Yes folks, gear up and prepare yourself to wait in line for the DIVERGENT MOVIE in less than 24 hours!! We just got back from a sneak peak and you’re going to love it! We’ve all been waiting for this, and since the unexpected failure of “Vampire Academy” “Beautiful Creatures,” or “Mortal Instruments,” I, personally needed this movie to be a success (and it was).

We’ve put together this list for those of you hosting a Divergent party tomorrow! Haha, and are last minute planners like us =)

Greet your friends with Amity Orchard Hard Cider! Bringing Up Burns has cleverly created a label to stick onto every beer bottle so that whoever drinks them would be “chillaxed.” (wink wink) If only I had time to do something similar…

Show up wearing this make up that makes you POP! Be sure to wear your matching clothes and shoes. Personally, I like Candor, but Erudite and Dauntless are the way to go if you really want people to make notice!

Be creative and make some themed snacks. I couldn’t find who thought of this originally, but as far as I can tell, it was done at a school party for the premiere of the Divergent book. Sour candy and pop rocks for the Dauntless, honest cookies for Candor, selfless biscuits for Abnegation, and just good old cupcakes for Erudite. Amazing!

And to pump up the ambiance, why don’t you all give yourself a Divergent Quizz and see how well you know the book?

• What does the Abnegation’s serum do?
• Who is the leader of the Bureau?
• Who learns that they aren’t really Divergent?
• Where was Tobias’ (four) mom from?
• Who volunteers to break into the weapons lab?

Got all these right? Challenge yourself to these quizzes! Goodreads Divergent Quizz

Happy Divergent Day! =D

Hi friends! It’s giveaway time again and this is Divergent Movie Week so we thought we’d lamblast you with some Divergent fun! We also have some other WONDERFUL books to giveaway- so we will be giving away 4 Divergent books and +++ these (two per winner).

The one requirement to win is that you must follow our blog! You can choose any of the other options below for extra chances to win. (US only).

Thanks to I Am Reader Not a Writer and Books Complete Me for hosting this hop!

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Top Ten Tuesday- 10 Awesome Valentines Day Gifts for Booklovers!
Valentines Day is just around the corner and I’ve found some pretty awesome gifts for book lovers! Check out these fun, unique and unconventional ways to say you I love You! I’d be thrilled to get any of these gifts and am just simply amazed at how talented and creative all the folks over at Etsy are!

1). Book Totes- You can never have enough of these babies! They are handy for so many things; grocery shopping, bringing wine and snacks to a house party, to carry a few extra things to school or work and of course, as a gift to that special someone who loves toting around all those books! Here you see pictured: “I’m a Bit of a Geek with a Hint of Nerd” and “Normal is Boring” (Which I think could work for a guy or a girl) and then “Not All Who Wander Are Lost“, a classic Lord of the Rings Quote- and finally, just one that just says “Love“- simple, sweet and straight to the point!

2). Literary Love Quote Coasters! What a sweet way to say I love you, which also makes a cute decoration for the home! The different designs on these are really cute and trendy and include quotes from- Mark Twain, Virginia Woolf, John Green and Margaret Mitchell!
1. “In the end, what you do isn’t going to be nearly as interesting or important as who you do it with.”
2. “To get the full value of joy, you must have someone to divide it with.”
3. “You should be kissed often, and by someone who knows how.”
4. “In case you ever foolishly forget; I’m never not thinking about you.”

3). Love Quote Needlework! I just can’t get over how adorably modern these talented folks have transformed needlework into! I think these would make such an unexpected, special Valentine’s Day gift! All four of these feature affectionate book quotes, from works such as “Harry Potter“, “Princess Bride“, “Where the Wild Things Are” and “The Perks of Being A Wallflower“.

4). Simply Said- Catch All Dish or Shelf Art- I just absolutely LOVE Mary Kral from Mary Kral Designs. I have bought 5 different pieces from her as gifts and will surely be buying more in the future! She can create these adorable plates/dishes with any custom quote you want (like a line out of your special someone’s favorite book), along with any image to go with it! The sky’s the limit! I bought the one that says “Without You My Life Would Pretty Much Suck” for my sister a few Valentine’s ago (she uses it to hold her jewelry) and we have a small plate from this studio, displayed on a table shelf in our living room! This gift allows you to get creative and can work as a gift for anyone from your mom to your boss, your friend to your lover! I’m sure you’ll be happy with the results!

5). A Cup of Tea Please! A casual and cheeky way to say “Reading is Sexy“… and so are you! I really think mugs make the perfect gifts! It’s one of those things you don’t often buy for yourself, but most of us use everyday. If this isn’t your style, or you’re looking for something more serious or romantic, check out these other mugs: the famous proposal from Mr. Darcy, “Reader, I Married Him“, from Jane Eyre or this one that features the words- “True Love Stories Never Have Endings, Just Beginnings“. I also like this Literary Mug that features dozens of famous author names and book titles sketched all over- the perfect gift for a friend! But if you do decide to go with a mug, just don’t forget to write a sweet note to go with it, because you wouldn’t want to come off too impersonal =) Just Saying!

6). Wall Art- What better way to declare your love then with the words Emily Bronte!? This actually comes as a digital download, so if you’re a little behind on ordering your V-Day gift, it’s not too late for this one! Just order it, print it and find a really cute frame to put it in and voila!

7). Literary Laptop Case- This Etsy shop, LiteraryArtPrints, specializes in tastefully bringing together the written word and fashion! Pictured here is a laptop case featuring Hans Christian Andersen’s, “The Brave Tin Soldier”. This shop also carries customizable scarves, headbands, dish towels and t-shirts.

8). Mr. Darcy Pillow- I can’t make a Book Inspired Valentine’s Day Gift List without featuring something from Mr. Darcy! This chick, modern pillow includes the words “Allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you”- which is the beginning of the famous proposal spoken by Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen’s classic “Pride and Prejudice”. A great gift for any Jane Austen fan!

9). A Toast to Love- I know these items don’t exactly scream I LOVE YOU, but I think they still make great gifts (and let’s be honest, most dudes don’t want super gushy, lovey dovey gifts anyway! But these would work for guys or girls and for any occasion to be honest)! The shot glasses are made by this awesome shop on Etsy called Nexus Glass! Their work is superb and in addition to the ready made designs, like The Lord of the Rings inspired shot glasses pictured here, they also do custom work! They have shot glasses, flasks, mugs and wine glasses to name a few. I think this is a really unique and beautiful gift and although it’s not Valentines Day specific, I’m sure you could get creative with a custom order, but honestly, any LOTR fan would totally dig this! Also in this picture is an flask featuring a quote from Ernest Hemingway- I think it’s pretty funny, and epic at the same time! Finally, here are some wine charms inspired by the “Game of Thrones” or better known to us literary folks as “The Song of Fire and Ice” series. This would go great along with a nice bottle of wine!

10). Last but Not Least- Your Own Words! Cards Cards Cards! Don’t forget your cards people! As thoughtful and awesome as the gifts featured here are, none of them compare to the personal expression of your feelings! Give a piece of yourself this Valentine’s Day, and take a minute to let the people who are special to you, or the person you love, know that you love them! If you don’t know how, here’s a simple rule to follow: Tell them- why you love them, how they make your life better, what you’ve learned from them and that you see them for who they are (we all love to know that someone out there truly sees us)! Valentine’s Day is simply about sharing our love- so be sure and say it (and allow yourself to feel it too!).

Holiday season is here, perfect time to spend time with your family and friends…..by a fireplace cooped up with a blanket and a good book in your hands. =D Here is one suggestion for you.

I was first introduced to the author Robin Lafevers by another one of her series, “Theodosia.” It is a middle grade book based in early England with an Egyptian mystery twist. I aodred her wit and adventures, couldn’t get enough of it. I was extremely excited to find out that the author was writing a YA genre series! His Fair Assassin. From the title and the dust cover it reminded me a lot of “Poison Studies” by Maria V. Snyder. I took precautions and careful measures before reading this book, like waiting for the second book of the series to come out before launching myself into the story and not to be over excited just so I won’t get too disappointed. This is what I do when I know I’m going to read a great series. Wink wink.

Ismae bears the scar from when her mother tried to get rid of her from her womb. But her survival only proved to her father that she was sired by the god of death himself. She was abused all her life by her father and now she is being sold like a farm animal to another man. When she is given a chance to a new life, she takes it without another thought. Ismae is brought to an abyss where girls like her are trained to carry out the orders from the god of death. You can tell already how this story goes, Ismae finds herself in a situation where she has to carry out her duties while falling in love with her enemy/conspirator. There is no mystery there but the plot is worthy of a thriller. Robin Lafevers did not fail to deliver a story where you are torn between her wanting revenge on all man kind or finding true love and finally have a happy ending. The story is spiced with political injustice, backstabbing jerks and camaraderie between friends.

Ismae struggles to stay faithful to her sisters, and to her “father” who sired her and believes with her whole heart that she is doing the right thing. (It’s amazing what people can do when they fully believe they are doing the right thing…) She is brave but yet fragile when faced with her demons, humble and loving to all women. (Yes, she is a feminist. lol) All in all, it was a very enjoyable book.

or so I thought…

Now, this is the part where I get frustrated. I don’t know how many of you out there are thinking this, but YA books has increasingly become series rather than a stand alone book. Since I have waited for quite a long time for at least two of the books to be published, I felt like a fool when I realized that the second book has a different main character. It’s one thing when authors decide to write a spin off series for another character but a whole different story when it’s done within the series!! The same thing for “Graceling,” “The Warrior Heir,” “Perfect Chemistry” etc. I enjoy them alright, but it always leaves me wanting more.

Enough of this banter and on with a more joyful news! We are having GIVEAWAYS! From next week till the end of this year, we are giving away many AWESOME books we got from BEA 2013 and more! Some of the titles include “Teardrop” by Lauren Kate, “Something Strange and Deadly” by Susan Dennard, “Alice in Zombieland” by Gena Showalter, “The Eye of Minds” by James Dashner and so much more! So don’t miss out on any of them!

See you all soon! =D

Are you debating on seeing The Mortal Instruments this weekend but can’t decide if it’s worth it? Here are my thoughts in short- if you’ve read the book, go and see it (but don’t fork out the extra $$$ for the IMAX version, we didn’t think it made much of a difference), you’ll at least enjoy watching the action sequences come to life. If you haven’t read the book, wait, then rent it and watch it with someone who doesn’t mind pausing it every once in a while to explain to you what’s going on, because you will undoubtedly get lost. Overall, if you go into it expecting an average but enjoyable fantasy film, you won’t be too disappointed (just set your expectations in the C+/C range and you’ll be set!).

This series was recommended to me by three people I trust, who absolutely loved the story. Since then I’ve recommended this book to all of my friends who are fans of this genre because it is such an entertaining and exciting story, and most of them loved the series too. It’s the type of adventure that once I picked it up and started reading at 11:00 pm, I finally had to force myself to put it down at 4:00 am, realizing that “a good stopping point” would never come. It starts at the peek of a roller coaster and never settles down, but all of the adventures that made for a really good read, turns out to be a bit much to cram into an hour and 40 minute show.

After watching TMI last weekend, I have a new appreciation for those tasked with the job of adapting a book for the big screen. Most of us who spend a year (or more) getting excited about our favorite stories coming to life, hope to go and find that nothing gets left out. However, I now understand why leaving things out is sometimes necessary. In some vain effort of keeping the TMI film true to the story, we lost most of the character development and unique story-line. So like most of the critic reviews have said, this movie won’t make much sense to those who haven’t read the book, but for those of us who have, it’s definitely worth seeing; the special effects are cool and the demons much scarier than most of our imaginations created.

So in the end, I recommend the movie to fans of the book, just prepare yourselves to get mostly action-packed sequences and less story-line (which really doesn’t “matter” to those of us who know the story). For those of you who haven’t read the book but are still interested in seeing it, like I said before, it’s probably better to rent it and watch it with someone who can explain to you things like; why the bad guy (Valentine) is really bad, much scarier and more evil in the book; why Magnus Bane is a million times more awesome in the book; how much more important Luke is; and pretty much the importance of all the things that get brushed through in this whirl-wind adaptation. Another thing to keep in mind is that, even though the second film in this series has already been green-lit by the studio, I’d be surprised, based on the box office numbers, if they don’t pull the plug. So you may be watching this film with no hopes of knowing how the story ends unless you read it (which of course I totally recommend over watching the movie anyway!). But I hope they do make the next one and perhaps, in answer to these complaints, make the second film a much more satisfying “sample” of the story.

On a final and personal note, in my opinion this adaptation was much more enjoyable than Twilight (the first film in the saga). The romance is minimal and less overwhelming (like, my husband wasn’t sitting beside me in the theater gagging at any point haha), the special effects are much, much better and the acting is just simply leagues above the b-rate performances we see in the entire Twilight Saga. So in the end, I do recommend going to see this movie, if nothing else, it’s definitely not boring.

Have you ever had an amazing experience meeting an author? For those of us who have, such moments surely become some of our most treasured! And certainly every book lover, at one point or another, has had wild dreams about a lively discussion over tea with some great author from the past! Oh, the things we would ask… or just to sit and listen to such great story tellers- what a privilege it would be!?! Who are the ones across the table in your dreams? And which of these talented scribes, past or present, would you most treasure a signed book from? Comment below for a chance to win one of these fun signed books!

The two signed books up for grabs this week are-Mystify, by Artist Arthur and, Myself and I, by Earl Sewell.

Two lucky winners will get one of these books (U.S only)! All you need to do to qualify is leave a comment below, telling us about what your most treasured signed book is, or what your dream signed book would be, or the coolest experience you had meeting an author, or ANYTHING along those lines =) Then just use the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the directions from there!

Be sure to check out these other awesome blogs who are also part of this Hop, giving away some amazing signed books!

Good Luck!

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Since the movie business is ever-changing, we have to work hard at keeping our Big Movie List up-to-date. Here are some of the new additions to our list, which would also make for some really good reads! For full details on the adaptation, see our full list.