25 April 2013

This Week in Books (008)



  1. The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston (YA Contemporary | Netgalley; review)
  2. Dare You To by Katie McGarry (YA Contemporary | Netgalley; review)
  3. Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham (Adult Contemporary | Netgalley; review)
  4. Rush Me by Allison Parr (Adult Romance | Netgalley; review)
  5. Exreme Love by Abby Niles (NA Contemporary | Netgalley; review)
  6. Savin' Me by Alannah Lynne (Adult Romance | Netgalley; review)
  7. Twisted Perfection by Abbi Glines (NA Contemporary | kindle)
  8. The Bet by Rachel Van Dyken (NA Contemporary | kindle)
  9. Damaged by H.M. Ward (NA Contemporary | kindle)
  10. Crush by Lacey Weatherford (YA Contemporary | kindle)
  11. Fall Guy by Liz Reinhardt (NA Contemporary | kindle)
  12. One Week Girlfriend by Monica Murphy (NA contemorary | kindle)
  13. Between the Lines by Tammara Webber (YA Contemporary | kindle)
  14. Where You Are by Tammara Webber (YA Contemporary | kindle)
  15. Good For You by Tammara Webber (YA Contemporary | kindle)
  16. Dead to You by Lisa McMann (YA Suspense | kindle)
  17. Real by Katy Evans (NA Contemporary | kindle)
  18. After Math by Denise Grover Swank** (NA Contemporary | kindle)
**Forgot to add the picture above.
I know. I know. I went a bit overboard (to make it more dramatic...this was all added in one night! I've been so stuck in a rut that nothing has caught and kept my interest. So Im' hoping that one of these here will be the gem I've been searching for! If you've read any of these titles please tell me what you thought about it! 
Anyways, that's what I'm featuring! :)

"This Week in Books" is hosted by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie

05 April 2013

REVIEW: Wait For You by J. Lynn

Wait for You by J. Lynn
Published: 26th February 2013
Format: Kindle
Genre:  New Adult, Contemporary
Overall:
Goodreads | Amazon
Some things are worth waiting for…
Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.
Some things are worth experiencing…
Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.
Some things should never be kept quiet…
But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she’s has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?
And some things are worth fighting for…

My thoughts:
I was about to give up on New Adult, I was over the bad boys and the guys who were "misunderstood". I was over the relationships that spawned from underlying past feelings.... until I read Wait For You. There isn't a bad boy, he's not misunderstood... he's just a guy! And I loved that. And they didn't know each other prior to running into each other...literally.

The story flowed and paced so perfectly for me. When it got to a spot that had it's dark moments, we didn't stay there long and I didn't feel like I wanted to kick either Avery or Cam in the chest so they'd get their heads out of their asses. They fought for each other on their own and together, and brilliantly I might add.

Avery had her secret, which we pretty much learn early on, and because of that you're better able to get into Avery's head and for her to get into yours. Every decision she made was difficult, sad, happy, and beautiful. Whether it involved Cam or not.

Cam. I have never really had a crush on a book boy before, I've always thought; Oh, he's cute and he'd be perfect for her not me. Or, I'd rather he stay far far away and I'll admire him that way. But reading this book I crushed on Cam; hard. I wanted a Cam for myself. He was adorable! And perfectly imperfect.

Their relationship was the kind I think everyone should thrive for, friends first and then get romantically involved. Their back and forth banter was absolutely adorable and kind of sexy.

I have a couple complaints, (1)the misspelling/editing errors, but nothing that made me truly think too hard about it. Simple things like "So I am." instead of "So am I." (2)Avery's friend Jacob, I don't know what it was about him, but I just wasn't that big of a fan. He had his moments, but overall, I didn't miss him in this book at all. And finally, (3)the amount of times Cam says "sweetheart." I'm not big on pet names in general, but constantly call someone by the same pet name and I want to push the "mute" button.

The banter, romance, chemistry, sexy times, trouble, resolutions...everything was beautiful. I cannot wait to read more from J.Lynn (or her other writing name Jennifer L. Armentrout). There will be a second book in this series which is more of a companion than an actual continuation from what I understand. It will be about Cam's sister. I kind of wish it involved either Cam's friend Ollie or Avery's friend Brittany.

I highly recommend this one if you're looking for a New Adult that is similar to most others with but with a little bit of a light hearted flair. And an adorable guy.

Plot:
Characters:
Ending: ½
Writing:
Cover: ½

Author Info:

J. Lynn aka Jennifer L. Armentrout lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russel Loki.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen.
Learn more on her:  Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook

K-POP BREAK - Comeback Anticipation!

Every year, sometimes a few times a year, an artist or band will release a new album, music video(MV), and change up their style. In the K-Pop world, this is known as a "comeback." There are many artists that I am anticipating a comeback from in the year 2013.
I do not know when any of them will have their official comeback, some may not even have one this year. I'm just hopeful.
Once one listed has had their comeback, I will italicize the artist name and put the song next to it with a link to the official MV. 
These are in no particular order, just what I thought of as I was creating this list. I will also try to review the song (or album) whenever they are released! 


  1. Andamiro - "Waiting (feat. Double K)"
  2. Lunafly - "Fly to Love"
  3. 2NE1 - "Falling in Love", "Do You Love Me"
  4. EXID
  5. EvoL - "Get Up"
  6. BIGBANG
  7. 태양[Taeyang]
  8. EXO [EXO-K & EXO-M] - "Wolf [Korean]", "Wolf [Chinese]"
  9. 이효리[Lee Hyori] - "미스코리아 (Miss Korea)"
  10. Chocolat - "Black Tinkerbell"
  11. 2PM - "이 노래를 듣고 돌아와(Come Back WhenYou Hear This Song)" & "하.니.쁜 (A.D.T.O.Y)"
  12. miss A
  13. G-Dragon - "미치GO", "Coup D'Etat", & "삐딱하게(Crooked)"
  14. Ailee - "U&I"
  15. SPICA - "Tonight"
  16. 이하이[Lee Hi] - "It's Over" & "Rose"
  17. Jay Park - "좋아(JOAH, I like you)" & "Welcome"
  18. SISTAR19 - "있다 없으니까(Gone, Not Around Any Longer" {review}
  19. Dalmatian [DMTN] - "Safety Zone"
  20. Brown Eyed Girls - "Kill Bill"
  21. Deez
  22. 램[Ram:]
  23. GD&TOP
  24. Piggy Dolls - They changed the members and the style of their music; no longer listening.
  25. 백지영[Baek Ji Young] - "싫다(Hate it)"
  26. 4minute - "이름이 뭐예요?(What's Your Name?)"
  27. 보니[Boni]
  28. After School - "첫사랑(First Love)"
  29. JJ Project
  30. G.Na - "Oops!(feat. Ilhoon)"
  31. Wonder Girls
  32. SHINee - "Dream Girl", "Why So Serious?", & "Everybody"
  33. AOA - Moya
  34. 서인영[Seo In Young] - "나를 사랑해줘 (feat. Gaeko of Dynamic Duo) (Love Me)"
  35. GLAM - "거울앞에서(In Front of the Mirror)"
  36. Block B- "Very Good" & "빛이 되어 줘(Be the Light)"
  37. B2ST - "Shadow"
  38. Secret - "YooHoo"
  39. She'z - "Night and Day", "왜 이럴까 (Why Am I Like This?)"
  40. 가인[Ga-In] - "Brunch (with Hyungwoo)"
  41. Stephanie
  42. 김소리[Kim Sori]
  43. Tasha 
  44. Tiger JK - "살자(The Cure)"
Any K-Pop artists you're excited for a comeback from in 2013? So far this has been the year of rookie groups for me. Sooo many new girl groups that I am loving!! I can't wait to see what else 2013 has in store for K-Pop!

04 April 2013

What's New in. . . TV?


This will be a feature on Thursdays, where I show you what's new in TV, music, film, books, K-Pop, Dramas, or just my life. I'll give you news I recently learned about that I thought I'd share with you. Hopefully these things interest you too!

_______________________________________
Thursdays, 10/9c on NBC.

Explores the early relationship the renowned psychiatrist and his patient, a young FBI criminal profiler, who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers


Starring:
Hugh Dancy as Special Agent Will Graham
Mads Mikkelsen as Dr. Hannibal Lecter
Laurence Fishburne as Special Agent Jack Crawford
Caroline Dhavernas as Dr. Alana Bloom
Lara Jean Chorostecki as Fredricka "Freddie" Lounds



Hannibal is set to premiere tonight, 4th of April at 10/9c.

Will you be tuning in to watch? I already have it saved on the DVR!

02 April 2013

MUSIC REVIEW: "있다 없으니까" by SISTAR19

SISTAR19 - "있다 없으니까" [mini album]
Rating:
Genre: K-Pop/Dance/R&B
Language: Korean
Tracklist:
1. "SISTAR19" - xx
2. "있다 없으니까 (Gone, Not Around Any Longer)" - xx
3. "나도 여자인데 (A Girl in Love)" - xx
4. "마 보이 (Ma Boy)" - xx
5. "있다 없으니까 (Gone, Not Around Any Longer) Inst.)" - xx


My thoughts:
SISTAR is a group that's a hit or miss for me. I adore the girls, but sometimes their songs are just too much. But when Starship (their record label) tookd my two favourite girls, Hyorin & Bora and formed a subunit called SISTAR19 I was fangirling a little too hard. I loved their song "Ma Boy" when it was released May of 2011 and I didn't think they were going to do anything else with just these girls. But at the beginning of the year I saw that they would have a comeback and a few days later they released "있다 없으니까 (Gone, Not Around Any Longer)"! Do I like it as much as "Ma Boy"? Yes and no. It doesn't have the same listen & dance factor, but it still has the same sing along factor.

I wish that there were maybe two more songs on the mini album, but I'm glad we got a new song with 나도 여자인데", which, in my opinion has the listen & dance as well as the sing along factor. I love love that one. I kind of wish that was the single they released.

There isn't much to say about this album except, I love it. I love Hyorin's vocals and Bora's rapping. She has this subtlety to her voice when she raps, it's borderline singing but not... if that makes sense. lol.

Check these girls out and their group, with the other members Soyu and Dasom!

Bonus video:
The music video for "있다 없으니까"!



01 April 2013

MUSIC REVIEW: "CODE #01 나쁜여자" by Ladies' Code

Ladies' Code - "CODE #01 나쁜 여자" [mini album]
Rating: ½
Genre: K-Pop/R&B/Dance
Language: Korean
Debut Year: 2013
Tracklist:
1. Intro...Bad Girl
2. 나쁜 여자 (Bad Girl)
4. Supergirl
5. Dada La
6. 안울래 (I Won't Cry)



My thoughts:
I learned about this group through their individual member teasers (Sojung, Rise, Ashley, Zuny, EunB), and there was absolutely no inclination as to what genre or sound these girls would have, but I was definitely intrigued.
A few weeks later they released the music video for their debut single, "나쁜 여자" and from the first note I got chills. I don't really know what I was expecting from them, but this wasn't it. It's good. Like... really really good. Especially for a rookie group's debut song and music video!
I immediately downloaded their mini album and fell in love. "Supergirl" is a super fun, motivating, girl empowering song while "안울래" is their only real ballad and though it shows their amazing vocals, it doesn't really need to seeing as how they sound amazing in all of the songs.

"Dada La" has an addictive beat and hook, "bling bling B-L-I-N-G" that I catch myself singing randomly, though my favourite part of this song is the chorus, I absolutely love Sojung's voice! There's a kind of burlesque sound to the song that makes me want to put on knee high songs and short shorts and dance around the room like I'm on a stage. (TMI? Oh well. ^_^")

This will most likely be in my "TOP 10 KPOP Albums of 2013" this year! Super fun. Of course, who knows what the rest of the year will hold!

I like to say that these girls are a mix of SPICA and Wonder Girls. They have the gorgeous vocals like SPICA, but they're more of an upbeat dance group (without being obnoxious and girly) like Wonder Girls.

Bonus video:
Check out their debut music video for "나쁜 여자" below. I love the dance and colors of the music video. [Watch this video here to see the dance in full. Amazing synchronization for a rookie group!]


Monthly Favorites - MARCH!

1. BOOKS: Just One Day by Gayle Forman
I had originally planned on buying this book, but wasn't quite sure if I wanted to... Now I wish I had. It deserves to be on my shelf. It was soo good! I loved the flow of this book, the characters, the writing, the life, the scenery, the timespan, everything! I cannot wait to read Just One Year(which just got a lovely cover) from Willem's POV. If you haven't read this one yet, run to your nearest bookstore & buy it! Read my review here. (Sorry it's such a poor review that doesn't do it justice!)

2. BEAUTY:
  • Olay Fresh Effects Shine Shine Go Away Shine Minimizing Cleanser (Well, that is a mouthful. This has quickly become one of my favorite cleansers... ever. I have very oily and acne prone skin and this with my entire[days worth] routine has helped not only the current acne, but the scars from my previous breakouts. I love that I feel so fresh after using this. When I first started using it, I learned that I was using almost 3x more than I needed for a full, thick and rich lather. And I love the light smell as well!)

3. MUSIC:

  • Justin Timberlake's 20/20 Experience Album [Target Deluxe Edition] (I don't think I need to say more. But I am falling in love with songs I didn't care for when I first listened to this album, like "That Girl" and "Strawberry Bubblegum". So good. And I cannot wait for Part 2 of this album. Read my review here!)
  • JoJo - Can't Handle the Truth (Even though there is absolutely too much talking happening on this , the actual songs are so so good! And this one may be my favorite. This link takes you to the site to download the album free and legally!)

4. FOOD:

I think I already know what will be in my April favorites!! :) What were your March favorites? Anything in these categories, or whatever. Leave a comment! :)


© Iridescent Lotus
Maira Gall