Fabulous Follow Friday!

Friday is upon us again, and here in another edition of Follow Friday by Parajunkee's Views is a pretty interesting question that we all need to answer.  But before that question, let me show you the featured blog for this week:

 

And for the question: 

Q. Do you have anyone that you can discuss books with IRL? Tell us about him/her. 

I have lots of people that I discuss books with in real life!  They are:

1. My Mom - she's sort of my 'pusher' because she was the one who really taught me to go read books.  In fact, she herself has about 100+ books in the house (most can be found in her room, the bookshelves in the living room, some in my room, and even some in my brother's), mostly romance novels.  Now, she is also reading some of my books and I sometimes act as the 'pusher.'  I just looked over to where she's seated right now and she is weeping over the ending of Still Alice by Lisa Genova.  Her  favorite YA book is Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers.
2. My brother - ever since I started reading YA, he began to get interested in reading more of my books as YA books are generally easy to read and very light.  When we were younger, he was not too into reading books because he gets bored too easily.  His favorite among my books is Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.
3. The Boyfriend - who not only buys me books, but also borrows some!  He mostly likes thrillers and murder mysteries but he recently read Room by Emma Donoghue and was amazed.
4. My two friends, Mimi and Ira - who love YA books so much.  They even visit this blog to check out new books I reviewed and to get an idea of what to read next.  There were times when they would go right up to me and say, "Hey, I read your newest review and I thought it was great!" or "Do you have any new books?"  It sometimes makes me think that majority of those 9,000 + page views of my blog were from them!  They both loved Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.
5. When everyone else is not available, I always have ARGH with me.  Seriously speaking, my brother already thinks I have a split personality because of that cute monster.  The things a brother knows.  Oh wait, that's a book!

Have a great weekend!  And welcome to blog hoppers and new followers!

Third Sentence Thursday: Zombicorns by John Green

Third Sentence Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Sniffly Kitty's Mostly Books for treating third sentences with the dignity they deserve!

This week's theme is Third Sentence Review.

1) Take the book you are reading now and post the third sentence

2) Review this sentence anyway you want (funny and silly reviews encouraged)

3) Post a link to your sentence here or if you don't have a blog, just post it in the comments!

4) Prepare for next week's theme: To be announced

My Third Sentence for this week is from Zombicorns by John Green that I got free of charge as John put it under a creative commons license so it could be shared.  It's his first zombie apocalypse novella so it must be really funny and interesting!

You may download your own PDF copy of this book here in his Eff Yeah Nerdfighters Tumblr blog. 

"I wondered what we had in common aside from having lived this long."

 

-page 55, Zombicorns by John Green

Review:  I have not yet read any part of this book apart from that sentence so as this is a zombie apocalypse story, living itself is such a luxury and these two people are very lucky indeed. 

 

About a Book in Four Pictures: Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers

Inspired by Kyle Tezak and his Four Icon Challenge, I will be creating four pictures on my own - or I will borrow from the internet - that will tell you about a certain  book.  Like book reviews, this will help you learn more about some books out there but without having to read lengthy analysis of plots/characters/etc.  This feature will help feed your curiosity about a particular story in the briefest - and more visual - way possible.  

I was so excited to create another four-picture book synopsis that after posting the introductory post to About a Book in Four Pictures, I immediately screwed my brain up to think of a new book to work on.  For this week, I scoured my bookshelves for a pretty interesting - yet underrated - book that everybody's sure to love.  And I came up with Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers. 

It's all in pink!!!

From the pictures above, this book is all about a mother who is a doctor, and her teenage daughter who lives in the same house but rarely sees each other.  The most common way that they communicate is by leaving notes on the refrigerator.  This story is told through notes posted for mother and daughter that suddenly unravels in the event of shocking news. 

Want to learn more?  Check out the following:

My book review of Life on the Refrigerator Door

My interview with Alice Kuipers

Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers on Goodreads

Quiz: How Well Do You Know These Teen Fiction Book Covers?

And I am back with another fun quiz courtesy of ProProfs.com and today's quiz maker, emagain.  I literally squealed with delight when I found this quiz on that site as I was really looking for something fun and a bit challenging.  And book related.  Have you noticed that I have been posting quizzes every week now?  I thought this would be great entertainment for us readers and bloggers while we are not thinking about reading and/or blogging, which is what?  Less than one percent at a time?  I know, we are all totally hooked on books and even these quizzes I grab are book-related, but that does not mean we can't enjoy it, right?

So enjoy answering this quiz and you can brag (or rant - whichever way is allowed) about your scores in the comments section.  Game!

Was it too hard/easy?  Are you having fun yet?  There were some books in there that I got really curious about and darn, my TBR pile just got bigger!

UPDATE:  I forgot to include my score when I did this quiz, I got 17 out 20 correct.  Not bad, right?  Maybe hanging out at bookstores does help.  :D

Book Review: These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

Photo taken from Goodreads

Book Info

Title:  These Things Hidden

Author:  Heather Gudenkauf
Publisher:  Mira 

Language: English

Format: Paperback

Pages:  352 pages

ISBN - 13:  9780778328797

ASIN:  0778328791

Source:  Random Acts of Kindness - Ash from English Major's Junk Food

Buy this book on Amazon 

Summary

From Goodreads: 

"When teenager Allison Glenn is sent to prison for a heinous crime, she leaves behind her reputation as Linden Falls' golden girl forever. Her parents deny the existence of their once-perfect child. Her former friends exult her downfall. Her sister, Brynn, faces whispered rumors every day in the hallways of their small Iowa high school. It's Brynn—shy, quiet Brynn—who carries the burden of what really happened that night. All she wants is to forget Allison and the past that haunts her.

But then Allison is released to a halfway house, and is more determined than ever to speak with her estranged sister.

Now their legacy of secrets is focused on one little boy. And if the truth is revealed, the consequences will be unimaginable for the adoptive mother who loves him, the girl who tried to protect him and the two sisters who hold the key to all that is hidden."

Review

Have you ever read a book that had as much stories within a story than this book?  I for one, am very fascinated with how Heather Gudenkauf was able to pull off such a stunt in this book, This Things Hidden. 

The story begins with Allison as she was being released from prison and transferred to a halfway house.  She wanted to get in touch with her sister, Brynn, after years of separation.  They share a horrible secret between them that also affects the lives of two other women and one little boy:  Charm, a regular customer of Bookends - a bookstore that Claire owns - appears to be much more than a customer as it was revealed that she knows about Claire and her family a lot more than anyone thinks.  Claire, on the other hand, has adopted Joshua after she and her husband had learned that they would not be able to have any children and the first traumatic experience they had at foster care for a young girl.

A lot of story lines right there, right?  But believe me, it never gets confusing, not one bit!  Although there were some details there that would make you wonder why or how, but once everything comes full circle, you understand that in this book, everything is significant and has a purpose.  It is very methodical, the way this book was written, but at the same time, the prose is very imaginative and lyrical, and even has a sort of surreal quality the way most events were described.  The story shifts from various points of view:  Allison's and Brynn's - both told in first-person narrative, and then there are Charm's and Claire's both narrated by a third person.  This style actually gives you the idea that this story, though it revolves around four women, is mainly a story of two sisters who has years of secrets between them that would affect two other women's lives.  It was like the 'ripple effect,' although in this novel, there is not only one object that was thrown into the water to create a ripple, but two objects one at a time, creating ripples of their own, and with the first object's ripple causing another ripple from the second object's ripples that creates two other ripples.

Between the two sisters, I think I like Allison more.  No offense to Brynn - who has always resented the fact that her older sister always seemed better than her though she would not admit it - but Allison was able to hold her own in most situations and seemed genuinely to love her sister, although growing up they seemed to have a rough patch as she and her sister began to have different interests and sets of friends.  Brynn, on the other hand, seemed unable to get past the fact that Allison has already started growing up and growing out of their 'childish sisterhood.'  She seemed unable to grow up and when her sister genuinely asks for her help, she seemed to respond not out of love, but out of spite that finally, her seemingly-perfect older sister does not appear perfect at all and was also vulnerable to human intervention.  As with their book relationship, I was drawn more to Allison than Brynn.  The way their characters were created was so detailed but not over-documented that you only learn about them by reading the book.  No.  You read about them and you also form your own conclusions from what you have read as to why they act the way they do.  The same goes for the other characters who were also very passionately written, no matter how big or small a role they would play in this novel. 

I have always been curious about serious issues like teenage pregnancies, mental illness, and mother and child relationships and this book rolled all those into its pages and created an emotional, very well-thought out masterpiece that I am sure many readers would find themselves drawn into, even at times shedding tears not just for what goes on in this book, but also for how good this book turned out to be.

(Again, thank you so much Ash for sending me this book!  If any of you would like to be part of the Random Acts of Kindness event, head on over to Booksoulmates' blog to join.)

Rating

If you have any questions on this particular rating, please refer to my ratings system here.

Notice

All opinions expressed in this book review are my own and not influenced by any party in any way.

Please contact me for questions, comments, and suggestions.  

10 Good Things on a Monday: Ten Books I Must Read Pronto!

10 Good Things on a Monday is a weekly feature  I am doing dedicated to every person's compulsive list-writing.  Every Monday we are going to make a list of 10 things that will cheer us up and help tide us over the whole week.

<a href="http://buoyreading.blogspot.com/search/label/good%20things" target="_top"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ZLJhw831LIwGjiA8RrpkyCa2Kw0vJ-MCDZ92vwi4is-CRlAzDfrov1rTTH16ntcfHxERkDFchxdM-bLazZ6g9M8tSP4JfsgI1z6BjiHzILQVknmvbcSdG9PpCXAdG9SZ1LU5PvsKPpM/s1600/10.JPG" border="0" /></a>

Here's how it works:

1. Think of a particular group of good things you want to make a list on, does not necessarily have to be about books, e.g. your current book wish list, or your favorite book foods (you know, foods you love to eat while reading, if you're like me), or your favorite girly names, whatever you can think of, as long as it makes you feel good.
2. If you have no ideas for a list, you can always visit my blog post to check out my theme for that week and you can take a cue from my list.
3. Post your list on your blog, grab that cute ARGH button above and put it on your post too, so we'd know you're doing this meme.
4. Leave the link for your post on my own 10 Good Things post for the week, if you see others doing it, comment too and let's share our good things with everybody.
5. Everybody goes through the whole week happy!

----------

My 10 Good Things for this week:  Ten Books I Must Read Pronto!

I know, I already featured my book wish list here before, but as time passes, the wish list changes as I already get the books I want and find new ones to crush on. 

So here you go:

1.  Hate List by Jennifer Brown - I kept saying that I would love to read this book but I can't seem to find a copy in bookstores around my area.  Will try to widen my search :D

 2.  Hold Still by Nina LaCour - I was thinking of reading Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher when I suddenly came upon this book.  I would like to read both of them and compare them with each other.

3.  One Day by David Nicholls - I am a fan of unique story presentations, and telling us the story of what happens between two people through showing us what happened to them to that particular day every year seem cool.  I would really like to see how the author pulls it off.

 

4.  The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan - What can I say?  I am a fan of David Levithan therefore I should get to read this book.  Period.

5.  The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman - I actually learned about this book through David Levithan's Facebook fan page.  I looked it up and was intrigued by the plot. 

6.  Killing Britney by Sean Olin - I like reading the occasional thrillers and killers so I would like to pick up a copy of this.  

7.  Where She Went by Gayle Forman - because I read If I Stay!

8.  Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde - I'm not a big fan of dystopian and sci-fi novels but sometimes, there are books from those genres that just won't be ignored.  And that book cover looks awesome.

9.  The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - I read The Angel's Game and this is actually the first book that mentioned the Cemetery of Forgotten Books.  

10.  Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante - I read Still Alice by Lisa Genova and fell in love with it.  This is another book that uses Alzheimer's as part of the plot but with a very different approach.  So excited to read this!

What do you think?  Are these books good choices or should I sack some of them?  You can tell me what you think, even give me a few recommendations if you like.  Plus, if you would like me to read a review that you've written about any of the books mentioned, you can also tell me about it.

Have an awesome Monday!  What are your good things?

The Weekly Book Report 4/4 - 4/10/2011

Here's something very unrelated to books:  I was dreaming that my book's pages were ripping off the covers by themselves (OK, so it's mildly book-related) and I kept hearing this flapping sound as that happens.  I got woken up by the flapping sound and I thought it was something in my pillow so I tried to fix it just so, but the flapping sound in my left ear won't stop.  I then realized that an insect had somehow gotten itself stuck inside my ear.  I ran to my Mom to help me get it out and we went to a doctor afterward to make sure that there were no foreign objects left inside and to give me a prescription for antibiotics (I did not tell anyone in the hospital that I am a nurse so they wouldn't put too much pressure/expectations on me being a patient).

When I got home, I was too keyed up to go back to sleep so I had breakfast, checked my e-mail, and did this blog post :D 

And now, for a recap of the past week's happenings, here's my Weekly Book Report:

Book Review:
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson - a book review written in verse.

Better Together by Raymond M. Rose - received an ebook of this from the author himself!
 

Features:

Freaky Follow Friday

Third Sentence Thursday from Bandits by LM Preston

10 Good Things on a Monday  Ten Lady Gaga Outfits I Love 

Other Posts:

About a Book in Four Pictures - a new feature here on this blog!

Quiz:  If Your Life Story Was A Book, What Book Would It Be? 

Books Received:

From the Author:

      Bandits by LM Preston - ARC 

Currently Reading:  These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

New on the blog:  Inspired by the comments I received for my book review for The Sky is Everywhere, I decided to put up a tab - 'Unique Review Formats' - for all the book reviews I wrote that were presented differently/uniquely so you could all go take a look at alternate ways I reviewed a book.  Just to show off showcase some of my weirdness works. 

Moral Lesson for the Day:  If you dream about your books getting ripped page by page with this strange flapping sound, chances are you've got an insect stuck in your left ear and you should wake up pronto!

New Learning for the Week:  I just learned that I could write a new learning for the week every week and will start doing this next week.  (This sentence is full of the word 'week' it made my fingers weak.  Yeah I know, corny.)

Have a great new week!