REVIEW: Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert

SYNOPSIS:Kara hasn't been back to Oak Park since the end of junior year, when a heroin overdose nearly killed her and sirens heralded her exit. Four years later, she returns to face the music. Her life changed forever back in high school: her family disintegrated, she ran around with a whole new crowd of friends, she partied a little too hard, and she fell in love with gorgeous bad-boy Adrian, who left her to die that day in Scoville Park....

Amid the music, the booze, the drugs, and the drama, her friends filled a notebook with heartbreakingly honest confessions of the moments that defined and shattered their young lives. Now, finally, Kara is ready to write her own.

MY REVIEW: Ok,my return post had to be about this book! I have been tied down for the past few months,extremely exhausted but I couldn't help posting about this book just now.

Ballads of Suburbia is one of the best books I have read in recent times! The blurb doesn't do it much justice. The book is so much more than that. It speaks about the lives of kids,coming from varied pedigrees and family backgrounds,all residing in Oak Park and how situations and circumstances lead them to do drugs and bring them out of the habit or engulf them. It is a very compelling book that commands soul searching.

Though Kara is the protagonist the book also focuses on the lives of the friends Kara makes or breaks in her life. A most poignant book,Ballads Of Suburbia is sure to touch the heart and soul of any and every reader. Nothing censored or sweetened or sugar-coated,Ballads of Suburbia narrates the gruesome truth in raw words. Stephanie Kuehnert has done a stellar job with this book. The measured despair and saccharine melancholy of books dealing with similar subject finds a direct voice crying out loud in Ballads. Drug use and abuse is at the heart of the book. But it also accommodates within itself the lives of the residents and how families break,how the kids of broken families are affected and why they take up drugs. I loved the way the ballads of the drug-users are spread throughout the book. The stories give a serious jolt,a shake to wake up and view life and what is happening to life.

Stephanie Kuehnert in Ballads of Suburbia not only sketches in unadulterated words but also teaches us about life,love,family and friends-majorly about love and how a life without love can lead a person to commit heinous deeds worthy of self-devastation or even hell. This book is a must read people. If you haven't read it yet,please pick up a copy and read it! I am sure it will be an eye-opening experience for you. A compelling must-read!

MY RATING: 5/5

To The Lost Time...

That was a happy time
It provided me with memories fun
The gaiety is now sublime
The time,tragically forever gone.

Grandparents to love and care
Uncles,aunts,cousins numerous
Motley anecdotes and tales they'd share
Which without fail left me rapturous!

A stifling,numbing loneliness creeps
When a sense of nostalgia overflows
Within and without I weep
The memories in a haze even stronger flows...

O how bittersweet memories tease
In hours awake and in sleep!
They pour in without cease
Time I travel,in one big leap!

As I go through the faded foliage
Of a part well lived and better loved
That life now remains...an elaborate collage
In a secure corner of my heart forever stored...

REVIEW: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

SYNOPSIS: Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

-from Goodreads

MY REVIEW: Delirium reinforced my love in dystopian. I had been interested in the book since I had first grazed its synopsis. A world without love? An extremely interesting and intriguing idea. But it had me thinking…would there be no pains if there was no love or would life without life be life at all? Would it be worth living? Wouldn’t we become robots only going through the regular, daily events without any feelings or emotions? Isn’t it love which separates us from the non-living, animates our heart and gives us ‘wings’??

Lena Haloway only wants to be ‘cured’ from ‘the deadliest of all deadly things’-love…until she meets Alex. Lena was a very relatable character. I am somewhat like Lena myself and so I could fathom her fears, apprehensions and ‘always staying on the guard’ nature. But she meets Alex and the inevitable occurs-she falls madly in love with him! Now she could do anything to defy the authorities in the hope that it guarantees a ‘happily ever after’ with Alex.

Alex,on his part was the most charming hero. A lover,who puts Lena’s needs ahead of his own. He understood Lena and was forever patient with her and her changing feelings and emotions. He understood the world they lived in and so took caution and hid his feelings for her so as not to put Lena in trouble by disclosing what he felt for her! So chivalrous!

The book also had a few surprises in store which made it so much more than only a love story! I loved the ending though it left me in tears. The ending totally knocked me off and was absolutely heart wrenching! I had tears by the time I finished the book…it was so unexpected and so beautiful…

However I did feel that the length of the story could have been smaller and that Lauren Oliver has exhausted many pages trying to establish Lena’s cautious nature. But that can not deter me from loving this book and I think it is one of the most romantic teenage love story I have ever read! Cant wait to know what happens next! Ready to shed some more tears!

MY RATING: 5/5

REVIEW: The Sapphire Talisman by Brenda Pandos

SYNOPSIS: With the local vampire coven decimated, Julia and Nicholas try to begin a somewhat normal life together. Bound by secrecy from a shape shifter determined to see Julia’s world-saving prediction come to fruition, Julia isn’t allowed to tell Nicholas the leader survived, ransacking her happiness with guilt. When Alora returns, bent on revenge, the reunion forces Nicholas and Julia to choose what they are willing to live and die for.-From Goodreads

MY REVIEW: Just when I started thinking vampires and vampire novels are passe and that they stink,I read this wonderful novel by Brenda Pandos-The Emerald Talisman. And I just longed more for it. I wanted to know what happened next! So indeed I was extremely excited about The Sapphire Talisman,book 2 in the Talisman series.

And what can I say?The Sapphire Talisman not only lived up to my expectations but was better than the first book. Its rare for a sequel to equal its predecessor but this book had me hooked from the first page! This book turned out to be a real page turner. The story well thought out,replete with complexities,enough twists and turns to shock the reader but not turn them off by claiming the twists to be unfathomable! I am a sucker for unpredictability and no wonder I loved Brenda’s book!

The characters were well sketched. However I felt Julia’s character should have been portrayed as someone stronger than how she has been drawn. I mean in the previous book,I really thought she is one who ‘looks before leaping’,has brains and maturity that surpasses her age but in this book she came across to me as a regular teenager who goes all mushy and loses her mind when in love! Nicholas on the other hand,really surprised me. His decisions,his dilemma,his pain,his love for Julia,his helplessness,his thirst,came across very well and it was Nicholas,who I felt made the story really intriguing,the plot more interesting.

Books belonging to a trilogy generally have a horribly frustrating cliff-hanger endings! But I like books which give me a decisive,conclusive ending yet makes me crave for more and leaves room for thought. Inconclusive ending frustrates me! I got exactly ‘my kind of ending’ in this book and am really looking forward to the next and last installment of the series. Brenda Pandos excels in her current book and I cant wait to find out what happens next!

MY RATING: 5/5

Contest Alert!

Callie is giving away Eleventh Grade Burns(hardcover) at her blog
http://callier.blogspot.com/2011/02/eleventh-grade-burns-hardcover-by.html

REVIEW:Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis

SUMMARY:I’d love a cup of coffee. I wish she knew how pretty she was. I wish I could drop this kid in the dryer sometimes. I just want her to be happy. I hope she didn’t find out what Ben said about her. I wish I knew how many calories were in a bite of muffin…

Joy is used to hearing Whispers. She’s used to walking down the street and instantly knowing people’s deepest, darkest desires. She uses this talent for good, to make people happy and give them what they want. But for her older sister, Jessica, the family gift is a curse, and she uses it to make people’s lives—especially Joy’s—miserable. Still, when Joy Hears a frightening whisper from Jessica's own mind, she knows she has to save her sister, even if it means deserting her friends, stealing a car and running away with a boy she barely knows—a boy who may have a dark secret of his own.

MY REVIEW:I liked Whisper because it deals with protagonists whose powers are a little different.I really like books which deal with urban fantasy but not with the typical vampires,fallen angels and werewolves.Joy’s power of being able to hear the thoughts and desires of other people is a gift that I would have liked to have myself!So I want to give Phoebe Kitanidis full marks for inventing a relatively unique and creative power and attributing this gift to the protagonists and building the story around that!But as we proceed along the story Kitanidis actually explains to us through her character how the gift becomes a curse.I couldn’t connect with the character of Joy at the beginning because she was just a little bit too naïve for my liking but I began to like her as the story proceeded and she matured.Her romance with Jamie,a boy who has secrets of his own,was not too well developed but it might be due to the fact that it is only the first book of the series.More than the romance,what I enjoyed in the book was the relationship between the two sisters,Joy and Jessica.The past recollections of Joy about both of them added a beauty to the story.I really loved those bits in the book.Also,the way she used the two sisters with same powers as a foil,to bring out the personalities of one another,was excellent.So I would recommend the book to all those who enjoy reading YA.It is a gritty novel full of suspense and excitement.Phoebe Kitanidis has a strong voice and I like the way in which she brings the sisters together through the courseof the book and how Joy begins to empathize with Jessica and her point of view.

I really liked the book and loved the cover of the book and would like to recommend it to all those who enjoy reading YA paranormal.

MY RATING:4.5/5

Contest Alert!

100 followers contest at http://seepamwrite.blogspot.com/2011/01/contest-100-followers-celebration.html! Up for grabs are super delicious books! I so wanna win this one! Pray for me or join for yourself :)

Contest at DeRaps Reads at http://derapsreads.blogspot.com/2011/01/blogiversary-giveaway-1-debut-authors.html! Up for grabs are

Across The Universe/

Clarity/

Angelfire/

Wither!

How much more better can it get?!

Tahereh's Grand contest at http://stiryourtea.blogspot.com/2011/01/you-look-so-slim-and-fetching-today.html

She is giving away a $100 Amazon Giftcard!

*swoons*

200+ Blog Followers Contest is going on at
http://hookedtobooksblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/200-follower-giveaway.html
You can get any book of your choice upto $15!

REVIEW: Indigo Blues by Danielle Joseph

SYNOPSIS: I never asked to be famous—or infamous. Such is my fate for briefly dating (and dumping) Adam Spade. Yes, the Adam from the indie rock band Blank Stare who wrote "Indigo Blues"—the song that gave the band overnight success, propelled them to New York City, and stole my precious anonymity. Now I'm pawed by fans, stalked by reporters, and pegged as a vicious heartbreaker. And Adam is still calling me. Doesn't he have better things to do?

Adam:

With a hit single and a promising career, I should be on top of the world. People on the street are beginning to recognize me, which is cool. And scary. The band is counting on me to write another hit, but I can't stop thinking about Indigo. Why won't she answer the phone?

MY REVIEW: I really enjoyed Danielle Joseph's Indigo Blues. I,as a die-hard romantic,have always wanted that someone compose a song for me and I am sure many of you also might have wished the same... And to have a rocker dude compose a top-of-the-charts song for you and let the world know how heartbroken he is...I know it sounds mean,but I would die if someone did something like that for me!

I must admit,as much as I enjoyed the book,it got a little on my nerves halfway through the book. Indigo and Adam were very believable. I guess I would have,to a certain extent,reacted in the same way Indigo had done. Nevertheless,I found Indigo pretty adamant and I can't believe any girl can be that insensitive and mean! Also,I felt she kept on whining throughout the book and it was really irritating! Adam,on the other hand,was a real softie...he was sweet.

However the characters were well chalked out and Danielle did a great job with the double narrative. I love books which let me get into the minds of the characters and Danielle Joseph excelled at it!

I felt the ending was somewhat rushed and abrupt. I would have liked a more decisive,conclusive ending. The ending failed to satisfy me.

All said,I enjoyed the book quite a lot. Nice,light read.

MY RATING: 3.5/5

REVIEW: Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick

SYNOPSIS: Claire is a #hopelessromantic. Lottie is determined to set up her BFF with Mr. Perfect. Will wants his #secretcrush to finally notice him. Bennett is a man with a plan.

Claire can’t believe it when her dream guy starts following her on Twitter. She never thought he noticed her, and suddenly he seems to understand her better than almost anyone.

But the Twitterverse can be a confusing place, especially when friends act differently online than they do in person. Things get even more complicated when Claire realizes she’s falling for someone else, the last person she ever would have expected….

Told in an innovative format combining tweets, emails, and blogs, Tweet Heart is a contemporary romantic comedy that will set your heart atwitter.


REVIEW: I will begin by saying that the format of Tweet Heart intrigued me when I first heard that it is a book where conversations are exchanged between the characters in the form of Tweets,emails,texts,blogs and so on. Plus,being a hopeless romantic myself,I desperately wanted to read the book. And trust me,I fell absolutely,totally and hopelessly in love with the book after having finished it.
Tweet Heart is one of the cutest reads of the year. Though the story matter has been used and abused through generations,does a book which speaks of the troubles of teenage love ever lose appeal with readers?! I don't think so. This book has made a direct entry into my heart and will forever remain in one of those little secured corners of the heart. I have to admit,Tweet Heart is my comfort read. I pick up the book whenever I am low or sad and it has never failed to bring a smile to my face!
I love the characters of Ben and Lottie! Claire and Will,though lovable protagonists,somehow failed to be as mush interesting as Lottie and Ben to me! Ben's blogposts are hilarious and often so true! Lottie,though quite a motor-mouth is someone who whom I could relate to and found extremely adorable. Will is the archetypal romantic hero. Claire,I found a little dull and diabetic sweet. However,all the characters with their various shades give the story that zing which makes it so beautiful.
Tweet Heart is a read for all seasons and I cant praise the book enough! Reading the book makes me want to go through my teenage years again and again...Tweet Heart is a great read and I recommend it to everyone! Grab a copy as soon as possible people!

MY RATING: 5/5 :)

REVIEW:I Lost My Mobile At The Mall by Wendy Harmer

SUMMARY: I lost my mobile at the mall and am now facing certain death.
My mother will accuse me of being lazy, ungrateful and plain old stupid. The first death I suffer will be from an utter lack of natural justice. My father will sentence me to die by disappointment. His shoulders will sag and there will be a long escape of air from his chest, as if I've crept up behind him ...moreI lost my mobile at the mall and am now facing certain death.
My mother will accuse me of being lazy, ungrateful and plain old stupid. The first death I suffer will be from an utter lack of natural justice. My father will sentence me to die by disappointment. His shoulders will sag and there will be a long escape of air from his chest, as if I've crept up behind him ...more I lost my mobile at the mall and am now facing certain death.
My mother will accuse me of being lazy, ungrateful and plain old stupid. The first death I suffer will be from an utter lack of natural justice. My father will sentence me to die by disappointment. His shoulders will sag and there will be a long escape of air from his chest, as if I've crept up behind him and pulled out his plug.
As if I deliberately lost my mobile phone to prove to him that there is no God. My best friend will kill me, all because there's a photo in my mobile of her standing next to Hugh Jackman. I am not an overly dramatic person, but a year's worth of numbers, texts and photos were in my phone, and if I don't get them back my life is not worth living.
As if I deliberately lost my mobile phone to prove to him that there is no God. My best friend will kill me, all because there's a photo in my mobile of her standing next to Hugh Jackman. I am not an overly dramatic person, but a year's worth of numbers, texts and photos were in my phone, and if I don't get them back my life is not worth living.

MY REVIEW:This is one gorgeous book and one of the most original stories that I have read in recent times.It was an amazing book…often funny and very refreshing.I especially LOVED this book because this book dealt with a normal “teenager at the edge of technological breakdown”.I was just a wee bit tired of paranormal characters and meeting Elly Pickering was an absolute pleasure!Elly Pickering,the protagonist,is a bright and spunky character and I just adored her.It was hilarious the way she went on talking about fashion and I could relate to her being a bit of a fashionista myself!The title of the book is “I Lost My Mobile At The Mall” but here Elly not only loses her mobile but also her PC and author Wendy Harmer reminds us how it was like in the old days when our forefathers had to make do without mobiles and computers.Obviously Elly is absolutely handicapped without her phone and PC and I could totally relate to Elly on this front too. I absolutely adored the relationship that Elly had with her grandmother!It was so lovely and beautiful!

This is Wendy Harmer’s first book and this is the first work of her that I have read and I can’t wait to read more!Harmer has a funny,often witty voice,and she also adds a correct amount of sarcasm in her novel which makes it a sparkling tale of a teenager in distress.In short,I can’t wait to read more from her!I recommend this book to each and every teenager out there!Everyone of us will be able to relate to the protagonist!This book is simply addictive and I was hooked onto it from the very first page!Also,the cover of the book is so cute!So neat and simple and yet so cute!

MY RATING:10/5( I LOVED LOVED LOVED it!)

Contests around the Blogosphere!

Here is a wonderful opportunity to win both The Iron King and The Iron Daughter books by Julie Kagawa at http://www.bewitchedbookworms.com/2010/10/iron-fey-giveaway-and-interview-with.html
OMG!! I so badly hope,wish and pray that I win this!

Win a signed copy of Hush Hush at http://dark-readers.blogspot.com/2010/10/win-signed-hush-hush-by-becca.html

Win a copy of Nightshade at Forever Young at http://foreveryoungadult.blogspot.com/2010/10/giveaway-review-nightshade-by-andrea.html

Barely Used Books Giveaway at http://fromthetbrpile.blogspot.com/2010/10/giveaway-time.html

Still Pursuing Those Dreams

1.I want to travel the world.Just pack my bag and go around the world without a care.
2.Bungee jumping.....wheeeeeee!!!!!!!
3.Read ALL the books ever written!
4.Go scuba-diving and get a glimpse of the marine life!
5.Want to go treasure hunting!Sail across the great oceans and find that box of gold,rubies and diamonds that will make me soopah-doopah rich!!!

Check out this dream-weaver contest here-http://karlanellenbach-lastword.blogspot.com/2010/10/friday-five-dream-weavercontest-edition.html

Winner of Tweet Heart!!!!

AND THE WINNER IS....
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SUELLEN!!!!
I have shot you an email. Please get back to me within a couple of days,else I will have to choose a new winner.

Thank you all so much for participating :)

Fall Giveaway

Good Choice Reading is holding a great Fall giveaway!Up for grabs are such great titles-

When Blood Calls By J.K. Beck (ages 18+)

Born to Bite by Lynsay Sands (ages 18+)

Assassin's Honor by Monica Burns (ages 18+)

I'll Be Slaying you by Cynthia Eden (ages 18+)

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

The Hunger Games by Suzanna Collins

The Pace by Shelena Shorts

Hearts at Stake & Blood Feud by Alyxandra Harvey (This counts as two books)

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

Hush, Hush by Becca FitzPatrick

ARC of Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Evernight by Claudia Gray

Almost to Die for by Tate Hallaway (Signed Copy)
(NEW) Sea by Heidi R. Kling
(New) Falling for Romeo by Jennifer Laurens

Here's the link-
http://goodchoicereading.blogspot.com/2010/09/its-time-welcoming-fall-giveaway.html

Win a copy of Hush Hush!

An opportunity to win a copy of Hush Hush at http://www.bewitchedbookworms.com/2010/09/bookworms-thoughts-of-hushhush-plus.html
Yay!! So hope I win this one! I think I am the only one who doesn't own a copy! So hope I will be lucky this time!

Choco's Very Humongous Giveaway!

Check out Choco's very humongous at http://inwhichagirl.blogspot.com/2010/08/very-humongous-blogoversary-contest.html

You just cant miss it! Up for grabs are-

Win a signed copy of Firelight

BookMac is giving us a very wonderful opportunity to win a signed copy of Firelight! Yay! I am so excited! I so hope I win it! Here is the link to enter this awesome giveaway- http://book-mac13.blogspot.com/2010/09/firelight-review-giveaway.html

Carolina's ARCs Galore Giveaway!

Carolina is giving away ao many wonderful ARCs on her lovely blog at http://carol-in-print.blogspot.com/2010/08/arcs-galorea-new-international-giveaway.html

Up for grabs are ARCs of(W.O.W.)-



I am absolutely dying to win this giveaway! So buzzing with excitement! I am totally keeping my fingers crossed. Do enter this giveaway! You cannot miss it for anything in the world!

Please say that 'bookaholic' sent you when entering the giveaway...

Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick GIVEAWAY!

The title says it all...YES guys! It's time for a giveaway!YAY!! The winner gets
-a signed copy of Tweet Heart,
-a signed bookmark and
-a Tweet Heart inspired water bottle(courtesy the lovely Liz Rudnick and her publisher at Hyperion)
Whoa! How tempting is that!


Just to update those people from the stone age who aren't aware of the story of Tweet Heart,here is the synopsis from Goodreads-

Claire is a #hopelessromantic. Lottie is determined to set up her BFF with Mr. Perfect. Will wants his #secretcrush to finally notice him. Bennett is a man with a plan.
Claire can’t believe it when her dream guy starts following her on Twitter. She never thought he noticed her, and suddenly he seems to understand her better than almost anyone.
But the Twitterverse can be a confusing place, especially when friends act differently online than they do in person. Things get even more complicated when Claire realizes she’s falling for someone else, the last person she ever would have expected….
Told in an innovative format combining tweets, emails, and blogs, Tweet Heart is a contemporary romantic comedy that will set your heart atwitter.


How wonderful does that sound? I know I would have done anything to win this giveaway!

To be eligible for this giveaway, YOU MUST BE A FOLLOWER OF THIS BLOG and leave a comment underneath. Easy-peasy?

Extra points:
+2 Follow Elizabeth Rudnick on Twitter @lizrudnick
+5 If you make a blog post about this contest. (Leave a link)
+1 For each tweet/facebook/post on the sidebar etc. (Leave a link for each)
Please leave an email address by which I can get back to you if you win.

This giveaway is open internationally and will end on 16th September and I will post the winner the next day.

Sara's Awesome ARCs giveaway!

Sara is giving away so many absolutely gorgeous ARCs at http://babblingflow.blogspot.com/2010/08/arcs-arcs-arcs.html
Up for grabs are ARCs like these-


Alluring enough? There are more! So hurry! You have to check out this awesome contest! And enter it please. While entering,please mention that 'bookaholic' sent you. Please.