Top Ten Tuesday (9)

Top Ten Tuesday (TTT) is an original meme hosted The Broke and Bookish. This feature was created because they are fond of lists and list making. It's perfect for me because I also love making lists. Each week, there is a new topic, and you get to create a Top Ten list based on it!

Ten Places Books Have Made Me Want To Visit:

1. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - I'm pretty sure that every person who's read the Harry Potter books would love to visit Hogwarts. I can't wait until I can take a trip to Universal Studios to see the theme park. It almost makes it feel real.
2. Santorini, Greece - I've been wanting to see this place since I read The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. It seems like a beautiful place to unwind.
3. Paris, France - I really had no intention of visiting Paris until I read Anna and the French Kiss. I'd been told that it was a filthy city and that many people don't enjoy their time there. Well... Stephanie Perkins changed my mind. I'm hoping to get to Europe soon, and Paris will definitely be a stop.
4. Dystopian Chicago - Okay... I know it seems kind of strange to want to visit a world like this, but I think it would be interesting to see what has happened to Chicago. I would have so much fun walking around and viewing the dried up lake and destroyed buildings.
5. Panem - You're probably thinking that I'm really crazy now, but I'd really want to see what America looks like in ruins. Plus the Capitol would be such a site to see.
6. Luna - Ever since I've read Cinder, I've been thinking about how cool it would be to live on the moon. I would probably stare at the Earth all day, but can you imagine how beautiful all the stars would look like from the moon?
7. New York, New York - Young Carrie Bradshaw makes the city seem magical and cruel in Summer and the City. I'm still pretty young, so I think I'd experience some  of the same things. Plus, it's New York. I think every American should see the New York skyline at least once in their life.
8. Zanzibar Bay - I loved Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler, and she made the west coast seem like it's the place to be. Oh, and I love collecting beach glass, so I know how I'd spend most of my time there.
9. Neverland - There's a child in me who wishes that I never grew up. I'd love to explore Neverland and see Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and Tinker Bell.
10. London, England - I've kind of always had this place on my list, but reading Bridget Jones's Diary really made me want to visit London.

Review: Isla and the Happily Ever After

Title: Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss #3)

Series: Anna and the French Kiss

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Publication Date: August 14, 2014

Publisher: Dutton

Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last?

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.

Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.

Soundtrack Saturday (4)

Soundtrack Saturday is a weekly meme that I created so I can share some of the songs that pop into my head when I'm reading a book.

If you want to participate, all you have to do is create a post of your own using just four songs, link back to me, and add your name to the link-up tool so other bloggers can see your choices for the week. Feel free to expand upon it. For example, this week, I have two character songs for two different characters in the book.

This week's feature is Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins. Below are the songs that I have included in my version of a soundtrack for the book.

Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Original Cover

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Series: Anna and the French Kiss

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Publisher: Dutton Books

Publication Date: September 29, 2011

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit—more sparkly, more fun, more wild—the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket—a gifted inventor—steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

The Friday 56 (5)

The Friday 56 is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Freda at Freda's Voice.

If you want to participate, all you need to do is link your post to Freda's blog. (She posts a link-up tool when she posts her Friday 56.) Then you open the book closest to you (or the one you're currently reading) to page fifty-six (or 56% on your e-reader). From there, you find a sentence or two that you want to share that will make someone who hasn't read the book want to read it. Just try not to spoil anything. We don't want to give away any major plot details. 

This Friday, I'm reading Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. Here's a tidbit of the happenings on page fifty-six.

"And they're off in their own world again. As if they don't see each other enough as it is. He stays in her dorm on weekdays, and she stays in his on weekends. Though I do admit their trade-off is appealing."

Okay... This might spoil a little bit, but I feel like I'm one of the last people to read Lola and the Boy Next Door. It seems like everyone else has already finished the series, and I'm still so behind! Oh well. I'm getting there. I even bought Isla and the Happily Ever After last week, so I'm sure I'll be reading it soon.

So what are you reading this Friday? Feel free to let me know in the comments, and as always, you can leave a link to your Friday 56 post, and I'll be sure to check it out.

Happy reading, and enjoy your weekend!

 

TBR Thursday (3)

TBR Thursday is a meme that was started by Sarah (Words with Sarah) to showcase what we plan on reading during the week.

All that you have to do is you pick a book that's been on your TBR list for three or more months that you plan on reading during the week or weekend. Then you make a post about it. Oh, and don't forget to link back to Sarah's blog. She deserves all the credit for this wonderful meme. Oh, and you can even add your name to the link-up tool so more people can see your post. Easy enough, right? I think so.

Okay... so I'll admit that I don't post this weekly. Life gets in the way, so when I finally do get around to reading a new book that was on my TBR pile for a while, I post. And it has been a few weeks since my last installment of TBR Thursday. I almost didn't think I'd be doing one today, but then I remembered that the book I'm currently reading has been on my TBR list for a while.

Ladies and gentlemen... I give you Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. I read Anna back in July, but both Anna and Lola had been on my Goodreads "To Read" shelf for a while. I finally got around to ordering a copy of Lola, and then I was challenged to read it for a PIFM challenge, but it was my next read anyway. 

Stacking the Shelves (2)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly book meme created and hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews. It is all about sharing the books you've added to your shelves throughout the week. Books can be either physical books or e-books. The books can be books that you've purchased, borrowed, or received for review or as a gift. Basically, it's just a summary of the books you're adding to your shelf during the week.


Okay. I know I promised myself that I was in the middle of a book buying ban because I have way too many books on my TBR pile right now, but I broke it today.

I went to Half Price Books with my sister to get Isla and the Happily Ever After, and I noticed that Flawless (Pretty Little Liars #2) was on clearance for $2. I've been there so much recently that I knew there were a ton of the Pretty Little Liars books in the YA section. So what did I do? I grabbed them all!

 

Books I Purchased Today:

• Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
• Flawless by Sara Shepard
• Perfect by Sara Shepard
• Unbelievable by Sara Shepard
• Wicked by Sara Shepard
• Killer by Sara Shepard
• Heartless by Sara Shepard
• Twisted by Sara Shepard
• Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

I feel pretty lucky to have been able to find books two through seven in the Pretty Little Liars series. It gives me some time to find book nine in hardcover before moving on to book nine. I also bought my first Sarah Dessen book. My sister is probably going to take it because she loves Sarah Dessen, but I'll probably read it.

Review: Anna and the French Kiss

Redesigned Cover

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Series: Anna and the French Kiss

Author: Stephanie Perkins

 Publisher: Dutton

Publication Date: December 2, 2010

Format: Hardcover, first edition

Source: Purchased from Half Price Books

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?