Who needs McLovin when I have Bloglovin

I discovered this nifty little thing called Bloglovin, which most bloggers already know about and I'm late in joining. But I don't care because I hear that Google reader is shutting down and this is a great replacement!

*glances around shiftily to make sure Google isn't listening*

I haven't used it much, but from what I can tell, I really like it.

Sooooo....

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

And while you're at it, check out the new tumblr I made for the blog, on which I will post bookly related things like quotes and whatnot. And I guess I'll ask you to "like" the blog's Facebook page.

Oh the social media fun!

It's Raining Bloggers! Hallelujah, It's Raining Bloggers!

Cool, now I have that song stuck in my head. I brought that upon myself, I suppose.

And yeah, that picture is kind of twisted. I'm writing this early, and I've barely had any coffee. Le result^.

Anyway, as all of you who have been following my blog for quite some time have probably realized, I've been having a hard time hanging onto the blog. I started this blog a couple summers ago when I had just moved to a new town and didn't have a lot of friends. When the school year started, it wasn't bad. I mean, it was sophomore year. Easy. I moved in the middle of sophomore year. Then came things like exams and projects and that was just the beginning. Come summer, I got a job and took trips. That was when blogging pretty much slipped from my life. As did reading. I started working over 40 hours a week on top of AP classes and Chamber Singers, which is the advanced choir at my school and we do a lot of things. Basically, I was gone from 6:45 AM until 10:00 PM every day.

My point is that I got busy.
I pretty much felt like this at all hours of the day:

Blogging dropped low on my priorities list.

Then, I quit my job and all of a sudden I have nothing but time.

But let me say, blogging still isn't easy. Turns out I surrendered more of my life than I had realized. Like church, like friends, like naps. OH HOW I LOVE NAPS!

School is harder now, and I need to be more serious about it.

I recently started up blogging again because it is something I can't just let go of. But like I said--not easy. So I enlisted some help. I put out a call for a blogging partner a few weeks back, but I was merely considering it. To be honest, I don't know that I had any intentions of actually getting a partner. However, I took a minute to evaluate myself and my blog and realized I NEED a partner.

So, I GOT TWO.
That's what this post is actually about, people. It is to welcome my two new blogging partners, Nova and Charlotte!

You can also find them here:
Musings of a Blogder ~ Epona Reviews

Guys, I am so excited to have these girls on board with me! I hope you, my lovely readers, are too. It just means more awesome content for your viewing pleasure. And since I won't be expelling all my energy into all the posts for the week, I can focus more cleverness and charm into each of my posts.

It's going to be a strange transition, I know this. Technically speaking, this blog is something I've done all on my own. Of course I never would have made it without the unwavering kindness, generosity, and support from my fellow bookish people. But technically speaking, I brought BookBreather into the world, I shaped it to the type of blog I wanted it to be, I dressed it, I fed it, I dedicated my time in energy to it. It has always been MINE.

But now it is OURS.

And it will be great. This is definitely for the better. Lots of great things will be coming your way, reader. I promise. But in the mean time, give my new partners a warm welcome :D

It's NOVA!!!!! (No seriously, Nova is now writing. Say a little au revoir to Gabbi... she's letting me do a little self intro. YOU ROCK!!!)

So, from the cool intro above, I'm Nova! I'm so excited to be posting on here to spread my love of books, starbucks and cat gifs.

I could tell you a million and one facts about me, but that would be so boring. Anyway, I'm 1 of the 3(!) bloggers at Book Breather(maybe it should be Book Breathers) But I'm a 13 year old girl who is completely Canadian, EH?

Actually it's just the Newfoundlanders who use EH. they've got a COMPLETELY different agenda from the rest of us. I'm actually from a place called Mississauga, in Ontario... Toronto if you will.

My reviews are honest (duh?) and funny... at least in my head. I try to make things different and on my own blog, I design my own little labels from scratch (with the help of photoshop).

I don't consider myself serious in the least but I think that I can be. You should see the kinds of emails I write to authors, asking for an ARC. It's like:

"salutations (author's name). I'm a blogger and I would formally like to request a copy of (book in question). These are my blog stats and these are ways to contact me. If you would like to accept my review offer, kindly reply and I will surely send you the address in which to send it to".

GEEZUS! Someone say GRANDMA!!!

No, I did not mean a motorcycling Grandma... But that would be so cool!!!

I'm one of the mature less stupid teens of my school. Its kind of what makes my reviews not a total pile of garbage (again, in my head). I think I'm the one who you could talk to about anything, but still have a laugh.

OOHHH!!! And I'm a music freak. I forgot to mention that. I am obsessed with bands. Paramore, Jimmy Eat World, Panic! At the Disco, Marianas Trench, Evanescence, Breaking Benjamin, Shinedown, Hedley, Florence + the Machine, you name it! I love books with strong elements of music and sexy guitarists. Gosh, I'm only 13, but a girl can dream :')

I don't know what I'm supposed to write or the fact that the definition of "short intro" is supposed to be short. Anyway, catch me on my blog and I'll be sure to answer to anything you may throw at me. Or you could shoot me an email: fakemail@HowGullibleAreYou?.com

Kay, real email? novalovesbooks@hotmail.com

And if you want to send me a bomb/grenade, here's my address.

42 Wallaby Way
Sydney, Australia
APT: 1234

And my name is P. Nemo Sherman. Happy hunting!

Bookly Gabbing: Movie/TV Casting

Bookly Gabbing is just a feature here where I ramble about book-related subjects. And sometimes other-related subjects :)

Movie/TV Casting

I, for one, am utterly thrilled that so many books are being adapted into movies and TV shows. Though the adaptations may not fit the book perfectly or "do the book justice," they still bring these characters and these worlds to life. These characters and worlds that we engulf ourselves in, that we fall in love with. A huge part of this transformation from paper to screen involves the casting of characters.

So let's talk characters. 

(I haven't read every book being adapted, so I'm not going to touch on those, but I'll talk about the ones I know.)

My favorite casting choices as of lately are: 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins movie adaptation

Surprise, surprise! I think Jennifer Lawrence makes da PERFECTTTTTTTT Katniss. Okay, so I kind of have a woman crush on JLaw. Is that so wrong? She brought the emotional sizzle that a movie like THG requires. She manages to capture the tough, calculating demeanor of Katniss, with the underlying shades of passion and loyalty. 

Yet she's so quirky in real life!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare movie adaptation

Who doesn't love some good ol' Robert Sheehan. Especially as the nerdy and funny Simon Lewis. Okay, no. I guess I haven't seen him acting as Simon yet. But I don't need to. He's Robert Sheehan. I'm pretty sure he's got it on lock. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Delirium by Lauren Oliver TV adaptation

Gregg Sulkin as Julian Fineman. Gregg just has that Julian look about him. He's cute and he has that good, vulnerable, naive look about him. He's just waiting for Lena. I'm excited, even though I'm totally team Alex! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 2013 movie adaptation

Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby. Really, does this need an explanation? Leo is capable of anything--especially of a rich guy turned mad by love for a girl who doesn't deserve it. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What are your favorite casting choices?

Top Ten Tuesday: Must Buys Still On The Shelf

1) City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

I don't know why I haven't read this yet. I love this series and I was SO EAGER to buy it. 

2) Rift and 3) Rise by Andrea Cremer

Andrea Cremer is so fantastic and I was so excited when I found at she was making a prequel to her popular Nightshade series. I bought both of these books right when they came out, and I am yet to crack open either one.

4) The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

I remember pretty much crying every time someone got an ARC of this...

5) Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Anything that has Jenny Han's name attached to it has to be awesome. I wanted this book so bad for so frackin long. 

6)Tempest by Julie Cross

Even now, I look at this shelf and want to read it. I don't know what is stopping me.

7) Just One Day by Gayle Forman

GAYLE FORMAN OMG OMG OMG I started reading this, but set it down when other books came out like it isn't important but it is important so so importsant

8) Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

I saw a video or something that made me immediately go order this book and then I never touched it.

9) Destined by Jessie Harrell

I actually won this but I remember dying around the time of the blog tour and yet I have not even take it off my shelf once. 

10) A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

I actually bought two copies of this a while ago. One for giveaway (which I STILL haven't sent. I am so so so so sorry. I will do that sometime this week!) and one for me because its summary was pretty much the love of my life. 

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Finished: 
Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Next On The List:
Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler
Just One Day by Gayle Forman

What are you reading this week?

Waiting On Wednesday: Dirty Little Secret

This week, I'm dying for...

Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols

Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Cntemporary
Publication Date: July 16, 2013
Publisher: MTV Books
Pages: 288

Bailey wasn’t always a wild child and the black sheep of her family. She used to play fiddle and tour the music circuit with her sister, Julie, who sang and played guitar. That ended when country music execs swooped in and signed Julie to a solo deal. Never mind that Julie and Bailey were a duet, or that Bailey was their songwriter. The music scouts wanted only Julie, and their parents were content to sit by and let her fulfill her dreams while Bailey’s were hushed away.

Bailey has tried to numb the pain and disappointment over what could have been. And as Julie’s debut album is set to hit the charts, her parents get fed up with Bailey’s antics and ship her off to granddad’s house in Nashville. Playing fiddle in washed-up tribute groups at the mall, Bailey meets Sam, a handsome and oh-so-persuasive guitarist with his own band. He knows Bailey’s fiddle playing is just the thing his band needs to break into the industry. But this life has broken Bailey’s heart once before. She isn’t sure she’s ready to let Sam take her there again…

I've read one book by Jennifer Echols: Such A Rush. It was amazing! Echols is a fabulous writer, and after reading that book I became a fan. I don't care what it is about, I'll buy anything she puts out. But it helps that this book is about music, which is one of my fave things evuhhhh! Plus, nobody writes about fiddles, so I'm intrigued.

What are you waiting on? 

Book Review: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Series: Shatter Me #2
Genre: YA Dystopian
Publication Date: February 5, 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 461
Source: Purchased

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

Uh, WOW! I am absolutely blown away by Mafi's newest installment, Unravel Me. I enjoyed Shatter Me, but its sequel is something else entirely. It is simply more. Powers are more powerful, angst is more angsty, and sexytimez are more sexy. I was completely engaged the whole time, sucked into the twisted world, ensnared in Juliette's desires and discoveries. Unravel Me is definitely a worthy addition to the YA world! 

Like most book sequels, Unravel Me was less about establishing characters, and more about expanding them. But this book was somehow different than most other book sequels. Mafi introduces all these characters in book 1 and pretty much hands us certain opinions on them: Juliette is misunderstood, Adam is absolutely wonderful, Warner is evil, and Kenji is just some weird, foolish companion. In book 2, however, Mafi reveals that her characters cannot be summed up so easily. Her characters are so incredibly flawed, and troubled, and so frackin real. With this book, we discover that Juliette is actually deeply conflicted, torn between her true self and what people think of her. There were points where she would recede into herself, become whiny, lose the urge to try, and feel sorry for herself. And yet, it didn't feel like Juliette was weak, or annoying, or always depending on people to save her. Sometimes, she needed someone to hold her hand to get through things, but then she'd rise above and make the decisions of her heart, staying true to herself. Really, at the root of things, Juliette is extremely powerful, strong, and pretty kick-butt! If I was unsure about her before, I am now confident that Juliette is not a character that will be easily forgotten, or fade into the blur of other YA heroines. 

We also discover that Adam is extremely moody. I mean, I still love him. I do. My heart broke for him several times. But he became kind of needy in this book. Like, I get that you really care for Juliette, dude. However, if the girl says she needs space just give her some. I don't know, I just wasn't rooting for him as hard as I used to. When he was with Juliette, I couldn't help but melt a little. Just...some of the things he says...*chills.* There are definitely still signs of that sexy, B.A. guy we all used to love. When he and Juliette are apart, though, I like her a lot more, for one. She makes decisions for herself, not worried about what Adam will think or do. Secondly, when they're apart, I realize that an emotional connection to him is severely lacking. We find out some interesting things about him, so I hope in the next book we'll get to see him deal with those things and overcome them, rather than trying to carry all of it on his shoulder. Now Warner is a whole 'nother story. Warner is just...Warner is...I don't even know how to describe ALL THE THINGS I FEEL about him. Before cracking open Unravel Me I kept reading about all the Team Warner advocates and I never EVER suspected I'd hop on the Warner wagon. I didn't think there was anything Mafi could do for me to see him as a legit romantic option. How wrong was I? I don't know necessarily that I would pick him over Adam...yet. It's possible for Adam to redeem himself and secure his position as number one in my heart. But Warner is this intricate man, this person so full of conflict. Another unforgettable character, that's for sure. Warner adds a definite twist to the typical love triangle...and the typical love interest. I mentioned earlier in the review that the sexytimez are more sexy. And, uhm, let me just emphasize that. Because YUM. I can't spoil anything but YUM!

While writing this review, I almost forgot to mention Kenji. Which is ridiculous because he has easily glided up to a high position on my list of Favorite Secondary Characters Ever. He provides the very necessary comic relief. Every word he says makes me want to hug him. There is very obviously more to him than meets the eyes, and while I would like to know his story, what he's seen and experienced, the little mystery makes him much more fun. 

To me, the plot in these books comes second, maybe even third, to the characterization. It's kind of the typical YA dystopian story: a group of "different" people (the brave, the rebel, those with powers) rise up against the oppressive leaders. Blah blah blah. What I want to see more of is the world that Mafi has created. I want this broken, desolate world to have as much depth as her characters. I want to be surprised by the secrets and the treasures and the hideous layers that it holds. I got a glimpse of that in this book, but I want more! This world almost feels real, believable, scary. It's balancing on a precipice and I want it to be tipped. Of course, Tahereh Mafi's writing is beautiful. Sometimes her metaphors and similes and analogies flew over my head, but it's okay because at least they were pretty. The writing style she uses creates a very smooth pace, allowing you to fly through the book.There's not really a "dull" moment. The non-action-packed scenes contain just as much intensity, tension, and rapid flow of the scenes that are bursting with action. 

Basically, Tahereh Mafi manages to exceed the usual YA book, bringing fresh, exciting elements to the table. I closed this book, took a deep breath, and actually said aloud, "Wow. That was good."  Now I'm definitely going to (not really) die waiting for the third installment. Trust me when I say this is a series you don't want to miss. Can Mafi's next book beat Unravel Me? I'm not sure. It was pretty killer. But there is very clearly a distinct possibility. I guess I'll see!