Friday Follow and Blog Hop (11)

It's that time again! Time to participating in the Book Blogger Hop hosted by Crazy-for-Books and Friday Follow hosted by Parakjunkee!

This week's question for the Book Blogger Hop is: What book are you looking forward to seeing published in 2011? Why?

Honestly I have NO IDEA. Like at all. I don't really know what's coming out for all of 2011 just a few that I'm not too super excited about. The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa is coming out this year right? Cause I really want that! Sorry for such a lame answer... :L

This week's question for Follow Friday is: What is/was your favorite subject in school?

A: Hmm... well I'm not really a fan of school but if I had to pick out of the core subjects I'd say English. I'm good at English. Definitely HATE math. I'm in trig/pre-calc now and it's pretty much the worst thing ever. In general I like the art courses. I just finished taking Design and Creation of Jewelry and it was so much fun! I made so much cool stuff and some of it is even in the display cases in the hallways so that's fun! I also took Intro to Photography and that was cool because I learned how to develop my own film and we did a couple cool projects. I also loved Graphic Design (had this work in the display cases too! I'm proud of myself :P) which I took last year and I'm taking Graphic Design II this year which I'm excited about along with Web Page Design and a video production class (I'm kinda skeptical about how the video class will go though).

What classes did/do you like or dislike?

Don't forget to check out my 150+ follower giveaway! I'm giving away three copies of Losing Faith by Denise Jaden!!! (2 US winners, 1 International winner)

Happy Hopping and Happy Reading everyone!

Review: I Am Number Four

Title: I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies #1)

Author: Pittacus Lore

Pages: 440

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: August 3rd, 2010

Rating: 4.5/5

Summary From Goodreads:

"In the beginning they were a group of nine. Nine aliens who left their home planet of Lorien when it fell under attack by the evil Mogadorian. Nine aliens who scattered on Earth. Nine aliens who look like ordinary teenagers living ordinary lives, but who have extraordinary, paranormal skills. Nine aliens who might be sitting next to you now.

The Nine had to separate and go into hiding. The Mogadorian caught Number One in Malaysia, Number Two in England, and Number Three in Kenya. All of them were killed. John Smith, of Paradise, Ohio, is Number Four. He knows that he is next.

I AM NUMBER FOUR is the thrilling launch of a series about an exceptional group of teens as they struggle to outrun their past, discover their future—and live a normal life on Earth.

I AM NUMBER FOUR.

I AM NEXT."

I was really looking forward to reading I Am Number Four. I had heard many good things about this book and I knew it was being made into a movie so I figured, "Hey how bad could it be?" And, it wasn't bad at all.

There are hardly any alien books so it was cool to read something different. I really enjoyed the story line. John Smith (Number Four) and his guardian Henri, after finding out about the death of Number Three, move to a small town in Ohio called Paradise (I wonder if the author is a fan of Simone Elkeles?). Even though John knows he shouldn't he starts to make a life for himself. He makes friends, meets a girl, and just acts normal. Until his legacies (powers) start showing up. Since he is the next number the Mogadorians (bad guys) are coming to kill him and so he is thrown into the war for both his life and the life of Earth. There were many surprises along the way with his dog and some unexpected allies. Overall, it was very interesting and I'd say it wasn't the usual YA read.

The characters were pretty cool too. My favorite was probably Henri. He was such a nice guy even though his planet and his wife were killed. He always tried to protect John through everything. He devoted his life to saving John and the future of their race. The other characters were also great, they all really complemented each other but none of them stood out to me like Henri. (Except maybe his "dog" Bernie Kosar! :D )

Even though I loved the characters, the plot, and the writing style, there was still something missing. I'm not sure what, but the wow factor just wasn't there for me. It was the kind of book that even though I'm really into while I'm reading it once I put it down I could easily not pick it up for a day or two and not think twice about it.

Overall, it was a fun read that was very enjoyable but not doesn't completely consume you. I really do suggest this book though as I really liked did like it.

Quirky Character Habits That Bug Me

I don't know if I'm the only one who noticed (doubt it), but the characters in YA books tend to do similar things. I sometimes find it a bit bothersome... here's what I've noticed:

• Finger nail biting/chewing - I'm sure a lot of people really do bite their nails but not EVERYONE does and not EVERY book character should either. I see this a lot when a character is nervous. Instead of biting their nails they could fidget or ring their hands (like I do). LEAVE YOUR NAILS ALONE!
• Biting their lip until they taste blood - Yeah, this one is just plain weird. I don't get it. I've never done it. Never seen it done. Don't know where authors come up with this one. "Oh yes! My character should bite themself!" Um... yeah not so much. I see this all the time and every time I stop and think if I've ever done that or ever might do that. No, I haven't and I won't. It's strange. Just biting your lip regularly is fine, but if you're drawing blood, you've got a problem.
• Eyebrow raise - This one is just cruel to all of us imperfect beings who can not raise one eyebrow. I try and try and just for the life of me can not do it but it seems like every book I read there is someone who does it multiple times through out the novel. >:L
• And last but not least, The crooked smile - DAMN YOU TWILIGHT! I feel like ever since Twilight came out every attractive male lead has a crooked smile. What's wrong with a normal straight smile? I do not know, I think they're very nice. But apparently every male character has had a stroke and can only move one side of their mouth to form a crooked smile. Just sayin'.

^^^Crooked - Straight^^^

Straight is just as nice!

What other quirky habits have you all noticed in books?

150+ Follower Giveaway!!!

To celebrate reaching 150 AMAZING followers I'm giving away THREE copies of Losing Faith by Denise Jaden!

^^^In case you needed a visual! :P

Summary of Losing Faith from Goodreads:

"A terrible secret. A terrible fate.

When Brie's sister, Faith, dies suddenly, Brie's world falls apart. As she goes through the bizarre and devastating process of mourning the sister she never understood and barely even liked, everything in her life seems to spiral farther and farther off course. Her parents are a mess, her friends don’t know how to treat her, and her perfect boyfriend suddenly seems anything but.

As Brie settles into her new normal, she encounters more questions than closure: Certain facts about the way Faith died just don't line up. Brie soon uncovers a dark and twisted secret about Faith’s final night...a secret that puts her own life in danger."

Now you're interested right? All you have to do is fill out the form!

The giveaway will run through January 31st and there will be THREE winners! TWO of the winners will be from the US and ONE of the winners will be an INTERNATIONAL winner!!! So this IS an international giveaway! Here's the giveaway button:

<a target="blank" href="http://theramblingsofabookaddict.blogspot.com/2011/01/150-follower-giveaway_19.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="The Ramblings of a Book Addict 150+ Giveaway" src="http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/3168/150followergiveaway.png" /></a>

I wanna thank everyone all of you for following me even through my disappearances! You guys are awesome!

And now without further ado, here is the form!

***This giveaway is now over! Thanks to all who entered. You can find the winners here.

The Power of Six - OH NO!

So I just saw Carly over at Writing From the Tub post about The Power of Six cover and I must say I am more than a little distressed. Not only is it awful but the book isn't even about Number Four anymore? WHAT? The Power of six is about Seven which is just not cool. I just finished I Am Number Four and I'm still pretty attached to Four and his friends (although I'm sure we'll see them again but still). They could have at least made it about Number Six who was introduced in the first book or Number Five to go in order. Maybe I'm just over reacting. What are your thoughts?

Summary from Goodreads:

"They caught Number One in Malaysia.

Number Two in England.

And Number Three in Kenya.

They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio and failed.

I am Number Seven. One of six still alive.

And I'm ready to fight."

*Edit: As I look at it more and more it's actually been growing on me but the orange just doesn't fit and I feel the title is awkwardly placed. :L

Friday Follow and Blog Hop (10)

I haven't done one of these in awhile but they're so much fun I decided to start them up again! I'm participating in the Book Blogger Hop hosted by Crazy-for-Books and Friday Follow hosted by Parakjunkee!

This week's question for the Book Blogger Hop is: "Why do you read the genre that you do? What draws you to it?"

I personally like to read YA because it's my age group. I can relate to the characters more easily and understand what they're going through and how they feel. With adult books I don't always get what their going through because I haven't been there yet and with Middle Grade they're just too young to appeal to me.

Happy Hopping and Happy Reading everyone!

Guest Review: What a Girl Wants

To celebrate the fact that my wonderful sister, Mary, finished a book I'm letting her do a guest review! She dictated while my mom typed it up for her. Make sure to show her some love and let her know what you think by leaving her a comment!

Title: What a Girl Wants

Author: Kristin Billerbeck

Pages: 352

Publisher: Westbow Press

Published: April 11th, 2006

Rating: 2.5/5

Summary From Goodreads:

"Ever felt like the last item left on the clearance rack?

As a successful patent attorney, Ashley Stockingdale has all the makings of a perfect catch--the looks, the brains, even a convertible. But at 31, she's beginning to wonder if she's been passed over for good.

Deciding to adopt a new attitude, Ashley suddenly becomes the romantic interest of three men within a matter of days. While her heart enjoys turning the tables on the dating game, the rest of her previously predictable world is being turned upside down. Is it more than Ashley can handle? Or is it exactly what she wants?

Award-wining author Kristin Billerbeck combines comedy with spunk to create a memorable story in What a Girl Wants--an all-too-realistic picture of a single girl's search for being content with who she is...with or without a man."

This is a Christian chick-lit love triangle story about a 30 year old, successful woman trying to find romance. However, the "best" man did not win. One thing I like to do when I read these types of books is put myself in their shoes. That way I become emotionally involved with the characters. Ashley, the main character, has to choose between Seth, a long term friend who she crushed on for years and Kevin, who dated a friend of hers and that she later bumped into and they went out on a date.

I found her love interest, Seth, to be rude, mean and boring. I mean how many times can someone watch "The Matrix"? Even the way the author described Seth made him seem unattractive. Seriously, I'm reading to escape reality here . . . make the guy attractive! Then there was Ashley's other possible love interest, Kevin, who, she herself described as "the perfect gentlemen". He was charming, sweet, attentive, fun, etc. He even went so far as to bail her out of jail (He should be nominated for the "Whatta Guy Award.") I mean all in all Seth was there for her too but in an awkward sort of way . . . In the scenes where Seth is trying to be romantic, he fell waaaay short. I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or his attempt at romance was lame.

In the end Ashley and Seth are at her brother's wedding where he tells her he would like to have a relationship. In front of her family they start hooking up. Tacky... especially for a Christian. Now this is what really gets me. The reason she doesn't pick Kevin is because Kevin is not a practicing Christian. Give a guy a chance . . . Kevin did begin to embrace the faith and started to practice.

On the plus side, this book was a quick, easy read with just enough description to visualize what was happening with out being over bearing. I could easily sit down for a longer period of time with this book. It was a good airport read, which is where I got most of it done.

I hope in the next book of this series Ashley comes to her senses and Kevin gets resurrected.