New Toy... and some books!

Since I decided not to fly to Florida and run a half-marathon until my stress fracture is completely healed, I had some money burning a hole in my pocket. So I decided to buy a tablet. You see, I was the only tablet-less person in my house. Husband has a Nook Color, DS #1 has a Kindle Fire and DS #2 has an Ipad.  Frankly, they are not good at sharing their electronic devices.

I love my new tablet. It was so easy to set up as I have an android phone with a Google account. All I needed to do was enter my Google info and every app that I had purchased on my phone magically appeared on my tablet.

My favorites are of course the Overdrive App (which allows you to borrow books from the library collection for free) and the Amazon Kindle App (which now contains my entire e-book library).

I love the fact that I can check my e-mail and even blog without up having to start up the computer.

Onto books. I read some good ones over the past few weeks, one was actually really great!



When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines. (Description from http://www.amazon.com)

My thoughts:
Loved this one. Exceptional. Great writing. Highly developed characters. Lots of growth. I wish that I could have traveled as an 18 year old girl. Paris was beautifully written. Cannot wait for the second book, which is written from Willem's point of view. Don't let this one pass you by.






 Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit--more sparkly, more fun, more wild--the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket--a gifted inventor--steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. (Description from http://www.goodreads.com)

My thoughts:
I really loved Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and was excited to read this one. I did not know that the stories would be connected; as Anna and St. Clair made an appearance.  It is such a cute, fun story with a quirky girl and a pretty desirable boy next door. I will read anything by Stephanie Perkins and am looking forward to the final companion story, Isla and the Happily Ever After which will be published later this year.


 





 

There are those who don’t get luck handed to them on a shiny platter, who end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, who don’t get saved.

Luck was not on Callie’s side the day of her twelfth birthday when everything was stolen from her. After it’s all over, she locks up her feelings and vows never to tell anyone what happened. Six years later her painful past consumes her life and most days it’s a struggle just to breathe.

For as long as Kayden can remember, suffering in silence was the only way to survive life. As long as he did what he was told, everything was okay. One night, after making a terrible mistake, it seems like his life might be over. Luck was on his side, though, when Callie coincidentally is in the right place at the right time and saves him.

Now he can’t stop thinking about the girl he saw at school, but never really knew. When he ends up at the same college as Callie, he does everything he can to try to get to know her. But Callie is reserved and closed off. The more he tries to be part of her life, the more he realizes Callie might need to be saved.(Description from http://www.amazon.com)

My thoughts:

I happened to be looking in the Kindle store and found this book for $0.99 and it had good reviews. I liked it more than I thought I would.  It is a New Adult Contemporary which would be appropriate for older teens (17 and up) due to mature sexual situations. The book was kind of addicting and difficult to put down.  Both of the main characters, Callie and Kayden deal with some heavy stuff; they are broken and they have a lot of secrets. Chapters alternate between the two characters and it is very clear who is speaking. Their pain is both pronounced and subtle at the same time.  The story had a nice pace...until the end. Cliffhanger of all cliffhangers. I need the sequel now!