So you've probably been wondering where I've been. Especially since I said I was officially back and all but don't worry I haven't vanished. You must think I can't stick to my goals, especially since my New Year's Resolutions were only set about a month ago!

My Crazy Bookish World is undergoing some major changes and my main focus has been on that. It will have a complete name change and design and it's confusing trying to figure out whether I'm moving to Wordpress or not. I easily got lost in the amount of hosting websites and prices and I'm trying to create a solid plan. Laura has been a major help with my design and I don't know how she's put up with me ;) I am a very indecisive person and I think she's figured that out...I'm so excited to show you guys the new name and everything!!!

Currently I'm reading:

And my next upcoming reads I've planned are:

So that's just a little update on me. What's the latest news with you?

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish which has a different theme every week.

I thought for a change I'd participate in this fun meme! Today the topic is top ten book related problems

1. No Sleep - Once you get into reading be prepared to lose sleep over it
2. Bookmarks - My worst problem is having no bookmarks! I lose all of them somehow and often the case is I'm reading more than one book. So...I have to resort dog-earing my pages
3. Space - I look at all the popular booktubers and I'm always so envious. They have heaps of books and space!!!
4. Money - I don't know about you but I certainly can't afford to by every book I want.
5. Time - Now that I'm in year 11 I have no time anymore! It's only week 4 and I haven't had a chance at all.
6. Spoilers - I can't stand spoilers and I feel like I have to ban myself from social media to avoid them
7. Judgement - I hate it when you're trying to explain your most favourite book to someone who doesn't read and you can just feel the judgement...
8. Attachments to characters - When you have to remind yourself that they're not real...
9. Bad Books - I hate wasting my time on books that I end up hating
10. The End - I hate that feeling of having to finish the book and return to reality.

Can you relate with me on this? With great books, come great sacrifices.

Before I was a blogger it was pretty easy for me to find a book and enjoy it. I could go to a library, pick a random book and simply read it. No muss no fuss!

Since blogging it has affected my reading so much, both in good ways...and bad ways. I find that as my experience for reviewing novels grow, I'm so much more critical. I analyse what I'm reading way too much and I'm worried that it's ruining the ease to find a book.

Nearly every time I go to a bookstore and pick up a book I have to check the goodreads rating or read some reviews for it. Ratings on goodreads doesn't matter to me as much but it does help a lot in making my decision.

I noticed I'm so much more picky and I don't know whether that's a good thing. It means I don't waste time on books I don't like but it also means I don't give many novels a chance. I know I shouldn't worry and it just means my taste has changed over the years but my main issues are the slumps.

My last slump felt endless and I feel like blogging put a lot of extra pressure. With the new year I've decided not to worry as much and let myself enjoy the novels I'm reading but when it comes to reviewing a novel it feels like I'm picking it apart. I always hate it when people do that in movies and it's the same for books.

I know this was a weird discussion but it's been on my mind for a while.

Do you think reviewing books has affected your reading?

Author: Michelle Hodkin
Series: Mara Dyer #1 
Release Date: September 27th 2011
Publishers: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages: 456
Genre: Paranormal
Links: Goodreads | Author's Website | Book Depository | Amazon |

Mara Dyer believes life can't get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed.
There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.
She's wrong.

Review

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer has always been a trilogy I've seen around but never have heard much about it. It was not until Sunny recommended it did I give it a chance and I'm so glad I did!  This novel took me on a whirlwind of emotions as I had to second guess every twist and turn the plot took.

Mara was the only survivor in a tragic accident with her friends. It was a miracle she survived but she didn't come out completely unscathed. She now suffers from severe PTSD from the traumatic experience of losing her friends and boyfriend in the accident. Mara doesn't remember anything from the accident, except from what her parents told her. She and her friends were in an abandoned asylum late at night and it collapsed. That's all that's to it right? Because she has PTSD she sometimes hallucinates and it's a battle to figure out what are hallucinations and what aren't.  

Mara and her family move towns in an attempt to start life anew in a new house and a new school. She thought that after losing her boyfriend that she could never love again, that was until she met a boy who was more alike her than she first thought. 

If I had to sum up this book in one word it would be creepy. Michelle Hodkin doesn't hold back when it comes to describing in detail. She succeeds in creating such vivid imagery and exploring some dark themes that authors tend to avoid. Since it's been ages since I've last read, it's been interesting reading in Hodkin's writing style. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is a perfect read for getting back into the swing of things because it jumps straight into the storyline. 

This book is not predictable. It was exactly what I needed to keep me engaged in the storyline. The whole time I was thinking, "What's going to happen next?" and I could not stop turning the pages. Throughout the novel it's like you're seeing everything as Mara and you never know what's a hallucination and what's reality. It's extremely confusing but in the good kind of way. By the end of the novel there's a bit of a cliffhanger that makes you second guess a lot that happened in the novel and you can't help but start the next novel immediately. So my advice, is to have the whole trilogy when you start this. 

The one thing that I praise this book for, is not having the "No-Parent Syndrome!" You know what I mean right? YA literature is notorious for having it and so many authors fall under the trap. The "No-Parent syndrome" is when the parents are at the beginning of the novel and then suddenly they just disappear and are absent from the whole plot. 

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was centred around Mara's recovery from the accident. Her mum and her elder brother are always there for her if not overbearingly. This made the novel so much more realistic and I love how the book wasn't solely about the romance but also about family. It was just small things like this that made it just the perfect balance.

Now I'm sure you've been waiting on my thoughts of the romance! Am I right? Noah Shaw is the love interest in this book and can I just say that he is now my #1 book boyfriend! Let's just take a little look at his description:

“These were the things that added up to Noah that morning, from bottom to top:
Shoes: gray Chucks.
Pants: charcoal tweed.
Shirt: slim cut, untucked, thin and pinstriped dress shirt. Super skinny tie, knotted loose around his open collar, exposing the shadow of a screen-printed t-shirt beneath it.
Days unshaven: somewhere between three and five.
Half-smile: treacherous.
Eyes: blue and infinite.
Hair: a beautiful, beautiful mess.
”
- The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer eBook

Has that got you interested yet? Not to mention he has a British accent!!! Noah Shaw is sooooo totally swoon worthy! He is the epitome of 'tall, dark and handsome' which is exactly my type. 

Mara and Noah's relationship was all about the banter. Witty and sarcastic comments thrown back and forth. It was a love/hate relationship at it's best. I'm not going to tell you much more, you're just going to have to read it ;)

In the end The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was a highly enjoyable read. There were a couple plot holes and unanswered questions but I feel like they'll be solved in the next books. It's one of those books that you can't help but love and fall in love with the characters. I definitely recommend it and please comment if you've read it. I need someone to fangirl with!

Do you like paranormal fiction?

Have you read this yet?

So...hey....I know it's been a while. But I'm finally glad to say that

I know I say this every time but I am so sorry for being MIA. Will you forgive me? This has probably been one of the biggest slumps of my life but the end of year 10 proved to be hella difficult. There was so much happening in my last term of school such as formal, exams, camp etc. Ya know, a lot going on! 

Also I've learnt that pushing myself to read just never works. In other words, I took a massive vacation from blogging and reading but even that's got to end sometime. I miss blogging and talking to the wonderful bookish community and now I think I'm ready to tackle 2015! 

But now that it's a new year I think it's only appropriate to set some resolutions. (That I'll actually keep)

So the goals are written down and set in stone:

1. Post regularly - this has always been something I struggle with but I am motivated to commit more time to blogging
2. Participate in some memes - I noticed my blog is so boring and I never do anything fun. Doing some memes might add something to this blog. Any memes you would like to see?
3. Create a new style of reviews - when I first started blogging I mainly took inspiration from how other bloggers wrote their reviews. I think it's time I do something more me, if you know what I mean?
4. Read 50 books this year - I know this doesn't sound like many but I'm going into year 11 and it's going to be hard juggling my time.
5. Start a Pinterest board - I've finally gotten on board with Pinterest and I actually love using it. Pinterest might be a fun way to create something new on my blog.
6. Focus on the AUS community - when I first started out I was always trying to get involved with international bloggers. But over time I've realised that it's so much fun talking to people close to home. The AUS community is so lovely and it's so easy to interact with them. Not to say I'll ditch my close international buddies ;)
7. Comment regularly on other blogs - my commenting game was so poor last year and I am so sorry for neglecting your blogs! I promise to make an effort.
8. Increase followers - this isn't high on my list as I am pretty happy with the followers I got. I'm not so worried about the numbers anymore but mainly the feedback I get. 

9. Bloglovin - I need to keep up to date with all the blog posts so I don't end up with over 100 unread posts

10. Review books - keep up to date with all my review books. My pile keeps getting larger and larger as I prolong the inevitable. 

So this is it! 10 goals for 2015. Sounds reasonable right?

What are your 2015 resolutions for reading or blogging?

Author: Gabrielle Tozer
Release Date: January 1st 2015
Publishers: Harper Collins 
Pages: 368
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Links: Goodreads | Author's Website | Harper Collins

Things are looking up for Josie Browning. Her boyfriend, James, is crazy about her, and she's scored a writing job at indi. Now the pressure is on for Josie to prove she's got what it takes to help plan indi's launch. Plus, she's battling with flatmates, frenemies and confusing feelings for travel writer Alex.

High on the perks at indi, Josie's doing a pretty good job of faking her way in the industry - even though she still hasn't mastered her hair straightener. But when Josie is invited to a media junket, she accidentally sets off a string of lies that threaten to ruin her reputation, love life and career forever.

So I guess after reading that summary you want it right? Well you have the chance to win BOTH The Intern and Faking It by Gabrielle Tozer. If you're still unsure of whether this is your sort of novel, don't hesitate to check out my review of The Intern from earlier this year. If you're stuck on what to read this summer, then this is the best chance for you.

Guidelines:

• AUS Residents only
• Contestants must be over 13 years old
• Winner must respond to email within 38 hours or a new winner will be chosen
• All false entries will be disqualified (I will check them all!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Series: Standalone 
Release Date: October 7th 2014
Publishers: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 390
Genre: Thriller
Links: Goodreads | Author's Website | Book Depository | Amazon | Simon & Schuster

Britt Phieffer has never been that adventurous, but that's about to change. Wanting to impress her ex-boyfriend, Britt convinces best friend, Korbie, to take a trip with her and go trekking through the Grand Teton Mountains in Wyoming.

But when a freak storm leaves the girls stranded they seek shelter in a cabin, and find two knights in shining armour, Shaun and Mason, who are also hiding out.

But all is not as it seems, and Britt quickly discovers that the guys are there for reasons other than hiking…dangerous reasons that mean they need to get off the mountain, fast. In exchange for her life, Britt is forced to guide them down, and as they set out on a harrowing journey through the cold and snow, Britt realises the only way to get out of this alive is to pretend she is on their side.

But playing nice is hard, especially when Britt is unsure whether Mason, gorgeous and sexy, is the enemy or an ally. And as she begins to lose track of who is in control it is only a matter of time before things turn deadly…

*I'd like to thank Simon & Schuster Australia for sending me this for review, it does not influence my opinion.*

Oh. My. God. I cannot even express in words how much I loved this book! It was so different from Becca Fitzpatrick's other series Hush Hush and in no way should you compare these novels. It was a completely new experience for me since I haven't ever read a thriller (I love thriller movies though) before but lets just say it was great exposure to this genre.

Summer break is approaching and Britt Phieffer wants to do something adventures at least once in her life. Britt and her best friend Korbie take a trip to the mountains where Korbie's family own a holiday house. Britt has been preparing for this vacation all year so she was well prepared. So she thought. An unpredicted snow storm hit the two girls on the way up the mountain leaving them stranded in Britt's car. Knowing they couldn't survive sitting in the vehicle, they make the decision to try and find shelter. Finally they found two men who were willing to take them in but soon Britt realised they made the wrong choice in trusting these men. Their motives were tainted. In a battle to save their lives, Britt leads the men through the mountain range in an attempt to keep out of harms way.

The plot in this novel was something you never want to find yourself in. The whole time I could just picture myself in this dire situation and thinking, "What would I actually do?" It's like everyone's worst nightmare; being stuck in the mountains where you could freeze to death and on top of everything you're trapped with two guys who could kill you. You're low on supplies and the possibility of dying due to starvation or dehydration is high. What else could posibbly happen? This is what you think when you're halfway through the book but somehow Becca Fitzpatrick manages to create even more plot twists.

If 'page turner' had a definition, the cover of this novel would be the picture beside it because the whole time I was on the edge of my seat. I could not put it down once and I read it all in one sitting. The things that Britt had to do to survive was crazy, there were so many situations where I thought, this is it for sure! But she still managed to push through.

Britt was a great protagonist and I could clearly see her character development throughout the novel. Prior to the dangerous trip (that will soon change her life), she was that sort of person who relied heavily on the people around her. She wasn't very independent as she had always been babied by her brother and her father. But since they weren't there to protect her, she had to rely on using her own intelligence to get out of the situation. I have to say that Britt wasn't a stupid character. She had great instinct and common sense which I value so much when it comes to main characters nowadays. She continued on even though there were so many situations where a normal person would give up.

A lot of the plot surrounds heavily on the topic of her ex-boyfriend who dumped britt a while ago. She clearly wasn't over him which got a little annoying at times but this helped add to her character development. It also added depth to the story as there were many flashbacks to Britt's childhood. Her ex-boyfriend was her best friend Korbie's older brother so it put a little strain on their relationship. I really didn't like Korbie's character as I didn't think she was a loyal, trustworthy friend. She was incredibly whiny and useless but thankfully she wasn't there for majority of the novel. I don't even know how Britt considered her to be a friend!

Overall I enjoyed this book immensely! I liked reading the familiar writing of Becca Fitzpatrick but like I said before, you shouldn't compare the novels. If you like suspenseful thrillers with a strong protagonist then I think this is the book for you! If you're new to the genre like me, this is great novel to introduce you to it. I ended up finishing the novel on the bus and I think I was grinning like an idiot. (People gave me weird stares haha!) The ending is so sweet and I like that this novel isn't rushed.

Have you read anything by Becca Fitzpatrick before?

Do you like thrillers?

It seems to be tag season since all these tags are floating around the blogosphere at the moment. But hey, at least it gives us blogger something to do other than the usual memes and reviews. So I was tagged by Kelly over at Diva Book Nerd and Jeann and Michelle at Happy Indulgence. (Make sure to check out their awesome blogs)

For those of you who don't know, TBR stands for to-be-read!

How do you keep track of your TBR pile?

I mainly use Goodreads since it's just so easy to keep track of all your books. Especially when your tbr gets so large that it's over a 100 novels. Physical book wise, I tend to keep all the books that I haven't read in one row on my shelf just so it's easier when I want to pick out my next book. 

(Pssst, I'm debating between World After and Heir of Fire, is there a chance you can help me out?)

Is your TBR mostly printed or eBook?

eBook for sure. There are hundreds (maybe even thousands) of books I want to read but obviously you need money to fund this. Which I don't have...But things are starting to look up as I have a job now!

How do you determine which book from your TBR to read next?

That's a hard question because there is no specific answer. It usually depends on my mood and what genre I feel like. Also whether I have the book or it's in the library depends on it. I try to stay away from eBooks because I don't have a kindle and reading on your iPhone is not ideal!

A book that's been on your TBR list the longest?

Let's take a quick trip to Goodreads. Drum roll please!

I no longer have the desire to read this as much as I did a year and a half ago.

A book on your TBR strictly because of it's beautiful cover?

Honestly I was scrolling through my tbr and I couldn't find anything! It's a great reminder that there are some shocking covers out there for really great stories. I don't know why I really like this colour but I really like the gold and blue together.

A book on your TBR that you never plan on reading?

I received Zac & Mia for review last year but it got so many negative reviews that it turned me off. I don't think I'll ever read it now and also I lent it to a friend and they never returned it.

An unpublished book on your TBR that you're excited for?

That would have to be Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan. I have been anticipating this for a whole year and my excitement still hasn't died down. It's the final instalment to The Heroes of Olympus series and I've already pre-ordered it in hardcover!!! 

A book on your TBR that basically everyone has read but you?

I swear everyone has read this book but me! Apparently it's every fangirls bible. Can you guess it? Yep it's the one and only Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I bought this a while ago and I still haven't read it, I'm putting it off because I'm worried that the hype will ruin it.

A book on your TBR that everyone recommends you?

A novel that I get recommended quite often is Pushing the Limits. I haven't read this series but definitely want to. It's just a matter of buying the books.

A book on your TBR that you're dying to read?

Heir of Fire. It's weird I received this book a while ago from Bloomsbury Aus but I always put off reading this series. I know it's amazing and the Throne of Glass series is one of my faves but it always takes me a while to read the novels. I don't doubt Sarah J Maas's abilities to bring yet another action packed novel.

How many books on your Goodreads TBR shelf?

394 (Lol! Turn to page 394...only some will get that reference) Ahhhh I think my TBR shelf needs a little cleaning out. (Just a little :P)

I'm Tagging

Sunny @ A Sunny Spot Blog

Kayla @ The Bookish Owl

Cambrie @ ...and so the Book begins

Rachel @ Booktastic Reviews

I've been tagged by the awesome diva, Kelly at Diva Book Nerd. The rules are easy, I answer all the questions and then tag 5 other people.

1. Is there a book you really want to read but haven't because you know that it'll make you cry?
Not any that I can think of. I don't really cry often in books so I'm never afraid to pick up a novel despite the many reviews from people who have balled their eyes out while reading it.

2. Pick one book that helped introduce to a new genre
Anna and the French Kiss helped introduce me to contemporary. I was never one to read contemporary because I thought it would be extremely boring because who wants to read about real life right? Past me was so wrong!

3. Find a book that you want to re-read
Oh my gosh, for the past few weeks I have had the craving (can you crave a book...?) to re-read the whole Percy Jackson series! I think its because I am anticipating the release of Blood of Olympus which is coming out this October!!! I've already pre-ordered a hardcover of the book! Who else is excited?

4. Is there a series you read but wish you hadn't?
To be honest no I haven't! I've always had trusty bloggers to help me choose what to read next. Even before I entered the community, I would always find a second opinion whether it be a librarian or a friend.

5. If your house was burning down and all your family and pets were safe, which book would you go back inside to save?

I'm sort of copying Kelly's answer here but she has a valid point. I would go back inside and save all my signed books. Especially my copy of Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

6. Is there a book on your shelf that brings back fond memories?
I have fond memories for all my books but to name one it would have to be The Sight which contained book 1 & 2 of Premonitions. This was a book I loved in primary school and I've probably re-read 3 times! If you saw what condition it is in you'd be appalled. The spines all cracked and the pages are bent!

7. Find a book that inspired you the most!

I think Inkheart inspired me, especially as a child because it taught me the power of words. Funnily enough, I never continued on with the series after the first book. It was daunting look at the size of the next ones.

8. Do you have any autographed books?

1. Teardrop by Lauren Kate - The publishers at Random House were nice enough to give me signed copy of this novel!
2. The Intern by Gabrielle Tozer - I wasn't able to go to the book signing, so my good friend Sunny got it signed for me!
3. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - At the last event at Hachette headquarters, (I have yet written a recap post for that...ooops) we had none other than the awesome Laini Taylor as our guest speaker. Nearly every blogger got their book(s) signed by her.
4. The First Third by Will Kostakis - Back at the Penguin Teen Live event last year, they had Will Kostakis speak to us and sign our books.
5. Friday Brown by Vikkie Wakefield - This was one of my first Aussie YA's, it is such a good read and I recommend it if you haven't already read it.

9. Find the book you have owned the longest.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is definitely the oldest. I've had this since I was a small child and I haven't parted ways with it yet and I don't plan to anytime soon.

10. Is there a book by an author that you never imagined you would read or enjoy?

I did not expect to like Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins. I randomly stumbled upon this book with a friend and we had never heard anything about it or the author before but it was a great surprise!

And to end this tag, I have to post a photo of my bookshelf!

There's no particular order to my shelf but I do like to have everything in height order so it's slanting down. The last two rows are dedicated to review books and books I've gotten from events and the rest is sort of random novels I've collected over the years.

So that was the bookshelf tag! I'm tagging

Sunny @ A Sunny Spot Blog

Kayla @ The Bookish Owl

Rachel @ Booktastic Reviews

Laura @ Laura Plus Books

Belle @ Fangirling Misses

It's been a while since I did a tag (or anything blog related...) and I've been tagged by the lovely Belle from Fangirling Misses. I like the idea of this tag because it's not necessarily focused on books but on the people behind the blogs. So let's get to know each other! 

1. How tall are you?

*Pulls out tape measure* Hmmm the last time I checked I think I was 5'7 but I'm pretty sure I've grown since then, so probably 5'8. Yes, I'm pretty tall for a 15 year old girl.

2. Do you have a hidden talent? If so, what?

*Thinks really hard* Oh I know! I can do this awesome thing with my eyes...but obviously you have to be in person to see it. *sighs* If only I could show you.

3. What's your biggest blog-related pet peeve?

Plagiarism. Thank god it's never happened to me but just the thought of it gets me angry. It's one thing getting inspiration from someone and it's a completely different thing to blatantly copy someone's work, word for word.

4. What's your biggest non-blog related pet peeve? 

I hate being late so therefore I hate it when I'm meeting people and they're late for no good reason other than, "Oh sorry, I slept in." And what I hate even worse is when people make me late such as my family. *takes deep breathes* 

5. What's your favourite song?

Ugh did you really just ask me this question? I don't have a favourite song but I love most genres. I'm not going into detail of my fave singers because the list will go on forever. But the song I'm really digging at the moment is She Came To Give It To You by Usher ft Nicki Minaj. I've always liked Usher and I like the fact that he hasn't gone for the mainstream approach. 

6. What's your favourite Etsy shop that isn't yours?

??? Is it a bad thing that I don't know what an Etsy shop is? 'Cause I've never heard of it before. >_<

7. What's your favourite way to spend your free time when you're alone?

Besides from the obvious (reading) I love to redecorate/clean my room. (Is that weird?) There's nothing like that satisfied feeling after your room is clean. I also like to watch a lot of youtube videos (I could spend hours doing this) and watch TV shows. (e.g. Supernatural, Doctor Who, Pretty Little Liars, Vampire Diaries/The Originals, The Walking Dead, Teen Wolf, Game of Thrones, etc)

8. What's your favourite junk food?

Ah there's so many! Doritos, Ben & Jerry's, Chocolate - Boost, KitKat (most Cadbury), Grainwaves and heaps more.

9. Do you have a pet or pets? If so, what kind and what are their names?

Nope I don't have any pets sadly. I had a rabbit called Chestnut once...

10. What are your number one favourite nonfiction and fiction books?

I don't ever read non-fiction unless you count a textbook and I can assure you have no favourites of them. Fiction wise...there's so many. (I take it you can already sense that I am a very indecisive person) I love books such as Percy Jackson, Throne of Glass, Shatter Me, Starcrossed and many, many, many (is that enough many's?) others. 

11. What's your favourite beauty product?

I'm not a huge make-up person but I love my Studio Fix Mac foundation as well as my Mac False Lashes Waterproof mascara! I also have to say I love my Super Liner Blackbuster eyeliner by L'oreal.

12. When were you last embarrassed? What happened?

Hmmm...to be honest I don't get embarrassed often. I can't really remember the last time. Sorry guys, no funny stories.

13. If you could only drink one beverage (besides water) for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I think it would have to be Lemon Lime and Bitters. I absolutely love that drink! My second option would be pink lemonade.

14. What's your favourite movie?

*sighs* Enough with the favourite questions! Obviously I can't answer these!!! My favourite movies are most Marvel movies as I love anything and everything to do with Avengers. 

15. What were you in high school: prom queen, nerd, cheerleader, jock, valedictorian, band geek, loner, artist prep etc.?

I don't really know how to answer this question because we don't really have this in Australian schools. I feel like American movies make such a big deal out of social class when really it's not actually like this. Since I like books so much I would be put in the nerd category right? But I am friends with a lot of people so I don't know.

16. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

I would love to live somewhere in America simply because it seems like all the good authors live there but I love Australia so much! I wouldn't mind trying out Melbourne but it gets so cold there!!!

17. PC or Mac?

Mac for the win! I used to have a Toshiba but my school is Apple friendly so lets just say I've converted!

18. Last romantic gesture from a crush, day, boy/girlfriend?

*chokes on water* Romantic gesture? Oh no no no no! I've never really had a crush either. I'm just fine with my lovely book boyfriends!

19. Favourite celeb?

I'm not into following the whole celeb craze but I have to say that one of my top faves would have to be Jensen Ackles from Supernatural. Have you seen him? Who can resist that?

20. What blogger do you secretly want to be best friends with?

I'm already best friends with Sunny @ A Sunny Spot Blog that's no secret there. But I secretly want to be best friends with Jeann @ Happy Indulgence, Laura @ Laura Plus Books, Vivienne @ This Book Saved My Life, Joy @ Thoughts by J , Kelly @ Diva Book Nerd and Mands @ The Bookish Manicurist. Also I'd love to BF's with the girl who tagged me, Belle from Fangirling Misses!

I tag all of you lovely ladies!

So this was a bit of a long post but I'd love to hear what you think? Do we have anything in common?

It's been a while since I've done one of these and I want to share with you what I recently bought. Have I made good choices?

I am so excited to start reading Isla and the Happily Ever After, I am such a major Stephanie Perkins fan and I don't doubt her ability to produce another amazing novel. Although I have an issue!!! It's not the same size as my other two in the series, it's a lot smaller!!!

I saw Eleanore & Park for only $12 in K-mart! Obviously I couldn't walk past it without buying it so this is another book I can't wait to get into. I haven't read a Rainbow Rowell novel yet.

Thank you Bloomsbury for sending me this, my excitement for Heir of Fire has not dulled down yet! I'm going to try and take this slow as I hate having to wait a whole year for the next one. It literally kills me!

Gayle Forman receives so much praise and Just One Day was quite cheap on the Book Depository so I just had to buy it. I'm not really sure what to expect but I'm really trying to get into more contemporary's.

Another author I love is Becca Fitzpatrick who wrote the Hush Hush series but this time round it looks like an intense thriller. Black Ice looks extremely suspenseful and it'll be interesting how the author goes with this sort of storyline. Thank you so much Simon & Schuster for sending me this, can't wait to post a review.

Currently on it's way in the mail!

You can see my review for Angelfall here

So tell me, did I make good choices?
Have you read any of these novels? If so, what's your opinion?
What's on your shelf this week?

Author: Susan Ee
Release Date: May 21st 2011
Publishers: Feral Dream 
Pages: 283
Genre: Apocalyptic, Angels  
Links: Goodreads | Author's Website | Book Depository

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

Review

I was not expecting this novel to be so damn kickass! I randomly picked up this novel in my school library just to 'pretend' to read during a reading lesson. Lately I've been feeling very uninspired to read but from page 1 I was hooked. My plan to not read ended up failing!

The apocalypse has begun and who humans once admired as being harbingers of peace, soon changed into messengers of hell. Angels have descended upon earth but not in the way we expected. War has broken out, and humans have to resort to anything just to survive. Even if that means partnering with an enemy angel. Penryn's younger sister has been taken and she will do whatever it takes to get her back.

Susan Ee has created a perfect apocalyptic story-line where you cannot help but be drawn into the war-torn world. It was so awesome reading from the perspective of the main protagonist, Penryn. I swear she is in my top favourite characters because not only was she kick-ass but she had the smarts. She knew how to survive and she had common sense...to an extent. Penryn had a goal and she made sure no one got in the way of her plan, not even a smoking-hot angel. This is so rare in YA now days because main character are always the damsels in distress and they rely on the "overly-attractive" male too much.

An important theme that was present throughout the book was the importance of family. Penryn's mother was a bit on the crazy side (maybe a little more than a bit) but Penryn didn't allow this to deter her from her mission. I think the mother was a really interesting character because it is not often you get a character like this in YA. (It's sort of avoided) Since Penryn was young, her mother had been battling her own "demons".  No one knows what exactly she sees but she talks to "them" frequently. Because of her fear of these demons, she enrols Penryn in many self-defence classes which has actually become useful in the situation they find themselves in. I really want to read a novella in the mums perspective as I think it would be really interesting seeing the destroyed world in her eyes. 

Susan Ee is an amazing writer. She doesn't shy away from adding graphic detail which I think is important for a novel like this. In so many scenes, I felt like cringing but it made it so much more realistic. I think this book could be translated really well on the movie screen as the whole time I got such vivid imagery of what everything looked like. All I know, is that I never want to be in a situation like this. (Obviously it's an apocalypse!) 

To say I was surprised by Angelfall is an understatement. I was greatly surprised and as soon as I finished this novel I bought the first and second one. I cannot wait to begin the next one as I'm sure the next will be even better. If you haven't already read this and you like apocalyptic based novels then you better find the time too. Angelfall has a courageous (and sometimes stupid) protagonist that doesn't let up on the humorous lines. It is action-packed with scenes that get your heart racing, and basically everything you need in a great faced pace novel.

If you missed my last post, click here to see my review for The Maze Runner movie!

Just wanted to let you know that my hiatus is OFFICIALLY OVER!!! Wooooh *throws streamers* All my assessments are over and holidays are in a week so lets hope I'll be able to read heaps.

The Maze Runner was ah-MAZE-ing!!! (You see what I did there?) But to be honest I didn't have high hopes (except for the fact that it had
DYLAN OBRIEN!!!) because the producers didn't really advertise it that much. Luckily I was able to attend an advance screening last Friday but the cinema was so full!

The movie almost followed the book exactly but obviously there were changes. But it wasn't those type of changes where you're like, "WOAH! Back the f*ck up, this doesn't happen in the book!!!" No it was more like, "Ooooh I'll roll with this." I'm not going to tell you what changed just in case you haven't read the book but definitely keep an open mind.

The characters were portrayed really well!!! It was amazing being able to watch Dylan O'brien on full screen and he played Thomas perfectly. I felt like they could have focused a little more on the character development and not so much on the maze aspect of the book. I think they could have portrayed Minho and Gally a lot better since I felt like they were more secondary characters in the movie. (Until the end) Gally needed to be depicted more as a bully! In the movie, he was more of an as*hole than anything.

The pacing was alright...it went too fast for me but I think it was the perfect pacing for a movie. Prior to watching the movie, I was really interested as to how they were going to portray the actual maze. I was worried it was going to look a little fake but I have to say they did a pretty good job. The whole time throughout the movie I was entranced with the twists and turns and the different levels! I was really impressed and I think it was better than how I imagined it. I was expecting just basic walls but it actually was pretty high tech.

The grievers didn't look completely realistic but it didn't stop from scaring the crap out of me. The whole time I was on the edge of my seat and I'll admit with one scene I may have screamed a little. (Just a little...) The whole time throughout the maze, I felt like getting up and running with Thomas. It was so suspenseful and boy did it get my heart racing.

I have to admit, at times it was really cheesy but I can move past that. If you haven't read the book, I encourage you to beforehand since my friends who hadn't found it really confusing. They didn't really explain a whole lot and besides, you don't want to get spoiled. I was really happy with how movie turned out but of course there could have been changes.

It's discussion time!!!

*Cough* sorry it's been a while since of done one of this. As some of you know I put up a hiatus notice a couple weeks ago but this post isn't signifying the end (sadly) but I just wanted to give you something so you know I exist. 

So this "topic" has been weighing on my mind for a while and I've been thinking, thinking, and yes more thinking over whether to take out my rating system. So for those who don't know what a rating system is, it's basically like on Goodreads where you rate your book something out of 5 stars.

For example:

If you're a regular on my blog, you'll know that on average I tend to give out 4 stars. But I was thinking the other day that all the books I've rated 4 stars aren't necessarily on the same level. Some may have been really good but not good enough to be a 5 star, and then there are those that have been not great but not bad enough to be a 3 star. (That probably made no sense...)Do you see my dilemma? 

Of course your solution might be, "But Francoise, there's aways the half star ratings!"

Believe me I've tried to give these out, and occasionally I've given out a 4.5 but it still doesn't satisfy me! I just think the rating system is so inaccurate and this brings me to my last question...

Should I take out the rating system from my reviews?

My reasoning is that you should be able to tell whether people liked a book from their review, not the rating. I've seen some blogs that don't have ratings and some others that have a different way of expressing their opinion on novels. 

If you have any suggestions or opinions please let me know in the comments below.

Hi guys I'm sorry for being a bit MIA lately and to be honest this is going to continue for a while. So this means yet another hiatus! I'm pretty sure I did one the same time last year because it gets difficult with all the school work around this time of year. I haven't been reading any books lately but if I do in the next couple weeks I might post a review.

I'm sorry I haven't been commenting lately and I'll try to make an effort but it's just a little difficult at the moment so sorry for the lack of comments. I hope to be back in about 3 weeks but this could even be extended so no promises.

Thanks
- Francoise

Author: Kylie Fornasier 
Release Date: July 23rd 2014 
Publishers: Penguin Australia
Pages: 304
Genre: Historical Fiction 
Links: Goodreads | Author's Website | Buy the book

It's the Carnevale of 1750 and Venice's ballrooms, theatres, palazzos and squares are filled with delicious gossip, devilish fun and dangerous games. In this glittering masked world, everyone has a secret...

Set in an age of decadence made famous by Casanova, Masquerade uncovers the secrets of seven teens, from the highest aristocrat to the lowest servant – their dreams, desires, loves, loyalties ... and betrayals.

All the world's a stage. Let the show begin.

*I'd like to thank Penguin Australia for sending me this for review, it does not influence my opinion.*

Review

Orelia travels to Venice in search for answers about her mother who recently passed away. She is welcomed by her uncle who is part of a well known aristocratic family and has two daughters, Veronica and Angelique. Soon enough Orelia is just another sister and is quickly swept up into the life of fancy dresses, masks and secrets.

As much as I hate to say it, the first thing that drew me to this novel was the brilliant cover. It's been a dream of mine since I was young to attend a masquerade ball and lets just say this novel is the closest thing to it. From the first page I could tell so much research had gone into writing this novel and it paid off. The imagery was flawless! Prior to reading this novel I got to meet and talk to the author, Kylie Fornasier. She is the most loveliest person and it was clear she was passionate about her novel.

Masquerade is filled with deceit, betrayal, loyalty and romance. Every character had their own secret that was bound to be let out in one way or another. The one thing I loved about this novel was that it was so easy to immerse yourself into the world of venice. Kylie Fornasier puts these tidbits of Italian in it that was easy to follow along with. Also in the back of the book there's this glossary so if you get totally lost you don't have to resort to the internet. You could tell a lot of research was put into this novel because it was so easy to imagine yourself as part of the Venetians.

Orelia was a great protagonist but I feel like her story isn't finished yet. A lot of the novel was focused on her interactions with the characters around her and not enough on her backstory. The premise was based on Orelia finding herself in the city of masks and that was great but for some reason I wanted to know more about her past. I liked her character though, her uniqueness and naivety to the world of Carnevale made it feel like I was seeing everything from her eyes. At the start of the novel I was so confused as to how everything worked but as the story progressed I felt like I was accustomed to the Venetian way of life just like Orelia.

I thought the romance was going to be incredibly cliche but it was the exact opposite. Usually I like a little cliche in stories like these but the ending came to me as a shock and it took me a while to process what happened. I absolutely love it when authors surprise me because then it completely smashes my expectations.

I extremely enjoyed Masquerade and I hope there will be a sequel. Apparently it's not a definite and I think I might die if I didn't know how the story properly finished. Ill miss Venice and the interesting characters in it and if you haven't read it I hope you do because you know you want to! Even if you're not a historical fiction fan, Masquerade is a perfect novel to ease you into it.

Favourite Quote: 

'It was like a song; you didn't need to understand the words for it to touch you.' 

- Page 101

Do you like historical fiction?  

Do you share my fantasy of going to a masquerade ball?