Tuesday, November 30, 2010

LAST SACRIFICE: First Chapter Up

OMG! . . . OMG!

Oh goody! I have just finished reading chapter 1 of Vampire Academy's final book LAST SACRIFICE by Richelle Mead! It was great. . . I'm telling you, it was really really awesome, just amazing!! I love this series and I'm slowly dying waiting for the book. . . 5 more days to go.

Here it is:

CHAPTER 1

I don't like cages.

I don't even like going to zoos. The first time I went to one, I almost had claustrophobic attacks looking at those poor animals. I couldn't imagine any creature living that way. Sometimes I even felt a little bad for criminals, condemned to life in a cell. I'd certainly never expected to spend my life in one.

But lately, life seemed to be throwing me a lot of things I'd never expected, because here I was, locked away.

"Hey!" I yelled, gripping the steel bars that isolated me from the world. "How long am I going to be here? When's my trial? You can't keep me in this dungeon forever!"

Want to read more? Read the rest HERE.

Book Review: All that you can leave behind by David Thyssen

Title: All that you can leave behind
Author: David Thyssen
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 381 KB

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

Ratings:
 
★ ★  


My thoughts:

All That You Can Leave Behind is a story of a young boy named Sage, who tells his story through a blog. When his mother met her new boyfriend, they moved to the Carribean island and that's when his blog started. 

He started blogging his life because he doesn't have anybody to talk to, nothing to do except to go online or go to the beach for some swimming and surfing. I felt sorry for Sage and I consider his life as hell, just imagine  - his mother smokes pot with his boyfriend, he doesn't go to school because his mother was too lazy to do the paperworks and that means no friends too. So most of the time he cuts himself to temporarily ease the pain of living alone. 

The story was actually good until I was halfway reading it. I guess it was because I got tired of reading his "shitty life". Okay, I need to be clear on this. I liked the storyline, it just that when Sage had to deal with a lot of bad things, that's when I spend too much time in skimming, skimming and skimming so I could be done reading it. It was actually an inspirational story but there was too much harsh scenes that eventually made me got tired reading it.


This didn't work for me but there are others who enjoyed it. To read what others have to say to this book, click here

Synopsis:

To 13 year old Sage, the Caribbean island he just moved to with his apathetic mother might as well be deserted. Away from the turmoil of his old life in California, he is now left to deal with a past of abuse, but he finds he holds his own key to happiness inside. More than a story of redemption, it tells of the innate human drive for life and love, a quest for happiness on which all of us embark.

About the Author:


David Thyssen - I was born in the Netherlands forty four years ago. Just before the turn of the century, and at the height of a successful career as a television cameraman, I decided to move my family to the Caribbean to pursue my dreams of living a life like Sandy in Flipper. After living on two different islands and a short stay in Florida, I now reside on St. Barths where I'm a father, I surf, and write (often while under attack by blood thirsty mosquitos rather than hearing the laughter of jolly dolphins). Other than three novels, I have also written several screenplays, and I'm always working on several projects at the same time.







Note: I received a review copy of this e-book free from the author, David Thyssen. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Monday, November 29, 2010

LAST SACRIFICE teaser trailer: Dimitri Belikov and Rose Hathaway? ? ? ?

"Fine. I guess it's okay then. Go ahead."

"Huh? What's okay?"

"It's okay if you marry my brother."




Okay, I think it's Rose - everybody's thinking that it could be Viktoria but I read somewhere that Dimitri's family won't be included in Last Sacrifice.

It might be Rose talking to Dimitri - telling Rose that's it's okay to marry his brother - Adrian! That would be my guess - Dimitri's dad could be Nathan - Adrian's father. Stupid right? BUT I could be right. Who would have a brother except the Belikov sisters BUT they're not included in the final book  . . . . hmmm. . . . . 7 more days. . . might be the last teaser trailer



LAST SACRIFICE teaser trailer: Dimitri Belikov



GUARDIAN. Tent. LOVER. Map. MURDERER???



What the?!?! Dimitri would NEVER kill the Queen! I don't get this trailer - weird. . . .  THIS better makes sense when I read the book . . . .

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Book Review: Expiation by Greg Messel


Title: Expiation
Author: Greg Messel
Paperback: 292 pages
Publisher: Trafford Publishing (March 8, 2010)

Ratings:

★ ★ ★ ★ ★  


My thoughts:

Expiation. Huh? Intriguing. I honestly didn't know the meaning of it until I read the definition inside the book. The book is about two high school sweethearts, Katie and Dan who who were separated by fate. Dan left Katie because he had to follow his ambition of working in a newspaper company while attending school in San Francisco.

While the story and characters are fictional, the author managed to include some cultural and historical facts/events on the dates depicted in the fictional story. It was well written and it seemed so real, it made me cry while reading it. It wasn't a tear jerker but some parts of the book like Dan meeting other woman and leaving Katie behind made me cry. At first, I was so against Dan meeting the other woman - Wendy but after a while, I started to like Wendy and felt sorry not for Wendy or for Katie but for Dan because he had to go through that kind of situation where choosing one of the two would break his heart.

I loved the story, if you like long-lost love storyline, then this is for you.

Synopsis:

In 1968, Dan and Katie are one of the hottest couples at Ballard High School in Seattle. He is the hero football player, and she is the beautiful cheerleader. These high school sweethearts believe theirs is a love that will never die.


Life changes when Dan leaves Washington to start college at the University of California Berkeley and pursue his dream of working for a big time newspaper in the glamorous city of San Francisco. The quest for his dream occurs against the turbulent background of Berkeley and San Francisco in the 1970s as Dan and Katie go their separate ways.


Now, thirty years later, Dan is back in his hometown of Seattle attending his mother’s funeral. He’s never stopped thinking about Katie, his long-lost love. But the two former high school sweethearts reconnect in a most unexpected way as the rest of the world grows more fearful of Y2K and the dawn of the twenty-first century. They are hoping that their love, once lost, can now be reclaimed.

About the Author:

Greg Messel himself is married to his high school sweetheart, Carol. Expiation is largely based off his life as he grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, experiencing historical events such as the Vietnam protests at U.C. Berkeley in the 70s and the World Trade Organization riots in Seattle. He attended Brigham Young University and worked in the newspaper industry for several years. After retiring in 2008, Messel was able to focus on his writing career and begin publishing his novels. He is also excited to announce Expiation’s availability in eBook format. For more information visit www.gregmessel.com. 








Note: I received a review copy of this book free from Author Solutions. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Dimitri to Rose or Adrian to Rose???

"I'm backing down now. I really do love you. That's why I am doing this."


What?!?! Grave. . . . somebody will die in this book for sure as Richelle Mead divulged in one of her interviews but WHO?!?!

These Last Sacrifice teaser trailers are killing me! Please please . . . can I have the book now??!?! If Rose doesn't end up with Dimitri. . . somebody will pay!!

Sunday, November 21, 2010

LS teaser trailer: Rose Hathaway and Adrian Ivashkov




Thursday, November 18, 2010

I really think I'm being followed. . . .

Yes - that's righty. . . I'm being followed . . .

Okay bloggers! It's Friday again! Time for the weekly BLOG HOP! These weekly blog hops are being hosted by Parajunkee's view and Crazy for Books

This week's question:

How long have you been book blogging?

I started book/movies blogging early 2008 in Multiply but I transferred my blog here in Blogger in December 2008 so that's 2 years now.

This week's question is:



Just leave your name and link and I will visit your blog too! :)

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Book Review: Drowned Sorrow by Vanessa Morgan


Title: Drowned Sorrow
Author: Vanessa Morgan
Paperback: 188 pages
Publisher: Llumina Press (December 2, 2008)

Ratings:
★ ★ ★ ★   

My thoughts:

Have you watched The Village, a 2004-movie directed by M. Night Shyamalan? While I was reading Drowned Sorrow, I kept comparing it to the movie. There's something not right in Moonlight Creek but I couldn't figure it out. In the movie The Village, the Elders told the young villagers that they cannot leave the village because there are creatures inhabiting beyond the woods and these creatures will kill them once they step into the woods. This book was similar to the storyline of that movie, the people living in Moonlight Creek cannot leave their town because they're afraid they won't survive once they go outside the town.

I couldn't stop once I started reading this and that was almost midnight! It was not really that scary so I don't consider this as a horror book but it was the suspense in the story that made the book great!

I liked the book's ending, it was a complete surprise! I have never guessed that while reading the book. If you are looking for a great suspense story, you might want to buy a copy of this and you will not be disappointed with it.

Synopsis:

"Megan Blackwood has just lost her son in a terrible accident. Now she has come to Moonlight Creek with her teenage daughter Jenna, hoping that a change of scenery might help to put her life back together. But something odd is happening in Moonlight Creek. Beneath the lake's surface, an eerie presence watches... and waits... Waits to reveal a tragic past drowned in mystery and fear. One that doesn't bode well for visitors. By the time Megan realizes that her daughter's life is in danger. It might already be too late." http://vanessa-morgan.blogspot.com/


About the author:


  

Vanessa Morgan is the author of the horror books Drowned Sorrow and The Strangers Outside. Both  stories are currently being turned into movies. She loves animals, movies, books, tea, spicy food, city trips, languages (she speaks Dutch, French, English and Spanish) and her cat Avalon. She lives in Brussels, Belgium.






Note: I received a review copy of this book free from the author, Vanessa Morgan. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Last Sacrifice teaser trailer no. 3 - Lissa Dragomir Trailer



Lissa Dragomir? Sweet Lissa? Oh no, no! I just finished reading (AGAIN) Spirit Bound last night and my guess would really be Adrian's mom and dad, and a little doubt in Adrian. Rose broke his heart a lot of times and he's been so cool about it. BUT he loves Tatiana so much so that made me think not. What's with the green eyes? Lissa and Jill have green eyes, so I've been thinking Jill is Lissa's half-sister.

Penguin Australia will probably release the first chapter in 2 weeks! The wait is killing me!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Last Sacrifice teaser trailer with a quote!

Penguin Australia's second teaser trailer!



". . . there isn't much I wouldn't do for you. The stupider, the better."

Sound like that's a line Adrian would say to Rose. . . so this teaser I guess, it's Adrian who will help Rose escape. What do you think? 25 more days to go!

Teaser trailer #1 click here

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Book Review: Pandora's Succession by Russell Brooks

                                                   
Title: Pandora's Succession
Author: Russell Brooks
Format: Kindle Edition
File size: 475 kb 
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Ratings:
★ ★ ★ ★   

My thoughts:

When I started reading this book, it was a bit slow. There's already an action but I couldn't connect with the main character, Ridley Fox but after a while, the story got interesting and the book became a page turner! He presented the main characters good enough that made the story line engaging and actually , it was well written for a new author.  

The story happened in so many places, I love the time the story took place in Russia. The only place I did not enjoy was the time when Ridley Fox had to go to Japan for another mission. I got confused with all of the characters introduced because the author had given names even to those minor characters and all of the names sounds the same. I kept on going back to the earlier pages where the characters were introduced to see who's who.  It was even more confusing with the villain's names. I realized using Japanese names could be confusing to readers.

I usually don't like reading books with different P.O.V. and I guess this one was an exception. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and I would definitely recommend this to readers who like action/thriller/adventure!

You can read first five chapters here.

"Where would you hide if you learned the CDC and a major pharmaceutical company unleashed a
hyperdeadly microbe on the human race?

CIA operative, Ridley Fox, never stopped hunting his fiancée’s killers—a weapons consortium called The Arms of Ares. When an informant leads him to an old bunker outside of Groznyy, Chechnya, Fox is captured, beaten, and left for dead. When the informant rescues him, Fox learns that his capture was no coincidence: someone had set him up—possibly another government agent. Fox barely escapes after learning that Ares has acquired a hyperdeadly microbe—called Pandora—that is believed to have wiped out ancient civilizations.

The trail leads Fox to Tokyo where he discovers that people within the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Japanese Intelligence want Pandora for themselves. The only person Fox can trust is a woman from his past who he nearly got killed." http://www.russellparkway.com/.


Author’s biography

Russell Brooks is a former Canadian Track Team member in the 100 and 200 metres. He has written several essays on his blog The Big Picture, one of which was published in the online Op-Ed section of the National Post in early 2009. He has also written the short story, To The Last Bite, and produced his own poetry/novel-themed show, The Russell Show, on YouTube. He currently lives in Montreal, Quebec.







Note: I received a review copy of this e-book free from the author, Russell Brooks. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

VA Trailer : Last Sacrifice teaser

Are you excited?? I'm soooo excited, on December 7, Last Sacrifice will be out, and the series will end!

Penguin has released the first Last Sacrifice teaser:




Murder. Love. Jealousy. And the ultimate sacrifice.
Now, with Rose on trial for her life and Lissa first in line for the Royal Throne, nothing will ever be the same between them.
The sixth and final book in the international bestselling Vampire Academy series will leave fans breathless to the last page.

Do you think it's Christian who killed the  Queen??? Why would he kill her?!?!?! I really hate that idea of Christian killing the Queen because that would mean BIG problems with Lissa and Rose! It can't be!

WHO do you think KILLED the QUEEN??!?!?

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Follow Friday and Blogger Hop

Wow, it's Friday again and it's time for the weekly blogger hop! Join the weekly hop hosted by Parajunkee's view and Crazy for Books


Question of the week :

Who are your favorite authors?

  • Richelle Mead, JRR Tolkien and Laurell K. Hamilton.



Question for this week :

What are your feelings on losing followers? Have you ever stopped following a blog? 
  •  Losing followers? I checked for the reasons posted by other bloggers and I see most answered that they stop following a blogger who does not post often. I have a diffent opinion on this. Blogging is hard work and it's not easy reading and writing book reviews. I, myself usually just read and blog on weekends because I have a very demanding full time job so my time is really limited to 2 days per week. So for the 1st question - I would really feel bad about it, I can't do anything but accept that a blogger stopped following me. Everyone has his/her own reasons but it won't be a reason why I will stop following someone. Peace!
  • For the second question, I have never ever stopped following someone. Every week I only follow about 5-10 blogs so it's not that much. I really love to follow more blogs not because for the sake of "Follow me and I will follow you" game but because I want to see a lot of different posts when I check my dashboard on a daily basis. 
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