Falling....asleep....

Falling Fast (Flynn #1) by Sophie McKenzie

Rating: 2 out of 5 hearts
247 pages
Released: March 2012
Buy it @ book depository

This is life, not a rehearsal...
When River auditions for a part in an inter-school performance of Romeo and Juliet, she finds herself smitten by Flynn, the boy playing Romeo. River believes in romantic love, and she can't wait to experience it. But Flynn comes from a damaged family - is he even capable of giving River what she wants? The path of true love never did run smooth...

Review

Falling Fast is your typical boy/girl love story. Boy comes from the bad side of town and the girl is from the middle class side of town. There's also lots of family issues going on behind the scenes - throw in sex, alcohol and Shakespeare which adds up to be a fairly predictable Young Adult romance novel.

I might not have been in the mood, whatever it was, this was not the book for me. There must have been something though that made me want to keep listening. Could be the simple, easy story or that it was a quick 5 hour/4 CD set so I knew that if I kept going there wouldn't be much longer to go.

I didn't know this was the beginning to a series, and I have no desire to find out anything more about River and Flynn. Sorry guys! 

On the cover

Typical teen romance cover, couple cuddling in a field and looking so in love. I love the awesome bright colors of the title but that's about it. It's very boring..

What I'm listening to next: Broken by C.J Lyons

The Fox chases the O'Hare

The Heist (Fox and O'Hare #1) by Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg

Rating: 4 out of 5 hearts
372 pages
Released: June 2013
Buy it @ book depository

FBI Special Agent Kate O’Hare is known for her fierce dedication and discipline on the job, chasing down the world’s most wanted criminals and putting them behind bars. Her boss thinks she is tenacious and ambitious; her friends think she is tough, stubborn, and maybe even a bit obsessed. And while Kate has made quite a name for herself for the past five years the only name she’s cared about is Nicolas Fox—an international crook she wants in more ways than one.              

Audacious, handsome, and dangerously charming, Nicolas Fox is a natural con man, notorious for running elaborate scams on very high-profile people. At first he did it for the money. Now he does it for the thrill. He knows that the FBI has been hot on his trail—particularly Kate O’Hare, who has been watching his every move. For Nick, there’s no greater rush than being pursued by a beautiful woman . . . even one who aims to lock him up. But just when it seems that Nicolas Fox has been captured for good, he pulls off his greatest con of all: He convinces the FBI to offer him a job, working side by side with Special Agent Kate O’Hare.

Problem is, teaming up to stop a corrupt investment banker who’s hiding on a private island in Indonesia is going to test O’Hare’s patience and Fox’s skill. Not to mention the skills of their ragtag team made up of flamboyant actors, wanted wheelmen, and Kate’s dad. High-speed chases, pirates, and Toblerone bars are all in a day’s work . . . if O’Hare and Fox don’t kill each other first.

Review 

I'm a huge fan of the 'Stephanie Plum' series also written by Janet Evanovich, so I thought I'd give this new, co-authored series a go.

I've never read anything by Lee Goldberg but after reading this, I really like his style. To me, it felt like I was watching a movie. I could imagine everything so easily in my head and the plot was more suited to a movie or tv show formula than that of Evanovich's normal writing method that I'm used to. 

This was another book I listened to as an audio and it wasn't too bad. The voice actor was a man and I didn't particularly like how he performed Kate's voice, but I learned to live with it.

People who read crime novels all the time may find this a little predictable and maybe even boring, but for me I found it to be an easy read that was a lot of fun, and what I've come to expect from Evanovich. What I usually expect from her is hot romance and she doesn't disappoint with this series. The sexual tension between Nick and Kate was steamy, but I have a feeling once something does happen between them, then it could fizzle out quite quickly. Here's hoping the series doesn't drag on too long with this going on.

If you're looking for something similar to the 'Stephanie Plum' series with a different twist, then I highly recommend this series. A bit of fun and a whole lot of action rolled in to one pretty cool book!

On the cover

I'm not a huge fan of this cover, I think it's the green and yellow. It almost looks like a movie cover - I can see it now, two well known rom-com actors (male & female) with arms crossed and back to back staring over their shoulders at each other...

What I'm listening to next: Falling Fast by Sophie McKenzie

Killing is what Jack Reacher does best

Killing Floor (Jack Reacher #1) by Lee Child

Rating: 4 out of 5 hearts
524 pages
Released: 1997
Buy it @ book depository

Ex-military policeman Jack Reacher is a drifter. He’s just passing through Margrave, Georgia, and in less than an hour, he’s arrested for murder. Not much of a welcome. All Reacher knows is that he didn’t kill anybody. At least not here. Not lately. But he doesn’t stand a chance of convincing anyone. Not in Margrave, Georgia. Not a chance in hell. 

The sleepy, forgotten town of Margrave, Georgia, hasn't seen a crime in decades, but within the span of three days it witnesses events that leave everyone stunned. An unidentified man is found beaten and shot to death on a lonely country road. The police chief and his wife are butchered on a quiet Sunday morning. Then a bank executive disappears from his home, leaving his keys on the table and his wife frozen with fear. The easiest suspect is Jack Reacher - an outsider, a man just passing through. But Reacher is a tough ex-military policeman, trained to think fast and act faster. When authorities learn the first victim was someone from Reacher's past, and he cannot convince them of his innocence, his patient self-defense becomes a raging crusade of revenge. With two cops who believe in him - a thoughtful black detective and a woman named Roscoe - he closes in on a ruthless conspiracy hiding behind Margrave's rural charm. But closing in on him is a team of killers. Step by step, the two teams circle - waiting to see which will be the first to walk onto the killing floor.

Review

I saw the movie adaption "Jack Reacher" and I thought it was awesome! Because of this I knew that I HAD to read the books, so I started at the beginning of the series. Now that I've read one I still think that even though Tom Cruise looks nothing like the 'book' version of Jack Reacher (blonde and VERY tall), he still did a pretty good job and I think the movie does the book justice.

I decided to listen to this on audio book mainly because it was available through the library, and when I can, I like to listen to books instead of read them. It means I can get through twice as many books - one I'm reading and the other I'm listening. I'm so glad I listened to this because it had me hooked almost right away.

Jack Reacher is a tough, ex-military bad ass who doesn't care who he has to kill to get answers. Normally I read mystery/crime novels in which the detective or main character catch the bad guy to put him in jail, but nope not Jack Reacher. He doesn't care about catching the bad guys - he kills the bad guys!

The story was really exciting and had me guessing the whole time. There was lots of detail and I learned a lot from this book (I can't tell you what I learnt because it will give away too much of the story). To sum up it was fast-paced, intriguing and at times very funny. I can't wait to read more about Jack Reacher.

On the cover

I'm not sure what the red hand print represents, makes me think this is a horror novel not just a thriller/crime novel. I do like the clean, simple look though.

What I'm listening to next: The Heist by Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg

The Fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars. But in ourselves

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Rating: 5 out of 5 hearts
318 pages
Released: January 2012
Buy it @ book depository

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten

Review

This is the second John Green book that I've read and I have a feeling that it may be a bad idea reading this before any of the others, How will they live up to this?

I'm sure a lot of people have read this by now so my review is going to be in a sea of millions, so I'm going to simply speak about my thoughts and how the book made me feel.

I started off thinking that I may not like this and I've hyped it up too much, but it wasn't long before Hazel and Gus took me along with them on their journey

I found myself connecting to all the characters in different ways, even the minor players had so much to add to the story. I loved how Hazel & Gus fell so quickly and deeply in love - I guess it would be hard knowing you were going to die and not having forever to be with someone and grow old together. I also loved the connection they had with each other, they fit so well together. You know when it's meant to be, when you have that someone that just "gets" you. You can laugh and be silly with one another, but it's also the way you can know how the other person is feeling without even talking. I have that with my special someone and John Green has been able to capture this. 

This is such a quote worthy book - there are so many that I would wear on a t-shirt or as a framed print because there's so much meaning and 'realness' to them. Below are some of my favourites. Now get out there and read this!

"As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly and then all at once"

"Some infinities are bigger than other infinities"

"You gave me forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful"

"The world is not a wish granting factory"

"My thoughts are stars and I can't fathom the constellations"

"That's the things about pain, it demands to be felt"

On the cover

This cover is probably very well known by everyone since the movie release. I love this cover a lot! The colours, the font and the simplistic overall look. 

What I'm listening to next: Killing Floor by Lee Child

Tiny Teddy Bear Cars

I made these super cute and very yummy Tiny Teddy Cars for my nephews birthday. They were a hit! I got the recipe online here if you want to try to make them for yourself. They were very easy, albeit a bit fiddly. But very fun to make with kids!

I changed a few things when I made them.

• I used Mars Bars instead of Milky Ways because I don't really like Milky Ways. 
• I didn't add steering wheels because there wasn't any room.
• I wanted my cars to have all different colored wheels so I didn't bother sorting them out.
• Instead of using a bag to squeeze out the melted chocolate, I melted the chocolate in a saucepan in another saucepan full of water over the stove and dipped the smarties/teddies in the chocolate and stuck them on. Leaving the chocolate on the stove meant I could warm it up if it started to get hard again. 

I had quite a bit of leftover melted chocolate and tiny teddies so I lined a slice tray with baking paper and poured the melted chocolate in there. Then pushed the tiny teddies face up into the chocolate. My partner said it looked like a Tiny Teddy Graveyard, unfortunately I didn't get a photo of this. It was very delicious!

What kind of party food have you made?

Rose the Survivor

Rose Under Fire (Code Name Verity #2) by Elizabeth Wein

Rating: 4 out of 5 hearts
368 pages
Released: June 2013
Buy it @ book depository

While flying an Allied fighter plane from Paris to England, American ATA pilot and amateur poet, Rose Justice, is captured by the Nazis and sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious women's concentration camp. Trapped in horrific circumstances, Rose finds hope in the impossible through the loyalty, bravery and friendship of her fellow prisoners. But will that be enough to endure the fate that's in store for her?

Elizabeth Wein, author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling Code Name Verity, delivers another stunning WWII thriller. The unforgettable story of Rose Justice is forged from heart-wrenching courage, resolve, and the slim, bright chance of survival.

Review 

Here I go again! Reading books that are companion novels to others before even reading the first. I know about 'Code Name Verity', but I didn't know you had to read it first before reading this. I was able to read it easily enough, so I don't think you need to read Code Name Verity because this is a separate story and didn't seem to follow on.

I loved this! I really enjoy war books, mainly because the ones I read are all about courage and heroism - they can also be very sad at times. Books that bring on strong emotions like sadness and anger are always a good indication of a great book and a talented author. Congrats to Elizabeth Wein for making me feel those emotions. 

I listened to this on audio and I found some of the characters accents a bit annoying, but the stunning writing made up for that. I felt a bit lost when I first started and couldn't really connect with the story or Rose, it didn't take me long though to be swept up in the historical tale.

Rose tells her horrific story of being captured by the Nazi's and thrown into a concentration camp. She tells us through her diary entries, we move back and forth between present and past. I liked that they did this because I knew that she survived the horror she witnessed. Although she survived, her metal state may have been a little bit lost to the camp.

At the camp we meet the "rabbits", women who have been experimented on by the Nazi doctors and left deformed. These characters and many more made me laugh and cry. Wein has done a fantastic job making them feel like real people. I found out that some of the characters mentioned in the trials at the end are in fact real people.

This is historical fiction at it's best, I highly recommend this if you love war books with big heart. Now I can't wait to read 'Code Name Verity' to see where it began.

 

On the cover

Such a powerful cover! I can't even imagine what it would be like to live in a concentration camp, so horrible. You can tell just by looking at the cover that it will be about war. No confusion there!

What I'm listening to next: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

 

Just want more!

Just One Year (Just One Day #2) by Gayle Forman

Rating: 3 out of 5 hearts
323 pages
Released: October 2013
Buy it @ book depository

Just One Day. Just One Year. Just One Read.

Before you find out how their story ends, remember how it began....

When he opens his eyes, Willem doesn’t know where in the world he is—Prague or Dubrovnik or back in Amsterdam. All he knows is that he is once again alone, and that he needs to find a girl named Lulu. They shared one magical day in Paris, and something about that day—that girl—makes Willem wonder if they aren’t fated to be together. He travels all over the world, from Mexico to India, hoping to reconnect with her. But as months go by and Lulu remains elusive, Willem starts to question if the hand of fate is as strong as he’d thought. . . .

The romantic, emotional companion to Just One Day, this is a story of the choices we make and the accidents that happen—and the happiness we can find when the two intersect.

Review

I'm going to keep this review short and sweet. I enjoyed this book, although I think I had built it up a little bit too much because I was hoping for a bit more than what I got. 

It didn't take long for me to pick up where things left off in the first book, when Willem disappeared after that perfect one day. The story was a little slow around the middle, but the pace picked up again towards the end. It was great getting to know Willem more, I loved travelling around with him all over while he was trying to find himself. Just like Allyson in "Just One Day", Willem changes and grows so much over his travels. We see him make new friends and strengthen friendships with old friends. Something that made my heart melt were the moments between him and his mum. Finally realising that she has been caring for him all along when he thought she hadn't.

The ending was nice, but I wanted more! I found out that there is going to be an ebook called "Just One Night", which sounds like a nice taste to that more I wanted. I will always read Gayle Forman's books because they are fantastic and such a lovely read. I recommend her as an author for those people looking for a romantic contemporary novel.

To read my review of Just One Day - click here

 

On the cover

I don't particularly like this cover. I don't like when couples are making out on the front cover, especially when it doesn't even happen in this book. I like the purple though, and the cool color flare.

What I'm reading next: Every Breath by Ellie Marney