Book Traveling Thursdays

Hi guys! How are you doing? I'm really tired so I'm thankful this is a short post. I'm back with another book travelling Thursday because I had a lot of fun last time. I love looking at covers! Today's theme is: Choose a book with your favorite bookish mom.

And although it's not mother's day here in Argentina yet, I though it was a fun theme. 

This is what it consists of: Pick a book that fits the theme, explain why I chose it and then include pictures of the original cover, the cover from my country, my favorite cover, and my least favorite cover.

Let's do this!

My favorite bookish mom has obviously got to be Molly Weasley. And, who doesn't love her? She has an unending love for her children. And food. Lots of food. Who wouldn't want that?

So let's see the original Harry Potter cover:

Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.

Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come.

Now the cover available in Argentina: 

It's ugly, I know. 

My favorite cover is hard to pick because there are a lot of gorgeous ones. My top 2 are:

The first one is a leather bound edition, which I find stunning. And the second one is the 2014 illustrated edition. The artwork in that one is just too beautiful to ignore.

Lastly, the ugliest cover has got to be the Persian one. It's just so creepy.

Okay, that's all for now. See you next time!

Do you think you can find an uglier cover? Which is your fave character from the HP world? Let me know!

Top 5 Wednesday

Hi there! How are you doing? I'm super excited because I'm going to the Argentinian Book Fair tomorrow. It takes place once a year and I can't freaking wait. I have to get a lot of books for uni and that's the best place to get them cheaper. I'll also get some non-related school stuff too, but don't tell my mom. There's also an event where colleges from the US come to talk about studying abroad opportunities which is something I'm all for. Anyway, onto the reason you're here! It's Wednesday, and today the theme is: Favorite SFF Cover Art.

Oookay! I love picking covers. Let's do it:

1) The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

 

2) Across The Universe by Beth Revis (book 1 & 2)

Only book 1 and 2 because SOMEONE came up with the idea of switching covers right before book 3. 

3) Newsoul Trilogy by Jodi Meadows

4) The Martian by Andy Weir

5) Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

There you have it!

See you next time

Which one of my picks is your fave? And what would you pick?

Graphic Novel Review: The Sound Of The World By Heart by Giacomo Bevilacqua

The Sound Of The World By Heart by Giacomo Bevilacqua

Release date: April 11th 2017

Publisher: Magnetic Press

Source: Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary

From Goodreads:

An experiment in social isolation turns into a journey of self-discovery as a photojournalist commits to spending sixty days in New York city without talking to a single person. More than just an exercise in observation and self-control, he's hoping to forget a troubled past and mend a broken heart. But the city has a sneaky way of throwing the best laid plans and noble efforts to waste, revealing secrets that lie right in front of him. All he has to do is open his eyes…

A touching, vividly illustrated journey through contemporary modern New York, exploring what it takes to find yourself — and maybe your soul mate — in the middle of a crowded, bustling modern world.

Review

I received an email this morning with available graphic novels and comics from DBD. Two of them caught my eye. Not from the cover, though, because the tiny pictures were barely visible. I found the premise of this one so intriguing that I had to read it. 

Set in the vivid streets of New York, we follow Sam, a guy who has an obsession with numbers and counts every moment in his life. Little do we know, this is all for a reason. He does everything to the beat of a song. One in particular, which is tied to a dear memory. 

Although confusing at times, this is a story of overcoming a heartbreak and learning to love again. 

The reason I mention it's confusing, is because there were moments in which it was not clear who was speaking. The points of view get mixed up and make it unclear. 

Aside from that, I found the writing style extremely compelling. And I wasn't bothered by the random bits of philosophical conversation or questions. I think they were a nice touch, and gave the story some depth.

You're welcome

Another nice touch was the diversity present in the story. I can't really talk about it because it is a spoiler. But it's something you don't get to read about every day.

The artwork was lovely. The shifts in the color palette were amazing and portrayed exactly what Sam was feeling. 

It was overall, a very nice put together love story with enough mystery to keep you hooked.

It's definitely worth the time.

Rating

4 out of 5 stars

See you next time!

I think love and mystery are a perfect combo, what do you think? Let me know!

Book to Movie Monday: Movies You Probably Didn't Know Were Based On Books Part 2

Hi there! Mondays are so hard for me but, luckily, I had this post prepared from last week. Here comes part 2!

Let's do this!

1) Die Hard/Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp

2) Forrest Gump/Forrest Gump by Winston Groom

3) Mean Girls/Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman

4) Shrek/Shrek by William Steig

5) How To Train Your Dragon/How To Train Your Dragon by Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Translated by Cressida Cowell

6) Blade Runner/Do Androids Dream of Eclectic Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

7) The Rules of Attraction/The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis

8) Jaws/Jaws by Peter Benchley

9) The Exorcist/The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

10) He's Just Not That Into You/He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo

Okay! That's all I've got. 
See you soon!

Were any of these shocking? Have you read any of them? Let me know!

Milking The Cow

Hello guys! How are you doing today? It's a lovely Saturday here in Argentina. It won't last much though, cause I have finally decided to go out tonight. That means that a tornado, avalanche and tsunami will hit my city soon. 

Onto more interesting things, I found out the other day that Cassandra Clare is coming out with a 10th anniversary edition of City of Bones. And I thought "haven't you had enough?" So today, we're talking about how I think Cassie is just milking the cow right now.

I used to be a HUGE fan of the whole shadowhunters world, I read the first 5 TMI books and all three of TID. In fact, I still watch the TMI movie when it's on tv and I'm on season 2 of Shadowhunters. So don't tell me that I haven't experienced the world or whatever other crap. I just think that after so many books, it's time for a change. 

I want to do an inventory of what CC has launched related to TMI/TID/TDA:

• The Mortal Instruments (6 books) (3 different editions) (+Movie Tie-in and Show Tie-in)
• The Infernal Devices (3 books) (2 different editions)
• The Dark Artifices (2/3 books so far)
• Infernal Devices: Manga Series (3 volumes)
• Tales From The Shadowhunters Academy
• The Bane Chronicles
• The Shadowhunters Codex
• The Mortal Instruments Coloring Book
• Shadowhunters and Downworlders: A Mortal Instruments Reader
• An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld
• The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (movie)
• Shadowhunters (TV-show)
• 2 official apps (Shadowhunters & Emoji Keyboard)
• A whole selection of official merchandise

PLUS 10th Anniversary Edition of City of Bones (Nov 2017) AND The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1 (Oct. 2017.) As if that wasn't enough, on her website you can find The Last Hours, an upcoming trilogy that follows the characters from The Infernal Devices (2018.) 

Do you see what I mean?

You've created a fantastic world, Cassie, no one will deny that. But don't you think that coming up with more and more books set in it is a bit... tiring? I would love to see you create something completely different. 

*disclaimer: I know she has the Iron Trials but that's middle grade*

Anyway, those are my feelings today. I'll update you on the climate around here ;)

Do you still read CC's books? Which is your favorite character? Mine's probably Magnus.

Book Review: The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

Release date: March 7th 2017

Publisher: Crown

Pages: 279

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Summary

From Goodreads:

Roanoke girls never last long around here. In the end, we either run or we die.

After her mother's suicide, fifteen year-old Lane Roanoke came to live with her grandparents and fireball cousin, Allegra, on their vast estate in rural Kansas. Lane knew little of her mother's mysterious family, but she quickly embraced life as one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls. But when she discovered the dark truth at the heart of the family, she ran fast and far away.

Eleven years later, Lane is adrift in Los Angeles when her grandfather calls to tell her Allegra has gone missing. Did she run too? Or something worse? Unable to resist his pleas, Lane returns to help search, and to ease her guilt at having left Allegra behind. Her homecoming may mean a second chance with the boyfriend whose heart she broke that long ago summer. But it also means facing the devastating secret that made her flee, one she may not be strong enough to run from again.

As it weaves between Lane's first Roanoke summer and her return, The Roanoke Girls shocks and tantalizes, twisting its way through revelation after mesmerizing revelation, exploring the secrets families keep and the fierce and terrible love that both binds them together and rips them apart. 

Review

“You know your family’s fucked up, right?” he asked. “Like, seriously screwed.” 

But damn, no one warned me of how much. 

Wait a second, my background music isn't setting the right mood for me to write. *Try by Pink comes on* Okay, we're good now.

Sometimes I think that it's better 

To never ask why 

Funny how the heart can be deceiving 

More than just a couple times 

Why do we fall in love so easy 

Even when it's not right 

If this song does not describe the sick and twisted "love" that goes on in this novel, then I don't know what does. But you're probably thinking "what the hell's going on?," so let's start at the beginning. You can come back once you've read it and understand a little better.

This is an extremely dark book, yet I devoured the last 150 pages in the span of a couple of hours. It kinda makes me wonder what's wrong with me.

*this will be a spoiler-free review because I don't want to ruin it for you*

The story already starts with quite disturbing news: Lane's mom committed suicide and now she has to go live with grandparents she's never met in the house her mom calls a nightmare. Delightful. And then it just keeps getting worse.

The story is told from different time periods, one from the summer Lane spent at Roanoke when she was young and one 11 years later, when she has to go back after her cousin goes missing. This  will often make you want to just skip parts to find out what the hell happened. I suggests you don't, though, because all the hints are there for you to see. 

The writing is fantastic, it hooks you up immediately. I promise there isn't a single boring moment in here. Or maybe there are and my mind erased them to fully appreciate the other amazing parts.

You won't find a single morally correct character in this book. And it's one of the best parts of it. 

What surprised me was that despite how awful the situation in this book is, it wasn't graphic. Not even a little bit. And to lighten the mood a little bit, there is also a healthier love story going on.

This is not a happy story, okay? I wouldn't suggest reading it if you're under 18, but that's on you. The plot is extremely dark and deals with themes that may be too much for some of you. 

Me when I finished it

Rating

5 out of 5 stars

Rating System

About the author

Amy Engel is the author of THE BOOK OF IVY young adult series. A former criminal defense attorney, she lives in Missouri with her family. THE ROANOKE GIRLS (March 7, 2017), is her first novel for adults.

Site: http://amyengel.net/

I received this book from Blogging For Books for this review.

Do you enjoy  books with dark topics? This one's for you! Do you recommend any books like this one? Let me know. 

Book Traveling Thursdays

Hey guys! I'm here today with a new segment. It's not going to happen every single Thursday cause that would be boring. But it's a great way to spice things up a bit.

This is what it consists of: Pick a book that fits the theme, explain why I chose it and then include pictures of the original cover, the cover from my country, my favorite cover, and my least favorite cover.

 I thought this would be fun since, as I'm from Argentina, covers will probably be different (UK covers ar still the prettiest.)

This week's topic is: Favorite contemporary read.

For this one I chose:

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Some summers are just destined to be pretty.


When each summer begins, Belly leaves her school life behind and escapes to Cousins Beach, the place she has spent every summer of her life. Not only does the beach house mean home away from home, but her favorite people are there: Susannah, her mother's best friend, and her sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly has been chasing Conrad for as long as she can remember, and more than anything, she hopes this summer will be different. Despite distractions from a new guy named Cam and lingering looks from Conrad's brother, Jeremiah, Belly's heart belongs to Conrad. Will he offer his to her? Will this be the summer that changes everything?

This is book 1 of the Summer trilogy, which I read when I was 15 or so. I remember them being fluffy yet serious enough. It's about growing up and all the dramas that we, as teens, thought were the end of the world. They are the perfect summer contemporary read. 💘

The one up there is the original US cover.

This book is not available in my country, but if it were, it would probably be imported from Spain:

There are quite a lot of covers for this book but my faves are either the original or the Polish one, which is quite similar:

My least favorite is definitely the Dutch one:

It's quite fun to do! Thank you to Danielle and Cátia, the creators of the meme, for their work and ideas!

Have you read the trilogy? Which book and cover is your favorite? Let me know