mercoledì 31 dicembre 2014

Wishlist Wednesday #11 Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Meme hosted @ Pen To Paper Blog

Gone Girl
Gillian Flynn

Goodreads


On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media--as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents--the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter--but is he really a killer? 

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet? 


Well, I saw the film just a week ago and I found it absolutely amazing ! I was completely blown away from the beginning till the end ! I loved how you really can't put your fingers on what is happening until the end of the story and I am so curious to know how the book develops because, you know, usually the book is far better than the movie !! Besides, I really couldn't believe how the movie ended, and I really hope that by reading the book I will be able to have more informations about Nick and Amy's future. Can't wait to read it, really!! 

What are you waiting for this Wednesday? Have you already read Gone Girl?



....AAAAAAND !

I also take this meme as an opportunity to wish you all a very
happy and prosperous New Year ! I wish you all an abundance
of happiness, love.. but especially good books ! Let's see what 
this New Year will bring us ! 


lunedì 29 dicembre 2014

Review: Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Forbidden 

Author: Tabitha Suzuma
Published: May 27th 2010
Publisher: Definitions
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 432
Source: Bought
Purchase: Amazon, TBD

From Goodreads:

She is pretty and talented - sweet sixteen and never been kissed. He is seventeen; gorgeous and on the brink of a bright future. And now they have fallen in love. But... they are brother and sister.

Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending.


My Review

Let's start by saying that I got a bit rusty at writing reviews, since I didn't write any for a very long time... but I'm gonna do my best and try to fix this.

Forbidden caught my attention actually a couple of years ago (it was my first purchase from the Book Depository YAY!) but I didn't picked it up until last week. I have to admit that I thought that it would affect me way harder than it actually did, but it was nonetheless a fantastic, overwhelming, read.

If you read the plot you immediately understand how original the story can be and how touching the book turns out; I would say it was almost perfect if it wasnt' for some minor problems that I will discuss later. One of the things I loved about the book was the author's approach to such a big taboo; Tabitha decided to analyse deeply the psycological aspect of Lochan and Maya's bound, focusing on their emotional involvement, but she did it so well that she succeeded in presenting them almost as two friends: their complicity was so deep that the reader completely forgets about the fact that they are actually brother and sister. The author's capacity indeed, certainly helped at making the reader at ease with consensual incest and I wouldn't underestimate such an ability ! I loved how the writer focused on the family context and on Maya and Lochan's situation because I thought it greatly influenced the growth of their passion. Being left by their father and forced to look after their siblings because of their mother's addiction to alcohol, Maya and Lochan find themselves living like two actual, adult, parents. The fact that they had to take on adults' responsabilities and that they could never let their siblings down, pushed the one towards the other; the two of them, indeed, could only share their sadness and their pessimism toward their future life only with each other, and their bond was actually the only thing that keep giving them hope. I think that the family condition really helped at giving the reader a sort of justification for Maya and Lochan's attachment and therefore coping better with such a difficult subject.

Moreover the author's style is so great that she perfectly knows how to make the pain feel real and how to drag you into "pitying" them. As I already told, the reader grows so fond of the characters and their condition that for a moment you wish you could toss aside all the brother-and-sister thing.

What I had some problem with was actually the beginning, I thought it was very slow and I couldn't really see the turning point approaching - my twisted mind so wanted to have more of Maya and Lochan's moments ! On the other hand I have to admit that the low pace of the beginning actually increased the emotional suspense of the last 100 pages. I would have never thought about such a tragic ending, but I admire the writer so much for this not "happy everafter", because it certainly feels more realistic than any other option.
Altough I thought I would have cried more, I certainly recommend this book to all those who love a good, heart-wrenching, novel. You can bet that I will immediately add more of Tabitha Suzuma's novels to my to-read pile!



Rated 4,5





giovedì 31 luglio 2014

Feature and Follow #10 Sara In Bookland is featured on Parajunkee !


Yay ! This week I am the featured blogger on Parajunkee !
Can't tell how excited I am ! I am really considering it as a sign of destiny
to support me in my decision to start book blogging again !

Follow on Bloglovin

So here is the interview ! 

When did you start blogging?
I started blogging two years ago, exactly in June. I had recently started to follow some book blogs and I thought: why not having my own book blog? That's how Sara In Bookland was born, simply as an experiment ! I fell in love with everything that involved book blogging : reviews, interviews, weekly meme and giveaways (those were probably my favourites!)

What is your favorite part of book blogging?
What I love the most about book blogging is receiving comments and being in touch with other readers who may share (or not) my thoughts about books. I love writing and publishing reviews but seeing how people react to your own opinion it's probably the most interesting part.

What type of books do you mainly blog about?
I basically read all kind of books : Fantasy, YA, contemporary, Horror, historical romances. It's difficult to say what I mainly blog about .. I guess we could say Fantasy?! 

What is your favorite book(s)?
That's a tough one ! I have to admit that the first series I fell in love with was the Mortal Instruments by C.Clare (I probably started devouring books after that), but then there are other series I need to mention, like THG or the Divergent series. Speaking of stand-alone books I loved : The Shadow of the Wind, The Picture of Dorian Gray, the Hypnotist and Looking for Alaska. Really can't choose one.

What has been the best thing that has happened to you because of book blogging?
The best thing that has happened to me because of book blogging is certainly the possibility of receiving review copies from authors that lived completely on the other side of the world. Having this kind of relationships for me has been completely unforgettable ! It is amazing  to see how people trust in you, how they are available and willing to "bet" on you and on your opinion. 


This week's question
What is the biggest city you live near (or interesting landmark)? Show us a postcard picture.

The biggest city I live near? The amazing ROME ! Never really loved my city until I started travelling.. it is true, we have tons of problems, mainly about organisation, but the aesthetic of Rome is simply unbelievable.






Two days in Ischia <3

Hey lovely people !

How are you? I couldn't be more happy about how I spent these last two days ! I finally got the chance to have a relaxing trip with my boyfriend to .. Ischia ! Have you ever heard of this amazing island? Is a fantastic place in the Gulf of Naples that really deserves to be seen. I was amazed by its beauty ! I have always thought that travelling abroad could bring me the greatest satisfaction but, today I can tell you that Ischia is probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. 
Even if being back to Rome has been kind of upsetting, I am more determined than ever to keep following the blog and try my best to keep it up to date.
For today, I will leave you with some great pictures I took (I'm not much of a big photographer though) during my trip but please remember to check out the blog tomorrow for a big surprise ! I can't tell you how excited I am for tomorrow's post so stay tuned ! xx









venerdì 25 luglio 2014

Feature and Follow #9 Your favourite tv series



Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature&Follow! If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers -- but you have to know -- the point of this hop is to follow other bloggers also. I follow you, you follow me.


The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs! 



How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools -- keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

This week's Question:

What is your favorite tv series that you can watch over and over again on Netflix?


I have probably started every single post of this meme with this same sentence "this is a hard question". But God, it is so true ! I am a tv series addicted, I watched entire tv series during these past two years and it is really difficult for me to choose one... let's say that I will introduce you to those I love most. 


Skins is certainly the best series ever. It talks about everyday problems, about
 life and the stories it proposes are so touching and heartbreaking that they 
will completely catch you ! Loved the first and second generation so much
that I couldn't really go further with the third.


American Horror Story, season 1 is simply amazing ! I do love horrors
and this series was the perfect mix between hate and love, horror and 
romance. I was a little disappointed by the second and the third series though.


Pretty Little Liars, is not properly one of my fav series but it's the one I am still 
following. Loved the first series, even if the story has become a little too
long and complicated, and not in a positive way ! I mean .. 5 seasons? They are
definitely beating about the bush !


What about your favourite tv series?

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mercoledì 23 luglio 2014

Wishlist Wednesday #10


Meme hosted @ Pen To Paper Blog


Allegiant 
by Veronica Roth
Goodreads


The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. 

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love. 

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Yes, I know, I should be ashamed of not having read this little one ! I do not know how to apologize, since the Divergent series has always been one of my favourite, still I don't know how it all ended. I could say I was too busy studying but there are no valid reasons to my negligence. I am so angry because recently I have also discovered something about the plot that I didn't want to know... so ... I may know how the book ends but still, I NEED to finish this series decently. Going to recharge my prepaid card as soon as possible !

Have you read Allegiant? Did you like it as an ending?
 
Images by Freepik