On My Wish List

17-year-old Lila has two secrets she's prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she's been in love with her brother's best friend, Alex, since forever. Or thereabouts.After a mugging on the streets of South London goes horribly wrong and exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust - her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they've found them. Trying to uncover the truth of why her mother was killed, and the real remit of The Unit, Lila becomes a pawn in a dangerous game. Struggling to keep her secrets in a world where nothing and no one is quite as they seem, Lila quickly realizes that she is not alone - there are others out there just like her - people with special powers -and her mother's killer is one of them...




The hotly awaited second book in the dystopian
Matched trilogy

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.



In the summer of 1991 I was a normal kid. I did normal things. I had friends and a mother who loved me. I was just like you. Until the day my life was stolen.
For eighteen years I was a prisoner. I was an object for someone to use and abuse.

For eighteen years I was not allowed to speak my own name. I became a mother and was forced to be a sister. For eighteen years I survived an impossible situation.

On August 26, 2009, I took my name back. My name is Jaycee Lee Dugard. I don’t think of myself as a victim. I survived.

A Stolen Life is my story—in my own words, in my own way, exactly as I remember it.






What's on your WISHLIST?

Review - Uglies by Scott Westerfield

Title: Uglies
Uglies Series #1
Author: Scott Westerfield
Publisher:
Publish Date:

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When I first started this book, I honestly didn't think I'd finish it. I didn't like it. The language was very tedious and mundane. I felt like I was reading the same sentence over and over again. Granted this is a girl who is turning 16 years, most of us don't have many coherent thoughts then either, but I just felt like it was dumbed down.

Oddly enough, the more I read, the more I liked the book and before I knew it I was flying through the pages and of course, now I want to know what happens in the second book.

I get that the society is bred to be dumb at first. Taught to hate how they look and make fun of each other to push themselves into getting the surgery to become pretty. I get that they are all kids and just out to have a good time before "growing up". It did change thought. It was almost as if the more Tally learned of life, the more the sentences became real and not so dumb.

I cannot believe I actually liked this book. I am shocked because I really wasn't impressed to begin with. But now I really am enamored with the characters, the plot and where it is going.

Tally is the main character. She cannot wait to become pretty and meet up with her other friends who are already living in Pretty Town. Til she meets Shay, a girl who cannot wait to be free of this travesty called "growing up and becoming pretty". Surprise, surprise, she likes who she is and what she looks like. GOOD FOR HER! Tally is so deep in the thick of wanting to be like everyone else, she doesn't understand Shay, but they become friends anyhow. Then one night, Shay appears to tell Tally she is leaving and wants her to come with her. There is a society that lives and grows on their own, no surgery required. It's called Smoke. But Talley refuses to go. When Tally arrives days later for her surgery to become pretty, the authorities are not happy that Shay has disappeared. They want Tally to go get her and bring her back and Tally will not have her surgery until then.

As you can imagine, Tally's journey is very eye opening. She meets David, the only boy ever born outside of Ugly and Pretty Town. His parent's who used to be pretty and have a secret of their own. It is a fight for Tally, does she tell the truth and keep her friends or does she betray them all and get what she wants?

Summary -
Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.


Review - Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston

Title: Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Author: Aron Ralston
Publisher: Atria
Publish Date: August 3, 2005
Paperback, 354 pages

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It is the most astonishing thing to be reading a book I know the outcome of and yet I am riveted. I cannot look away. My breathing increases. My heart pounding. My body tense, just waiting and reading as fast as I can to get past this part or maybe just because I am so engulfed in the adrenaline of this book I feel like I am experiencing it too.

I can honestly say I never thought I would want to see the movie. Gore makes me ill. But when I realized I was so interested in this that I figured I would read the book. My own gore in my head would be the worst I would experience. But man oh man, does Aron Ralston write a very descriptive book. The way he describes the rock, the climbing methods, the wind and sky - all of it so poignant and clear. I feel as if I am there, seeing it, feeling it.

And as he gets to the part about dying, haven't had water for days, the visions he sees, not being able to hold on to thoughts for very long, the parchness of his vocal chords. It is amazing to read how he had to drink his own pee and the learning the goes along with does he or doesn't it.

For someone who enjoys the outdoors and swam for 10 years on two different swim teams, I am familiar with going until you can't go anymore and then going farther because there is no other choice. I understand mental over body. I know what it feels like to be pressed to the core and know I will survive. If my body is sore and hurting that means I am still alive.

This book was so wonderfully well written. I truly loved it. It is sad and gruesome. It is somber and sweet. But mostly it is something every single person should read and understand.

How amazing to know you are going to die, and live instead. To find the will, the answer to getting free. To know no one is coming to save you, you are your only hope. Usually books that speak of dying don't necessarily describe it in a manner I can understand or relate to. Oddly enough, Aron Ralston does an incredible job. Maybe it's one athlete speaking to another, who knows.

I found it heartbreaking to read about his knowledge that he hadn't told one soul where he was going or when he would be back. This knowledge is the most soul wrenching for me.

And now I have to go watch the movie . . .

Summary -
One of the most extraordinary survival stories ever told -- Aron Ralston's searing account of his six days trapped in one of the most remote spots in America, and how one inspired act of bravery brought him home.

It started out as a simple hike in the Utah canyonlands on a warm Saturday afternoon. For Aron Ralston, a twenty-seven-year-old mountaineer and outdoorsman, a walk into the remote Blue John Canyon was a chance to get a break from a winter of solo climbing Colorado's highest and toughest peaks. He'd earned this weekend vacation, and though he met two charming women along the way, by early afternoon he finally found himself in his element: alone, with just the beauty of the natural world all around him.

It was 2:41 P.M. Eight miles from his truck, in a deep and narrow slot canyon, Aron was climbing down off a wedged boulder when the rock suddenly, and terrifyingly, came loose. Before he could get out of the way, the falling stone pinned his right hand and wrist against the canyon wall.

And so began six days of hell for Aron Ralston. With scant water and little food, no jacket for the painfully cold nights, and the terrible knowledge that he'd told no one where he was headed, he found himself facing a lingering death -- trapped by an 800-pound boulder 100 feet down in the bottom of a canyon. As he eliminated his escape options one by one through the days, Aron faced the full horror of his predicament: By the time any possible search and rescue effort would begin, he'd most probably have died of dehydration, if a flash flood didn't drown him before that.

What does one do in the face of almost certain death? Using the video camera from his pack, Aron began recording his grateful good-byes to his family and friends all over the country, thinking back over a life filled with adventure, and documenting a last will and testament with the hope that someone would find it. (For their part, his family and friends had instigated a major search for Aron, the amazing details of which are also documented here for the first time.) The knowledge of their love kept Aron Ralston alive, until a divine inspiration on Thursday morning solved the riddle of the boulder. Aron then committed the most extreme act imaginable to save himself.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place -- a brilliantly written, funny, honest, inspiring, and downright astonishing report from the line where death meets life -- will surely take its place in the annals of classic adventure stories.



Wordless Wednesday - Tuesday





Wordless Wednesday

Tune In Tuesday

A weekly feature hosted by me that showcases music - my other passion in life besides books! Each week I will post a new or old song in hopes to gain more interest. Help me in spreading the love of music!

This week features a song I play over and over again, to my hearts content and if you ever hear me singing in my car, I deeply apologize. This song almost always comes on the radio right before I walk into work.






Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  • 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! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
"A hundred different things surround me: shards of a destroyed wooden jewelry box, some cracked CDs, a few ripped books, a shredded picture of Connor and me. I think my insides look like they do, all churned up and cracked and unrecognizable."
-- From But I Love Him by Amanda Grace

Review - Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Divergent Trilogy
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publish Date: May 3, 2011
Hardcover, 487 pages

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A new Dystopian novel.

When reading the inside panel, the book has the feeling of Hunger Games and though it was really good, I cannot believe I am going to say this, but Divergent was better.

Tris was so fabulous of a character. I related to her from the get-go. Not understanding who you are growing up. Having to make a choice before you feel ready. Scared to hurt those closest to you in order to chose for yourself.

Four, a man Tris is instantly attracted to, but unsure as to why or what is happening. He is hot one minute and cold the other. He has so much pain surrounding him and evil from all forms. It is hard to tell if he is good or bad.

I truly enjoyed the adventure in this book, the different cultures that seem to be people characteristics in real life. {Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent)} It is set to an extreme in this book, but so easy to see how and why people choose. Some are followers, not wanting to upset the flow and others who lead, no matter who they hurt.

Once again, knowing what it feels like to be different in a world where people seem to know what to do and how they feel. Tris is so much like myself and other women I know. Feeling out of place, trying to make her way. Seeing something she wants, feeling she may finally find a home and knowing the things she must do to attain that. What will she decide? Can she believe in herself to do what is necessary?

I simply cannot do this book justice. It is a must read. For all ages and especially those trying to find their way in life.

Summary -
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.


Big Brother 13 - episode 2

AllStars vs Newbies (see previous post to catch up)

Does anyone else find it sad that there were three showers last season and only ONE this season?? Are they trying to spice it up when people don't want to wait?

Dick and Danielle - I find it sad that they can have a really great relationship out in Big Brother, but not in real life.

Porsche - has great ideas, but her head is in the clouds with trying to align so early, they will just pick her off first as a cast away from both sides

OMG I CANNOT STAND RACHEL'S VOICE!! She sounds so whiny and high pitched and ugh!

Haha Jeff cannot believe his in an alliance with Dick, Danielle, Brandon and Rachel! Jeff and Jordan are so funny together, they are so good to each other.

Dick is really funny when he isn't yelling and screaming at people.

I love all the butt kissing and yet, I am a total fan of faking it to make peace. So I am guessing I would be right along with all the play acting. Which is again why Dick would drive me nuts. He likes controversy. And it begins, Rachel and Brandon act stupid (or normal) while everyone else thinks for them and assumes they aren't a threat, so they keep them longer. That's why sometimes it isn't about the best player, but being underestimated could be a good strategy.

Rachel is the proverbial vain person out there. She thinks everyone is out to be more pretty than her and yet, she needs to just figure out a way to be happy with herself. I love that Brandon has no problem telling her he loves her. Sadly it will take him awhile to realize she uses him to make herself feel better.

Plot
Analyze
Strategize
Ugh, over thinking.

I find it funny that they are the ones who got to pick their alliances, and yet they are strategizing to pulverize what they chose originally. Dominic is turning into previous season's Enzo and we all know how that ended.

Keith is going down. He is in three different alliances - one he doesn't even want to be with (All Stars), one from each team and his partner. He is then going against his original alliance and using what she said to beef that new alliance up. Not trustworthy at all. Always keep those alliances separate til necessary.

Have-Nots are back -
Cold Showers
Big Brother Slop
Sleeping in most uncomfortable bedroom
HOH & Partner not eligible to become have-nots
First Have Not Competition: Space Milk Moutain (aka:Mooon)
Haha - suck up the milk, go to the space station to be milked by your milk man
Seriously they are like humping each other to squeeze the milk out and strangling each other
OMG I haven't laughed this hard in so long. They look so idiotic. I can't stand it. I have to try this at home somehow!!
This weeks Have-Nots are -
Orange Calves - Kala, Lawson, Cassi and Shelley
Winners
Blue Calves - Danielle, Dick, Jeff and Jordan
Green Calves - Keith, Adam, Dominic, Porsche

I find it hilarious that there are double the amount of newbies as All Stars and they are still losing big. Then there is Dick "They're like a bunch of three stooges running around." and Adam is their guinea pig. Use Adam on the block side to send home the one he wants. That's such BS!! We will put you on the block, but you can't put us up and we won't send you home, but we want your votes too. Ugh Dick, seriously? Good thing Adam is smarter than that.

WHO DOESN'T LOVE JORDAN AND JEFF?? They had a great conversation with Shelley. Apparently they remind them of her and her husband.

Wow, right. Golden Key - send their partner home and the other person gets the golden key and stay til 10 people left. Who do you send home and then which partner do you give a free pass to? Big Brother, this is actually a good idea. Who knew!

I crack up laughing every time someone says the word TRUST on this game. Hello?!?!?! It's a game.

Safe -
Danielle and Dick
Jeff and Jordan
Lawon and Kalia
Shelley and Cassi
Adam and Dominic

Nominations:
Keith and Porsche

Completely strategic. LOL

IMM - In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by StorySiren that includes any books you've bought, borrowed or received in the mail this week.




Won from Bookin' with Bingo -
Beaten, Seared and Sauced by Jonathan Dixon

For Review -
Unlovable by Sherry Gammon

What was in your mailbox this week??