The Book Blogger Test

This post is looonnnnggg overdue, but I've finally managed to finish answering the questions! I was tagged by the lovely Joy@ Thoughts by J and Jaz @ Fiction in Fiction in Fiction.

You can check out their tags HERE FOR JOYS'S and HERE FOR JAZ'S! 

1.What are your top three book pet hates?

- An infuriatingly indecisive main character who simultaneously leads on two guys and goes back and forth between them. A character that does that doesn’t deserve either guy. So basically, I can’t stand love triangles.

- Books that haven’t been taken care of e.g. dog-eared, creased and especially when I see someone just shoving a book (even textbooks) in their bags.

- Books with grammatical errors/spelling mistakes (yes a lot of published books have mistakes and it pisses me off. Even an abundance of too-short sentences in a paragraph tends to annoy me.…

2.Describe your perfect reading spot

I read anywhere and everywhere! Dining table, on the living room floor, couch, kitchen counter, bus, train, bed. But I guess my favourite would be in bed where it’s warm and comfortable J   

3. Tell us 3 book confessions

- I’m a huge hypocrite with my book pet hates. I say I hate love triangles (AND I DO!!!!!) but sometimes there are love triangles that I can tolerate/accept. I say I hate books centred entirely on romance (AND I DO!!!) but there are certain books that I like which tends to focus more on the romance than plot. I say I think main characters who can’t decide between two guys shouldn’t end up with either one of them, but more likely than not, I’ll still ship her with one of the guys. So yeahhh….

- Romance books are my guilty pleasure. I imagine myself as the female characters and live happily ever after with the ruggedly handsome, astonishingly caring and loving men who would move mountains to be with the girl they love. (i.e. me hahahaa)

- I read a billion books at once…because for some odd reason, ( especially the past few months) I tend to get bored with a lot of the books I start reading, so I'll begin reading another book…then one day I’ll feel like it’s time to resume/finish offthe first book. At the moment, I’ve started Eleanor & Park, The Statistical Probabiltiy of love at First sight, The Geography of You and Me, Take Me On…

4. When was the last time you cried at a book?

I can’t remember O____O For most books that I “cry” in, it’s more I shed a few tears/become slightly teary but I don’t full on cry or bawl my eyes out. The only book that pops into my head is Adeline Yen Mah’s “Falling Leaves” which I read more than 5 years ago….

5. How many books are on your bedside table?

Currently The Statistical Probability of Me and You, The Geography of You and Me, Take Me On, How to Keep a Boy from Kissing You, Down London Road. (And several magazines haha!)

6. What is your favourite snack whilst your reading?

ICE CREAMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!! And Chocolate. Or just food. hahah!

7. Name 3 books you would recommend to everyone

- Harry Potter (all 7 books), because if you haven’t read Harry Potter, we legit cannot be friends.

- The Pact by Jodie Picoult – My mind still wanders to the ending and everything that lead to the heartbreaking truth in The Pact. I suffered a severe book hangover after reading this.

- Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles– I believe deep down, every girl has a soft spot for the typical good-girl-meets-bad-boy book. It’s been overdone; the plot and characters have been recycled a billion times but I strongly believe every girl should read at least one book with this storyline and characters during their lifetime. 

8. Show us a picture of your favourite bookshelf on your bookcase

Yes, it's messy, but so is every other shelf and space in my room. 

9. Write how much books mean to you in just 3 words

More than ice-cream.

10. What is your biggest reading secret?

Despite having lived in Australia (almost) my entire life….I haven’t read many Aussie books.  I’ve never even touched Melina Marchetta’s books, never read Looking for Alibrandi nor Raw Blue, NOT EVEN THE BOOK THIEF or any of those highly regarded and exceptionally awe-inspiring Aussie books that everyone seems to love L

11. Tag 5 people

I tag:

1. You

2. Book Bloggers

3. Anyone who loves books and is willing to answer the above questions

4. Anyone who wants to do this

5. Anyone who has time to do this :) 

Movie Review: Divergent

I don't usually write movie reviews since for me movies are simply 'good', 'bad' or 'average' and there's nothing further to elaborate. However, after watching Divergent I was overcome with so many FEELS that I needed to write them down. This review will probably be all over the place so my apologies! :D

Book to Film:

I've realised that when a book is adapted into a movie, most hardcore fans of the book(s) prefer the movie to stay faithful to the book(s). I, on the other hand don't particularly mind. I believe that since it's an independent film, the directors/producers can add/delete scenes as long as it suits the movie. As long as the plot doesn't change significantly and there are no plot holes, I'm completely fine with it. Also, as long as the more important scenes/fans' favourite scenes and the scenes that drive the plot forward are brought to life then I'm content. The rest aren't important.

Having said that, I felt that Divergent remained quite faithful to the book. I mean, the last time I read Divergent was probably early last year (my book's been in my friend’s possession for a good part of last year) so I'm a little fuzzy over specific scenes. However, 90% of the ‘memorable scenes’ were included in the movie and if any scenes that didn’t appear in the book were added, or certain scenes were altered then I applaud the director for adding/changing those scenes because I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THE MOVIE. J

Casting/Acting:

(I actually wrote an entire paragraph on my phone but when I opened up the file the next day, for some reason the paragraph wasn’t there. *sigh* I must’ve accidentally deleted it on the bus =.=’).

Anyway, back to the review!

Tris: Holy Moly Tris’s actually was superb! To be honest, when the cast was first announced last year, I was 100% skeptical of Shailene. Back then, she looked nothing like the Tris I’d conjured up in my head, and no offense, I didn’t find her very good-looking. After doing some googling/research/stalking, I discovered that she was generally perceived as an extremely talented actress and so my doubts began to fade. Fast-forward a year later, I’m sitting here wondering how the heck I ever doubted her ability to bring Tris to life. Shai was perfect as Tris. I mean, no, she still doesn’t fit the original image of Tris but after watching Divergent, that ‘original’ Tris doesn’t exist anymore. Shai is Tris and Tris is Shai. Every time there was an emotionally demanding scene or a scene that required screaming/yelling/anger, I legit felt goose bumps on my arms because her acting was just so damn good. I can’t wait for Insurgent now! Bring on more Tris/Shay <3

Oh, and one more thing. I believe Tris is described as small in the book, but obviously in the movie Shai is quite tall. Once upon a time, this was a contributing factor to my dislike of Shay as Tris, but now? I LOVE HER HEIGHT BECAUSE WHEN SHE STANDS NEXT TO THEO, THEY LOOK PERFECT TOGETHER.

 Weheartit 

Four: HDAUHDSUIHDSAUIHDIASU FOUR WHY ARE YOU SO HOT AND SEXY AND GORGEOUS AND PERFECT?!?! I remember as soon as Four appeared on screen – the scene where Tris jumped off the roof, landed on a net and Four helped her down- all the girls in the cinema (me included) started swooning/screaming/giggling. Honestly, I don’t know how Tris was able to answer him after he helped her down…I mean, I would’ve just melted into a puddle of goo.

Four is unapproachable, a demanding, no-nonsense instructor who could frighten anyone into silence with one piercing look. Theo did a fantastic job executing all of Four’s identifying traits. While I fell in love at first sight with Theo’s looks, I must admit he also didn’t fit with my image of Four. The ‘original’ Four was leaner…and I felt a little more sensitive but like Shai/Tris, Theo James is now the one and only Four for me!

Other Characters:

•  Throughout the movie I was slightly confused. Was Edward ever introduced to us? I remember seeing his name on the rankings but were we ever introduced to him as a character?
•  Also, I didn’t realize this until someone mentioned on Twitter (sorry, forgot who!) Was Uriah introduced to us? I think he was on screen for less than 5 seconds before he disappeared. And we never got to see him again. Uriah was one of my favourite characters in Divergent and it’s a pity Uriah didn’t play a bigger role in the movie.
•  -I had no complaints regarding Christina and Will’s characters. I can’t remember any specific lines, but I do remember many of their lines were snarky, hilarious and definitely appreciated!
•    OOOHHHH HAVE I MENTIONED HOW JAI’S ACTING WAS IMPECCABLE?!?! Well it was! Now, he was exactly how I imagined Eric! Those piercings, tattoos, expressionless face and unforgiving personality truly brought Eric to life.
•    Every time Caleb and Tris spoke or walked next to each other, my mind would immediately jump to Augustus and Hazel’s scenes together in The Fault in Our Stars. Did this happen to anyone else?

There were some laugh-out-loud moments, which were a fantastic bonus! The books weren’t intended to be comical so I’m glad the scriptwriters decided add in some humorous dialogue and lines J

If you couldn’t be bothered to read the my 900+ words review, no worries, just read this paragraph. I have three words for everyone – GO WATCH DIVERGENT!! So far it’s one of my  favourite book-to-movie adaptations, the others being The Hunger Games, Catching Fire & a few of the Harry Potter films.

~WATCH DIVERGENT~

~WATCHING DIVERGENT!!!!!~

*Image credits go to Weheartit

November '13 Wrap-Up

I've never done a monthly wrap-up before (mainly because I was lazy) but for some reason, I feel like doing it this month :) So, I'll see how this goes, but knowing me, I may not do one every month.

November marked the start and end of my exams -  YAYYYYY! I've officially completed my first year of Uni - this is seriously insane since I still remember how stressed I was over my HSC. Gosh, time flies!

This month, I also attended Jaz@ Fiction in Fiction in Fiction's  21st dinner :) The food was heaps appetising (OMG I LOVE SPANISH FOOD) - it was an extremely fun night overall!
I also recently celebrated my 19th birthday with a bunch of my friends from Uni :)  My beautiful friends decided to surprise me with a birthday gathering without my knowing! I honestly didn't know they even knew my birthday was coming up since I never outright told them but it seems one of my closest friends organised this event even before exams finished for everyone :) It was definitely the most unforgettable birthday! I LOVE MY FRIENDS SO MUCH<3333

Blog Wrap-Up
Anyways, on the blog this month, I reviewed:

• Crash Into You by Katie McGarry | 5/5 
• Panic by Lauren Oliver | 2.5/5
• These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner | 2.5/5

I recently finished reading:

Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman | 4/5 

I really enjoyed this one, especially how it gave me a better understanding of Hitler's character. I've always loved history, and after reading this, I've started doing some individual research on Hitler's life and reign. 

Coming up on the blog in December:

• Review | Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor
• Review | Just One Day by Gayle Forman 
• Review | Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman 
• Review | All The Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry
• Interview | Anne Blankman 
• Blog Tour | Captivate by Vanessa Garden | 17th Dec
• Blog Tour | That One Summer by C.J Duggan | 12th Dec

Hehehe That's all from me today! 

Storm Blog Tour Winners!

The Storm Blog Tour is officially over! I hope you all had lots of fun <3 Below are the lucky winners of our 14 prize packs :)

International Prize Packs:

Elemental (ebook) + Storm + Spark preorder

Winner: Sarah Jane

Elemental (ebook) + Storm + Spark ARC

Winner: Cassie Frye

Copy of Storm + Spark Pre-order

Winner: Joanne S.

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND Prize Packs:

Storm ARC + Spark preorder

Winner: Gabriella

Each receive a copy of Storm:

Thanks to Allen and Unwin!

Emma

Teresa L.

Alice S

Alexandra

Michelle A

Mary Preston

Kate

Mary Perez

Taneika

Keely 

  

 

CONGRATZ GUYS!<3 I hope you all end up LOVING Storm! It's certainly one of my favourite 2012 books so far :) For those who didn't win, make sure you go and buy yourself a copy ASAP! You do NOT want to miss out! :)

Shatter Me #2 TITLE REVEAL!

SQUEEEEEEEE!!! The lovely author of SHATTER ME, Tahereh Mafi has revealed the title to the sequel!  Sound EXCITING? 

Watch the video below <3

Eeeeee!! *squeals in delight*

Isn't the title PERFECT <3 But seriously, we have to wait ONE WHOLE YEAR! 

I don't think I can SURVIVE ONE YEAR WITHOUT KENJI AND ADAM! </3

What do you think of the title? :D