En Bit av Mig Fattas / Love is the Higher Law REVIEW

Av David Levithan
Sidor: 210
Förlag: Raben & Sjögren

Det är morgon i New York. En vanlig high school-dag väntar Claire. Peter skolkar och är downtown. I Brooklyn ligger Jasper och sover. Ingen av dem anar att allt ska förändras innan dagen är slut. Det är tisdagen 11 september 2001. 

Detta är inte bara en roman om den stora katastrofdagen för tio år sedan. Den handlar också om allt efteråt. Om det svåraste svåra. Men också om hur glädjen och hoppet kan finnas så nära sorgen. 
Claires familj kan inte ta sig till sitt hem efter att de två skyskraporna kollapsat. I veckor efteråt har hon sömnsvårigheter och går nattliga promenader. Jasper tillbringar dagen med att samla in papper som har blåst in över Brooklyn från World Trade Center. Senare känner han sig märkligt avtrubbad från händelsen eftersom han sov när det hände. Peter blir ögonvittne till katastrofen men är ändå, eller kanske just därför, den som fattar minst. Hur fattar man det ofattbara? 

Claire och Peter är klasskompisar. Jasper och Peter har precis mötts och planerar en dejt. Av en slump möts Claire och Jasper vid Ground Zero en natt när ingen av dem kan sova. De följande veckorna växer en vänskap fram mellan de tre, sammanfogad av tragedin. 

Det här är min första David Levithan bok.
En verklighetsbaserad roman om en hemsk händelse. Levithan beskriver boken själv som väldigt personlig. Om man vill läsa om 9/11 tycker jag verkligen att man bör läsa den här, man förstår händelsen på ett annorlunda sätt efter att ha läst boken tycker jag, Iallafall om man inte kommer från New York. Väldigt fin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ English~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

By David Levithan
Pages: 167
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

First there is a Before, and then there is an After. . . . The lives of three teens -Claire, Jasper, and Peter -are altered forever on September 11, 2001. Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his parents’ frantic calls from Korea, wondering if he’s okay. Peter, a classmate of Claire’s, has to make his way back to school as everything happens around him. Here are three teens whose intertwining lives are reshaped by this catastrophic event. As each gets to know the other, their moments become wound around each other’s in a way that leads to new understandings, new friendships, and new levels of awareness for the world around them and the people close by.

This is my first David Levithan book.
A reality-based novel about a horrible event. Levithan himself describes this book as very personal. If you want to read about 9/11 I really think that you should read this one, you understand the event in a different way after reading the book I think. Very nice.

~stay smart, stay chic

xoxo Lihini

Contemporary Giveaway (International)

Hey Y'all!

There are a lot of great fantasy books coming out this month which I'm super duper happy about, but sometimes I just need to take a pause from all the madness and read something more... soothing. You know what I'm talking about right? I bet you guys are feeling the same way so I'm hosting another Ebook giveaway! 

Number of winners: 3

- Bittersweet By Sarah Ockler
- Amy and Roger's Epic Detour - Morgan Matson
- Saving Francesca - Melina Marchetta
- Will Grayson Will Grayson - John Green, David Levithan

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A book I regret not having read sooner

A lot of people around my age grew up with the Harry Potter books, either they read the books  themselves our their parents read the book for them.
I read the first Harry Potter book a week ago and I can really see what the hype is about, but I would probably have enjoyed it much more if I had been younger.

But to be honest I feel like Percy Jackson have filled that hole in my chest, I read the first Harry Potter book at the age of 13 I think and he was 12 at that time, so we were very close to age, and the first book was just fantastic. I have been reading about Percy and his friends, their enemies and the Gods ever since then, and the story is not over yet. I used to say that when the last Mortal Instruments book comes out is the day I stop being a child but that's not true. My last childhood page will be turned the second I turn the last page in Heroes of Olympus.

Percabeth.

Reading House of Hades atm..

Why do we like to drink tea while we read?

Yes why? I'm not a tea-hater, I'm Swedish-Sinhalese so I was practically raised with tea in my baby bottle instead of milk.

But why is it that we connect this light, warm, steamy, flavored and rich beverage with  books? Why do a lot of us feel the need to drink tea while reading a good book?

I'm not God or Charles Darwin, I don't have the answer to everything, I don't even have the answer to this but I'm going to put out my theory here.

When we read a good book we get excited. You start to smile and we get all these feelings we don't know how to handle. This is not a bad thing, but it an get overwhelming. So we go and make ourselves a nice hot cup of strawberry and vanilla flavored tea with some honey and milk, to bring out the best in the tea.

When we read we like to be calm and relaxed. A lot of people read just to feel that calm and relaxed feeling. But sometimes the book can get a bit intense and you need to calm yourself down in another way. And that's when the tea comes in. Tea is known to make us relaxed, It calms you down but doesn't always make you tired, it gives you that calming peace. It opens up your senses in a way.

And that is why I think we drink tea while we read.

I bet you all are going to go and make yourself a nice cup of tea now.

Rekviem / Requiem (Delirium #3) REVIEW

Delirium (Delirium #1)
Pandemonium (Delirium #2)

Av Lauren Oliver
Sidor 398
Förlag: Bonnier Carlsen

Efter den urartade konfrontationen i New York har Lena och hennes vänner ur motståndsrörelsen åter flytt till Vildmarken. Men uppror har blossat upp över hela landet och det går inte längre att gömma sig. Regeringsstyrkor försöker förgöra motståndsrörelsen en gång för alla och Lena befinner sig helt plötsligt i händelsernas centrum.


Samtidigt lever Lenas barndomsvän Hana ett skyddat liv bakom murarna i Portland. Hana har genomgått behandlingen mot Deliria och ska gifta sig med borgmästarens son. Lena och Hana var en gång bästa vänner, men lever nu i helt olika världar. Tills en dag då deras vägar korsas ? 

Allt handlar om att överleva nu . Regeringen har blivit mer ... äventyrliga , de tar risker de inte gjorde tidigare, de gör allt för att ta ner rebellerna och Delerian som härjar med dem. 

Pandemonium avslutas med en rätt intensiv cliff-hanger, Det visade sig inte bara att Alex var vid liv (vilket jag visste att han var hela tiden) men han fångar även Lena och Julian kyssas. 

Vi får se hur det går för Lena att "leva" med både sin kärleksintressen, och Alex är inte samma Alex längre . Kryptan förändrat honom . Julian verkar det gock gå bra för och arbetar hårt för att få de andra människorna i deras teams förtroende. Som ni kan föreställa er så vart ingenting detsamma för Julian och Lena efter att Alex kom tillbaka, och triangeldrama blossar upp till liv, trots att Alex har gjort klart att han inte älskar Lena.

Jag har sagt det förut , och jag säger det igen , jag hatar dåligt utvecklade kärlekstrianglar . Jag är väldigt kräsen när det kommer till kärlekstrianglar , antingen det gör boken till ett mästerverk eller så kan det förstöra boken helt . 

Denna bok berättades från både Lenas och Hanas perspektiv, vilket gjorde läsandet mycket mer intressant. Om jag ska vara helt ärlig så tycker jag inte att Hanas liv hade så stor betydelse för vad som hände i Lenas liv. Det vart som att läsa två olika berättelsen från samma bok. 

Okej jag kan inte bärga mig länge till, jag MÅSTE prata om slutet nu. 
Slutet var väldigt väldigt smaklöst. Som läsare vill man känna av en förslutning, slutet må vara brutalt, men det ska fortfarande kännas som ett bra slut. Som ett slut man kan gå vidare ifrån. Vi fick inget utav det från denna bok. Huvudfrågorna besvarades inte, ingen antydan på vad som skulle hända sedanefter, inte ens om/hur kampen avslutades! Och det är ändå det boken grundas på liksom. 

Jag kan ärligt säga att Rekviem hade potential, men använde sig inte utav det, allt de gjorde var att springa från en plats till en annan, jag avslutade boken på en dag, men jag var mer intresserad av att uppdatera min Instagram än läsningen. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~English Review~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By Lauren Oliver
Pages: 391
Publisher: Harper Collin's Children's Books

They have tried to squeeze us out, to stamp us into the past.But we are still here.
And there are more of us every day.

Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven—pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.
But we have chosen a different road.
And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose.
We are even free to choose the wrong thing.


Let's discuss this book from the beginning shall we, I will get to the worst ending of all time later. 

Everything is about surviving now. The government have is becoming more... adventurous, they take risks they didn't do before, all to take down the rebels and let Deliria die with them.

In Delirium #2 the book ends with quite an intense cliff-hanger, Alex turned out no not only be alive, but he also caught Lena Kissing Julian who she had started to grow fond of. 

We get to see how 'living' with both her love interests goes, and Alex is not the same Alex anymore. The crypt changed him. Julian however seems to be doing fine and works hard to gain the other people in their teams trust. As you can imagine, seeing Alex made Lena's and Julian's relationship on a different level, and a love triangle flares up to life, even though Alex have made it clear that he doesn't love Lena. 

I've said it before, and I will say it again, I hate poor developed love triangles. I am very picky when it comes to love triangles, either it makes the book a masterpiece or it can ruin the book completely.

Luckily this love triangle wasn't so open, more hidden within the lines but always there. 

This book was told from both Lena and Hana's point of view which made it more interesting, because the life Hana was living was really interesting, and to be honest I don't feel like her life had such a big impact on Lena's. Almost like two different stories in one book. 

I can't wait any longer I need to talk about that ending. 
It was so very tasteless. As a reader we want to have closure. The end is supposed to give us THAT CLOSURE, we should at least get a hint on what the future awaits them, or at least get the main questions answered. I felt like Lauren just wanted to finish the book so she just... did.

other than that I found the story lacking, all they did was run from one place to another, I finished the book in one day, but I was more interested in refreshing my Instagram than reading. 

~stay strong, stay chic
xoxo Lihini

The Quarterback. Good Bye Finn Hudson.

"This is for you, Hudson."

I never understood the power of death until today. Until that Glee Episode.
He is dead. Finn is not coming back to us.
I realized that at the beginning of the episode and I couldn't stop crying.

I'm not going to write a review of that episode or something like that, because there is nothing really to say. It was perfect.

But I am going to take this moment to thank Cory and Finn.

Thank you Finn Hudson for being the most humble and nicest person.
You were the quarterback, you dated the cheer leading captain, you could SING, and you were the most popular kid at school. You had it all Finn Hudson. You had it all.

But you had something greater than that within you too.
You had a heart.

You were so kind to everyone and you treated everyone like an equal, despite race, sexuality, size, you just did not care.

You became a superhero to the underdogs. People could always count on Finn. Because you were amazing like that.

You were so strong Finn. Not just for you but for others. Your friends loved you. We who watched you every week loved you. Even Sue loved you. We still love you.

You amazed me every time, you know. Not many people would throw away fame to help the people who are social outcasts. But you did it. You did it over and over again.

Despite my tears and that beautiful episode dedicated to you I feel like I got my closure. I think we all did.

Thank you Finn Hudson for the time you gave us.
We will never forget what an amazing person you were
We will never forget you.

R.I.P Finn Hudson and Cory Monteith

Förr eller Senare Exloderar Jag REVIEW

Click here to get to the English review of The Fault in our Stars

Författare: John Green
Sidor: 307
Förlag: Bonnier Carlsen

Hazel är 17 år och kommer aldrig att bli frisk igen. Det har hon vetat sedan dagen då hon fick sin cancerdiagnos för tre år sedan. 
Hazels mamma är orolig för att Hazel ska missbruka Americas Next Top Model och bli allt mer isolerad hemma vid teven. Depression är ju en vanlig bieffekt till cancer har hon läst (Hazel menar att det inte är cancern som gör henne deppig - det är vetskapen om att hon ska dö). 
Lösningen blir att anmäla Hazel till kyrkans stödgrupp för unga med cancer. Men mötena visar sig vara allt annat än uppiggande och följer ungefär samma mönster som ett AA-möte.
Men en eftermiddag i den där stödgruppen förändras livet. Augustus Waters, friskförklarad från sin cancer, dyker upp. 
Hazel möter Augustus Waters blick och deras kärlekshistoria ska komma att bli en sådan som poeterna diktar om. E p i s k. 
Det här är en berättelse om cancer, visst, men det är framförallt en förkrossande vacker och gripande historia om livet, Hazel Grace och Gus. Om att vara ung och ändå stå med ena foten i graven. Om att tro att man aldrig mer kommer att bli glatt överraskade. Om att få sin sista önskan uppfylld.

Det fina med att läsa om sådana här underbara böcker är att de verkar bli bättre och bättre varje gång du läser om dem. 
Jag kan inte sluta förundra mig själv över Hazel. Ursäkta mitt språk, men hon är så jäkla stark! 
Jag vet att hon inte har något annat val än att vara stark, tro mig, jag VET det. Dock så är hon mer än så, hon är smart, fin, och en realist. Det är läskigt hur mycket jag kan relatera till henne.
Det gjorde den här läsupplevelsen jobbigare för mig, men samtidigt så vart boken finare, om det nu ens går. 
Och sen kom Augustus in i bilden. 
Man KAN inget annat än o älska honom, han är som solen i den här boken. Hans charm och intelligent giver den här berättelsen några riktigt roliga stunder.
Om du inte har läst den här boken innan så rekommenderar jag att verkligen att du gör det. Du kommer inte ångra det.

Om jag ska vara ärlig så läste jag aldrig klart boken andra gången. Allt var fint och levande, och jag valde att sluta där.  

~stay smart, stay chic
xoxo Lihini

ALICE MUNRO WINS NOBEL PRIZE FOR LITERATUR!

As a Swede I am more than pleased and proud over the Swedish Academy, and I usually don't care about the people who get a Nobel prize, but since literature is my thing I find this very important!

from NY Times

'Alice Munro, the renowned Canadian short-story writer whose visceral work explores the tangled relationships between men and women, small-town existence and the fallibility of memory, won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday. Ms. Munro, 82, is the 13th woman to win the prize.

Ms. Munro, who lives in Clinton, a town in Ontario, told a writer from The Toronto Globe and Mail earlier this year that she planned to retireafter “Dear Life,” her 14th story collection.

In a statement from Penguin Random House, her publisher, Ms. Munro said that she was “amazed, and very grateful.”

She added, “I’m particularly glad that winning this award will please so many Canadians,” she said. “I’m happy, too, that this will bring more attention to Canadian writing.”

Ms. Munro revolutionized the architecture of short stories, often beginning a story in an unexpected place and then moving backward or forward in time. She brought a modesty and subtle wit to her work that her admirers often traced to her background growing up in rural Canada. She said she fell into writing short stories, the form that would make her famous, somewhat by accident.

“For years and years I thought that stories were just practice, till I got time to write a novel,” she told The New Yorker in 2012. “Then I found that they were all I could do, and so I faced that. I suppose that my trying to get so much into stories has been a compensation.”'

Since Munro is writing short stories I might read one or two of her books! 

Have you read any of her books? What do you think about her as an author?

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter #1) REVIEW

The day you have all been waiting for is finally here. I've been bullied to no ends by my friends because of this. I've been laughed at and people have said " and you call yourself a book-blogger? HAHAHAHA"

All because I hadn't read Harry Potter.
All because of THAT Potter.
Well cry no more readers because I finished HP yesterday and here is my review.

By J.K. Rowling
Pages: 310
Publisher: Scholastic Press

Harry Potter has never played a sport while flying on a broomstick. He's never worn a Cloak of Invisibility, befriended a giant, or helped hatch a dragon. All Harry knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley. Harry's room is a tiny cupboard under the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in ten years.

But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed. There he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him... if Harry can survive the encounter.

3/5

I don't really know what to say about this book, what is there left to say really? 
I knew reading this book would be much like Percy Jackson but in it's own way, I knew I wouldn't hate the book and I did not, I enjoyed it quite a lot actually. There was so much adventure, and I was amazed by the friendship the kids at Hogwarts had, and how loyal they were to their friends. 
My favorite character's much be Hermione and Neville. They were both loyal to their friends and they were both very brave characters in their own way. 
I am truly sad over the fact that I didn't read this book sooner, and by sooner I mean around the age of 13 because the book was more or less EXACTLY like the movie, and I think I would have liked it in a different way If I read it at a younger age.

I will definitely be reading the other books in the series, because I've that they are supposed to be better.

 ~stay smart, stay chic
xoxo Lihini