Please bear with me

So school started up last week for me. I'm in my final year at college, so I've got to make these final two semesters count. So in the midst of school, work and my internship I will definitely try to read books and do my reviews. I'm also trying to focus on the editorial management aspect of Publishing so I've got to make sure I'm really soaking in as much information at my internship as possible. My internship is at Abrams. They've published Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Sisters Grimm, and other really well known series. It's an excellent place to start and I'm super excited with the work I've been doing there. So if you're reading my blog please bear with me and be patient. I'm going to try my hardest to squeeze in reviews as much as possible.

Until then
Happy Reading Fellow Bloggers
XoXo
Chellie

Looking for a new book!

Hey guys!
So I'm looking for a new book to read and review. I've pretty much read the ones I've gotten from BEA and the ones I've bought in the past month. Any books you've been raving about to friends? I'd love to hear it. I'll most likely pick them up and write my reviews for them! So let me know which books have got you most excited this year. I'd love to hear from you!

X's & O's
Chellie

Waiting a year and half for the next book in the Divergent series?!

So as you can obviously tell I have just finished reading Insurgent, the second book in the Divergent series. I am in complete awe of this book and frustrated that I am left with such a cliffhanger! I seriously have to wait until Fall 2013 to find out what will happen now that the truth that Tris was working so hard to find has been revealed. What will happen to Evelyn? What about all the ties that were so severely severed in the midst of all these attacks? Who will come out victorious in the end? I know that Veronica Roth will have an amazing story up her sleeve for her faithful readers, I just hate the wait and anticipation. So in the meantime the least I could do is give my review on Insurgent.

Insurgent picked up right where it left off after Divergent. There was no time for a recap of what happened in the first book, which I actually liked about it since I already know what happened. We start off in media res and are pulled right into Tris' world again. We are pulled into her sorrow and guilt and into the chaos that now ensues after the intense Dauntless' attack on the people of Abnegation. 

In the whirlwind journey of finding out how to recover from this attack and take down Jeanine Matthews, a lot of relationships get put to the test, including that of Tris and Tobias aka Four. We are introduced to new characters and get a look into the different factions such as Candor and Amity. We also get a deeper look into the life of Tobias and also into the mind of Tris as she deals with the aftermath of the death of her parents, which takes a very strong toll on her.

The way that Roth deals with the sorrow and guilt that Tris feels is beautifully depicted within the book. Tris struggles with valuing her own life and making decisions that seem impossible to her at first. Tris' character is faced with moments of complete and utter despair and others of complete clarity and the way that she goes about fighting for her life and that of the ones she loves is deemed worthy of her Abnegation roots.

Insurgent takes the reader on a trip with secrets spilling out when least expected and reconciliations that make you want to jump with joy. There are so many things that finally get revealed that leave you hungry for more. Roth knows how to mix action, romance, and suspense in such a way that leaves the reader always coming back, and I am guaranteed to come back and pick up the third installment to this trilogy in 2013.

Till then
Happy Reading Fellow Bloggers
xoxo Chellie

I'm Back and just read Divergent!

I am back! I was on a little hiatus but I am now back and revved up! I actually just finished reading Veronica Roth's book Divergent to get me ready for her second book in the Divergent series titled Insurgent. I know I was a little late with reading Divergent since it came out last year, but nonetheless, I am glad that I picked it up. Goodreads gave it the choice award of favorite book and I can already see why. It is an amazing book and I have to admit that I am a huge fan of dystopian novels. I love the hard decisions that these protagonists have to make and the bonds that they create with loyal friends along the way.

Veronica Roth does a lovely job bringing to light the character of Beatrice. A 16 year old girl whose life begins in Abnegation one of the five factions of the society in which she lives. Abnegation is the faction which values selflessness above all else. Beatrice struggles with the values that her faction is so set upon and doesn't truly know if she belongs to them. How can she when she feels like she is made for something more?

At 16 Beatrice must choose whether to remain in Abnegation or another faction. Once she decides to leave she can't go back. This one decision will set her place for the rest of her life, a decision that Beatrice is hard pressed to make.

 Veronica Roth takes the reader on a whirlwind of events right along with Beatrice. She makes Beatrice face some extremely difficult situations that are so raw and real and connects you even more with her protagonist. Beatrice builds friendships which are tested as she begins initiation into her new faction: Dauntless.

I can honestly say this book was a definite page turner. It made me question myself and what I would do in situations that Beatrice was placed in. Beautifully written and imaginative Veronica Roth completely won me over with the first book of her series and I cannot wait to pick up Insurgent. I suggest you do it too!

Till the next book
Happy Reading Fellow Bloggers

xo Chellie

"The Singles" Meredith Goldstein

So I picked up Meredith Goldstein's The Singles working at BEA last month and it was a book that I instantly wanted to grab. I think the cover attracted me to it the most. Something about the way the picture was conceptualized made it alluring to me. So as I read on a couple weeks later I wasn't disappointed. The blurb didn't give me much to work with, stating:

Take an instantly recognizable social dilemma--attending a wedding alone--add a good laugh (and maybe a cry), and meet The Singles, the warm and witty debut by Boston Globe "Love Letters" columnist Meredith Goldstein.

Beth "Bee" Evans's first vow as a bride is that everyone on her list be invited to bring a guest to her lavish, Chesapeake Bay nuptials. When Hannah, Vicki, Rob, Joe, and Nancy one by one decline Bee's generous offer, the frustrated bride dubs them the "Singles" adrift on her seating chart as well as in life.

Since I didn't have much to work with when it came to the blurb, I didn't know what was going to be the my general take on the novel. I ended up being pleased with the story. Considering the fact that the day of Bee's wedding is told through different viewpoints I was able to get a view of all angle's, not just that of the bride. I was able to delve into Hannah's life which connected me to Rob and Vicki which eventually connected me to Joe. The characters are all facing different struggles in their lives amidst the happy nuptials of Beth "Bee" Evans.

I figured since Beth was the bride she'd be the most annoying of the characters, but surprisingly she wasn't. Her groom's brother Jimmy Fee was actually the one who took the cake for most annoying character in a wedding.

There were a lot of story lines in the novel but it didn't clash into each other, rather it flowed seamlessly, making me feel that nervous, excited feeling you get when attending or being part of a wedding. So if you're looking for a nice read to pass the time, maybe curled up on the porch, or stoop, grab Meredith Goldstein's book, it's sure to give some good laughs as promised and make you just as engaged in Bee's wedding as the rest of the characters.

Inspiration!

Well, I realize I haven't been keeping up with my reviews as of lately. I did finish a book though last week called "The Singles" by Meredith Goldstein. After reading it I sort of got inspired to start my writing again and I've really been caught up on that for the past couple of days. I've got my friends and family reading what I've come up with so far. I've been spending most of my day with these characters and I'm amazed at how close I've become to them and how invested I am in their world. So after hitting thirty pages in my writing I will definitely write my review for "The Singles" so until then please be patient with me. This summer is bringing some really good things my way and I have to got to start balancing them all.

So until my next post
Happy Reading fellow bloggers

xoxo
Chellie!

Still on the bookshelf

I'm going to be starting my next book read soon but I haven't looked at my bookshelf yet to decide the next one. I was so wrapped up this weekend with it being my friends birthday and father's day and all that I haven't made a choice yet. I realize that my usual reading time extends to about three days, the max, so I kind of want to keep that flow going.

Also please if you're reading my blog, follow it and let me know what you think. If you have any books you think I should read please feel free to let me know. If you want to have a chat about books or genres you're into I'm always up for that. So don't be shy, stop on by and let's talk books!!

Until then,
Happy Reading

Chellie!

"The Fault In Our Stars"

I can't even begin to put into words how much this book has touched my heart. I can honestly see why it has been awarded so much credit. John Green weaved together a beautiful story about cancer, dreams, life, and most importantly love.

I loved the characters in this book, each and every one. Even down to Hazel's parents. But my favorite character of all in this entire story was Augustus Waters. Augustus was the beautiful boy who had shown Hazel love, who had made her smile and feel things she never thought she would have felt before. He had even created a little niche for himself in my heart as well. He was charming, intelligent, and loving. I wish I had more words to describe how amazing Augustus Waters was. I felt as if I had known him while reading this book, as if he were a part of my life.

Hazel Grace was a protagonist that I had connected to more than any other protagonist I had encountered. She felt raw and her view on cancer and her life were so human. She felt a pang of guilt for loving Augustus because she did not want to be the grenade in his life, she did not want to hurt him with her disease. She cared for him too much for that. But she wouldn't be able to escape Augustus because the love he felt for her was the same that she had felt for him.

Isaac and Peter were two characters on opposite spectrums but I liked both of them nonetheless. Peter was the angry, bitter, alcoholic writer of Hazel and Augustus's favorite book. His view on life was so morbid and angry but it bought this reality to the story that in the midst of disease pain is always evident whether inside or out.

Isaac was the friend in the story that I loved also, even though he wasn't around Augustus and Hazel on a daily basis in the story. I felt a true connection with the three of them, and that is something spectacular on Green's part.


The story is beautifully written, and extremely thought provoking. It explores the bounds of love and relationships and family in a way that haunts you long after you've put the book down. I can honestly say that "The Fault In Our Stars" is now officially one of my favorite books of the year. Thank you John Green for writing a beautiful story and creating a world that I got lost in for three days. I cannot wait to share it with so many others.

Chellie!

UPDATE: New review on it's way

So I decided to pick up John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars". It's been named as a #1 New York Times Bestseller, #1 Indie Bestseller and a USA Today Bestseller. So expect a review for this one soon.

Happy Reading!

Chellie!

Fathomless Review

Well what can I say about Jackson Pearce's "Fathomless" besides that it is a pretty amazing book, for lack of a better term. Being a dark reimagination of The Little Mermaid it truly did drudge up that dark emotion factor, which really worked for Pearce's book.

The story is about a girl named Celia Reynolds, whose the youngest in a set of triplets. She and her two sisters, Anne and Jane, have powers. Anne can see into the future, Jane can see things in your present, and Celia can see into your past. Celia doesn't believe her power to be as useful as that of her sisters, until she meets Lo that is.

Lo is an ocean girl who can't seem to remember who she used to be. She was once a human and fights against herself to remember parts of her past. A past in which Celia helps her to remember when they both save the attractive guitar player by name of  Jude who falls off of a pier.

The story deals with emotional connections between the characters of Jude, Celia, and Lo. Each chapter goes off on the thoughts and emotions of Celia and Lo, and eventually Naida who emerges as the human self of Lo. As the story goes along you get transfixed in the lives of these characters and their problems. Each character goes through a sort of self-discovery that makes "Fathomless" the beauty that it is

I don't want to write too much and give away so much of the story but I have to say the inner conflict that Lo faces is so beautifully depicted that I connected with her as the story progressed. One thing I would have liked was more scenes with Jude. As the romantic angle of the story I wanted his relationship with Celia to be fleshed out more, maybe that's the just the romantic sap in me talking. But it wasn't such a big deal that it turned me off to their relationship, I just always hunger for more when it comes to the love stuff, hehe.

But if you've got teens who are into fantasy with a dash of action and romance this book could serve as an excellent gift. It's a light read, not too heavy, and I can definitely recommend it as a book to take to the beach. You never know, it might get you to look at the water just a bit differently!

On that note onto the next book

Until then
Happy Reading!

Chellie!

NEW REVIEW SOON

Next book up for review will be Jackson Pearce's "Fathomless"

Watch out for the review, and to be quite honest I'm actually a little excited for it. Described as "a dark modern reimagining of Hans Christian Anderson's "The Little Mermaid" "I can't wait to read what Jackson Pearce has in store!

Till then bloggers
Happy Reading

Chellie

Review: False Memory- Dan Krokos

So I was able to finish Dan Krokos' book "False Memory", which served as an action sci-fi young adult novel, and quite honestly I don't know how I feel about it. The premise for the story is quite a good one. It's set in the city of Cleveland and based on "teens" who have the ability to use psychic energy to transmit waves of fear to crowds of people. They basically serve as weapons and unless given "memory shots" their memory becomes erased. The twist to this is that these teens aren't exactly human, but clones, replicas, of others. There's apparently a team of them, Alphas and Betas, but Alphas didn't stick around for too long.

The story revolves around the protagonist Miranda North. She wakes up on a park bench with no recollection of who she is. Upon seeking for help, she ends up accidentally triggering her psychic power and meets Peter, the boy who knows who she is, or more precisely what she is.

We follow Miranda through her journey of self-discovery and her struggle to remain alive and not become just a weapon. Although this premise sounds like a good one I felt Krokos' story lacked a strong sense of characterization to push this story forward. Miranda didn't serve to me as the kind of protagonist I cared for much.  I found her to be rather flat, yes she did feel emotions, but they only scratched the surface, as did the rest of the story.

Many of the answers to the questions I had were vague when bought up in the book. Why did they need to make these human weapons? One of the doctors said it was more than just the money, then why else? Simply because she was truly a mad scientist?

Relationships in this book also played a key role in why I probably was not as involved with this book as I could have been. Miranda and Noah, one of the other team members, apparently had a relationship but now that Miranda's memory was erased she really didn't remember much of it. She claims to have a shadow of love that she felt for Noah but her true feelings were for Peter. With so much going on in terms of transference of memories or lack thereof, the ties in these relationships got lost. Miranda was part of a tight knit group. That group consisted of Noah, Peter, and Olive. But that group had quite the love square going on, involve that with memory loss and sometimes it left me wanting to close the book completely. Plus I felt characters who knew the real reasoning behind the creation of the clones were just thrown into the story and then thrown out way too quickly. Examples: Dr. Tycast, Dr. Conlin, and Mrs. North.

The only characters I found myself to be involved in were Rhys and Peter. Rhys, part of the Alpha team, had a story that seemed full, complete, as well as that of his own character. Peter had that tragic hero quality to him. He loved Miranda before her memory loss and he loved her after. Of course it was unrequited at first but he was loyal to her throughout. Noah and Olive played more as secondary characters to me, although I think Noah was supposed to be more than that in the story.

I don't want to give away much in terms of plot, but there is a lot of action and description of fight scenes. . Krokos' writes in a manner that scratches the surface, going strictly on the basics of things, which is probably why it didn't work much in terms of the emotional aspects of the characters. On my rating scale I'd have to honestly give "False Memory" a 3.0

Review Coming Soon...

Since I finished "The Darkest Minds" I'll be moving onto my next book up for review very soon. The book is titled "False Memory" by Dan Krokos so please stay tuned for that one!

Until then
Happy reading

P.S.
Feel free to share any books you would recommend for my future reading!

"The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

So I'm starting off my first official posting of Chellie's Catch That Book Corner. I worked as a volunteer at BEA 2012 last week and was inspired to start off this blog. I was able to get my hands on some really great books making their debut this year and I thought why not share my thoughts on these books? what have I got to lose. In creating this blog I hope to share with you my reviews on books I've read and hopefully generate a buzz to get these authors some well deserved attention. Most importantly, I hope to get people excited for some new reads throughout the seasons, that's always a good thing!

So my first review goes to the amazing Alexandra Bracken and her YA dystopian tale titled, "The Darkest Minds". Now let me tell you that the line for Ms. Bracken's book was quite the long one at the BEA this year. Serving as a line monitor I should definitely know and I can definitely see why this is the case.

Bracken's "The Darkest Minds" weaves a tale of love, hope, and friendship amidst a world of darkness and despair. Ruby, the protagonist lives in a world where children around her have died from a mysterious disease called IAAN. Other children who have survived are considered freaks or "dangerous ones"  and are sent to "rehabilitation camps" by the government. Ruby being one of these "dangerous ones" has to take control and fight for her life after escaping the brutal camp she had been sent to. Along her journey she encounters a group of kids she creates a bond with and soon she is not just fighting for her life but theirs, especially that of the group's leader Liam.

Alexandra Bracken brings these this story to life with such vividness that I cannot escape the world she creates or the characters she has introduced me to. I have created a bond with Ruby and her friends in such a way that long after I've put the book down I've wondered about them. The characterization is so on point that I feel feel the emotions that the characters go through, their guilt, their sadness, their happiness, as if it were my very own.

Chubs, Zu, and Liam are the kind of people I would want to encounter if I were Ruby. Bracken creates a group of friends who love each other fiercely and are loyal to each other regardless the circumstance. They help to propel the story forward in a way that kept me invested all the way to the very end.

There are gruesome detailed scenes throughout the story but without them I don't think the book would have had the effect it had on me or would have allowed me to truly connect with the suffering that Ruby, Liam, Chubs, and Zu felt. The plot never slowed and the build-up was consistent throughout. Having an ARC, I figured the book would have some errors but they weren't distracting in the least. As I got further into the book the more my questions got answered and I loved that about it. Bracken has a way with keeping you guessing and revealing answers to you that keep you turning the page. 

If your looking for a good read this winter pick up this book. If you have fans of dystopian tales I suggest passing this book along as a gift. It's dark but infused with the bright light of hope, perseverance, love, and friendship. Plus the end will have you up out of your seat. The book's pub date isn't until December of 2012, so make sure to put this on your wish list for the winter season because it definitely is a must read.

Until then fellow bloggers

Happy Reading!

Chellie