mercoledì 3 luglio 2013

Wishlist Wednesday #9

Meme hosted @ Pen To Paper Blog

If I Stay
by Gayle Forman

Goodreads

A critically acclaimed novel that will change the way you look at life, love, and family. 

In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen ­year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.



I have seen this book around a lot lately - probably right in one of the past Wishlist Wednesday - and I thought it looks gorgeous. Everyone seems to love this and the plot does seem interesting so, I am really curious! Have you already read it?

lunedì 1 luglio 2013

Interview with Faith Sullivan, author of the Heartbeat series + Give@way!

Interview with Faith Sullivan

Today I have the pleasure to host on my blog Faith Sullivan, author of the Heartbeat series and the Take Me Now series. If you haven't checked her books yet, please visit her Goodreads page, here, to find out more about the author and her past and future works! Scroll down to have a chance to win Kindle copies of both Heartbeat and Come What May!

1.Can you tell me a little about yourself and how you got into writing?
I've worked in the publishing industry in some capacity for nearly fifteen years. At the beginning of 2013, I decided to publish my first novel and dive into the deep end.

2.What would you say the hardest part of writing this book was?
Living up to readers' expectations for a sequel. I did not want to disappoint them.

3.What character or part of the story did you become attached to the most while writing and why?
Adam's my guy. He's such a complicated mixture of emotions. He's surly, yet sweet. He's frustrating, yet vulnerable. He's confused, yet loyal. Bottom line? He's fun to write.

4.Is this book part of a series?
Yes, it is a part of my HEARTBEAT series. The first book is HEARTBEAT. The second book is COME WHAT MAY. Both are available now. The third and final book is I AM YOURS, coming October 2013.

5.If you could work with any author who would it be?
There are so many but I'd love to work with Stephanie Parent (love her style), Meradeth Houston (love her heart), Ashelyn Drake (love her voice) and Victoria H. Smith (love her swoons).

6. If you would shipwreck on a desert island, and you could have the possibility to keep just two books of your pile, which books would you keep?
THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE and THE BIBLE.

7. Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
Receiving an email from a reader who went through a similar experience on 9-11 that Michelle did in UNEXPECTED. If I do nothing else in my life, knowing that I connected with one person like that is all I ask.

8.What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you?
Being a creative person is hard (financially, emotionally, etc.), but following that path is the only way to feel alive.


Heartbeat

Katie and Adam are afraid of love.
She carries the scars of a first kiss gone terribly wrong.

He uproots his life to flee the stinging betrayal of an ex.
When trust is no longer an option, all romance is suspect.

As a young paramedic, Adam rescues people for a living but cannot save himself. Katie, just out of high school, struggles with a tortured home life she cannot escape. 

Everything changes when Katie hops into the front seat of Adam's ambulance. Overwhelmed by what they are feeling, neither possess the confidence to make the first move. They walk away from each other, full of regret. 

To find her, Adam risks his future. To be with him, Katie sacrifices her security. 

Little do they know, what little time they do have, is being measured by a heartbeat that is slowly dying out.


Come What May

Adam is through with love.

He unravels blaming himself for what happened with Katie.
His final moments with her echo through his nightmares.
She owns him body and soul.

To dull the pain, Adam invites a string of women into his bed. Fueled by alcohol and desperation, his meaningless hook-ups provide little comfort. When he closes his eyes, it's Katie he sees.



The only one who helps to ease his guilt somewhat is Jada. But as his new ambulance partner, Adam considers her off limits. He doesn't want to get seriously involved with anyone, much less her. Yet he can't stop fantasizing about the feel of her caramel skin against his.


Despite his intentions, Adam's bond with Jada deepens as they respond to a series of emotional calls. Their mutual attraction becomes undeniable. But how can he give his heart to Jada when it still belongs to Katie?



Ten random facts about Faith Sullivan

- I was so much smarter as a teenager.

- I am a slow reader.

- I tend to like a book more for its characters than its plot.

- I appreciate people who are genuinely kind and come through when you need them.

- It's true, creative people are not always fun to live with, but we keep things interesting.

- I miss the days when all I had was a rotary phone without even an answering machine.

- I'm a child of the 1980s, and a teenager of the 1990s.

- I love my dog.

- I love to travel and see new places - when my limited budget allows.

- I think in another lifetime I lived in the UK somewhere by the coast.

- When I feel an emotion, I feel it deeply. It's a curse.

- I have an overactive imagination. Writing helps alleviate that problem.

- Nine times out of ten, I believe a good book trumps reality hands down.



The Give@way!

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venerdì 28 giugno 2013

Feature and Follow #8


Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature&Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.


The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs! 


How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!



This Week's question

What is your preferred reading format? Hardcover, eBooks, paperback etc?


My preferred reading format is absolutely hardback, then paperback and at the end ebooks. I find it more authentic to read books on paper but I also know that being an Italian blogger, I NEED an ereader, because shipping is so expensive and I do understand if not all the authors are willing to pay that much. (:
Hardbacks and paperback are just my passion, I love spending money on books but I honestly wouldn't pay for an ebook because I think that the difference between the ebook's price and the paperback's is not that big, most of the times!

Please Follow me through Bloglovin, since GFC is going to expire this Monday!

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giovedì 27 giugno 2013

Review: The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler + Movie Comparison

The Hypnotist
Joona Linna Series #1
Authors: Lars Kepler
Published: January 1st 2009
PublisherSarah Crichton Books 
Format: Hardback
Number of Pages: 503
Source: Bought
Purchase: Amazon, TBD

Goodreads
In the frigid clime of Tumba, Sweden, a gruesome triple homicide attracts the interest of Detective Inspector Joona Linna, who demands to investigate the murders. The killer is still at large, and there’s only one surviving witness—the boy whose family was killed before his eyes. Whoever committed the crimes wanted this boy to die: he’s suffered more than one hundred knife wounds and lapsed into a state of shock. Desperate for information, Linna sees only one option: hypnotism. He enlists Dr. Erik Maria Bark to mesmerize the boy, hoping to discover the killer through his eyes.
It’s the sort of work that Bark has sworn he would never do again—ethically dubious and psychically scarring. When he breaks his promise and hypnotizes the victim, a long and terrifying chain of events begins to unfurl.
An international sensation, The Hypnotist is set to appear in thirty-seven countries, and it has landed at the top of bestseller lists wherever it’s been published—in France, Holland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Denmark. Now it’s America’s turn. Combining the addictive power of the Stieg Larsson trilogy with the storytelling drive of The Silence of the Lambs, this adrenaline-drenched thriller is spellbinding from its very first page.

My Review

The Hypnotist was an amazing Sweden thriller that has reached the level of Stieg Larsson novels - even if, to be sincere, I can't really make a comparison since I didn't read other Sweden thrillers. But, certainly, this one was great. Fantastic. Amazing. Incredible. 

Since the first pages I knew that the strong point of this book was going to be the plot, since the authors' writing style was pretty sterile - even if I do love this kind of writing! The story immediately caught me up since I found it original how police men and doctors used hypnosis as a medical cure and, eventually, also as a weapon to obtain informations.When the revelation of what the case was going to be about, struck, it was impossible not to be dragged by the overflowing connections between past and present. Infact, in the story, Joona Linna and Erik Maria Bark, will be forced to face two difficult cases, the multiple murder of the Ek's family and then the kidnapping of Erik's son, Benjamin. 

If there is something that annoyed me a little about the plot is how rapidly the Ek's case had been put down, as soon as Benjamin's case takes over. I would have loved to read more about the Ek's murder - you will discover who it is as soon as you start reading the first 150 pages - because he/she was such a fascinating character, I really have a passion for the mad ones and in this book they were described brilliantly.

What I probably enjoyed most, apart from the story, was the writing style. The thing I first noticed was how slowly the first 150-200 pages went by, the authors were meticulous, they wrote and rewrote the same scenes - that were developed in 3-4 days at the beginning - from all the characters' point of view and - MIRACLE! - I didn't find it boring for a second.  It was evident that they tried to increase the tension and it was like they were trying to reflect Erik's feelings: infact, since he was addicted to pills, especially sleeping pills, is like days were passing by slowly, constantly in a state of unconsciousness and sleepiness, but as soon as his personal life got involved, the story proceeded more rapidly.  The language was plain, sometimes even harsh, the dialogues simple and immediate, there was no emotion in them because all characters had the vice to keep everything they felt, inside. I thought it was great that in general the book was so direct and plain because it perfectly reflected the beautiful, static, snowy landscapes that were so wonderfully described.

About the film

Speaking of the film, I didn't quite like it, I mean it started well but then it just couldn't keep up to the book. The mystery was so deep, thick, everything was so intertwined, that it was just impossible to put everything in a two hours film. The psycology of the characters, as always, had not been studied, the complexity of Erik's addiction, his familiar relationships and the intricate personality of the Ek's killer and Benjamin's kidnapper, not analysed - Benjamin's kidnapper almost seemed normal in the film! If there was something good in the film was certainly the photography and I also quite liked some of the actors, for example the ones that played Erik and Simone, Erik's  wife.

Overall
A compelling, gripping novel that will keep you awake all night long!


Rated 5.00





Blitz: Shine not Burn by Elle Casey + give@way!

Shine Not Burn 
by Elle Casey
Publication date: June 30th 2013 
Genre: NA Romance

Goodreads

IT HAPPENED IN VEGAS. I can't be held responsible. Things that happen there are supposed to stay there, right? Right? Yeeeah. Not so much. ... Andie's just days away from tying the knot, but there's just ooooone little glitch. Apparently, she's already married. Or someone with her name is married to a guy out in Oregon of all places, and the courthouse won't issue her a marriage license until it's all cleared up. Tripping her way through cow pies and country songs to meet up with a man who gets around places on horseback is her very last idea of how to have a good time, but if she's going to get married, make partner at the firm, and have two point five kids before she's thirty-five, she needs to get to the bottom of this snafu and fix it quick ... before her fiance finds out and everything she's been working toward goes up in flames.

Want to purchase a copy?There's a special offer going on now for Shine Not Burn, just 0.99c! Click here!

Short Interview

How do you write so many books in such a short period of time?
Short and sweet:  I have a system for getting the work done, and I'm a helluva fast typer.  More details: I have a ton of stories always waiting in my head to be told, and when I sit down at the computer, the words just kind of spill out.  My stories are very character-driven, meaning I don't make up the story.  I just find the characters wandering around in my head, put them in a situation, and let them run with it.  Now that I'm a full-time writer, I can dedicate more of my time to writing that I used to when I was also teaching at a university.  I treat writing as a business and try to be very disciplined about it.  After eighteen months of writing, I've published 20 novels, so I think my system is working.  

How long have you been writing?  What did you do before you were a writer?
I've been writing since January of 2012.  Before that I was a lot of things … most recently an attorney.  But you can add the following other jobs to the list:  retail sales clerk, air traffic controller (in the Air Force), waitress, restaurant owner, stock broker, insurance salesperson, professor, and CEO of a medical device company.  I'm one of those people who gets bored easily, so after being in a job for a few years, I need a change so I can be challenged again.  The beauty of being a writer is it's never the same job twice, and it really doesn't feel like work.  It's the best job I've ever had, hands down.  It's the only job in the world were you walk into work (in my case, open the computer) and your boss starts the day by telling you how amazing you are.  My readers are my bosses now, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  They really are great motivators. :)

What's the most important element in a romance in your opinion?
A sexy guy.  Seriously, he just needs to be sexy as hell, and that doesn't mean sexy can't come in different packages.  For example, in the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the MC, Ian, is very understated and shy, but man, he rocked my world.  He reminds me a lot of my husband, actually.  On the other hand you have your angsty fighters ... guys who you'd never let into your world in real life but who are safe to fall for in books.  Travis from Beautiful Disaster comes to mind. Boy, did he cause a lot of fuss in the reader world!  Chemistry comes in all kinds of packages, which is awesome, but the chemistry has to be there or the book falls flat for me.



Elle Casey is a full-time writer of New Adult and Young Adult titles in several genres, including romance, urban fantasy, sci-fi dystopian, and action-adventure. She's an American girl who's been living in southern France with her husband and three children since 2010. She loves chatting with her readers, so feel free to drop her a line.




The Give@way!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

mercoledì 26 giugno 2013

WWW & Wishlist Wednesday #8

Meme hosted @ Pen To Paper Blog
Obsidian 
Lux series #1

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens. 

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 

If I don't kill him first, that is.



Why do I want to read this book? Simply because everyone seems to love it and I definitely want to know what everyone has been talking about! I also have Half-Blood and Pure from the same author but I still hadn't got a chance to read them - guess I could start with those, couldn't I?



To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?


What are you currently reading?
I am currently reading The Year Of The Great Seventh by Teresa Orts, that she kindly sent to me a couple of months ago, for review. The book seems quite interesting even if there are some details that don't convince me that much.. but well, I am still at page 100 so, I am just hoping it will surprise me!

What did you recently finish reading?
As I said in the last WWW my last read was Looking for Alaska by John Green, a very fascinating book that I really liked for the author's style but not quite for the story itself - I really hope to write my review soon!
What do you think you'll read next?
Red by Kerstin Gier, not sure if this is going to be my cup of tea but I heard that the movie is about to be released and I definitely want to read the book first, in any case.

martedì 25 giugno 2013

Teaser Tuesday #5: The Year of The Great Seventh by Teresa Orts

Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

The Year Of The Great Seventh - Teresa Orts

"A wave of sadness invaded my body, as I knew the moment I left this place, I would
leave a part of me behind. The part that belonged to Nate. One of those parts that you 
end up searching for the rest of your life."

The Year Of The Great Seventh is quite an interesting read, even if I read just the first 100 pages - I am so slow, I know, but I am working hard- the story seems quite fascinating, especially because it is set in LA and I really can't understand where the story is going... we will see! My review is scheduled to be post on July 6th!

domenica 23 giugno 2013

Showcase Sunday #22

Weekly meme hosted @ Books Biscuits and Tea

Good evening peeps! *yawns* Can you believe I just got out of bed?! But don't get me wrong, this morning I woke up at 6am to go to work and I just took a "little" nap as soon as I got home! This week has been a full one, I am finally starting to work and I just got my first employment contract - even if it lasts only for two months, because after I need to start school, again. But it's already something, isn't it?
Speaking of books, this week I just bought two books at the usual bookshop I always talk you about - the one that sells used books - and I found two awesome titles. Some of you may have heard that I loved the Hypnotist by Lars Kepler and, can you believe that I found the third book in the Joona Linna series? I thought it was a sign of destiny because I can swear that this book wasn't there the morning I looked at the shop windows and then, that afternoon, when my friend asked me to bring her there, it was there.. Just great! 
The other title I bought is from Philippa Gregory, The Other Boleyn Girl, the second book in the Tudor Court series - I had already bought the first book last week, do you remember? 
The other two titles I got are from my local library, Looking for Alaska by John Green and Red by Kerstin Gier.

And that's all for this week! Link me up your showcase!




venerdì 21 giugno 2013

Feature and Follow #7 Favourite quotes!


Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.



The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs! 


How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you! 

Today's question

Favorite Literary Quotes?

This is SO hard because I have plenty of favourite quotes and they are not briefs neither!! Let's see, I will write down some of my favourite quotes from the books I read recently:

Looking for Alaska by John Green:
*You may not want to read this if you haven't read the book because they contain some spoilers*

“The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.” 

"So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was hurricane.” 

“Francois Rabelais. He was a poet. And his last words were "I go to seek a Great Perhaps." That's why I'm going. So I don't have to wait until I die to start seeking a Great Perhaps.” 

“You can't just make me different, and then leave. Because I was fine before, Alaska. I was just fine with me and last words and school friends, and you can't just make me different and then die.”

Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

“I wish you to know that you have been the last dream of my soul...Since I knew you, I have been troubled by a remorse that I thought would never reproach me again, and have heard whispers from old voices impelling me upward, that I thought were silent for ever. I have had unformed ideas of striving afresh, beginning anew, shaking off sloth and sensuality, and fighting out the abandoned fight. A dream, all a dream, that ends in nothing, and leaves the sleeper where he lay down, but I wish you to know that you inspired it.” 

The Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare

“You are not the last dream of my soul.

You are the first dream, the only dream I ever was unable to stop myself from dreaming. You are the first dream of my soul, and from that dream I hope will come all other dreams, a lifetime’s worth."

“Memories did one no good, not when one knew the truth in the present. Will was beautiful, but he was not hers; he was anybody's. Something in him was broken, and trough that break spilled a blind cruelty, a need to hurt and to push away.” 

PLEASE FOLLOW THROUGH BLOGLOVIN OR EMAIL SINCE GFC IS ABOUT TO GO DOWN

mercoledì 19 giugno 2013

WWW and Wishlist Wednesday #7

Meme hosted @ Pen To Paper Blog

The Nightmare
by Lars Kepler (Joona Linna #2)
GoodReads

"Kepler provides a master class in noir."—The Boston Globe


A drowned young woman is discovered on an abandoned pleasure boat drifting by the Stockholm archipelago---strangely, her clothes are dry. The next day in Stockholm, a man turns up dead, hanging from a lamp hook inside his completely bare apartment---but how could he have hung himself with no furniture to climb upon? As Detective Inspector Joona Linna begins to piece together the two mysteries, he discovers that they are a mere prelude to a dizzying and dangerous course of events. From the internationally bestselling author of The Hypnotist comes The Nightmare, another spellbinding tale of Nordic crime.


Well, do I really have to explain why I do absolutely need this one? Because the Hypnotist was brilliant, breath taking, completely amazing! As you may understand, I loved every second of it and I can't wait to share with you my thoughts about it! Lucky me, the other day - I think this is a sign of destiny - I found the third book in the Joona Linna series in my favourite bookshop and.. for HALF THE PRIZE, since it was used. Now I just need the book in the middle, The Nightmare, even if the books can be read separately. I can't wait to go on with the series, just trust me, these books are so great - at least the first one was - so if you have a chance to read them, don't hesitate! You won't regret it!


To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?


What are you currently reading?
Looking for Alaska by John Green, I have always heard great things about this author, and in a reading group I'm in, they are constantly talking about him! So, I decided to pick this one up from the local library, and certainly on my to-read-next list there is also The Fault In Our Stars, which I am totally dying to read!




What did you recently finish reading?

True by Erin McCarthy, stay tuned to read my review in the next few days!
It was actually an easy read,  a simple and a little  stereotypical story about a nerdy girl who falls in love with the bad-ass boy. Nevertheless I have to say that the author's style was quite entertaining and flowing so I didn't find it annoying at all! And you know what? I think I will be also reading her next novel with the same characters of True, Jessica and Riley.



What do you think you’ll read next?

The Year of The Great Seventh by Teresa Orts, who I would like to send a great THANK YOU! Yes, she offered to send me a copy of her book for review, and I know how much shipping toward Italy might cost so thank you Teresa! I should be posting my review on July 6th so, I think I'm gonna start this one next, just to be prepared. The cover looks gorgeous, doesn't it?
 
Images by Freepik