TGIF: Character Envy

It is a cool, rainy Friday here in good ol' NY. Which is awesome. Super awesome, because 1) I love rainy days and 2) It's 71 degrees right now. YEP! *dances*

But on the question at hand! This week, the loverly Ginger at GReadsBooks wants to know:

If you could be a character from one book, who would you be and why?

WELL! That's quite the question, right? And while the obvious answer for probably every girl EVER EVER EVER is Elizabeth Bennett (Helloooooo Darcy!) I'm going to avoid that answer and go with: 

Cammie Morgan from Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series. 

Y'all. Girl is a SPY. Ok, technically she's a spy-in-training, but still! She's smart and speaks a bajillion languages and has a really awesome group of also super smart spy friends and she cares about others and loves her family and I just like everything about that girl. Also: she's a spy.

Wanna know my runner up? Yeah? GOOD. (It's not surprising, but heeeeere we go.)

Emerson Cole from Hourglass: I don't necessarily want to have lost my parents, but this girl is so dang awesome, that I can't help but want to be her. Also: Michael and Kaleb. Word up.

So that's my pick! I hope that y'all all have fabulous weekend plans and that you don't have them rained out. Or maybe I do. Because then you can stay inside and read! ;)

Waiting on Wednesday: Clockwork Prince

Title: Clockwork Prince
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Release Date: December 6, 2011

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, but her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.—Goodreads

 1. That is the longest plot summary I've ever seen on Goodreads. 


2. I like TID more than TMI.


3. I want to read this. Like now. 


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

TGIF: Bookshelf Tour

It's Friday! It's Bookshelf Tour Friday, the day in which I take y'all on a tour of my surprisingly small bookshelf!  *does bookshelf tour Friday dance* 

Told you! Surprisingly tiny, right? Just two shelves. Technically I have MANY, MANY more books than this, but when I moved from Arkansas to Syracuse I only brought a few select things, and then when I moved from Syracuse to NYC, I brought even fewer things. So, the majority of my books (e.g., all of my Harry Potter books and all of my childhood/high school faves) still live in Arkansas. 

So what you see on those two measly little shelves are the books that I've bought/traded/inherited since moving to the fine state of New York. 

Top Shelf!

As you can see, there's not a super complicated shelving system in use here—it is in height order and series order. Since most series are the same trim size, this makes this process VERY easy. Also, you might notice that most of the things on Shelf 1 are YA books. There are a couple notable exceptions (American Gods and Save the Cat!, as well as my various etymological dictionaries and style guides . . . OH Journalism school and your crazy dictionaries and style guides.)

 

The Bottom Shelf, although called the Bottom Shelf, does not follow the same rules as shelves at bars—just because it's on a lower shelf doesn't mean it is cheaper/lacking in quality. In essence, the Bottom Shelf follows the same madness as the Top Shelf, but also includes my compendium of Jane Austen novels, my Buffy comics, and my sorority's alumni directory. It also has a peppermint. Hmm. 

So there you have it! My surprisingly tiny bookshelf. I am SO looking forward to the day that I have a lovely home with built in bookshelves. *daydreams*

TGIF is a weekly meme hosted by the wonderfully lovely Ginger at GReadsBooks. 

Review: Firelight

Title: Firelight
Author: Sophie Jordan
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 336
Release Date: September 7, 2010

Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.

Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.

Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.—Goodreads

This is a book that really surprised me. Before starting Firelight, I wanted to read it because I was really into the idea of having the female character a) being a draki and b) being all supernatural when her love interest isn't. I feel like you just don't see that all that often and that it was a really refreshing take on the paranormal romance.

Also: DRAGONS.

But when I started reading this, it just, felt a little flat. But I kept with it because I felt like reading and the next time I looked up and I was more than halfway through the book.

This one is sneaky like that.

Needless to say, Firelight has a plot that sucks you in. As you follow Jacinda from her guarded draki home in Colorado to the unprotected mortal life in New Mexico, you find yourself wanting her to defy her mom and sister, who both hated living with the draki and want her to let her draki die, and run away to either a pride of draki or with Will, the guy who makes her draki feel alive despite the harsh environment she's been forced into. (Weather plays a big role in this book . . . it's a little complicated and I don't want to SPOIL anything, so I won't go into it. Just . . . take my word for it.)

But that's not all! Jordan throws in a couple really compelling plot twists, and a couple really compelling guys, that keep the story moving along at a brisk pace, and before you know it, you're finished and left thinking "But. I want more."

Overall, Firelight is a really quick and surprisingly fun read.

Also: DRAGONS. :)

Waiting on Wednesday: Lost in Time

Title: Lost in Time (Blue Bloods #6)
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Publisher: Hyperion
Publication Date: September 27, 2011

After their beautiful yet brief bonding ceremony in Italy, Schuyler Van Alen and Jack Force are forced to separate. To fulfill the Van Alen Legacy, Schuyler travels to Alexandria to search for Catherine of Siena and the Gate of Promise. But Schuyler quickly discovers that everything she believed about the Gate to be wrong. Meanwhile, Jack makes the difficult decision to return to New York to face his twin and former bondmate, Mimi. But instead of a bitter reunion, he is faced with a choice for which there is no good option. 

Mimi, with a most unexpected travel companion in Oliver Hazard-Perry, jets off to Egypt, too, to search for Kingsley Martin, her long lost love. With all roads leading to Hell, Mimi learns that not all love stories have happy endings. But she'll have to put her own feelings aside if she's going to save her crumbling Coven. —Goodreads


Hi, my name is Bethany, and I'm a Blue Bloods addict. I only started reading this series about six weeks ago, and may I just say, OH. MY. GOD. 


I have seriously deep and fuzzy feelings about Blue Bloods and I am all kinds of excited to read Lost in Time because, well, I'm really interested to see where the Mimi/Oliver story arc goes. Because I could maybe be a fan of a little bit of romance between those two. *grins*


Also: Where the eff is Bliss? She's not just GONE right? Discuss in comments if you are so inclined and let me know what fabulous books you're waiting on. 


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Required Reading

Y'all, I'm about to get all kinds of melodramatic and sentimental up in here. You ready? GOOD.

There are some books that just stick with you—the stories or characters or writing, or, really, all of that combined, just reach down into you and leave a mark that somehow changes you, be it your perception of the world or your understanding of language or the way you think about storytelling. This is because books are important and made of awesome.

So, here's the list of the books that have left an indelible impression on me, good, bad, and ugly, in absolutely no particular order other than the order that I thought of them.

1. The Odyssey by Homer
Helllooooooo classic lit that has informed kind of everything that came after it. That in and of itself is why it should be required.

2. As much Shakespeare as possible
 I know it's not for everyone, but this dude's works are freaking important. Hell, most of the words we use today were CREATED by him. And modern story structure and tropes? Yeah, those came from him too. And he came up with some of the best zingers. And some of the most thought-inducing philosophical musings. And let's not forget the sonnets and the romantic stuff. *swoons at the thought of it*

3. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
This is maybe the best book about being a good human ever written. And, IMHO, everyone should read it.

4. The House on Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne
It's just sooooo sweet. And sad. And good. No one should ever be without the Hundred Acre Wood and Pooh Bear. [Note: The "cover" above is the audiobook version. Just the THOUGHT of listening to Jim Broadbent read this aloud is making me tear up.]

5. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
If there's ever a book to teach you about the importance of books, this is it. This isn't necessarily one I enjoyed but it's one that I am very, very glad I read. In fact, I read it because it was on the required reading list for my AP Literature class my junior year of high school. :)

6.  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Yes, this is considered girly, but consider this folks: if every guy read Pride and Prejudice they'd probably better understand why we're all so gaga over Darcy.

7. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
I just really freaking like this book. I read directly after reading Catcher in the Rye, and actually preferred A Separate Peace. Not that Catcher isn't worthy of your time (IT IS, IT IS, IT IS!) but I just liked this one bester. (You see that? I made up my own word because Shakespeare taught me that that's okay to do!)

8. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
This one I recommend because a) I love road novels, b) I love Jack Kerouac and his refusal to write in a conventional way, and c) this is sort of an introduction to post-modern literature. More or less. Argue with me on that if you feel so inclined, in comments.

9. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
This is another one from my AP Literature required reading list. I was obsessed with it. It's beautiful and tortured and just so damn arresting. It's the first book that [SPOILER ALERT] didn't have a happy ending I ever read and LIKED. So, it's kind of a big deal for me.

10. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
This series just has it all—action, adventure, love, hate, friendship, magic, and perhaps above all, the lesson that you are never alone and that help is always there when you ask for it.

Bonus books (because ten just isn't enough!): Looking for Alaska by John Green, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishigaro, Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, Howl by Allen Ginsberg, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Night by Elie Wiesel, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman, and, because I have to stop somewhere, Idylls of the King by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Holy cow, I think I could have kept listing books all dang night! But I am stopping now, and advising you to read and find the books that imprint themselves on you and them pass them along to everyone you know. :)

Review: Starcrossed

Review: Starcrossed
Author: Josephine Angelini
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 310 (ebook)
Release Date: May 31, 2010
Format: eGalley from Netgalley (Thank you!)

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.—Goodreads

I think every kid goes through a phase where they are obsessed with Greek and/or Roman (and, sometimes, Norse or Native American) mythology. I went through that phase when I was eleven, and I've never really let it go. In fact, when I was in undergrad, I went to Greece to study art and architecture for a summer. (Yes, it was as awesome as it sounds.)

Hello there Acropolis!

Hugging the Temple of Hera. 

Suffice it to say, I was super excited to learn that Starcrossed is deeply rooted in Greek mythology and history. And though I really did enjoy this book in the end, I didn't love it the way I wanted to. It started really rough for me, and took me a bit to get into. But I kept with it, and in the end, am very very glad that I did.

So let's get the not-so-happy things out of the way first, shall we?

My first gripe is with the pacing. There were a lot of aspects about the book that the author takes an exceptionally long time to fully explain, which really super bugged me. For example, the main character, Helen (yes, she's named after that Helen), who is a demigod but doesn't know it, wears a necklace that means a lot to her and is referenced MANY TIMES throughout the book—it's obvious that the necklace is going to come into play and be something bigger than just a necklace. But it isn't until close to the END of the book that it's explained. I found this really, really distracting because I kept thinking "What the bloody hell is going on with the necklace?!" I also feel like there was a lot of time devoted to exposition (which, I realize is important for this kind of book because not everybody is well versed in Greek mythology/history) but I kind of wished there was a bit less of it.

My second gripe is that the two characters I like the most, Helen's best friend Claire, and Helen's boss, Kate,  are sort of forgotten in the middle, and only sort of make a comeback. Both of these characters provided humor and warmth and strength for Helen, who can be a bit of a wet blanket, but when the Delos family moves to town, Claire and Kate are very much abandoned in the story. Which was sad for me because I kept thinking "I really want more Claire and Kate." [Anyone else think of LOST when those two names are mentioned in the same sentence?!]

But that brings us to the Delos family, the ginormous group of  insanely attractive family members who all have very Greek mythology-inspired names (Lucas, Hector, Ariadne, Pandora, Cassandra, Jason,  Pallas, and Castor . . . yeah) and move from Spain to the island of Nantucket. Turns out, they are all demigods as well! And Helen inexplicably wants to KILL THEM, (particularly Lucas) which is AWESOME.

But she (mostly) gets over that urge, which is both good and sort of disappointing, because after she decides she doesn't want to kill Lucas, there is full on angsty instalove. But it is all explained in a way that makes it very okay in the end.

Overall, this book is really involved and really smart. Angelini obviously knows the canon of Greek mythology and pays meticulous attention to the finer details, which makes her book very rich and lush with the infusion of Greek mythology, history, and lore. Despite some of my initial frustrations with Starcrossed, this is definitely a series that I want to stick with!

P.S.: If a movie is ever made of this series, the casting director needs to cast Tamsin Egerton as Helen. I really don't think there's any other option.

Tamsin Egerton 

Favorite Quote: "As he walked out of the locker room he stripped off his bloody shirt and threw it in the garbage. Helen's vision stabilized again, and she watched his bare back moving away from her. The last cobwebs clearing from his eyes, she decided that if Lucas was gay then she was going to have to get a sex change operation. He would be so worth it."

Waiting on Wednesday: Ingenue

Title: Ingenue
Author: Jillian Larkin
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Pages: 351
Release Date: August 9, 2011

Bobbed hair. Short skirts. Cool jazz. Dark speakeasy. Anything goes. Meet the flappers, Gloria, Clara, Lorraine . . . and the rich young boys who love and loathe them.—Goodreads


The first book in The Flappers series, Vixen, was one of the first books I reviewed on this here bloggy blog, so it sort of holds a special place for me. But other than that, I actually found myself thinking about Gloria, Clara, and Lorraine the other day and suddenly desperately wanted to know what was happening with them! 


Lucky for me, Ingenue, comes out next month! (I'm so glad it's not next year like everything else seems to be!) I'm so so excited to go back into their oh-so glitzy and not-always-so-glamorous 1920s world. And to spend a little more time with one Marcus Eastwood. *grins*


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  

Review: Texas Gothic

Title: Texas Gothic
Author: Rosemary Clement-Moore
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 406
Release Date: July 12, 2011

Amy Goodnight's family is far from normal. She comes from a line of witches, but tries her best to stay far outside the family business. Her summer gig? Ranch-sitting for her aunt with her wacky but beautiful sister. Only the Goodnight Ranch is even less normal than it normally is. Bodies are being discovered, a ghost is on the prowl, and everywhere she turns, the hot neighbor cowboy is in her face.—Goodreads


I'm not sure about y'all, but when I think of Texas, the first thing I think about (other than the Longhorns and the fact that the people of the state don't want you to mess with it) is the heat. The oppressive, sticky, strangling heat that you can't shake no matter what you do. This book radiates that sort of heat—and I'm not referring to how Ms. Clement-Moore describes the weather. 


What the Goodreads summary up there doesn't tell you is that the bodies that are discovered are found when a construction team goes to build a bridge, and uncovers skeletons that are hundreds of years old on the property belonging to the McCullochs, who live next to the Goodnight ranch. When Amy (Amaryllis) and her sister, Phin (Delphinium), find out about the excavation, and are invited to the site by the excavation team from UT, they find themselves involved in not only an anthropological study, but in the midst of a small town ghost story as well. 


But that's not all. There's also the hot neighbor cowboy. (I know better than to think he escaped your notice in the description.)


The chemistry between Amy and the hot (guitar playing!) neighbor cowboy, Ben, is electric. It's the kind of connection that's so intense it constantly borders between being charmed and being annoyed, and trying to decide if you're in love or in hate. It's definitely not instalove, but is a slowly evolving spark that ignites and races toward the end of the fuse—and when that fuse starts to run out, lemme just tell you, it is four pages of juicy goodness. 

But Amy and Ben aren't the only ones with chemistry. There's also the relationship between Amy and her sister Phin, who is basically Temperance Brennan, if Temperance Brennan believed in magic. Amy and Phin are the kind of sisters who seemingly don't get along, but are actually best friends. As much as they annoy one another, they are always there for each other and will never waiver on that. I guess because I have such a good relationship with my sister, I really like when siblings in books aren't rivals. (Although that can be fun, too.) But I really loved Amy and Phin, and really wanted to kind of hang out with them in their kooky world full of magic and ghosts. 


Clement-Moore does a great job capturing the feeling of a Southern small town full of superstition, generations-old rivalries, greed, prejudice, and a good ghost story. Her characters are the kind you wish you could pull out of the book and befriend, even if it means that they come with a bit of red dirt and limestone caked in the soles of their shoes and bring a ghost or two along with 'em. 


Overall, Texas Gothic is a lotta bit Nancy Drew with a dash of Veronica Mars (if she were Southern) thrown in for good, cynical measure. It's a fun, engrossing story, with a narrator who is laugh-out-loud funny and entirely lovable. And I'm not lying about the four pages of juiciness. Hell, this book is worth reading for just THAT. ;)


P.S.: I really, really, REALLY would love to see some sort of crazy short story or something where Emerson from Hourglass and Amy somehow hang out and/or work together. I'm not sure exactly how that would work, but I think it would work WELL. 

TGIF: The Put-Downables

Oh, Fridays. How I like you. *pets Fridays*

This week the lovely Ginger over at GReads! has asked:

What was the last book you couldn't finish 

(or had a hard time finishing)?

Now, I tend to be one of those people who finishes things—I hate quitting and once I start a book, I normally finish it. HOWEVER, there have been a couple notable exceptions to this.

Please note that I'm not saying that these books are bad or that they shouldn't be read—that is absolutely NOT what I a saying. I would, in fact, encourage you to go out and read these and tell me how silly I am to have put them down.


Most recently:

The Explosionist by Jenny Davidson

I actually really LIKED this book, but every time I picked it up I just couldn't bring myself to read it. It was WEIRD. Perhaps I should give it another try.

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laird

I just couldn't focus on this one. I really, really wanted to read it, but it just wasn't happening. However, this was one of the first books I tried to read on my Kobo, so maybe that had something to do with it? Who knows.

Most famously:

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkein

I have tried to read this book on MANY occassions, and just can't get through it. Tolkein's writing is so long and detailed and circuitous that by the time I reach the end of a sentence, I don't even freaking remember what the beginning said! Which is really just too bad since this is supposed to be awesome. But. For some reason Tolkein and I just don't jive. Sorry Tolkein.


So there you have it. The books I just couldn't get myself through. Now, I'd really be interested in hearing from those of you who HAVE read. Please tell me all the reasons why I should give them another shot in comments. :)

Review: Sometimes It Happens

Title: Sometimes It Happens
Author: Lauren Barnholdt
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 320
Release Date: July 12, 2011
Format: Electronic galley via S&S Galley Grab (Thank you!)

On the last day of her junior year, Hannah's boyfriend Sebastian dumped her. Facing a summer of loneliness, Hannah turns to her best friend Ava for comfort. Ava does what BFFs do: she stays by Hannah's side...until it's time for Ava to head up to Maine for the summer. Also left behind is Ava's boyfriend, Noah, who's such a great guy he gets Hannah a job at the diner he waits tables at. Slowly, Hannah comes out of her funk thanks to Noah's good conversation and their fun times at the diner. But things get complicated when their friendship turns into attraction--and one night, into a passionate kiss. The novel opens on the first day of senior year; the day Hannah is going to see Ava, Sebastian, and Noah all in one place. Over the course of the day secrets and betrayals are revealed, and alliances are broken and reformed. In the end, everyone is paired up once again, but not the way you might think.--Goodreads


Sometimes It Happens is perhaps the most real seeming YA novel I've ever read. 


Let me qualify that. 


The main character, Hannah, is super normal. There's nothing inherently "special" about her that makes her different from any other teenage girl. She isn't gorgeous, she isn't mysterious, and she definitely doesn't have super powers. She's just a typical high school girl who is insecure, unsure of herself, boy crazy, a little bit dramatic, and a little bit silly. Even her story is pretty typical—at the beginning of the summer before her senior year, she catches her boyfriend cheating on her, her best friend, Ava, leaves for the summer, and Hannah subsequently falls in love with Ava's boyfriend. 


Because, you know, sometimes it happens. 


The book alternates between "present day"—the first day of senior year—and the summer, which allows the story unfolds in a sort of emotionally manic order. Hannah is either freaking out because she's trying to determine how to navigate her first day of senior year, which is the first day all of the characters  have been in the same place at the same time since the beginning of the summer, or she's having an unexpectedly great, if not emotionally complicated, summer. The juxtaposition of her two experiences is actually a really fun storytelling device, as there is a nice  cliffhanger type set-up between chapters. Luckily, all you have to do is turn the page to get to the next pieces of information, instead of waiting for the sequel. ;)


Although Hannah ends up in a bit of a pickle because of how she handles a variety of situations, she learns that damage isn't necessarily irreparable. Sure, choices have consequences, and sometimes those consequences change relationships, but sometimes those relationships need to be changed. What Hannah ends up learning is that, ultimately, sometimes the bad choices people make don't always have a good explanation. Sometimes the choices aren't even really choices. Sometimes, it just happens. 


Overall, this book is a fun, quick read about a group of high school students and their motives. It's not life changing and it probably won't be your new favorite book, but if you're looking for something to breeze through to fill a day or two, Sometimes It Happens can do the trick and will even make you smile a time or two. 

Waiting on Wednesday: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Publisher: Poppy
Release Date: January 2, 2012

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18B. Hadley's in 18A. 

Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.--Goodreads


Let us count the reasons why I am excited to read this: 


1) I like long titles. I don't really like statistics or probabilities, as they both relate to math, but the statistical probability of love at first sight sounds like something that would be good to know for, like, pub trivia. Anyway. I think this title is nerdily, frumpily adorable and holds PROMISE as to what is inside the book. 


2) I like the name Hadley. 


3) I like British boys. 


4) I like the name Oliver. 


5) I especially like the name Oliver if it belongs to a British boy. 

6) I like the cover. It sort of reminds me of the movie poster (I feel like you should all know that when I first tried to type movie poster, I actually wrote "moster." Should we make that a new word? Moster? NO? Okay then.) for the film Waiting for Forever, which wasn't particularly good, but had a movie poster (you sure about nixing "moster"? You are? Okay.) I did like. 

Yeah, so now that I'm looking at the Waiting for Forever poster, it really looks NOTHING like the (better designed) cover for this book. But for some reason, when I saw the book cover, this movie poster is what I thought of. I'm obviously cracked. 

ANYWAY. With the exception of the crazy that was point number six, this all bodes very well. You know what does not bode well? 


This book doesn't come out until freaking January. Harumph. *sulks*


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. 

Tune In Tuesday: Freelance Whales

I kind of have a thing for bands that have quirky, nerdy songs.

Enter, Freelance Whales.

They're adorable and have a banjo and one of their songs is called "Kilojoules." I couldn't find a good quality video of it, so it's not included in this post. But the song is super cute and highly nerdy. I suggest it for those of you who are into that sort of thing.

Anyway. I like them MUCHO, and I hope you do too!

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReads!

TGIF: Perfect Pairs

 OMG it's July. We are officially half way through 2011. Is anyone else weirded out by that?

ANYWAY. It's July. It's summer. And what could possibly be better than sunshine and weekends at the beach and cute open toed shoes? Why, a little summer romance!

This week the fabulous Ginger at GReads! has asked:

Who are your favorite book couples?*

Alright, in no particular order, heeeeere we go.


Adam & Mia (If I Stay/Where She Went)
Yes. Yes. Yes.

Magnus & Alec (The Mortal Instruments)
They're just so adorable.

Anna & Etienne St. Clair (Anna and the French Kiss)
They met in Paris. At a boarding school. That's basically my fantasy life. 

Georgia & Dave the Laugh (Georgia Nicholson series)
Dave the Laugh might be the perfect YA boy. I know that's a really big, hyperbolic-sounding thing to say, but I mean it. He's British. He's funny. He's sexy. He's adorable. He's confusing. He's perfect. :)

Elizabeth & Darcy (Pride and Prejudice)
Duh.

So there you have my very, very abridged list of my favorite book couples. Let me know your faves in comments, and have an explosively wonderful Fourth of July weekend! (Yay America!)

*This is a very short list. If I listed them all, we'd be here forever. And I assume you have OTHER things to do than listen to me prattle on about literary couples I love, so I made the executive decision to keep this short and sweet.