You can read my interview with Kiera Cass on The Huffington Post HERE.

We talked about what elimination style competitions she’s been in and what the HECK is going to happen in The One – The Selection series finale.

Oh Kate, you thin, royal lady. I can’t even be mad at you cuz you’re so flippin adorable.

My top choices (I guess) will have to be…

Top Ten Tuesdays are hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Join the meme and link up on their site!

Top Ten Favorite Book Covers Of Books I’ve Read

1What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang- I love that the cover plays off of the dual persons portrayed in the book. Ver clever.

2Pivot Point by Kacie West- I think this book cover also plays off the content and plot of the story. Plus, it’s just interesting and I want to keep looking at it.

3Flame of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier- I love this drawn look. Plus it has dogs – so immediate win.

4Defiance - What an intense book cover, right?! I love how strong and…defiant…she looks.

5Seraphina by Rachel Hartman- Omg, I love how vintage this book cover looks. It’s like retro dragons dominating the world.

6For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund- Dreamy and romantic. Love it!

7The Evolution of Mara Dyer- I like underwater book covers. I always think to myself how hard it must have been to get that shot, you know? Plus I also like reaching hands. Random, I know.

8Wither by Lauren DeStefano- I loved this cover immediately. I was so interested in who that girl was and what her deal was.

9Born Wicked— This girl is down to mess around, right? Def born wicked.

10Cinder by Marissa Meyer— I actually didn’t like this book cover at first, but it grew on me as I read the story. It’s weird and creepy and sort of clinical…but that’s the whole point. No frilly dresses hurrrrr.

Fave book covers – tell me!!!

Discuss: Best Book to Movie Adaptions of 2013

Between reading books and seeing the the movies they were made into, there’s little free time to spare this year. There were a handful of YA book to movies that I’ve been dying to see, but haven’t had a chance yet.

What did you think of these book to movie films: Beautiful Creatures, Warm Bodies, The Host, The Hobbit (technically 2012 but whatevs)?? Did they hold true to the book or veer off wildly? Did you like the casting choices?

My top picks (of the movies I’ve actually seen so far this year are):

My Top Book to Movie Adaptions (so far):

The Host

Acting: (Full movie review here). Saoirse Ronan was a much better actress than Kristen Stewart by a long shot. She’s vulnerable and…has an emotional range besides sad and frowning.

That being said, this wasn’t the greatest movie ever. In was mediocre with some really great moments. I went into the movie thinking I’d definitely want to read the book afterward, but I didn’t leave feeling the same way. The movie totally sufficed it for me, and I left relatively happy.

Accuracy to Book: As I said, I didn’t read the book on this one. But, my lovely friend, Catilin, did and said that the movie was pretty accurate to the book.

Overall: There were a lot of tricky moments during this movie – especially the whole person inside a person bit. I think the movie handled it really well, and I think this is the best adaption of a Stephenie Meyer book yet.

The Great Gatsby

Acting: I thought the acting in The Great Gatsby was fantastic. I’m a huge fan of Leo’s, and ever since I saw Carey Mulligan in Pride and Prejudice and An Education, I was totally won over.

On the other hand, I can take or leave Toby McGuire. He always seems like the side-kick type to me.

Accuracy to Book: Again, I haven’t read this book. (What use am I today?). But, this article by Slate does a great job of giving a run down.

I can tell you one thing: there are a ton of anachronistic details dusted throughout the whole film. I personally didn’t mind it because it reminded me a lot of today, so having a Jay-Z song playing in a Speakeasy only served to remind me how current times not that different from the excess of the Roaring 20s.

Overall: This movie definitely had it’s ups and downs – and let’s be honest, it’s super sad – but, it was visually stunning and made me think long after the credits were rolling.

Anxiously Waiting For Book to Movie Adaptions:

Catching Fire

How do I even describe my excitement for this movies? I totally loved the first Hunger Games movie, so my expectations for this one are HIGH.

I’m wondering how they’re going to handle Finnick and the developing romance between Katniss and Peeta (with some Gale mixed in). I’m not feeling the romantic tension so far, but I’m reserving my judgement till after this movie.

Ender’s Game

I am promising myself I’ll read the book before this movie comes out. I’ve got some time – this book to movie adaption doesn’t come out until November. I’m not really sure what to expect from either the book or the movie, so it’s all fair game to me.

Second Hobbit movie

Ok, please don’t judge me, but…I still need to see the first Hobbit movie! I KNOW, I KNOW! I hate myself too. I’m excited to see what Peter Jackson came up with again, but I’m worried about the breakage of one book into three movies. It seems a little extreme, no?

Other book to movie adaptions to look out for: Percy Jackson, World War Z, Mortal Instruments.

Book Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Goodreads | Amazon | Rick Yancey’s Website

Title & Author: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Genre: YA Science Fiction – Aliens

Release Date: May 7, 2013

Series: The 5th Wave #1

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

How I Got the Book: Bought

Description:

The 5th Wave Tolls

On the RBR Facebook page, I recently asked what books were getting a ton of hype lately and someone replied with The 5th Wave.

Waitttttt a second! I have never heard of that book! I swear, in life I’m the last to know things, so it just makes sense for that to translate to book matters too. Ugh! So now, that a lovely book lover told me about this weird alien invasion book, I HAD to check it out and see if it was worth the hype.

The answer is YES, YES IT IS! This book is about how aliens would invade the Earth in real life – not like in the movies where humans band together to fight their oppressors. In real life, aliens are waaaaay smarter than us and have figured out how to defeat humans like millennia ago.

So, why is The 5th Wave so hype-worthy? Because this book is riddled with delicious anticipation and tension. Four “waves” have hit the Earth after mammoth space ships are seen hovering over the planet.

An electromagnetic charge (1st wave) hits the planet and shuts down all electricity (phones, internet, cars) and battery operated things temporarily. Then natural distasters (2nd wave), then a terrible red death disease (3rd wave) kill what’s left of the human population.

Cassie Sullivan and her family are what’s left of her city, and they’re trying to regroup before the anticipated 4th wave hits. As Cassie says, it’s an “either/or” world now. You either die or fight your way to survival.

And that’s the magic of this book. You’re expecting the 4th and 5th waves to hit. You have NO idea what new fresh hell will be unleashed on poor Cassie and other characters. Rick Yancey is a master at surprises, and I was left shocked many a time. And that is definitely saying something because I can typically see things coming a mile away.

What’s also great about The 5th Wave is that just when you think and trust one thing, the action and plot changes into something else – sort of mimicking the oft said “trust no one” mantra in the book. Which by the way, no one follows.

Another important thing about this book are the relationships. They’re so complicated and broken, yet even during the potential end of the world, people are still loving and risking their hearts. Why? Because even the most hardened humans still carry hope deep down in their scarred and torn hearts.

OVERALL:

It should come as no surprise when I say that this book was amazing and is an absolute must read of 2013. I hope you love the rawness, bleakness and heartfull-ness of The 5th Wave – it’s gonna jack you UP!

You’ve Got #bookwormproblems if…

You have too many books. Your first thought is to get a bigger bookcase…not get rid of books.

You don’t care that you’re one of those people who says “the book was better.”

You make up excuses to ditch social functions to stay home and read a book.

Your Twitter and newsfeed are overrun with posts from authors, publishers and other book fanatics.

You agree that reading a book > sleeping.

You own ebooks and physical copies of the same book. (You never know…)

You discuss book characters’ problems like they are real people.

You fantasize about your ideal book boyfriend (and fight with other people over them).

You tell people “You HAVE to read this!” at least once a week.

These Tweeters Already Have Some #bookwormproblems

I missed the feel of pages while reading a regular book but my kindle is so much easier to read while working. #bookwormproblems

— Brittney Miller (@Britt_Nicole87) May 15, 2013

I feel so empty once I've finished a book...as if my life has no purpose anymore D; #BookWormProblems

— odaglas(@e_esalgado) May 15, 2013

I was looking for one book on Amazon, and ended up ordering a total of six. #bookwormproblems #booksovereverything

— Roda Malco (@asong2sing) May 9, 2013

Tweet your own #bookwormproblems now!

Tweet #bookwormproblems

Well, my fellow book nerds, what are your #bookwormproblems?

I have enjoyed the occasional ugly cry with books and at movies, but it’s not my favorite. For that reason, the books I listed only deal with some tough-ish issues and aren’t really heavy hitters.

Top Ten Tuesdays are hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Join the meme and link up on their site!

Top Ten Books Dealing With Tough Subjects

1Poison Study- Yelena deals with abuse issues from her past, having been held captive by slavers.

2Daughter of the Forest- This book very boldly deals with rape. It’s a tough scene to read, but I thought the author handled it really well.

3Mercy Thompson series- Something pretty crazy happens to Mercy in one of the middle books (maybe #2 or #3). I don’t want to say exactly what because it’s sort of a spoiler.

4The Picture of Dorian Gray- This book has MAJOR issues all up inside its pages. We’re talking greed and murder all the way.

5The Hunger Games- I would say kids killing each other for sport is a tough subject – especially when Collins spares no one.

6The Sweet Far Thing- This book is really interesting in that it deals with sexuality in a Victorian-era setting. It was definitely a different take on the time period

7A Long, Long Sleep- This book also talks about abuse – but more in the sense of emotional abuse and instability. It is a really moving and powerful book.

8Heart’s Blood- The issue of beauty and disfigurement was handled in Heart’s Blood. It’s a topic that isn’t brought up in a lot of books.

9Darker Still— The main character in Darker Still is deaf and is treated like a lower class citizen in early century New York City.

10The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer— A lot of mental disorders are mentioned and brought up in this novel.

Have you read a lot of books that deal with tough issues? What have been your favorites?

Book Review: The Pirate’s Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Goodreads | Amazon | Cassandra Rose Clarke Website

Title & Author: The Pirate’s Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Genre: YA – Fantasy, Pirates, Magic

Release Date: June 4, 2013

Series: The Assassin’s Curse #2

Publisher: Strange Chemistry

How I Got the Book: ARC via Netgalley

Description:

Second Helpings Not As Good

My philosophy has always been that pirates are the trump card of any book. Inconsistent plot? Messy romance? Add a pirate and PRESTO, it’s magic. So, in The Pirate’s Wish where there are pirates AND sailing AND magic, it’s a no brainer right?

Wrong. Although I really enjoyed The Assassin’s Curse, I called it then – Ananna is kind of annoying. Well, ok, not so much annoying as super feisty and stubborn and difficult.

The problem is she is sort of in love with Naji and somehow hopes he’ll return her feelings even though she bites, kicks and verbally eviscerates him at ever turn. Yeah, good luck with that girly.

The novelty and fun of the first book was lost a bit in this second take on Naji’s curse and the journey he and Ananna take to unbind him (as she is stuck with him till he can figure it out). Although, there is a manticore (featured on the cover), who is pretty cool and down to eat some male humans.

I wished there had been some alternating POV action. There was something sort of flat about only seeing Ananna’s perspective on their journey – especially because I felt like I needed a break from her nagging and pessimistic attitude.

Kisses and Starstones and Violence, Oh My!

I believe this is the last book in The Assassin’s Curse series (but there is another set of books due to come out in the same world). To be honest, my second side of beef with The Pirate’s Wish is due to the ending of the book.

I know I go on about wanting realistic endings and not some accident/good luck that wraps things together so perfectly with a little bow. But, sometimes you get what you wish for and you realize you don’t want it anymore. I’m big enough to say that I wish this book had a more saccarine-sweet ending that was ribboned with bows to an inch of its life.

Agh, I hate complaining. Some things I did like about the book:

• Cool new beasts – the manticore, among others
• Cool new landscapes – boat life and new isle
• Romantic tension in random moments

The main problem I think I had was that I just didn’t want to read the book. It was interested at times and I felt invested because I had read the previous book, but overall I just didn’t feel how things wrapped up and the characters’ actions and personalities.

OVERALL:

If you’ve read The Assassin’s Curse, I think finishing off this series still has value. It’s only a two-novel series, so you don’t have much to lose. Sadly, The Pirate’s Wish didn’t fulfill the promise of its predecessor, and I was left a little wanting.

Book Review: The Elite by Kiera Cass

Goodreads | Amazon | Kiera Cass Website

Title & Author: The Elite (Selection) by Kiera Cass

Genre: YA – Historical Fiction, Dragons

Release Date: August 23, 2013

Series: The Selection #2

Publisher: HarperTeen

How I Got the Book: Final Copy via Publisher

Description:

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

For what it’s worth, America could have made a more definitive decision between Maxon and Aspen if she had actually plucked petals from a daisy and let the age-old decision making game decide for her.

Girl, what the heck?! Nevermind that the rebels are hitting harder than ever and girls are dropping like flies in the competition. America’s got her eyes on the well…they’re darting from prize to prize.

I really wanted to LOVE The Elite. I really enjoyed The Selection and didn’t even expect to. Maybe that reverse thinking (having high hopes for the second book) is what sabotaged my experience…? It’s just sad to see that I was literally gushing over the first book, and now I don’t even want to pick a “team.”

Was it just me? What did you think about The Elite?

The things I did like:

• Strong friendships prevailing
• Mean girl drama (it added some excitement)
• Competition challenges shaking things up
• Tension of what will happen to Ilea next

Ultimately, this series is definitely entertaining. I mean, it’s a mix of The Bachelor and The Princess Diaries. But, I just didn’t think The Elite lived up to the added hype and thought it wasn’t as great as The Selection.

I hate to bum people out, so here are a few second opinions:

• Once Upon a Twilight: “Unlike the Selection, The Elite will bring out your emotions. You will cry, laugh and will have a strong desire to slap someone. LOL”
• The Book Belles: “The Elite was a great sequel, although I felt it didn’t quite live up to The Selection.”
• Chick Loves Lit: “I am very, very interested to see what happens in the next book. I have high hopes for Cass to pull it all together in a great way!”

OVERALL:

I was definitely disappointed with this second book in The Selection series. I was hoping for more action, adventure and warm fuzzies. Instead, the story was a bit flat with little genuine emotion. Those who wavered on liking The Selection may be pleasantly surprised, though. Although The Elite isn’t my fave, I think this series has real potential, and I know I’ll be sticking it out till the end.

And, to get you EVEN MORE pumped – there’s a ton of new Divergent movie news buzzing around. The most recent news includes deets on the Insurgent movie sequel already having the rights bought!

So exciting! So, what do you think of the Allegiant cover??

However, debating with “Team Hottie” is best and what the heck so and so is thinking by doing ____ is right up my alley. It’s a chance to meet people who share your passion (read: never grew up either) and talk about your favorite books. It’s a win-win.

But, how does one join a YA book club, you ask? Well, you’ve pretty much got…

Three Options to Join a YA Book Club

Option 1:

Search online for YA book clubs in your area. There are a TON of online resources that can help you find a group of awesome ladies (and maybe a dude) who heart Divergent and who want to take group trips to see book-to-movie adaptions.

Here are a few places you can go:

• Meetup.com – Choose your location and type in “book club.” BAM- groups that already exist will pop up on your screen.
• Goodreads Groups – Some local book clubs have started their own message boards and forums on Goodreads. Chances are there is probably something listed for major city locations.
• Forever Young Adult Book Clubs – The ladies at FYA are freaking awesome and have helped organize their own FYA sponsored groups. The books are already determined, and I’d stake money on the fact that all of the attendees are super cool ladies.
• Local Library – Some libraries help facilitate book clubs, so visiting their website or talking to a librarian will help lead you in the right direction.

Option 2:

Join a virtual group or forum. If meeting in person isn’t your thing or you just don’t have enough time to commit, Goodreads will be super helpful in your quest. It’s such a huge community, and there are so many different groups and online clubs – like the Young Adult Book Club. BAM, done. Also, there is this other cool site I found doing something similar as well HERE.

Option 3:

Create your own book club! This is the strategy I chose. I knew I had a few friends who would be interested, so I decided to just organize one myself.

I created an open event and invited people who said they were interested! For the first meeting I gave everyone four choices of books, and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is the winner. (A good crying book will bond us all, I’m sure).

If you’re in the Orlando/Winter Park of Florida area and want to join, please feel free to email me at lisa@readbreatherelax.com for me details!!! We would LOVE to have you, so don’t be shy!

Plus, if you need more members, you can list your group on any of the sites I’ve listed in Option 1!

Are you looking for a book club or are you in one already?