Review of: The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti

Why I have been absent:

This may sound like an excuse, but the real reason why I am having trouble posting, is because of school. Almost every class gives me homework every night, and this all totals up to about 6 hours of homework a night. I am hoping to at least put out one post a week, whether it be a review or a meme. I hope you all understand the pressures of high school, and forgive me for not being on! </3

The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti

Page Count(Paper Back Edition): 288
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Released: February 27th, 2007
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Read: September 3rd-15th
Source: Books-A-Million

Synopsis: 

I am not my illness. "Girl with Anxiety," "Trauma of the Week" -- no. I hate stuff like that. Everyone, everyone has their issue. But the one thing my illness did make me realize is how necessary it is to ignore the dangers of living in order to live. And how much trouble you can get into if you can't.
Jade DeLuna is too young to die. She knows this, and yet she can't quite believe it, especially when the terrifying thoughts, loss of breath, and dizzy feelings come. Since being diagnosed with Panic Disorder, she's trying her best to stay calm, and visiting the elephants at the nearby zoo seems to help. That's why Jade keeps the live zoo webcam on in her room, and that's where she first sees the boy in the red jacket. A boy who stops to watch the elephants. A boy carrying a baby.

His name is Sebastian, and he is raising his son alone. Jade is drawn into Sebastian's cozy life with his son and his activist grandmother on their Seattle houseboat, and before she knows it, she's in love. With this boy who has lived through harder times than anyone she knows. This boy with a past.

Jade knows the situation is beyond complicated, but she hasn't felt this safe in a long time. She owes it all to Sebastian, her boy with the great heart. Her boy who is hiding a terrible secret. A secret that will force Jade to decide between what is right, and what feels right.

Master storyteller Deb Caletti has once again created characters so real, you will be breathless with anticipation as their riveting story unfolds.

This book has been on my to-read list for a little while now. I am so overly happy that I randomly decided to read this! The Nature of Jade was an emotional ride for me, but so worth it because of the great moral behind the story. (:

I was really intrigued when I first read the synopsis. Jade has an anxiety disorder which she has lived with all her life, which made this book stand out a little more than others. Throughout the book, you travel with her and her struggle with anxiety. Jade spends her time as a senior in a repetitive routine; school, watching elephants via webcam and homework. Then she spots a boy, Sebastian. Jade continues to watch him until..She decides to change up her routine, and goes to volunteer at her local zoo, and help with the elephants. Jade wants to change her fate, and finally meet Sebastian. She does, and her whole world is changed forever.

What really amazed me was Jade's ability to calm herself down when she got really stressed out. She reminded herself that physically her body was fine, even though her mind made her think otherwise. Jade would breathe in and out, and focus on smaller things to stay calm. At the end, Sebastian has to help her regain her calmness when she really is spun out of control. That was a really emotional part of the story that helped me understand what it's like to live with a disorder like that.

I really did like the character set in this book. I couldn't get enough of Jade and Sebastian and little Bo. Oliver was really cute, and appealed to me more than anyone else because he loved to read! Jenna, Hannah, Kayla, Michael and Akello were side characters that I didnt really care for that much. They didn't help nor hurt the story, but I felt they weren't all necessary, except for a few crucial parts. Jade's Mom and Dad were a really good add to the story, because along the way, they start to play a big part in Jade's life(I can't really explain it very well). Abe, her counselor, gave me more depth into dealing with an Anxiety Disorder. It was all sort of a learning experience for me when he asked Jade questions, and I really felt like I was there in 1st person. Damian and Delores were the two major people at the zoo that Jade communicated formed a bond with. Damian was like the head boss of the elephant part of the zoo, and trained Jade on how to interact with them, feed them, do enrichment tasks, etc. I found that really fascinating, Jade being able to be in person daily with elephants. Delores was the ticket booth person, but towards the end she bonded with a special elephant who was in need of it.

Every new chapter, there was an excerpt from  the book The Fundamentals of Animal Behavior by Dr. Jerome R. Clade. Each related specifically with what was happening in the story at that time. The facts were so interesting, that I put that book on my to-read list!

Overall, The Nature of Jade was a very touching, emotional read(to me), and I highly recommend this to anyone. Seriously, pick this book up ASAP! ♥

♦Haley♦

Top Ten Tuesday #3 = Top Ten Bookish Confessions

This weeks Top Ten Tuesday is all about Bookish Confessions. Hosted @ The Broke and the Bookish 

Here are mine (:

1. I don't like it when people disrespect books. Some author put in their time and hard work to make that!
2. Dog-earing books is a big no-no for me. Ruins the page and makes the book look unprofessional.  Bookmarks all the way, especially the little magnet ones! Those are like the only one's I use (:
3. I like to read both hardcover and paperback, but paperback draws me a little more than hardcover.. (:
4. I love love love to sort my books by series. I stack one on top of another, and tend to straighten them a lot.
5. I'm a little ashamed of this one, but I don't really like it when people touch or pick up my books. They are like my little babies, so I gotta take care of them!
6. I tend to take off the cover of a hardcover book. It's a habit that I can't control. Since the covers are so pretty and new, I like to keep them safe and unscratched.
7. I can't help but notice spelling errors. I'm not a real stickler about it, but they just pop out at me.
8. Someday, I hope to take everything out my bookshelves and reorder all of my books by series, and maybe color for standalone's.
9. Since I like a lot of book genre's, I have over 400 books on my TBR list, which is going to consume me sooner or later >_<
10. Most of the books I read and review come from the library, because they are free and there is no limit to how many I can check out at one time! I think my top amount of books checked out has been 15.. ha ha.

So there they are! Do you agree of disagree with any? Or do you have some of your own? Leave me comment below.

♦Haley♦

Review of The Daughters Break The Rules by Joanna Philbin/ Stacking The Shelves #3

This is a combination post, as I have just gotten a new book in the mail!

The Daughters Break The Rules by Joanna Philbin

Page Count(Paperback edition): 276  
Series: Daughters #2
Publisher: Poppy (I love poppy!)
Released: April 5th, 2011
Genre: Young Adult Realistic Fiction
My Rating: 5 stars
Read: August 16th - 26th
Source: Books-A-Million    

Synopsis:

Daughters Rule Number Six: Never talk to the press about your parents.

After leaking a story about the family business, impetuous high school freshman Carina Jurgensen is cut off by her billionaire father. Always resourceful, she fibs her way into a job as a party planner for New York's annual Silver Snowflake Ball. But when Carina finds out that the party committee expects favors and freebies from her dad's A-list connections, a choice must be made: Does she get real about her downgraded status, or pretend she's still the ultimate heiress?

Best friends and fellow daughters of celebrities Lizzie Summers, Carina Jurgensen and Hudson Jones are back in Joanna Philbin's second stylish and heartfelt Daughters novel.

This is going to be a shortish review, as I am still on hiatus. Hope you enjoy! (:

Ah! What can I say? The Daughters Break The Rules was an excellent sequel to The Daughters, and I'm very happy I picked it up. It didn't disappoint, in fact it may even be better than The Daughters!

From this book I got a good mixture of emotions. People may just think that this sounds like every other chick-lit book. I admit, it had some of that (but I LOVE that), but it also had real tones of learning how to live with little. Carina was put in the situation where she was cut off from everything and had only $20 a week, and they twenty dollars included food, clothes and extra stuff. If you haven't noticed, $20 goes by quick. So throughout the story, Carina had to learn how to not only cope with it, but also be grateful for what she has. She definitely grew during the story.

The plot was cute and quick. There was no slow down from point to point, and still had enough sufficient points to make me happy. I really thought that Carina was going to have to stay in California, and would have liked to seen that. But I'm still really happy with how it ended. Almost everyone had a picture perfect ending.. I can't tell you who didn't though! I am really looking forward to reading the third book in the series, The Daughters Take The Stage. I most definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a sweet and relatively short read. (:

And now... drum roll please..

This is also a Stacking The Shelves! Just today, I went to my mailbox and found an ARC copy of:

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian. I have received the paperback copy(YEEE) and a complimentary sunscreen!(I'm going to cherish it forever hehe) Courtesy of Kristi from The Story Siren(Thank you so much Krisi! ♥)

 Without further ado, here is the beautiful cover and synopsis!

Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister.

Kat is tired of the rumours, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person– her ex-best friend– and she's ready to make her pay.

Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him.

Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they each had a taste.

I cannot wait to start reading this! I'm so happy that I got to post this much today, especially because of how busy high school is! Also, due to Hurricane Isaac, I had today off and tomorrow too! So tomorrow I will have Top Ten Tuesday up for you. Hope you all are safe and away from Isaac.

Any questions or comments on my review and/or my Stacking The Shelves? Leave them below please (:

♦ Haley ♦

Maybe a Blog Hiatus?

Hi my lovely viewers and followers (: I'm here to talk about something I never ever wanted to talk about; hiatus on here.  I just started high school today(yeah, yeah I'm a freshy) and I have realized how busy I am going to be between my 7 classes, down time, softball and blogging! I am taking some pretty tough classes this year, including two Advanced Placement classes, Environmental Science and Human Geography. That being said, those are going to be my hardest classes this year. I don't want to leave you guys permanently, but I say maybe 2 weeks tops I will be gone?.. I'm just going to have to see how things go. I will be posting probably some reviews and maybe some meme's, but I wont be back up to speed until a few weeks, or until I get in the groove. I am really sorry guys, and I'm going to miss you guys a whole lot! But don't forget me! I appreciate each and every one of you, for all the help you have given me (:

Bye, for now ); Mwah

Haley

Still on my Mind #3

Sorry for the lack of book reviews, I'm reading this book right now that I'm not going to review,because it's not YA. So today, I'm going a to start a YA book that I can review. I'm also busy because school starts up in a few days, so I'm running around trying to get every little thing possible done. 

Still on my Mind is hosted by Haley at .Ya-Aholic (: Every Thursday will feature a book that you read months or even YEARS ago that was so good (or so scary/unique/funny..etc) that it is 'Still on my (your) Mind!'

This week's "Still on my Mind" is: 

Wicked Lovely(Wicked Lovely #1) by Melissa Marr.

Released: June 12, 2007, HarperTeen.

Synopsis: 

Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries.Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty - especially if they learn of her Sight - and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.

Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries.
Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.

Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention.
But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King, who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost — regardless of her plans or desires.

Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.

Faery intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning twenty-first-century faery tale.

Has anybody else had that feeling where you forget about something(in this case, a book) but it's still lurking in your subconscious? That's how I felt yesterday, because I was planning what book to write about today, and Wicked Lovely popped up ! I think it had it's own reasons for popping up ..

1. I haven't read a Faery /fantasy book like this in a while, since the summer of 6th grade
2. This is the only book I've read of the series! (it's sad, because there are five other books in the main series TBR)
3. I only remember bits and pieces of it.

BUT. What I do remember has stayed with me ever since. With perfect clarity, I remember the total darkness and evil in this book, it amazed me! This is certainly not my usual read, especially way back then. I never read Faery books and if I happened to, it was like a needle in a haystack. I absolutely hated Faery books of any kind. I had come across a few really bad ones in the past. But this one book changed my whole perspective. I'm really starting to warm up to this genre, and I'm excited to re-read this book and finish the rest of the series. Again, another series to complete! I'm seriously going to get buried underneath my pile!

What's your "Still on my (your) Mind"? Leave me a comment or link and I will positivley look at them (:

"Waiting on" Wednesday #2

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Mind Games(Mind Games #1) by Kiersten White

Synopsis:

Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future.

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways…or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.

In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other—no matter the cost.

This book synopsis makes me want it right now. It has the right touch of suspense, fantasy and paranormalcy. It makes me feel like I would definitely protect my sister if I had to (but I don't have a sister haha). Now, all I'm thinking about is this book and GIMME GIMME. Plus it's going to be a series or books, so even more goodness to come.

The expected publication is February 19th 2013 by HarperTeen

About the Author:

KIERSTEN WHITE

Hi! I give the most awkward hugs in the world. I also write books. I'd opt for one of my books over one of my hugs. Lucky for you, I write a lot of them.
The New York Times bestsellersParanormalcy and Supernaturallyare available in bookstores everywhere, with the third book in the trilogy, Endlessly, out July 2012.

Mind Games, the first in a new series, is out in February, 2013. An Egyptian mythology based standalone, The Chaos of Stars, follows in fall 2013, with the sequel to Mind Games in February, 2014. And another book after that. And after that? Another one. I'm a very busy girl.


What is your "Waiting on" Wednesday? You know what to do! (if you don't , please leave me a link or a comment, if you'd like :) )

Top Ten Tuesday #2 = Romances You Think Would Last Outside The Book!

Hmm.. I think I can name a few off the top of my head ;) PS: There may be spoilers. You've been warned!

1. Katniss and Peeta from The Hunger Games Trilogy. Obviously, they are the hottest fictional couple right now, so I definitely think their relationship would stand the test of time in their generation. But, it could be rocky. If you read the Mockingjay already and you know what happens to Peeta, then you know what I mean. But, I don't want to spoil it for anyone so I'll just leave it at that.





2. Rose and Dimitri from Vampire Academy. Holy moly, this whole series blew me away! Honestly, they are my favorite book couple. Rose and Dimitri always were the couple I was rooting for from the beginning. Since they are both guardians, they can kick some ass  you know what. They can defend themselves, their Dhampir's and still have a relationship all at the same time.









3. Hermione and Ron from Harry Potter. I may be making this more towards the last movie but i don't care. (: They are flipping adorable together, and they don't realize till the end! They complete each other and could totally make it in the real world. They'd just be all googly eyed, aha.

4. Ever and Damen from The Immortals Series. Now, I know a lot of people don't like this series as a whole, but the romance is so great in my opinion! I'm only 3 books into the series, so don't tell me anything that may ruin it! Ever and Damen are probably one of the most complicated relationship's I've read about. But together, they can conquer any obstacles. Plus, with their mind abilities? They're unstoppable.

5. Calla and Shay from The Nightshade Trilogy. Ok now I have two favorite book couples, this being one of them! Call me bread and butter me up because that's what this trilogy did to me! I was blown away by the amazing series and the romances. Very cute and selected. At first it was Calla and Ren, but then something happened.. I can't say or it'll ruin it for other viewers! But now Calla and Shay are just they perfect couple, and I can't explain in any better than that! (:

(I couldn't find any people representations of them, so you get three book covers instead!)

6. Bryn and Chase from Raised by Wolves series. Again, I haven't read the last book YET. But I will, so Bryn and Chase better still be together. I won't take no for an answer. Their relationship is exactly what I want. Yes, I want to be a girl who lives with super natural wolves and has a boyfriend who is one. Pssh. It's not that complicated ;). Ok, I'm rambling. Bryn and Chase are strong independently and even stronger together. They have this tight knit bond that would help them in the real world and it also makes me jealous.

I'm gonna stop there, cause I've been working on this post for over an hour. I've got my work cut out for me though! I'm just now realizing the mass of series I have yet to finish.. *panics* I seriously need to finish them all before I start a new one..
What is your Top Ten Tuesday? Leave me a link, and comment down below!