Review: Anna And The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkin

Stephanie Perkin

This book tells a story of Anna, an American girl who was sent by her father to a boarding school in Paris, France. She was looking forward to spend her senior year with her best friend and the boy that she has a crush on but her father ruins her plan by shipping her to SOAP (School of America in Paris). 

Anna is ready to be miserable in Paris until she meets a group of friends. They are not only befriend Anna but also drag her out of her dorm to experience the city of Paris the way it should be. Anna starts to have a feeling to one of her friends in Paris, St. Clair but he is already in a relationship. She tries to hide her feeling but the connection and chemistry between them are just too much. 

To me the best part of the book is the relationship between Anna & St. Clair. It was slow, carefully developed by the author so we can feel the chemistry between the two of them. I like Anna. She tried her best to fit in with St. Clair's friends and her obsession on spending the time at cinema was so cute. And she wrote movie reviews!!! I love her. 

St. Clair is a very charming guy. Not going to blame Anna for her crush on him because he is a caring, warm and adorable. Together they are perfect for each other and it's easy to root for them to be together even though St. Clare is already taken. 

The supporting characters really added to the story. I like Josh the most and I can't wait to read the third book in this series which is going to focus on Josh and the girl who Anna thought is perfect for him, Isla. 

Overall, I love the book. It's very romantic and the ending was so beautiful. I'm currently reading the second book in this series, Lola and the Boy Next Door. 

Album: Top 5 Songs from Chapter One (Ella Henderson)

Hello!!!

Ella Henderson was in The X Factor UK 2012 and she finished at 6th place (I'm still pissed off at that). Chapter One is her debut album under Simon Cowell's label, Syco. With this album, she proved that she should be the one who walked out with the title of the winner of The X Factor (not you, James Arthur!!!)

To pick only 5 songs from this album is killing me. There are at least 10 songs that have potential to be the single. However, I have to do my job and here are my Top 5 songs from Chapter One

5. Missed

"I wish you luck and

goodbye..."

I still remember when she auditioned for The X Factor with this song. I was like "That's it... She will win!!!" and of course, I was wrong. This song is so beautiful. I love the message in this song so much. When a relationship is over, that's it... It's done. That's what I love from this song so much. 

9.5/10

4. Glow

"We are fire, we are fire,

And our love will burn..."

This song is currently the ringtone for my phone. Again, the lyrics capture my love for Ella's song. She's such a talented songwriter. This song is so catchy and I totally love it. 

10/10

3. Yours

"I'll wear your winter coat,

The one you love to wear..."

Another beautiful love song with beautiful lyrics. This is officially the third single from this album after Ghost & Glow and I think it's perfect especially for the winter. It just make me want to cuddle under the blanket with a special one even though I don't have any special one right now :( 

10/10

2. 1996

"I won't let these moments fade away,

It's cause of you I'm who I am today..."

This song is one of the 5 bonus songs from the deluxe version. Even though, I was not born in 1996, I still can relate to this song. It makes me appreciate those who's in my life. My mom, my dad, my friends etc... It's very personal. 

10/10

1. Ghost

"I'll keep going to the river,

To pray..."

Her debut single from this album. Everything about this song is perfect. The beats are so catchy and the lyrics are so dark and really meaningful. I just love it and this is definitely my favorite song from this album. 

10/10 

Overall Rating

~5 STARS~

The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale 2014 (5 Dec - 16 Dec 2014)

The best and biggest book sale ever in Malaysia is back!!! 

Oh my God... I'm so excited. Well who wouldn't be excited with 75% to 95% discounts on all books. And the book sale will be 278 hours non stop. 

Therefore, I'm not going to buy a lot of books this month. I'm going to wait until 5 Dec so I can go crazy during the book sale. Among the discounted books on my list are 'Attachments' by Rainbow Rowell which is the only Rainbow Rowell's book that I don't have on my shelves. I also saw books in 'The Mortal Instruments' series. So I'm definitely going to buy them. And, I also planned to buy 'The Kite Runner' and other few adult genre books.

I can't wait to share with you guys what I will get from this book sale. See ya!!!

Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Rainbow Rowell

Cath is a fan fiction writer and she's going to major in English at the college. But she is not thrilled to start her new life at the college; due to her twin sister, Wren who chose not to be a roommate with Cath. She finds out that it is hard for her to write her own story and wonders that maybe she just a good writer when it comes to fan fiction only. 

Basically her life sucks. Her roommate (Reagan) is not really friendly but Reagan's ex boyfriend, Levi who keeps coming to Cath's room (and calls her Cather) is way too friendly to her and somehow it bothers her. Cath is a very shy girl and unlike her sister she is socially unskilled. Except for Wren, she doesn't has friends.

 I really love 'Eleanor & Park' so my expectation towards this book was really high. And I heard lot of great things about this book. Cath totally reminds me of myself when I was about to start college. The fact that both of us write fan fiction makes me feel so close to her. She's very smart but sometimes it's hard for her to trust people. Probably because her mother left her when she was still a child. And now, she feels like her twin sister want to leave her as well and she was so lonely until she met Levi. Levi is very charming, genuine and honest. It's so easy to like and root for him.

I love the fact that the relationship between Cath & Levi took some times to bloom. It was gentle and slow. The bonding between them was so sweet and romantic. My favorite scene is definitely when Cath reads her fan fiction to Levi. It was such a tender and lovely moment to me. 

The development of the characters are very good. Besides Cath & Levi, I also love Reagan. She's so real and I was hoping that we get to learn more about her. I didn't like Wren at first but at the end of the book, I totally get her. The writings is brilliant. And I really like the snippet of a Simon Snow & Baz stories at the beginning of every chapter. I want to read 'Carry On' so much. 

With this book, Rainbow Rowell just become my favorite author. I love 'Eleanor & Park' but I felt more connection to 'Fangirl'. Some people might love 'Eleanor & Park' more but it's okay for me cause both books are amazing. I can't wait to read 'Landline' soon. 

Album: Top 5 Songs from 1989 (Taylor Swift)

Hello!!!

1989 is definitely one of the best albums in 2014 for me. It is Taylor Swift's fifth album after Taylor Swift (2006), Fearless (2008), Speak Now (2010) and Red (2012). I'm a huge fan of her and to me this is her best album to date. I love the 80's pop influence in this album and it sounds so different from her previous albums. To pick only 5 songs from this album is so confusing. My ranking is changing everyday. But right now, this is my Top 5 songs from 1989;

5. Out of the Woods

"Looking at it now

Last December, we were built to fall apart..."

I love the beats in the intro so much. And the chorus (even though it's repetitive), I still enjoy it. The first and second verse are strong. 

9/10

4. Shake It Off

"And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate,

Baby I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake..."

The first time I listened to this song, I'm not really a fan of it but it grows on me a lot. The message in this song is very positive. And the beats just make you want to shake your booty and dance along with Taylor Swift (and leave you wondering if your dance is better than her). 

9/10

3. Welcome to New York

"It's a new soundtrack,

I could dance to this beat, beat, forevermore..."

This song somehow reminds me of 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'. I really like the whole vibes in this song. It's like you're welcoming something new into your life. It's a feel-good song. It makes you happy and just want to enjoy your life. 

9.5/10

2. Style

"You got that James Dean day dream look in your eye,

And I got that red lip classic thing that you like..."

First time I listened to this song, I just love it instantly. It's very catchy and the chorus is really strong. This song should be a single. So much potential. 

10/10

1. Blank Space

"Got a long list of ex-lovers,

They'll tell you I'm insane..."

My favorite song from 1989. It is the official second single from this album. This song is like a warning to the boys who might want to date her next time. I love how Taylor 'mocked' her relationship in this song. The music video is really good. 

10/10

Overall Rating

~5 STARS~

TBR: November 2014

Hello

I have several books on my list this month. I still haven't finished two books that I listed last month. So I need to catch up with it. But still, I have 5 books that I plan to read this month. 

I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

~ I really like the synopsis and I also heard so many raves about this book. I'm definitely going to read it this month. 

Lola And The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

~ I love Anna so much. I read it last month and after I finished it, I instantly started to read Lola. Already 100 pages so I'm pretty sure I'm going to finish it by this month and I can start to read Isla next. I'm looking forward to read Isla cause I kinda love her character in the first book. 

Caught by J.L Merrow

It's a M/M romance book. The synopsis sounds so good. A nerdy primary school teacher with a hunky rat-catcher. I almost finished the book and so far I really love it. 

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

~ I plan to read the book first before I watch the movie. So this one is definitely on my list of TBR for this month. I heard that it's a really sad book. Not sure if I'm ready to read it. 

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

~ I know so many people love this book. And finally I decided to join the festivity. I read the first few pages and I already love it. I'm not optimist whether I can finish this book by the end of this month but we'll see. 

Book Haul: October 2014

Hello Everyone!!!

I read lot of books on October and I'm really proud with myself. I cut my internet hours and spent more time on reading. I finished 10 books which is freakin' crazy for someone like me. 

As for the new books this month, I bought several books. And I already read some of them (How productive I am this month!). Here are the books that I bought in October;

The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern

~ I really like P.S. I Love You but her books that I read so far were quite depressing. I still didn't finish The Place Called Here because of that. But the synopsis of her 2009 release sounds promising. 

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

~ I bought the movie tie-in edition. I still didn't watched the movie version but the trailer looked so good. I'm going to read the book first then I'll watch the movie. 

I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

~ Many reviewers stated that this book is one of the best books in 2014. So I'm looking forward to read this. I'm not sure what the book is all about but I heard it's a story between twins. 

Summer And The City by Candace Bushnell

~ I read the first book and I really like the tv show. Too bad it was cancelled already. When I saw this book at my local bookstore with 90% off for the hard cover, I grab it instantly. Not sure when I'm going to read this yet because I still have lot of books to catch up with. 

Te@mare: Volume 2 by Ben

~ This one is a graphic novel. I read the first volume earlier and I really love the story so much. It's a contemporary graphic novel. The artworks are so beautiful. Huge fan or the author.