Books I'm Most Excited For

With 2014 almost half over already, I've decided to do a quick run through of just a few books I'm really excited to read. A few of these I've found on my own, but others I've found thanks to Goodreads and Epic Reads.

So I might as well get started.

The Things You Kiss Goodbye

by Leslie Connor

 

Fans of Sarah Dessen will love this heartbreaking story about family, loss, and the joys and disappointments of first love.

 

Summary:

 

Bettina Vasilis can hardly believe it when star basketball player Brady Cullen convinces her strict father to let them date. That summer, Bettina falls in love with Brady and the freedom that comes along with him. But when school starts up again, Brady unexpectedly changes for the worse. Unable to give up on her first love just yet, she finds herself trapped in an abusive relationship.

Then she meets "Cowboy," a smoldering older guy and the last guy her father would approve. Yet he is everything Brady is not—gentle, caring, and interested in getting to know the real Bettina. When tragedy strikes, Bettina must tell her family the truth—and kiss goodbye the things she thought she knew about herself and the men in her life.

 

Why I'm Excited:

 

First off, I LOVE Sarah Dessen's novels, so anything that is compared to her's gets me excited. Second, I am now fully committed to finding who she chooses. I really hope she chooses this nameless cowboy who is described as gentle, caring and kind, over Brady, who I have a feeling is on the lines of mimicking Rogerson from Dreamland by Sarah Dessen.

 

 

 

Vivian Divine is Dead

by Lauren Sabel

 

 

 

With the mystery and suspense of the Pretty Little Liars series, the Hollywood drama of Lauren Conrad's L.A. Candy, and the creepiness of Michelle Hodkin's The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, Vivian Divine Is Dead will thrill fans of emotionally charged, fast-paced, contemporary fiction.

 

Summary:

 

Teen celebrity Vivian Divine has had a rough six months—her movie-star mother was murdered, and her boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend. Through it all, she's had to smile for the camera—this is the stuff the tabloids live for, after all.

When a death threat arrives with her fan mail, Vivian decides to run to Mexico, hoping to escape whoever it is who wants her dead. There, she finds an ally in the mysterious and charming Nick, but even he seems like he can't be trusted. As Vivian travels deeper into Mexico, she finds herself asking a horrifying question: If she can't hide from the paparazzi, what makes her think she can elude a madman?

 

Why I'm Excited:

 

So before you write this off as some creepy gothic novel, it not. It is actually a mystery.

I love the idea of a fast-paced novel about a girl on the run. No one can be trusted and if you get into books like I do, you will definitely need to have your heart checked out before reading stuff like this.

 

 

Say What You Will

by Cammie McGovern

 

 

John Green's The Fault in Our Stars meets Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park in this beautifully written, incredibly honest, and emotionally poignant novel. Cammie McGovern's insightful young adult debut is a heartfelt and heartbreaking story about how we can all feel lost until we find someone who loves us because of our faults, not in spite of them.

 

Summary:

 

Born with cerebral palsy, Amy can't walk without a walker, talk without a voice box, or even fully control her facial expressions. Plagued by obsessive-compulsive disorder, Matthew is consumed with repeated thoughts, neurotic rituals, and crippling fear. Both in desperate need of someone to help them reach out to the world, Amy and Matthew are more alike than either ever realized.

When Amy decides to hire student aides to help her in her senior year at Coral Hills High School, these two teens are thrust into each other's lives. As they begin to spend time with each other, what started as a blossoming friendship eventually grows into something neither expected.

 

Why I'm Excited:

 

If you even need an explanation for why I'm excited about this one, I can't help you.
Two names written here should be all you need to pick up this book when it comes out.

John Green

Rainbow Rowell

And if you need more convincing, look at the book titles its compared to.

The Fault in our Stars

Eleanor and Park

 

 

Since You've Been Gone

by Morgan Matson

 



 

Summary:

 

The Pre-Sloane Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell. But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just... disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try... unless they could lead back to her best friend. Apple Picking at Night? Ok, easy enough. Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not? Kiss a Stranger? Wait... what?

Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?

Why I'm Excited:

 

I actually found this one on Epic Reads and after reading the summary fell in love! This seems just like one of those that you could read in your book club and have a heck of a time laughing about. It's also a great story about friendship which is a nice getaway from all these dystopian novels out right now. I love the dystopian genre but sometimes you just need to ditch the fantasy and grab some contemporary to ground you. And then you can start again! I love any books that remind me of:

 

All of Sarah Dessen's Novels, The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler, Saving Zoe by Alyson Noel and Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor. 



Insurgent Filming Begins!!!

During the night it was announced that yesterday, May 27th 2014, filming for Insurgent had begun!

If you are in Atlanta and are looking to see some filming make sure to keep an eye out for signs that say MINERAL. Code name MINERAL is the shooting location for Insurgent, which is set to release next year. If you want to catch some of the action make sure to look for the signs and watch for more updates on the filming process. The actors of Insurgent have been in Atlanta for several days and have already met a few fans. So keep an eye out, you may just see them!

Here's some pics!

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson (Excerpt)

Looking for a New book to read this summer? Read an excerpt from this awesome new book by Morgan Matson!

Like what you read? Buy it HERE!

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Stephanie Schlund Joins Insurgent Cast

Got some great news yesterday that Stephanie Schlund, who also plays Cashmere in Catching Fire, has joined the cast of Insurgent! She says she will be part of Amity though we still aren't sure what her role will be. For more info on Insurgent casting watch for more small updates like this and go check out my past updates on casting for Johanna and the rumors about casting for Uriah!

Divergent DVD Release Date & Casting News for Johanna

Last night on The Insider we received some AWESOME movie news about Divergent! With Insurgent about to begin filming in Atlanta within the next few days and having our Johanna chosen we've had a lot of Insurgent stuff going on, but with this great Divergent news I can't help but share!

Divergent will be released to DVD and Bluray to the USA on August 5th!



Divergent will also be released for purchase on iTunes on July 22nd!

Remember those dates Divergent fans because we will be bringing Theo James, Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort into our homes!

 

JOHANNA CASTING FOR INSURGENT

 

You may remember this lovely actress from The Help. Everyone welcome the wonderful Octavia Spencer as Johanna, Amity's faction leader!

 

 

Octavia Spencer cast as Johanna

 

 

I never really imagined Johanna like this, but after reviewing Johanna's character and Octavia's roles in The Help...especially during the 'pie' scene...SHE WILL MAKE AN AMAZING JOHANNA!

 

Besides this wonderful news there is also speculation that Romeo Miller will be playing Uriah. THIS IS ONLY SPECULATION! He though did in fact announce that he had a wonderful audition and on his Twitter announced that he was feeling very Dauntless. I don't quite agree with the casting for Uriah but as long as he plays him well I suppose it will have to do.

 

 

Romeo Miller not yet cast as Uriah



That Fault in Our Stars Movie Tickets for Sale NOW and a The Fault in Our Stars Preparedness Kit!

Last night tickets went on sale for The Fault in Our Stars! Check local listings for showing times and don't forget to bring tissues!

Click Here

 

 

Also, check out on http://dftba.com for some awesome fandom shirts but my absolute fav, a TFIOS preparedness kit! I pre-ordered it and am excited to get it.

 

It contains: Okay Okay drawstring bag, lapel pin, tissue pack, candy cigarettes, postcards and stickers and TFIOS designed sunglasses.

 

 



*BOOK REVIEW* The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch





Recommended for fans of: NO ONE

Hardcover, 278 pages

Published September 1st 2011 by Scholastic Press (first published August 1st 2011) 

I now longer own a copy. 

Rating: 1 Star           



 

 

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

 

~Summary~

 

In an America devastated by war and plague, the only way to survive is to keep moving.

In the aftermath of a World War III, America’s landscape has been ravaged and left two thirds of the population dead. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived , roaming the country as isolated scavengers.

But when Stephen’s grandfather dies, Stephen must take charge of what family remains. Soon he finds his way to Settler’s Landing, a community that seems too good to be true. There Stephen meets strong, defiant, Jenny Tan, who refuses to accept things as they are. When they play a prank that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler’s Landing forever.

 

 

~My Review~

 

Where do I even start with this one?

Alright I'll start with this one word. It's starts with S...

1) SUCKS

...what did you think I was going to say?....

This novel...can I even call it that? This had me bored from the first page. I was interested in this piece of literature based on the supplied summary and the cover, that's all. Just getting into the book was difficult, and being such a short read anyway, it started off slow and then progressed to being too quick. The characters were undercooked. They lacked potential in general, having no real base or foundation. I don't know anyone who could be that un-extraordinary in real life, and isn't the goal of an author to create an amazing story with strong back bone and amazing scenes, oh and also realistic characters? I know that when I read I search for characters that jump off the page; that feel right there with me. They need to have fears, regrets, deep motivations, feelings on subjects, allergies for all I care! Characters need to be memorable, all I remember about the main protagonist is nothing! I remember a little something about the protagonist's somewhat love interest which is that she likes to draw. That's it. Not very memorable if I say so myself.

This is basically how progression in the story went.

1) Travelling
2) Flashbacks
3) Father's Injury
4) Get's Found
5) Goes to an EXTREMELY EXTREMELY surreal place
6) Meets girl
7) Goes to school
8) Bunch of stupid stuff happens
9) Ditches Girl
10) Lives happily ever after

...........What. The. Heck.

Okay first of all, this is a post-apocalyptic, war-ravaged, rusted over danger zone. You can easily see that from the front cover. The book is called The freaking Eleventh Plague for goodness sakes, can we maybe not have some realism here please?
It's all good and well while they travel, yep crashed planes, abandoned cars, yep yep, and then we get to the real good part. He gets found by some men who decide to take him back to where they live. Now imagine the ENTIRE world hit so hard with plague and pestilence, filled with broken down cars, boarded homes, dust just floating around making the whole world just a haze of its former self. Now get this, you're picked up by some men and taken to their home, which looks like it came out of a showroom for the Home and Gardens Magazine!!!

I swear, this town looks like Downtown Charleston, South Carolina with it's white houses and front porches. The perfect Southern Living scene. The kids went to school and played football and had neighborhood picnics! Come on!
Now what is really the point with the whole race hate in this? They are basically attacking the protagonist's girl with hate because of her skin color. Get a life. Also, it was unnecessary. I don't know if it was some big underlying message about her but... could you repeat? Because I didn't get it.

So you see, this story is just a jumbled mess that needs to be mopped up. It could have been great if the characters had potential, the world they lived in was a little more real, and it hadn't been so hurried. The scenes were good and had so much potential, I'll admit, I even laughed a little when they played this one certain prank of letting out the farm animals in someone's yard. That was great. But everything else just clouded over the slightly sunny spots of this.

I've never, EVER, given a book away since I started reading... this was the first book I ever took off the shelf, looked at once, shook my head and tossed off to the side. I just feel bad for anyone who could subject themselves to this. I would love if Jeff could write something else...something better and more developed. If it takes 6 years then so be it, but please, you have the bravery and courage to publish something when most people don't, make it good! Make it worth my time! Make it worth a spot in my brain.

I just feel bad that Suzanne Collins now has her name printed on thousands of copies of this.

The Ultimate The Fault In Our Stars Party Kit!!!

Hey TFIOS fans! Want to throw a spectacular out of this universe Premiere Party?!? I thought so. I'll supply you with all the ideas for Food, Invitations, Decorations, and Games. So let's get started! Here are some things you'll need!

Decorations:

*These things can be found at Party Stores

• Blue Table Cloth (Try to find something less navy but more bright).
• White (or) Yellow Round Plates
• (If you want to go fancy and have a chandelier above your dining room table) string cut out clouds from you chandelier over the food table.
• Little Confetti Stars (for sprinkling on the food table)
• Orange Tulips (Nearest Floral shop or for cheaper options: Check Grocery Stores)

What to do with the Decorations:

Place 3 small vases of Orange Tulips on the table. One in the center and one at the end of the table on either side. Use white plates to hold your sandwiches and other yummy treats. If possible create another area for serving drinks. Scatter a handful of Silver Confetti stars around the table. (If you have a chandelier) Stagger cut-out clouds from wire or string above your food table. Write little quotes from the book on each cloud. Also, add a little tissue box on the table as decoration too.

Food & Drink:

Star Shaped Finger Sandwiches
Apple Cider
The Fault in our Stars Cupcakes

Star Shaped Finger Sandwiches

What you'll need:

• Knife or a Round Cutter
• Loaf of White Bread (or whatever you prefer)
• Thin slices of Ham or Turkey
• Cheese
• Cooking Brush

Instructions:

For Cold Sandwiches:

• Use your Star Shaped cutter (Or Circular)&(If you can't find any of those just simply use a knife) and cut out one shape from each slice of bread. One sandwich will equal 2 slices of bread. After cutting the bread, use your shaped cutter and cut cutouts in the ham or turkey. Lay that on the bottom slice of bread and continue on to cutting cheese. Lay the cheese on and top it with the second slice of bread and you got yourself a sandwich.

For Hot Sandwiches:

• Do all the steps for cold sandwiches above.
•  Melt a small amount of butter in a glass dish and use your cooking brush to lightly coat the bread on top and bottom. Place them in a frying pan and fry them up like little grilled cheese sandwiches.

The Fault In Our Stars Cupcakes

Found an amazing recipe for TFIOS cupcakes by Huffington Post! Try em!

 

Games:

Test your The Fault In Our Stars knowledge with a few rounds of TFIOS Trivia!

*Remember you can always add your own questions and answers!

What You Need:

Scissors
Pen
Black and White paper

Instructions: Cut out Clouds from each sheet of paper. Write a question on each of the clouds with the answer below it. Have someone read off the cloud questions and have everyone yelling out the answers as quick as can be. Make the vary in difficulty.

Examples:

Easy: What color tulips does Gus bring Hazel? Answer: Orange
Medium: What is Issac's Girlfriend's name? Answer: Monica
Hard: In an Imperial Affliction which disease does Anna want to cure? Answer: Cholera

Feel free to use these and also make your own! A good idea is to go on Goodreads.com and look up The Fault in our Stars Trivia for Ideas.


Don't forget to print your lovely Invitations and send them out!