Wishlist Wednesday (25)

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly Meme hosted at Pen to Paper

This week I'm wishing for...

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi 

Summary from Goodreads:

"Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she'll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew-about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam-was wrong.

In Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi created a captivating and original story that combined the best of dystopian and paranormal and was praised by Publishers Weekly as "a gripping read from an author who's not afraid to take risks." The sequel, Unravel Me, blew readers away with heart-racing twists and turns, and New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia said it was "dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense." Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and climactic end"

Why I'm Wishing for It:
So far I've read the first novel in this trilogy, Shatter Me, and I have every intention to read Unravel Me soon since I have it sitting on my bookshelf. So, I'm going to need to get this to complete my set. 

What about you? What are you wishing for this week?

I'm now on Booklikes!

Just a short little post to say that I'm now on Booklikes! For anyone who isn't aware, Booklikes is like Goodreads meets Tumblr. Since I'm not a member of Goodreads, I thought I might as well have a go at Booklikes - people seem to be enjoying it! So here's what you can expect to find there:

• Pretty much everything I post here: book reviews, Wishlist Wednesdays and discussion posts will be linked up on Booklikes
• Since I post book reviews about a week after I finish the book, I'm going to post my initial reactions on Booklikes - thoughts, feelings, pros & cons
• Anything and everything bookish: pictures, quotes, videos, random tidbits, memes, gifs...so much stuff

If you feel like checking it out, here's my link: http://danielleheartsbooks.booklikes.com/

Book Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Release Date: 24th May 2012

Publisher: Orion Books
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 399
Rating: 4.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 ODY

Summary from Goodreads:

"Marriage can be a real killer. 

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media--as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents--the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter--but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around."

Review:

This was a really great mystery. So many twists and turns, you never knew what was coming. But, I did have some issues with it.

So lets start with the pros. For a start, kudos to Flynn for making me feel so certain about one certain character. I wholeheartedly believed everything I read about this character, and felt very strongly about a certain other person. And then, everything gets flipped in the first big twist of the book. How you perceive these characters changed completely, and for being able to dupe me into feeling a certain way and then flipping it so I felt the complete opposite, I have to give Flynn credit. Moving forward with the story, there were quite a few twists and turns in there that you look for in a good mystery. So, for the plot and the fact that it's a good ol' mystery, this gets a thumbs up.

Moving onto the characters, Flynn did a great job at crafting her characters. We have a flawed leading protagonist, Nick Dunne, who of course you're a bit wary of from time to time. Besides talking about Nick, I don't want to get into the other character's too much, otherwise I'd be spoiling. But, overall, Flynn's characters were crafted really well, and they were all quite complex.

But here's the problem I had with this - there wasn't really any resolution. Even though our main character's went through a lot of stuff together, we ended up right back where we began. I didn't feel like there was any uplifting end. I was rooting for one of our characters, really hoping they got their way. But instead, we ended up with our characters in a shitty situation, and I really didn't like that.

Overall, this was a great mystery, one of the best I've read in a while. With so many twists and turns, I couldn't predict what was going to happen, so I'd definitely recommend this one 

Let's Talk: Halloween Reads

Let's Talk is a weekly meme hosted by Melissa at i swim for oceans. Each week, there's a new topic to discuss. 

This week, let's talk about Halloween Reads.

With Halloween being next week, what are your favourite creepy/spooky books? 

To be honest, I don't read much horror fiction. This year, so far I think the only thing classed as horror that I've read has been Anna Dressed in Blood, and I didn't even find it that scary. If we consider some creepy books, then I think the Mara Dyer series qualifies. Seriously weird stuff going on there. But it's also sooo good, seriously, if you aren't reading the Mara Dyer series then you really need to.

When I was younger, I was very much into the Goosebumps series (as I think almost every kid was). I remember they used to spook me real good, and so did the TV show that was based off the books. I vividly remember one episode where a boy finds a ventriloquists doll at a garage sale, but it turns out the doll is evil and turns the boy to wood, making him effectively a ventriloquists doll too. Downright creepy stuff there, espeically for my 8 year-old self. 

But besides that, horror isn't generally a genre I can do. I'm not big on scarying myself, espeically since I tend to read a lot right before bed.

What about you? Are you a fan of the horror genre? If so, any recommendations? 

Wishlist Wednesday (24)

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly Meme hosted at Pen to Paper

This week I'm wishing for...

Red by Alison Cherry 

Summary from Goodreads:

"Felicity St. John has it all—loyal best friends, a hot guy, and artistic talent. And she’s right on track to win the Miss Scarlet pageant. Her perfect life is possible because of just one thing: her long, wavy, coppery red hair.

Having red hair is all that matters in Scarletville. Redheads hold all the power—and everybody knows it. That’s why Felicity is scared down to her roots when she receives an anonymous note:

I know your secret.

Because Felicity is a big fake. Her hair color comes straight out of a bottle. And if anyone discovered the truth, she’d be a social outcast faster than she could say "strawberry blond." Her mother would disown her, her friends would shun her, and her boyfriend would dump her. And forget about winning that pageant crown and the prize money that comes with it—money that would allow her to fulfill her dream of going to art school.
Felicity isn’t about to let someone blackmail her life away. But just how far is she willing to go to protect her red cred?"

Why I'm Wishing for It:
I find the premise of this book hilarious. A town where red-heads are revered, held in a higher opinion than everyone else. Being a red-head myself, I just find it so, so funny. Which, of course, means I have to read it. I have to read about a fictional town that adores all natural red-heads, just to give myself an ego boost. Moving past that, I'm sure this is an interesting mystery and I've seen some good reviews. Definitely something I'm wishing for. 

What about you? What are you wishing for this week?

Book Review: The Bling Ring by Nancy Jo Sales

The Bling Ring by Nancy Jo Sales
Release Date: 21st May 2013

Publisher: Harper Collins
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 259
Rating: 4.0/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 ODY

Summary from Goodreads:

"Meet the Bling Ring: six club-hopping LA teenagers accused of stealing more than $3 million in clothing and jewelry from the likes of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson and other young members of the Hollywood elite-allegedly the most audacious burglary gang in recent history.

Driven by celebrity worship, vanity, and the desire to look and dress like the rich and famous, the Bling Ring made headlines in 2009 for using readily available sources-like Google maps, Facebook and TMZ, to track the comings and goings of their targets. Seven teens were arrested for the crimes, and instantly became tabloid fodder. The world asked-how did the American obsession with celebrity get so out of hand? And why did a band of ostensibly privileged LA teens take such a risk?

Vanity Fair reporter Nancy Jo Sales found the answer: they did it because they could. And because it was just that easy.

Author of the acclaimed Vanity Fair story on the Bling Ring "The Suspect Wore Louboutins," Sales gained unprecedented access to the Hollywood thieves, and in the process uncovered a dark world of teenage arrogance, greed, obsession, and delusion. Now, for the first time in a full book length work, Sales details the Bling Ring crimes up close and in depth, and reveals the key players' stories in a shocking look at the seedy world of the real young Hollywood."

Review:

What with The Bling Ring movie being released this year, when I saw this little book on a book stand for only $10, I thought I'd give it a go. And this was indeed a good read. 

I don't read a lot of non-fiction, because most of the time I find that it bores me. But, thankfully, I didn't encounter this problem here. The topic of interest is just so interesting - a bunch of teenagers burgled the homes of some of the highest profile celebrities, and didn't get caught, all because they were obsessed by celebrity culture. It really was fascinating to read about the reasons why they did it - it wasn't because they were poor, or they were criminal masterminds who sold everything they stole. Quite the opposite actually - these were relatively well off teenagers who stole from these celebs because they wanted to look like them, be like them, live their life. It's really fascinating to read about how affected these kids were by celebrity culture. It wasn't enough for them to read about their fave celebs, or see them on the TV - they wanted to be them. 

Being non-fiction, I would only suggest picking this one up if the story surrounding The Bling Ring interests you. Me, being quite interested by celebrity and pop culture, found this one really interesting. And it makes me just a little more interested to see how well the movie pulls this version of the story off. 

Let's Talk: Re-reads

Let's Talk is a weekly meme hosted by Melissa at i swim for oceans. Each week, there's a new topic to discuss. 

This week, let's talk about Re-reads.

Do you ever re-read books that didn't work for you the first time around and have them work the next time? Has it ever worked the opposite for you? 

I'm just not the type of reader who re-reads. I don't think I've ever, in my entire life, re-read a book, unless it was required reading. For me, I just think that they're are so many great books out there, waiting to be read, that the time spent reading a book I've already read before could be put to better use reading one of the many books from my TBR. There are just too many books to read and not enough time!

Also, I tend not to DNF books, so trying  to re-read a DNF isn't likely. Furthermore, I don't really see the point in re-reading books you didn't enjoy the first time around. If you didn't enjoy it initially, what makes you think you'll like it the next time? I'm sure there are some books I've read that I found mediocre, but I'd enjoy the second time around, but then we get back to the too many books, too little time problem. 

Given that I don't re-read, there are actually quite a few books on my bookshelf that I hope to re-read one day. Maybe next year I'll sign up for some type of re-reads challenge, to actually push me to do it, because I really don't see myself doing it otherwise. 

Just a selection of the books I hope to one day re-read.