Jun 4, 2012

Past, Present, & Future Reads, #22



Past, Present & Future Reading Pile is a feature I do on my blog every Sunday to keep track of the books I read the week before, the book I'm currently reading, and the books I'm hoping to read in the upcoming week. 


Wither, by Lauren DeStefano
(The Chemical Garden, #1)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: March 22, 2011
By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?
This was a really great, unique dystopian book. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of Fever! Look out for my review! It will be posted on Friday, June 8th!
Total: 1


 Slated, by Teri Terry
(Slated, #1)
Publisher: Orchard Books
Release Date: May 3, 2012
Kyla’s memory has been erased,her personality wiped blank,her memories lost for ever.
She’s been Slated.
The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla’s mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?
This is really good so far! I can't believe I waited so long to start it!


Angel Burn, by L.A. Weatherly
(Angel, #1)
Publisher: Candlewick Prez
Release Date: May 24, 2011
In a world where angels are beyond redemption, Alex thinks he’s found one that might deserve mercy. 

Alex is a ruthless assassin—of angels. Forget everything you’ve heard about them before. Angels are not benign celestial creatures, but fierce stalkers whose irresistible force allows them to feed off humans, draining them of their vitality until there is barely anything left. As far as Alex is concerned, the only good angel is a dead angel... until he meets Willow. 

She may look like a normal teenager but Willow is no ordinary girl. Half-angel, half-human, Willow may hold the key to defeating the evil angels. But as the hunter and the hunted embark on an epic and dangerous journey and Willow learns the dark and terrifying secrets of her past, Alex finds himself drawn to Willow... with devastating consequences.



The Forgetting Curve, by Angie Smibert
(Memento Nora, #2)
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Aiden Nomura likes to open doors—especially using his skills as a hacker—to see what’s hidden inside. He believes everything is part of a greater system: the universe. The universe shows him the doors, and he keeps pulling until one cracks open. Aiden exposes the flaw, and the universe—or someone else—will fix it. It’s like a game.
Until it isn’t.
When a TFC opens in Bern, Switzerland, where Aiden is attending boarding school, he knows things are changing. Shortly after, bombs go off within quiet, safe Bern. Then Aiden learns that his cousin Winter, back in the States, has had a mental breakdown. He returns to the US immediately.
But when he arrives home in Hamilton, Winter’s mental state isn’t the only thing that’s different. The city is becoming even stricter, and an underground movement is growing.
Along with Winter’s friend, Velvet, Aiden slowly cracks open doors in this new world. But behind those doors are things Aiden doesn’t want to see—things about his society, his city, even his own family. And this time Aiden may be the only one who can fix things... before someone else gets hurt.
I really liked the first book, Memento Nora, so I can't wait to dive into my eGalley from Netgalley! =) 
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Publisher Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 23, 2006
It all starts when Nick asks Norah to be his girlfriend for five minutes. He only needs five minutes to avoid his ex-girlfriend, who’s just walked in to his band’s show. With a new guy. And then, with one kiss, Nick and Norah are off on an adventure set against the backdrop of New York City—and smack in the middle of all the joy, anxiety, confusion, and excitement of a first date.
This he said/she said romance told by YA stars Rachel Cohn and David Levithan is a sexy, funny roller coaster of a story about one date over one very long night, with two teenagers, both recovering from broken hearts, who are just trying to figure out who they want to be—and where the next great band is playing.
Told in alternating chapters, teeming with music references, humor, angst, and endearing side characters, this is a love story you’ll wish were your very own. Working together for the first time, Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have combined forces to create a book that is sure to grab readers of all ages and never let them go.

I've been dying to read Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist for a while now. I loove the movie. =) Can't wait to read it!!

Someone Else's Life, by Katie Dale

Someone Else's Life, by Katie Dale
Author Info: Blog / Facebook / Twitter
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: February 14, 2012
ARC: 464 pages
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Buy: Amazon
Read it in: 5 days
Source: Random Buzzers
Challenge: Debut Author, YA Contemporary
Rating: 
Shelf Worthy RecommendTo learn more about my rating badges, click here!
When 17-year-old Rosie's mother, Trudie, dies from Huntington's Disease, her pain is intensified by the knowledge that she has a fifty percent chance of inheriting the crippling disease herself. Only when Rosie tells her mother's best friend, "Aunt Sarah," that she is going to test for the disease does Sarah, a midwife, reveal that Trudie wasn't her real mother after all. Rosie was swapped at birth with a sickly baby who was destined to die.Devastated, Rosie decides to trace her real mother, joining her ex-boyfriend on his gap year travels, to find her birth mother in California. But all does not go as planned. As Rosie discovers yet more of her family's deeply buried secrets and lies, she is left with an agonizing decision of her own, one which will be the most heart breaking and far-reaching of all.
When I first added this book to my reading list for the Debut Author Challenge, I thought it sounded really good. I got excited when I saw it in the Random Buzzer's store, but when it got here I just let it sit. I really wanted to read it, but was worried about the tough subject. Not that I've ever known anyone with Huntington's, but I was still worried.

Yes, it was a bit hard at times, but it's a wonderful book. Katie Dale really did her research and you learn a lot about Huntington's while reading it.  You also really get into the emotions of what it's like to love someone with the disease and all the effects it has on everyone.

Not only does she have the subject of Huntingtons, but she throws in what it would be like to be switched at birth! To have your mother, the woman you thought gave birth to you, die from Huntington's Disease, and then find out that you weren't really her daughter at all. If that happened to me, I would break down severely and sit in a dark closet for a very long time. But that's not what Rosie did!

Even though she loved the woman who she thought was her mother, the one who raised her, she wanted to know who her real parents were so she went searching! She hit a lot of obstacles along the way, but she was never completely selfish. Even when sometimes she had a right to be really upset and selfish, she tried her best to make the most of it.

Rosie was a really great character. It took me a while to get into the book and to get into Rosie's character, but as the story progressed I really started liking her character.Holly, on the other hand, completely annoyed me. At times, I really felt for her, but other times I just wanted to slap her. (Not going to tell you who she is!)


I really liked all the other characters. Especially Andy. I felt so bad for him a lot of the time, but he was a strong character. He was Rosie's rock.

Overall, this was a beautiful novel. It is also pretty uniquely written! Part One is told in chapters in Rosie's point-of-view. Part Two isn't cut up into chapters, but into point-of-views of Rosie and Holly.

If you've had someone close to you suffer from Huntington's Disease, or any disease at all, I highly recommend this book. Even if you haven't known any suffer from any disease, it's still a great book. Tough subject, but someone has to write them, right?! And Katie Dale chose to be the one with courage and to write this beautiful book. I'm very impressed and will definitely be keeping an eye out on Katie's work!




Jun 3, 2012

RAK: June

Random Acts of Kindness is an awesome monthly event hosted by Book Soulmates. This monthly event is truly a random act of kindness, participants who sign up take part in giving and receiving books based on the awesome things on your wish lists.To find out more information on the RAK event and read the rules, gohere.
It's already June! That's crazy. My birthday is this month, yay! I already got my big present from my hubby, which was a Kindle Fire. <3 I'm loving it!

Also, I STILL (Yes, still.) don't have a new wishlist up. But here is my wishlist, and review title wishlist.

If you have any questions, please email me at thevintagebookworm AT aol DOT com.

Here are the top five books on my wishlist: 
1. Fever, by Lauren DeStefano (Preferably a HC to go with my Wither copy, but any is fine!)
2. The Golden Lily, by Richelle Mead (Preferably a HC to go with my Bloodlines copy, but any is fine!)
3. Timepiece, by Myra McEntire (Or the first book if you have it, read it, but don't have own copy.)
4. Just for Fins, by Tera Lynn Childs (Or the first book or second if you have it, I've read them, but don't have my own copy.)
5. Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi 

If you have any of these books, or any on my wish list, I'll happily create a custom blog design for you in exchange for them! 

Also, if you've seen my reviews of books that says I got them from the library and that I loved them, I'd love to have my own copies of any of those as well!

Rules from Book Soulmates
  • Please sign-up each month that you can participate (and by participate, we mean give as well as receive).
  • Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button (code is in the right sidebar).
  • Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog, etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
  • If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger directly for their information.
  • Once you receive a RAK, send us an our new email to [rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com] so that we can update the Google Doc. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU SEND EMAILS TO THIS ADDRESS!
  • E-book participation is limited to files being gifted directly to a person from the e-book store. Amazon's Kindle Store is set up to allow this, as well as the Kobo store and we believe Barnes & Noble with Nook as well.
  • At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K by making a "RAK Wrap-Up" post.  This post should include who you SENT gifts to as well who you RECEIVED gifts from :)
OPEN TO EVERYONE including all our International brethren!Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!
Easy peezy!!
 Links you will need:Sign up for June 2012 [HERESee who else is participating [HEREIf you have any questions regarding RAK, please contact us via the following: rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com

    RAK: May 2012 Wrap-Up

    Random Acts of Kindness is an awesome monthly event hosted by Book Soulmates. This monthly event is truly a random act of kindness, participants who sign up take part in giving and receiving books based on the awesome things on your wish lists.To find out more information on the RAK event and read the rules, gohere
     I received one book this month from Melissa @ Must Read Faster. Thank you so much, Melissa!
    Grave Mercy, by Robin LaFevers
    (His Fair Assassin, #1)
    Publisher: Houghtin Mifflin Harcourt
    Release Date: April 3, 2012
    Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?
    Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.
    Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?
    I made one layout this month for RAK. It hasn't gone live yet, but it will soon. I made this layout for Louisa @ Words I Write Crazy. So go check out her blog and be sure to lookout for her new design sometime soon!
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