Goals for My Second Trip to Italy – Wish You Were Italian Release Event

Item: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Rating: 5
Author: Jana

Posted May 8, 2014 by Jana in About Me / 8 Comments

Wish You Were Italian is my favorite book of 2014 so far! I loved it so unbelievably much. In honor of the book’s release on May 6th, Kristin Rae, the author, has asked us early readers of the book to share our goals for Italy, just like Pippa (the main character in the book) did before she began her Italian adventure.

I’ve already been to Italy once, and saw a TON of cities and towns and art… but one can never do everything in only one trip! So, these are my goals for the NEXT time I go. Because, honestly, I will be back. The coin I threw on the Trevi Fountain proves it. :)

1. Not be sick this time.
I got to Italy by transatlantic cruise, and contracted a bad case of pneumonia on the ship. My doctor says it’s because I was in such close quarters with a bunch of people from all over the world and pretty much made my own sickness. I was gone for six weeks, and was sick for the entire thing. :'( I actually broke my rib coughing in Florence. SO painful, and so disappointing. I did not let it get me down too much, though. Although when I got home and went to the doctor, he told me I should have been in the hospital. He did a chest x-ray (probably looking for tuberculosis) and could not see my heart through the pneumonia. I was SO sick.

2. Eat more gelato.
Gelato is pretty expensive, and I did not eat nearly enough. I keep thinking back to this gelateria in Florence that sold a “cookies” gelato. It was vanilla with some kind of bakery cookie covered in chocolate mixed in. It was to DIE for, and I swear three cups of it was not enough.

3. Walk the Bridge of Sighs and go into the Dodges Palace in Venice.
Seriously. I looked at this bridge and I looked at this palace but did not go in. WHY? It’s like it did not occur to me! I was so enchanted by Venice that I wanted to be outside the whole time, I guess.

4. Spend more time in the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.
My mom and I are the art history buffs, but my dad and sister couldn’t care less. I had been wanting to see this lovely little chapel forEVER, but my mom and I felt pressured to leave sooner than we wanted because the rest of the family was bored. We should have just told them to go out without us. I could have sat there for at least another hour.

5. Visit Cinque Terre
I wanted to go to Cinque Terre before I read Wish You Were Italian, but after reading so much about it, I want to go even more, especially to Riomaggiore!

6. Actually go to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
I just sat at the bottom of it and looked up at it. There were SO MANY STAIRS to get to the top, and sickly me would just not have made it!

7. Visit the Galleria Borghese in Rome.
I’m an ART person and I did not get the chance to see this museum! There was just not enough time!

8. Stay at the Hotel Metropole in Bellagio even longer.
This hotel is the most beautiful, with the most exquisite views I’ve ever seen. We had a corner room with double balconies. My mom and I splurged on this hotel, but it was so worth it. Seriously, click on the link above and go see pictures. Bellagio is the most magical little town, and I loved exploring it.

9. Break the law more.
Haha. I know, this sounds weird. But so many of the places I went to had men yelling at tourists to not take pictures. And at first I complied. But when they tried to take my memories away of the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo’s David in the Academia in Florence, that was where I drew the line. I got one amazing photo in the Sistine Chapel, which was pure luck. I was in the middle of a huge crowd and just went for it because I knew the guards could not get to me. David was another experience. I held my camera against my stomach and tried to take pictures without being noticed. There was this really scary woman Nazi guard type who was going around making people delete their pictures! I took a risk, and she glared at me and wiggled her finger at me, but I came home with one picture of David as well. I just wish I had more!

10. Stay longer.
There were so many things I wanted to see and do, but there was just not enough time! Next time, I just need to stay in Italy longer. Or move there. *sigh*

Well, I hope you liked my list of goals! If you’re wanting to go to Italy, but just can’t afford it or make the time, grab yourself a copy of Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae! It’s the next best thing. :)

Have you heard about Camp Payback by J.K. Rock? + a Giveaway!

Posted May 7, 2014 by Jana in Blog Tour, Book Spotlight, Giveaway / 1 Comment

Welcome to my stop along the Camp Payback blog tour, hosted by AToMR Promotions! Last summer I read the first book of the series, Camp Boyfriend, and ADORED it. It is such a fun, summery romance that had me itching to go to summer camp, even though I hate bugs and dirt and campfire smoke. Check out my review of Camp Boyfriend here (the authors even wrote a fun guest post to go along with my review)! Anyway, I have been eagerly anticipating Camp Payback’s release, and you should be too! Here’s everything you need to know about it! My review will come later, as some crazy school/life stuff happened and I fell into a major reading slump that left me liking nothing I read. :)

Camp Payback by J.K. Rock
Series: Camp Boyfriend #2
Published by: Spencer Hill Contemporary on April 29, 2014
Genres: Contemporary, contemporary romance, romance
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Alex has big plans for camp this year, starting with making it the best summer ever. Having fun and breaking some rules will get her the payback she wants against her parents and her ex-boyfriend. Because of his disgusting texts, she’s headed to a super strict all-girls school in the fall.

Then she meets Javier and revenge doesn’t seem nearly as important as getting to know the troubled loner determined to keep a low profile at camp. But Alex’s trouble-magnet personality and Javier’s need to stay in the background don’t mix nearly as well as their irresistible chemistry.

With her home life eroding under her feet and her last year of summer camp speeding to a close, Alex wants to make her mark on the world and squeeze every bit of fun out of her time with Javier. Too bad her old plans for revenge turn back on her just in time to ruin everything. Will she lose Javier too?

All the Links:

International Giveaway!

WOW. What an awesome giveaway J.K. Rock has for you! Good luck! I hope you win. :)

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Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor | Mini Book Review

Posted May 5, 2014 by Jana in Book Review, Young Adult Fiction / 6 Comments

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1
Published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers on September 27, 2011
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance
Pages: 418
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
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Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Guys, this book is WEIRD! Haha. It took me a little while to get into it because of its strangeness, but then I was hooked on the story. Laini Taylor is an amazing author, and I feel kind of weird for not having read this book sooner! I am so glad my book club decided to read it for April, because I finally had an excuse to read it.

Karou is the most interesting character I’ve read about in a while. She has blue hair, she is an art student in Prague, and she is not entirely human. She was raised by a demon who lives on the other side of random doors throughout the world. He gives her languages for her birthday, and gives her wishes (hence the blue hair and the fact that her ex-boyfriend itched terribly while he was nude modeling for her art class). Karou runs errands for this demon, and when he needs her he sends a tiny little demon bird to get her. She comes across Akiva on one of her errands, barely escapes with her life, and her world kind of spirals out of control from that point on. Karou is not quite sure who she is, and there are many people who hope things stay that way.

Seriously, Laini Taylor’s imagination is CRAZY. Maybe it’s the bright pink hair? I don’t know. But she is masterful at creating a dynamic and HUGE world that I am convinced exists somewhere. I usually hate stories with angles and demons (haha. No, not talking about Dan Brown here), but I really enjoyed this one! And the mystery of who Karou is, who Akiva is, and what’s GOING ON just kept me on the edge of my seat. The language is beautiful, and can I PLEASE go to Prague!? One of my book club members, Karin, was actually in Prague when she read this and I am SO JEALOUS. From what she told me, though, Laini paints an amazingly accurate Prague… so maybe I’ve been there already? Give this book a shot if you’re in the mood for a little bit of strange and a hugely weird world.

Don’t Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout | Book Review

Posted April 29, 2014 by Jana in Book Review, Young Adult Fiction / 4 Comments

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published by Disney Hyperion on April 15, 2014
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Suspense, Thriller
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

Holy. Moly. I’ve been in a major reading slump for about the past month, so I went to Twitter and asked people what I should read. One of my friends recommended I read this one because she was hooked so quickly! I love mysteries, so I was all about it. Guys, this was amazing! I absolutely loved everything about Don’t Look Back, and am so happy to say that it pulled me out of my slump! As always, my main points are bolded. :)

1. There are not a lot of good mysteries out there for YAs these days. And the ones that ARE out there usually ends in some annoying way, like the main character dreamed/hallucinated the whole thing, or there’s not really a mystery after all because the main character is mentally ill. Don’t Look Back is a good, nail-biting, spine-tingling, gripping mystery with all the elements one looks for when they are in the mood for such a book.

2. Usually mysteries don’t do well with a romantic element because there ends up being way too many things and emotions to keep track of. The romance actually enhanced the story in this case, though. Of course, I’m happy about this because we all know I drink love stories like some people drink diet soft drinks.

3. I could not GUESS who did it! I thought for sure at two different times in the book that I had figured out who it was. I was feeling so smart and smug that I had figured everything out. NOPE. I was no Nancy Drew here, which was a very pleasant surprise.

4. Ok, I’m sorry… but I LOVE the whole “I’m caught in a post-traumatic stress induced bout of amnesia, so everything is even scarier because I don’t know anything or anyone” kind of storyline. I know it’s been done before, but I honestly do not care. There’s just something about a person with no memory of the evil that happened to them just makes my spine tingle and my skin crawl.

5. Our main girl, Samantha, does not have the Rapunzel Syndrome as a result of her memory loss. She is not this scared, timid, little naive thing with no reason or common sense. She knew to question things and she knew to keep things to herself when she needed to.

6. Speaking of Samantha, she was a HORRIBLE person before she lost her memory. I mean, she had every single mean girl stereotype going on. I LOVE that this memory loss gave her a second chance, and I loved how mortified she was every time she received new evidence of her evil past life. It just goes to show that people can change, and that you don’t HAVE to be a mean person.

7. There is such a strong sense of family and companionship in this book, and I loved that. Samantha’s brother almost immediately steps into the role of “you touch my sister, you die” even though she has been an absolute jerk to him for years. This loyalty he has for her makes him one of the strongest secondary males I’ve read about in a long time. I love that he was able to set aside the hurt she caused him to help her. And Carson, ahhhhh. She was even worse to him, yet he is able to forgive her and help her as well! I was just amazed that so many people from her younger kid days of being sweet and loving possess the ability to gather around Sam in her time of need.

8. I gotta say this: I LOVE it when a former mean girl gets to tell off her mean girl clique and leave them speechless.

9. The suspense just killed me! I read this book mostly at night, and I was too scared to run across the dark hall to go to the bathroom! There were some moments just dripping with danger and mystery, and I could not handle it! I loved it.

Thank you, Jennifer Armentrout, for pulling me out of my reading slump! Thank you to my Twitter friend (I can’t remember which one of you recommended this!) for pushing Don’t Look Back on me. I had no idea I was in the mood for a mystery, but apparently I was! Definitely get your hands on this book, friends.

Emmy Laybourne’s Monument 14 Series Retrospective + a Giveaway!

Posted April 27, 2014 by Jana in Blog Tour, Giveaway / 11 Comments

I’m so excited to have Emmy on the blog today to talk about her Monument 14 trilogy, and what it’s like to finish a trilogy. She has filmed a very fun video blog that perfectly showcases her fun personality, and will hopefully get you all psyched up for the final book, Savage Drift, which comes out on May 6th. Before I turn you over to the video, here’s some very helpful information about Savage Drift and the rest of the trilogy!

Savage Drift (Monument 14 #3) by Emmy Laybourne

The survivors of the Monument 14 have finally made it to the safety of a Canadian refugee camp. Dean and Alex are cautiously starting to hope that a happy ending might be possible.

But for Josie, separated from the group and trapped in a brutal prison camp for exposed Type Os, things have gone from bad to worse. Traumatized by her experiences, she has given up all hope of rescue or safety.

Meanwhile, scared by the government’s unusual interest in her pregnancy, Astrid (with her two protectors, Dean and Jake in tow) joins Niko on his desperate quest to be reunited with his lost love Josie.

Monument 14 on Goodreads | Sky on Fire on Goodreads | Savage Drift on Goodreads
Savage Drift Book Trailer | Emmy’s Website

Thanks for stopping by today, Emmy! Monument 14 is one of my very favorite trilogies, and I am sad to see it end. I’m excited for what you have in store for us next, though!

Macmillan is kind enough to offer up a signed trilogy to one lucky reader (USA/CAN) of my blog! I’m SO excited, because now I get to introduce this amazing trilogy to a new reader! PLUS, you don’t even have to go crazy waiting for the books to come out. You can just binge read. :) OH. And do follow the rest of the tour! There are some very fun posts. :)

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