Blog Hop and Follow Friday

 

Follow Friday is a weekly feature hosted by Parajunkee's View. Each week, one blogger is featured, and this week it's Rebecca at Confessions of a Page Turner 

 

It also asks a different question each week. This week's question is: "Give us five book related silly facts about you."

 

1.) I'm really afraid that books will go out, and it will all be E-Readers. So I try to buy as many books as I can.

 

2.) I CANT read a serious out of order, they have to be in the same order, and I always tend to accidentally buy books out of order!

 

3.) Right now me and my nephew are in a competition to see who can read the most books this year. Im at 17.

 

4.) whatever store im in, I HAVE to go down the book isle, even though it drives people crazy.

 

5.) I read really weird books.

 

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy for Books and is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word.

This week's question is: "If you could physically put yourself into a book or series…which one would it be and why?"

Hmm thats a really hard question. If I could put myself in any book series I think it would be...either the Little House on the Prairie series because I would love to relive that time as Laura once did. Or I would put myself in a really beautiful love story. I would do that because I would love to experience that.

 

Teaser Tuesday

TEAser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, just do as following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include any spoilers so as not to ruin the book for others!

Make sure to share the title and the author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR piles!

This week my teaser comes from Clara's War by Clara Kramer

"On the assigned day, as the remaining Jews assembled in front of the store in Sobieski Street, Where the food was to be delivered, there was no bread and marmalade. There were only the killing squads from Lvov.

Review: Now You See Her by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Summary from Goodreads



Hope has it all: brains, beauty, and acceptance at Starwood, a prestigious arts prep school. A mere sophomore, she has won the lead in Romeo and Juliet, beating out seniors for the role—seniors who have been in movies and on Broadway! And with handsome Logan as her Romeo onstage and off, her life couldn't be more perfect.
So why would this talented teen throw everything away? Why would she fake her own abduction? Hope wants to explain what really happened, and gradually the truth comes out: Maybe her life wasn't that perfect after all.
In her first novel for young adults, national bestselling author Jacquelyn Mitchard takes us into a world where appearance is everything, and nothing is exactly as it seems.

My Take

Well, I really didn't find this book enjoyable. It is basically about a spoiled girl named Hope who has everything, and throws it all away for love. for a good half of the book Hope goes on and on about how amazing her life is, and how she belittles others. Hope is an actress. She has everything. Smarts, Looks, and Talent. She throws it all away when she meets a boy named Logan Rose. Logan is an actress, and a few years older then Hope. She falls for him, and they both fake Hope's abduction. The book goes along to tell how this happens. However towards the end the book takes a drastic change and we find out something that is completely crazy (not spoiling!) The book is a fast passed read. I like how the book was written, I just don't like the story. But give it a try, id love to hear your opinions!

My Rating

* *

2 out of 5 stars

Follow Friday and Blog Hop

 
Follow Friday is a weekly feature hosted by Parajunkee's View. Each week, one blogger is featured, and this week it's Jess at Gone with the Words (be sure to check out her blog!)

It also asks a different question each week.
This week's question is: "How did you come up with your blog name?"Well, I wasnt sure what to name my blog, so one day the name "Breathing Books" just came to me!

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy for Books and is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word.

This week's question is: "Do you read only one book at atime, or do you have several going at once?"

 

Well, right now I have two going, but Im only reading one at a time. But it almost never happens when I have two started.

Teaser Tuesday

This meme is hosted weekly by MizB @ Should Be Reading. Anyone can participate, even if you don't have a blog (you can post back in MizB's comments).

TODAYS TEASER

 

Today's Teaser comes from the book Now You See Her by Jacquelyn Mitchard.

 

Get out of here, get back to who I was. Get started again. Before Logan. Before the kidnapping.

 

Follow Friday and Blog Hop

"If I gave you £50 (or $80) and sent you into a bookshop right now, what would be in your basket when you finally staggered to the till?"

 

Hmmm I'm not sure what I would come out with but I'm pretty sure it would be something Historical Fiction.

 

Who are You the Boy/Girl, instead of You the Blogger?

 

I am Heather, a 10th grader in high school. I live by the Jersey Shore ( I know we have a bad reputation but really its only one section of us.) My friends think I'm crazy because I have a new book every day. I am also a girlfriend of over 2 years. I love being in the library although I need to learn to finish books before I get new ones. Well, that's me.

 

Review: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Summary

In her imaginative second novel, an unusual love story, the highly acclaimed author of Elsewhere offers a unique exploration of teenage identity and self-discovery. The heroine, a teen who is forced to re-invent herself and reconstruct her life after she suffers a head injury that leaves her with a four-year memory loss, grapples with many issues teens will find familiar: romance, changing friendships, and a dysfunctional family. But this teen s amnesia gives her the perspective to see herself and others clearly for the very first time. At times funny and always thought provoking, this tale effectively touches upon themes of chance, loss, and choice, in a moving story readers won t soon forget.

My Take

Imagine falling down a flight of stairs, and you cant remember the last four years of your life. And all your friends and boyfriend cant understand why you are acting so weird, That is what happens to Naomi Porter, Naomi lives with her dad. She came to her parents when they found her in an old type writer case. Naomi gets upset thinking that she is an orphan. Before her accident she was heavily involved in the yearbook committee at her school, along with her best friend Will Landsman. Naomi has a boyfriend named Ace Zuckerman. Will and Ace are nothing alike. Will is the nerdy type who likes to make music mixes for every occasion. Ace is they sporty popular type who does tennis. Naomi's home life is not so great. Naomi's parents are divorced after her mother had an affair with her high school boyfriend and now has a daughter named Chloe. Her father is a best selling author who writes about the Porters life's. He is getting re-married to a tango instructor named Rosa Rivera. Naomi resents her mother for abandoning them. During the story Naomi has to try and remember her life, and the people in it. The guy who found her when she fell is named James. James has a troubled past that somehow links him to Naomi.

I found this book just alright. I wasn't sure what Naomi's character was supposed to be, the sporty popular girl that talks about people behind their back? or the nerdy girl who works on yearbook. It seemed like the author was trying to make her both. I also wasn't sure what the relationship between Will and Naomi was supposed to be at the end of the book. At times it seemed like it was heading toward a romantic relationship, then it would just say they are friends. I wasn't sure about all the characters. I just wasn't sure of their role.

My Rating

* * * *

4 out of 5 stars

Waiting on Wednesday

Alright well to make up for not having a Teaser  Tuesday yesterday, I will do a Waiting on Wednesday!



Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking The Spine where bloggers talk about books they're excited to read.

This week I am excited for a book called One Hot Second: Stories About Desire

Summary

"Anything can happen in one hot second. Secret crushes. Awkward dates. First love. First times.

"In this powerful collection, eleven acclaimed writers for teens capture the various expressions of desire, from first crushes to first times and all of the charged emotions in between. Here, a sleek new teammate becomes more than a friend; a hopeful date feels his evening unravel; a pale boy delivers a sweet but terrible kiss; a wise girl discovers the real rules about love; one relationship ends and another begins.

"Jennifer Armstrong, Sarah Dessen, Emma Donoghue, Nancy Garden, Angela Johnson, Victor Martinez, Norma Fox Mazer, Rachel Vail, Rich Wallace, Ellen Wittlinger, and Jacqueline Woodson have crafted original stories that are as complex and provocative as desire itself."

I know this book is already out but I am still WAITING for it from the library!

Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green

Summary

Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps.

Looking for Alaska brilliantly chronicles the indelible impact one life can have on another. A stunning debut, it marks John Green's arrival as an important new voice in contemporary fiction.

My Take
Well to start off this book is really hard to write a review for because it is really easy to give a major event away. In the beginning I was really confused because the first page told of an event that happens much later in the story. so I had no idea who any of the characters were, and it did not help that they used code names for everyone. So I was pretty confused when I was reading the names Pudge and Colonel. The only people that didn't get code names were Alaska young who is a KEY figure to this story, and their friends Lara and Takumi. The story is set up in the order of days. Half the book is things that happen before the tragedy, and the other half is after the tragedy. The gist of this story is that, the main character Miles Halter or later nicknamed Pudge goes to a school called Culver Creek in Alabama. This is the same school his dad went to when he was a boy. He originally lived with his parents in Florida. When he gets their he meets his roommate Chip but he likes to be called the Colonel. The Colonel is the one who nicknames Miles,  Pudge. once Pudge gets situated into the school, he is introduced to a girl named Alaska Young. (I found it very interesting how she got her name but I don't want to ruin anything.) Alaska has a very sad past that she will never be able to forget. I found Alaska to be a very smart, yet troubled character. Once the book gets to the second part called After, a horrible tragedy happens. The tragedy leaves Pudge and the Colonel in tears. They must figure out what caused it to happen, How it was done, and why it was done. They do not know exactly how to go about this, and they are not sure if they will ever find the answers they are looking for. Other things happen in this book, however if I explained it would give alot away. I found this book to be OK. Their are other better young adult books out their. I liked this book, but something just wasn't hooking me in. I thought it was well written, but it left me a little Bord. It is a fast passed read. I think most will enjoy it. I have heard great things about it from others. I'm not sure what was missing for me though.

My Rating
* * * *
4 out of 5 stars

Blog Hope and Follow Friday

 
Follow Friday is a weekly feature hosted by Parajunkee's View. It asks a different question each week.

This week's question is: "What embarrassing thing have you done on cold medicine?" (If you don't know this feature yet, don't worry, the questions usually make more sense and have more to do with books.)

Uhmmmmmm I dont think I have dont anything on cold medicine. I hardly take it. I think it tastes really bad!

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy for Books and is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word.

This week's question is: "Who's your all-time favorite book villain?"

 

Well I usually dont even read many books with "villains" in them...even looking at my bookshelf I dont remember or see one book I have read with a villain..haha

Review: In My Enemy's House by Caral Matas

Summary From GoodReads

When the Nazis invade Poland, Marisa's blond hair and blue eyes enable her to pass as a Polish girl. With her family scattered or dead, and facing death herself in the Jewish ghetto, she takes the papers of a Polish girl and is sent to work in Germany. There she becomes a servant to Herr Reymann, a high-ranking Nazi official, and his family. Even though the Reymanns seem kind, and their daughter Charlotte treats Marisa like a sister, Marisa can never forget that they believe all Jews should die. With unflinching insight, Matas explores the dilemma of a girl who finds a human face in the heart of evil.

My Take

Well this book was very short. and I really enjoyed it. I love books about world war 2 and the holocaust. I thought this one was different because it didn't tell of concentration camps. It told of a young Jewish girl named Maria who disguises herself as a polish girl and goes to work in a house in Germany. By doing this Maria is avoiding be sent to a concentration camp like all of the other Jews in her area. When Maria gets their, she finds out she is in the house of a Nazi. Maria must keep her true identity a secret or else she could be sent to her death. The Nazi family, the Reymanns treat Maria with respect and are very kind to her. For they do not know that she is truly a Jewish girl. The Reymanns daughter Charlotte and son Christian are completely anti-Jewish. While Marisa is living in the Reymann's home. She watches the children play a game called Jews out! and attend meetings that support Hitler and making the world "Jew Free" I can not believe the amount of courage that Maria has during the course of this book. At times she went through some pretty scary things such as bombings and almost loosing her little siblings. I am shocked that Marisa was able to stay in the house of the Nazi with all her fear. I felt that the title of this book completely describes the story. Its not like a normal Young Adult book title. Overall I really like this book and think everyone should go out and read it.

My Rating

* * * * *

5 out of 5 stars 

Review: Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall

Summary from Good Reads

In September 2007, a packed courtroom in St. George, Utah, sat hushed as Elissa Wall, the star witness against polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs, gave captivating testimony of how Jeffs forced her to marry her first cousin at age fourteen. This harrowing and vivid account proved to be the most compelling evidence against Jeffs, showing the harsh realities of this closed community and the lengths to which Jeffs went in order to control the sect's women.
Now, in this courageous memoir, Elissa Wall tells the incredible and inspirational story of how she emerged from the confines of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) and helped bring one of America's most notorious criminals to justice. Offering a child's perspective on life in the FLDS, Wall discusses her tumultuous youth, explaining how her family's turbulent past intersected with her strong will and identified her as a girl who needed to be controlled through marriage. Detailing how Warren Jeffs's influence over the church twisted its already rigid beliefs in dangerous new directions, Wall portrays the inescapable mind-set and unrelenting pressure that forced her to wed despite her repeated protests that she was too young.
Once she was married, Wall's childhood shattered as she was obligated to follow Jeffs's directives and submit to her husband in "mind, body, and soul." With little money and no knowledge of the outside world, she was trapped and forced to endure the pain and abuse of her loveless relationship, which eventually pushed her to spend nights sleeping in her truck rather than face the tormentor in her bed.
Yet even in those bleak times, she retained a sliver of hope that one day she would find a way out, and one snowy night that came in the form of a rugged stranger named Lamont Barlow. Their chance encounter set in motion a friendship and eventual romance that gave her the strength she needed to break free from her past and sever the chains of the church.
But though she was out of the FLDS, Wall would still have to face Jeffs—this time in court. In Stolen Innocence, she delves into the difficult months on the outside that led her to come forward against him, working with prosecutors on one of the biggest criminal cases in Utah's history, so that other girls still inside the church might be spared her cruel fate.
More than a tale of survival and freedom, Stolen Innocence is the story of one heroic woman who stood up for what was right and reclaimed her life.

My Take

Well for one, I thought this book could have been written a little better. Especially because it came from her own life. I felt like i was reading a young adult non-fiction book. However I still really enjoyed the book.  I honestly cant even imagine having to go through all of the trauma. that Elissa did at such a young age. Yes, this is a true story of Elissa Wall's life of growing up in polygamy and finally leaving and doing what is right to protect the other young girls still in polygamy. I felt that Elissa was very brave in doing what she had to do to bring the prophet Warren Jeffs to justice. I cant imagine how hard that trial must have been for her. I also felt bad for the members who strongly believe in the practice of polygamy. They had to watch their prophet (or leader) be put on trial and be accused of things they thought were perfectly fine. I find it interesting that when Elissa comes out of the FLDS she goes on to tell about the clothes and hairstyles that make her more "normal" things I have been doing all my life she is just starting. It shows us that their are many ways of living this life. Elissa's story at times, can bring you to tears. At one point in the story Elissa meets the man she is still with now. I feel if she did not meet him, she would of never had the courage to go up against Warren Jeffs and fight for what is right. I like how the book contains 8 pages of pictures of Elissa's life in polygamy and her life after she has left. I am really happy with the way this book turns out. I felt Elissa did what was right along with all the others who went up against Warren Jeffs. At times this book is shocking and unravels truths that are very interesting about the prophet. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a true story about a young girl growing up in polygamy.

My Rating

* * * * *

5 out of 5 stars

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play! Just do the following:

• Grav your current read!
• Open to a random page 
• Share (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers! (Be sure that what you share doesnt give to much awat. ( You dont want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
  

Today's teaser comes from Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall

"I immediatly assumed it was the police. I was freezing, in the middle of a miscarriage, and I didnt even have shoes on. Now their was the possibility I was going to be arrested for being out past curfew."