The Story of Resilience

Mr. Zamperini died in July of 2014 but his legacy lives on!
Image Courtesy of LA Times

Ever since Unbroken was announced to come out as a movie, I had wanted to read the book by Laura Hillenbrand. I know, I know - I could have just watched the movie, but as I say, books are always better than their movie counterparts. 

Unbroken is a book I have read that was outside of my comfort zone. I usually stick to fantasy and young adult books because they are more captivating and fun to read. Don't you agree? But the good thing was that I really enjoyed this book.

Now, I would not recommend this book for people who like/love action, suspense, and fantastical plots. I would recommend this book for people who don't mind reading a serious but intriguing, true life story of a young man. I also might add: this book is for people who don't mind graphic and intense scenes.

Image Courtesy of Film Trailer Zone (Youtube)

Louis Zamperini reminds me of a true superhero; not one with superpowers. He managed to survive a month floating on one raft with two other men after his plane crashed, fighting off hungry sharks, catching birds with quick reflexes and reeling in fish. I don't know how they did it but... Louis also survived Japanese POW camps and the cruel men inside the camps. The abuse and torture he went through is unimaginable. I should not be joking about this but if I was in his situation, I would crack on the first day.

I don't want to be too graphic but Louis and the rest of the Japanese POWs went through physical torture like beatings until unconsciousness and mental torture like standing stark naked out in the freezing cold. The Japanese pushed all the POWs to their limits, in which some cases, left the men unable to function alone. 

While reading Unbroken, I was shocked how POWs were kept for one, but I was grateful that I had read such a book that described a different perspective of World War II. I do admit, however, that I have not read much about WWII nor have been interested in learning about WWII. After this book, I did want to research more about what actually happened and other history-buff information.

Image Courtesy of Flickering Myth

Overall, I would rate Unbroken a "sit down and read" book. It didn't have magical unicorns and man-eating faeries but it did have a different kind of story that I fell in love with. 

Again, I would like to warn you.... This book is not for readers who want to sit down and get caught up in a sweeping tale about a young soldier. If you are into that stuff, look at this edition. I have never read or laid my hands on this young adult adaptation of Unbroken. The reason why I never thought of buying the edition was because I felt that the story the book talked about was too serious to be fluffed and cuddled. 

Now, I am not trying to hate on the people who can't read serious stuff. I just wanted the truth. If you have read the young adult edition of Unbroken, please give me feedback! I don't want to sound mean for the fun of it... I assure you, I am not that type of person.

Image Courtesy of Laura Hillenbrand Books

Okay, got off topic a bit. Let me end this post with a good note.

Unbroken is an excellent read. It was written beautifully with new terms and words I had to look up for. The writing was straight forward with no hidden meanings (I think) and confusing text. Although, at one part, the author started to describe the different models of aircrafts used in WWII but that information was exciting.

If you read the book before or after reading this beautiful post, please give me feedback on what you did or didn't like about the book! See ya soon, bookworms!

The Winner's Curse: Gambling for Her Future

Image Courtesy of Mac Teens Books

Imagine yourself dragged to a slave auction. You do not want to be there but alas, your friend is aching for some action. You are rich and well-known throughout the city because your father is the general.

Kestrel found herself in that very situation. She didn't want to be there but her friend, Jess, pulled her to the spot where Kestrel will make the decision to bet or not to bet...

I LOVED this book! Everyone has been raving about it, so I decided to give it a spin and it is an absolute keeper. After I read the book, I found out that the winner's curse is an actual event. I thought that was pretty wicked: 

It happens when the bidder, in this case Kestrel, wins by bidding the highest amount of money but at the same time, losing. The loss comes from having to pay a ridiculous amount of money for something that had a lower price before the auction. My mind - officially blown!

Kestrel and Arin have become part of my fan-club for very cute couples. Even though each of them denies it externally, we as the readers, know there is growing love no one can ignore.

Kestrel is the girl who doesn't think of the consequences very often, which explains why she had to bid on Arin... But she has a quick and strategic mind that helps her escape sticky situations. As custom, Kestrel has to either enlist or marry before the age of eighteen and being the daughter of a very high ranking and famous general, the two decisions are becoming harder and harder to choose.

Arin is also a quick-thinker but he hides many talents under his careful and wary expressions and gestures. Although Arin looks like an ordinary blacksmith slave, he has a dangerous secret that Kestrel will have to pay for in the future. For me, Arin is not quite a fictional boyfriend I have in mind but he does have hidden talents (that I can't exploit) and he seems like a caring young man if he didn't have the secret(s) he had.

Image Courtesy of The Starry-Eyed Revue

Marie Rutkoski did an excellent job with writing this book; I had no problems with reading it. I loved the character developments and setting and the cover artwork is beautiful. The action and suspense is thrilling; especially when you get to the end of the book... *wink wink

I loved how everything fit together and there was no plot holes at all... Maybe there were some but I was too engaged to notice! The story is unique but there wasn't much humor (not like that's a big deal or anything). 

Personally, I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good young adult read and has an appetite for deception. If you have already read it or you read it after reading this awesome post, tell me your thoughts! I am always there for my book friends!

Cover Changes: The Relief and Dread of All Bookworms

Image Courtesy of Idea Champions

Cover changes. This topic has been covered and ranted by many booktubers, book bloggers, and the general book public. Personally, book cover changes don't bother me as much as it does to other people, but it still makes me agitated. What makes me agitated, is when I buy a book with a perfectly "okay" cover and then the publishers decide to change the cover right in the middle of the series. That makes me mad because when I look at my bookshelf, there is an inconsistency of prettiness.

Other than what I said above, I don't care what the covers look like. Sometimes, I have mixed feelings but as long as the books match the previous book, I am happy.

The best part about cover changes are they usually cooler and prettier than the original.

I feel that I should treat you guys with a couple of examples of what I am trying to talk about. First I will start with the spectacular cover changes that made bookworms weep in greatfulness. annoying cover changes. Then I will end with the annoying cover changes that made bookworms weep in sadness. The annoying covers are generally cover changes that are developed when the book is made into a film.

First up is the Harry Potter series. When Harry Potter came out, we had covers like this:

These weren't too shabby to begin with...

Now for the anniversary of Harry Potter, the design had changed greatly, and I love these new covers better than the older versions.

Image Courtesy of Harry Potter Scholastic

AREN'T THESE PRETTY?
Image and Books Courtesy of Amelia

Another pretty wicked cover change is The Fablehaven Series. It used to look like this:

They are very pretty and have very vibrant colors!

Now, cover artists changed it to:

Image Courtesy of Amazon

I can't decide which covers I like the best.... What do you think?

How about this old cover?

Image Courtesy of Wikipedia

To the newer cover editions?

I personally like the newer editions but hey, if you like a close-up on a cut-off face, I am not judging you... Not at all...

I think I have given you guys enough of the good cover changes but you haven't yet seen the cover changes that made bookworms mad...

This movie edition of The Book Thief is okay but I do prefer the older version:

Here's the older cover:

Image Courtesy of Wikipedia

It is not that bad but I do prefer the older The Book Thief cover because it's unique and not a close-up on some random girl's face. It seems to me that most books these days are coming out with close-ups of random people's faces...

Compare this:

Image Courtesy of Barnes and Nobles

To the original:

These book covers are both majestic and beautiful. I can't decide whether the movie edition is better than the old cover. What do you think?

And last but not least:

Another close-up face! Do you see a pattern?
Image Courtesy of Wall Street Journal

To this:

I couldn't decide yet again with these two covers. I think there was another cover before the old edition but truthfully, I didn't want to go looking for it... I like the older version because it is a simple cover while the movie edition has too many different scenes going around. 

Thanks for scrolling till the very end... I know this was a long post but pictures take up a lot of space. There might be a part II but there might not be. Anyway, I hope all you bookworms enjoyed my "life-changing" post! 

My 2015 Book Bucket List

Image Courtesy of The Austin Chronicle

Since it's 2015, everyone is starting on their new year's resolutions and all the book worms are beginning new book wishlists and bucket lists. I decided I should join my fellow friends and give you ten of my most wanted books of 2015. These books aren't in any specific order because if it was, that would put me in a very uncomfortable situation of trying to figure out what book should be at the top of the list. And that's a situation I want to avoid.

1. "Tiger's Destiny". This book is $12.23 as a hardcover, which is expensive for me because I am very broke at the moment. Haha, I think I only have $5 right now!

Anyway, Tiger's Destiny is the fourth book in the Tiger's Curse series. I love the first three books; the series is one of the most recommended series on my list, so that means.... Read it!

I don't want to tell you what this book is about because of two reasons. One, you haven't heard of the Tiger's Curse series at all or two, you have heard of the Tiger's Curse series but you have not gotten far in the series. So I don't want to be the bad sport and spoil everything.

Image Courtesy of Novel Sounds

2. "I'll Give You the Sun". This book costs $12.78 so I need to save up to get both Tiger's Destiny and I'll Give You the Sun. This book was recommended to me by a lot of my friends, and I trust my friends' judgement so someday, I'll get the money to buy the book.

I'll Give You the Sun is about a sister and brother who were really close and then as time went by, they grew further apart until they need to get back together to fix their messed up worlds.

3. "Sweet Evil". This book is $9.70 as a paperback. That's a yay for me because it is a bit cheaper but not by much. My friend, Amelia, has recommended most of the books I read because she is so cultured when she reads; this book was one of the many that she has recommended. 

Image Courtesy of Confesiones de Libros 

Sweet Evil is about Anna White who was born with the sixth sense of being able to see and sense emotions. She is troubled until she meets Kaiden Rowe (he is probably going to one of those bad boys) and she is forced to face her destiny.

4. "Unearthly". The book is $9.63 as a paperback. Again, this was a yay for me because it is cheaper than the first two books. Sadly, if I was to buy all the books on this list, I would need over $50, which I don't have. I wish I did have that money but I am not a millionaire...

Clara Gardner finds out she is part angel and she is supposed to figure out why she is put on Earth. She, of course, meets a boy who helps her and a boy who visits her in her dreams. And she has to face her destiny, very typical.

Image Courtesy of Livia Blackburne

5. The last book I want is Midnight Thief. This book is $13.23. Hopefully, I will get enough money to buy Midnight Thief! Amelia recommended this to me among many others, as said before, and I trust her opinion. I have never read a book by Livia Blackburne so I am really excited!

Kyra is a girl who was taught street smarts and is pulled into working for the Assassins Guild. Tristam is a palace guard who is bent on avenging the murder of his friend. Kyra and Tristam both meet, at first very wary of each other, but they realized they needed each other to complete each of their missions. Doesn't that sound thrilling?

This list was probably the most crappiest you have ever read. But I can't wait to get my hands on all of the mentioned books and lots more. Only when I am handed a million dollar check, I will be able to complete my buying list. Until then, I will slowly buy every book. Here's my wishlist of 2015 of all the books I want to buy before 2015 is up. Hope you enjoy!

Books... In Different Countries!

Since we live in the United States, book covers are kind of boring compared to other countries. Sure, some US editions are quite spectacular and fangirl-worthy but in other instances, there are US editions that are shamed by their foreign counterparts. 

I will start out by showing you foreign counterparts that put their US editions to sort of shame. Like here. I would label this German cover kinda amazing compared to the US edition:

Isn't this pretty?????????
Image Courtesy of BibilioManie2

Compared to:

Kishan.... The BEST thing I never had!
Thank you Ally for letting me use her beautiful hardcover!

The US version of this cover is pretty but the German edition of Tiger's Quest is really cool in a different way... If you get what I mean. I don't want to say that the US edition is crappy and not pretty at all but the artwork is cooler and the way the text is positioned and curled.... BEAUTIFUL! Plus the German edition is more intriguing and fun to look at. The US cover has a big black tiger on it and I have to say, it's boring compared to the German cover.

This Indonesian edition of book one of the Fablehaven series translated to Fablehaven: Book One, Secret Asylum:

Image Courtesy of Gallery Hip

Compared to:

Image Courtesy of Amazon.com

The Indonesian edition is so rad. I love the artwork; it is so gorgeous with the fireflies, Kendra and Seth (the two main characters for the people who still haven't read this amazing book!), and the gnarlyness of the branches. Compared to the US edition, this might be a little better but I do love the green of the US cover. 

Some covers are not as pretty or cool as their US edition counterpart. Such as this:

Image Courtesy of The Norwegian Book Girl

Compared to:

Image Courtesy of Bookish

I admit the German edition is cool but the US edition is more simple and pretty. It seems to me that the German edition is trying too hard to grab a reader's attention. What do you think? 

How about this Japanese edition:

Image Courtesy of NeoGraf.com

Compared to:

Image Courtesy of CopyPasterePost

The Japanese editions are quite artistic and colorful. While the US editions stick to one color and maintain a single color scheme. If you are into beautiful artwork, I understand if you hate me for saying this but I like the US edition better. 

Other book editions are equally pretty and cool as the US editions. This book as an example:

Image Courtesy of Percy Jackson Movies

Compared to:

Sorry I had to add this book!
Image Courtesy of Rick Riordan

You, as my readers, should now know that I am obsessed with Rick Riordan's works; he is one of the greatest authors ever! Okay back to the post. I love the UK edition but the US edition is also full of awesomeness. I have nothing else to say about this, just bask in it's glories of how amazing Rick Riordan is.

How about this Greek edition:

Image Courtesy of HG Girl on Fire

Compared to:

Image Courtesy of Wikipedia

This was a hard one to place in the rankings. I first thought I liked the Greek version but then outside influences caused me to think, "Wow, I think the US edition is a lot better!" and then I decided because I was so indecisive, to put the book covers in this section. What is your opinion? I like the yellow mockingjay and then the orange fading to red background but I also like the black and grey of the US edition. Ah! It is too had...

Sorry this is such a long post and I have you scrolling for a long time, but this topic is such a fun topic for me. I love searching online for my favorite books but with different covers and language. I might even have to do a part two because this is so exciting! What do you think about these books and my selection of covers?