Jasmine Skies 26/03/2012
 
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As I have mentioned in my previous posts, one of my all-time favourite books is Artichoke Hearts by Sita Brahmachari. Well I am SUPER happy to anounce that its sequel, Jasmine Skies will be released this March 29th!
Here there is the Jasmine Skies page on the website My Kinda Book, with further information.
Here is another description of the book, which tells you more about the story.
Here is the UK amazon kindle page for the book, which has a plot description that I really liked.
Here is an extract from the book with the first chapter.
Here are some of the illustrations from the book, together with their extracts.
Here is Sita Brahmacharis blog with information about her, and both her books.

Even though I can't wait to read this, and I have to say that it looks even better than Artichoke Hearts, I am not looking foward to read about Mira drift away from Jide with the possibilities of her picking Janu (as it says in the plot descriptions above). I am actually being quite unfair since I even haven't "met" this Janu yet, but the thing is that Jide is my favorite character. Although, I am sure Sita Brahmachari has a great reason for this, and who knows maybe I will end up liking Janu even better!

Something that I really liked about the first chapter of the book was how Mira sets us into the present. Because as I started reading, I started imagining Artichoke Hearts Mira, and as we keep going she tells us how much she has changed. How much different Jasmine Skies Mira is from Artichioke Hearts Mira. And just this, gives you the perfect mood for the rest of the book.

Below is the trailer for Jasmine Skies. And believe me, I am not exagerating when I say that it is perfect, and it definitely makes you want to read it. In the beginning we can see Mira in her room as she packs her bag and draws the cover for her journal. Well this video pictures Mira EXACTLY how I imagined her and her things, style, clothes, etc. Also, as they show us around her room I noticed the books on her shelf, and how we both have My Name is Mina and Sophies World (i loved both of them by the way), together with the Abby Road Beatles poster. I love all these little details because they show us what kind of girl Mira is. And as we continue watching the trailer, I found the shots of the eyesof the indian people really amazing.
Do you like the sound of this book?
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Until literally a few minutes ago, I thought i've watched all the videos there are on the Hunger Games. That includes the third trailer I posted about three minutes ago. Well I was so, so, so, terribly wrong! Because I just discovered PEETA'S INTERVIEW WITH CAESAR!!!! The odds were totally in my favor then!!! Because this is just about my favorite moment in the book (along with the cave scene, and a few others), when Peeta declares his love for Katniss, and I was dying to see how the movie did it. Anyways, i'll let the video speak for itself.
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As some of you may know, one of my favorite book series is The Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter. And in a previous post I wrote all the details about the upcoming book, Out of Sight, Out of Time, including a widget (which is off course on the sidebar of my blog) that is a countdown for when it comes out on sale. Well I am SUPER HAPPY to say that in less than half a day, I will be able to have this book in my hands. Put the point about this post is to show all of you the trailer for the book. Im not saying I didn't like it, because I really did. But I just DID NOT imagine the book like this. Not even close. This actually makes it look much scarier and action filled. But anyways, enjoy:
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I thought there couldn't be a better trailer than the second one. I was wrong. Look at the third trailer for the hunger games, which I simply CAN'T STOP WATCHING. Oh and you know what makes this better? Taylor Swift's song, specially written for the hunger games, "Safe and Sound". Hope you like this as much as I did:
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Dystopian Books 08/03/2012
 
Have you noticed anything about the latest bestsellers or just recent good books?
Any pattern or comparison?

Well, I have! The other day, I finished reading my latest trilogy, Maze Runner, and I realized that one of the reasons why I loved it so much was because of the plot. So I started thinking about it, and I thought of how much it reminded me to previous books iv'e read.

And then, it hit me. Their all based around the same area. DYSTOPIAN FUTURES. The Hunger Games. Maze Runner. Uglies. The City of Ember. The Giver. The Compound. And endless more! And although most of these are nothing alike, they are all linked together because of the time where they are set!
To tell you the truth, I'm not surprised. Setting a book in the future is the perfect way to write realistic fiction, while being able to create a whole different world with different alternatives.
I also noticed that a reason because so many people are writing and reading dystopian novels could be because it all relates to everyones different thoughts. That in a way everyone is thinking the same thing. Which is that, in the end, the human race will end up ruining the world.
Maybe these are the reasons why dystopian books are my favorite. I like them because they make me think about stuff  that usually wouldn't occur to me. They make me think about what could happen in the future, and what would it be like if I was part of that messed up world.  
These books always make the gears in my head spin better.
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SPEAK. 20/02/2012
 
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"My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... It's like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis."

Melinda used to be happy. And free. And she used to be able to express herself. But not anymore.
Melinda enters high school as a selective mute, with no friends and everybody hating her.
She wishes more than anything to go back in time to the night that changed her.
The night where she still had friends.
The night that started out happy.
The night where her secret was born.
The night where she called the police.
The night when something inside of her cracked. Broke. Left.
But it's too late now, and as the school year goes by, she begins to lose herself, getting more depressed than ever. The only place where she can find herself is art. But not knowing who she can trust, or who she can tell her story to, she begins to shut down.
Her parents are not there for her. Her ex best friends even less. Is there anyone out there?

I. TOTALLY.LOVED. THIS. BOOK. I found it so inspiring and heart breaking. I could really feel what Melinda felt, and I wanted to be there for her and tell her it was time to let go of the past. I think the author-Laurie Halse Anderson- did such a good job at communicating the characters feelings and emotions to us. I could feel Melinda slip away as the pages went by and it made me cry with her.

Below is the trailer for the movie (that came out in 2004) based on the book Speak. Although I think that they didn't make Melinda as lost as in the book and made her speak too much, I think it was really well done. Also, since I watched the movie the minute I put the book down, it was really fun for me because I was quoting whole lines that they used from the book :)
I think the trailer captures the book really well so here it is:
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As some of you may know (from reading some of my previous posts) I absolutely adore nail polish. And If it's possible I love The Hunger Games even more. So that is why I was so, so happy to discover that they decided to mix both of them together and create a Hunger Games, nail polish line. And I adore the fact that they decided to use Effie Trinket to advertise it, because she represents the glamorous, easy part of the story. She introduces us to the life of luxury of the Capitol. Not just that, but she looks amazing in the ad above :)
Below is the line of Colours From The Capitol. My favorite is Riveting.
What will you be wearing to the opening ceremonies?
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The Karma Club 15/02/2012
 
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Definition of Karma: Destiny or fate, following as effect from cause. Good deeds will be rewarded, while bad deeds will be punished.

When you mess with Karma, Karma messes back...
Mady is devastated when her boyfriend cheats on her with the most popular girl in school. Specially after all what she has done for him. But then again, stuff like that always happens to her and her best friends. The odds are just never in their favor. So when she learns about Karma, she decides that's exactly how the world should work. But she doesn't want the universe to get even in 20 years or 30. She wants to see the people who have hurt her, get hurt now.
So she and her friends create the Karma Club. To make sure people get what they deserve. So does that mean Maddy will get what she deserves?


I really liked this book because I think it portrays Karma quite well. I also liked how the plot develops as the story moves along and I think Jessica Brody did a good job weaving all the different ends together. However the thing I didn't like about it at all, is how obssesed Mady is with popularity at the beggining. I have to admit that she gets better, but still, it's just plain annoying. Specially how ignorant she is about life. I think what really fixed this book is the ending when she truly begins to understand Karma for what it is.
Below is the trailer for the book, which I honestly didn't like at all. It just makes the book look sooo shallow and wrong. Plus, the girls in this video really don't know how to act. But maybe some of you will. So here it is:
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Happy Valentines Day everybody :)
Hope it all goes well :)
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Hello Readers,

I was checking through my blog, just about to log out, when I looked at my blogs archives and realized that the last one is February 2011 (when I first published my blog) while the first one is February 2012. So that means that it's been a year since I first started writing. I was so happy when I discovered this because the whole reason why I started this blog in the first place was as a school project. Although I promised myself that I will keep it going, half of me thought that I will probaly give up, or just not continue after the summer holidays. Well I am now happy to say that after only one or two school assigments, I kept going. After all my class mates giving up and telling me to stop, I kept going. And now here I am, writing in my blog several times a week. I think that is one of the things that I am happy about, my blogging now becoming a habit so I don't have to think about it. It's become part of me, so I know I won't stop now.

So as a way to acknowledge my blog's birthday, I went all the way to the beggining and started checking through my posts. The first thing that struck me, is how I started blogging when I started reading. I had just began finding and reading amazing, cool books, while now it has become more of an obsession. No. More than that. I mean my blog basically consists on anything that is reading-based. Just look at the front picture below my blog's title. But im happy about my books :)
Not just that, but I think my writing style has evolved through time. Im definetely pleased with it, plus I think all that reading is improving my grammar and spelling.
So I think the best thing about today was discovering how much my blog has improved, and realizing I never gave up. I would like to thank my wonderful Dad who insisted (and insists!!) on me keeping my blog up to date, no matter what. Also, thanks to all my current readers, and all the readers I have ever had, specialy the ones who comment. You have only made this experience better. Thank you ;)
*Maya's Musings*
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