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Feeling much better today! Barely any pain in the morning but I went to see World War Z and now I'm back to feeling pain again. Darn.

SCHOOL SPIRIT!!!

Just a bit to show how much I love UVA!!!!

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THE LOST SYMBOL BY DAN BROWN 4.5/5

THE LOST SYMBOL BY DAN BROWN
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Date of Publication: September 2009
Summary:

The Lost Symbol begins with an ancient ritual, a shadowy enclave, and of course, a secret. Readers know they are in Dan Brown territory when, by the end of the first chapter, a secret within a secret is revealed. To tell too much would ruin the fun of reading this delicious thriller, so you will find no spoilers here. Suffice it to say that as with many series featuring a recurring character, there is a bit of a formula at work (one that fans will love). Again, brilliant Harvard professor Robert Langdon finds himself in a predicament that requires his vast knowledge of symbology and superior problem-solving skills to save the day. The setting, unlike other Robert Langdon novels, is stateside, and in Brown's hands Washington D.C. is as fascinating as Paris or Vatican City (note to the D.C. tourism board: get your "Lost Symbol" tour in order).
Fact: When it comes to Dan Brown's book, I just buy it and read it. No need to glimpse at the summary. Whatever he writes, I'm sure I'll like it.

I don't think I can say anything that other people haven't said about this book. I loved the puzzles and the transformation and the action in this book. I have never been a great fan for horror, mystery, or thriller books since... well, I don't feel any of the emotions that these books should evoke. With Dan Brown, I actually feel the impatience wanting to know what's going to happen next especially when he keeps leaving the reader hanging at every chapter. Again, I just love how he ends each chapter with a hook.
And I especially like the revelation of the square order of eight. The arrangement of the symbols to turn it into a pyramid and the staircase is just.... unbelievable! That is not to say the many interpretations for that particular picture or whatever you call it.

However, the reason I didn't give the book 5/5 is because... first of all, I was baffled to find out that the Lost Symbol is actually the Bible. It was... I don't know... I guess it's just me because I'm not a religious follower and the idea of God is not... the way other believe, let's just leave it at that.

Furthermore, I find the idea of thinking positive thoughts, believing in one's "divinity" can actually affect's the world's action is a little too far fetching. Maybe I'm just a hard headed, narrow minded person like Peter said who just can't accept new ideas, but Dan Brown convince me about the human's super ability. That's not so say that I don't believe that human can advance unbound... I'm just saying that his revelation is too much for me to take in.

However, I'll admit that this novel has a strong influence on shaping people's thinking. I like the lesson here more than one in the Da Vinci Code. A lot.

The good: lots of knowledge to be gained, lots of ideas to be learned and considered here. Dan Brow does not just tell a story, he's showing the readers new ideas that people should ponder upon. Great Great Great book.

It could have been better if: there is more explanation about how man is actually the God. For some reason, when I read about this, I wasn't quite convince. I guess I'll read it again. And the science of it is quite stunning but when Katherine said she's seen proof that cancer cells actually turn to normal cells just because people think that way... really?

And the extra dimention Dan Brow mentions in this book. Based on what I learn, there are actually eleven dimensions. Not ten. Am I missing something here?

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RADIANCE ARC GIVEAWAY @ BOOKS WITH BITE!


Win an ARC of Radiance @Book with Bite
Here's what you have to do:

You can enter the contest
here
and doing one of the following:
1. Leave a comment on one of my
recent reviews
2. Tweeting about the contest
3. Blogging about the
contest
4. Any other way to spread the word about the contest
Contest ends 8/13!


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CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THIS SONG!

This is an opening theme song for the anime Fruit Basket. One of the songs I don't grow tired no matter how many times I listen to it.

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WHAT HAPPENED TO THE NEW LAPTOP?



So that is my very very old, very first laptop that I have every had. I'm actually typing with it right now and wondered how the hell did I survive typing with this? The keyboards are so stiff... but I'm not going to complain. This baby is 5 years old anyway.

I bought a new Portege M780 laptop days ago and
got it returned 5 days after. Oh, let me post a pic
of it:
so there you have it. Totally beautiful looking. Wait until you see it's specification:
- hard drive or Solid State Drive (SSD)
- 8GB of DDR3 RAM memory
- Fingerprint reader
- eSATA, bluetooth, Wireless and HD Web camera
- 12.1-inch LED backlit display that support for 1200 by 800 pixel resolution
-
Microsoft Windows 7 preloaded (this laptop support for Windows 7 Touch gestures).
- 320 GB storage
-i7 processor

So really, what could possibly go wrong? But oh yeah... a lot of things went wrong.
First of all, the screen. Instead of this bright beautiful, lively color screen. I got this limey yellowish, and rather dark screen. It looks like I got this laptop 5 YEARS and not five DAYS ago.

But that's fine. I'm willing to live with an old, yellowish screen, but I cannot, can-not live with a laptop that keeps making static noises whenever I picked it up. The first Portege I got, make this weird noises when I tilted it just a slight degree. I brought to the thing to one of the repair centers and the guy replaced the speakers, EVEN the motherboard later on when the problem persisted but it didn't solve the problem. So I finally got an exchange.

Worse.

This one didn't need to be tilted. You just turned it on and BAM! the FAN AND SPEAKERS started making noises as if something is lose in there and everything is jumping around inside.

So I was rather, utterly disappointed by Toshiba this time. This laptop, although it looks really cool, is a big failure. And I'm sure I can find more than just a few people to agree with me.

In the end, it did have some highlights. I love love the quick performance. I does anything in A LOT less time than any other laptops I've had. I have had around 5 laptops so far. Second of all, the sound quality is just... GORGEOUS. I LOVE THE SPEAKERS even though they make dump static noises. Third of all, the accuracy. Other touchscreen laptops that I have, have no accuracy what so every. The HP one for example, I had to wrestle with the thing just to press a button with my bare finger! Because it has to be accurate to the CENTIMETER! The FUJITSU lifebook is not so bad but accuracy is a little off too. I can't seem to press the X button to close the window because it's too close to the screen...frame and my finger is not tiny enough to speeze through the space. With Portege, I can easily do that. It's like the laptop KNOWS what I'm trying to do.

Toshiba customer service is great. They understood my problem and strove to resolve it quickly. And this isn't the first time I had to work with them by the way.

Got a refund. Can't wait to get my money back and go for another FUJITSU, or maybe and HP but I'm not so sure about HP since the last one I had, had a very grainy screen. So far FUJITSU is the best on the market for me.

Will update once I made my decision.

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DEVIL'S CUB BY GEORGETTE HEYER 2/5

DEVIL'S CUB BY GEORGETTE HEYER

Publisher: Scourcebooks, Incorporated
Date of Publication: November, 2009
Summary:

The Marquis of Vidal is a bad lot a rake and seducer, reckless, heedless, and possessed of a murderous temper. He is known by friend and foe alike as the "Devil's Cub." Yet as the handsome and wealthy heir to a Dukedom, he is considered a good prospect on the marriage market. Vidal currently has his eye on the young, lovely, and unintelligent Sophia Challoner, and Sophia's greedy mother is more than happy to encourage his dubious attentions. The colorful and eccentric characters fall over each other's plots, get involved in very peculiar coincidences, engage in colorful derring-do, and generally make life difficult for each other.


Fact: I personally think the summary is so much better than the book itself.

The first thing I'm going to say is that I love the cover. There are several covers for this one really, at least two. I chose this one because that is the cover I have. I like how he's holding her hands and sits as if he's just ridden all the way there just to do that.

I first picked this book up because I read the review over here at First Impressions (I hope this is the name of the blog). As a matter of fact, the moment I read what is said there, I rushed to the bookstore despite the unholy hour. It just sounds so good and is exactly the kind of books I'd go for.

Well, if you read the title of this post, you'd already know how it turned out.

Not so good.

Now, I don't want to say anything negative about this book because I went to bn.com and amazon.com and google to read people's reviews about this book. And 95% of the reviews are possitive. In fact only FOUR people at amazon gave this book anything less than a 4.

However, I am going to say that this book is just NOT my cup of tea. Really, since it is placed in the romance section, I expect the book to revolve about the two main characters and how their relationship progress. Instead, I got a ton of details about the family and how they think of the fact that Mary had gone off with Dominic. The one thing that bugs me is that once one character found out about the news, someone came up and this happen:

I'm going to call the person how discovered the news Triple A just because and the other, dude. And this is a very crude version of what they say:

Dude: hey, what's going on? You look pale.

Triple A: hmph! how can I not be pale! Mary's gone! She's left with Dominic, the marquess!

Dude: Oh, no! That's not good! What shall we do?

Triple A: well, we'll have to settle this somehow! This is a blasphemy!

And then the process to "settle this" by going to Dominic's family and repeat the lengthy news to them and again and again to other people. And if that's not enough for you, Mary herself, retells THE WHOLE STORY at the very end of the book. Now, I have no idea how or why the author thinks is necessary to actually presents the whole STORY back to the readers because... well, obvious, if they got to the end of the book, they must have known the story. What I'm trying to say is that, the author can just flat out say that "oh, this is where Mary retells the story to Dominic's dad!" and then move on! There is no point in repeating the same thing over and over!

Back to the topic. The romance. this is a romance novel anyway. Well, unfortunately I feel no romance between them. Their emotions move so fast I can't even keep track of what's going on.

*********Spoiler Alert*********

First, Dominic is going out with Sophie which is a dumb but beautiful girl and Mary is a pretty but not as pretty girl so Dominic doesn't want any piece of her. So Mary thought "hey, I don't want him either!" and then Mary found out that Dominic wants to make Sophie his mistress so she jumps into the coach and leaves with him. Once he found out the scheme, he thought of her as a trollop, but when she told him of her intention, he was like, "oh, you're such a kind soul! You sacrifice yourself for your sister! You're so noble!" (he didn't say that in so many words but that's basically what it comes down to).

But think about it, if some girl jumps into your coach and you already think that she's a trollop if she tells you that, chances are you would think that she makes that up, especially if you're a rich marques and everyone wants a piece of your wallet!

And then, four or something chapter later, she lies in her bad and realized she's in love with him. But not then. she's in love with him the moment she saw him! Like, really?

And then there are chapters and chapter about how the families deal with the news of Mary's supposed gallop. And then Dominic announces that he's in love with her and "cannot live without her." The entire time, I keep wondering, who/what/where/why/when made him go 180 degrees from a supposedly cold, emotionless to this warmblooded loving creature? She barely did anything for him!

**********End of Spoiler********
And then there is the fighting scene which is rather, clique for me but I'll buy that since I've always think fighting in books are clique because no matter who's writing it, it still does not sound real or dangerous like seeing it on the big screen.

But the thing that bothers me the most is the way the people speak. If that is how people did back then (and I suspect that it is), I am so glad i didn't live back then. I had a hard time keep track of the conversation, especially when Mary's aunt (I think) who is Sophie's mom speaks. She goes from one topic to the next without stopping or ending the previous topic. And when she introduces someone, she just tells you the name. That's it. You, readers, will have to find out who the character is and how he is related to others by analyzing the text. I suppose the author did that on purpose to show how silly women spoke back then (?).

The good: this book did a great job on reflecting how people spoke, lived, dressed back then during the 1700s-1800s. I actually learned a great deal about the customs and other daily life activities.

It could have been better if the author spends more time on the romance, less time on the repetition, and even less time on the redundancy of the conversations.

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STUMBLED UPON

I was about to do some more ranting tonight but I found this guy online and he pretty much vents out whatever I wanted to say. Check him out on youtube!


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OH LOOK AT WHAT I GOT FROM PANDA!

I hope he/she is someone I wanna see.

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RANTING BECAUSE MY TIRE EXPLODED

I am officially carless for the next three hours or so until the mechanics change my car tires. Thanks to my uncle and aunt who sold me this crappy car, I almost die twice in a year. The first happened with the brakes. For the life of me, I just don't understand why the don't change the freaking brakes for TEN YEARS AKA THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME THEY OWNED THE CAR! But that's not why I'm pissed. Its their cat, their lives so if they don't want to take care of it, fine with me. And hey, I'm not asking them to change the brakes for me, all I wanted was for them to please kindly tell me what the hell they didn't do/fix so I can do them myself!!

But no, they were all "omg, its still good. There no problem with it blah blah..."

The next time I went to the mechanics they told me e brakes were used all the way to tje bones, the very last layer of whatever it is that uses friction to stop the car when you brake. Yeah, that thing. Gone. Which means I have been pretty much going without brakes. No wonder whenver I do brake, the car made this groaning noise that sounded like someone is shoving a spatula down another's throat.

Today, well I have already said it, my car tire exploded. Granted I run over the curb but there was no excuse to why the ONE INCH THICK tire could just ripped like paper!!!

I wish I have taken a pic of the tire. It was one huge rip its unreal....


So there you have it. The the reason why I'm sitting in a public street waiting for my dad to pick me up the waited for another TWO hours before coming back to this place to pick my car up before going to buy food for my family and then some dish washing...

Why oh why do all the bad things keep happening to me?? And oh, I still have some more ranting to do but my dads here so Ill save it for some other occasion. Maybe tonight.

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LINGER by MAGGIE STEIFVATER 5/5


LINGER by MAGGIE STEIFVATER
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date of Publication:
July 13, 2010
Summary:

Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.
Fact: when I first bought this book, I thought it- like Linger- will be a heart-felt love story. Well, I was only partially right.

I don't think I have ever read young adult novel more beautifully written than Linger. I could feel the emotions for each character. LINGER unlike, SHIVER is a lot more serious and... well, sad. It dwells into the true meaning of love and loss.

In this book, Maggie tells more about Sam, his family, his life before he turned into a wolf, and especially the pain and the joy after he had regained his human form. Likewise, Grace in this book develops into a new person, more daring... more brave to do what she wants instead of listening to her parents and live quietly like she has always done all her life.

Cole, the new character, I think, is the most broken of all. A celebrity, famous and rich, he has everything he wants with a flick of his finger. Yet he has made too many mistakes in his life and tries to run away from it. Telling from four different points of views, the book tells how each of the characters, Sam, Grace, Cole and Isabel tries to cope with their personal problems.

The one thing I love the most about this book is how the characters are portrayed. I think LINGER has more emotions and feelings than action. And I love that. I want to be in people's heads and know what they are thinking and how it affect their lives.

*******Spoiler******
When Grace is dying, I could feel the pent up emotions Sam, the pain, the fear... everything with him even addresing it once. There was no tears, no hysterics in Sam's or even Grace's part yet somehow Maggie perfectly captures the horror of slowly painfully watching the one you love slipping away from you.

Not many books can affect me emotionally there has only been one. But reading LINGER, I feel the pain, the frustration, the fear... so much I wanted to hit something to vent the emotions out!
****End of Spoiler***


LINGER is a great read. I'd recommend it to everyone. However, be warned that LINGER's theme is rather heavy and depressing for readers under 13.

LINGER TRAILER:



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Beautiful Darkness Giveaway @Roots in Myth


Roots in Myth is having this awesome giveaway for Beautiful Darkness ARC right now!


Here's what you have to do:

1) Follow this blog
2) Follow The Texas Sweethearts blog
3) Comment on this blog post


For extra entries:

1) Blog about this contest and leave a comment telling me

2) Tweet about this contest and leave a comment telling me



Contest ends July 30th!

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THE LAST HELLION by LORETTA CHASE 4.5/5



THE LAST HELLION by Loretta Chase
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date of Publication: April 1998
Book Description:

A ferocious conflict of wills...

Vere Mallory, the Duke of Ainswood, has everything--he's titled, he's rich, he's devastatingly good looking--and he seems determined to throw it all away. Disreputable, reckless, and wild, the last of the Mallory hellions is racing headlong to self-destruction...until a mind numbingly beautiful blonde Amazon knocks him off his feet--literally.

An incendiary passion...

Lydia Grenville is dedicated to protecting London's downtrodden. Dissolute noblemen like Ainswood are part of the problem, not the solution. She would like him to get his big, gorgeous carcass out of her way so that she can carry on with her work. The problem is, Ainswood can no more resist a challenge, especially in female form, than he can resist the trouble she seems to attract.

If they can only weather their personal firestorm...
they might survive the real danger that threatens all they hold dear.


This book is well on my list of "favorite books of all time." I can't seem to find a single negative thing to say about this book... well, maybe except the part that she smokes. Once or twice when the situation requires since Lydia is a journalist therefore has to mingle on bars to seek for information.

Loretta does a splendid job is always with the conversation and the shocking twist at the end.

The chemistry between the characters sound real and not forceful like other books that I have read, not to mention that the heat from their passion alone sizzles the pages. I found myself laugh out loud, frown, and gasp as their relationship progresses. The part that really capture my attention is their relationship. Neither of them knows how to deal with marriage, especially Vere- he doesn't even think beyond the wedding night, but they are willing to stick together and sort things out. Just like how people would do in real life. I found that fascinating since most of romance books I read ends in a marriage. This book starts with one.

I'd recommend this book to all those who love romance and virgins.


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HUSH, HUSH by BECCA FITZPATRICK 5/5


HUSH, HUSH by BECCA FITZPATRICK

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.


First glance, gorgeous, gorgeous cover, not only that the real cover is even more gorgeous with its glittery surface.

With the intention of giving no spoilers I'll have to make this very short because if I babble on I'm going to give everything away. The thing I love most about this book is the conversations. They sound very realistic. I found Patch's lines, though short, completely capture the reader's attention. Patch is portrayed as a bad boy and hides a dark secrete. The author does well by using words such as "a hint of a smile played on his lips" or "a small grin" but never let Patch actually smiles.

Nora on the other hand is an ordinary girl, who I can very much relate to. First is because she cares about her grades and never give too much thoughts about boys. That's me. Or at least that's how I think I am. I also found Nora and admirable character. Instead of succumbing to Patch's charm, she tries to figure him out. She tries to resist and keep a straight head.

The chemistry between them is... just... sizzling. I haven't read a YA book makes me toes curl like this one before. Most of time, YA books have very little chemistry between both characters. I guess that's how authors keep them PG-13 (?), often time I have to read more than 1/3 of the book for them to even meet a second time. Not with HUSH, HUSH. It has enough of romance to keep me go "awww...." and wanting to read more.

And I love how there are feathers printed randomly on the pages. It's cute!

The only thing I'm not so agreeable about this book is that Nora and Patch fall in love a little too fast. Through out the book, Nora keeps thinking that he's wrong, he's not good for me, I can't be near him, he scares the wits about of me. But near the end of the book, it rushes to say that Patch is in love with her. Sure, he flirts with her, but he... I don't know, I just find that there is not enough evidence that really shows he is in love with her. He might be interested in her more than other females but in love... ? That's a little too quick.

I wish Becca had write more about their first kiss. After all, it is Nora's first kiss. But oh well.

I still love it. Can't wait til the next book!

I'd recommend this book to EVERYONE.

and oh, let's not forget the trailer!







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AP BIOLOGY PRINCETON REVIEW 2010 ED.

CRACKING THE AP BIOLOGY EXAM 2010 EDITION - THE PRINCETON REVIEW

Finally! I've been dying to do this although for some reason life keeps getting in the way.

The first thing I'd like to say about this book is its thickness... or lack thereof, to be exactly. The AP Biology book might as well be the second lightest of all the Princeton Review books right after the AP Psy. Nonetheless, it is the LIGHTEST of all the AP Bio prep books that I've had my hands on. The one for Barron's is HUGE but no more informative.

This book presents the information in a logical order going form the big picture to the small details. Looking the index alone can prove that.

But the one thing I LOVE LOVE LOVE about this book is that it SHOWS you how to memorize stuff. I remember a chapter about human anatomy in which you have to memorize all the hormones and what they do... Other books (I've read 4 different ap prep book on the anatomy sections) just tell you what they do and expect you to memorize everything from scratch. I mean, at the time, sure. But remember, the ap exam is not just about the human hormones. They can't expect people to memorize stuff out of the blue, especially stuff you're likely to not use AT ALL in real life. That's when this book helps because it shows you mnemonics to memorize.

GATOR PIT is how you're supposed to memorize the hormones like AHD, LH, FSH... How, you'll have to read the book and know.

When I read this book, I feel like I'm actually LISTENTING to someone talking to me instead of reading the dry and coarse words. I feel like they understand student's pains of having to memorize the stuff and try to understand or at least memorize as much as they can.

And oh, let's not forget about the quizzes at the end of each chapter. For some reason, THAT is so rare in other books. I did a review wayyy back about chem and I have to say only 2/5 ap chem books I had have the quizzes. Is it too hard to think of 5 questions for each chapter? I think not.

On the other hand, I would say that although informative, the quizzes at the end of the chapter for AP BIO are not as great. Often times there are questions about info. that is not presented in the chapter which leads to confusion. In addition, even if you get the answers right, I'd suggest you go to the answer page and look at the explanation. More often than not, the explanation gives you more detail on that particular area. I think Princeton could have done better given the fact that this book is still very thin.

In the end, it is the fact that reading this book got me a 5 on the AP exam. I remember having TWO questions on the ap exam that are exactly like the info present in the book. Needless to say I was thrilled because all I had to do is write down the info I've already memorized well (I'm a bit of a visual learner myself).

I wanted to do a review about AP Physics but unfortunately I didn't use the princeton book for Physics; our teacher asked us to use another green cover book which was printed in 2005. It was a big mistake. A VERY BIG MISTAKE because I got a 4 on the ap exam but I feel like I haven't learned anything in that class.

If you have to get one thing about of this loooooong review this is it:

If you're a high school student and you're taking ap classes. I don't care what it is and who teaches you, please please please stick with the Princeton Reviews. I promise you won't be disappointed.

That is, if you actually try.


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GREAT ARC GIVEAWAY @CAROL's PRINTS

Carolina Valdez Miller is having awesome arc giveaway right now. That means you could win an ARC copy of

FIRELIGHT,

HALO,

MATCHED,

TORNMENT

and a lot more.

All you have to do is fill out the form and you're all set. Contest ends: AUGUST 9.

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Double Standard 5/5


DOUBLE STANDARD by Judith McNaught
Publisher: Harlequin
Date of Publication: 01/28/1991
Summary:

In the exclusive, glittering world of business superstars, Nick Sinclair was a legend...

The ruggedly handsome president of Global Industries handled his business the way he handled his women — with charm, daring and ruthless self-control. A man used to the very best, Nick hired Lauren Danner, and assumed the proud beauty would soon be another easy conquest. But Lauren's flashing wit and rare spirit dazzled him — and slowly, against his will, he was intrigued, challenged — and in love.

Yet Lauren was living a lie, a charade that became more dangerous with every passing moment. Trapped in a web of deceit, she fought her growing love for Nick. Her secret could destroy his fragile trust — and the promise of life with the most compelling man she had ever met!


Facts: I had no idea what the cover is showing until I am well on the tenth page of the book. I first I thought it was just blobs of reds and blacks. And because I do judge books by its cover, I didn't didn't pick this one up at the bookstore but online while I was browsing the summaries.

Beautifully, beautifully written.

Judith had done it again! She's... the bomb.
This books starts out with Lauren being a totally innocent naive virgin who believes that the dashing Nick Sinclair, who makes her swoon with his charms and kisses, is really in love with her. Naturally, because she's in love with him, it's logical that she should give him her body, too. Yes, she's a virgin. She hasn't been with anyone because she believes that physical relationships must happen after love.

Nick on the other hand, cast her aside after that one night with her. Hurt and betrayed, Lauren sets out to take her revenge of Nick, unknowingly teaches him how to love for the first time.

I love this book because it's realistic. It captures the very thoughts of the characters. If these characters were to be real, this would have happened. It's different from other books because well, throughout the first 1/3 of the book, I kept asking myself "why is she so quickly in love with him? If they fall in love that easily, what is there to read? After all, this is a romance book, right?" Not until I read the part when Nick casts her aside and lies to her that I realized I have been reading only Lauren's side of the story, which is obvious to why they are so supposedly quickly in love with each other.

Afterward is a heart warming tale about a man, being cast away by his own mother, learns how to love and allow to be loved in return. I don't want to go too much into detail because it would give everything away (and I'm tempting to do just that).

This book is another of my fav. books of all time. So I'd of course, recommend it to everyone.

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Gots a new app for blogging


Mobile Blogging from here.


The good is that I can blog whenever I want which is a huge thing since I'm on a tight schedule. A very tight one. It's neat ang fast.

The bad? It's slow, tidious and the keyboard on itouch doesn't rotate so it's really hard to type. Plus I don't know a lot of HTML code so it's going to look really plain. I'm not even sure if I'm doing this right even...

Oh dang it I'm suppose to review the ap bio princeton book today. Okay gotta finish cleaning up.

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THE DA VINCI CODE by DAN BROWN 5/5

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. Solving the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of da Vinci…clues visible for all to see…and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.


Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and da Vinci, among others. The Louvre curator has sacrificed his life to protect the Priory's most sacred trust: the location of a vastly important religious relic, hidden for centuries.


In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who appears to work for Opus Dei—a clandestine, Vatican-sanctioned Catholic sect believed to have long plotted to seize the Priory's secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory's secret—and a stunning historical truth—will be lost forever.


In an exhilarating blend of relentless adventure, scholarly intrigue, and cutting wit, symbologist Robert Langdon (first introduced in Dan Brown's bestselling Angels & Demons ) is the most original character to appear in years. The Da Vinci Code heralds the arrival of a new breed of lightening-paced, intelligent thriller…surprising at every twist, absorbing at every turn, and in the end, utterly unpredictable…right up to its astonishing conclusion.

I wasn't so hot on this book when I picked it up mostly because I'm not into mystery and thriller and what not. In fact, I picked the book up and put it down then never thought of it again until yesterday when my friend lent me this book.

I spent the WHOLE day today just READING this book. I love how each chapter ends with a hook and it keeps you reading. Dan Brown's book always starts with something explosive like, someone dies or something explodes but this one is just... unique. I love the conversation and the occasional French conversation. It's entertaining even thought my French sucks.

The one thing I love most about this book is that it's fast-paced. Unlike Stephen King or Dean Koontz books, Dan Brown explodes out with action and keeps movie. Other mystery books... I have to practically force myself to read the first ten chapters before I actually get into the book. This one just got me right in the first chapter.

Besides the HUGELY gorgeous plot, I love you Dan Brow drop a few interesting facts like the one about PHI and Mona Lisap's painting where the horizon is lop sided. I wonder how much research he did to write that book. In the end, the one thing that startled me the most is *****SPOILER ALEART****** is the revelation about The LAST SUPPER.

An art lover myself. I used to gaze at the painting many times but I NEVER see a single woman in that picture and when I read this book. It's just like, BAM! right there! In your face! I love how Dan Brown just throws facts in your face, facts that are so obvious but for some reason, not many people realize.

Over all, it's a GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT book. I'd recommend it to everyone. Well, except middle schoolers since they are quite hard to follow sometimes, especially with the French names and conversations.


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Food poisoning.

I can't believe I'm actually recovering from this food poisoning disaster. I thought I was going to die, well, at least that's what they told me. Food poisoning. I can't help but wonder though, what kind of food poisoning that it would damage my stomach tissues? Apparently I had too much acid in my stomach and it kinda... ate into my own stomach. Hmm...better cut low on sugary drink. I guess the reason why it was so bad (went to the hospie for 2 days and the rest of the week recovering) was because I didn't eat anything for the whole day and then decided to down a whole large cup of strawberry smoothie. But hey, I didn't know!

So I haven't done anything since the Pertinence giveaway... But I have been doing a lot of reading. That's all you can do when you're in bed. Okay.... that sounds kinda wrong but oh well.


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Book Review and Other Stuff.

Springbreak!!! WOO!!! (and to think that I only finish 2 books is...depressing but hey, I got some stuff done for school so it's not even half as bad.)

First off, Bought: the Greek's Innocent Virgin by Sarah Morgan.

Summary:
At Angelos Zouvelekis's command, café waitress Chantal will play the part of his bride-to-be. He will shower her with exquisite jewels and silks.and she will repay him in kind!

He wants his recompense in the bedroom! Angelos worships Chantal's body, although he thinks she's a devious gold digger. But his arrogance is shattered when he discovers Chantal is a virgin..

Angelos bought this innocent, and now he intends to keep her - whatever the cost!

I can't really say much about the bookcover. I don't know. It's just... different from the other bookcovers that I've seen over the years. I'm not saying I don't like it or anything. The background is nice... but that's pretty much it. I just... can't comment about this type of cover. My appologies.

I finished it in one sitting [and lying] as soon as I got the book. Seriously, I just got hooked by the title. Overally I really, really love the characters. They're well built. The story is very shot but I think I know a lot more about the characters than other books that go on and on for pages about the surrounding and minor characters. I especially like the heroine. She's strong, she's determined, and she is VERY stubborn. She wants to be independent from the hero and even thought they're having a relationship, she never ever wants to take money from him.
I think I like this story because I can relate to the heroine. This is how I ( and I believe many other women) want to be like. We don't want to be dependent on our husband financially.
The hero on the other hands amuses me throughout the book. I enjoy reading about heroes whose lives are so organized and suddenly someone sweeps into their lives and turn everything upside down. The hero found himself at a loss whenever he looks at her and he also admires her for her strong will, but I guess what I like the most about him is that he loves him so much he doesn't know what to do with himself (or "the time when they're not in bed" --> taken straight from the book).

In the end, I really enjoy reading about about this book although some would think that the plot is pretty typical. I totally agree with that. But hey, typicality is nice sometimes. This book is a perfect example!


AND LASTLY, is a few personal news. I got the replies from all the colleges that I apply to. Well... I GOT ACCEPTED TO ALL OF THEM! INCLUDING UVA! HOW SICK IS THAT! So yeah, I'm still undecided about whether I should go to UVA or VCU (because of some personal reasons) BUT I'm going to see both colleges tomorrow! YEP. That's it!


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I've got 4 mins to write... oh, never mind it's 3 now.

Busy, busy, busy. I've been busting my butt on exams and tests. Thank god after this exams hell week I'll get to have a relaxing springbreak! Yeah! But first I have to get through this week which doesn't look so hot right now.

I found my Bio binder and whatever binder that I lost! Yeah!

I also bought Gone with the Winds And several collections of horror+folktales+ grimm's tales whatever you call them. And oh, some horror stories too. Can't live without a little fear in love <3

So I've got less than a min. to write therefore the last thing would be to say that my next update would be about a book.

Oh, despite how much I dislike VIRGIN STAR, I actually finished it (yes, I did skipped some pages and details, but I finished it nonetheless.) so I'll write a REVISED REVIEW on that book next time since I feel like I didn't do justice on that book. I guess my mood was foul then b/c I didn't exactly do well on one of my tests (GARR!!! School is poisoning my brain and destroying my social life!)

In the end I used 5 min to write this but oh well. Gotta take a bath before wrestling with Spanish!

Until next time!


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New Book Coming Out! Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins!


There's your gorgeous cover.

Here's the summary:

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.


And if you wanna know about the awesomest giveaway for this book, follow this linky.

Deadline is MARCH 2 so get over there NOW!


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New Look, and a few news.

Think this one is more appropriate for book reviews than the other one. Hopefully this will make me blog more often. Right now it's officially 2:03 7/21/2010.

And oh, my new compy arrived today!! It's a gorgeous, TOSHIBA PORTEGE M780, touch screen, 4GB memory, i7 processor, 320 GB hard drive and FREAKING TOUCHSCREEN! It costs a fortune for me but oh well, my moma and dada bought it for moi as a graduation gift. Well, they didn't flat out say that but oh well!!!

And oh, this is totally random and has nothing to do with books whatsoever, but if you like funny vids, check out RAYWILLIAMJOHNSON's channel on Youtube. He'll make you laugh your head off! Just wanna throw it out there.

Here's one good vid from him.



And yeah... that's pretty much it. For now.

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ANOTHER AWESOME GIVEAWAY!!!

DARK FANTASY is having a ARC Giveaway where you can win Clockwork Angel, Saphique, Dracula in Love and a SIGNED copy of White Cat.

I don't know how enthusiastic I am but the the fact that I'm posting this in the middle of the night (aka 1:17 am) instead doing Psychology said something.

Contest ends July 27 so hurry!

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AWESOME ARC GIVEAWAY!

Babbling Flow is having a HUGE ARC Giveaway. You can win Clockwork Angel, Firelight, Halo, and many more there.
Contest runs from July 20-August 6!


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CRESCENDO GIVEAWAY @GOOD CHOICE READING

Good Choice Reading is giving away an ARC OF CRESCENDO. If you don't know what it is, you're an alien. Go google it.

You can head over to read her review on CRESCENDO as well as entering her giveaway. Here's what she said:

So this is how it works... ( PLEASE PLEASE READ ENTIRE POST BEFORE DOING ANYTHING)

- MUST be a follower of Good Choice Reading
- MUST be a follower of our good friend Skyla11377
- MUST fill out this Form

Now this is the FUN part ...

Please leave in comments (ALL IN ONE COMMENT)
- Full Name & State/Country (MUST)

- Must answer two of the following questions (If you do all even BETTER chances! =0)

- In ONE sentence (Tricky I know hehe) tell us why you love Hush, Hush so much.
- What is your favorite thing about Nora & Patch?
- What is your favorite quote in Hush, Hush?
- What do you think will happen in Crescendo or what do you HOPE will happen?

Hurry because it ends on August 3rd.

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College

So it's finally summer, which means I've already made up my mind about which college I'm attending this coming year.
It's UVA. I realize I have a lot more to brag about if I attend UVA so yeah...
But anyway, I went to the orientation and it was HORRIBLE HORRIBLE!! I had a HUGELY hard time there.

First of all, I read on the website that I should bring a blanket because it's going to be cold at the dorm where I was staying. A blanket in the middle of summer? Not likely. I thought that this advice is probably for other ppl who are attending the fall ones but nonetheless I brought one anyway. But the problem was, for some god knew reason I decided NOT to bring it in my dorm (well, I decided I was going to bring it in once I found where my dorm was) which was totally a bad idea but I'll return to that in a sec.

The first thing I noticed was out of place was that I was the only one who did not have a parent to come with me. Needless to say I was utterly alone and lost. I had to sit all by myself and saw other students' parents talked and adviced their kids about what they should do, what classes to take, where to go afterwards or just simply sat there. Sometimes, just having your parents there with you is good enough. Well, I wouldn't know.

But anyway, after that we got split up into small groups (parents were not to go with us after that) and I realized I was the only non-white kid in my group which was pretty sad but luckily everyone was very friendly. I actually learned a few things from the leader once she explained stuff to me. She went on about the schedule and whatnots but I didn't listen because I was overwhelmed by the thought that I have no idea what courses I should take. Apprently, I'm in College and college kids have like 62 pages of courses that they could choose from. that NEVER happens in high school and I didn't know (still don't) what classes I should take for a first year to fill the requirements for both pre med and the general requirements to graduate.

And then we moved on to playing ninja which was totally weird and so I just sat on the grass and asked the team leader questions about UVa. Well, others asked, I listened and tried to absorb as much info as I could.

Then we moved to lunch, which was great actually since food in my high school sucked.

The thing that bothered me was when we actually get to sign up for the classes. GOSH. I spent TWO hours picking out only 5 classes when the requirements were 25 classes including my top five. Needless to say, I gotta stay after and pick out more classes and I had to do that intermittently throughout the day just to pick out 25 classes I wanted to take out of like... 500 courses in the 62 page course catalog. I had no idea why I was so slow but thank god I finally got it done around 11 pm!

The thing I hated about this orientation is:

Myself.

I just couldn't seen to make any friend since I'm not exactly the talkative type. Most of the time I just kept to myself which was awkward. Most of the time I just tagged along with this group of girls that didn't even talk to me.. How said was that!

After the course signing up, we got to our dorm and attended a meeting for 15 min before heading out for a fun event. It was supposed to be FUN but I found it astonishingly boring, especially when I was totally alone there. So after 20 min, I decided to head back. But the problem was, it was 9 o'clock at night and the way to my dorm cut through a forest kind of place with very little light. Nevertheless I wanted to go back so badly I DECIDED TO GO BY MSELF. THROUGH A FREAKING FOREST AT NIGHT! It was scary as hell because not only was it dark, it was pitch black inside the forest. I don't know why but UVA was stingy about lights on that particular area. And I kept hearing footsteps right behind me every few seconds or so. Once I even heard rustling and giggles. When I reached the edge of the forest, I freaked out. I decided to go back because I couldn't even find the trail to go IN the forest.

Then there were these two guys coming towards me. They looked HUGE! like athlete kind of HUGE. I had a feeling if they're standing in on either side of me, they'd obliterate the sun above me. I was about to press the emergency button so that the alarm would go off (what can I say, I was freaking out) but they didn't appear to be menacing. Finally I asked if I could follow them back to the dorm and they shrugged then said sure.

But the drama didn't end there. I got to the dorm around 9 30ish. That was when not bringing a blanket came back and bite me in the butt because since the sun was down, it got REALLY cold in my room. I mean REALLY REALLY cold. I couldn't believe how cold it was. I turned that AC off completely but the temperature didn't increase much. In the end I had to wear jeans, two shirts and bundled myself in towels and the mattress sheets to stop from shivering. Yeah, the mattress sheet. I know, it's weird, but when all you could think of is getting warm, I don't think you'd give a fig about how ridiculous you look.

The next day was better. A little bit. I got lost and had to ask this guy, Michael- he was one of the students at the orientation like me, to take me back to Wilson so I could sign up for the classes. It took HALF AN HOUR of walking when the sun was BEATING DOWN ON US to get to the place. He said it was okay since he was passing by that place so I could tag along. But later I found out he didn't have to do that. His parents were going to PICK HIM UP and DROVE HIM THERE but he had to wear himself off for me. That was so nice of him.

But then after I was done for the day, I got to see him again but I didn't recognize him quick enough when he looked at me so I just passed by him without say hi. That was so messed up! He probably thought I am an ungrateful person. I want beat myself up so badly!

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