In My Mailbox (54)

In My Mailbox is held weekly by Kristi at The Story Siren. Click here for details on how to participate.

---

Borrowed (from Sarah):

The Iron Queen (Iron Fey #3) by Julie Kagawa

Won (from Cindy):

My Soul to Steal (Soul Screamers #4) by Rachel Vincent

---

I haven't read the first book in the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent so I've yet to check that out before getting to My Soul to Steal. The cover is mesmerizing, though! And as for The Iron Queen, I'm loving this series. It's freaking good.

It's been a long week, don't you think? Lovely weather. I just cannot wait any longer for vacation in July and August. It's going to be the best summer ever! :D :D

Have a spectacular weekend, guys!

Friday's Finest (63)

Friday's Finest is a new meme hosted by Steff & Justine from A Bookful of Thoughts.

Rules:
~Post a quote that really stuck to you after reading it in a book.
~Make sure it isn't a spoiler!
~If you'd like, expand on what you think it means and why you chose it.

Wither
by Lauren DeStefano

I'll tell you something about true love. There's no science to it. It's as natural as the sky.

---

Got a Friday's Finest to share? Link it below!

Justine's Thoughts: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Before I Fall
By Lauren Oliver

Source: Won from contest
Pages: 470
Rating: 5/5
Book Description (from Goodreads):

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all—looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12th should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it’s her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she re-lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined.

A quote:

How is it possible, I think, to change so much and not be able to change anything at all?

Any thoughts:

I was blown away by Before I Fall. I never knew how much it would change the way I think. By the raving reviews in the blogosphere, I knew, however, that many people absolutely loved it. Now I’m one of them.

Lauren Oliver’s writing is stunningly poetic. The right techniques were used for the right times. There was rhythm and there was flow. There was emphasis and there were moments near the end when I would take my time to absorb it all in. The plot was handcrafted smoothly. There were details from the beginning that were brought again to the very end, creating a perfect circle. Sure, it was nice and slow at first, but I understand it was necessary to go through all the important occurrences that happened in that day. And boy, were there many things that happened. It was a Friday, after all.

In the very beginning, Sam and her friends were known as the bitches of the school, intimidating and making fun of everyone around them. They were annoying and cruel, but they were real. Each girl has their own thing, whether it’s a loveable trait or a simple fun fact. Other characters like Kent (my favourite) and Juliet and Izzy have either a big or small impact in Sam’s life. They are all important.

The change is evident in Sam as the same days pass. I loved how each day is different -- Sam’s mood, her purpose, her realizations. Slowly, she starts to progress, and though selfless at first she begins to see everything else in a new light.

There are numerous things that this book covers: bullying, popularity, family, love, friendship, death and life. It’s unbelievable how much you can learn from the passages. It’s filled with moving quotes and inspiring actions. They will stay with you for a long while. And it will turn around to ask you the questions.

Teaser Tuesday (46)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.

From page 506 of "Summer at Willow Lake"
by Susan Wiggs

Then she looked at the laughing faces of her father and brother and realized the reason didn't matter. Sometimes it was enough just to be happy, for nor reason at all.

Totally just finished this book. One thing I have to say is: don't judge this one by its cover. The story is superb and amazing. *sighhh*

On a blogging note, you might have noticed I've sort of somewhat disappeared. My laptop is getting soooo hot. Did I mention it functions seasonally? In winter, my laptop feels cold. In spring and autumn, it gets slightly warmer. And in summer, it is scorching hot. Now it's starting to feel like summer, so right now as I type, my hands are burning. At least that's what it feels like.

School is also approaching an end. I'm trying so very hard to keep on task and maintain my grades and everything. But summer is not far away! I can feel it at the tips of my fingers! And it's tempting me. Often, I'd catch myself daydreaming in class, which I believe is not a good thing, my friends.

Ooh, and speaking of school...prom was absolutely GRAND. I had an enormous amount of fun dancing with friends. Oh gosh, the food was deeeelish. I didn't want to eat much because I knew I was going to dance afterwards, but boy, did I want to! The dessert was even better (chocolate cheesecake with marshmallows on top covered with caramel). It tasted like heaven.

ANYWAY. This turned out to be a huge post! I guess I had to cram in all what I had to say for the past few weeks. It's been busy, guys, it's crazy. I hope you're all doing well yourselves. I haven't been commenting much and I'm so sorry! You might see me every now and then though. I'm always on twitter, which is where I may post my prom pictures if you're interested. So I'll talk to you guys soon! :)

Friday's Finest (62)

Friday's Finest is a new meme hosted by Steff & Justine from A Bookful of Thoughts.

Rules:
~Post a quote that really stuck to you after reading it in a book.
~Make sure it isn't a spoiler!
~If you'd like, expand on what you think it means and why you chose it.

The Secret Year
by Jennifer R. Hubbard

What do you think about when you can't sleep? Sometimes I think about the ocean. I can see it lapping on the shore, waves rolling in one after the other, washing over the sand, never stopping. That's what usually puts me to sleep.

---

I've tried this once and it actually put me to sleep. So does the sound of rain. But when those don't work, I imagine blank whiteness on paper. I've been told to do that once when I had so much struggle sleeping one night that I stayed up until freaking 4 AM and had to get up at 6 AM. It works now though! :D

Got a Friday's Finest to share? Link it below!

Justine's Thoughts: Revelations by Melissa de la Cruz

Revelations (Blue Bloods #3)
By Melissa de la Cruz

Source: Library
Pages: 256
Rating: 5/5
A quote:

Tonight the world is yours, as am I.

Any thoughts:

Ah, I understand why this book in the series is called “Revelations”. We finally get some answers! Not all of them, but enough to satisfy my curiosity. And with revelations come total shock and surprise, such as Jack and Schyler, Bliss’s nature and Grandfather Lawrence.

It felt like this was the very beginning of the series, where things happen and things start to get real interesting. Take, for example, the battle between the Blue Bloods and Silver Bloods. It has just begun and Revelations ended with its beginning. It’s about to get dirty in the next novel, I’m sure.

Schyler gets irritating often. She doesn’t know what to do (I admit, I wouldn’t know either), which has its certain consequences. She treats her best friend, Oliver, like crap (though I understand why) even though he doesn’t deserve it. All in all, let’s just say she’s in a huge mess right now.

The writing is once again intelligent and magnificent, and the plot unpredictable and fascinating. I want more of it, and certainly will be reading the next book soon.