Book Blogger Hop - (October 13th - 19th) #10

Book Blogger Hop: Halloween Edition!

This Week's Question:

Who is your favorite horror/suspense author and why? (submitted by Kitty @ Vicarious Bookworm)

My Answer:

I don't tend to read many books that are horror or suspense these days, but growing up I read A LOT of R. L. Stine books and they were definitely horror and suspense! Books from the Fear Street and Goosebumps series would have to be some of my favourites by him, and more importantly they did a great job at scaring my younger self. I remember not being able to predict the ending most of the time, they always seemed to take me by surprise - or that just might be because my younger self was not smart enough to figure it out!

Since there are about 54 books in the Fear Street series - here are some that I've read and would recommend! (They are all very quick reads too)

The Confession

This was the first book that I read
from the Fear Street series - definitely
got me hooked!

GOODREADS

Secret Admirer

GOODREADS

Killer's Kiss

GOODREADS

Review: I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Title: I've Got Your Number
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Publisher: Bantam Press
Publication date: February 14th 2012
Page count: 433
Buy The Book: Amazon | Book Depository
Rating: 4/5








Synopsis

Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her “happily ever after” begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring in a hotel fire drill but in the panic that follows, her phone is stolen. As she paces shakily around the lobby, she spots an abandoned phone in a trash can. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!

Well, perfect except that the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading his messages and wading into his personal life.

What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other’s lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls, and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents . . . she soon realizes that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life. [Goodreads]

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this one, definitely more than Can You Keep a Secret? Much of what I felt and thought about Can You Keep a Secret? can be applied to I've Got Your Number.

Poppy Wyatt was a lot of fun but also wild when it came to making decisions - there were moments where I wanted to tell Poppy to stop and think, but honestly I have realised that is part of the fun and rollercoaster ride you go through when you read a Sophie Kinsella book.

I really like how Poppy's character contrasted with Sam's personality but how they actually complemented each other really well. Sam is definitely a swoon-worthy character too and I absolutely adored the texts between the two. Also, Poppy's dislike of confrontations and her tendency to put herself second to everyone else are struggles that many could understand and relate to, which in my case made her more likeable.

Sophie Kinsella knows how to make me laugh especially with all the crazy things that end up happening in the book, it would have to be one of the main reasons I decided to read another one of her books - I was sure that it would leave a smile on my face, and it definitely did.

Favourite Quotes/Moments

"I have a special announcement to make!" I exclaim, hurrying after them. "I am a singing telegram! I bear a message from all Mr Yamasaki's many fans."

The singing telegram scene had me laughing out loud for ages, I couldn't believe what was happening, definitely was not expecting it! 

"But sometimes you have to be brave. Sometimes you have to show people what's important in life." 

#LifeLesson right there

"Lover? I don't know. I don't know if she loves me. I don't know if I love her. All I can say is, she's the one I think about. All the time. She's the voice I want to hear. She's the face I hope to see."

This totally made me melt, no question about that. 

Book Blogger Hop - (October 6th - 12th) #9

Book Blogger Hop: Halloween Edition!

This Week's Question:

Both Bram Stoker's Dracula and Marry Shelley's Frankenstein are considered classics. Have you ever read either of them? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

My Answer:

I haven't read either book, but they have both come highly recommended to me from friends. For a long time I avoided reading classics, only quite recently I've started to pick them up, and I've even been enjoying them (sometimes I can't believe what I've been missing out on!)

I think part of the reason I avoided classics for so long would be because of the fact many of them were books that were assigned to read at school and for exams, and in some way that took the fun out of reading classics for me. But thankfully that has changed, and I no longer shy away from reading them, so I will definitely be checking out Dracula or Frankenstein - at this moment in time I am swaying towards Frankenstein!

Books Plus Thoughts #3 - All Things Kasie West - The Fill-In Boyfriend + The Distance Between Us

Every now and again I binge on Young Adult contemporary romance - this happens most often during summer or after I've finished reading a heartbreaking, sad or intense book. Both the Kasie West books in this post I read back-to-back, and both are lighthearted reads. 

1. The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

Summary: When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend—two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley. The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party—three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

Rating: ★★★★

This one I really enjoyed! It was 100% cute and swoon worthy as well as very much uncomplicated. It is likely that you will close the book with a big smile on your face. Gia doesn't start off as a very likeable character but by the end she sheds some of her immaturity. This is definitely a book to pick up after you've finished some heavy/intense reads. The ending was rather abrupt but I found that to be the case for this book as well as Kasie West's other standalone The Distance Between Us.


GOODREADS

Favourite/Memorable Quotes:

“We rarely find a depth by looking inside of ourselves for it. Depth is found in what we can learn from the people and things around us. Everyone, everything, has a story, Gia. When you learn those stories, you learn experiences that fill you up, that expand your understanding. You add layers to your soul.”

“Well, if you're a mess then I'm a natural disaster."

"The cutest natural disaster I've ever seen.”

2. The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop. So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company. She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

Rating: ★★★

I did not love The Distance Between Us as much as I did The Fill-In Boyfriend. With this one I had a harder time connecting with both the characters Caymen and Xander. But otherwise it was another really cute read and I was cheering them both on the whole way! Again I felt the ending was really abrupt and slightly rushed - there was a lot more I wanted to find out especially with regards to the revelations that were made near the end.

GOODREADS

Favourite/Memorable Quotes:

“I wonder why some people seem to be born knowing what they want to do with their lives and others - mostly me - have no idea.”

“This is me facing failure. This is me putting everything on the line even though I know I might lose. And I'm terrified. But like you said, anything worth having is worth the risk.”