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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten All Time Favorite Characters

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 1 Comments


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
Every Tuesday the guys at The Broke and the Bookish post a top ten list which lets us, bloggers, post our own list for the same topic.
  
This is going to be my first post for Top Ten Tuesday. So, yeah, here goes my top ten favorite characters:

      1. Etienne St. Clair, Anna and the French Kiss (Stephanie Perkins)
    •  I like Etienne 'coz he's not a perfect guy. He's short. He bites his nails. He's afraid of heights. 
      2. Adam Wilde, If I Stay & Where She Went (Gayle Forman) 
    • Oh, adam! I loved Adam in If I Stay, he deeply loved Mia. When it came to Where She Went I felt his pain, his misery and I sort of hated Mia in a way.
      3. Sam Henry, Catching Jordan (Miranda Keneally)
    • This guy's just sooo adorable and sweet and funny. I love his funny moments and his antics. And I also love how he looks out after Jordan (his best friend).
      4. Jordan Woods, Catching Jordan (Miranda Keneally)
    • She's independent. She's strong. She stands up for what she wants. She's determined to reach her dreams. And she's not afraid. I truly admire this girl.
      5. Anna Oliphant, Anna and the French Kiss (Stephanie Perkins)
    •  I love how Anna tells her story in the book.  I can relate to how she feels at certain points.
      6. Sara Linton, Grant County & Georgia Series (Karin Slaughter)
    • She's a tough, tough girl but she's also soft inside. Love her.
      7. Jeffrey Tolliver, Grant County Series (Karin Slaughter)
    •  Although he's made some mistakes, he truly does love Sara so much. And he's an incredible guy.
      8. Will Trent, Georgia Series (Karin Slaughter)
    • This guy is beginning to grow on me as a character while I read each book in the Georgia series. 
     9.  Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye Mystery Series (Victoria Laurie)
    • She is one strong girl although sometimes it gets her into trouble. I like her and how she sees things.
     10. Dutch Rivers, Psychic Eye Mystery Series (Victoria Laurie)
    • I like how Dutch is sometimes super protective of Abby. He deeply loves the girl. Abby and Dutch together is just great.

*Wow, it's tough to decide the characters that make your list 'coz almost every book there's a character that grows on you. This list is somehow a list of couples from books/series I love. I felt like these couples complement each other and make them both great characters.
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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Colton Dixon, my season 11 American Idol

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 0 Comments


For those non-Idol fans, some info first…
Colton Dixon auditioned together with her sister Schyler on the last season of Idol where he almost made it but was cut off before the top 24. This year he accompanied her sister during the Savannah audition where he merely came to support her and did not plan on auditioning himself. Once Schyler audition though, the judges were able to convince him to audition as well.  The two got a yellow ticket. (Looks like Colton was destined to be on this season. Watcha think?) The two breezed through the other rounds and when the Las Vegas round came, Schyler did not make it, and as you know Colton did. He then made it to the top 25 and the rest is, as they say, history...

Colton Dixon is one of my favorites this season. I like almost every take on a song he does, mostly he makes it his own. He’s a true artist. Add to that, he has that certain look when he sings.. Ha! I know he's a good-looking guy but that's just a plus factor to his great singing. When he sang broken heart, I'm like "I really like this guy.!" The next week, he sang piano man and I went "I love this guy, he's great!" and it went on and on each week... Officially a messenger (Colton Dixon fan). 

I honestly don't know what happened 'coz he never was a part of the bottom three and he sure seems like a fan favorite. Colton was sure good last performance night but I guess it wasn't good enough. Maybe that Bad Romance performance did it for him?  But I sure did like it and his September number, he definitely made that song his own; I almost didn't recognize the song. Oh well, that's just it, I guess we'll never know.

I’m sure everything happened for a reason and this will certainly not be the end of him. As we have witnessed in previous seasons you don’t need to win to make it big and sometimes... those who got voted off? Has a way bigger career than the winners (think Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry).  So we messengers are sure, he will have a great career ahead of him. We’ll be waiting for you and your very first album. Continue being a great artist and continue glorifying God. This is not the end; it’s simply a beginning for a bigger and brighter future. As Colton puts it “…I know that God has some cool stuff for the future!”  

I'm still rooting for you, Colton, and you still are my season 11 American Idol! ^_^
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Thursday, April 19, 2012

Fallen, Karin Salughter

Thursday, April 19, 2012 0 Comments

I've been a fan of Karin Slaughter ever since I've read my first Slaughter novel which is A Faint Cold Fear. Started completing the Grant County series after then moved on to the Will Trent series. Now, I'm currently on the Georgia series. 

Have already read Undone and Broken, which by the way, are both great. I loved the Will-Sara relationship (though I still miss Jeffrey. =( ) and as usual the thrill and suspense are unwavering. And I'm so excited to read this third one, Fallen...

 

Wanting to read Fallen right after finishing Broken but hadn't had the chance to go to a bookstore where there's a copy. And while I'm still waiting to grab my paperback I'm so stoked to find an ebook copy over the internet. I will just devour myself on the ebook one first until I get the paperback one.

If you want to know more about Karin Slaughter and her books visit http://karinslaughter.com/ .
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Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Book Thoughts: Along for the Ride

Tuesday, April 17, 2012 0 Comments

“What defines you isn't how many times you crash but the number of times you get back.”

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It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.

In her signature pitch-perfect style, Sarah Dessen explores the hearts of two lonely people learning to connect. -Goodreads summary

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Along for the ride is my third Sarah Dessen novel (I’ve read This Lullaby and Lock & Key, which I have yet to write a review.).  And upon reading it, I became an absolute Dessen fan.  She is definitely one of my favorite YA authors to date and along for the ride my favorite amongst her novel I have read so far.

Auden is the loner type who acts like an all-grown-up girl and is all too focused on her studies.  She’s never had a childhood as normal kids had, she didn’t have much of a social life and she rarely sleeps at night.

What happened to Auden is so endearing to read: the way she learned to make friends, have fun and let loose. I especially loved those Auden-Eli nights.  They felt so comfortable around each other.  I liked how their relationship progressed and how they helped each other grow, together. I also enjoyed her moments with Maggie, Esther, and Leah.

The thing I really like about Sarah Dessen’s novel is the way the different relationships in her story develop. I enjoyed how Auden gradually became friends with her co-workers and with Eli and how her relationship with her father, her stepmom, and her mother grew.  Also, the characterization is great. It doesn’t just focus on the main characters; all the other individuals have their own personalities and stories to share. 

Reading this novel made me wanna dive into all the other Dessen novels I haven’t read. Along for the ride is on my favorite YA books list, definitely 5 stars.

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My Along for the Ride Playlist:
  • Brighter at Night - Ash Koley
  • "What do we do when the sun comes down? When all that we do. We do when it's brighter at night."
  • Gift of a Friend - Demi Lovato
  • "You'll change inside when you realize. The world comes to life and everything's bright... when you have a friend by your side."
  • Two Worlds Collide - Demi Lovato
  • "You have your dreams, I have mine. You have your fears, I was fine. Showed me what I couldn't find. When two different worlds collide."
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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

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Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Book Thoughts: Cathing Jordan

Tuesday, April 03, 2012 2 Comments
                    
          "Love hurts worse than getting slammed by a 250-pound linebacker."

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What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starting position... suddenly she's hoping he'll see her as more than just a teammate.

 -Goodreads summary



  
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First off, reading catching Jordan reminded me of the giddiness I felt while reading Stephanie Perkin’s Anna and the French Kiss.  And I’m not going to start comparing the two ‘coz they’re both amazing in their own ways.

Now, off to the main story…

Jordan Woods is the captain and quarterback of her High School football team. She’s all focused on her game determined to enter a powerhouse university so she can play college football. Everything changes when Ty arrives on her team… and she's also having issues with her best friend and her dad.

Jordan (or should I say Woods?)  is a lovable character. She’s independent. She stands for what she wants (not in the wrong way kind of thing.) She’s determined to reach her dream. She’s strong. And she’s not afraid. I admire her because of these things. 

Aside from Jordan, the minor characters are also great. Her teammate and friends: these characters are so fun to read.  They seem like a family.  The Woods’ family: although there are some issues you can still see the family bond.

And, and, and (special focus)… Sam Henry!!! (smiling. =)) is just sooo adorable, and sweet, and funny. His moments… I can’t help but smile. (I just can imagine that dance! LOL.) His and Jordan’s relationship is so endearing. They look out for each other and I love the things they do together.

Moving on to Ty… Honestly, I didn’t get about him being a good-looking guy and I just didn’t fall for him as a character. I was always thinking there is something bad about him. (Sorry Ty, that’s just me.)

One final note.. I’m not a fan of football and I have little knowledge about the sports. But hey, this wasn’t an issue at all reading the novel. Along the way, I learned some things about it. Keneally incorporated it well and it didn’t bore me at any moment.

It’s really an engaging story so I had to read it in one sitting.  I just soo loved this novel. Plus I also loved the book cover. It truly is one great novel debut by Miranda Keneally.  5 out of 5 stars.

P.S. Can’t wait for Stealing Parker, the companion novel to Catching Jordan. I hope Keneally writes a sequel to this (that would even be better.)


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My Catching Jordan playlist:
  • Lucky – Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat
  • " I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend..."
  • Count on me – Bruno Mars 
  • "You can count on me like 1,2,3 I'll be there... ...'Coz that's what friends are supposed to do."
  • I got you – Leona Lewis
  • "A place to crash, I got you. No need to ask, I got you."
  • What if? – Colbie Caillat
  • "What if we were made for each other? Born to become best friends and lover?"
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