Trailer Thrusday #10 - Who Could That Be At This Hour?

A new book by Lemony Snicket, the first in the a series of four book series and a prequel to A Series Of Unfortunate Events. What more can I say? Mind blown already.

Release Date: 23rd October, 2012

 Who Could That Be At This Hour?

Book 1 of All The Wrong Questions Series

In a fading town, far from anyone he knew or trusted, a young Lemony Snicket began his apprenticeship in an organization nobody knows about. He started by asking questions that shouldn't have been on his mind. Now he has written an account that should not be published, in four volumes that shouldn't be read. This is the first volume.

Update: To read a short exceprt from the book click here.
 For more information on Trailer Thursday click here.

On Shelves This Week - May 8

After a long hiatus On Shelves This Week is finally back. There are a lot of contemporary young adult novels coming out this week. Also included are the critically acclaimed Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier & a book I've been waiting to read since what now seems like forever Die For Me by Amy Plum. Read more about these books here.

But what books out of all these go to my I-wish-I-could-read-this-right-now pile? These three.

  

When Alex falls for the charming new boy at school, Cole, a handsome, funny, sports star who adores her, she can't believe she's finally found her soul mate-someone who truly understands her and loves her for who she really is.

At first, Alex is blissfully happy. Sure, Cole seems a little jealous of her relationship with her best friends, Zack and Bethany, but what guy would want his girlfriend spending all of her time with another boy?

But as the months pass, Alex can no longer ignore Cole's small put-downs, pinches, or increasingly violent threats. As Alex struggles to come to terms with the sweet boyfriend she fell in love with and the boyfriend whose "love" she no longer recognizes, she is forced to choose - between her "true love" and herself.

My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. 

Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

Jewish girl. Christian camp. Holy moly.

Ellie Taylor loves nothing better than a good argument. So when she gets accepted to the Christian Society Speech and Performing Arts summer camp, she's sure that if she wins the final tournament, it'll be her ticket to a scholarship to the best speech school in the country.

Unfortunately, the competition at CSSPA is hot-literally. His name is Devon and, whether she likes it or not, being near him makes her sizzle. Luckily she's confident enough to take on the challenge-until she begins to suspect that the private scholarship's benefactor has negative feelings toward Jews. Will hiding her true identity and heritage be worth a shot at her dream?

Trailer Thursday #9 - Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2

 An ongoing love affair with the Harry & the wizarding world comes to an end this July with the last movie in the series being released. The first trailer was just released a few days back and it has me simultaneously excited and nervous about what this movie will bring. A few scenes have me confused - the two girls talking, flowers blooming on someone's hands -when did that happen?  (Just realized that the girls were Lily & Petunia - these are Snape's memories. Thanks for pointing this out Yiota. ) A few have me angry -  Harry & Voldemort jumping off a building edge - really? And a few have made me jump up & down squealing like a fan girl - Snape changing into a bat anyone?

Who would have thought that finding a thin, innocent looking book in the school library 12 years ago, would have led to nights of endless speculations on the next book's contents, hours of waiting to get my hands on said book on book release days, reading the book long into the wee hours of the morning, acting like a 2 year old on a sugar high when movie trailers come out, waiting in the long queues at movie theaters hoping to get tickets, an introduction to fan-fiction & the vast world of Young Adult books and most important of all a renewed love for reading. For all that you have given me J.K. Rowling - thank you.

Release Date: 15th July, 2011
It all ends here

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2," is the final adventure in the Harry Potter film series. The much-anticipated motion picture event is the second of two full-length parts.


In the epic finale, the battle between the good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. But it is Harry Potter who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort.

Do you like reading books before the movie version comes out? Check out the 2011 Book To Film Club. For more information on Trailer Thursday click here.

Read-a-thon Updates

Updates

Hour 24 Update: 

I really love the book I'm reading currently (The Dangerous  Days Of Daniel X). I think I'm going to continue reading it even after we finish. I had great fun taking part in the readathon & look forward to participating next time as well.

Hour 22 Update: 

Just finished reading Falling Under by Gwen Hayes. All I have to say is that the last part more than made up for the beginning part which was at times too much like Twilight. Can't wait for book 2 to come out. Next up is The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge. Hope I finish this before the readathon ends.

Hour 20 Update:

Just realised that we're having some guests at our place for lunch. *facepalm* Hope I can get away with a few minutes of talk.

Hour 18 Update:

Finally done with book two. I do love happy endings. Up next Falling Under by Gwen Hayes.

Hour 14 Update:

After tossing and turning and generally being unable to sleep last night, I read till Hour 9 at which point I must have conked out. Up again now after 5 hours. Its 7 in the morning & so far its a beautiful day. I just need a big cup of steaming hot coffee & then I'll go back to my book.

Hour 7 Update:

The picture above pretty much sums up how I feel right now. I've been awake for over 17 hours now (since 7 today morning) , my eyes and brain are refusing to cooperate with each other anymore and I could only finish about 75 pages of "You Don't Know Jack" by Erin McCarthy in the past 2 hours. Slow going I know :( So I'm off to take a much needed nap. Will try to wake up again in say 5 or 6 hours from now? See you then.

 

Hour 5 Update:

Its almost 10 in the night here and I'm on my second book, "You Don't Know Jack" by Erin McCarthy. Book 1, The Book Thief was just a little bit on the heavy side for me. 350 pages into the book I was desperate for something lighter.

I took a short break to have my dinner of Kori-Rotti (chicken curry & rice wafers) & watched a little bit of the cricket match. Its back to reading after this. Watch this space for updates.

Mini-Challenges

End of event survey:

1) Which hour was most daunting for you?
A. Hour 9 - I finally succumbed to sleep after over 19 hours awake.

2) Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
A. Anything funny/light would do.

3) Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
A. More publicity. I didn't know about it till a few hours before it started.

4) What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
A. Loved all the challenges.

5) How many books did you read?
A. Three & a Half

6) What were the names of the books you read?
A. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
You Don't Know Jack = Erin McCarthy
Falling Under - Gwen Hayes.
The Dangerous Days Of Daniel X - James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

7) Which book did you enjoy most?
The Dangerous Days Of Daniel X

8) Which did you enjoy least?
The Book Thief - It was on a very serious topic & I couldn't focus on it for very long.

9) If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
A. I wasn't a cheerleader but would like to tell you that you guys are awesome!

10) How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
A. I can't wait.

Book Trailer Challenge: Share a book trailer. It can be for your favorite book or a trailer that piques your interest about a book you haven’t read yet.

This is a trailer for Some Girls Are By Courtney Summers. It's one of my favorite book trailers ever.

Picturrific: Hunt around on the internet for a picture (or pictures) that somehow reminds you of the book you’re currently reading.

I'm currently reading The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge & the pictures that remind me of it are -

Movie Madness Mini Challenge: There are 2 parts to this challenge.

1) Share which movie you’d love to see translated into a book and who the author would be.
A. Remember Me (2010) starring Robert Pattinson & Emilie de Ravin would make a great book if written by Nicholas Sparks.

2) Share which book you think would be perfect for the silver screen and who the director would be
A. I love a good action flick and I think Matthew Reilly's Scarecrow would make a great movie and it should be directed by Christopher Nolan (I loved loved loved the Batman movies).

Here is a short summary of the book

"It is the greatest bounty hunt in history. The targets are the finest warriors in the world-commandos, spies, terrorists. And they must all be dead by 12 noon, today. The price on their heads: almost $20 million each.

Among the names, one stands out. The enigmatic Marine, Shane Schofield, who goes by the call-sign "Scarecrow." Schofield is plunged into a race around the world, pursued by a fearsome collection of international bounty hunters. The race is on and the pace is frantic as he fights for survival, in the process unveiling a vast international conspiracy and the terrible reason why he cannot, under any circumstances, be allowed to live!"

Character Crush Challenge: Tell me about that character (or those characters) you’d pack up your current life to run away with, and why.

There are 2 people I wouldn’t mind running away with.

1. Garret Blake from the Message In A Bottle. I’m a sucker for love letters and his are the best I’ve read so far.

2. Mr. Darcy from Pride & Prejudice. I can't think of a single friend who has read Pride & Prejudice and not wanted a Mr. Darcy of her own. Need I say more?

Theme Song Challenge: Pick a character from one of the books you have read during the "thon" and tell us what their theme song would be (include song and artist).

Jamie is from You Don't Know Jack by Erin McCarthy & her song is If you Had My Love by Jennifer Lopez 

Challenge Question: What are your book habits?

My book habits. Hmmm. Tough question. Okay here we go.

1. As a kid I used to sleep on the windowsill listening to the rain pouring away as I read.

2. I mostly use a e-reader to get my reading done as I travel a lot for work.

3. When I'm reading a book I usually end up of Googling any kind of information I come across in the book.

4. I like to read on my laptop before going to bed. I place it sideways on the bed and sleep on one side and read until I'm too tired to continue.

Mid-Event Survey

1. What are you reading right now?
A. You Don't Know Jack by Erin McCarthy

2. How many books have you read so far?
A. A little less than one and a half.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
A. Falling Under by Gwen Hayes. I have to complete it and its scary enough to keep me awake

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
A. Not really. It's a Sunday.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
A. - Took a break for traveling home( listened to a audiobook)
- Took a nap from 2 - 7

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
A. That it's so much fun that I want to do it more often.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
A. Hmmm.. Maybe more cheeerleaders?

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
A. - Would visit other blogs more to encourage people
- Would take a nap before starting so as to not take a break for sleeping in between.

9. Are you getting tired yet?
A. I just woke up from a good 5 hours of zzzzs. So no.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
A. Listen to audio books when you have to take a break.

The "Oldies but Goldies" Mini-Challenge

My favorite classic is "The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas. And neither "Pride & Prejudice" nor "Little Woman" (And those are the second & third on my list) has ever come close to toppling it off the top spot.

I first read it as a 10 year old and the idea of having such great friends who would live & die for each other thrilled me to bits. I read it again after a few years, loved every bit of it &started reading more historical fiction novels.

Where In The World Mini-Challenge

Hosted by  I Heart Monster, Where in the World mini-challenge asks you to go to the Where in the World Google map and put a marker on where you are reading from and select a participant who is reading from either somewhere you love to visit, or somewhere you would love to visit & leave them a little note. I selected Melanie from  Just One Page At A Time who is reading from Australia. I have a few friends there & would love to visit them some time.

Introduction Meme:

Read my introduction meme here.

Introduction Meme

Whoa.. I'm finally home after travelling for 2 hours. Had a late day at work today. Thanks to my phone & all the mobile reading apps available today I could still start reading from the time the Read-a-thon started. So here is my introduction & my plans for today.

1)Where are you reading from today?

2)Three random facts about me…

3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?

4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?

5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon

What is Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon? For 24 hours, we read books, post to our blogs about our reading, and visit other readers’ blogs. We also participate in mini-challenges throughout the day. It happens twice a year, in April and in October. It was created by the beloved Dewey (her blog has since been taken down, so the link won’t work). The first one was held in October 2007. Dewey died in late 2008. We’re still saddened by her absence, but the show must go on. The read-a-thon was renamed to honor its founder in 2009. Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon is hosted by Trish and Shesten, with help from volunteers.

I've decided to take part in Dewey's 24 hour Read-a-thon this time. After all what could be better than 24 hours of non-stop reading? This is the first time I'm taking part in it so I don't know if I'll be able to read for the entire 24 hours, but I'll do my best. Wish me luck & watch out for updates.

Academy 7 - Anne Osterlund

Title : Academy 7 

Goodreads | Excerpts

Author: Anne Osterlund

 Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Blog

Shelved-or-Not : Shelved 
Rating : 4 of 5

Series/Standalone: Book 1 of Series (planned)
Genre: Soft Science Fiction / YA

 

With a past too terrible to speak of, and a bleak, lonely future ahead of her, Aerin Renning is shocked to find she has earned a place at the most exclusive school in the universe. Aerin excels at Academy 7 in all but debate, where Dane Madousin—son of one of the most powerful men in the Alliance— consistently outtalks her. Fortunately Aerin consistently outwits him at sparring. They are at the top of their class until Dane jeopardizes everything and Aerin is unintentionally dragged down with him. When the pair is given a joint punishment, an unexpected friendship—and romance—begins to form. But Dane and Aerin both harbor dangerous secrets, and the two are linked in ways neither of them could ever have imagined. . . .

In the late 90's Cartoon Network India broadcasted an anime called "Ninja Robots". The story is set in 2200 AD and follows a bunch of teenage kids who meet aliens aboard a spaceship and help them free their planet from the clutches of an evil king. Needless to say this series sparked off my obsession with all things from cosmonautical. For years I obsessively followed all sorts of satellite launches, space mission reports, UFO news, astronaut interviews, SETI - the works. I still have a bunch of articles cut out from newspapers in storage somewhere, can probably name all 88 constellations and I'm always game for a grand space opera to watch/read.

I came across a reference to Academy 7 when I was searching for a outer space-based, science fiction short story/novel to read. Let me at the outset tell you that there is no hard science involved.  There was not much talk of how things work, they just do. This was a nice change from some of the hard science fiction stories where everything from the working of warp drives to terra-forming is described in mind-numbing detail I had been previously reading. This was a story about people, plain and simple.

Aerin has just been rescued from a planet hostile to the Alliance. Dane is the son of a famous General. Both of them have been accepted to Academy 7, the most prestigious school in the Alliance, a great honour. Aerin is a genius, especially at Combat and IT, and easily becomes one of the top student in everything except debate which is always won by Dane. 

Aerin is trying to protect herself from the darkness in her past and remains isolated from others. Dane is rebelling against his father and his rules. After a prank goes awry Dane is punished along with Aerin. Slowly the walls they each have built go down and a friendship blooms. It was interesting to see how they helped and supported each other, growing and learning as the story progressed.

Interspersed with this story was also a tale about a different world which was at once utopian and dystopian, of revolution and its ideals, of empire building and of politics. I found myself looking forward to the debates as they gave one a better insight into this world. 

I adored the fact that Aerin & Dane became good friends and actually got to know each other well before their story turned into a romance. It was a love based on respect, trust and understanding and incredibly realistic. The story ended a little abruptly and a lot of information was packed up in the last few pages. Most of the loose ends were tied up but it left me wanting more.

I asked the author and she said that she has ideas for two more books in the series to finish Aerin & Dane's story. I just can't wait. Do go check this out. This book has been shelved in my tiny library and is definitely worth a read.

What worked:

1) Aerin is a tough heroine who has dealt with a lot and it shows not just in Osterlund's words but in Aerin's actions too. A refreshing change from the trend of "my-life-depends-on-my-boyfriend" heroines who seem to rule the roost lately. 

2) Setting. Though not very technical about the facts, I loved the world the author created. Even though the possibility of having human-like aliens somewhere in outer space is pretty slim - it was a nice change to not have to deal with monster-like aliens whose sole intention is to colonize/destroy the Earth.

What didn't work:

1) Aerin's fear of being found out seemed a little irrational at times. Would her secret really be that problematic?

2) After reading the summary I had expected a more complicated plot.