TAG- I'M IT (Book Blogger Tag)

First off, thank you, Katie @ Call Me Crazy Reviews, for tagging me! I don't usually participate in these tags because I'm always either lazy and/or lame. Nonetheless, I thought doing this one would be a nice change up!


So, here goes...


The Rules
1. You must post the rules.
2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.
3. Tag eleven people and link to them on your post.
4. Let them know you’ve tagged them

1. What is your favorite thing that you do on your blog? Reviews, Memes or a special Feature?
Definitely reviews! I mean, the main reason I started blogging was to get my thoughts out of my head and out somewhere, to someone--anyone, who would listen. So, yeah. Besides that though, I do love memes! IMM and Waiting on Wednesday are really fun, as is Top Ten Tuesday. I try not to get too carried away with them though, because they are addicting and I don't want to clutter up my blog with them too much, and no reviews. (Keeping up with reviews is def the hardest thing to juggle, at the moment.)

2. What is your go-to book for recommending?
Honestly, it depends on the reader. But generally speaking, I'll always be a Meg Cabot and Sarah Dessen pusher; you can't go wrong with any of their books. Those two ladies are THE QUEENS of YA and are probably the reason I became obsessed with the genre in the first place. 


3. Who to you is the most swoon worthy character?
Oh, Katie... You know this answer! But for those who are reading this and who may not know by now: Alex, Alex, ALEX. Yes, THE Alex of Lauren Oliver's creation. He's my book husband, just so you know. Well, him, and Michelle Hodkin's Noah Shaw who is probably my favorite british boy ever. OH! And then there's Adam from If I Stay/Where She Went.
....Those are my Top 3, but my list could most def go on.

4. How often to you go to the bookstore?
Not very often, I'll admit, especially since so many of my local bookstores closed down, so now I do a lot of my book buying online. (Which is SO much more dangerous, lemme tell you...)


5. What's your favorite book-to-movie adaption?
I could be generic and say Harry Potter. And while they are some of my favorite movies, here are a few others that are worth checking out:


-Keith - based on the short story "Keith" by Ron Carlson
Yeah, it's not an actual book, but if you're a fan of A Walk To Remember, you should enjoy this one. It's a bit more realistic, too.
-Tuck Everlasting - based on the book "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbitt
Read the book in middle school and don't remember it much, but I fell in love with the movie.
-10 Things I Hate About You, Clueless
Ok, technically these two aren't exactly adaptations, but they're retellings of sorts. (10TIHAY = Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, Clueless = Jane Austen's Emma) They're not only great movies, but imo, cult classics! If you haven't seen them, you're either a.) living under a rock for the past 15 years, or b.) were somehow just recently born. Either is no excuse, so go do yourself a favor and watch them NOW.


6. What are a few of your favorite YA Book Blogs?
Well apart from my blogger friends, I'd say anyone whose blogs I first started reading. That would be: The Story Siren, The Compulsive Reader, Book Chic, and the others on my blog roll.


7. Do you like stand alone books or books in a series more?
If you asked me this question a few years back, I'd say series, but lately I feel like there are hardly any books out there at all that aren't part of a series, and while that's great for the stories we love and the characters we can't let go, sometimes they're unnecessary (I'm pretty sure 10 books for ONE conflicting issue aren't needed) and it would be nice to just know the ending!

8. What was your favorite book when you were growing up?
HUGE R.L. Stine fan here! The Fear Street series was my favorite! As well as the Bailey School Kids chapter books. And of course, Meg Cabot was what started it all!


9. Paperback or Hardcover?
Hardcover all the way! I am totally one of those people obsessed with the condition of their books and hardcovers just hold up better/longer, etc.


10. How do you keep your place in books? Dog ear, book mark, etc. 
Ackkkkk! Like I said, I'm a little weird when it comes to the condition of my book collection, so just the thought of dog-earing makes me all kinds of anxious, not to mention highlighting! D: Ugh. Definitely a bookmark lover! That said, I use various things as "bookmarks": receipts, post-its, coupons, fragrant paper samplers, you name it!


11. If you could dress up as any literary character for Halloween, who would it be?
Not gonna lie, this question has me stumped. I seriously have no clue. I guess I'm lame, but I've never been a costume person. haha

If you haven't participated in this tag and would like to, PLEASE do so! I'm on a bit of a time crunch at the moment so I can't tag anyone specifically, but if you decide to do it, let me know in the comment section so I can check out your answers!

Top 10 Tuesday: Favorite YA Covers

Top 10 Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This week's topic: Top 10 Book Covers

I thought about how I'd go about this and eventually decided on a few of my favorite YA covers.

1. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

2. Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

3. One Night That Changes Everything (original, ARC version) by Lauren Barnholt

I absolutely love the dramatic, dark feel to all these. And though, ONTCE's cover got changed, I understand. Judging by that cover, you'd expect a really heavy story, but anyone who's read the book knows it couldn't be further from that. (I may or may not have totally purchased the ARC when I saw it at HPB because I needed to own that cover.)

4. Delirium (original, ARC version) by Lauren Oliver

5. Matched by Ally Condie

6. Bumped by Megan Mccafferty

Lovelovelove that these are actually relevant to the story, and even symbolic in ways. Delirium: if you've read it, you know there's a passage in there about the birds. Matched: Obviously, this one's quite literal and signifies the bubble Cassia's trapped in. Bumped: Well. Does this one really need an explanation? haha Cover artist = GENIUS.

8. Wither by Lauren Destefano

This one was one of my absolute favorites last year. It has a really pretty, whimsical feel to it, much like the book.

9. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Again, a cover artist made of AWESOME. They totally win for representing the book as accurately as possible. I mean, seriously. Can you look at that and NOT figure what it's about?

10. Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

Love the gothic look this one has. There aren't many covers without girls in pretty dresses stamped on the front, so this one definitely stood out to me. Still sad about the makeovers.

So, there ya have it!

Of course there are far more books whose pretty faces I love, but I thought I'd play by the rules and limit myself. Other contenders: Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray (a girl in a pretty dress, yes, but better than others), Graveminder by Melissa Marr (Spooky, gothic and southern; Love it), The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff (Definitely creepy, but in the best way possible), and Zombies vs Unicorns (I seriously don't know a single person that doesn't like this cover).

What are your top10?

TBR - March Edition

IT'S SPRING BREAK MONTH!!! I AM SO EXCITED.

Am I going on some lavish, exotic vacation? Nope. Unless you count my bed at home, which I guess I do... So YAY! Going home = reading. And reading = HAPPY BRIANA. And HAPPY BRIANA = lots and lots of blog posts. Hopefully.

But seriously you guys, I need some happiness in my life. School has been a real pain in the behind this semester and there's honestly nothing I'd rather do for a week, than read and do pretty much nothing else. Except I kind of miss my treadmill... so there's that.

But anyway! Here is the list of books I'm hoping to going to read very very soon.

-Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

-Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

These two ladies are stopping by a city near me next month and I'm hoping to attend, so I figure I better get to reading their work. Super excited too, as I've heard nothing but amazing things about them!

-Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

-Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Again, heard SO MANY GREAT THINGS about these two. And a lot of the praise has come from YA-haters, so... yeah. That speaks volumes.

-The Disenchantments by Nina Lacour

-Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

-The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

I'm a lover of ANYTHING-YA but above all, my mad passion is for contemporary and from what I've heard, these books are some of the best of the year.

-Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

-Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

If I actually read the previous six (as planned) and have some extra time, I'm hoping to FINALLY read these, as I've been dying to for what seems like FOREVER. Hopefully it happens!

So that's my list! Have you read any of these? If so, what did you think? I'd love your thoughts/opinions/reviews!

P.S. This is my first month signing up for RAK, so if it's your first time as well, leave your wish list in the comments and I'll see what I can do! :)

My wish list can be found here.

Waiting On Wednesday (23)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine

If I Lie by Corrine Jackson

A powerful debut novel about the gray space between truth and perception. 

Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s serving in Afghanistan and revered by everyone in their small, military town. 

Quinn could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise.


Once I read the premise of this book, I immediately added it to my wish list. As fan of Army Wives (don't laugh, the first seasons were good), I've always wondered what it'd be like and how it must feel to deal with a significant other in the military. Especially as a young person. And in this case, there also seems to be more drama added in.

So I'm definitely looking forward to this one! (Also, love this cover!)

If I Lie will be published by Simon Pulse and will be in stores August 28, 2012.

What are you waiting on?

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. 

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. 

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

Ok, there’s no way for me to say anything that hasn’t already been said about this story, but I’m going to share my thoughts on it, regardless. 

Essentially, this is a book--few and far between--that makes you remember why you fell in love with reading in the first place. There aren’t many authors who I feel just... get it. Like Hazel, I’m pretty sure John Green is to all of us, what Van Houten was to her. (Only, you know, not a douche.)

This was so much more than a “cancer” book and different from anything dealing with cancer that I’ve seen or read. It was honest, it was raw, and it was... true. It showed how this disease not only affects the person it physically consumes, but everyone that has to see the consuming.

And, like I said, though cancer was the very reason for everyone’s hardships, the relationships in this book were the dominant element of the story and were probably the most authentic that I’ve ever read. From Hazel and her parents, to Augustus and Isaac, and of course, Hazel and Augustus... I don’t think I’ve ever felt relationships to be poignant and uplifting at the same time. Until them.

If you’re on the fence with this one, or still have yet to read it, just do it. Now.

A 2012 favorite!