Adorkable by Sarra Manning

Yesterday night I started reading Adorkable by Sarra Manning, please notice that I mentioned in my previous post that I no longer read YA but Sarra Manning female characters aren’t just teenagers they are feminist and there is nothing innocent about them, their cheekiness is what makes them so fun and Jeane Smith is no exception.

ADORKABLE

So Far I like it but I only read 30 pages or so and I can already tell that this Michael character is too mellow for my taste (and looks ugly on the cover), he isn’t toxic at all and that I can tell will be an issue for me.

However I am picturing him as the actor from “Seducing Mr Perfect” (urgh…yuck, did I watch that too?):

Daniel Henney

Not bad, right? Em

If I were a ya character

I would be Jessica Darling .

Yesterday evening I saw Perfect Fifths on the floor in my room, I picked it up and read a few pages…I spent most of the night awake re-reading a book that for many years now has been one of my favorites.

I love The Jessica Darling Series, I am particularly in love with Perfect Fifths, I find it different, surreal and yet so real, it makes me long for that sort of meaningless  conversations that mean everything at some point in life.

Jessica and Marcus are so compelling, I wish there was more to this series, I am sure they are not together right now in their thirties but it’s only temporary and sooner or later they’ll find their happy ending.

How is it that ya series never turn into adult series? I want to see what happens when characters get my age and then older,  I especially  miss Jessica and Marcus.

I miss them a lot.

Who would you be if you were a ya character?

Em

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles and all sort of things

Oh I missed being here, hopefully I will start post regularly again  although nothing is quite settled right now I’m my life, I rent an apartment in Milan and one in Dublin, my husband is currently in London, I have a new manager and my team will probably undergo a re-organization (again!), and I will  soon have very BIG NEWS…I am so looking forward to december, this year I simply CANNOT WAIT but as my mum says “Patience is ‘the’ virtue of the strong ones” (italian idiom “la pazienza è la virtù dei forti“).

So here it’s the thing about Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles, I was hoping for distraction but all I got is a mild sense of annoyance, Carlos got on my nerves due to his self absorbed personality and poor listening skills, I couldn’t get into him and this is a big issue because this is a romance so the main male character is the focal point of everything.

This is not entirely Elkeles’s fault, it’s clearly one of those situations in which I read a good book at the wrong moment, lately I’ve been noticing that people always say “I am here if you need to talk” but are they really there? Don’t they just pretend for a few minutes so that they can then have their payback time which might take hours if I am the one listening on the other side of the coffee table.

Ok I am rambling… back to Carlos and Kiara all I can say is that attraction might have been in the air (not as overwhelming as in Perfect Chemistry) but love surely was missing and if the epilogue didn’t bother me too much in PC, here I found myself rolling my eyes and thinking “not again“.

I am quoting the super-quotable Carla:

“because we all know there is a BIG difference between love and lust and I just never felt like they crossed that particular line, I felt like I was told they did”

Precisely!

The opposites-attract routine never fails me but this time Kiara was a little too nice and understanding, I would have appreciated some  attitude.

Plus the whole sub-plot regarding gangs’ dynamics wasn’t engaging , it felt a bit like something that Elkeles had to throw in there somehow without too much conviction.

Other reviews:

The Crooked Shelf

Chachic’s Book Nook

Angieville

The YA YA YAs

My grade: 3/5

Em

The secret countess by Eva Ibbotson

Eva Ibbotson had been on my mind for a while and then I was invited to We Love Ya on Chachic’s blog where both Angie and Holly recommended A Company of Swans and A Song for Summer but The Secret Countess was already on my bookshelf so I decided to start from this one.

I am super glad I did it because The Secret Countess it’s one of those enchanting, make-you-feel-good-about-being-good fairytale plus it’s unputdownable and once I started reading about Anna Grazinski I simply could not stop.

Anna Grazinski is the heir of an aristocratic russian family based in St Petersburg, in Russia Anna has the most perfect life,  speaks many languages, plays the piano, she is not the most beautiful girl at court but her humble attitude and charm make her impossible to resist.

When revolution tears Russia apart and her beloved father dies, her now-penniless family is forced to flee to England where Anna becomes a housemaid at Mersham, a magnificent mansion on the verge of ruin.

Years ago  Rupert, The Earl of Westerholm, had promised his older brother that if required he would have done his best to save Mersham.

Differently from his brother Rupert has survived the war, he is coming back to Mersham and is getting married to the beautiful Muriel, a wealthy heiress who can afford to save Mersham and, most importantly, she wants to because those two are in love or so they think.

But the real story is about Anna and Mersham and the way Anna integrates herself so well that she becomes Mersham and Rupert learns to love his house through her.

This is a fairytale so there are no surprises, no shades, characters are pure goodness or utterly evil, Anna is a mix of earnestness, grace, sensitivity, she is perfect the way only fairytales’ heroines are.

I enjoyed reading about a princess who finds herself scrubbing floors and charms a whole community of supporting characters.

All supporting characters are great and there many but Ibbotson doesn’t overdo, she orchestrates them perfectly,  every single character is relevant and adds a contribution to the narration.

Predictability is not a bad thing, most of the books I read are  predictable and yet I don’t mind, I enjoy the ride if the story is well written and makes me feel something / think about something.

This it’s what I call a comfort book, a perfect way to spend a lazy day on the couch with a blanket and a cup of cocoa.

I reached the end with a BIG smile on my face and with a vague sensation that being good matters.

My grade: 4/5

Em

BBAW – Day 4 – Forgotten Treasure

DAY 4: A forgotten Pleasure

I love this theme because I am sure today I will discover the most amazing books, this is where bloggers usually squeeze their brains and come up with the best answers.

Do I have a book that I wish got more attention from the book blogging community?

Yes I do, there are a few titles on my mind. First up it’s a delightful chick lit I read many years ago:

Kate Saunders is an English author, actress and journalist, she writes children books and chick lit, Bachelor Boys really made an impression on me.

Then I would like to mention Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman (ya? dystopian?):

I recommend this book because of its strength, it won’t leave you indifferent.

What’s your forgotten treasure?

Em

Book Blogger Appreciation Week

I consider myself a relatively new blogger who has received lots of encouragement from fellow bloggers so it’s pay back time!

First Question: For those you new to BBAW, what was the first book blog you discovered?

I don’t remember the first blog I discovered but the first one that truly mattered is Angieville by Angie.

Why? I adopted her beloved shelf as my TBR list and so far it hasn’t disappointed me, her reviews are the best because they say everything by saying nothing (significant but spoilers-free) plus she really makes an effort to get to know all her followers. I often associate unpretentiousness and talent, Angie has plenty of both.

Second Question: for those of you who participated in BBAW last year, what’s a great new book blog you’ve discovered since last year’s BBAW?

I didn’t participate last year because I wasn’t blogging but a great book blog I recently discovered is Lit Snit.

Erin, Janelle and Daniela appeared on the blogosphere a couple of months ago but their blog has quickly become one of my favorite, they mix a bit of everything which I like, their reviews are never bland.

Like me they are always on the lookout for a good chick lit, not too obvious, not overly dramatic.

Em

Book Blogger Hop!

The Book Blogger Hop is is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books!

This Weeks Question: post a link to a favorite post or book review that you have written in the past three months.

My Answer: those reviews that I mentioned yesterday aren’t mine but they are truly remarkable and I highly recommend reading them.

Unluckily my reviews tend to contain spoilers that’s because I can’t keep my enthusiasm at bay, this is why a personal favorite of mine is this gushing review I wrote about The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner but if you are looking for something without spoilers I recommend the one I wrote about I wanna be your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert.

If you are here for the hop make sure to leave your link so I can come by and say hello.

Em

A challenge! Oh what a Challenge!

Sometimes I find book reviews that are so passionate that physically hit me with their enthusiasm (in a good way) and make me restless, I am left with an immediate urgency of reading the book.

I usually spring into action ASAP, I have an account on amazon and one on bookdepository, every single book it’s just “one click away” (mostly) and this is how I ended up with more books that I can possibly read from here to Christmas.

Here in Dublin I share an apartment (my italo canadian family):

it’s great but I have very little space for my books, this is why

I solemnly promised that I won’t buy more books until I read everything that’s already in the apartment

What a challenge! Those are the sort of reviews responsible for my compulsive behaviour:

Jane by April Lindneer reviewed by Angie

The absolutely true diary of a part time indian by Sherman Alexie reviewed by Katie

Freak Magnet by Andrew Auseon reviewed by Carla

Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos by Lit Snit

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier reviewed by Holly

Before I fall by Lauren Oliver reviewed by Jen

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith reviewed by Chachic

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice reviewed by Meg (this one I read and is simply amazing, all I want is for you to read Meg’s review and consider reading this beautiful novel)

Just so you know,  I blame all of you 🙂

Em

Waiting on Wednesday

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine

This week’s pre-publication “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers.

Release date: December 2010

It has the most amazing cover:

From Goodreads:

When Eddie Reeves’s father commits suicide her life is consumed by the nagging question of why? Why when he was a legendary photographer and a brilliant teacher? Why when he had a daughter who loved him more than anyone else in the world? When she meets Culler Evans, a former student of her father’s and a photographer himself, an instant and dangerous attraction begins. He seems to know more about her father than she does and could possibly hold the key to the mystery surrounding his death. But Eddie’s vulnerability has weakened her and Culler Evans is getting too close. Her need for the truth keeps her hanging on… but some questions should be left unanswered.

I can’t wait for this one.

What’s your pick?

Em

Bad Books I read in 2010

Today I feel like organizing a list of some bad books I read in 201o, if you check my 5/5 list you might think that I am quite generous, truth to be told I am not … it’s just that when I read a book and it’s really bad either I give up (because life is too short) or I simply don’t feel  like sitting here and writing about it.

I bitch all day about all sort of things (office related things especially) and when it comes to books I just want to have fun but I am aware that Bad Reviews are also important,  so here it’s a list of books I read in 2010 and wouldn’t recommend to anybody:

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

A Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K. Hamilton

You are probably thinking that I am a prude, that’s not it! I selected those two books expecting some steamy Urban Fantasy but I found both books extremely dull and utterly boring

The Duke and I by Julia Quin

I enjoyed The Viscount Who Loved me so much but this one was a disappointment, I hate manipulations in all shapes so I was really annoyed by Daphne

Hostile Makeover by Wendy Wax

I deeply disliked the male character Ross, I failed to see his charming side. I should have know from the description: porsche-driving sales executive …urghhh…welcome to my personal nightmare

Schooled by Anisha Lakhani

I didn’t see the charm, one of those books that tries too hard to be smart, sometimes it works perfectly but this one left me completely unsympathetic

The Gatecrasher by Madeleine Wickham

Madeleine Wickham is in fact Sophie Kinsella but to me they are two completely different writers as I can’t help loving everything Kinsella publishes while hating everything that’s signed by Wickham.

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

I am perfectly aware that most readers love this book but I really couldn’t get into it. I wasn’t impressed by Aislinn, fairies are cold sinister creatures  not half as fun as my beloved werewolves.

Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

One of those books in which a character is meant to be dark, dangerous, sexy because the author says so, I like reaching my own conclusions not being told how each character is

What about you?

Em