(OMGBookNews): FREE AUDIOBOOKS?!

Some amaaazziiinngggg snippets to share with you guys today.

1. Meg Cabot News:

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG MEG CABOT IS WRITING A NEW MEDIATOR BOOK!

From this interview:

6) Aside from the final Abandon book, Awaken, and the Heather Wells books, what else are you working on?

I do have other projects in the works, but none that I can discuss at this time. I can, however, mention that I'm working on a 7th Mediator book. It will include all the major characters from the series but will take place several years after the 6th book ended. I think it might be nice to get to the sex already, and we all know Jesse won't even consider that until he's married!

Um. I've highlighted above the words that made me scream a little from crazy joy.

The last book in the series made me cry, but its Meg, so obvs, the ending was AWESOME.
I LOVED the series and cannot WAIT to dive back into that world. And, OMG you guys! Jesse and Suze will be OLDER AND MARRIED?!  !!!!
Totally fan girling. It's MEGGIN FREAKIN CABOT.
And whoa- the new Heather Wells mystery is also going to be out soon! Cannot. Wait.

Here is a terribly funny music video of Sugar Rush by Heather Wells HERSELF, for fans of the series:
Gotta love Meg.


2. Found through Meg's blog: This article from the NY Times on why reading fiction is GOOD FOR YOU.
Take THAT Mom. I'm NOT just living in a fantasy world, learning nothing.


3. FREE AUDIO BOOKS: 
Here.
They're giving away two EVERY WEEK. NO CATCH!
And not lame, old school books either. But really cool ones like Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor or Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendra Blake. Others are also there, which aren't young adult, so pick some and download 'em.
For free.
No catch.

4. The new trailer for Breaking Dawn 2 is finally out.
I loved part one, and part two looks so totally awesome too- especially the ending of it. Fighter Bella is a Win.



5. Funny Game Of Thrones Shizz.


First of we have this HILARIOUS parody of one of my favorite songs, done Game Of Thrones style. Warning, there are spoilers for the first two books/seasons.



Then we have this funny-ish video which is bits taken from GoT and made into a romantic comedy trailer.
Winter is coming.... to a theater near you soon!









What are you most excited for this week?

xx

Chicklitgirl

Mini Review: A Song Of Ice And Fire#1: A Game Of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

First of all, they really need to design a new cover for these books. I mean, seriously? Just look at the orange cover, so boring and totally blah. I like the HBO series' cover better though, but I don't see myself picking up the blue cover while passing it either.

I've been on a serious Game Of Thrones high for the past month, watched both the seasons, read a lot of wikis online and then finally started the books. And you guys, they are so.good! Here is a mini -ish review of the first book in the A Song Of Ice And Fire series.

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. 

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

HBO Show: 4.5 Stars. (.5 deducted because of all the naked boobs. I don't care what anyone says, they were so totally unnecessary.)
Book: 4 stars, on account of 'em being just so SLOW.

I really, really loved this book. However I thought it was a super slow read, and I may have loved it so much because of the super awesome television series. In truth, I only read the book because I really liked the show, and I wanted to get deeper into the characters heads. If there was no show, I'm sure I would have been bored before long and would have probably ended up not finishing A Game Of Thrones. But because of the show, I'm super excited to see what happens next to the brilliant women and the brave and gallant men. I can't wait for season 3, so Ima read all of 'em books.

That said, A Game Of Thrones, is an epic fantasy novel. Its full of intricate characters and a plot with a dozen twists and turns. The basic story is this: People fighting for the throne. But who, what and why? 
There is the brave and loving, Daenerys Targaryen, my favorite bastard, Jon Snow, the clever but 'ugly' imp, Tyrion and bajjillion more. 
There are dragons, and wolves who understand better than men. Men who can change their faces and so much backstabbing, its crazy.
There are adorable and spunky kids and wise, but strict, kindly men. The cast is rich and the plot is thick with bits of incest, mystery, evil and good.

The world building is gritty and believable and there is a lot of sad, and a little of happy, but you grow to love your favorites and end up wanting to know what happens to them. 

A Game of Thrones is written in third person, but each chapter is from a different character's point of view. It is the first book in the Song Of Ice and Fire series.

I would recommend watching the first two seasons of the HBO show, then coming back to read the books after a little break.




Heres is a little Game Of Thrones love, just because:


Hipster Jon:

Dany <3

Have you guys seen/read it yet? What do you think?


xx


Chicklitgirl

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.

George R. R. Martin 

Top Ten Blogs/Websites I visit that are NOT about Books.

Top Ten Blogs/Websites I visit that are NOT about Books.
In no particular Order.

1. A Beautiful Mess

One of my most favorite style blogs ever! Its super colorful and bright, with all sorts of cool things like:

2. Tumblr: I have two Tumblr blogs.

The first one: It's Going To Be Totally Awesome is about random inspiring, funny, pretty pictures. With a bit of Glee/Sherlock/Game Of Thrones love thrown in, of course.

For example:

The second one is about my doodles. Cause.. I like to doodle. Prisms&Paintbrushes:

3. Another Way To Avoid Reality

I just love the way she writes, a lot.

4. Honestly... WTF

Another one of those lifestyle blogs. It has a LOT of fashion, all sorts- clothes, furniture, jewelry- etc. Its such a good site for artistic inspiration. And awesome DIYs for amazing bracelets and these look-alike Miu Miu sneakers:

5. Joy The Baker

Oh my God. SHE IS THE BEST BAKER. I've tried a lot of her recipes. The Chocolate Orange Cream Cheese Pound Cake is to die for.

6. Sea Of Shoes

Another fashion/lifestyle blog. Shes so young and really cool.

7. The Coveted

An amaaazing New York fashion blogger! I love her style. Its wearable and funky.

8. The Oceanside Bride

I just go here for the pretty. Oodles and oodles of pretty happily ever afters. *sigh*

9. Two Matthewsers

A real life love story! <3

10. Oil Is Opium

This lady writes about legit, hard, real life. About Pakistan mostly, and sometimes you need some intellectual real life shizz too, you know. Plus she taught/teaches at my previous A Level college. She supaa cool.

11. Cheeseburgers In Pakistan

Okay, so its supposed to be the top ten sites, but this blog, to be fair is shut down. The author doesn't post on it anymore. But I still wanted to mention it here because its all about a foreigner in Pakistan. She has painted my country in real and beautiful, honest and positive colors through her posts and anyone wanting to read about life in Pakistan, the everyday simplicity that does not involve barren desserts and mud houses, should really read it.

So that's my list you guys, and I'd love to know, what are the top ten websites you frequent?

xx

CLG

Note: This blog post title idea has been taken from a previous 'Top Ten Tuesday' meme post, hosted by The Broke and Bookish.

(Book Review): The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

The Immortal Rules

by Julie Kagawa

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity. 

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. 

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters. 

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad. 

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike. 

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

Julie Kagawa is one of my most favorite authors, all because of the absolutely brilliant Iron Fey series.

So, understandably I was super excited for The Immortal Rules. 

Even if it was about Vampires.
But dude, its Julie, and I couldn't not give it a go.

And I'm so glad I did! Its no Iron Fey- those were out of this world (literally)- but The Immortal Rules packs a good healthy punch all on its own, and is a great dystopian read with a really cool original plot.

Loved it.

Rating:  3.5 out of 5 stars

Published:  April 24th 2012 
Series: Yes.
Romance/Swoon Scale: Awwwww Cute. 
Heated Moments/Sex: Nah. 
Swear Words: Nope, its squeaky clean.
Action: Oh Hellllll Yeah
Highlights: Awesome, awesome protagonist, really cool dystopian world

Needs Work: Romance

The Immortal Rules takes place about sixty years after a virus has killed off most of the world’s human population. Humans chose between living as personal pets for the vampires that now rule them, or unregistered and starving.

The Best Bits

Allison:

The best part was probably Allison, the vampire girl who was just freaking amazing.

She kicked ass litteraly, but was honest and loyal and for someone with no heart- had the biggest one around. She weilds a katana and is so badass with it!

My most fav parts were def Allison showing off her super strength and kick ass abilities and personality. 


Zeke:
I also liked that the boy she loved was simply... human. 
His sexy abilities did not make him the male lead, but his personality did. He actually had one and was just so normal.

I liked how he, even though being human, showed incredible strength which almost equally matched Allisons. He wasnt broody or dark and rugged- he was normal, good and kind.

The Story:

I loved the dystopian elements of the book.

Its so drastically different from The Iron Fey novels- both in the protagonists voice- Allie and Meghan although both two equally brilliant, strong women are completely different from each other- the story, and the whole feel of it- that I really did have a tiny bit  trouble believing it was from the same author. 

I really liked how Julie Kagawa showed the world after a vampire and rabid invasion. 
It was realistic- as realistic as vamp fiction goes- and she didnot glorify the vampire and make it okay to be one. There were no outs for Julie Kagawa's Vamp World and it feels strange but I liked the grittiness and horror of that. 

The story itself was pretty cool and straightforward with a couple of twists very neatly executed along the way.

Little things I loved

Kanin.

He was such a Dumbledore. Well if Dumbledore was a vampire and not that old and meaner.

I loved how little bits of lectures from him resonated throughout the book, complimenting the situations at hand.

I would have liked it more if...


It was a bit more fast paced.
Some bits honestly did lag a bit, but only some.

The Romance.
It was sweet. I don't like sweet. I like bad boy grins, and witty banter, and really swoony melty moments.
So, I wish the romance had packed a better, stronger punch.

Overall, though, The Immortal Rules was a WIN read. 
The ending was so good, I loved the last paragraph- it made me want to cheer for Allison and fist bump her and high five her and shizz.
Will I be reading the next in the series? 

You bet.


ALSO YOU GUYS?
THERE, AT THE END OF THE BOOK WAS... THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE NEXT IRON FEY BOOK!
Ethan, Meg's younger bro?
Older, hotter, been taking fighting classes?!
I can't wait for the Lost Prince. EEEEH!


xx


Clg

(Giveaway+book review): The Kiss Off by Sarah Billington

Hey guys! Welcome to the first stop in The Kiss Off book tour with your host for the day- Chicklitgaaaallllll. (aka Chicklitgirl).

Without further ado, the review you all have (kinda/hopefully) been waiting for!

The Kiss Off

by Sarah Billington

Rating: 3/5 stars

Romance Swoon Scale: 2.3/5 stars, Adorable, Sweet

Bonus Bits: LOLgasms, Smiling in anticipation, Rooting for heroine. 

Warning?: Yes. Sexual References, occasional course language.

Action: Running from the paparazzi.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Published:  May 15th 2012 by Billington Media 

Series: No.

When sixteen year old Poppy Douglas writes a song about her ex-boyfriend Cam and ex-friend Nikki, she has no idea that her heartbreak is about to go global. 

A local band picks up her song from Youtube and soon she’s along for the ride with her own fanbase as they blow up on the local club scene and hit the international charts. Though it turns out leaving Cam behind isn’t as easy as she had hoped. 

Tangled in a web of unfinished homework, sexting and a new lead-singer boyfriend, Poppy has a choice to make between the ex that inspired it all and the rock God whose poster lines the inside of half the lockers at school. But as she struggles to keep her emotional dirty laundry private, she learns that the truth can be hard to find when your life is in the headlines. 

The Kiss Off was a book that made me laugh, smile and cringe several times. 

I loved its whole plot and concept of the story- and the how unpredictable it was!

The sort-of love triangle kept me guessing till the last freakin' page and the musical-teen-angst angle was refreshing and a lot of fun. Throw in all the lol bits, and I was sold.

Poppy Douglas, our protagonist for the day was a very relatable teenage girl who made mistakes like all teenagers do, and was a solid, believable character.

I also really liked Poppy's relationship with her best friends. They were there for her when they could be and Mads, specially, was so much fun! I loved her quirky outfits and just her general personality.

Ty was super duper adorable and so hot. Sigh.

The Kiss Off wasn't very fast paced because it was so detailed, all of Poppy's thoughts and actions explained, but the writing was clear and straightforward, which made The Kiss Off an easy read. 

I loved the whole music scene, a look into the modern crazy celeb world and personally, Academy of Lies is such a cool name for a band. Official yet not official- (...if you know what I mean.)

There were so many creative funny bits and awkward teenager moments, and those were what really made The Kiss Off pop and pack a more fun punch.

The language wasn't very clean, but I liked that, since it made the whole thing more authentic and teenage-y because really, we all use bad words at one point or another in our vocabulary.

It also showed Poppy making some mistakes which probably all teenagers could learn from although- seriously, WHEN is sexting EVER a good idea?

The ending though I think, could have been done better, and I don't want to spoil it, it WAS a good ending but it felt a bit unfulfilling somehow. It had potential to be better.

And dude, the story started with Poppy's songs, and her songs were a big part of the book- so Ms Sarah Billington I WANTED TO READ THE LYRICS TO THEM! I mean you go on and on about the song but we only get snippets of the lyrics. I really wanted to know what everyone loved so much and you left it out. Just like that. And that sucked.

The cover also left me unimpressed. I mean, yeah okay, its related to the book, and it is a bit cute, but it could have been better. The freakin' FONT could have been way better! It doesn't look very professional and in my opinion screams self published- and a lot of people are wary about sp books not being very good.

BUT aside from all that I really liked The Kiss Off.

I love books that can make me laugh and smile and feel for the protag. 

Books with protags who don't have dysfunctional families, have good bffs, and books with proper heroines who write kick ass songs and then get famous for them rock. And I specially love books with sweet romances.

So yes, The Kiss Off was a pretty good book, well worth the time and you should def give it a go.

The Giveaway.

So now that you know its a really great book you're all set to enter the giveaway!

One lucky winner will receive an ebook of The Kiss Off and three super lucky winners will win the entire Sarah Billington back catalogue of ebooks (2 novel + 3 short stories)!

Rules:

-There will be a total of four winners. 
-You MUST be a follower of this blog to enter.

-You can gain one entry by commenting on this review with your name and email address.

-There is an extra entry for people who tweet about this giveaway, and provide a link in the comments.

-You can enter the giveaway more than once by commenting on all the other posts that will be published for the length of this book tour!

-This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.

-Giveaway ends on 15th May 2012. 

-All the comments from all the various blog tour stops will be gathered and 4 winners will be chosen randomly.

Tour ScheduleMonday, April 23 - Review @ ChickLitGirl
Tuesday, April 24 - Interview & Review @ Readinista
Wednesday, April 25 - Review @ The Writer's Republic
Thursday, April 26 - Review @ Simplistik
Friday, April 27 - Guest Post & Review @ A Word's Worth
Saturday, April 28 - Review @ Shweta's Book Journal
Sunday, April 29 - Guest Post @ Chocolate Coffee Books
Monday, April 30 - Review @ The Secret Life of An Avid Reader
Tuesday, May 1 - Interview & Review @ Dead Trees and Silver Screens
Wednesday, May 2 - Guest Post & Review @ I Love YA Fiction
Thursday, May 3 - Guest Post & Review @ The Reader's Antidote
Friday, May 4 - Review @ The Life of Fiction
Saturday, May 5 - Guest Post & Review @ Crazed Bookie
Sunday, May 6 - Interview @ Review @ Maji Bookshelf
Monday, May 7 - Guest Post @ The Magic Attic
Tuesday, May 8 - Feature @ The Australian Bookshelf
Wednesday, May 9 - Review @ Book Briefs
& Feature @ Candice W. Coghill's Blog
Thursday, May 10 - Interview @ 1001 First Lines
Saturday, May 12 - Guest Post @ The Bookshelf Muse
Monday, May 14 - Interview & Review @ Pages of Forbidden Love
Tuesday, May 15 - Guest Post & Review @ The (EPIC) Rat
& Review @ The Magic Attic
& Official Release of THE KISS OFF

Good luck and happy reading!

xx

Chicklitgirl

of open letters and lMfA0 desis

Sometimes, the people you thought you'd visit forever with go all Black Swan on you, and you're left with a back full of lethal black feathers.
They hurt.



Wearing my heart on my sleeve has been more of a bane than a boon, every single time. You may think they like it, but really? They couldn't give a flying f. And I just can't switch it off
Really, I can't.

What do you want from me? What? What is your bs attitude about?
And what have I done to deserve it? We don't have to be twinsies, we really don't. I can have my life and you can have yours. We can co exist. We were doing it so well, and we were having fun, but now there is rancid bitterness and I'm lost and confused.
If I'm dead weight then kick me aside and be done with it, because if you're struggling on because of pity or old soft feelings- I'll be the first to admit it: You're hurting me.
I'd rather you're get out than stay like this. Because we're broken and I'm done trying to fix it.
But I want you to, this time, please.

And you, over there, in the corner. The bruised fellow, with tears and heartache? Shut up.
You're kind, you're smart, you're talented and you are have one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen in a person.
So shut up.
You're beautiful.



Anyway, on to the good stuff.

I watched THE funniest videos EVER today. These brothers are completely silly, but so totally hilarious.







lmao x 3942394827397423

And this is dedicated to everyone who was ever nice to me, all my followers and all my best friends:
(Shut up, they're adorable.)



xx

<3

Chicklitgirl