Thursday, December 25, 2014

A Christmas Special

Image Courtesy of Steve Altier 
Today is Christmas and I want to celebrate by attempting a book tag I saw one of my favorite book-tubers, Katytastic, do on her Youtube channel. I don't know how well this will turn out but cross your fingers!

The tag's name is Bookish Scenarios, originally created by Lindsayheartsbooks. I decided to do this tag because it is funny to even imagine yourself (if you're a book reader of course) in these "bookish scenarios". I will answer seven difficult and different questions and hopefully, you will get to know me a little better through this!

1. You have to get rid of all your books and you can only keep one from each of these genres - contemporary, fantasy, non-fiction, and one other genre of your choosing. What books do you keep?

Why would someone ever make me want to get rid of all my books! It's not fair and mean... If I had my way, this scenario would be avoided at all costs but hey, I have to answer the question. 
I would pick The Princess Bride for the genre fantasy because it's such a classic that makes me smile and laugh whenever I read it. Part of the Pride for the genre non-fiction because it's one of the two non-fiction books I own and it has one of the most intriguing concept ever... The author's best friends are lions and hyenas! For the genre contemporary, I would pick Anna and the French Kiss because the relationship between Anna and St. Clair is beautiful. The last book I would choose would have to be Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief, in the fantasy genre, because a) you can't get enough of fantasy! b) It's hilarious and a pick-me-up kind of book, and c) The book reminds me of the good ol' days.

2. You're at the bookstore and you hear a teenager telling their mom they don't like to read, but their mom insists they pick something. You walk over and recommend a book you think is great for people who aren't big on reading - what book is it?

I would recommend the book Divergent because it is fast-paced and full of action. The book is engaging and fun to read and hopefully, the teen girl hasn't read it yet! Oh! And Four is to die for!

3. You're not feeling yourself and need a pick me up. Which book do you read to put yourself in a great mood?
Image Courtesy of The Lit Witch 

I would pick up The Lost Hero because the mood is upbeat and there are certain characters that make the smart-a** comments that make me laugh and smile.

4. You go back in time for a day to your teenage years. What book would you most likely have caught yourself reading?

Well, since I am still a teenager, I would be caught reading the Mortal Instruments and/or the Infernal Devices series. Cassandra Clare is an incredible writer and I would read her series over and over again.

5. Your friend surprises you with a four day trip* and you have one hour to pack. Which book do you bring to read on the way?

I would pick The Princess Bride because it's a comfort book for me and whenever I reread the book, I pick up new information I hadn't thought of before.

6. Your house has been robbed! Don't worry - everyone is safe, but your bookshelf has been raided. What's the book you really hope is safe?

If someone robbed me of my books, they are dead. I would hunt them down and... Sorry, too much information! (insert smiley face with blush.) I would have to say, this scenario is outright awful and I can't give you a specific answer. My books are like family to me because there is a person in every single book in my two hundred collection and it would be terrible if someone stole them!

7. Your friend borrows a book and returns it in awful condition. Do you a) just pretend you haven't noticed, b) ask them to repurchase it or c) secretly do the same to something of theirs?

I would kindly ask them to repurchase the book but I know NONE of my friends would do that... I hope!

That's the end of the book tag! If you want to, you can steal these questions for yourself, just make sure you cite the original owners. Hope you enjoyed my Christmas special! Merry Christmas, book nerds!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!



*Hopefully, my friend is taking me to New Zealand!

Monday, December 8, 2014

How about Were-Tigers instead of Were-Wolves?

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia
Have you ever hear a book called Tiger's Curse? Well if you haven't, you are officially not a book reader. I'm kidding but you have to pick this book up after you read this. 

Tiger's Curse was self-published by Colleen Houck. I understand why it isn't well known because she self-published and it takes weeks to get the book from Amazon but everyone should read it. I am seriously considering of giving my librarian a book list of what she should buy for the school library because she does not have the books that need to be more publicized. If you still don't understand how amazing this book is, I will give you a short summary:
Image Courtesy of Barnes and Noble.com

Tiger's Curse is about a girl named Kelsey who takes a temporary summer job at a traveling circus. The circus is where she meets Dhiren or Ren, a white tiger and suddenly, Kelsey is thrown into a mysterious ancient prophecy. With the help of Ren, a man who was cursed to turn into a tiger, Kelsey will try to piece the puzzle/prophecy together to break the curse.

How awesome does that sound? Colleen Houck did a fantastic job with developing the story and the characters. I feel that the love subplot is just right and there was no loose ends except for the fact Houck did end on a cliff hanger.

I also want to talk about the setting of the book. At the beginning of the book, Kelsey is in Portland, Oregon looking for a summer job, when finding one, in all of places, at a traveling circus. There, Kelsey is whisked away to spend the rest of her summer in gorgeous India.

Image Courtesy of iTimes.com
I don't know a lot about India but it sounds like a spectacular place where tigers are roam free in the jungles and the fantastic sunsets. I mean who wouldn't want to go to India?

I am aching to talk about the male counterpart of Kelsey. Ren or Dhiren is his name and he, in my fangirl mind, is drop dead handsome. Don't go hatin' on me for being obsessed over a fictional boyfriend that doesn't exist. If he was a real man, I promise you, all the girls would be over him. He is caring, extremely polite*, selfless, and he turns into a freakin' tiger... What more can you ask for. On top of that, you will meet another man that will surprise you; he came out of nowhere and into my fandom daydreams.

I am getting myself off-track and I apologize. Just give me a second to cool down all the fangirl jitters... Okay I am ready. You have to read this book. I mean if you don't, you definitely have not traveled far enough in the book world!

Well thanks for reading! The next post will be with collaboration from one of my fellow bloggers and friends, Mazana.

*Ren is over-the-top polite. He had to ask for permission to kiss Kelsey before he actually did! How adorable is that???