Waiting on Wednesday (June 30, 2010)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

Fallout by Ellen Hopkins
Published September 14th 2010 by Margaret K. McElderry
Hardcover, 672 pages

Hunter, Autumn, and Summer—three of Kristina Snow's five children—live in different homes, with different guardians and different last names. They share only a predisposition for addiction and a host of troubled feelings toward the mother who barely knows them, a mother who has been riding with the monster, crank, for twenty years.

Told in three voices and punctuated by news articles chronicling the family's story, Fallout is the stunning conclusion to the trilogy begun by CRANK and GLASS, and a testament to the harsh reality that addiction is never just one person's problem.

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Published October 12th 2010 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Hardcover, 512 pages

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

***Book descriptions from goodreads

My new favourite song

Mizz Nina feat. Colby O'Donis - What You Waiting For (Official Music Video)



Mizz Nina is a Malaysian singer, model, radio show host, emcee and TV host. She was part of a band who called themselves the Teh Tarik Crew, a hip hop and rap group which was formed in 1999.

Colby O'Donis is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer and actor.

Contest winners!

Hi everyone, it's time to announce the winners of my recent giveaway!

The winner of Beautiful Creatures:

Kah Woei

The winner of The Blue Umbrella:

Anne Royce

I have already e-mailed the winners and they have until Thursday to reply me with their details. If not, I'll have to pick new winners.

Thank you so much to everyone who joined in. It was really fun and I can't wait to hold another contest again. :)

Friday Finds (June 25, 2010)

What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Friday Finds is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

It's Kind Of A Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

Like many ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future. Determined to succeed at life -- getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job -- Craig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does. That's when things start to get crazy.
At his new school, Craig realizes that he's just average, and maybe not even that. He soon sees his once-perfect future crumbling away. The stress becomes unbearable and Craig stops eating and sleeping -- until, one night, he nearly kills himself.

Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, isolated from the crushing pressures of school and friends, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.

Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created a moving tale about depression, that's definitely a funny story.

Wildthorn by Jane Eagland

Seventeen-year-old Louisa Cosgrove longs to break free from her respectable life as a Victorian doctor's daughter. But her dreams become a nightmare when Louisa is sent to Wildthorn Hall: labeled a lunatic, deprived of her liberty and even her real name.

As she unravels the betrayals that led to her incarceration, she realizes there are many kinds of prison. She must be honest with herself - and others - in order to be set free. And love may be the key...




The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch--and there's always a catch--is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo. --Dave Callanan


***All book descriptions taken from Goodreads

Book Blogger Hop: June 25-28, 2010

Welcome to this week's Book Blogger Hop which is hosted by Crazy-For-Books. Go over to her blog for more information and to leave your links to your post.

If you're new here, let's get to know me:

1. Hi, I'm Josette, aged 22 and from Malaysia.

2. I've been book blogging since December 2006 and it'll be four years of blogging for me come December.

3. I enjoy reading contemporary, YA, and historical fiction. Sometimes I read thrillers, fantasy and classics. Graphic novels are great too!

4. I have two book blogs. You're reading one now and my other one, Books Love Me - Reviews is only for my book reviews.

5. Yesterday I finished reading and reviewed Pistonhead by Thomas A. Hauck. Click here to read my review.

5. You can also find me on Twitter, LibraryThing and Goodreads.

Thanks for reading! Tell me about yourself and leave your links in the comments. :)

***Have you joined my current giveaway? You could win Beautiful Creatures or The Blue Umbrella! It's open to all and today's the last day to enter. Check it out here!

Teaser Tuesdays (June 22, 2010)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Current read: Pistonhead by Thomas A. Hauck

page 85

Nearly every audience member in the first ten rows was now giving Rip the finger, even the big kid in the red button-down shirt who had seemed benign when the show started. A cup of soda came sailing out of the crowd and splattered at Charlie's feet.

***Have you joined my current giveaway? Check it out here!

Finished reading I Capture the Castle

Do check out my review of I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.

Have you reviewed this book? Please leave me the link to your review!

***Have you joined my current giveaway? Check it out here!

Book Giveaway #8 - Beautiful Creatures

***CONTEST CLOSED. Winners will be announced soon. A huge thank you to everyone who participated!***

Hey everybody, I've having a book giveaway! Check out these books (paperback) that are up for grabs:

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (brand new)

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she’s struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps, and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town’s oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

The Blue Umbrella by Mike Mason (gently-read once)
Read my review on Books Love Me - Reviews

When Zac Sparks's mother dies, he's sent to live in Five Corners with his cruel old Aunties. It isn't long before Zac knows something strange is going on. Five Corners is populated with weird characters-a midget butler, a girl who doesn't speak, a blind balloon seller, a mysterious singer, and the Aunties' father, Dada.

Zac's first encounter with Dada is so terrifying he faints dead away. The one bright spot is Sky Porter, a friendly soul who encourages Zac and shows him kindness. But Sky isn't what he seems either, and when Zac learns Sky's amazing secret, he sees that this wonderful man may have a very dark side as well. Discovering that Dada is an evil magician who has found a way to live forever, Zac knows many lives are at stake, including his own.

The details:

1. Open to everyone.
2. FILL THE FORM to enter.
3. Contest ends June 25, 2010. I'll be using Random.org to choose the winners. Good luck!

In My Mailbox (June 20, 2010)

Received for review:

1. The Ice Princess by Camilla Läckberg
2. Pistonhead by Thomas A. Hauck
3. How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu
4. Fame by Daniel Kehlmann

What books did you guys get?

In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by The Story Siren.

***Have you joined my current giveaway? Check it out here!

Follow My Book Blog Friday!

Now this is something new that I saw over at Michelle and Leslie's Book Picks. This blog event is being hosted by Parajunkee's View.

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host {Parajunkee.com} and any one else you want to follow on the list.
2. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
3. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments.
4. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can.
5. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers.
6. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!

So...happy following!

Book Blogger Hop: June 18-21, 2010

Welcome to this week's Book Blogger Hop which is hosted by Crazy-For-Books. Go over to her blog for more information and to leave your links to your post.

If you're new here, let's get to know me:

1. Hi, I'm Josette, aged 22 and from Malaysia.

2. I've been book blogging since December 2006 and it'll be four years of blogging for me come December.

3. I enjoy reading contemporary, YA, and historical fiction. Sometimes I read thrillers, fantasy and classics. Graphic novels are great too!

4. I have two book blogs. You're reading one now and my other one, Books Love Me - Reviews is only for my book reviews.

5. You can also find me on Twitter, LibraryThing and Goodreads.

Thanks for reading! Tell me about yourself and leave your links in the comments. :)

BTT: Now or then?

This week's Booking Through Thursday question:

Do you prefer reading current books? Or older ones? Or outright old ones? (As in, yes, there’s a difference between a book from 10 years ago and, say, Charles Dickens or Plato.)

My answer:

It depends on my mood. Sometimes I prefer new ones. Sometimes I like a challenge by reading books that were published many, many years ago where the language used would have my head cracking and me scrambling for the dictionary to look up new-to-me words. It's an indescribable experience reading classics as such books have stood the test of time. Readers, academics, literary folks have perused them for centuries. Classics have been recommended countless of times. That's why I appreciate them.

But if I really need something light and does not require much concentration, I'll pick up contemporary novels. Not that all contemporary need little concentration! Don't get me wrong. It's just that I'm more familiar with the language, though at times, they do make me go back to the dictionary.

Giveaway at The Book Vixen

From this contest, you can choose any of the following books:

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
Sea by Heidi Kling
Blood Song by Cat Adams
Skin Tight by Ava Gray
Insatiable by Meg Cabot

It's open to wherever The Book Depository ships to and it ends June 30, 2010. And I like the button so much!

Everything Austen II Challenge

July 01, 2010 ---> January 01, 2011
Hosted by Stephanie's Written Word

Details: The Everything Austen Challenge will run for six months! All you need to do is pick out six Austen-themed things you want to finish to complete the challenge. You have until Thursday, July 15th 2010 to officially sign up.

The six Austen-themed things I'm going to do over the next six months:

1. Read Emma
2. Read Pride and Prejudice
3. Read Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict
4. Read The Jane Austen Book Club
5. Watch Emma (1996)
6. Watch Pride and Prejudice (1995 and 2005)

Below are snapshots from some movies based on Jane Austen's novels.

(left) Emma and Mr Knightley
(right) The cast of Clueless which was based on Emma



(left) Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet of 1995's Pride and Prejudice
(right) Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet of 2005's Pride and Prejudice



Oooh, I'm so excited! I'm thinking of watching three movies and reading three books either by Austen or about her or her books.

The Huge TBR Readathon

Hosted by Bookworming in the 21st Century
June 14, 2010 ---> June 20, 2010 - midnight!
What to do? Read, read read.

Okay, so I saw this readathon yesterday, which was Monday but couldn't decide whether I was up for it. And today, I thought, what the heck. Let's go for it. Not sure how many books I can read but I'm gonna try my best!

Now reading: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

The Versatile Blogger award!

I received this lovely award from Lover of Romance of Addicted to Romance, Just Another Book Worm, Book Savvy, The Bibliophile's Lounge and Desert Book Chick! Thank you so much!

The rules:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.
2. Share seven things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason! (In no particular order...)
4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

Seven things about me:

1. I love burgers and pizza.
2. I am going to graduate in August.
3. My favourite movies are Emma (Gwyneth Paltrow), Pride and Prejudice (1996 version with Colin Firth), Stardust, French Kiss, Helen of Troy, The Rat Race, 27 Dresses, Robin Hood (Kevin Costner) and lots more!
4. I enjoy watching series like Ugly Betty, The Apprentice, Gossip Girl, Roswell, can't think of more. Now I'm watching Friends!
5. My dream is to travel around the world and visit countries with winter.
6. I read a lot, from books to magazines to newspapers to the subtitles on movies. I love movies with English subtitles. Makes me understand and appreciate the movie even more.
7. And I love blogging! :)

The Versatile Blogger award goes to:

1. A Moment with Mystee
2. A Reading Kabocha
3. A Severe Book Addiction
4. Betty's Books
5. Darlyn & Books
6. Emily's Reading Room
7. Erika Breathes Books
8. iRead n iReview
9. Mostly Reading YA
10. Nishita's Rants and Raves
11. Park Benches and Bookends
12. Ruz's Bookshelves
13. Sarah's Book Reviews
14. The Book Coop
15. The Books of My Life

Teaser Tuesdays (June 15, 2010)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Current read: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

page 172

The water of the moat was black and silver and gold; silver where the moonlight shimmered on it, gold under the candlelit windows; and while I watched, a gold pool spread around the corner tower as Thomas came out and set the lantern in the doorway. Then Neil came down looking very tall in the black bathing-shorts and stepped from lantern light to moonlight.

Now Reading Reloaded plugin installed!

A couple of years ago, I came upon the Now Reading plugin (for Wordpress blogs) by Rob Miller. Some blogs are using it to show books they've read or planning to read and I wanted it for my Wordpress blog too. It looked so good! Still do.

I was a newbie in HTML at that time so I didn't know how to install it successfully. The instructions looked easy but somehow, something was not right somewhere. So I gave up. I would go back to the plugin some time after that to try and make it work but no luck. Last week, I tried again. Still doesn't work.

Anyway, I was lucky to find a similar/updated/modified version of the same plugin and it's called Now Reading Reloaded by Ben Gunnink. I spent almost a whole day working on and doing some tweaking to the plugin to make it look 100% okay on my blog. You can see how my Library page looks like now. :)

Mind you, it wasn't easy to make it look proper. I had to make adjustments to the plugin's templates so that the pages didn't look broken up. I Googled many times for tips, tricks, anything that would give me an idea on how to fix the problems.

Thank goodness I found this blog, davidedwardsphotos.com and read how he tweaked the plugin. The blog Planet Mediocrity helped me too. I also found good advice from the support forum related to this plugin.

You may visit the abovementioned websites should you need help in installing this plugin. :)

Peachy Posts #6

Peachy Posts is a feature on this blog where noteworthy posts from other blogs/sites are highlighted.

1. An insightful post by Becky of Becky's Book Reviews on the freedom of blogging. More like blogging without guilt!

2. Can't finish the book? Misfit Salon has a post on what makes the reader stop reading. On the same subject, Teresa of Shelf Love has some points on why readers dislike what they read.

3. Afraid of writing a negative review? Becky has a good post on writing negative reviews to help you think straight! A similar post can also be found at Book Faery where she also writes about reading a series of books.

4. Who knew those tags and labels were that important? Beth Fish has some useful tips on categorising your blog posts.

5. Remember the writing rule, "Show, don't tell"? Valerie of I Should be Writing has some writing tips for you.

6. Check out Franklin's Top 10 Stephen King books at Book Stove.

Math made easy

1+1=2
2+2=4

If only Math was that simple, right? But the truth of the matter is, I really enjoyed Math during my school days. My friends would call me a Math freak (I think!) because they can always find me sitting at my desk practising some Math questions. Ah, I did love Math. If only I could still take out my old practice books and get down to solving some hard head-cracking problems!

Since I did a lot of questions, I also couldn't solve many of the Math problems. I did ask some of my friends for help but I couldn't ask them all the time. It wouldn't be fair to wholly depend on them. So when my Math teachers came into class, (yes I had two of them as I was taking Modern Maths and Additional Maths in Form Six during my pre-university studies), I'd bring up some questions for them to help me solve.

Another way to get additional Math help was through the Internet. Of course there are Math tutors online who would kindly oblige to guide students in solving those darn Math questions. They are absolute geniuses, let me tell you that! They were my life-savers and also saved a lot of my time. So if you're looking for a Math problem solver, you can just google "math help" or relevant search terms on the search engine.

Good luck with Math!

What I'm reading today

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly event hosted by Book Journey where bloggers gather to share what they have read this past week and what they plan to read this week.

Book completed last week: Collision of Evil by John J. Le Beau




Book I'm now reading: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Book Blogger Hop: June 11-14, 2010

Welcome to this week's Book Blogger Hop which is hosted by Crazy-For-Books. Go over to her blog for more information and to leave your links to your post.

About me:

1. Hi, I'm Josette, aged 22 and from Malaysia.

2. I've been book blogging since December 2006 and it'll be four years of blogging for me come December.

3. I enjoy reading contemporary, YA, and historical fiction. Sometimes I read thrillers, fantasy and classics. Graphic novels are great too!

4. I have two book blogs. You're reading one now and my other one (Books Love Me - Reviews) is only for my book reviews.

5. I'm currently reading I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.

6. The last book I read: Collision of Evil by John J. Le Beau

7. Since the last hop, I've written these two posts that you should check out:
Peachy Posts #5
Books from my childhood days

8. You can also find me on Twitter and Goodreads.

Thanks for reading! Tell me about yourself and leave your links in the comments. :)