tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9971747386641825692024-03-08T01:18:41.725-07:00That Hapa ChickJulia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.comBlogger534125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-74180073036187183032013-09-23T23:53:00.002-07:002016-05-28T11:19:59.183-07:00Meeting Ally Carter!As you guys may or may not know Ally Carter is one of my favorite YA authors. No one does teen spies, espionage, and heists like Ally Carter. Her books are <i>awesome. </i>That being said, I've been dying to go to an Ally Carter book signing, especially after some of my friends got to attend one and told me how great it was. Well, the stars aligned and I was finally able to attend a signing and not only did I get to meet Ally and get some books signed, but I also got a bunch of awesome swag! YESH.<br />
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I won a cool Gallagher Girl's notebook from trivia (yay for knowing trivia answers! I may or may not have used Google though....) and my mom ended up getting her name picked in the prize drawing and won me a Gallagher Academy mug! I also picked up a chapter sample from Ally Carter's Heist Society/Gallagher Girls crossover e-book which I still need to read. I'm definitely gonna get around to it eventually!<br />
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All in all it was a great event and I <i>love </i>that Ally Carter immediately skipped to Q&A so that everyone's questions could get answered. More authors should do that! It was great to know she cared enough about her fans to want to get all of their questions answered. Ally was super sweet and bubbly, and I would definitely love to attend more of her events in the future. She's just so much fun!<br />
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Hopefully I'll be able to attend more bookish events this fall. Unfortunately, most of them are kind of far away (San Francisco is not an easy trek folks) and they often occur on school nights when I can't guarantee when I'll get off work. #NannyProblems. Regardless, I hope that I might get lucky again in the future and have a random day off that coincides with an awesome book signing! What are some author events that you guys have been to this past year?<br />
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Julia :)
<br/><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2379469/?claim=7jpxp6wyrtb">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-36522277712606483152013-09-17T00:00:00.000-07:002013-09-17T23:37:14.724-07:00Diamond Candles Review + Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Soooo I know this is a break from my norm, but I was contacted by <a href="http://www.diamondcandles.com/">Diamond Candles</a> awhile ago about a review and giveaway opportunity and I am a HUGE scented candles fan so I could not pass it up! Believe me guys, you want a chance to win one of these candles. They are AWESOME.<br />
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Basically how these candles work is they are not only made out of natural 100% eco friendly soy, but they also come with a surprise ring inside worth between $10-$5000! Of course, the odds of getting one of the super valuable rings is pretty slim, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun ordering and waiting to see if you got one right? I love surprises!<br />
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Being the fruit scent loving gal that I am, I decided to check out the Watermelon Wedge candle. It is <i>amazing</i> and has a wonderfully sweet and tangy smell reminiscent of watermelon candy. YUM! As soon as I started burning it for the first time everyone in my family asked me what smelled so good. Ever since then I have been using it practically non-stop as you can probably tell from the picture since the candle is already 2/3rds gone. It has enveloped my entire room in the wonderful scent of watermelon deliciousness, which is fantastic because I have a pet rat and let me tell you, he can get pretty stinky. Thanks <a href="http://www.diamondcandles.com/">Diamond Candles</a> for helping with that little problem! Haha.<br />
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Of course you're probably curious to know what kind of ring I got inside my candle. I was totally impatient and pretty much dug the ring out of the middle of the candle. Hehe I had been burning it for several hours, and the ring still hadn't emerged so I was losing patience! Unfortunately, I was not lucky enough to get one of the super valuable rings, but that's okay because the one I got is still cute! It's an orange flower and even though it's a bit big for my fingers I still really like it.<br />
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Want a chance to win your very own <a href="http://www.diamondcandles.com/">Diamond Candle</a>? Just fill out the super easy rafflecopter form below. GOOD LUCK GUYS! :D<br />
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/70076f97/" id="rc-70076f97" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
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Oh and be sure to leave a comment below telling me what your favorite scented candle scent is! Mine is anything fruity, but I think I may want to try the cupcake scent next time. Thoughts?<br />
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Julia :)
Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-15888364793950541052013-09-08T00:00:00.000-07:002013-09-08T00:00:07.712-07:00Super Six Sunday: My Favorite Fictional Worlds!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'M BACK GUYS!!!!<br />
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So you may or may have not noticed I've been on a blogging hiatus for over a month now. My sister got married, I was a day camp counselor, I was super lazy for about a week, and then school started. Ironic that I'm getting back into the swing of blogging now that school is happening and I have less free time ehhhhh?<br />
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To get back into the swing of blogging I figured I'd take part in my new favorite weekly meme Super Six Sunday hosted by the gals over at Bewitched Bookworms! This week the theme is Most Original World Building, but I decided to simply do a list of my favorite fictional worlds. That's pretty much the same thing right? Let's get started!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">6. Any world created by </span></b><br />
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I don't know about any of you guys, but when I was a kid I always dreamed of going into the world of Dr. Seuss. It's just so magical, and colorful, and who hasn't been intrigued when the Once-ler says that the truffula trees smell like fresh butterfly milk? What does that even mean? I MUST KNOW. And what about Whoville? or the Jungle of Nool? Can someone please build a Dr. Seuss theme park? WHY IS THIS NOT A THING YET?!?! Okay, so apparently there is a small Dr. Seuss section at Universal Studios in Florida, but I think we can all agree that that is just not enough.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7m24e6Ksn8_bkpnf4ZZHf0eJ7dLIw8BthE2xxuwF45nGuzOu3wHIuoaMpnk8nu1H0fJXI9NuGFocurtAegg3ZMjOL6grZpQ_N5wTpd-tiZw4RSjApMjpHK-51_TbZfeSCwnMywvmnQYsp/s1600/Gallagher_academy_crest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7m24e6Ksn8_bkpnf4ZZHf0eJ7dLIw8BthE2xxuwF45nGuzOu3wHIuoaMpnk8nu1H0fJXI9NuGFocurtAegg3ZMjOL6grZpQ_N5wTpd-tiZw4RSjApMjpHK-51_TbZfeSCwnMywvmnQYsp/s1600/Gallagher_academy_crest.jpg" /></a><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">5. Gallagher Academy from The Gallagher Girls series</span></b></div>
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Maybe it's because I grew up in the Spy Kids generation, but I've always wanted to be a spy. Yes, Gallagher Academy is set in the real world and not a fictional one, but the school is fictional one of my all time favorites so I had to list it on here. Sure, there aren't any guys that attend Gallagher Academy, but think of it this way: instead of spending all your time thinking about boys, you can put that time towards studying! The Asian in me loves the idea of being bilingual and studying extra hard to get straight A's all the time. Plus, I REALLY want to learn how to do hand to hand combat. Why don't they have those kinds of classes at community college?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacgBSoCHrz-_CpGnt9UpFDn_sLOG4vE-68_J9WMQJdwf22u523prsnKN4hQtbohMrlecV6Xgos5Byuovn0dn6_0YQrxXkXZWilFYSAll36KwFyoMCt_nCFHI-10K7tkNM0AGeOh5klbq_/s1600/tim-burton-alice-in-wonderland-chatty-flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacgBSoCHrz-_CpGnt9UpFDn_sLOG4vE-68_J9WMQJdwf22u523prsnKN4hQtbohMrlecV6Xgos5Byuovn0dn6_0YQrxXkXZWilFYSAll36KwFyoMCt_nCFHI-10K7tkNM0AGeOh5klbq_/s320/tim-burton-alice-in-wonderland-chatty-flowers.jpg" width="320" /></a><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">4. Wonderland from Alice in Wonderland</span></b></div>
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Who hasn't wanted to fall down the rabbit hole with Alice? ONLY BORING PEOPLE. Okay, sorry to all you people out there who honestly have never wanted to travel to Wonderland, but seriously I feel like it would be an awesome place to visit. Except of course for the fact that there is an insane queen there who yells almost nothing but "OFF WITH HER HEAD" all day long, but you know other than that it seems pretty great. Plus, it looked so awesome and fanastical in the Tim Burton movie version. Leave it up to Tim Burton to make something already awesome even more awesome.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigptZ_euhsi1cEbESMqR2YqxxvKeqYYLpraZ9kLXb6unIT1VXcqM4lHuhWp8NEjdgttCjztTYu6AwpTFfFUXoz4ySMQHNMRHWs-gLLPBV83rNxZuRZSFSVVyD-5UsHnL9fBAv1yr0OSQeQ/s1600/narnia1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigptZ_euhsi1cEbESMqR2YqxxvKeqYYLpraZ9kLXb6unIT1VXcqM4lHuhWp8NEjdgttCjztTYu6AwpTFfFUXoz4ySMQHNMRHWs-gLLPBV83rNxZuRZSFSVVyD-5UsHnL9fBAv1yr0OSQeQ/s320/narnia1.jpg" width="320" /></a><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">3. Narnia from The Chronicles of Narnia</span></b></div>
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I'm pretty sure that everyone who has read the Chronicles of Narnia (or seen the movies) has walked into a wardrobe, closet, etc, hoping to magically walk into Narnia. Unfortunately, no matter how many wardrobes and closets I walked into as a child, I never did find my way into Narnia. DRAT. The closest I got was walking through a wardrobe replica from the movie into the Narnia exhibit that came to the Arizona Science Center several years ago. So close, and yet so far! Narnia is definitely one of the best fictional worlds ever created. C.S. Lewis is brilliant. </div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicqigyjaQ07bZvCrscvWhx7qbQREw3cdCJ0dZjcojuBfcahN4dZSJ84D5NhAEHlCG7ckw3PXsnwsXaHvqmiRQaLOGhRhMHlJGTcAS5M9L_i0VJbyVRh2VFw6a5iIUoQu3jTsYfqs3DObs/s1600/Hogwarts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicqigyjaQ07bZvCrscvWhx7qbQREw3cdCJ0dZjcojuBfcahN4dZSJ84D5NhAEHlCG7ckw3PXsnwsXaHvqmiRQaLOGhRhMHlJGTcAS5M9L_i0VJbyVRh2VFw6a5iIUoQu3jTsYfqs3DObs/s320/Hogwarts.jpg" width="320" /></a><b><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">2. The Wizarding World from Harry Potter</span></b></b></b></div>
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One word: <b>Hogwarts.</b></div>
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I didn't grow up with Harry Potter the same way most other people did (darn you parents and your need to shelter me from witchcraft!) so I didn't spend my childhood wishing for a Hogwarts acceptance letter, but now that I've read the books damn, I WANT THAT LETTER. Not only is Hogwarts a boarding school (not sure what it is about boarding schools, I just find them really intriguing) but it's a boarding school that trains you in magic. Plus, if you're a wizard you get to go to Diagon Alley. Take me there!!!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">1. Middle Earth from The Lord of the Rings</span></b><br />
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Middle Earth is without a doubt my favorite fictional world. Just look at that picture of Hobbiton guys. Who wouldn't want to live there? Seriously, I want to live in Hobbiton so bad. If I could go off into the wilderness and find some nice secluded grassy valley, I would build myself a hobbit hole and just live there happily forever. I was meant to be a hobbit guys. Since Middle Earth isn't actually real, I'll just have to settle for the next best thing and travel off to New Zealand. That is my dream vacation. I will go there one day! IT WILL HAPPEN. But yeah, Middle Earth is the bomb and I think we can all agree that J.R.R. Tolkien is a master of world building. He wrote entire languages for his world. If that isn't great world building, I don't know what is.<br />
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So those are my six favorite fictional worlds! What are some of your favorite worlds in fiction? Let me know, and if you also took part in Super Six Sunday be sure to leave a link to your post in the comments so I can check it out!<br />
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Julia :)Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-7635268319803222822013-07-24T00:00:00.000-07:002013-07-24T00:00:03.335-07:00Book Review: The Elite<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>The Elite</b><br />
by <a href="http://www.kieracass.com/">Keira Cass</a><br />
Publisher: HarperTeen<br />
Publication Date: April 23rd 2013<br />
Source: Library<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16248068-the-elite?ac=1">Add it on Goodreads </a><br />
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Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.<br />
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America still isn't sure where her heart lies. When she's with Maxon, she's swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can't dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, she is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over - and time is running out for America to decide. <br />
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Just when America is sure she's made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she's struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.</blockquote>
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If you're like me and you enjoyed The Selection because of it's cattiness and endless drama, then you'll be sorely disappointed in The Elite. I didn't really expect anything more from this book other than fluffy drama set in a pseudo dystopia, but gosh this one really disappointed me. There was one cat fight. <b>One</b>. GIVE ME SOMETHING TO WORK WITH HERE KEIRA CASS!!!<br />
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I really didn't mind the characters so much in The Selection. Sure, Maxon was a bit too vanilla, and Aspen was well, an emotionally manipulative jerk, but America was basically so bland I couldn't care less what she did. This time around? Oh goodness this girl got annoying really fast. I don't watch The Bachelor so I don't <i>really</i> know what happens on that show, but I feel like it's pretty much always the guy calling the shots. In The Elite, it's America calling the shots and being a bitch about it. You know that Katy Perry song Hot n' Cold? Yep, that was America.<br />
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She spent the whole book toying with Maxon's feelings, and then got all jealous and pissed whenever she saw him hanging out with any of the other girls. Plus on top of that she couldn't decide which guy she liked better, Maxon or Aspen. It was literally every other chapter that she changed her mind.<br />
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Maxon was putting everything on the line and saying "say the word and we'll be wed!" and America's all like "I can't be the princess... BUT I DON'T WANT ANYONE ELSE TO HAVE MAXON HE'S MINE STEP AWAY BITCH!!!!"<br />
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Yep, it was awful.<br />
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As for the guys I am solidly on team "America get's killed by the rebels and Aspen and Maxon go off into the sunset marrying girls that are much more worthy of their love." THEY DESERVE BETTER THAN AMERICA. <b>SO. MUCH. BETTER.</b><br />
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Ultimately The Elite was really disappointing, especially for someone like me who read it simply for entertainment/drama purposes. It was pretty much entirely composed of America whining, and one of my favorite characters got tossed to the wind. While this event did cause the only good drama in the story (if you could call it good drama), it also left the queen as the only interesting character and she was not around nearly enough to save what could have been.<br />
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Oh and did I mention that there's also one of those awkward "Did you, you know <b><i>do it</i></b>? What was <b><i>it</i></b> like?" *wink wink nudge nudge* type scenes which I thought was hilarious and terrible all at the same time. That stuff just does not translate to the page well. <b>Authors take note.</b><br />
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I'll still be reading the final book in this trilogy, but my expectations are way, way down. Plus, I'm secretly hoping that America will get blindsided by a semi-truck and we'll never hear from her again. Too much to hope for? Darn it.<br />
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Julia :)Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-48840157383622688242013-07-20T17:08:00.001-07:002013-07-20T17:08:25.387-07:00NEW CATCHING FIRE TRAILER!!!!I'm just gonna leave this here.<br />
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Thoughts?</center>
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Julia :)</center>
Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-44301912882272331232013-07-15T00:00:00.000-07:002013-07-15T23:48:56.304-07:00Book Review: The Program by Suzanne Young<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>The Program</b><br />
by <a href="http://suzanne-young.blogspot.com/">Suzanne Young</a><br />
Publisher: Simon Pulse<br />
Publication Date: April 30th 2013<br />
Source: Library<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11366397-the-program">Add it on Goodreads </a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane's parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they'll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who's been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone - but so are their memories.<br />
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Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He's promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they've made to each other, it's getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in.</blockquote>
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When I first read the summary of The Program I thought it had so much promise, but at the same time I knew that it was the kind of story that could go one of two ways: It could either be a thought-provoking look at what can lead to teen suicide, or it could be a dystopian novel that completely exploits it's subject matter. Unfortunately, The Program turned out to be the latter.<br />
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If I were to sum up The Program in one word it would be angst.<br />
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THIS BOOK HAS SO MUCH TEEN ANGST.<br />
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The first third of the novel is almost entirely made up of the two protagonists, Sloane and James, having an angst off. They were both so emotional, yet unemotional and they spent all their time talking about how depressing their life was. To be honest it made me feel depressed just reading about it.<br />
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And then Suzanne Young went and decided to have the only character I actually liked commit suicide. To make matters worse, this particular suicide was pretty much just used as a plot device to get Sloane and James into The Program. I was not a happy camper guys. <i>Not a happy camper.</i><br />
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As the book progressed it was pretty much just more angst, on top of more angst, with a side of, what else, ANGST. "I'm going to forget James." "James is going to forget me." "James will never love me again." "MY LIFE IS OVER."<br />
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<b>CRY ME A RIVER.</b><br />
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The plot finally did pick up, but only about 2/3rds in and by then it really wasn't enough to save the story for me.<br />
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I've talked a lot about how the angst was just too excessive in this novel, but that certainly wasn't the only problem. In fact that wasn't even the main problem though I've harped on it the most in this review thus far. The true problem with The Program is that it took several extremely serious subjects, suicide and sexual abuse amongst other things, and instead of dealing with them in a respectful manner it turned them into plot devices for YA dystopian fodder. Nothing in The Program is even close to being scientifically or medically sound, and it pretty much makes a mockery of suicide and mental illness. Don't even get me started on the sexual abuse factor!<br />
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I hoped (though I probably should have known better) that The Program could be an intelligent look at teen suicide. Instead it's a bloated dystopian novel that is full of teen angst and uses difficult subjects as nothing more than plot devices. There was so much potential but nothing came of it. It makes me sad. :(<br />
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If you want to read a dystopian novel that's heavy on angst and light on smart, thought-provoking content, then I'd give The Program a read. Otherwise I would skip it.<br />
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Julia :)Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-40068097487614169342013-07-14T00:04:00.000-07:002013-07-14T00:04:06.577-07:00Super Six Sunday: Those book series that I STILL need to read!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://bewitchedbookworms.com/super-six-sunday">Super Six Sunday</a> is a new meme hosted by <a href="http://bewitchedbookworms.com/">Bewitched Bookworms</a> and inspired by The Broke and the Bookishes <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/p/top-ten-tuesday-other-features.html">Top Ten Tuesday</a>.<br />
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This week it's all about the book series that I need to finally read. I'm so glad this popped up as a topic because I've been planning on doing a post about this for awhile now and just haven't gotten around to it till now.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #444444;">6.</span> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17987508-matched-trilogy-box-set?ac=1">The Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie</a></b></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When I first started my blog Matched was just coming out and I remember there was <i>so</i> much hype surrounding it. I totally bought into the hype so, not surprisingly, it ended up falling a bit short for me and I never got around to reading Crossed or Reached. I'm sort of on the fence about finishing this series. On one hand I'm really curious to know what happens and if it got any better, but on the other hand I don't really want to waste my time on a series that isn't worth it. Thoughts?</blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #444444;">5.</span> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11127.The_Chronicles_of_Narnia?ac=1">The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis</a></b></span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This is sort of embarrassing for me to admit, but I haven't actually read all of the Chronicles of Narnia books. Crazy right? I'm pretty sure I've only read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (because who hasn't?), and Prince Caspian. I also think my mom read The Horse and His Boy aloud to my sister and me when we were kids, but that doesn't really count. The reason I haven't read these is because after listening to Focus on the Family's radio dramas of the books so many times (seriously, they're amazing) I sort of feel like I don't have to anymore. Of course, I don't really believe that, but the content of the radio dramas is pretty much all dialogue and descriptions straight out of the books so it's almost like reading them. I'll get around to finishing this series eventually, I just haven't yet. I WILL READ ALL OF THEM, I PROMISE!</blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #444444;">4.</span> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/262430.Gregor_the_Overlander?ac=1">The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins</a></b></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Because I'm such a huge fan of The Hunger Games I of course want to check out Suzanne Collin's other popular series the Underland Chronicles. Anyone of my lovely followers a fan of this series? I love the concept of it, and I've heard really good things. It's just that longish series tend to scare me off, especially when they're all already published. Everything seems so much more manageable when it's just one book a year you know? </blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgaacOMDGr1zz2jIOudfuw2S5mB_er0R7VeMzvLdUtVcCItQb9yrW6-vpSlMUiw8z3Cl3GOaatku7H_NvccX8P6VIAZrJqT6teY0qpp3SwbbiID_SkgMf4qLPPRzKRzab7ELOW1zYXC3d/s1600/1328924311.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgaacOMDGr1zz2jIOudfuw2S5mB_er0R7VeMzvLdUtVcCItQb9yrW6-vpSlMUiw8z3Cl3GOaatku7H_NvccX8P6VIAZrJqT6teY0qpp3SwbbiID_SkgMf4qLPPRzKRzab7ELOW1zYXC3d/s320/1328924311.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #444444;">3.</span> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6087756-white-cat?ac=1">The Curse Workers Series by Holly Black</a></b></span></div>
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This series has been recommended to me by a bunch of my friends and on top of that I totally I love the concept behind it. I just haven't gotten around to reading it yet. I REALLY NEED TO THOUGH. The blend of magic, con-men, and mystery sounds so awesome! Also, I'm pretty sure that we can all agree that Holly Black is amazeballs. I really need to devote some time to reading these!</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxdadTLPSVsOWLfxydYxCrwH-I4spGf7clcriuOnPKCEuxLGUmteQuTILhE6upBXepJOhB4M9C6v9oGnYp6-Hip7l8PzShdcKtjfbG2yx1yH4gd5cnmGcczZc12XKW3Sb6zESK9FBwD8Y/s1600/Heroes+of+Olympus+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxdadTLPSVsOWLfxydYxCrwH-I4spGf7clcriuOnPKCEuxLGUmteQuTILhE6upBXepJOhB4M9C6v9oGnYp6-Hip7l8PzShdcKtjfbG2yx1yH4gd5cnmGcczZc12XKW3Sb6zESK9FBwD8Y/s320/Heroes+of+Olympus+banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #444444;">2.</span> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7624272-the-lost-hero?ac=1">The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan</a></b></span></div>
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I read The Lost Hero and really enjoyed it, but I have yet to read The Son of Neptune and The Mark of Athena. The thing with this series is it's like my book intimidation kryptonite: the books are huge <i>and</i> I'm two books behind. Fortunately there is still time for me to catch up a bit before The House of Hades comes out, but not much. I should probably take advantage of that time before it's too late and at least read The Son of Neptune. </blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmKUPS96w5Bn1iQw8VPBSpMbOvk-SWbk-MYkZAfoPHkwxE-ARcms-ah1N6e_6sVAtv3nHizvPp8kHmSsfVEL2O1EJAZydaKxbZK_TjbKrU5ViLvwv3u1LwQ1WsxTBjQX0mkwmQqy6qPPj/s1600/leviathan-series_6002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmKUPS96w5Bn1iQw8VPBSpMbOvk-SWbk-MYkZAfoPHkwxE-ARcms-ah1N6e_6sVAtv3nHizvPp8kHmSsfVEL2O1EJAZydaKxbZK_TjbKrU5ViLvwv3u1LwQ1WsxTBjQX0mkwmQqy6qPPj/s320/leviathan-series_6002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #444444;">1.</span> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11563056-the-leviathan-trilogy?ac=1">The Leviathan Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld</a></b></span></div>
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I want to read this series SO BAD. You have no idea how bad I want to read it. I also want it on my shelf even though I haven't read it yet. The covers are just amazing, I love the fact that Scott Westerfeld got a special illustrator to help bring the books to life, and everything about it sounds so awesome. I really do have to read this series pronto. In fact I should probably put Leviathan on hold at the library right now.</blockquote>
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So those are my top 6 book series that I still need to read or finish. What are some of the book series that you've been procrastinating on? Do we share some of the same ones, or are yours completely different from mine?<br />
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Julia :)Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-37523851568378941112013-07-13T00:00:00.000-07:002013-07-13T00:00:05.474-07:00Cover Comparison: Sarah Dessen EditionThis cover comparison has been brewing for months now (I'm pretty sure Russell from <a href="http://thehabermannpress.blogspot.com/">The Habermann Press</a> suggested do it sometime last year. WHOOPS.) but now it's finally here. YAY!<br />
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In all honesty the reason why I decided not to do this comparison till now is because I wanted to wait till the summer because Sarah Dessen's books are quintessential summer reading. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I can be a horrible procrastinator. Okay, so maybe it's partially because I'm a horrible procrastinator, but let's just forget about that....<br />
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As you guys probably know (unless you're living under a rock somewhere which I highly doubt since you're on the internet reading this blog) all of Sarah Dessen's books got cover redesigns last year. Yep, every last one of them. I'm sure you've seen at least some of these new covers already but lets take a good look at them and the original covers.<br />
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<b> <span style="font-size: large;"> Original Covers</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7qrPDxBIymhnr34unmubk5A43x2WyN-xl-E2Nr3eab__ZWdWfWlB7zJdITUYAO6wTfAFyVibQuC5KEpBT-u8L1jkq6vUrSQzZitJxJyYZHMVcsuUay2dLQ5gujaRC0fDEAc2t8plBKs0p/s1600/Sarah+Dessen+Old+Covers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7qrPDxBIymhnr34unmubk5A43x2WyN-xl-E2Nr3eab__ZWdWfWlB7zJdITUYAO6wTfAFyVibQuC5KEpBT-u8L1jkq6vUrSQzZitJxJyYZHMVcsuUay2dLQ5gujaRC0fDEAc2t8plBKs0p/s640/Sarah+Dessen+Old+Covers.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"> New Covers</span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhac1aTOAZbd5nBMsWGO9ZaEIZw8Q91T0HhiX824XvDKBf_hGsm1TFbtSmzhOlBgzaVbU8KtgneB0aB9DQehgQFblcv3coilnrD18cp0Ph4dm87ZDfqmpY4_K0x_Thjhyc9xb3dD2SjkMLR/s1600/Sarah+Dessen+New+Covers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhac1aTOAZbd5nBMsWGO9ZaEIZw8Q91T0HhiX824XvDKBf_hGsm1TFbtSmzhOlBgzaVbU8KtgneB0aB9DQehgQFblcv3coilnrD18cp0Ph4dm87ZDfqmpY4_K0x_Thjhyc9xb3dD2SjkMLR/s640/Sarah+Dessen+New+Covers.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Original Covers: </b>I'm a big Sarah Dessen fan so to me these covers are classic. I've read every one of Sarah's books when they bore these covers so it only makes sense that they hold a special place in my heart. Along for the Ride and The Truth About Forever are my two favorites, but I feel like This Lullaby and Dreamland both have pretty timeless designs. That being said I do have to admit that some of the other covers look a bit outdated and were probably in need of a revamp.<br />
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<b>New Covers: </b>The first thing thought pops into my head when I see these new covers is that almost every one of them looks super photoshopped and staged. I don't know what it is about the way these covers are edited, but they just look so sterile to me. Regardless I do <i>love</i> some of them. The Lock and Key cover? Perfection, and to be honest probably one of my new favorite book covers. However, I feel like some of the other covers are just lacking. The Truth About Forever, What Happened to Goodbye, and That Summer just don't hit home for me. I feel like their original covers represented their story much better, but whatever.<br />
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<b>So Who Wins? </b>In this case I really can't pick a definitive winner. For some of these books I definitely prefer the original cover, while for others I absolutely adore the new cover. However I must admit that across the board I love the gorgeous coloring of Sarah Dessen's name on all of the new covers. They got that right!<br />
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Instead of telling me which set of covers you like best like you normally do, this time I want you guys to let me know which of Sarah Dessen's book covers, old or new, are your favorite! I'm super curious to hear your responses and see if we share cover favorites. :D<br />
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Julia :)Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-69934527603848202912013-07-09T00:23:00.001-07:002013-07-09T19:57:17.854-07:00Book Review + Giveaway: A Really Awesome Mess <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCr1PdUgWw5U1JPUW3gzmVz4_zDd0DcvhD5zkrwHO6AXFvVz8xWnAxTKkIFfqPvtAdfcK0LNl0Det9czi8ysUoeD_FZzxEoV_6I0qro9lYoTmlY0PAzs42bNnus0lhoygT6gSrQKZk59Xj/s1600/really-awesome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCr1PdUgWw5U1JPUW3gzmVz4_zDd0DcvhD5zkrwHO6AXFvVz8xWnAxTKkIFfqPvtAdfcK0LNl0Det9czi8ysUoeD_FZzxEoV_6I0qro9lYoTmlY0PAzs42bNnus0lhoygT6gSrQKZk59Xj/s320/really-awesome.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<b>A Really Awesome Mess</b><br />
by <a href="http://trishcook.com/">Trish Cook</a> & <a href="http://www.brendanhalpin.com/">Brendan Halpin</a><br />
Publisher: EgmontUSA<br />
Publication Date: July 23rd 2013<br />
Source: ARC from the Publisher (Thanks Egmont!)<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17288907-a-really-awesome-mess?ac=1">Add it on Goodreads</a><br />
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Justin was just having fun - a lot of fun - when his dad found him and a girl in a compromising position. Add that fallout to his parents' divorce, a handful of Tylenol, and a pumped stomach, and it's clear that Justin is at rock bottom.<br />
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Emmy never felt like part of the family. Adopted from China, her parents and sister look like Ralph Lauren catalog. Emmy definitely doesn't. After a naked photo of Emmy leads to vicious rumors around school, she threatens to remove the man parts of the boy who shared it all on Facebook.<br />
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Enrolled at Heartland Academy - a reform school that will force them to deal with their issues - Justin and Emmy join a ragtag group of teens who are just as broken stubborn, and full of sarcasm as themselves. Their goal - to bust out of the school for a night of epic fun and in the end, they might just call each other friends. </blockquote>
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I feel like this cover does not do this book justice. After all, it's just some boring cafeteria tray with a fork on it, and this book is <i>so</i> much more than cafeteria trays and forks. SO MUCH MORE.<br />
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A Really Awesome Mess is a story of friendship, reform school, love, a state fair, and pigs. Yep, you read that right, pigs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLxIHzvFdvTKbineAwU6cr05FFXCUL210MahpkWhzMnfWf-fvjBbZGj9ZnkiNGzSqtbShzj_1oW-n84XuI53cqBkv_cHs5QPDs1aqzmgqaxxsQdXNdGe1hEMop8xyyj9dfs05vme8oURo/s1600/tumblr_mnevagvdFl1s8shk6o1_400.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxLxIHzvFdvTKbineAwU6cr05FFXCUL210MahpkWhzMnfWf-fvjBbZGj9ZnkiNGzSqtbShzj_1oW-n84XuI53cqBkv_cHs5QPDs1aqzmgqaxxsQdXNdGe1hEMop8xyyj9dfs05vme8oURo/s320/tumblr_mnevagvdFl1s8shk6o1_400.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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You'd be surprised how important pigs are in this story.<br />
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Emmy and Justin are two teenagers sent off to Heartland Academy, Emmy because of online bullying, and Justin because he accidentally on purpose tried to kill himself. Neither teen wants to be at reform school, but neither one has a choice. Slowly the two come to realize that Heartland Academy isn't as bad as they thought it would be. Sure, they have psychoanalyzing therapists and people watching their every move, but on a whole it isn't too bad. With the help of their anger management therapy group they may just come to enjoy being at Heartland Academy, and they may just discover that life is beautiful, even when it's hard.<br />
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A Really Awesome Mess shines because it's honest. It's probably the most honest portrayal of teenagers that I have ever read in a YA novel. In fact, sometimes I felt like it was a bit too honest (porn was discussed about 5 too many times) but I still appreciated the honesty. Too often authors skirt issues and just sort of brush them under the table or they decide to sort of sprinkle them into their story without doing enough research to actually do them justice. That is not the case with A Really Awesome Mess. Not only was everything dealt with in a super upfront fashion (absolutely nothing was watered down), but there was also no hint of disrespect for anyone who deals with the same issues, and that's saying a lot for a YA novel.<br />
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A Really Awesome Mess also has a whole slew of fantastic characters. Each one was multi-faceted and brought just the right touches of humor and depth to the story. The way the characters conversed and interacted reminded me a bit of a John Green novel, minus the slightly unrealistic narrative that normally plagues his books. Yes, I love John Green and all of his books but I'll be the first to admit that teenagers do not really speak like that. These characters on the other hand use language that is much more characteristic of the average teenager. On the protagonist front, Emmy was a super sarcastic spit-fire. I loved her spirit and her stubbornness, even if it did tend to flesh itself out in unhealthy ways. As for Justin he was pretty much the perfect mix of jerk and nice guy; the classic teen dude that you love to hate, but eventually can't hate anymore because he's so damn loveable. As for the supporting characters my favorites would have to be Jenny, a selective mute with a huge love for pigs, and Wilbur, a pig escapee from the state fair because hey, I love pigs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKEfeqRLJVJYWavsldmSTT3TxFTJ6Up5flB93TKdJIQGeDEoyuixdiHM11muidORat0KgpGkPa36C7WL9ztKPngBVau6UaQUTGpVTxSmtUNQVEAdYTtRugnz_bdB3gliRco-Irk47F0oT3/s1600/Opening_mabel_pig.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKEfeqRLJVJYWavsldmSTT3TxFTJ6Up5flB93TKdJIQGeDEoyuixdiHM11muidORat0KgpGkPa36C7WL9ztKPngBVau6UaQUTGpVTxSmtUNQVEAdYTtRugnz_bdB3gliRco-Irk47F0oT3/s320/Opening_mabel_pig.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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I just have to give mad props to Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin for pulling off the dual narrative of this novel so well. I'm not sure if they wrote for a specific character (Trish writing Emmy's chapters and Brendan writing Justin's) or if they wrote for both, but regardless Emmy and Justin each had their own unique voices and it was easy to tell the two of them apart. I love dual narrative when it's done right, and this was definitely done right.<br />
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I also just have to mention the setting of Heartland Academy because as awful as that place sounded, Cook and Halpin also managed to make it sound like fun. No one really wants to get sent off to reform school, but the camaraderie of the characters and the shenanigans they all got into made it seem like the kind of community I would want to be a part of. The characters were that awesome.<br />
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Oh and even though there is a bit of romance in this book, it was definitely not of the insta-love variety. HALLELUJAH.<br />
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All in all, A Really Awesome Mess is a really awesome book. It's honest, hilarious, and the best contemporary I've read all year. If you're a fan of John Green, or other dual narrative books like Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist then I definitely think you'll love A Really Awesome Mess.<br />
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Now it's time for the giveaway! And believe me you definitely want to win this book. Heck, I wish I could win my own giveaway for this book. :P<br />
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This giveaway is open to residents of the US only. To enter, just fill out the handy dandy Rafflecopter form below!<br />
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ad931935/" id="rc-ad931935" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Julia :)<br />
<br />Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-76550246161226030162013-07-07T00:00:00.000-07:002013-07-07T14:07:20.366-07:00Super Six Sunday: My favorite summery book covers!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://bewitchedbookworms.com/super-six-sunday"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVKdYgxSt_DOPNb2DqJEiQ1VuHId9KBKuflVJsGk6hI7gV-xhC5cmyiMAA6ETXleI1UADOZ8IKVUSwWscBjk-2u7O-kmzNJr_myX-ne5WNJRSKf-j0w5nXJ6iRFoo8RD0WfU9AQNpE_RSH/s640/SuperSixSundayII.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://bewitchedbookworms.com/super-six-sunday">Super Six Sunday</a> is a new meme hosted by <a href="http://bewitchedbookworms.com/">Bewitched Bookworms</a>! This is my first time joining in with this fun new meme. Maybe I'll make it a habit. :)<br />
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This week's theme is all about summery book covers, and boy do I have <i>a lot</i> to say about this because I am a huge book cover fanatic.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMA93PDsWUOP64Pzu4_NNp3FTFy1wSl99pM_UlYXAY8H6tgg39Y489C6TAjArPE7_Fc5wdpazAUP-Y-GBIF5O1ur4N7NnUjbnpY4oRNdE7GURXwWbV3tsz3e42oYNdoGwGySXwMKf5Ji9A/s1600/thesummeriturnedpretty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMA93PDsWUOP64Pzu4_NNp3FTFy1wSl99pM_UlYXAY8H6tgg39Y489C6TAjArPE7_Fc5wdpazAUP-Y-GBIF5O1ur4N7NnUjbnpY4oRNdE7GURXwWbV3tsz3e42oYNdoGwGySXwMKf5Ji9A/s320/thesummeriturnedpretty.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #444444;">6. </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5821978-the-summer-i-turned-pretty?ac=1">The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han</a></span></b></div>
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This book is pretty much the epitome of the perfect summer beach read, so of course it's cover had to be on my list. It's simple, yet still manages to give off that beachy summer vibe. Plus, I've always been in love with the stylized title font. </blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #444444;">5.</span> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2987.Sarah_Dessen">The Moon and More, That Summer, and Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen</a></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKDp4Dzg7-I0L7CAQR24h4vpLbuDXbPa_c7qOlRge-rCIiggoRi9PTUB8g7ft9DGLRrnli7TfdrL-7zYI3TnKzoC63X9lTK6I6h8lajtfz7W-D6bixGv9RbkYZcC9jcsGIMbWYVjaD8yN/s1600/Sarah+Dessen+Covers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKDp4Dzg7-I0L7CAQR24h4vpLbuDXbPa_c7qOlRge-rCIiggoRi9PTUB8g7ft9DGLRrnli7TfdrL-7zYI3TnKzoC63X9lTK6I6h8lajtfz7W-D6bixGv9RbkYZcC9jcsGIMbWYVjaD8yN/s1600/Sarah+Dessen+Covers.jpg" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Yes, I do realize that I'm sort of cheating by putting all three of these books in the same category, but they're all Sarah Dessen so I figure it's okay right? Out of all of the covers for Sarah Dessen's books these four seem the most summery to me. I particularly love The Moon and More cover (can you say, summer beach house vacation?) and the original Along for the Ride cover. My reasons for liking the original Along for the Ride cover may or may not have to do with biceps.... :P</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcwW_bxKO9Z6BK8Mzo7so430yPOmz4lmfmR0yGP2iSxbtLNF9zs7yQHN3Zgq5nGex3609WMcooClzrOvOQQJ20wO9QopmAGq6uIGxr-ugCZmYgB3NycKTa3VNjSCMokuGq31hNnCapAbe/s1600/11737265.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcwW_bxKO9Z6BK8Mzo7so430yPOmz4lmfmR0yGP2iSxbtLNF9zs7yQHN3Zgq5nGex3609WMcooClzrOvOQQJ20wO9QopmAGq6uIGxr-ugCZmYgB3NycKTa3VNjSCMokuGq31hNnCapAbe/s320/11737265.jpg" width="210" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><b><span style="color: #444444;">4.</span> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11737265-the-best-night-of-your-pathetic-life?ac=1">The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life </a></b></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11737265-the-best-night-of-your-pathetic-life?ac=1">by Tara Altebrando</a></b></b></span></div>
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This cover totally reminds me of those late summer nights gallivanting about town with friends. Not that I've ever actually done that (I'm such a home body) but it makes me <b>want</b> to do that. Other cover designers should be taking notes because I absolutely adore the way the font is overlaying an image. More covers should look like this!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTL9LgNWP6nDpShYmSerzjRqcY4slXQNNVeLO2yNL2hqpm7GZtjcjY-w3hcvA3NDc8c037ZPhAbD6cPO8DLuMSkGjUDHaOdwm22DQB6B3_XlNYeqhQrjSx1hKOY0AYrf0R2wxJ0arlUi9-/s1600/11071466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTL9LgNWP6nDpShYmSerzjRqcY4slXQNNVeLO2yNL2hqpm7GZtjcjY-w3hcvA3NDc8c037ZPhAbD6cPO8DLuMSkGjUDHaOdwm22DQB6B3_XlNYeqhQrjSx1hKOY0AYrf0R2wxJ0arlUi9-/s320/11071466.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #444444;">3.</span> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11071466-second-chance-summer?ac=1">Second Chance Summer </a></b></span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11071466-second-chance-summer?ac=1">by Morgan Matson</a></span></b></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">I just love this book and it's cover. First of all, the color scheme is </span><i style="text-align: center;">gorgeous</i><span style="text-align: left;">. Orange is my favorite color so I'm a big fan of sunsets on book covers. Secondly this cover totally has that easy breezy summer feel to it. It also feels strangely nostalgic, which makes sense considering what the book is about. Overall I just really love this cover and it totally makes me want to head off to a vacation house on a lake. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSw7m6wYfmAa8rdskFV6xoiIxtzCdp1klnW3YTuZi5FdRdhmlb78XktlGcjPkpzflnyuEDM7KqiCm4Reh_BHfS6nxeP7ad5XjNXkJdx4D_ECtNSetijrOM7QfaPHyAK-RlDU_81hYo1Az/s1600/FiveSummers_JKT.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSw7m6wYfmAa8rdskFV6xoiIxtzCdp1klnW3YTuZi5FdRdhmlb78XktlGcjPkpzflnyuEDM7KqiCm4Reh_BHfS6nxeP7ad5XjNXkJdx4D_ECtNSetijrOM7QfaPHyAK-RlDU_81hYo1Az/s320/FiveSummers_JKT.JPG" width="211" /><b style="font-size: x-large;"></b></a><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #444444;">2.</span> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16101148-five-summers?ac=1">Five Summers by Una LaMarche</a></span></b></div>
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I absolutely adore this cover! I do realize it's practically the same design as the Second Chance Summer cover, but I prefer this one for some reason. I don't know about you guys, but seeing this cover makes me really want to head to the beach with my besties.<i> </i>I really need a good beach day! </blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlPPsK3V7V7cPZtcmjmYFf3u_WJUVQ4K1pYtqWXGKb7lBHpWjaZsEaiwV-JsR_83dcuP36jA1SaS7P0TK5lMpDG5FNRwtUUE8z3ELCqXknI90P5srhtro_M-0DV2UaRSBtehva4xAWp-L/s1600/SleepawayGirls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlPPsK3V7V7cPZtcmjmYFf3u_WJUVQ4K1pYtqWXGKb7lBHpWjaZsEaiwV-JsR_83dcuP36jA1SaS7P0TK5lMpDG5FNRwtUUE8z3ELCqXknI90P5srhtro_M-0DV2UaRSBtehva4xAWp-L/s320/SleepawayGirls.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #444444;">1.</span> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5603651-sleepaway-girls?ac=1">Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">This is hands down my favorite summery book cover. I am such a sucker for this book (if you like summer camp books </span><i style="text-align: left;">read it</i><span style="text-align: left;">) and I think the cover is just awesome. It encapsulates the summer camp vibe perfectly and just looking at it makes me want to immediately pack my bags and head down to camp, even though I'm too old to go to camp anymore. Why is there no such thing as college student summer camp? Oh right, that's called being a camp counselor. <i>Why am I not a camp counselor?</i></span></blockquote>
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So those are my six favorite summery book covers! Well, technically eight if you count the extra Sarah Dessen one's, but who cares, that's a technicality.<br />
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What are some of your favorite summer book covers? Leave them in the comments below and be sure to link me to your Super Six Sunday post so I can check it out!<br />
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Julia :)Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-6670934079568000712013-07-06T00:00:00.000-07:002013-07-06T00:00:04.595-07:00What makes a book "intimidating"?This past week my Bloglovin feed was overflowing with <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/p/top-ten-tuesday-other-features.html">Top Ten Tuesday</a> posts all about intimidating books. I loved going through all of them and seeing all the different books people found intimidating (I particularly liked leaving comments trying to convince people to read LOTR...), but the biggest thing that stuck out to me was that there are so many different reasons readers get intimidated by a book. When I think of why I'm intimidated by books, I normally just think of size, but reading other blogger's lists made me realize that there are way more reasons for why readers can fear a book than I ever even realized.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>So what makes a book intimidating?</b></span></div>
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That's the thing, you can't just put book intimidation into a box. There are countless reasons why a book can be intimidating to a reader, and the reason any one book is intimidating can change depending on which reader you're asking. </div>
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It's also important to note that being intimidated by a book is not the same thing as being disinterested in a book. Both are similar, but there is one huge difference. </div>
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Being intimidated by a book means you actually want to read it, you're intrigued by it, but you just can't seem to push yourself to start reading it because of a variety of reasons. For example, I want to read Moby Dick, but I'm just too intimidated to start because I've heard it's boring and long.</div>
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Disinterest on the other hand means that you're not interested in a book at all. Like being intimidated, it could be because of a variety of reasons, but unlike intimidation you're not intrigued by the plot, story, or characters. Not even a little bit. For example, I know that Fifty Shades of Grey is really popular right now, and I know a lot of people are reading it, but nothing about the story intrigues me and I just don't want to read it. Period.</div>
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Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's talk about a few of the reasons that people can become intimidated by a book.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Oh my freaking gosh THAT BOOK IS HUGE</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfrdzloC-kobOEUqSC3GbSaT7ozEFuxr4-Oe3htYJsNGgGSLgTvmK0VnZPZI-w4H5ZfJXyAeiaUu9b_1IzYEc3xORq_AwcSrVCBw61qp7TheUB_uD1OsKoGdAkF8TN-D3cx67u1Et5tPf/s1600/War+&+Peace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfrdzloC-kobOEUqSC3GbSaT7ozEFuxr4-Oe3htYJsNGgGSLgTvmK0VnZPZI-w4H5ZfJXyAeiaUu9b_1IzYEc3xORq_AwcSrVCBw61qp7TheUB_uD1OsKoGdAkF8TN-D3cx67u1Et5tPf/s200/War+&+Peace.jpg" width="200" /></a>Size is the biggest intimidation factor for me, as witnessed by the <a href="http://thathapachick.blogspot.com/2013/05/does-size-matter.html">Does Size Matter</a> post I did a few months ago. If a book is absolutely ginormous (like <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/656.War_and_Peace?ac=1">War and Peace </a>by Leo Tolstoy) then I am <i>so</i> intimidated. Huge books scare me, and it's especially bad when the type is small. If a book is huge you can bet I'll put off reading it for as long as possible, if not forever. I'm clearly not the only person who feels this way because a huge number of people were citing length as a reason for book intimidation in their Top Ten Tuesday posts. What is it about length that's so darn scary? For me it's the fact that I know it will take me so long to finish. Plus, there's always the fear of not finishing the book at all. I'm the kind of reader who finishes every book they start (okay, 99% of the books they start) and because of that I hate starting a book and never finishing it. There's something so unsatisfying about it, and I honestly feel like a failure every time I do it. That's the biggest reason why size is intimidating to me.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOh4zduwL_moDoSHg9pmMCMV-jUq6FMwGY8I2lTX4l-FcoFYLuDk5N9OMGgc1nSDKh366udHjcY2edK9CrDyvmUT8-63d4RlEW4rtDa5I1FiJmVPxFgPC4pmCscE76BN0wasc0vcjoNVYc/s1600/harry-potter-series.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOh4zduwL_moDoSHg9pmMCMV-jUq6FMwGY8I2lTX4l-FcoFYLuDk5N9OMGgc1nSDKh366udHjcY2edK9CrDyvmUT8-63d4RlEW4rtDa5I1FiJmVPxFgPC4pmCscE76BN0wasc0vcjoNVYc/s400/harry-potter-series.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I was really surprised by the number of people who listed hype as a reason that a book intimidated them. I was even more surprised that Harry Potter was one of the main culprits of hype intimidation. Maybe it's just because it was banned in my house as a kid, but as soon as I turned 18 I jumped on reading Harry Potter, hype be damned. Personally, hype never really plays a role in whether or not I'm intimidated by a book. Does it raise my expectations? Yes. But does it make me intimidated? No. In fact I'd say that hype normally makes me even more excited to read a book or series. However, I can understand why someone would be afraid that a book or a series couldn't live up to it's hype. That being said, I think everyone should just dive in, hype or not. You'll never really know if you'll enjoy something unless you try it! And if something doesn't live up to the hype or you don't enjoy it like everyone else, big deal. At least you tried. :)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>That book is just too (insert adjective here) for me</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwV6kBrWBaxGmsx7D413Ikhsu-abbfhlJMVeylZQ5XjAvDQ0QJowR_XaJIdYb_iiIEEy5xAnR10zIPXwrC7tUQiV7hUPry0_uEkzg9sWC4ZoZTOoHyh5-VKhy6IKgoiOp6F5ivbzGEoTKR/s1600/The_Fault_in_Our_Stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwV6kBrWBaxGmsx7D413Ikhsu-abbfhlJMVeylZQ5XjAvDQ0QJowR_XaJIdYb_iiIEEy5xAnR10zIPXwrC7tUQiV7hUPry0_uEkzg9sWC4ZoZTOoHyh5-VKhy6IKgoiOp6F5ivbzGEoTKR/s1600/The_Fault_in_Our_Stars.jpg" /></a>Too sad, too edgy, too sexy, too violent, these are all things I saw people saying about books in their Top Ten Tuesday posts. I find this element of intimidation interesting because I would normally put books with too much of something in my disinterest category, not my intimidated category. I think it's strange and a little bit sad that some people will avoid reading books simply because they're afraid it might be too sad or too edgy. I think one of the best things about reading is being able to experience those kinds of emotions and having the chance to become educated on difficult subjects. I think if you're really interested in a book you should read it, regardless of the content and what emotions might arise because of it. For all those people out there who are intimidated by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11870085-the-fault-in-our-stars?ac=1">The Fault in Our Stars</a> or <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19063.The_Book_Thief?ac=1">The Book Thief</a> because of their content, <i>read them</i>. Regardless of the crying that these books might cause I promise you the truth they hold are worth every tear.</div>
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So those were the three big reasons for book intimidation that really stood out to me. Size and the fear of not finishing a book are the two elements that really play into my book intimidation. What about you? Do you get intimidated by size like me? How about hype, or a book having too much of something? Or are there other reasons that lead to your book intimidation that I haven't even thought of yet? </div>
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Julia :)</div>
Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-17325868671920584462013-07-03T00:00:00.000-07:002013-07-03T19:46:07.448-07:00Waiting on Wednesday [24]Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted over at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking The Spine</a>. The purpose is to spotlight upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.<br />
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This week I am <i>dying</i> to read <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15749186-to-all-the-boys-i-ve-loved-before">To All the Boys I've Loved Before</a> by Jenny Han.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGfYl1OhkMJ0cgqMoRkIapx10d8xeu0mVE-MNh7vewFkjjohYEEL4rgliyndP3AQ9M5dfFz_w3lG7V5Z0fpKoRjtO_Yr7SZJFQTibVrxif0cx1snoJw1QilkRHbLu-R_92ztK8w0bgPw2/s750/tumblr_mowip6n34I1snlnkwo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGfYl1OhkMJ0cgqMoRkIapx10d8xeu0mVE-MNh7vewFkjjohYEEL4rgliyndP3AQ9M5dfFz_w3lG7V5Z0fpKoRjtO_Yr7SZJFQTibVrxif0cx1snoJw1QilkRHbLu-R_92ztK8w0bgPw2/s200/tumblr_mowip6n34I1snlnkwo1_500.jpg" width="132" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15749186-to-all-the-boys-i-ve-loved-before">To All the Boys I've Loved Before</a><br />
by Jenny Han<br />
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers<br />
April 22nd 2014<br />
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To All the Boys I've Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hit it in a box under her bed. But one day, Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters...</blockquote>
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First and foremost I just love this cover. The title in the handwritten sharpie font? PERFECTION.<br />
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Secondly, when I was in grade school my little brother sent a letter to my crush telling him I liked him. Looking back now I think it's hilarious, but when it happened I was so, <i><b>so</b></i>, embarrassed. I'm so curious to see how this type of situation is approached fictionally and for a character who is obviously not in grade school like I was. I just love the concept and of course I'm a huge Jenny Han fan so I can't wait to see what she does with it.<br />
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Last but not least:<br />
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<i>The protagonist is a hapa!!!! </i><br />
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What books are you guys waiting on today? Be sure to let me know and link me to your WoW post in the comments!<br />
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Julia :)</div>
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Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-7206448005866435892013-07-01T00:00:00.000-07:002013-07-01T00:00:00.196-07:00The Switch to Bloglovin' Giveaway!So this may just be a <i>really</i> lame attempt at bribing you, my lovely readers, but everyone likes bribery right? Right?<br />
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<b>I hope so. </b><br />
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Basically this is a giveaway specifically to get you all to follow me on Bloglovin' or any other type of RSS feed reader, because as of today GFC and Google Reader are gone. I <i><b>so</b></i> appreciate everyone who reads my blog and I'd hate to lose any of you because of Google's craziness!<br />
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If you already follow me on Bloglovin' or another reader you can enter the giveaway without doing a thing. If you don't follow me yet, just click on the link below, hit follow, and voila, you can enter the giveaway!<br />
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<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2111563"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmq8pCcXi8Sz35aprBP6IiY9uPEyYIDp8F_kAXiUnnAFYfDeU_2J99_HEIa_2I2cB6Vx0-eqmdAlSYfmtWgUnDSO7LPXC7ASmPrL4nSHxFNjWvaWqod0twLbGr-PnAqMBMNpGQXVEhQ35/s1600/widget.gif" /></a></div>
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If Bloglovin' isn't your style you can also enter by following via email (box for that is on the right sidebar) or any other type of RSS feed reader.<br />
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What is this giveaway for you ask? Any book you want from <a href="http://www.thebookdepository.com/">the Book Depository</a> worth up to $15! And yes, this means that the giveaway is open internationally so all my lovely readers regardless of location can win. YAY!<br />
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ad931934/" id="rc-ad931934" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Like I said earlier, I love each and every one of my readers and I can hardly believe that people actually follow and enjoy my little blog! Each view, comment, and subscriber means the world to me. I love you all and I wish I could bake everyone cupcakes, but because I can't I'll just leave you with this gif of cupcakes instead:<br />
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Sorry for making you all hungry. Or is it just me that get's hungry watching that gif?<br />
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Julia :)
Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-70466665206129732612013-06-25T00:00:00.000-07:002013-06-25T16:26:56.800-07:00Book Review: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Eleanor and Park</b><br />
by <a href="http://rainbowrowell.com/blog/">Rainbow Rowell</a><br />
325 pages<br />
Publisher: St. Martin's Press<br />
Publication Date: February 26th 2013<br />
Source: Library<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15745753-eleanor-park?ac=1">Add this book on Goodreads</a><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Two misfits. <br />
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One extraordinary love.<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">Eleanor...</span> Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough... Eleanor. <br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Park...</span> he knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat that makes her want to keep promises... Park.<br />
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Set over the course of one school year, this story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds - smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.</blockquote>
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<b>Eleanor was right: She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice; it was suposed to make you feel something.</b></div>
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- Eleanor and Park, pg 165</div>
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If there was one word I would use to describe Eleanor and Park it would be bittersweet. This story is absolutely heartbreaking, beautiful, and just plain cute. Rainbow Rowell definitely tears out your heart, rips it into a million little pieces, and then tries to put it all back together again.<br />
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Eleanor is different. She's big and bold, but not in the way that earns her a lot of admirers. Park on the other hand tries to blend in, but stands out thanks to his mixed race heritage. Both are misfits, and both are perfect for each other.<br />
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Eleanor and Park is a love story. There really isn't much more to it, but even so I enjoyed it and it's minimalistic plot. In a sea of insta-love stories, Eleanor and Park stands out because the romance grows so organically. Through comic books and mix tapes, phone calls and family dinners their relationship slowly comes together and forms something beautiful. It feels real, and that's what makes this story so strong.<br />
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Eleanor and Park themselves were both fantastic characters and I loved getting to delve into who they were and what made them tick. Rainbow Rowell did an outstanding job creating these two. They're funny, insightful, and just so <i>human</i>. They have quirks and personality and feel like<i> real</i> people, not just words on a page. Oh and Park is half Korean so he's a total winner in my book. Lucky girl that Eleanor. ;)<br />
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One really unique and interesting aspect of this novel is the fact that it's set in 1986. For readers who are 80's kids this will totally bring back the nostalgia of their youth, but for the rest of us it's sort of a crazy time warp, back into a world that wasn't too long ago and yet feels almost completely alien. Cassette tapes? Calling someone on their home phone? No internet? WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?!?! One of the most interesting aspects of Eleanor and Park is that even though technology changes, people and relationships don't. Some elements of Eleanor and Park may not be relatable to a younger crowd, but we can still read and enjoy the story because there are certain universal human experiences such as love and friendship that remain the same regardless of the era.<br />
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Overall I really liked Eleanor and Park. I must admit that I didn't connect with the story or characters quite as much as I wanted to (maybe because I'm not an 80's kid?) but I still loved it and I think everyone should give it a read. It's a sweet and insightful romance that will touch even the most pessimistic of readers *cough* like me *cough*.<br />
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Oh and funny story, for some crazy reason I totally thought that Rainbow Rowell was a boy. Maybe it was because a lot of reviews kept comparing Eleanor and Park to John Green novels, but regardless when I discovered the author was actually a girl I was in total shock. Basically the books back cover fell open to reveal Rainbow Rowell's picture and my face was like this:<br />
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Awkward but true.<br />
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Sorry Rainbow Rowell. :P<br />
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Julia :)Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-59988809134270351382013-06-23T00:56:00.001-07:002013-06-23T00:56:42.295-07:00June 2013 Favorites!Katie over at <a href="http://www.callmecrazyreviews.com/">Call Me Crazy Reviews</a> did an awesome <a href="http://www.callmecrazyreviews.com/2013/06/june-2013-favorites.html">June Favorites post</a> and it inspired me to do a favorites post of my own!<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.fxnetworks.com/ahs">1. American Horror Story</a></b><br />
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I have become absolutely obsessed with American Horror Story. I started watching it on a whim a few weeks ago and ended up loving it so much that I marathoned both seasons in two weeks. Now I am positively<i> dying</i> for the 3rd season. This show definitely isn't for everyone, but if you enjoy thrillers, horror, or dark dramas that are downright creepy in the best of ways you'll love American Horror Story! <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.target.com/p/mossimo-supply-co-juniors-racerback-tank-assorted-colors/-/A-14476675?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Google_PLA_df&LNM=%7C14435938&CPNG=Women&kpid=14435938&LID=PA&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=14435938&gclid=CLesoPTR-bcCFcU5QgodO24AhQ">2. Target Racerback Tanks</a></b><br />
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I never wear tank tops, but one day at Target I decided to pick up one of their racerback tanks just to lounge around in at home on the weekends and oh my goodness <i>best purchase ever</i>. I am in love with this tank. It's so comfy and the colors are so bright and peppy. I'm just waiting for these to go on sale so I can buy a bunch more colors/designs!<br />
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<a href="http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=408"><b>3. Trader Joe's Wasabi Roasted Seaweed Snack</b></a><br />
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Oh my goodness these are amazing. I went through a "hating on nori" stage, but I am firmly out of that now because this wasabi nori is so good and so addicting. If you're looking for a healthier snack that still packs a lot of punch this should totally be on your shopping list! I've been snacking on it all month long. YUM.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.samsung.com/global/galaxys3/">4. Samsung Galaxy SIII</a></b><br />
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I finally made it out of the dark ages of cell phones and upgraded to a smart phone! I've only had my Samsung Galaxy SIII for a week now, but I'm already in love. It's a tad bit big and clunky, but it has so many awesome features, plus I'll never have to worry about getting lost while driving again! Do any of you guys have app suggestions for me?<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/90117654/macbook-keyboard-skin?ref=usr_faveitems">5. Macbook Keyboard Skin from Killer Duck Decals</a></b><br />
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I did a Kawaii Monday post on Killer Duck Decal's keyboard skins awhile ago so you might recognize this. I finally decided on a keyboard skin (the more random nerdy one) and I love it SO much! If you have any type of Mac computer and you're a touch typist looking to add pizzaz to your keyboard buy one of these skins. They are seriously so cool and I don't regret purchasing mine for a second. Best $16 I've spent all year!<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.yogurt-land.com/">6. Yogurtland</a></b><br />
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Last but not least on my list of June Favorites is Yogurtland. If you have never had self-serve froyo you are missing out on one of life's simple pleasures. GO GET YOURSELF SOME FROYO RIGHT NOW! Anyway, a Yogurtland location just opened up a few miles away from my house and I have visited <i>way</i> too often in the past few weeks. They have this oatmeal cookie flavor that is to die for, and a ton of awesome fruit flavors that I just love as well. If I could I would eat froyo every day. It's definitely my dessert weakness.<br />
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So those are my June Favorites! What are some of your favorite things that you've discovered this month? What do you think of this favorites post? Should I continue doing these?<br />
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Julia :)Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-75563817317833955952013-06-21T00:00:00.000-07:002013-06-21T00:00:06.698-07:00Book Review: Requiem by Lauren Oliver<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Requiem</b><br />
by <a href="http://www.laurenoliverbooks.com/">Lauren Oliver</a><br />
391 pages<br />
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books<br />
Publication Date: March 5th 2013<br />
Source: Library<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9593913-requiem?ac=1">Add it on Goodreads</a><br />
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They have tried to <i>squeeze </i>us out, to stamp us into the <i>past</i>. <br />
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But <i>we </i>are still here. <br />
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And there are more of us <i>every day</i>. <br />
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Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.<br />
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After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven - pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancee of the young mayor. <br />
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Maybe we are driven <i>crazy</i> by our feelings. <br />
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Maybe love is a <i>disease</i>, and we would be better of without it. <br />
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But we have chosen a different road. <br />
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And in the end that is the point of escaping the <i>cure</i>: We are <i>free</i> to choose.<br />
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We are even free to choose the <i>wrong</i> thing.</blockquote>
I've read a lot of mixed reviews for Requiem so I really didn't know what to expect going into this book. Everyone's opinions have been so polarized that I was almost scared to open the cover and discover which category I fell into, the "I <i>love</i> the ending to this series" category.<br />
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Or the "OH MY GOSH I HATED THIS ENDING WITH A BURNING PASSION" category.<br />
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Okay, so maybe no one was actually flipping the table in rage over this book, but I still feel like a lot of people have negative opinions. After reading Requiem I can see why. However, I happened to really like the way that Lauren Oliver chose to end her trilogy.<br />
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First off I have to say that I just <i>love</i> Lauren Oliver's writing. Its been almost a year since I read Pandemonium so I had totally forgotten how positively gorgeous and engrossing her prose is. Even if Requiem had been a crappy story (which it totally isn't) the writing alone would have kept me glued to its pages.<br />
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That being said, Requiem was anything but terrible. Sure, there were a few bumps along the way *cough* lame romantic angst *cough* but overall I really enjoyed the story and I feel like it's a solid ending to a solid trilogy.<br />
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If you've read Pandemonium then you know that Lauren Oliver wrote it in a unique sort of backwards/forwards format that was both cool and confusing. For Requiem Lauren Oliver decided to switch things up yet again by having the chapters alternate between Lena's perspective and Hana's perspective. Personally, I liked this much better than the Pandemonium approach and I ended up loving it because it allowed me to view both sides of Oliver's futuristic society: One where love is forbidden and obedience is valued above all else, and the other where the freedom to choose is worth fighting for. Reading from Hana's perspective was both enlightening and scary. I can't imagine how hard it would be to live in a world where everyone is forced to live within the confines of a dictatorship. TALK ABOUT TERRIFYING. As for Lena's perspective it was frustrating at times. After all, she spent most of the novel pining after Alex while sorta-kinda faking a relationship with Julian. This aspect of the story was definitely the biggest downside for me. However, I loved everything else that happened with Lena. Rebellion, bombings, revolution. YES.<br />
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The main complaint I've read in other reviews is that Requiem was too open ended. To be honest I kept waiting for feelings of rage and annoyance to surface due to the ending, but they never did. In fact, I felt like the ending was perfect. Sometimes a trilogy ends and you just feel empty inside (like The Hunger Games) or you're just so sad it's over (like The Lord of the Rings) but when I put down Requiem and ended my journey of reading the Delirium trilogy everything just felt <i>right</i>. The story felt complete and I loved that the ending wasn't definitive. In fact, I think that was part of Lauren Oliver's point to the series: Nothing is definitive. The world is changing, people are changing, and the only constant you have is <i>yourself</i> and how <i>you</i> choose to live your life.<br />
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In closing, I feel like with the Delirium trilogy Lauren Oliver has crafted three beautiful stories, each with their own distinct meaning and each worth reading in their own right. Yes, Requiem is open ended, and yes, there are a few questions that I'd love to have answered, but ultimately the story is over and I respect the ending that Lauren Oliver has written. If you haven't read this phenomenal series yet I highly recommend that you do. It is definitely one of my favorites.<br />
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Julia :)Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-82773174344976376222013-06-20T00:00:00.000-07:002013-06-20T00:00:11.560-07:00Giveaway: Quarantine: The Loners and Quarantine: The Saints by Lex ThomasGIVEAWAY TIME FOLKS!!!!<br />
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Anyone of you guys fans of the Quarantine series by Lex Thomas? Never heard of it? Well get ready, because this book series is a crazy ride and Egmont is giving one lucky US reader a softcover of Quarantine: The Loner's <i>and</i> a hardcover of Quarantine: The Saints! Check out the summaries of both books below, and then be sure to enter using the Rafflecopter form.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkIIUV0sghAly0wFNSS05k0-Juy-7wLfXFfGe3tTceE-3pA8tzSPKhbIhvUU1AzKBa-pOQX1efKXIgK-3Q0U49YDVHFxGo71u-bIUhWa5dzBHabgKq71mGjg2ADjOFBUjPihhFFs_Sv1R/s1600/12620969.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkIIUV0sghAly0wFNSS05k0-Juy-7wLfXFfGe3tTceE-3pA8tzSPKhbIhvUU1AzKBa-pOQX1efKXIgK-3Q0U49YDVHFxGo71u-bIUhWa5dzBHabgKq71mGjg2ADjOFBUjPihhFFs_Sv1R/s320/12620969.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It was just another ordinary day at McKinley High - until a massive explosion devastated the school. When loner David Thorpe tried to help his English teacher to safety, the teacher convulsed and died right in front of him. And that was just the beginning. <br />
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A year later, McKinley has descended into chaos. All the students are infected with a virus that makes them deadly to adults. The school is under military quarantine. The teachers are gone. Violent gangs have formed based on high school social cliques. Without a gang, you're as good as dead. And David has no gang. It's just him and his little brother, Will, against the whole school.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPTQxamDeUyyI56-zsPW5-XWyOaa3TRyOieXA2_mLiVR8DrBVW-QjHWEAlSDgTZNDeqyg3LAqPcVLg7od3tXtAkYQ6kPjbuXfS1lLnceIoEXjj4rG_Rp0iUbQ4TFNYtIyqqKufN8C7cFw/s1600/16280108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPTQxamDeUyyI56-zsPW5-XWyOaa3TRyOieXA2_mLiVR8DrBVW-QjHWEAlSDgTZNDeqyg3LAqPcVLg7od3tXtAkYQ6kPjbuXfS1lLnceIoEXjj4rG_Rp0iUbQ4TFNYtIyqqKufN8C7cFw/s320/16280108.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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A cross between the Gone series and Lord of the Flies, Quarantine #2: The Saints continues this frenetically paced and scary young adult series that illustrates just how deadly high school can be. <br />
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Nothing was worse than being locked in - until they opened the door... McKinley High has been a battle ground with eighteen months since a virus outbreak led to a military quarantine of the school. When the doors finally open, Will and Lucy will think their nightmare is finished. But they are gravely mistaken.<br />
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As a new group of teens enters with the school and gains popularity, Will and Lucy join new gangs. An epic party on the quad full of real food and drinks, where kids hookup and actually interact with members of other gangs seemed to signal a new, easier existence. Soon after though, the world inside McKinley takes a startling turn for the worse, and Will and Lucy will have to fight harder than ever to survive.
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ad931932/" id="rc-ad931932" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Julia :)
Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-26365738273029143212013-06-19T11:39:00.000-07:002013-06-19T11:39:41.717-07:00Surviving the Loss of Google Friend Connect!So as you guys probably already know Google Friend Connect is going to be gone in just a few short weeks. I know, I know, WHY GOOGLE WHY?!?!?! *shakes fist at Google executives*<br />
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When I first found out Google was getting rid of GFC I just didn't understand the reasoning behind it. Then again, who does understand the reasoning behind anything Google does, am I right?<br />
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Then I realized that this is the perfect opportunity for everyone to break away from the annoyance that is Google and their fixation with Google+, and find new and better ways to follow blogs.<br />
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So if you're freaking out about the impending loss of Google Friend Connect, have no fear, here are a few quick and easy ways to stay up to date on That Hapa Chick (and your other favorite blogs)!<br />
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<b>1. Start using Bloglovin!</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2111563"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYoMZat7_Qa196YUewmLiAw-0NgX2261GLW-FCpeOWcewQcObNE8wYWccS3A2blV5WvwAwWCDkWupga5L6rUaWS5ydEogPoUlG1NbAx-NoNZhE6rZ2Of56-DD06cFMDSbhHBp_V7SljBe/s1600/widget.gif" /></a></div>
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Bloglovin' is a fantastic site that allows you to follow blogs, customize them into related lists, keep track of posts you have and haven't read, heart posts you like, the list goes on and on. I've been using it as my blog reader for over a year now and I <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">love</span> </b>it. I definitely suggest giving it a try! <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2111563">You can follow That Hapa Chick here.</a><br />
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<b>2. Email Subscription</b><br />
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Email subscriptions are nice because you never have to worry about missing a post, it will always show up right in your inbox! If you want to follow That Hapa Chick via email subscription just fill out the handy dandy subscription box below.<br />
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<b>3. Facebook and Twitter</b><br />
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Do you like That Hapa Chick on Facebook? Do you follow me on Twitter? Well you should! I love connect with other bloggers and readers on social media so head on over and say hi!<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ThatHapaChick">Like That Hapa Chick on Facebook</a><br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/thathapachick">Follow That Hapa Chick on Twitter</a><br />
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Google Friend Connect and Google Reader may be on the out, but there are so many other awesome options for following blogs that <i>you will never miss it!</i><br />
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Are there any other great ways to follow and connect with blogs that I didn't mention here? Tell me about them! I always love to hear about other options for getting people connected to my blog and connecting with other blogs.<br />
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Julia :)Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-5932117356058138862013-06-18T00:00:00.000-07:002013-06-18T00:00:16.262-07:00Book Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>The 5th Wave</b><br />
by <a href="http://www.rickyancey.com/">Rick Yancey</a><br />
457 pages<br />
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile<br />
Publication Date: May 7th 2013<br />
Source: Library<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16101128-the-5th-wave?ac=1">Add this book to your shelf on Goodreads</a><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
After the 1st Wave, only darkness remains.
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After the 2nd, only the lucky escape.<br />
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And after the 3rd, only the <i>un</i>lucky survive.<br />
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After the 4th Wave, just one rule applies: trust no one. <br />
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Now it's the dawn of the 5th Wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alice, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother - or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.</blockquote>
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You guys I wanted to like this book. I wanted to like it <i>so</i> bad. In fact, I tried to push myself to like it so much that I didn't even realize how much I didn't really like it till nearly after I finished it. The ending sort of sealed the deal for me and I just realized that me and The 5th Wave just weren't meant to be.<br />
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Why didn't this book work for me? For starters it wasn't what I expected. I didn't know a whole lot about it going in except that it was about aliens and everyone I talked to kept raving about it being "awesome" and "a complete page turner." Awesome? A page turner? Complete exaggerations in my opinion. For one there was a complete lack of alien awesomeness. I mean if you're gonna write a book about an alien invasion <i>can we please get some aliens?!?!</i> And no, aliens that look and function exactly like normal human beings DO NOT COUNT.<br />
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At first I was okay with The 5th Wave not being what I expected. I was thinking "okay, I can get past this whole lack of aliens thing" but then I slowly began to realize that nothing much was really happening in the story and that just didn't work for me. Most of the book was completely static because it was all just the protagonist remembering things from the past waves. Normally I wouldn't have a problem with this except that nothing really happened in these flashbacks. NOTHING. Where's the action? Where's the excitement? And why is it that the new hip way to bring humanity to it's knee's in fiction these days is an EMP? It was cool the first few times, but now it just feels like copycatting especially if you aren't doing it better than the people who wrote about it first.<br />
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So the plot, in my opinion, was nothing to write home about. There were a few sections I enjoyed, one in particular was really reminiscent of Ender's Game, but overall I just thought it was lacking in story development.<br />
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This brings us to the characters. I'll try to keep this brief: Rick Yancey needs to step away from female protagonists. Just walk away dude. WALK AWAY. I liked Cassie all right in the beginning. She was a bit flat, but overall she was okay. Then we got partway through the book and she meets Evan and it was all downhill from there. SPOILER ALERT----> <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: white;">WHAT THE HECK CASSIE WHY WOULD YOU EVEN GIVE EVAN THE TIME OF DAY?!?! Ugh. Evan was a total creeper and I don't care how "beguilling and mysterious" he was supposed to be, HE WAS AN ALIEN MURDERING MACHINE WHO ORIGINALLY TRIED TO KILL CASSIE BUT THEN FELL IN LOVE WITH HER. NO. JUST NO. But the thing that bugged me the most? How much time was spent with Cassie saying <i>to Evan's face </i>"I can't trust you. We can't trust each other. YOU ARE BAD NEWS." But then she just goes off, kisses him, let's her guard down, and does the exact opposite of what she says she's going to do. I hated how wishy washy Rick Yancey made Cassie out to be. Most girls are <b><i>not</i></b> that dumb in real life. Oh and I get that Evan sort of redeems himself in the end, but it was not enough. I just hated their relationship dynamic. </span><i><b><span style="color: white;">Absolutely hated it.</span> </b></i></span><br />
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For those of you who haven't read the book and don't want to be spoiled, my reaction to Cassie's actions can be summed up in this gif:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZexYl11kCK1j2s_rLw-B-oIhOzwvrno-cZcEuRIvHAjZxc57H7EFUew-0V2Ecg8_AtZFG0aDCnid-PLHT9Y5ey6vURGmDRJFDZAejkn_fr6PWvqw_K6OEEQTITSWMOaLITJK6i19vv57/s1600/Fucking+Kidding+Me.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZexYl11kCK1j2s_rLw-B-oIhOzwvrno-cZcEuRIvHAjZxc57H7EFUew-0V2Ecg8_AtZFG0aDCnid-PLHT9Y5ey6vURGmDRJFDZAejkn_fr6PWvqw_K6OEEQTITSWMOaLITJK6i19vv57/s320/Fucking+Kidding+Me.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yep, I think that just about covers it.<br />
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Ultimately The 5th Wave was a disappointing read for me. I was expecting something a lot more interesting and groundbreaking, but it ended up just being meh. The final nail in the coffin was when I was looking back after I finished it and I realized that the world building just plain sucked. I won't really go into it, but let me just say that no you will not get any answers as to who the aliens are, where they came from, and how they manage to do anything they do. *shakes head*<br />
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So should you read The 5th Wave? If you're looking for an alien invasion novel without many aliens, but with a whole lot of personal drama, and with a dash of Ender's Game then sure, pick it up. Also, note that a TON of people love this book. <i>A ton</i>. I'm definitely in the minority, so if these issues I've mentioned don't sound like they'd bother you, or you're still wanting to give it a chance I'd definitely go for it. What didn't work for me might just work for you.<br />
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Julia :)Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-51837790805066691582013-06-17T00:00:00.000-07:002013-06-17T00:00:07.324-07:00June Book Haul and TBR Pile Update!Hey guys!<br />
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It's been awhile since I've posted (I've been SUCH a bad blogger lately) but here is a nice little update on what my book/TBR pile is looking like right now!<br />
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CHECK OUT ALL THESE AWESOME BOOKS! :D<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGmtGjDgEj4I_sjj1kpWQtB1-pk6cKTt07UmTJXY0lgwJGaPrVVqnnWu6JZAgDTQYLcvx8FVBv3RYbK1W3_gMwsoOPNfHrUU936CC306e1IDmh-4ATKr2AxK6bTIqKcaLBpieemIYb0NN/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGmtGjDgEj4I_sjj1kpWQtB1-pk6cKTt07UmTJXY0lgwJGaPrVVqnnWu6JZAgDTQYLcvx8FVBv3RYbK1W3_gMwsoOPNfHrUU936CC306e1IDmh-4ATKr2AxK6bTIqKcaLBpieemIYb0NN/s320/photo.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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I've been using this little nightstand/side table thing to store my books for awhile now and of course I'm totally running out of room already. Welp. #BookLoverProblems<br />
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Here's a rundown of the books I got in text form if you don't want to watch the vlog.<br />
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<b><u>Library/Borrowed</u></b><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15790886-the-originals?ac=1">The Originals</a> by Cat Patrick<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16101128-the-5th-wave?ac=1">The 5th Wave</a> by Rick Yancey<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7728889-the-diviners?ac=1">The Diviners</a> by Libba Bray<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13104080-unravel-me?ac=1">Unravel Me</a> by Tahereh Mafi<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8101452-babe-in-boyland?ac=1">Babe in Boyland</a> by Jody Gehram<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10866233-the-list?ac=1">The List</a> by Siobhan Vivian<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8811139-light?ac=1">Light</a> by Michael Grant<br />
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<b><u>In the Mail</u></b><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2998.The_Secret_Garden?ac=1">The Secret Garden</a> by Frances Hodges Burnett<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175004.Eagle_Strike?ac=1">Eagle Strike</a> by Anthony Horowitz<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/94319.Ark_Angel?ac=1">Ark Angel</a> by Anthony Horowitz<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2429135.The_Girl_with_the_Dragon_Tattoo?ac=1">The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo</a> by Stieg Larsson<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5060378-the-girl-who-played-with-fire?ac=1">The Girl Who Played with Fire</a> by Stieg Larsson<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7668573-smile-for-the-camera?ac=1">Smile for the Camera</a> by Kelle James<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13581990-the-eternity-cure?ac=1">The Eternity Cure</a> by Julie Kagawa<br />
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<b><u>Purchased</u></b><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3.Harry_Potter_and_the_Sorcerer_s_Stone?ac=1">Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone</a> by J.K. Rowling<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15881.Harry_Potter_and_the_Chamber_of_Secrets?ac=1">Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets</a> by J.K. Rowling<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5.Harry_Potter_and_the_Prisoner_of_Azkaban?ac=1">Harry Potter and the Prisoner of the Azkaban</a> by J.K. Rowling<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6.Harry_Potter_and_the_Goblet_of_Fire?ac=1">Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire</a> by J.K. Rowling<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/84369.The_Last_Battle?ac=1">The Last Battle</a> by C.S. Lewis<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16101126-the-moon-and-more?ac=1">The Moon and More</a> by Sarah Dessen (SIGNED!!!)<br />
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<b><u>For Review</u></b><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12620969-quarantine?ac=1">Quarantine: The Loners</a> by Lex Thomas<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16280108-quarantine?ac=1">Quarantine: The Saints</a> by Lex Thomas<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17288907-a-really-awesome-mess?ac=1">A Really Awesome Mess</a> by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin<br />
Huge thanks to Egmont USA for the opportunity to review these awesome books!<br />
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I just wanted to mention that I got to meet Sarah Dessen last week at her signing at <a href="http://www.townecenterbooks.com/">Towne Center Books</a> in Pleasanton California and it was AWESOME! Here's a picture I got of me and Sarah at the signing.<br />
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I can hardly wait to read The Moon and More! Unfortunately I have quite a few library and review books I have to tackle first, but once I'm done with those I will definitely be reading it. I'm so excited!<br />
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I hope all of you lovely readers are having a great summer so far and are getting the chance to catch up on some great summer reading! Any suggestions for summer books I just <i>have</i> to read?<br />
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Julia :)Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-34986096896778464882013-05-23T00:00:00.000-07:002013-05-23T00:00:18.911-07:00Book Review: The Kill Order by James Dashner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>The Kill Order</b><br />
by <a href="http://www.jamesdashner.com/">James Dashner</a><br />
327 pages<br />
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers<br />
Publication Date: August 14th 2012<br />
Source: Library<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13089710-the-kill-order?ac=1">Add it on Goodreads</a><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Before WICKED was formed, before the Glade was built, before Thomas entered the Maze, the sun flares hit the earth and destroyed the world mankind took for granted.<br />
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Mark and Trina were there when it happened, and they survived. But surviving the sun flares was easy compared to what came next. <br />
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Now a disease of rage and lunacy races across the eastern United States, and there's something suspicious about its origin. Worse yet, It's mutating, and all evidence suggests that it will bring humanity to its knees.<br />
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Mark and Trina are convinced there's a way to save those left from descending into madness. And they're determined to find it - if they can stay alive. Because in this new, devastated world, every life has a price. And to some, you're worth more dead than alive.</blockquote>
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I'm a big fan of James Dashner's the Maze Runner trilogy so I was super excited when he announced that he was writing a prequel to the series! Of course, in classic Julia fashion, I didn't actually get around to reading the prequel till 8 months after it was published. Hehe. But the good news is, I finally did read it and I definitely think that if you're a fan of TMRT you should read it too!<br />
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The Kill Order is set several months after solar flares have hit earth and destroyed most of society and the world as we know it. Mark and Trina are two of the lucky few survivors left on earth. Unfortunately, the solar flares were just the beginning of their problems. Now they have to face a deadly disease, one that turns people insane and is mutating at an alarming rate. Together, with a band of other rag tag survivors, Mark and Trina have to discover the source of the virus before it takes them down.<br />
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The Kill Order was a fast-paced thrill ride. If you've read James Dashner's other books then you're already familiar with his style of writing; short chapters, cliff hangers, and lots of action. An added bonus of The Kill Order was that it had a lot of flashbacks which, though unexpected, ended up becoming my favorite part of the novel. These flashbacks told all about how Mark and Trina survived the original solar flare incident and personally I feel like the Kill Order could have been an even better novel if it was simply based around the characters living through and surviving directly after the solar flares instead of focusing on the Flare virus. The Kill Order was great, but I found myself pushing through the present tense chapters just to get to Mark's flashbacks. In my opinion those chapters were packed with twice as much suspense and intrigue as the rest of the novel. I just love a good heart pounding survival story! However, I can definitely see why James Dashner had this prequel center around the Flare virus since that was more of a focal point for the Maze Runner trilogy as a whole.<br />
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The characters of The Kill Order were pretty standard. However, I don't read James Dashner stories for the characters, I read them to get swept up in an adventure. That being said, I really did love Alec, a super badass military veteran with a heart of gold. No one does badass characters quite like James Dashner! None of the other characters really stood out to me, but that didn't matter because the story and plot were engrossing enough to keep me hooked.<br />
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For a prequel I felt like The Kill Order was an enjoyable read. It wasn't super fantastic, but it definitely answered some of the questions I had about the Maze Runner trilogy and that's what prequels are all about. If you're a fan of James Dashner and this series then I would give it a read!<br />
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Julia :)<br />
<br />Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-53154404603238999552013-05-20T00:00:00.001-07:002013-05-20T00:00:05.981-07:00Book Review: Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Five Flavors of Dumb</b><br />
by <a href="http://antonyjohn.net/">Antony John</a><br />
338 pages<br />
Publisher: Dial<br />
Publication Date: November 11th 2010<br />
Source: Purchased<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7818683-five-flavors-of-dumb?ac=1">Add it on Goodreads</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Eighteen-year-old Piper has gotten herself into a mess. Because of her big mouth, she has one month to get a paying gig for her high school's hottest new rock band, called Dumb. In Piper's mind, the band couldn't have a more perfect name. Just look at the members: one egomaniacal pretty boy one silent rocker one talentless piece of eye candy, one angry girl, and one nerd-boy drummer - five discordant personalities who, when put together, seem ready to self-destruct at any moment. Getting them an actual gig seems impossible. Add to that the fact that Piper doesn't know if their music is good or not, because, well, she's deaf.<br />
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But Piper is determined to get the band a gig to show her classmates that being deaf doesn't mean she's invisible. And as she gets to know the five flavors of dumb, some hidden talents, secret crushes, and crazy rock music emerge. She doesn't need to hear the music to sell it, but Piper wants the chance to feel the music too. Does she have what it takes to manage Dumb <i>and</i> discover her own inner rock star?</blockquote>
I heard a lot of good things about The Five Flavors of Dumb so ended up purchasing a copy from Half Price Books on a whim. Normally I don't buy books before reading them, but in this case it turned out to be serendipity because I loved Five Flavors of Dumb and am happy to add it to my collection!<br />
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Five Flavors of Dumb tells the story of Piper, a Deaf girl who ends up becoming the manager of her high school's up and coming rock band Dumb. The five members of Dumb couldn't be more different from each other, but with a little work and a whole lot of luck, Piper may just turn this discordant group of people into a success.<br />
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First off, Piper was such a fantastic protagonist. Antony John really hit it out of the ballpark when he crafted her voice and who she was as a person. I could totally see Piper's complete transformation from a shy girl who wanted so desperately to be seen as more than just the "deaf girl" to someone who was willing to own who she was, deafness and all. Piper just blossomed and came into her own and I love when a novel is able to craft that kind of character story. The supporting characters were all stellar as well. My personal favorites were Piper's awesome little bro Finn, and the nerdorable Ed Chen. ASIAN LOVE INTERESTS FOR THE WIN!<br />
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Aside from the great characters Five Flavors of Dumb was also hilarious and just plain fun. There were so many times when I was holding in my laughter or rolling my eyes at the shenanigans that the characters got themselves into. Talk show smackdowns, crappy recording sessions, and crazy hair dying escapades are just some of the things that occur. Believe me, you'll want to read it for yourself.<br />
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Five Flavors of Dumb is one of the best contemporaries I've read all year. It's fun, hilarious, and surprised me with its depth and insight. I definitely recommend it to anyone who loves music, contemporary novels, or is just looking for an awesome book to read.<br />
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Before I end this review I just have to mention the fact that I didn't realize that Five Flavors of Dumb was written by a guy at first. However, once I got to a certain point in the story it became glaringly obvious. You see, no girl would use the term "she popped out a boob and pulled the baby toward it" to describe breast feeding. I just about died at that description. So funny.<br />
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I am so mature you guys. NOT.<br />
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Julia :)Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-53497725729765122522013-05-20T00:00:00.000-07:002013-05-20T00:00:11.622-07:00Kawaii Monday: Laptop Keyboard Decals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZD8dcR3iYvYyw59nA7aMwkBOf1wIfwFRicgVCZwJme0iSGIHbaYTEfZEnTCMXcmDcLa-iRHav4Sc1XDa4ZzHAjoBCE0P3c21Wgr9qJGmtfXrJJ5czWYBrIxjLzHDWtG02zAUvTKMcFjS2/s1600/Kawaii+Monday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZD8dcR3iYvYyw59nA7aMwkBOf1wIfwFRicgVCZwJme0iSGIHbaYTEfZEnTCMXcmDcLa-iRHav4Sc1XDa4ZzHAjoBCE0P3c21Wgr9qJGmtfXrJJ5czWYBrIxjLzHDWtG02zAUvTKMcFjS2/s1600/Kawaii+Monday.jpg" /></a></div>
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A chance for me to highlight something super cute that I find on the interwebs! This week I ran across some tech accessorizing goodness. I subscribe to a really fun email newsletter called <a href="http://iheartdaily.com/">I Heart Daily</a>. It's co-run by <a href="http://www.melissacwalker.com/">Melissa Walker</a>, author of such books as <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8884822-small-town-sinners?ac=1">Small Town Sinners</a> and <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1828455.Violet_on_the_Runway?ac=1">Violet on the Runway</a>, and it's a daily newsletter that sends out a potpourri of fun things such as links to awesome quizzes, articles about girls who are world changers, and of course random shopping finds. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy I really encourage you to subscribe to them! I love getting their emails in my inbox. And no, I Heart Daily isn't sponsoring me to say this. They really are just that awesome. :P<br />
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Anyway, this past week one of the emails they sent out was all about cute tech accessories and one of them I just HAD to share with you guys. Maybe I'm living in the dark ages of technology here, but they have exposed me to the wonderful world of keyboard decals. This sounds a little lame until you see the decals. JUST LOOK AT THEM.<br />
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/90117654/macbook-keyboard-skin?ref=usr_faveitems"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbYlzXzGi6qcYM3vUXxEiUluSlj5TBHszoNhpNObKWfqCVUVO69q5RtQlspTJCiA-1jCTtWCKUA3ZwM5sl6ZgXvW2OCSaT8LIokQalQuR4lDDuslSSzyHqaVdoSqd8MmhFXqYHyTPtvBa/s1600/il_570xN.301530328.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/96728625/little-monsters-macbook-keyboard-skin?ref=usr_faveitems"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEcUs8fO9RRaW5afQjVX1rqE_0etW1R_hyphenhyphenv0IhYZdnu2eqhObEk55W67BtEO_Og6qfak_dPnvBouexpGRu8LeyWdacQ4UNba3q-oNcZ5T4zow5hNd0wiOQYeHAZknr-t8OFpokcvWiydSX/s1600/il_570xN.325652563.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/110024423/macbook-keyboard-super-hero-skin?ref=usr_faveitems"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxoux6HERI2ejHxpC-fw9K9cY9msQAuBGjGzUSNsRvC_0ZmDmAGIMV0goltJ7Jmd5zHXvsXqRx8BcnIqJwW_gYL3_iOeJFRQTaQMbEXMOvrRDk3y3qp03DVHpI-qNFnmK45lww4OO5O5Vu/s1600/il_570xN.377210358_fl4a.jpg" /></a></div>
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Ummmm <i>awesome am I right?</i><br />
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These are specifically for Macbooks so sorry all you PC people out there! I'm sure you can find cool keyboard decals for your computers as well.<br />
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So I'm currently debating which set I might want to get. The top picture is sort of the classic original decal set they have, the middle is a monster set, and the bottom one is superheros. I am definitely leaning towards super heroes right now. I mean, who doesn't want Batman, Spiderman, and Ironman inspired stuff on their keyboard? HECK YES.<br />
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Which set is your favorite? Do you like the idea of keyboard decals? Think they're silly? What kind of design would you love to see made into a keyboard decal set?<br />
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You can find all of these decals for sale here on <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/killerduckdecals">Etsy</a>. I just love Etsy. <i>SO. FREAKING. MUCH.</i><br />
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Julia :)Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-47287688558680392892013-05-17T00:16:00.001-07:002013-05-17T11:40:24.728-07:00Join the book swapping revolution!As you guys know I love books. <i>A lot. </i>However, there are times when I clean out my bookshelf and rid it of all the old books that I no longer want or need. In the past I've taken these books to Half Price Books or other local used bookstores, but it always feels like I never get a lot of trade-in money, and there are always those books they NEVER want and then those just end up sitting and languishing on my shelf like an unwanted guest, sad but true.<br />
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Well, the good news is I have discovered the perfect website for trading in my old books. It's called <a href="http://www.paperbackswap.com/home.php">Paperback Swap</a> and it is <i><b>awesome</b></i>.<br />
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Basically you make an account on the website, input the ISBN numbers of the books you have available to trade in, and then you're set! The books you have available will then pop up in the book database where people can request them from you. When a person requests the book all you have to do is print out a shipping label, package up the book, and send it to its new home! You do have to pay to ship the book, but media mail is quite cheap, and once you the recipient of the book marks that they received it, you get a credit to pick out a book you want from the database.<br />
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So far I've posted 15 books and already 5 of them have been requested and sent out. Also, when you sign up and post your first 10 books, you get 2 free book credits! Awesome right?<br />
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Of course, the database of books isn't super stellar, especially if you're hoping for a lot of YA novels. However, it is good for getting classics and those well known novels that you want to read but just haven't gotten around to yet like Life of Pi or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. There is also a pretty good selection of picture books if you like those!<br />
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The good news is even if a book you want is not available, you can put it on your wish list which means that as soon as the book is listed you will be notified and have first dibs on it. For newer books the wait list is quite long (I'm number 139 for a Requiem by Lauren Oliver) and the likelihood of getting the book is pretty small, but I still love the concept.<br />
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Overall, I really like Paperback Swap and I would definitely recommend it to people looking for ways to trade in their old books. All books, regardless of their size or binding, are one credit so the trade off value can be really good. Yes, you do have to wait for someone to actually request your book and if it's a lesser known novel people may never request it, but you'd be surprised what people want. I know one of my random books I purchased for a college class ended up being on someones wish list and was immediately snatched up. Who knew?!<br />
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If you join Paperback Swap or already use it be sure to <a href="http://thathapachick.paperbackswap.com/profile/">add me as a friend</a>! Also, if you end up joining because of this post could you list my email as your referral? It would be awesome if you did! You can find my what email address to list on my <a href="http://thathapachick.blogspot.com/p/contact-me.html">contact page</a>.<br />
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Do you already using Paperback Swap? If not, do you think you'll join? Do you like the concept of being able to swap around your old books? What do you normally do with the books you decide to get rid of?<br />
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Oh and there is also a <a href="http://www.swapadvd.com/index.php">SwapADVD</a> program and a <a href="http://www.swapacd.com/home.php">SwapACD</a> one as well so if you're looking to trade and swap your old CD's and DVD's those are great resources!<br />
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Julia :)Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-997174738664182569.post-91937095478790717102013-05-14T00:00:00.000-07:002013-05-14T22:36:01.965-07:00Book Review: Parallel by Lauren Miller <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Parallel</b><br />
by<a href="http://laurenmillerwrites.com/"> Lauren Miller</a><br />
432 pages<br />
Publisher: HarperTeen<br />
Publication Date: May 14th 2013<br />
Source: ARC (thanks <a href="http://www.literaryexploration.com/">Anna</a> and <a href="http://www.booksinc.net/">Books Inc</a>!)<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16065551-parallel?ac=1">Add it on Goodreads</a><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Abby Barnes had a plan. She'd go to college, major in journalism, and land a job at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny choice - deciding to take a drama class her senior year of high school - changed all that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is stuck on a Hollywood movie set, wishing she could rewind her life. The next morning, she's in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there.Overnight, it's as if her life has been rewritten.<br />
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With the help of Caitlin, her science-savvy BFF, Abby discovers that this new reality is the result of a cosmic collision of parallel universes,. When she finds herself falling in love with a boy she knows only from her Parallel's memories, Abby is in a race against time to take control of her fate and set things right without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that's finally within reach.</blockquote>
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Out of all the alternate reality themed ARC's I have acquired within the last few months, Parallel was probably the one I was most skeptical about. To me it just seemed like a contemporary novel vaguely disguised as if it were something more. Boy was I wrong. Parallel turned out to be so much more than just a contemporary novel.<br />
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Abby Barnes was a girl with a plan, and it seemed to all be going perfectly until she had to change her senior year elective. Suddenly her carefully thought-out career path is careening off course and leading to a life of Hollywood glamour that she never even wanted. But just as that world begins to make sense, Abby wakes up in a completely different world; a world where she isn't an actress in Hollywood, but instead a student at Yale. How did it happen? And what can Abby do to protect the life and love she thinks she really needs?<br />
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Who hasn't wondered what it might be like to wake up in a different world, in a different life? I know I have. Parallel gives us a taste of that kind of situation and it shows us that even the smallest choices can make the biggest differences. I loved following along with Abby's story and seeing how the choices of her parallel would affect the outcome of her life. One of my favorite aspects of the story was that we as the reader knew exactly what was going on in both Abby's past, and her future, but Abby of the future didn't know what was going on with Abby of the past. Sound confusing? It definitely was at first, and it's nearly impossible for me to explain. In fact I think Doctor Who can say it best:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW7QcrOtmgGuU-nXkNy0g3CxyHL8C6keIw-LdCpWEmlorNCGUObjiKl0Vy-B6CWuK3xDeIXivW-hbDesJ7tqc1aY1c_EwVFyWk9DeQDNvok6oimhRb0UA1I4wwAq5wBGDqDw-DcH0trK1H/s1600/Wibbly+Wobbly+Timey+Wimey.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW7QcrOtmgGuU-nXkNy0g3CxyHL8C6keIw-LdCpWEmlorNCGUObjiKl0Vy-B6CWuK3xDeIXivW-hbDesJ7tqc1aY1c_EwVFyWk9DeQDNvok6oimhRb0UA1I4wwAq5wBGDqDw-DcH0trK1H/s320/Wibbly+Wobbly+Timey+Wimey.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
That's basically what was going on in this story. Personally, I didn't understand one lick of what was occurring science wise (though Lauren Miller did do her best to try to explain it in the story) but that didn't subtract from my enjoyment of Parallel.<br />
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Other than the cool wibbly wobbly timey wimey bits, Parallel also had a sort of mystery element to it (why was Abby experiencing a parallel world? How did it occur? AND WHAT DO THE DREAMS MEAN?!) and I loved it! I also loved the intrigue of alternating between past Abby and future Abby and trying to figure out exactly where the story was going to end up. It was all so much fun and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!<br />
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That being said there were some drawbacks to this Parallel. For starters the characters just weren't that great. Abby was really quite self-centered and there were multiple instances when she did things causing me to react with this:<br />
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And this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUf1vA42bW0NLM-BhXIJpNY3i9U2WoS4R8X2Is6kBeKF-0JBl8R1aw2GN4cY3_Qlzkig8xiP4uNN1GWkcX2SN3DsvGrhUHiyx0ePiBbvXzCMT1JW0_M1Qr8McGYB8cP0u22Kzy0g6Sfuc/s1600/I+Don't+Understand.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUf1vA42bW0NLM-BhXIJpNY3i9U2WoS4R8X2Is6kBeKF-0JBl8R1aw2GN4cY3_Qlzkig8xiP4uNN1GWkcX2SN3DsvGrhUHiyx0ePiBbvXzCMT1JW0_M1Qr8McGYB8cP0u22Kzy0g6Sfuc/s320/I+Don't+Understand.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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Secondly, the romance really toed the line between creepy and cute. Lets just say it involved two brothers, an accidental break up, and a whole lot of misunderstandings that led to awkward moments.... Ultimately Lauren Miller tried to patch things up by making a broad statement about how "your path will change, but your destiny doesn't " but it still felt kinda weird. :P<br />
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Despite the character flaws and romance drawback, I really did enjoy Parallel. I flew through it, and I loved the sciencey/parallel universes aspect of the story. I've read a few books with this kind of past/future, actions/consequences set up (like <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10959277-the-future-of-us?ac=1">The Future of Us</a>) and Parallel is definitely my favorite of the bunch. If you think you'd enjoy a contemporary with that kind of twist I definitely think you should give it a read!<br />
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I'm giving away my ARC copy of this book so be sure to enter if this review piqued your interest! The giveaway is <a href="http://thathapachick.blogspot.com/2013/05/arc-giveaway-parallel-by-lauren-miller.html">here</a>.<br />
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Julia :)Julia @ That Hapa Chickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04961460353502898001noreply@blogger.com2