In My Mailbox: Week 48

Borrowed from the library:

Flawless by Lara Chapman

Sarah Burke is just about perfect. She's got killer blue eyes, gorgeous blond hair, and impeccable grades. There's just one tiny-all right, enormous-flaw: her nose. But even that's not so bad. Sarah's got the best best friend and big goals for print journalism fame.

On the first day of senior year, Rock Conway walks into her journalism class and, well, rocks her world. Problem is, her best friend, Kristen, falls for him too. And when Rock and Kristen stand together, it's like Barbie and Ken come to life. So when Kristen begs Sarah to help her nab Rock, Sarah does the only thing a best friend can do-she agrees. For someone so smart, what was she thinking?

This hip retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac is filled with hilariously misguided matchmaking, sweet romance, and a gentle reminder that we should all embrace our flaws.



Divergent by Veronica Roth

Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place her in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.

Read & Watched in November

BOOKS
1. Spider's Bite - Jennifer Estep
2. Dead Beautiful - Yvonne Wood

3. Turned - Morgan Rice

4. Uncommon Criminals - Ally Carter

5. Once Dead, Twice Shy - Kim Harrison

MOVIES
1. Chalet Girl
2. Teen Spirit

3. Dirty Deeds

4. Country Strong

5. Inglourious Basterds

6. Idiocracy

Book Review: Bloodlines

Title: Bloodlines

Series: Bloodlines #1
Author: Richelle Mead
Published: August 2011

The first book in Richelle Mead's brand-new teen fiction series - set in the same world as Vampire Academy.

When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.
Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive - this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.

My Thoughts: This book is set in the same world as Vampire Academy, but with a different narrator. I wasn't sure if I was going to like Sydney as a narrator or not, since I didn't feel like I had gotten to know her enough in the Vampire Academy books. But, as I read Bloodlines, I started to like Sydney more and more. She's loyal, passionate and fair. While she isn't as strong or protective as Rose, she has a softer and more emotional side, which I really enjoyed seeing.

Both Rose and Dimitri make an appearance in this book, but I have to say that it felt a bit weird to read about them from Sydney's point of view.

Along with Sydney, Adrian, Eddy and Jill are the main characters of this book. I loved to read about Adrian & Sydney's constant banter, and how they slowly became friends. Jill was a pest in this book, she acted so selfish and whiny all the time. And Eddie, he still felt like a background character.

This book started out slow, but slowly grew more charming, exciting and fun! I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series, a series which I'm sure will grow into a series just as good as the Vampire Academy!

Rating: 4 of 5

Book Review: Past Perfect

Title: Past Perfect

Author: Leila Sales
Published: October 2011

All Chelsea wants to do this summer is hang out with her best friend, hone her talents as an ice cream connoisseur, and finally get over Ezra, the boy who broke her heart. But when Chelsea shows up for her summer job at Essex Historical Colonial Village (yes, really), it turns out Ezra’s working there too. Which makes moving on and forgetting Ezra a lot more complicated…even when Chelsea starts falling for someone new.

Maybe Chelsea should have known better than to think that a historical reenactment village could help her escape her past. But with Ezra all too present, and her new crush seeming all too off limits, all Chelsea knows is that she’s got a lot to figure out about love. Because those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it….

My Thoughts:
Don't judge this book from it's cover! (Not that it is anything wrong with the cover) I did, and this book was not what I expected! What did I expect? Well something funny and a little crazy I guess. What did I get? Something much better than that!

Chelsea had been hoping that she could escape her summer job at Essex Historical Colonial Village, the recreation park where she practically grew up, for a job in a place with air condition. But - against her hopes, she is forced to work there yet another summer. At least her best friend gets a job there as well...

The colonial village might look calm during the days, but at nights when the tourists and grown-ups are long gone, a war is going on between the teenagers working at the Colonial Village - and those working at the Civil War Reenactment-land across the street.

When Chelsea is kidnapped by some Civil War Reenactors the event is the beginning of an ugly war between the two villages where every dirty trick is allowed. But the kidnapping is also the beginning of a forbidden love story between Chelsea and the Civil War reenactor who kidnapped her...
This book had me laughing out loud, smile until my face burst and most of all - left me with a wish of working in a recreation park. All workers seemed to have a blast! Imagine dressing up in gowns which where high-fashion hundreds of years ago, to speak in an old-fashioned way and to say goodbye to all modern technology; cell phones, ovens, zippers - you name it! Sounds interesting and strangely fun, doesn't it?

Rating: 4.5 of 5

Waiting on Wednesday (11/16)

Title: Kiss Crush Collide
Author: Christina Meredith
Release Date: December 27, 2011

Leah has the life most high school girls would kill for—popularity, glowing grades, a rich, athletic boyfriend. So why does she feel like she can’t breathe? And why can’t she stop thinking about the boy from the country club? The one who isn’t her boyfriend, the one that her mother would never, ever approve of, the one that her perfect older sisters would never, ever look at twice. The one who is always looking back at her.

Irresistible attraction, smoldering glances, the bad boy and the good girl—Kiss Crush Collide has everything that a steamy forbidden romance should, and then some.

Sounds good, doesn't it? :)