Lulyka's reads

So, my finals were finally over on friday and now I can begin to blog again! I admit I was not reading nearly as much as I normally do, or better, I was not reading as much good stuff as I normally do (let me give you an advice: read a whole calculus book in 2 days, not the best idea), but I was able to sneak a book or two this month. So the plan is to compensate my absense with a full catch up!
I will be reviewing all the books I read this past month and also the read-a-thon ones on the next two weeks! They are:
- The Elite, by Kiera Cass
- The Age of Miracles, by Karen Thompson Walker
- Interworld, by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves
- Epic Fail, by Claire LaZebnik
- Secret Lives, by Gabriella Poole
- The Madman's Daughter, by Megan Shepherd
- The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman
- and you can expect reviews of the books I will be reading!
So, there will be a review every 2 days on the blog, and I also plan some tags and other things, so stay tunned! I will de back in two days with a review!

In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.
Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

This is a quick post just to tell that an e-book version of the The Program, by Suzanne Young, is free for reading on Pulseit this week. For those who don't know Pulseit is a online community of Simon and Schuster where they put extra information on their teen books. You can read excerpts, have chats with the autors and also sometimes they put an entire book there for free. It's a really cool place to get to know new books.

The Program have a really cool premise, sci-fi, dystopia-ish and also sounds a little creepy. It will definetly be my next read.

Just don't forget: the book will be up for reading until 26 of may. After this date the book can't be accessed.

Links: Pulseit  |  The Program

Later, I would come to think of those first days as the time when we learned as a species that we had worried over the wrong things: the hole in the ozone layer, the melting of the ice caps, West Nile and swine flu and killer bees. But I guess it never is what you worry over that comes to pass in the end. The real catastrophes are always different—unimagined, unprepared for, unknown.

Warning: This review contains spoilers of Legend!

June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the two join a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and offer passage to the Colonies. They have only one request—June and Day must assassinate the new Elector.
It’s their chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long.
But as June realizes this Elector is nothing like his father, she’s haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood—what if the Patriots are wrong?

    This is the second book in the Legend trilogy, and It was just as good as the first one. It picks up right after Legend ended: Day has just escaped and he and June are trying to contact the patriots. But then the Elector dies and his son, Anden, rise to power, and now is the best time to strike the republic. So the patriots propose a deal: they will save Day's brother if they assasinate the new Elector. That's when the plot starts to take off: June comes back to the republic with the mission to win Anden's trust and lead him to his death, and Day stays with the patriots.

    In this book we have a better view of the politics in the republic: we see the patriots, the new Elector taking his place in the government, the power struggle with the senate, and also we have a better glimpse at the colonies. I really liked that aspect of the book, not really the 'in deep' that I wanted, but it was really good, contrabalanced well all the action scenes, that was as present as in the last book. Looking forward for that part in book three!

    Than we have the development in their relationship, the part that didn't have me that happy. I thought that it needed a little more development, specially with Day, in his doubts and choices, for me was a little rushed at the end. But that is more nitpicking than a real issue with the book.

    Overall it was a great read, right on top with the first one! It's one of my favourites series and I'm really liking the way it's going and the sound of the last book, can't wait for that one to came out.

Soundtrack: Imagine Dragons (any of their musics, but specially Selene or Radioactive)

“Idiotic reply, June. Why don't you punch him in the face while you're at it. I turn even more flustered when I remember that I have actually pistol-whipped him in the face before. Romantic”

“Aw, come on, sweetheart. I thought I was doing a pretty good job. I got my arm around the prettiest escort on this block—how could I not be lusting over you? Don’t I look like I’m lusting? This is me, lusting.” His lashes flutter at me.
He looks so ridiculous that I can’t help laughing. “Much better.”

Not much reading was done in day 4 (except if you count uni work, than I can count 150 or so pages to my total, can I?). But day 3 was quite a productive day: I was able to finish EONA, by Alison Goodman, and read a little bit of The Elite, by Kiera Cass.

Day 3: 164 pages

Day 4: 0 pages

Total read: 416 pages

Books finished:

Prodigy, (Marie Lu)

Eona, (Alison Goodman)

One of the more fun parts of the Bout of Books read-a-thon are the challenges, and today I decided to participate in a 'do your own cover' challenge. So, this is my entry in the "Create a Cover Challenge" hosted by I Talk Books! I decided to do one for Eona, by Alison Goodman, that is the book that I will be reading (and finishing, I promise) today. Not the best cover in the world, and definetly not comparable to the original, but I still had much fun doing it!

Here is the original cover and my version of it:

This is the update for the first 2 days in the Bout of Books read-a-thon. I had a slow start, reading 103 pages in day 1 and 122 in day 2. But, I was able to finish one of the books: Prodigy, by Marie Lu. And... Oh, Day, don't do that... Just...I can't handle...

Day one: 103 pages

Day two: 122 pages

Total read: 225 pages

Books finished:

Prodigy (Marie Lu)

Today is the start of the Bout of Books Read-a-thon, so I though I would let you know my status on the books I will be reading this week:

- Let the Sky Fall - Shannon Messenger - Page 79 of 416 - 337 pages to go

- Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card - Page 120 of 324 - 204 pages to go

- Eona - Alison Goodman - Page 370 of 480 - 110 pages to go

- American Gods - Neil Gaiman - Page 54 of 444 - 390 pages to go

- The War of the Worlds - H. G. Wells - Page 44 of 200 - 156 pages to go

- Prodigy - Marie Lu - Page 146 of 371 - 225 pages to go

 
And because I have no self control or planning capacity, I add another book to the pile:
- The Elite - Kiera Cass - Page 66 of 351 - 285 pages to go

 
So, I have an insane amount of 1707 pages to read this week, that's 244 pages a day or a page every 6 minutes. I will never be able to do that.

"An enemy, Ender Wiggin," whispered the old man. "I am your enemy, the first one you've ever had who was smarter than you. There is no teacher but the enemy. No one but the enemy will tell you what the enemy is going to do. No one but the enemy will ever teach you how to destroy and conquer. Only the enemy shows you where you are weak. Only the enemy tells you where he is strong. And the rules of the game are what you can do to him and what you can stop him from doing to you. I am your enemy from now on. From now on I am your teacher."

Finally the trailer for Ender's game! This is my absolute favourite book, the one that I push on my friends and really fangirl on. If you haven't read it go do it, now!

Also, I will be re-reading the book on the bout of books read-a-thon next week (see the post here), so stay tuned for a review in the near future!

This previous april was the most erratic month that I had in a really long time, in the reading departament. With college picking up I had very little time to read and every time I picked up a book I was in a mood for a diferent thing. The result: only one book read and a gazillion others started and now fighting for my atention.

So, when I heard of the read-a-thon I immediatly thought: Now is the time!

So... what's the read-a-thon?

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 7.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

My Goals:

I will not set a fixed time or days that I will be reading, but I will clear every little space in my agenda and hope for the best.

Books:

- Let the Sky Fall - Shannon Messenger

- Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

- Eona - Alison Goodman

- American Gods - Neil Gaiman

- The War of the Worlds - H. G. Wells

- Prodigy - Marie Lu

Bonus points: (in the highly improbable case that I'm able to finish all those books)

- A Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin

- The Arabian Nights (book 1)

Challenges:

- Creat a Cover Challenge - Day 3

See my updates here:

 - 3.. 2.. 1.. go!

- Days 1 and 2

- Days 3 and 4

Karou wished she could be the kind of girl who was complete unto herself, comfortable in solitude, serene. But she wasn't. She was lonely, and she feared the missingness within her as if it might expand and...cancel her. She craved a presence beside her, solid. Fingertips light at the nape of her neck and a voice meeting hers in the dark. Someone who would wait with an umbrella to walk her home in the rain, and smile like sunshine when he saw her coming. Who would dance with her on her balcony, keep his promises and know her secrets, and make a tiny world wherever he was, with just her and his arms and his whisper and her trust.

“More about Howl? Sophie thought desperately. I have to blacken his name! Her mind was such a blank that for a second it actually seemed to her that Howl had no faults at all. How stupid! 'Well, he's fickle, careless, selfish, and hysterical,' she said. 'Half the time I think he doesn't care what happens to anyone as long as he's alright--but then I find out how awfully kind he's been to someone. Then I think he's kind just when it suits him--only then I find out he undercharges poor people. I don't know, Your Majesty. He's a mess.”

I close my eyes and listen to the wind - and I don't hear the thundering, whipping sound I expect. I hear the ancient language that belongs to the wind and the wind alone. It whispers of the places it's been.
Of change.
Of power.
Of freedom.
I want to listen forever. And that's when I know.
I'm not humam.

I have no idea what I am, or what I'm supposed to do with that revelation. But it doesn't stop it from being true.
A lurch in my stomach rips me back to reality and I open my eyes. We're falling, fast and hard. I can't be sure - but I have a feeling the girly scream comes from me.

“Someone needs to tell those tales. When the battles are fought and won and lost, when the pirates find their treasures and the dragons eat their foes for breakfast with a nice cup of Lapsang souchong, someone needs to tell their bits of overlapping narrative. There's magic in that. It's in the listener, and for each and every ear it will be different, and it will affect them in ways they can never predict. From the mundane to the profound. You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift. Your sister may be able to see the future, but you yourself can shape it, boy. Do not forget that... there are many kinds of magic, after all.”

“Until a few days ago, humans had been little more than legend to him, and now here he was in their world. It was like stepping into the pages of a book -- a book alive with color and fragrance, filth and chaos -- and the blue-haired girl moved through it all like a fairy through a story, the light treating her differently than it did others, the air seemed to gather around her like held breath. As if this whole place was a story about her.”