Swoon

How can this not make you just gush at the beauty that is Jacob Black? And isn't that the sexiest name ever? Jacob Black. I love everything about this character. His, ahem, manliness so to say. His flaws (jealously, anger, etc...) make him ever so irresistible. If there was one reason I had as to why I love the Twilight series, Jacob Black is that reason. This is why New Moon and Eclipse are my favorite books. Mucho Jacob action. Why not Edward, you ask? The too handsome to imagine, romantic, absolutely flawless Edward? Well. Perfect is BORING! And, might I add, impossible. So even though the series is fiction, I try to hold on to as little reality as I can.



And if Taylor Lautner is the closest I can come to it. So be it!


So I wonder...why do you love the Twilight series so much?

Teaser Tuesday

Guess what today is? Teaser Tuesday (hosted by Should Be Reading)

Grab your current read
-Open to a random page
-Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
-BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!

Here's two teaser sentences from If I Stay by Gayle Forman



"How do you live with that? For a second, I have a fantasy of getting better and getting out of here and going to Mr. Dunlap's house, to relieve him of his burden, to reassure him that it's not his fault."
pg. 100

This book is only 200 pages but the story really speaks to you in that limited amount of text. A lot of people are calling books like this "trauma porn" which I think is kind of degrading. What do you guys think?
I don't think there's a problem with reading books about hard to deal with issues. I actually think it makes for a better read sometimes.

What are you all currently reading?

A smile for your Monday!

So I decided to talk about a couple of my favorite books since for my first giveaway I'm having all of you tell me yours!

I'll first start with the book that changed my life, Looking For Alaska by John Green




From the back cover:

before. Miles "Pudge" Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (Francois Rabelais, poet) even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School. and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy. self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

after. Nothing is ever the same.

This book is utterly heart-breaking. Gut wrenchingly funny and a book I could not stop thinking about all of last summer. If you passed this up like I did so many times in the bookstore or library then you need to pick it up now! It is a roller coaster ride of emotions that leaves you so satisfied. I haven't read many books that could make me feel what this one did!

My next favorite book is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins which I'm sure you've all read! But I'm curious, how did you first hear about this book? I heard about it through Stephenie Meyer's website because she highly recommended it. Which makes me wonder how many people because they love her books so much trust her recommendations?
And speaking of her...which means speaking of Twilight...have you seen the New Moon trailer?
(I am TOTALLY Team Jacob, by the way, and if you ask me why I will be more than happy to tell you!)
If you haven't you're in for a treat...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnyDdfVgqnQ
As much as I have to hate Kristin Stewart and Rob Pattinson for ruining my own personal image of Bella and Edward, I have to see this new movie because I am VERY excited to see what Taylor does with Jacob's character.

I digress.

My final choice for favorite book is This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

From the back cover:
Remy always knows when to give the guy "the speech"-right after the initial romantic rush, but before anything gets too serious. She's had her fair share of boyfriends, and she's learned all there is to learn from her mother, who's currently working on husband number five. So why is it that Remy can't seem to dump Dexter? It can't be his name. It can't be that he's messy and disorganized. And it certainly isn't that he's a musician-just like Remy's father, a man she never knew because he left before she was born. Could it be that Remy's romantic rules to live by don't apply anymore?

I recently re-read this because I had a dream that I had a baby and named him Dexter (which I would NEVER do, haha!) butI remembered how much I adored this book. I love how Dexter is so care free and yet so perfectly romantic. I love Remy's cynical voice. And I love how the imperfections of all of Dessen's characters carry the story to a satisfying ending. So good. If you haven't, read it!

I hope sharing my favorite books have inspired you to think about yours and why you fell in love with them in the first place!

If you're looking for my (first!) giveaway of Graceling, Under the Rose, and What I Saw and How I Lied then look riiight below this post and you can enter!

If you're wondering if I'll give away any other books anytime soon the answer is: YES!
In my extreme excitement for the release of Blue Moon by Alison Noel I'll be giving away these three books verrrrry soon:
Evermore by Alison Noel, Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey, and The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle by L.J. Smith
When, you ask? Very soon. So keep checking for details!


So there's this really cool thing I get sent to my email every day (Monday-Friday) from www.dearreader.com
All you have to do is enter your zip code and they find the nearest library to you that offers the Online Book Club. They choose a different YA book every week and send you an ( 5 minute) excerpt of it every day (excluding the weekends). Check it out!

My Current Library Stack:
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock
The Book Thief by Markus Zusack
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
Devilish by Maureen Johnson

Happy Reading!

My First Giveaway!

Hey Everyone!

To introduce myself to the world of blogging since I'm new to it, I'm hosting my very first giveaway!

Here's what you'll win:

What I Saw and How I Lied by Just Blundell (won the National Book Award and was really good!)

Under the Rose by Diana Peterfreund (sequel to Secret Society Girl)

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

If you're interested in these three great titles here's how to win them!

Rules:

1. Add a comment telling me about your favorite book and why it's your favorite (also include your name and email address).

2. You'll get + 3 added entries if you become a follower

The contest runs from now until July 15th

Hope to hear from you!

-Jess

A Great Book

Taylor Markham was abandoned by her mother at a 7-Eleven when she was eleven years old. Now she's a leader of a boarding school house full of young girls she'd rather not care for. If you were to have ask her if she wanted the position she would've said no but now she's caught in the middle of the territory wars between the Townies and the Cadets. Worse off, Hannah (the woman who was mysteriously there to pick Taylor up when she was abandoned) is gone and no one knows (or will tell her) where she is. With a mysterious manuscript Hannah's left behind Taylor begins to piece together her past and with Jonah Griggs back in town figures out her future.

This book won the 2009 Printz award and now I can say it was fully deserved. I wasn't sure about this book when I started reading it. It was a little confusing because it begins with a piece of Hannah's manuscript. But once I became familiar with the characters in Hannah's story it was easier to follow the pieces of the narrative where Marchetta slips in snippets of the manuscript. I was instantly hooked by Taylor's voice and quickly fell in love with Raffy, Santangelo, and Griggs. I couldn't put the book down! I laughed, I cried, and I definitely would reccommend this book to anyone! I loved being surprised by a book, and boy was it a good surprise!

Now here I sit thinking about Jellicoe Road and wishing I was part of their friendship there. So because I'm thinking about that of course I'm listening to Wicked which stands as a mark of my best friend and I's friendship. I have to learn all of Glinda's vocals because her and I are going to record the whole CD on a whim. I love whims

And speaking of them, I just watched the pilot of Glee which was SO great and I cannot wait to follow it in the fall. The coolest thing is that it's a musical comedy...a TV series...a musical comedy. A-mazing. It's almost as great as the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Almost!
You can watch it here: http://www.hulu.com/watch/73740/glee-pilot

Anywho. I digress. My next read is Dairy Queen and I know I'm like, years late but I cannot wait to blog about it!

A New Beginning

Once upon a time I used this blog for a media class I took. Now I'm going to use it for me!
So the first thing I want to do is a challenge! I've been hearing about this ABC book challenge and I think it's a fabulous idea!
so here are the ABCs (haha in case you weren't aware of all of them!) and what I've accomplished

Asher, Jay Thirteen Reasons Why*
B
Childs, Tera Lynn Oh.My.Gods.*
Dessen, Sarah Along for the Ride*
E
Forman, Gayle If I Stay
Goodman, Alison Eon: Dragoneye Reborn
Hubbard, Mandy Prada and Prejudice
I
Johnson, Maureen Devilish*
K
L
Marchetta, Melina Jellicoe Road
N
O
Pearson, Mary The Adoration of Jenna Fox
Q
R
Stiefvater, Maggie Shiver*
T
U
V
W
X
Yee, Lisa Absolutely Maybe*
Zevin, Gabrielle Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac*

*what I plan to read which is on my bookshelf waiting to be devoured. but not literally. Unless...well...nevermind!

I know it isn't much yet but that's why it's a challenge. And I'm very exited about it!
Well I'll be back soon to talk about Jellicoe Road which I am reading and absolutely loving!