR

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I’m adding books on my TBR list almost everyday even I still have like hundred unread books on my shelf. It’s normal, right? Please say it is. Thank you. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, I am going to share my top ten books that I’ve recently added on my never-ending TBR list.

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1. THESE BROKEN STARS by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
2. UPROOTED by Naomi Novik
3. BLACK-EYED SUSANS by Julia Heaberlin
4. WOLF BY WOLF by Ryan Graudin
5. THE GIRL AT MIDNIGHT by Melissa Grey

6. PASSENGER by Alexandra Bracken
7. FIND HER by Lisa Gardner
8. A CURIOUS TALE OF THE IN-BETWEEN by Lauren DeStefano
9. F*CK LOVE by Tarryn Fisher
10. NOVEMBER 9 by Colleen Hoover

I only have the first four so the rest are on my To-Buy list. What’s new on your TBR list? Also, let me know if you’ve read any from these books.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature/meme hosted by Broke and Bookish.

Book Review : A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

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I picked up More Than This (also by Patrick Ness) first, then I decided to read A Monster Calls at the same time because I got curious after watching the teaser trailer. I finished this in two days and I really loved it.

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Note : This would have been Siobhan Dowd’s fifth book but unfortunately, she passed away and wasn’t able to finish it. Patrick Ness never got to meet her but was asked to finish the book and I can say that wherever she is, I am sure that she’s proud of this masterpiece.

A Monster Calls is a story of a 13-year old boy named Conor. He is going through a rough time. His mother has cancer and he is having consistent nightmares since his mother started her treatments. One night, he wakes up to find a monster outside his bedroom window. The monster is there to tell Conor three tales and Conor must tell the fourth. He doesn’t know if the monster is real or not but one thing is for sure, the monster wants to know Connor’s true story.

Let me start with the breath-taking illustrations. Jim Kay, who is also the one behind the marvelous illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, is truly a talented artist. His works are stunning! I can’t help not to gaze at them, checking every details, and run my fingers on the pages. I love that the illustrations in A Monster Calls are on black and white because it added more to my reading experience.

Continue reading „Book Review : A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness“ →

Cover Reveal : A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

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17927395A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES #2
EDITION : HARDCOVER (640 PAGES)
PUBLISHER : BLOOMSBURY USA CHILDRENS
PUBLICATION DATE : MAY 3, 2016
Genre : Fantasy, Young Adult
CHECK THIS ON GOODREADS

Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court–but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms–and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future–and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas’s masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights. x

It’s finally here! A Court of Thorns and Roses was one of my favorite books in 2015 and I can’t wait to continue reading Feyre’s story especially now that she’ve changed and became more bad-ass. I like the USA edition more than the UK but I think i’ll be getting the UK because I want to match my copy. It didn’t occur to me before.

What are your thoughts about this cover?

MYBOOKMARK – The craziest handcrafted bookmarks.

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One of the best things that happened to me last year was when I received an email from Ms. Anastasia of MyBookMark asking me if I’d like to cooperate with them. I was so thrilled that I immediately said yes without thinking twice! I’ve been dreaming of having one of their cool bookmarks eversince I saw them on bookstagram community. And I’m telling you, the bookmark is more gorgeous in real life.

myBOOKmark is the most unusual book marker that’s not just a bookmark. It’s perfect topic starter, piece of fun, crazy gift for a bookworm and motivator to reading!

They asked me to choose any from their bookmarks (How cool is that?) which was hard because they have a lot of awesome designs. From Harry Potter to Game of Thrones, Alice in Wonderland to zombie and pirate.

I chose the cat paw bookmark because a cat paw between the pages of a book looks incredibly cute and I also love cats.

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It looks so perfect, right? All their bookmarks are handcrafted and you can really see that they put so much effort (and love) on them. The packaging itself is absolutely lovely and the quality of the bookmark is excellent. You can also choose what to print on the metal part. Mine says „Books make me smart“

For more of their crazy bookmarks, Check out:
MYBOOKMARKS‘ ETSY SHOP
AMAZON.COM/HANDMADE/MYBOOKMARK
INSTAGRAM.COM/MYBOOKMARKS

If you’re running out of cool ideas of a perfect gift (for any occasions) for someone or you just simply want to treat yourself or make a bookworm happy, then you’ve found the one! ♥