Jess’s 75 book challenge for 2011

Hello everyone! This is my second year doing the 75 book challenge. I reached my target last year and hope to do so a second time in 2011! I met a lot of wonderfully bookish people doing the challenge last year and hope to do so again this year. Never feel shy to drop me a message ^_^ I love my YA but also dabble in chick-lit and general fiction amongst other things from time to time.

I'm also a book blogger so if you wanted to check that out heres the link for that too http://jessheartsbooks.blogspot.com/

Comment, check out my library...gah you know what to do! :P

Currently reading:

Key:
*= my rating out of 5 stars
RR= Re-read
TBF= to be finished reading
B= Borrowed

Read:
January
1.) Entangled by Cat Clarke (5*) post 18
2.) Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen (3.5*) post 26
3.) Across the Universe by Beth Revis (5*) post 30
4.) Other Words For Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal (5*) post 42

Welcome back!

Hi

Your blog is great! I just went through and ordered some of your 5 stars from my library to read - I think we like some of the same chick lit and YA although I also love crime so that's where we differ? You gave me some great new ideas for books to enjoy
thank you

Ax

Hi Jess, got you starred!

Starred :)

Jess! *glomps* Found ya! Can't wait to see what 2011 brings!
*grabs beanbag and waits*

Glad to see you back with us again, Jess!

Nursepaulin- Aww thank you! That’s very sweet of you to say. I hope you stop by my blog again sometime ^_^ and more importantly I hope you enjoy the books I recommend! I actually do like crime books I just don’t read them all that often. I have a pretty diverse taste in books but I love YA so much that it takes up a whole chunk of my reading!

Rach- Dude, have you signed up for this? I can’t find you anywhere. If you have leave me a link ;)

Thanks for the welcome backs everyone! *waits patiently for 2011*

Yea I'm here

I've probably dropped off the first page already lol.
Geez only two days til 2011!

Ah, and the beauty of the group wiki is that we now have links to everybody's threads. Can't find someone? Try here: http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/Groups:75booksin2011

Oooh awesome new feature!

Excited to kick start 2011 off! Does anyone have a certain book planned for their first read of the new year?

Hmmm, well I'll be finishing up the book I'm already reading, but my first official book I plan to start in 2011 will most likely be a book about cholera that a certain lovely someone gave me. :)

Yep, cholera, isn't it dreamy. *swoons*

hmmm, I think I'm going to start Clockwork Angel tonight after some video game time. . . which I'll prolly finish in January. Actual first will be Master and Margarita for a group read :)

Cholera- how very romantic. Well I hope you have a lovely time thinking about Ellie and Cholera, together. Ahem.

I just finished City of Ashes so City of Glass and Clockwork Angel are high on my TBR pile for 2011

Clockwork Angel will be on my TBR pile too once I get it in the mail. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole Mortal Instruments trilogy so I hope it's as good.

Jess: I know, right? Nothing more charming than a good old-fashioned diarrheal disease! All these young people nowadays are despicable, don't they know how to properly woo a person? :P

Just wanted to pop on over to wish you all a happy New Year! May 2011 be smiley and happy and bookish :) see you all on the other side! x

Hey guys, well I’ve read my first book of the year and what a book it was! Here’s my review for it!

1.) Entangled by Cat Clarke

"The same questions whirl round and round in my head:
What does he want from me?
How could I have let this happen?
AM I GOING TO DIE?

17-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with a table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got here.

As Grace pours her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling of her relationship with her best friend Sal. But there's something missing. As hard as she's trying to remember, is there something she just can't see?

Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here?"

So as you can gather from the synopsis, when you open Entangled you really have no idea what’s going on and what this story’s going to be about and that’s totally the way it should be. Cat Clarke is an author who keeps her hand of cards close to her chest only giving you hints and clues as to what’s going to be dealt out making this book completely enthralling.

At the beginning of Entangled you have no idea what’s going on. You don’t know Grace’s story or where she is or how she came to be there. This book starts at the end and works its way backward, Grace unravelling her story to you a little bit at a time. It wasn’t until I was half way through Entangled that I started to get an inkling of what might be happening and even then there were so many possibilities to what’s happened to Grace that you want to keep reading to find out the result. This book has so many twists and turns that although the actual outcome was one of my theories it wasn’t exactly what I expected it to be which I loved! This book keeps you on your toes. It’s unpredictable and it surprises you which is one of the many things I loved about it. As a reader I would recommend going into this book knowing as little as possible which is why I’m not going to go into the plot any more than that.

Cat Clarke is a fantastic debut author that we Brits can really be proud to call our own. The characters of Grace, Nat and Sal feel so incredibly real. Whilst their not perfect I never found myself disliking any of them because although I may not necessarily have agreed with all of their actions I could understand why they did the things they did. They’re not perfect by any means but their real, humane and hugely relatable.

This is a book about forgiveness for others and yourself. It’s about hope and accepting that you and others have faults. It’s about learning to live and be happy in spite of that. It’s about how easy it is for us all to get tangled in lies and guilt and hurt. I can’t begin to tell you how much I loved this book. I gobbled it up in a day because I just could not get enough. It was the perfect book to start the New Year with and I will now be measuring all books I read this year up to the incredibly high standard Entangled has set. This is a must read for everyone.
My Rating 5/5 stars *****

Thanks go to Quercus for sending me this book to review. Entangled is available in all good bookshops across the UK or available online on 6th January.

Synopsis taken from goodreads

I seem to have a knack for picking a 5 star book to start the New Year with last year I picked The Shadow of the Wind and this year Entangled! Hope the rest of my reading is just as good and I hope you all started the New Year with a wonderful book too. I’m currently reading Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen that I got sent for review so will be updating with my thoughts on that soon :-)

Sounds very interesting! I'll have to track it down at some point.

Track it down soon Kate! Seriously one of the best books I've ever read :)

Hurray for completing the first book of the year! It's always accompanied with a sigh of relief on my part, something about seeing the days tick away off the calander without a book listed under Book Read - 2011 makes me anxious.

And a 5-star book? Woohoo! Too bad it doesn't really look like my kind of book... :P

Ooh, Entangled sounds like a good one.

>22 _Zoe_: Oh it *is* Zoe I can corroborate - I read it just after christmas and W-OW!
But unfortunately for US folk it's not been released over there yet so I'd recommend ordering it off Book Depository if you really want it :P

Entangled sounds like a dandy! Thanks for the review and recommendation, Jess!

How have I only just found your thread? *looks very ashamed* I shall shower you with stars and hope for the best...

I don’t know Ellie *shakes head* but I’m glad you’re here now! :D

You all should definitely check out Entangled although I’m now reading a fantastic book called Across the Universe by Beth Revis and WOW! I’m thinking it could take Entangleds top spot! I only have 70 odd pages left and I am *so* looking forward to finding out what happens so keep your eyes peeled for a review on that coming soon. But in the meantime I have a review for you today of my second book read this year Bright Young Things…

2.) Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

"It’s 1929 and Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey have escaped their small Midwestern town to chase big dreams and even bigger secrets. Amongst the glittering metropolis of New York City, they meet Astrid Donal, a flapper who has everything she could ever want, except for the one thing Letty and Cordelia have to offer—true friendship. Set in the dizzying summer before the market crash, against the vast lawns of the glamorous Long Island mansions and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, three girls will find scandal, intrigue, and romance. . ."

I am a huge fan of Anna Godbersen's The Luxe series and have been anticipating the release of the first book in her new series Bright Young Things for the longest time. Bright Young Things is set in the roaring twenties and the book's prologue automatically draws you in by informing you that come the end of the summer one of our heroines will be famous, the second married and the third dead which immediately gets the ball rolling with you wanting to know which character will end up with what fate. I spent much of the book trying to figure out where things were heading with each girl but its impossible to predict. There are so many possibilities and honestly all three girls could end up with any one of those destiny's. The girls futures keep twisting and turning making it impossible to put your finger on what's going to happen next. Anna Godbersen certainly does a fantastic job of keeping you on your toes making me eager to get my hands on the next book- it's going to be a long wait!

I felt that despite their similarities Bright Young Things has a very different feel to it of that of The Luxe series. Whilst Bright Young Things has the drama and glitz and glamour that The Luxe had the girls are very different. With Letty and Cordelia being from a small town they have a certain innocence to them that the Luxe girls didn't. They make mistakes and their not as sure of themselves which makes for interesting reading. I have a feeling that were really going to see these characters grow in each book as they settle into the big city. Bright Young Things also has a more mature feel to it, there's less scheming and bitching than the Luxe and these girls dreams are even more ambitious. The stakes are higher and so each girl has even farther to fall from grace. It took a while for me to get used to the differences as I really did expect Bright Young Things to be like another Luxe only set in the twenties, but once I did I was hooked and quickly fell in love with the girls of 1929.

Bright Young Things is a fantastic set up to what I believe is going to be an addictive new series. Anna Godbersen describes New York summer time during the twenties beautifully. She has a real talent for capturing the era she's writing about making the big city come to life right in front of you. Her writings as gorgeous as a glitzy flapper dress and she has a unique talent for really defining her characters making each girl original and special.

Once I got over Bright Young Things not being exactly like the Luxe I really enjoyed my time with Letty, Cordelia and Astrid and can not wait for the next book to see what the future holds for these girls. Recommended to anybody looking for an exciting, fun, addictive new series.
My Rating 3.5/5 stars

#26: Nice review, Jess!

I'm quite looking forward to trying Bright Young Things. A little Twenties sparkle sounds right up my street!

I've been hearing a lot of good things about Bright Young Things lately!

Bright Young Things was a fun little read, but I didn’t love it as much as Anna Godbersen’s Luxe series now that’s a series I would definitely recommend! Anwho another day another book and I’ve got a book review for a fabity fab book, enjoy!

3.) Across the Universe by Beth Revis

"Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming."

When I first found out about Across the Universe several things went through my mind. Number one being oh my gosh I think that is the most awesome cover I’ve ever seen. Number two it’s set on a spaceship in the future!? I’ve never read a book like that before. And three it’s being described as Avatar meets Titanic two of my favourite films ever!? Well hell sign me up to read this! And I did literally sign up for Lynsey’s wonderful UK book tour.

So to say I was excited about reading Across the Universe is an understatement. I just prayed that it would live up to the incredibly high expectations I had for it, and upon reading the very first chapter not only did I know I was going to love it but I also knew it would be a 5 star book. You’re immediately sucked into this book right from the very first page unlike some other books it doesn’t take 50 odd pages to get into, it has your attention right from the start and refuses to let go until the end. I think I put it down 3 times in total and each time I did it was constantly on my mind. I haven’t thought about a book so much and been so eager to get back to it since The Hunger Games. There is literally a whole new world to discover on this space ship and so much to learn and take in. The world’s development was highly believable and so well thought out that this book has almost convinced me that this IS the future. There’s a whole new universe to discover and I was mesmerised by the detail and thought that Beth Revis went into to create this story.

What I loved most about this book was the plot, but that’s not to say that I didn’t love everything else about it. The chapters are told alternately between Amy and Elder and I loved both of these characters voices. I thought Amy was a strong willed, courageous heroine and loved discovering this strange future from her point of view. I also loved learning about Earth and discovering the secrets of a spaceship that he will one day lead with Elder. My only complaint is the romance. It was pretty much none existent between them but I can definitely see it developing in future books now that the story’s set up and to be honest so much was going on with this book that I hardly missed the lack of a big romance at all, but I do think you should know going into this book that it’s very plot and action driven so don’t open it expecting a great epic romance. Although there is definitely a spark between Amy and Elder that I really hope Beth Revis develops in future books.

I still can’t get round the fact that this is a debut novel. Beth Revis has a strong voice as an author and a wonderfully creative and intelligent imagination. Beth is definitely an author to watch and I’m already getting angsty for this books sequel. I love this book with a passion and will buy and read Beth Revis’s future books without question. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an out of this world read quite literally!
My Rating 5/5 stars

That sounds really good! I'll have to find it.

Also reminds me of a few movies I've seen. . . but I think I can get past that ;P

#30: I have had that one in the BlackHole seemingly forever waiting for it my local library to get a copy. Hopefully, it will get a copy soon now that the book is finally available.

Okay, so I was umming an ahhing over it, and I wondered whether to put the pre-release pb on my wishlist, but the hardback is so much PRETTIER, so... well, let's just say there's a Book Depository order winging its way to them right now. :-)

I think I’m going to have to buy my own copy seeing as I got it from a book tour to borrow. Really loved it so much, I’m already getting re-read urges!

I don’t know if any of you will be interested but I know some of you pop in on my blog from time to time. I’ve recently done my very first discussions post titled “Random Ramblings (1) You don't read!...do you?” I would really appreciate you stopping by and giving it a read because it’s a post that really means a lot to me. Here’s a link for anyone who’s interested http://jessheartsbooks.blogspot.com/

Another book to add to my wishlist, I wasn't sure if I wanted to read it but your review made up my mind.

#34: Very nice blog post, Jess!

That was a great post Jess! It's been a while since I used any accounts for the commenting. . . passwords are eluding me, so I'll just do a little one here :)
I used to be bothered a bit by misfit-ness and judging. But about half way through high school I had a brief stint in a 'normal' clique and realized it was waaaay to boring for my overactive imagination. Then I just laughed at their judging from the boring 'boxes' they were stuck in. I did read quite a bit during school, but I had so much else going on, that I don't think many people even realized. I was definitely a tom-boy and played sports and other such things. But my insomnia had me reading at night. It's too bad that peer pressure has such an effect on people. I wish I could lend out my 'meh' attitude towards it all the time.

30: Oooh, even I must admit the cover for that one is purdy. :D

Reading the blog post now and finding myself nodding in agreement a lot. *continues*

>34 JessicaLouise23: Great blog post (and I love your wallpaper background)!

I'm reading Across the Universe right now and really enjoying it.

You're definitely right about the opening pages of Across the Universe! I winced several times reading it, but it hooked me right in.

I wasn't quite as thrilled about the rest of the book as you were - in particular I thought it got too simplistic in terms of the problems and solutions near the end - but I did like both Amy and Elder as characters.

And the cover art is gorgeous.

Hi Jess! I loved your blog post - I'm going back later to read the comments and write back myself. (I sneaked a read on the 'good' laptop in the office, this one won't handle blogs!). I'm looking forward to my copy of AtU arriving, especially since it shares a name with the beautiful love theme from the second of the new Star Wars movies (gorgeous piece of music) AND Rachel demonstrated the cool geeky reversible cover, very nice... :-)

Thanks for all the positive feedback on my blog post. My followers have been loving it and nagging me to write another discussion post soon. I have lots of ideas for future Random Ramblings so seeing as the response has been so positive I’m definitely looking forward to doing more in the future.

The reversible cover for Across the Universe looks gorgeous, the copy I read was an arc and I really must buy my own copy soon because I want that cover! It’s coming out later this year in the UK but because it’s paperback it won’t be a reversible cover :(

I’ve read my 4th book! *happy dances* and it’s another 5 star. I know right? 3 out of 4 five stars so far this year? I’m not being easy I promise I’m just choosing really fab books to read so it seems…anyway this one’s my new favourite of the year so far. I hope you enjoy the review!

4.) Other Words For Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

"When an unexpected inheritance enables Ari to transfer to an elite Manhattan prep school, she makes a wealthy new friend, Leigh. Leigh introduces Ari to the glamorous side of New York--and to her gorgeous cousin, Blake. Ari doesn't think she stands a chance, but amazingly, Blake asks her out. As their romance heats up, they find themselves involved in an intense, consuming relationship. Ari's family worries that she is losing touch with the important things in life, like family, hard work, and planning for the future.

When misfortune befalls Blake's family, he pulls away, and Ari's world drains of color. As she struggles to get over the breakup, Ari must finally ask herself: were their feelings true love . . . or something else?"

Gosh…Where to start with this book? Love is not a strong enough word to describe how I feel about it. Ok let me start off by saying any girl who’s ever been in love should read this book and if you’re going through a break up- specially if it’s with your first love- this is the book for you.

Reading this book was kind of therapeutic for me. Lorraine Zago Rosenthal captures the ups and downs of being in love so perfectly and describes them so honestly in her writing. From start to finish it was like reading one of my own diaries. I’ve never felt so personally connected to a character as I have with Ari. When she was happy I felt that happiness and when she was sad it was as though somebody had ripped my own heart out. I understood and connected with her on a level I never have with a character before showing what a powerful debut novelist Lorraine Zago Rosenthal is.

Other Words For Love is a very character driven book. Whilst the plot if basically just the ins and outs of a teen girls first experience with love don’t be deceived because this book is so much more than that. The characters are the most real and complex characters that I’ve ever come across and whilst you read this book it feels so realistic like you are actually Ari living out her day to day life. Lorraine Zago Rosenthal has a real talent for making her characters as raw and humane as possible. So much so that you actually feel the emotions that their going through.

Other Words For Love documents the most realistic account of falling in love that I have ever read. Lorraine Zago Rosenthal explores the euphoria of being in a relationship and the complete devastation when you’ve given your entire self to a boy only to find you have nothing left. Ari’s journey to mend her broken heart is endearing, hopeful and uplifting. This book made me cry happy tears and sad tears and I learnt so much from my time with Ari.

This book is a real emotional whirlwind and I cannot imagine any girl not being able to relate to this book in some way. I feel like this is the ultimate coming of age story and the best fictional break up bible out there. Lorraine Zago Rosenthal has incredible talent as a writer, her voice is so strong that if I didn’t know beforehand that this was her debut novel I never would have guessed it. I’m so glad that I picked this book up because it touched me in such a deep way and it’s definitely up there with my favourite books of all time. Every girl needs to read this book, and it comes with the highest of recommendations from me. Read it, pass it on to your girlfriends and fall in love.
My Rating 5/5 stars

Jess - you could always get it from Book Depository, like we did with Halo! I ordered mine yesterday... :-)

Congrats on another 5* book, you're doing well this year so far!

Hi There Jess

Happy Almost birthday. I hope the January 23rd is a special day for you!

Hi, just popping in to wish you a Happy Birthday. Hope you have a great day.

Happy Birthday!

Felicem Natalem!! Happy Birthday, Jess!!

Happy birthday Jess! Did you get my card and pressie okay? Hope you've had a great day honeybunch, xx

Thanks everyone! I had a fab birthday thank you with plenty of books that I will have to add soon when I’ve had my few days to recover!

Ellie- I did thank you so much hun!*hugs* I can’t wait to get spending my amazon voucher ;)

To make things even better, Rachel is last minute coming to visit me Wednesday! She’s hoping on a train to come visit me for my birthday and I think we’re going to go book shopping and have a movie day at the cinema :-) very excited for this unexpected visit and of course we will try and get some pics (if we remember) to share with you all!

Sorry I missed your birthday, Jess! Sounds like you had a good one!

Sounds like a good day... Books AND a surprise visit on Wednesday! Give Rach a squidge for me when she arrives, k? :-)

Will do Ellie! :-) And no worries Stasia, thanks for dropping in!

Oh and I forgot to mention for anyone who’s interested I’m having a birthday giveaway on my blog that ends tomorrow! So if you’d like to be in with a chance of winning an arc of either Delirium by Lauren Oliver or Matched by Ally Condie stop by here http://jessheartsbooks.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-21st-birthday-giveaway.html

I'm glad you had a lovely birthday Jess!

Hey Jess! *dives out the way as tumbleweed rolls past* Well, I know you're still alive since the blog's as busy as ever... :-)

Now, get over there and do the Blog Hop already, it's my question this week!

Jess doesn't love us. :(

She does love us silly but she has her blog which eats up a lot of her computer time and she's also having technical difficulties at the moment as well so she's just as LT MIA as I am right now.

...Rachel doesn't love us either!! :(

*picks up encyclopedia and waves threateningly*
Don't be daft, of course I do, while I may not be posting I am lurking on both yours and Ellie's thread but with the new job and whatnot I've been so darn tired that I've not even switched on my computer a few nights this week.

*Sniffle* Well, if you say so... *pouty lip*

*looks miserable and starts to sing in a very trembly voice, "Wheeeeere is love...?"*

*Wraps arm around Ellie's shoulder and looks with overwhelmingly sad puppy dog eyes at Rachel and Jess, doing his best to stave off the tears*

I think they walked and evaporated into the Blogosphere for the last time. They are now a part of it, never to coporeally exist again o_0;

:PPPPPP

NOOOOOOOOO!!!! *runs into Blogosphere, fighting off concerned bystanders, and stands aghast with hands shading eyes, trying desperately to make out a path through the destruction*

On reflection, I may have been confusing 'Blogosphere' with 'the all-consuming fire in a house/pub beloved by bad TV soaps'... ;)

*peeks sheepishly into thread* Why hello! Yes it is me owner and creator of this thread, sorry about the cobwebs and dust it is awfully embarrassing that I have let things get to this stage *blushes*

Before you all get too excited (if anyone still be lurking around these parts) I’m sadly not back for good. A lot of crazy’s been going on in my life lately and I haven’t had proper internet access for such a long time now. When I am able to go on the internet it’s always to update my blog as that has to be the priority.

I’ve been reading a LOT of fantastic books and am 33 books into my challenge. I’m currently reading a very early manuscript copy of Passion by Lauren Kate which is quite interesting so far. It’s definitely living up to its name sake so if you’re a fan of the whole Luce and Daniel love story this one’s definitely the most romantic of the series so far!

I’ve still been lurking around my favourite threads from time to time when I’ve got a spare half hour when the computer is actually working. Ape Man, Ellie, Rach I’m looking at you!

As for today we had to take my labradoodle pup to the vets last night. We found a lump on his paw which was a bit scary. Vet seems to think it’s nothing sinister though and is most likely an insect bite that’s become infected so he’s got a great big cone collar around his head and is on some antibiotics. His overprotective momma is still worried though especially as he’s not used to the collar and keeps bashing his head into things so I’m at home with him today making sure he’s ok and snuggling up next to him for cuddles with my book.

Anyway I just wanted to pop in to let you guys know that I’m still here (sort of) am saving up slowly for a new computer and WILL be back in the foreseeable future hopefully when I can get real life straightened out. Until then my blogs still being updated a few times a week when I can so to keep an eye on what I’m reading you can always head on over there for more info :) http://jessheartsbooks.blogspot.com/ Until next time I’ll be lurking!

Thanks for stopping in and letting us know what is going on, Jess!

I hope all turns out well for your pup and that you can get a new computer very soon.

Hi Jess! Nice to see you post, even if it's only to let us know you won't be posting often (*pouts*). I hope life settles down for you and whatnot. See? This is why I don't have one of those life-thingies, it's one less thing to worry about. :)