Friday, May 8, 2015

April Book Haul

I know that hauls usually come before the wrap-up and reviews, but this is my first one, so I'm gonna do it backwards. I do what I want. :)

To begin with, here are the books I ordered from Book Outlet:

Every You, Every Me by David Levithan

In this high school-set psychological tale, a tormented teen named Evan starts to discover a series of unnerving photographs—some of which feature him. Someone is stalking him . . . messing with him . . . threatening him. Worse, ever since his best friend Ariel has been gone, he's been unable to sleep, spending night after night torturing himself for his role in her absence. And as crazy as it sounds, Evan's starting to believe it's Ariel that's behind all of this, punishing him. But the more Evan starts to unravel the mystery, the more his paranoia and insomnia amplify, and the more he starts to unravel himself.





When We Wake by Karen Healey

Sixteen-year-old Tegan is just like every other girl living in 2027--she's happiest when playing the guitar, she's falling in love for the first time, and she's joining her friends to protest the wrongs of the world: environmental collapse, social discrimination, and political injustice.

But on what should have been the best day of Tegan's life, she dies--and wakes up a hundred years in the future, locked in a government facility with no idea what happened.

Tegan is the first government guinea pig to be cryonically frozen and successfully revived, which makes her an instant celebrity--even though all she wants to do is try to rebuild some semblance of a normal life. But the future isn't all she hoped it would be, and when appalling secrets come to light, Tegan must make a choice: Does she keep her head down and survive, or fight for a better future?

Parallel by Lauren Miller

A romantic, mind-bending novel about parallel worlds, soul mates, destiny, and the big-time consequences of even our smallest choices, perfect for fans of The Future of Us and Before I Fall.
Abby Barnes had it all planned out—high school, college, career—but one decision made in her senior year of high school changed her carefully mapped-out future.
When Abby wakes up the morning of her eighteenth birthday, it's as though her past has been rewritten. Abby discovers that a cosmic collision of parallel universes has erased her old reality. Now Abby is falling in love with a boy from her Parallel's memories—a boy she's never even met. She's living the life she always wanted, but what if living her Parallel's life means she loses her soul mate?


Beneath A Meth Moon
 by Jacqueline Woodson

Hurricane Katrina took her mother and granmother. And even though Laurel Daneau has moves on to a new life--one that includes a new best friend, a spot on the cheerleading squad, and dating the co-captain of the football team--she can't get past the pain of that loss. Then her new boyfriend introduces her to meth, and Laurel is instantly seduced by its spell, the way it erases, even if only temporarily, her memories. Soon Laurel is completely hooked, a shell of her former self, desperate to be whole again, but lacking the strength to break free. But with the help of a new friend--and the loyalty of an old one--she is able to rewrite her own story and move on with her own life.






Tumble & Fall
 by Alexandra Coutts

The world is living in the shadow of oncoming disaster. An asteroid is set to strike the earth in just one week’s time; catastrophe is unavoidable. The question isn’t how to save the world—the question is, what to do with the time that's left? Against this stark backdrop, three island teens wrestle with intertwining stories of love, friendship and family—all with the ultimate stakes at hand. 













Etiquette & Espionage
 by Gail Carriger

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. 

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but the also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.


Cold Spell
 by Jackson Pearce

Kai and Ginny grew up together--best friends since they could toddle around their building's rooftop rose garden. Now they're seventeen, and their relationship has developed into something sweeter, complete with stolen kisses and plans to someday run away together.

But one night, Kai disappears with a mysterious stranger named Mora--a beautiful girl with a dark past and a heart of ice. Refusing to be cast aside, Ginny goes after them and is thrust into a world she never imagined, one filled with monsters and thieves and the idea that love is not enough.

If Ginny and Kai survive the journey, will she still be the girl he loved--and moreover, will she still be the girl who loved him?

Vesper by Jeff Sampson

Emily Webb is a geek. And she’s happy that way. Content hiding under hoodies and curling up to watch old horror flicks, she’s never been the kind of girl who sneaks out for midnight parties. And she’sdefinitely not the kind of girl who starts fights or flirts with other girls’ boyfriends. Until one night Emily finds herself doing exactly that . . . the same night one of her classmates—also named Emily—is found mysteriously murdered.
The thing is, Emily doesn’t know why she’s doing any of this. By day, she’s the same old boring Emily, but by night, she turns into a thrill seeker. With every nightfall, Emily gets wilder until it’s no longer just her personality that changes. Her body can do things it never could before: Emily is now strong, fast, and utterly fearless. And soon Emily realizes that she’s not just coming out of her shell . . . there’s something much bigger going on. Is she bewitched by the soul of the other, murdered Emily? Or is Emily Webb becoming something else entirely— something not human?
As Emily hunts for answers, she finds out that she’s not the only one this is happening to—some of her classmates are changing as well. Who is turning these teens into monsters—and how many people will they kill to get what they want?

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

In addition to the P-38, there are four gifts, one for each of my friends. I want to say good-bye to them properly. I want to give them each something to remember me by. To let them know I really cared about them and I'm sorry I couldn't be more than I was--that I couldn't stick around--and that what's going to happen today isn't their fault.

Today is Leonard Peacock's birthday. It is also the day he will kill his former best friend, and then himself, with his grandfather's P-38 pistol. Maybe one day he'll believe that being different is okay, important even. But not today.





Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

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.

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.






Now it's time for the 20 books I got at an amazing book sale a couple weeks back. These were all previous library books but they were in excellent condition and I only paid 50 cents per book! I'm not going to include all of the descriptions for these because that would make this entry just absolutely ridiculous. 


So that is my ridiculous book haul for the month of April. I already have a shipment from Book Outlet on it's way so here's to hoping that May is just as awesome!

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Favorite Christmas Albums

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. (Tied with Halloween.) While I own quite a few Christmas albums, there are always the same few that I keep going back to. I wanted to share those favorites with you. Please let me know what some of your favorites are. :)

Honorable Mention: John Berry - O Holy Night 

I have always loved John Berry. My whole family has. I grew up listening to this album and it's one that just makes it feel like Christmas as soon as it starts. I love, love, love this one.












#5 Kelly Clarkson - Wrapped In Red

The only reason this is last on the list is because it's new. I have no doubt that I will fall more in love with this and it will become a regular listen every year. Her voice is amazing and I couldn't wait for her to put out a Christmas album. It does not disappoint. 










#4 *NSYNC - Home For Christmas

Cheesy? Maybe. Do I care? Nope! I absolutely love this album. I've always been a huge fan of theirs and this album is just a bunch of awesome things rolled together. While they may no longer be together, this is the best thing for me to remember them by. This plays in my house every year. 










#3 Celine Dion - These Are The Special Times

One of the greatest vocalists ever. Her voice + Christmas songs is just pure magic. These songs are almost like lullabies with her voice in the mix. Incredibly beautiful and one of the best.












#2 Christina Aguilera - My Kind of Christmas

I'm sure it isn't a surprise that this is on here. I pretty much love anything this woman does. I wouldn't include it though if I didn't truly love and appreciate it. This is definitely one that I do listen to every year and I just can't get over her voice. It makes everything sound like gold.










#1 Mariah Carey - Merry Christmas

I'm not even sure what I can say that will do this album justice. I've loved this ever since I was little and it hasn't lost it's power for me. Her rendition of "O Holy Night" can still bring me to tears. This album makes it feel like Christmas, makes me feel all warm and cozy, and makes me want to go out in the snow and play (which is a hard thing to make me feel nowadays.) This album will always be #1 for me. <3


Monday, August 4, 2014

Music Flashback #5

The Cardigans "Lovefool"

Donna Lewis "I Love You Always Forever"

Crush "Jellyhead"

Gina G "Ooh Ahh... Just A Little Bit"

Amber "This Is Your Night"

Hoku "Another Dumb Blonde"

Mandy Moore "Candy"

Lucy Woodward "Dumb Girls"

Jennifer Paige "Crush"

Samantha Mumba "Gotta Tell You"

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Favorite Romantic Comedies

I've got lists of movies split into genres on a note pad and it's so hard to pick favorites. For romantic comedies, I was able to compile a top 10, and just a random list from there. So, basically LOTS of honorable mentions. Lots. Let's do this.


10. Uptown Girls

I love, love, love this movie. I love the story and I really miss seeing Brittany Murphy in films. This movie also made me really want a pet pig. 















9. Ever After: A Cinderella Story

I just love this movie so much. I've always been a fan of Drew Barrymore and this is probably one of my favorite roles of hers. Her accent is a little weird, but whatever. I've always liked Anjelica Huston as well. Just a great take on this story.













8. Serendipity

I can't even really explain the feeling this movie gives to me. Even though I know what happens, I still get so worked up when I watch it. I also have a little crush on John Cusack, so that helps. :) I think part of the reason I like him so much is because of roles like this. 








7. 13 Going On 30

I absolutely adore this movie. I think this is probably the movie that made me really start to like Jennifer Garner. The story is super cute and it's just a good watch if you ever need to smile.













6. 27 Dresses

I'm so in love with this movie. Going through my movie collection, I've realized how much I love Katherine Heigl. I've liked anything I've seen that has had her in it. And bonus, James Marsden is in it. What a hottie.












5. Love and Other Drugs

I was really surprised at how much I loved this movie. It was a little different than I had imagined from the previews. It's a great story and I love Anne Hathaway. I've watched this so many times and I still cry every single time.












4. Catch & Release

I'm pretty sure I bought this without even seeing it first. I just thought it sounded good and it has Jennifer Garner and Timothy Olyphant in it, so why not? Probably one of the best impulse purchases I've made. I absolutely love this movie and I can't say enough good things about it. If you're ever doubting Jennifer Garner as an actress (I know a lot of people don't favor her), this would be the movie I would recommend for you. 








3. The Ugly Truth

This movie is just pure genius. Gerard Butler is my #1 celebrity crush and I would just love to.... Anyway, this movie made me laugh a ton and it's just so damn entertaining. Plus, it's fun seeing Gerard Butler be kind of a dick after some of his previous roles.











2. Bride Wars

Two of my favorite actresses. I didn't know I would love this as much as I ended up loving it. I can't even tell you how many times I've watched this and it never gets old. Women are such catty bitches. So, so good and highly recommended. 












1. Life As We Know It

I'm not even sure anything I could say would do this movie justice. I laugh and cry every single time I watch this. If you haven't seen this, you are totally missing out. I assumed it would be good, but it ended up being absolutely amazing. Great, great story.











And now for the ridiculous amount of movies that I just wasn't able to place in any sort of numerical order, but are still awesome. I had planned on including my thoughts on each individual movie, but I realized that would take me way too long, so I will just include the covers. 


Woo! That's a lot of movies. Please let me know what some of your favorites are. :)