It is now Day 3 of the challenge and the new question is Who are your blogging BFFS?

Now this is easy. I bet you can guess who this one is as I mention her in my posts all the time. My blogging BFF who got me into blogging is my good friend Sunny who I've known since I was a baby. We talk all the time about what we can do to improve our blogs to ranting or raving about recent books we've read. We also have started a new feature on our blogs called Two Diva's Bookish Discussion so stay posted as we'll have another post up soon.

If you're a blogger, who's your blogging buddy?

So to continue with this challenge the new question is What's your bedtime reading ritual?

I don't actually have a set bedtime routine. I usually get into bed at like 8:30pm and read, watch TV shows on my laptop or talk to friends. If I am really into a book I could read until about 3:00 in the morning. I know it's sort of crazy but I don't notice time goes that fast. But I always read something before I go to bed. It's only when I realise my house is quiet because my family is asleep that I realise I've been up for hours.  

Do you have a set sleeping routine?

Hey guys, from seeing this tag on a number of blogs I decided to join in as it sounds like fun. This challenge is hosted by Good Books and Good Wine and it is basically another way for you readers to get to know us bloggers! 

So to kick it off with day 1 I have to make 15 book related confessions.

1. I have not yet a John Green book. I know I can picture your cries of outrage right now and I promise I plan  to read The Fault in our Stars. I have already made a reservation at my school library so chill, I will get there (eventually) 

2. I tried Clockwork Angel and couldn't finish it. ^^again your cries of outrage. I borrowed it from my library and I just couldn't finish it. I don't really like it when books are set in the olden times so that made it really difficult for me. I think the hype surrounding all the Cassandra Clare books sort of ruined it for me but again I promise to give City of Bones a try. (Especially before the movie comes out) 

3. I usually never leave the house with out being able to read something. So like if I'm waiting for the bus I'll have a book handy. (Never a boring situation) 

4. A lot of my friends don't know about my blog. I don't know why but I just don't publicise to my school friends that I have one. It's not that I'm ashamed as I love and enjoy blogging and I'm proud of it but I just never have the time to mention it. Only 3 of my non-blogging friends know about it. 

5. If I am in a book store I usually sit there and read and pretend that I am actually browsing. It's only when I get that look that says 'Are you going to buy that book' do I ever leave. Other than that I usually take my time. Choosing books is really hard. 

6. I have to have a mental debate over which book to choose to buy so I'm usually just standing there looking like an idiot. 

7. All my book boyfriends have created high standards  (They must be like Tobias) 

8. I find it really hard to read books on like pdf or on my phone. It really hurts my eyes so I try to avoid it unless I am desperate. 

9. I really want to do a book vlog but I want to focus on blogging first and build up my confidence. 

10. I want to become a writer when I'm older. 

11. I think the Percy Jackson and the I Am Number Four movies sucked! But I'm not going into that or I could write a whole essay. 

12. It really annoys me when I fell a spelling or grammatical error in a book. Why? How is that possible? It's meant to be a book! 

13. I don't like insta-love and love triangles. Love triangles were cool at the start but now that I am seeing it in EVERY book it's just become annoying and boring. Is it that hard to have a different idea authors??? (Probably) Insta-love I just find really unrealistic. I don't know why. 

14. I hate not finishing a series once it's started. That's why I prefer trilogies because I find when a series drags on too much a cannot finish it and that really irks me. 

15. I really do judge a book by it's cover, title, and blurb. It just doesn't attract my attention if it doesn't stand out so that means I likely won't give it a chance if I don't see it. I also hate Australian version of covers! Can't we just stick to one simple cover that is world wide!!! 

Thank you for reading my post and leave a comment of what you think! Do you agree with some of the things I said? Stay posted to see Day 2! 

I read a really good debate from a fellow blogger and I just thought it would be good to go check it out. To summarize it, it's basically about the influence of YA books on us teens...I know ridiculous! 

So check out her blog it's worth reading: 

http://rachaelreviewsall.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/why-ya-is-not-scam.html?aal=MjAyMTQxOTM%3D-9e842a022053fd5d1ef9ea7db377336ffb148f5d&m=1

By Veronica Roth 

If you have not seen my review of Divergent please visit here first

Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wrecked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future.

Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever...because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead. 

Review - No Spoilers

I finished this book and boy is my mind blown. I went into this book with low expectations as I have heard so many discussions about how it's not as good as the first one. I must say I agree, it didn't disappoint me but there were just a lot of issues I will go into more detail later. I guess I'll start off with the cover, unfortunately I got stuck with this one because for some reason publishers like to mess with us readers and give us different covers. I don't like this one as much as the other version so that slightly annoyed me.

I'm going to start with the issues in this book that annoyed me so I can end on a happy note. I think Tris was the main problem for me. I found her childish and she just does really dumb things in my view. I don't want to say too much or I'll give it all away but the relationship between her and Tobias is definitely pushed to the limits. Sometimes I think Tris becomes very self-centred which got tiring and annoying and it just got to the point where I thought I wouldn't finish Insurgent. I definitely didn't read this nearly as quickly as Divergent which is a shame.

Now onto the good things! I really liked Insurgent because we got to see a different side of Tobias we didn't get to see in the first novel. I found that really touching and we get more of his back-story which is great so his character development was really well done. But we also see the "instructor" side of him which was sort of needed in some situations. 

Insurgent was definitely filled with more action. It just felt like every happy moment was short lived so that kept me turning pages for hours. All the questions that are asked in Divergent are answered in this book but with the new knowledge we gain more questions which are asked which is frustrating as we have to wait till Allegiant comes out. (which is quite soon) We also obtain more knowledge about the other factions, Divergent was more focused on the Dauntless so it was really interesting finding out more about Amity and Candor. There customs and routines are so different to Dauntless it's just refreshing to read. 

Overall I both hated this book but loved it at the same time so I have mixed feelings on it. There were many things that could have been different about this book and the ending was so good and I am dying to read the next book. It's a little sad to know that it will be the end of the series though so that's a little depressing. There are many new characters the readers meet and there are many characters you don't expect to do certain things. (That's all I'm saying) 

Here are a few quotes that I found funny:

"You don't let us do anything," says Tobias. "If you don't step aside we will be forced to step over you instead of past you." - Spoken like a true Dauntless. 

Grief is not as heavy as guilt, but it takes more away from you. - I thought this is a good quote as it's very true. 

"Yep. Figured it would be harder for anyone to shoot me if they saw how devastatingly attractive I was." - I found this really funny. 

"If you ask me the Dauntless are too gun-happy anyway."-  I also found this really funny

They must see someone I don't see. Someone capable and strong. Someone I can't be; someone I can be. -  I'm not sure why I really like this quote

I GIVE IT: I have a new rating system so please have a look here.

Please check out this awesome blog, she has a brilliant give-away that you must enter!!!

http://ransom-reads.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/half-year-loot-june-july-2013.html

By Teri Terry 

- Goodreads -
Kyla’s memory has been erased,
her personality wiped blank,
her memories lost for ever.

She’s been Slated.

The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?
.

Review - No Spoilers 

Wow, I just finished Slated and I have no words so I am very sorry if this review is sloppy. I got recommended this by Sunny and I am so glad I decided to borrow it from the library and read it. I'll start off with the cover which is great. It's quite spooky and I love how her eyes really stand out. The girl is meant to be Kyla and I got to say that it is really easy imagine Kyla as looking like her. 

One thing that is really noticeable about this book is the writing style. Often I say this as every author's writing is unique but this one is extremely different and it sort of reminded me of Shatter Me as that writing style is very unique as well. You sometimes think that the writing is childish but it makes sense due to the whole thing of being Slated. So I love how the author has done this and it's obvious she has put great time and effort in creating the character.

Going on from that last point about the character, the protagonist of this story is Kyla and I loved reading from her perspective. The confusion, anger, sadness, and curiosity of her past is truly outstanding and very believable so it is obvious as you are reading that her character grows as she learns more and more about the truth so the character development is brilliant in this book. Kyla has to go through a lot with all the struggles she is faced with and it's interesting how she always somehow comes through. 

Also, one key factor about all the characters is that you don't know who to trust. There are so many character who you think are nice but then they say or do something that makes you suspicious. I think that is what created a lot of the suspense whilst reading and it was always gripping to see what happened next. 

Overall I thought this was a brilliant and incredibly unique story which I had me turning pages for hours. It was a well paced novel and it had a great touch of romance. I thought this book was a really good science fiction but a lot of people say it's dystopian as it is set in the future but I think science fiction can also have a futuristic theme to it so this book seems to be teetering on the edge of science fiction and dystopian. I don't think it matters how you classify it. 

I GIVE IT:

By Kimberly Derting 

Goodreads
In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

Review - No Spoilers 
I just finished this book and wow am I greatly surprised. I read the summary on Goodreads and I thought it would be an interesting dystopian. To be honest I hadn't heard much about it and the low reviews on it left me with low expectations. Thankfully my school library had it so I was able to read it for the holidays.

Now I'm going to start off with the cover. It's really interesting and it was one of the things that drew me towards it. It's all dark and mysterious and the title - The Pledge - also created more curiosity within me.

The layout of this book was separated into two parts which I liked for some reason. It also changes perspectives which I thought would annoy me but it didn't because it only changed between 1st person and 3rd person which I love. I think an author has to be really skilled to change point of views between characters and Kimberly Derting did a wonderful job of it. I can get extremely picky with a book when it changes POV's.

Now if the summary hasn't already interested you then I hope my review convinces you to go read it. Trust me when I say this novel is a brilliant dystopian. Kimberly Derting has done an excellent job with setting up the whole world. It has it's own history and back-story and it is described well which is needed for any good story. Sometimes I find that dystopians can lack in that area therefore making it more unrealistic.

Some key factors that sort of annoyed me while reading is the almost insta-lovey thing going on. I don't want to spoil anything but I don't really like insta-love as I find it unrealistic. Also Charlie annoyed me at times because she was worrying about the romance when she should be worrying about the life or death situation. But these were only minor issues so it doesn't really change my opinion on the book. We do need some good romance to lighten the mood.

The interesting plot twists left my mind reeling. I didn't see some of the things coming from a mile away and it left me wondering whether I just wasn't paying attention to detail but yeah...I didn't suspect a thing. I guess that's what the author wanted so congratulations to her as that is a major achievement. But I did sort of predict the ending but that didn't make it any less spectacular. I can't wait to read the next book The Essence as I am sure there is going to be more action as there are going to be new and more struggles for Charlaina!

I haven't done this in my reviews before but there is a first for everything. My favourite quote:

"I loved voices, I always had. Words held meaning, but voices held emotion"

I RATE THIS:

So this month has been a real let down for me. I was in a bit of a reading slump and even though I have 8 books to be read stacked by my bed, I could never seem to finish one of them. I kind of find it ironic because the month before I was wondering how people could end up in a reading slump when there is so much variety. Well look where that got me...I will never laugh again. But for me I think June was more of an interactive with the whole new feature Two Diva's Bookish Discussions which I am excited to continue. I hope you guys found it entertaining and I am excited for the next topic.

In this whole month I was only able to finish 3 books! I know it's shocking...but at least I was able to read something.

This month I am hoping to read all of the 8 books that are stacked beside my bed. I'm hoping to finish them before the holidays so I can return them all knowing I finished them.

Thank you all

         

Hey guys, this post was inspired by Booktastic Reviews as I don't know who the original person who created this tag is. I find this post really fun to read and I decided to do one myself as I am a massive Harry Potter fan.
So here are my answers:

Would you rather go to the prom with Harry, Draco or Ron?
Ok this question is kind of hard but easy at the same time. Draco is already out of the equation as I think he would be incredibly boring to go with. So it's out of Ron or Harry...I would love to go with either of them but I'm going to have to choose Harry. Sorry Ron!

Would you rather be sorted into Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff or Slytherin?
I've never been on Pottermore before so I don't know what my results are. My friends and I have had a major discussion about this topic but for some reason they can never get mine. They all have different answers but they always say I would definitely not be in Hufflepuff. But for which house I'd rather be in, I would have to choose Gryffindor!

Would you rather explore the forbidden forest or the halls of Hogwarts?
To be honest I would rather explore the halls of Hogwarts because even Dumbledore said he didn't know all of them. Just imagine if there was an even cooler room than the Room of Requirement.

Would you rather enroll in Potions, Charms, Divination or Defence Against The Dark Arts?
I would rather enroll in Defence Against The Dark Arts as long as it's not taught by Umbridge no questions asked. I reckon it would be the best class ever! But I still think any of those classes would be cool.

Would you rather buy an owl, cat, rat or toad?
Ok, I hate rats and toads so it's out of the cat and the owl. I think the cat would get annoying after a while so I choose the owl. And plus it would be cool to have your own Hedwig!

Would you rather have in possession: the elder wand, resurrection stone, or the cloak of invisibility?
To me this is a pretty easy question. I definitely don't want the resurrection stone as it can drive people insane. And besides I don't have anyone I wish to resurrect. The Elder Wand would be pretty damn cool but I wouldn't feel accomplished at anything if it was winning every dual for me so obviously I choose the cloak of invisibility. It would be so awesome being able to sneak up on people and going in the restricted section of the library.

Would you rather be tutored by Luna Lovegood or Hermione Granger?

Well duh, Hermione! I love Luna and all but she would not help me pass my OWL's. And I think Luna would just annoy me after a while. 

Would you rather (in the final battle) fight against Nagini (the snake) or Bellatrix?

This is a hard question. Both Nagini and Bellatrix are scary...but I guess it comes to survival. Bellatrix is a strong witch who could probably beat me anyday and 'sides, Molly has her handled. But then again Neville has Nagini handled as well so...I think I'd help Neville fight Nagini. 

Would you rather fight a basilisk or a dragon?

I'd rather fight neither of them but to answer the question probably the Dragon. At least with the dragon your in an open space and the teachers are watching so if they had to intervene they could. If you fight the Basilisk, you have Tom Riddle hiding somewhere and your in a closed space and that Basilisk is fast!

Would you rather be a part of the Malfoy family or Weasley family?

This is probably the easiest question! Weasley's duh! Is that even a question? There house is hectic and there would be no boring moments whatsoever. (and then there are the twins)

Would you rather have a butterbeer or pumpkin juice?

Butterbeer no questions asked...

Would you rather fly on a broomstick, Hagrid's motorbike or Buckbeak?

Easy question. definitely Buckbeak! It would be cool to be able to fly either way but for some reason I'd feel safer on Buckbeak and hippogriff's are just awesome. 

Would you rather have a conversation with Daniel Radcliffe or J.K. Rowling?

Argh! This is such a hard question, either of them would be cool to talk to. If you talked to Daniel you could ask about what it's like to be an actor and being part of the cast and stuff and then when you talk to J.K. Rowling you could ask heaps of questions. I think at the end of the day I'd rather speak to J.K. Rowling! 

So here are all my answers. I hope you enjoyed this post and please feel free to drop a comment.

I saw this trailer on YouTube and I couldn't help but share it with you guys. I hope you guys decide to read it  as it is a really good book.

Hi guys I hope you've had a great week! As you can see from the post title Google Reader is shutting down for some reason. But don't panic! All the blogs you follow won't disappear as long as you take a few simple steps. If you already use Bloglovin then you've already completed the first step.

For those of you who don't have it, all you have to do is create a free account  and then all of you follow this link:
http://www.bloglovin.com/import/reader

It will bring you to this page:

Now all you have to do is follow the steps from there and voila! You have all your blogs you followed on Bloglovin'. This sight is a great way to see all the latest posts and I really like the layout. It's easy to use and I'm sure it won't be a great problem for you to use.

If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments below!

Hi we're Francoise and Sunny and we have known each other since our nappy days. We're constantly having rants and raves about the latest books and bookish news.This is a fortnightly discussion that you can find on both of our blogs, so please make sure to stop by both blogs as our written content is different, although on the same topic. Our posts are not intended to offend anyone or anything but this is just our opinions and we would love it if you would share your thoughts in the comments below. This is a new feature we decided to add and the purpose is not only for you to get to know more about us but for you to be able to join in and have fun.

Penguin Teen Live

24/06/2013

I just came back from the Penguin Teen book event in the Kinokuniya  book store in the city and I have to say that I got a nice surprise. I came to this event with low expectations as I haven't really heard much about Penguin before. My friend Sunny was the one who told me about the event and we decided to go together. To be honest I really wanted to go just to see her as we don't see each other often but as we got into it I really found it entertaining.

We met a writer called Will Kostakis who gave us a signed copy of his new book called The First Third. He read us a few pages from it and I am excited to read it as he is a very funny author. He was a great person to listen to as he had really funny stories to tell about himself about how he got into his career. I really hope that he'll become a well known writer as I think he has great potential and I believe every writer should get a shot and it's sad to know that it is a really hard career to get into. It was nice listening to how it was a struggle to get his first book publish but he kept pushing on and finally got his book published. It was really inspiring listening to him tell his story as I want to become a well known writer one day.

The host speaking to us was really nice. She was a lady like any other fangirl and it was really funny to watch an older person have the same opinions as us teens. The one thing I liked about this event was that it was all ages and it really opened my eyes to the fact that adults also read YA books. It's brilliant that Young Adult isn't just enjoyed by teens but can be enjoyed by anyone. It was fun meeting other people and fellow bloggers who enjoyed the same books as me. I met a really nice girl who owns Reading in the Dark. She just started blogging like me and it was great discussing with her about the pros and cons about blogging.

We also found out about upcoming dates for new releases which was great. I was able to add more books to my to-read pile which has finally started to die down. I am starting to focus more on the reading and less on the finding books. We got read out a few pages of Fiery Heart which has yet to come out so that was a special treat to all the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines fans. It was greatly entertaining watching all the fans groan when the host would stop reading as I knew they just wanted her to keep reading on. It was also funny because she couldn't give away any spoilers and it was obvious she was on the brink of exploding.

Kinokuniya book store is the best book store I have ever been to. I am definitely buying my books there from now on and it was so worth the long trip. I usually buy my books from Dymocks and I use to think that store was huge but now I realise it's a pale comparison to Kinokuniya. This book store had every book on my to-read list and it was heart breaking seeing all these new releases but not being able to buy anything. They had a massive YA section and not only that they had a whole section dedicated to Marvel and then another to manga. I have never found a book store with that much manga ever! Another thing that was a noticeable difference to me was that the books were cheaper! They were about $3-4 cheaper and it doesn't sound like much but when it comes to buying books it can be a great difference especially if you're buying a lot of books all together.

Overall I loved this book event as I have never been to one before. We don't really get good opportunities like this in Australia so this was a big deal to me. It was great meeting other people as well as other bloggers. I had fun listening to the host and joining in on discussions about the latest books and I'm glad it wasn't a waste of time. It was totally worth the trip down into the city and I hope there are more events to come!

I found some photos on the Divergent movie and I am getting so excited!

So this is yet another Stacking The Shelves post hosted by Tynga's Reviews. I am sorry as there hasn't been very much activity on this blog, but it has been a busy last few weeks of school. But finally I am on a three week holiday so I have heaps of reading time. Now obviously I went to the library before the end of term and I was able to borrow 8 books! The librarian let me go two over the limit which is the best!!! I am not going to write heaps on each book as I have 8 books to get through.
So here is the first half of my pile of books:

1. Blood Red Road
I am really excited to read this book as I have gotten so many recommendations for this book. I have heard great things about it and the summary sounds really interesting.
2. Legacy
I have started reading this book and I really like the writing style. This is the typical princess sort of book ande I am excited to read it as I think it's good to read these sort of books every once in a while. I am expecting it to be a really cute and fluffy book but I never know, it could end surprising me in the end.
3. Life After Theft
I don't really know much about this book but I have seen it a lot in the blogosphere so I hope it's good.
4. Slated
My friend sunny who owns A Sunny Spot Blog said this was a really good book. Judging by her summary I have great expectations for it. It also sounds very interesting and I have never read a book like that but every book is unique.


The second half of the pile:

5. The Elite

Obviously I am really excited to read this. I just can't wait to find out what happens. I'm so glad I finally got it in on reservation which took forever! Again this is a pretty cute and fluffy book on princesses which seems to be my thing at the moment. 

6. The Pledge

When I read the summary on this book on Goodreads I have been waiting to read it. It's a dystopian that sounds really good and I again have high expectations for this book. If you have read this book feel free to drop a comment saying whether it was good or not but please no spoilers. 

7. Insurgent

How can I not be excited to read this book? Divergent left me in quite a state and I must read this. I have heard Insurgent isn't as good as Divergent but I'm still going to read it as Alleigent is coming out soon! 

8.Dark Parties

I don't know much about this book, the thing that caught my attention was the cover. The summary sounds interesting enough but I don't have high expectations as I haven't heard much about it. But I like to pick up an unpopular books as I think every book has potential.

Overall I am very excited to read all these books so expect upcoming reviews! These weren't in a specific order so don't expect the reviews to be in order. It's whatever interests me most I guess. Anyway, if you have read any of these books please drop a comment about it.

Michelle Rowen 

- Goodreads Summary -

I don't do dangerous.

Smart, über-careful, ordinary Samantha-that's me. But I just couldn't pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush. A kiss that did something to me...something strange. Now I feel hungry all the time, but not for food. It's like part of me is missing-and I don't know if I can get it back.

Then there's Bishop. At first I thought he was just a street kid, but the secrets he's keeping are as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. If he's what I think he is, he may be the only one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever wanted and embracing the darkness inside me....

NIGHTWATCHERS

When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising...

.

Review - No Spoilers 

I only just finished reading this book on the bus and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it. But I guess I say that about most books so this review is obviously to elaborate further into why I like it. This was a brilliant read because I have been on such a bad reading slump for this month due to all the work from school but I'm goad to say it's holidays at the end of this week so I am very excited. 

The cover of this book is I must say very...*cough* eye catching. I'll admit it was the first thing that caught my attention but I felt extremely self-conscious when reading it because no guy would understand...For me the blurb didn't really do the book justice because when everyone read it they thought it would be bad. But I proved them all wrong! I never really say this much but I think the font is really elegant. It's a beautiful choice so I give whoever created the cover a round of applause. 

Now to get on with the story, I liked the main character Samantha a lot. I enjoyed reading from her perspective as I found her really funny. Some of the lines in this book were very smart and I give Michelle Rowen thumbs up. You always want good humour in the book to keep you interested. The main character was realistic and easy to imagine which is always good and I liked the other character a lot. If you ever read it, Kraven is my favourite because he is so funny. 

Another factor I liked about this novel was that it was Angel's and Demon's. I've just gotten into that whole craze from Sweet Evil and I am really liking it. I have sort of moved on from Vampires and Werewolf's so I think that's why I like this new genre. 

A few things I didn't like about Dark Kiss was that it was kind of insta-lovey which was kind of annoying. It also has a bit of non-existent parents but that would be my only issues with this book.  

Overall I loved this book. It took me a little longer than it should have due to a busy week and  reading slump. Again I don't understand why it received so many bad reviews and I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves Angel's and Demons and I suggest it to anyone who has never read that genre before.

I GIVE IT: