The Name Game Book Tag

I saw this book tag floating around the YouTubez and it looked really easy and fun to do so I did it!

I wasn't tagged by anybody, but I tag all of you! 

Entangled review: here

Lola & the Boy Next Door review: here

Books mentioned: 

Ariel by Sylvia Plath

Rhubarb by Craig Silvey

I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

Entangled by Cat Clarke

Lola & the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Original Name Game Book Tag created by KimberleysBookNook

Books I Want To Buy (But Can't Because I Have No Money)

While my bank account, general life spirit and joie de vivre whittles itself down from pathetic to practically non-existent, I'm finding myself left with merely empty wishes and dreams.

So to kick-off from that delightful introductory sentence, this post is going to be filled with books that I want on my bookshelf, but can't afford to go out and buy at the moment. (I tend not to borrow books from the library, not because I'm a snob for cleanliness but because I have too many books on my shelves left unread)
Let's get this thang going.

A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty

I've been waiting for this Kingdom of Cello thing to be released ever since Dreaming of Amelia came out! Jaclyn Moriarty is one of my favourite authors.. like, EVER. Her YA Contemporary novels (the Ashbury series) leave me in stitches so adding fantasy into the equation?.... will probably make me pee my pants. And then explode. That is how much I love Jaclyn Moriarty's books.

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
After reading What Alice Forgot, Liane Moriarty immediately joined her sister up there at the top of my list of faves. I went and bought all of Liane's other novels (I haven't read em yet but I need to, ASAP!) way back when, and now that this new one's out, I'm itching to get my little hands on it.

Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

There's been quite a long wait between Heist Society #2 and Heist Society #3 (this book). I absolutely LOVED Ally Carter ever since the beginning of the Gallagher Girls series. I actually first found out about Ally Carter from MySpace! THAT WAS THE DINOSAUR AGE, PEOPLE!!!
Normally I'm quick about getting my hands on the new releases of her books, but for some reason I forgot about this or didn't realise it had been released, and now I'm late on the bandwagon!

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
I read Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief early this year when I was vacationing overseas... in fact I bought the first and the second books of the series for pretty cheap when I was in the Strand bookstore in NYC. I know I'm going to love the entire series even though I haven't read the second one yet. The Titan's Curse is the third, and I want it! I will probably end up getting ALLLLLLLL of them. Eventually.


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new on my bookshelf

A Midsummer Tights Dream by Louise Rennison

The sequel to Withering Tights, this is the second book Rennison's newest tween series about Tallulah Casey, Georgia Nicolson's younger cousin. Yay! I love the bright stripey cover with the shiny blue bits and the huge pop of colour! 

Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Shakespeare

I chose this Folger Shakespeare Library version to buy because I wanted to read the sonnets but I needed help understanding them. Shakespeare can really confuse me sometimes! OK, let's face it - all of the time. This version has detailed notes etcetera so hopefully they'll help break it down for me!

Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter

I love the Gallagher Girls series a lot. I can't believe it has taken me this long to get my hands on the fifth instalment! Excited to get into Cammie's spy life again. Ally Carter is AWESOME.

More photos:

Mini Reviews - YA style! (Finding Cassie Crazy, LA Candy, ITYILY, Wicked Lovely)

This is a little mini review series I'm starting, just to recap on books I've read in the past, and give you guys a very brief little review of them, with pictures of course. ;)

Tonight is in with the theme of YOUNG ADULT! Hurray!
-Finding Cassie Crazy by Jaclyn Moriarty
-L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad
-I'd Tell You I Love You, but then I'd have to Kill You by Ally Carter
-Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Finding Cassie Crazy (2003)
One of the best books a girl could read in highschool. One of my friends in Year 9 rec-ed this to me - I read it in ONE DAY. This is pretty much a 400 page novel, and it is probably the most reading I've ever done in a day. 
Moriarty's writing is utterly and hysterically brilliant, fabulous and funny - the characters are charming, I could ask for nothing more in a contemp YA.

L.A. Candy (2009)
I love Lauren Conrad. As a reality TV star alum, she has an organic beauty about her that is so refreshing. I think she had a fair amount of help with writing this debut novel, but the idea was new, even though the characters, writing technique and storyline were not very gripping or outstanding. The second instalment (Sweet Little Lies) in the trilogy was a little better I thought. 

I'd Tell you I Love you, but then I'd have to Kill you (2008)
This is a book I read later in highschool that really got me hooked into YA, reading, stories and all that magical stuff that goes along with books. I love the teen spy world Ally Carter created, and I not-so-secretly wish I was genius enough to attend the Gallagher academy and train to be a kick-ass spy. I SO can't wait for the 5th book to come out already!

Wicked Lovely (2007)
The tagline on this book is 'Enter a world of faerie romance' - sounds SO lame. It is true though, but I wouldn't call this story lame at all. The writing is brilliantly descriptive, the world that Marr created is beautifully seductive and alluring, the character relationships are very well developed, so I don't know why I haven't yet read the rest of the series! 

Day 14: FAVE BOOK OF FAVE WRITER

Day 01 – The best book you read last year

Day 02 – A book that you’ve read more than 3 times

Day 03 – Your favourite series

Day 04 – Favourite book of your favourite series 

Day 05 – A book that makes you happy 

Day 06 – A book that makes you sad 

Day 07 – Most underrated book An unexpected good read
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book 

Day 11 – A book you hated

Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore

Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favourite writer

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Err, OK. Given that I listed at least a dozen writers for Day 13's topic, I'll choose a book (or series) from one of my favourite writers that I haven't mentioned yet. 

THE GALLAGHER GIRLS SERIES by Ally Carter

Honour her sword | Learn her skills | Keep her secrets

Several years ago, I stumbled across Ally Carter via MySpace (weird, but true!). I'd never heard of this author before and I was immediately intrigued by the Gallagher Girls book series. It was love at first sight. Literally.
The covers really stood out to me, and combined with the prospect of teenage girls as spies-in-training - it was the best and most awesome thing I'd heard of... like, EVER! 

Review: Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

Title: Uncommon Criminals
Author: Ally Carter
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Hardcover, 298
Release Date: June 21, 2011
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
ISBN: 978-142314795-4
Source: Bought (from Target)



I normally paste the synopsis here but this one is really long so click here to read it on Ally Carter's website.

My Thoughts...

This is the second Heist Society novel and Ally Carter weaves her magic again. 

Uncommon Criminals was a pretty fast-paced read with a Peter Pan/Ocean's Eleven feel... but with teenagers.
Katarina Bishop doesn't steal to take, but she steals to give back. And maybe a little for the thrill of it. (Or maybe a lot for the thrill of it).

That's why she doesn't like to decline a challenge, and a challenge is exactly what she's offered. 

Kat and her crew need to steal the Cleopatra Emerald. Not only is it impossible to do in the history of thieves - it's forbidden.

And cursed. 

New On My Bookshelf

My life has taken a scary turn recently (in a good way). 

I've spent the past one and a half years "studying" (not that I really studied very much) Chemical & Process Engineering. This last semester I've realised I couldn't keep doing it anymore because I was miserable and wasn't at all following my dreams. 

Everyone (well, every normal person) I've talked to about this has said I would really regret it if I kept doing something I didn't enjoy. I didn't enjoy engineering at all. And I did regret it. 

I regret it Big Time. 

Now I've realised the only way I'll be successful is if I begin to hone my talents and follow my dreams. 

So! Onto the books. This semester (ie, tomorrow - eep!) I'm starting my Arts degree, majoring in English and probably Classics & Ancient History as well. That's why you see Greek Mythology, The Annals of Imperial Rome and the Twelve Caesars up in that photo, along with Jane Eyre. 

I bought Heist Society 2: Uncommon Criminals from Target in the United States. 

Really excited to hold an Ally Carter hardcover! All my Gallagher Girls books and my copy of Heist Society are the Aussie paperbacks (whose covers totally under-represent the books). 

I've heard this one is many people's childhood favourites so I knew I needed to check it out!

Have you read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'engle? Let me know what you think!

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I accidently got two copies of Withering Tights so I'm giving one away. I'm really excited about this series because I absolutely loved the Georgia Nicolson series and Louise Rennison is a hilarious writer. :)

I had to get Jane Eyre for the English unit I'm taking this semester (Romance: Narratives of Imagination). This should be a fun unit because we're required to watch movies too! Princess Bride is one of them. :D

Wish me luck for this semester.

<3