Book Girls Don't Cry: Annoying Characters are Annoying

Inspired by Book Buzzers, Book Girls Don't Cry is a weekly feature where we each discuss/vent/advise on the chosen weekly bookish topic. Don't miss Jenni on Mondays, and Amy on Saturdays:

 

I CURSE THE DAY YOU WERE BORN!

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What is a story without a villain? A love without heartbreak? Light without dark? Every story needs balance, every book needs characters, or situations, that will bring about negative feelings, sympathy, or even hate. This is great in many ways: it brings our emotions to the surface, as well as leading to character growth from this villain they have to defeat. May it be the government, paranormal "monsters", zombies (can't leave them out can we? ;), grief, or even the protagonists' own broken selves; the basis of every story usually commences with a villain of some sort. But what happens when this villain crosses the line from one you love to hate, to one you simply want to kick in the face? Or what if the one you want to maim is not even meant to be the villain at all? Well for me it goes from being an enjoyable read to wanting to use the book as kindling, *sigh* but... I eventually settle on knocking off some stars. Take That!! (And because I cannot be trusted near fire.)

Taken from an anonymous suggestion (Oooh!), our topic this week revolves around annoying characters, and this is where I will list the most irritating SOBs that I have had the pleasure to "meet".

              Mrs. Umbridge            

Oh my word how many times did I daydream about this woman being hit by a bus, trampled by elephants, or at the very least get a mean paper cut--because those hurt like a mother...

Clearly, I'm not alone when it comes to my overwhelming dislike for this character. I tend to become vindictive when it comes to fictional villains (well, I guess real life ones too >.<), and let me tell you, reading the 5th Harry Potter book caused me deep emotional harm that will never be healed! While I did still give it a full rating--hello it's Harry Potter!--it was my least favorite book of the series solely because of her. What's even worse, what truly gutted me and pissed me the feck off, is after being such a raving bitch in that book, we didn't even get to enjoy her getting what she deserved! GAH! *sobs* Oh the injustice!!

          ___   Molly Bartolucci  ___          

 

Ugh! Did you read this book? I almost DNFed it because of this character. I'm sorry but, she toopud!! This is her answer to everything: (actual quote)

"not knowing what else to do, I reached down and poked it"

*giggles uncontrollably*

 ________Jade... something______     

I did enjoy this book a lot, but this new character, Jade, that's introduced in this book to put a wedge in the romance really got on my nerves. It was like at every turn she was THERE, like a freaking pest you could not get a break from. Usually I love to hate characters like these, but for some reason this one was a little too annoying for me. I wanted her to go away so I could read in peace! Geez!

____________Parents_____________

 

I've noticed some of the time it's the parents that really get on my nerves--like in these books. Sometimes it's because of their seemingly uncaring, cold-hearted, parenting, other times it's the way they refuse to listen or come to ridiculous conclusions that lead to even more ridiculous decisions on their part. My patience wears thin for these types of characters.

Now in this next example, they do it right! Bravo!

__________Nils Bjurman__________

Nils is a rapist and a corrupt lawyer, and one of the greatest villains I've read. He's unforgivably crooked; twisted. I hated his disgusting guts with everything I had in me. And you know what? Sweet sweet freaking revenge! Hells yeah! Oh my god it was the most beautiful thing I've ever read when Lisbeth made him pay. It was... it was magical! *sniff* Lisbeth became one of my most respected and favorite protagonists at that very moment.

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My list of annoying characters isn't very long. I tend to actually enjoy hating villains for the most part. I even had a bit of difficulty finding characters for this post--except for Umbridge--but when they cross that line or we don't get our well deserved revenge, they must die!! *bull snort*

How about you? I'm sure you've daydreamed a character death or two.

Anyone you wish you could bitch slap?

Also, don't forget to leave suggestions for future topics you'd like to see! :)

You know you love me!

Xoxo, Book Girl!

Waiting on Wednesday (75)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine 

and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

My pick this week:

3:59
Gretchen McNeil

Genre: YA Paranormal
Publication date: September 17th 2013
by Balzer & Bray

Josie Byrne's life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she's betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can't get worse.

Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.

Jo's life is everything Josie wants: she's popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they're just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo.

Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.

But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo's boyfriend, he hates her. Jo's mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.

By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?

I haven't read anything by this author yet but all of my friends have been raving about her last book, Ten, and this one sounds really good as well and right up my alley with alternate universes and life switching! ;) It kind of reminds me of Lucid a bit, too, which I loved!

What are you waiting on, this Wednesday?

Link me up! :)

Things I Can't Forget Tour: Review + Giveaway

Today I'm kicking off the Things I Can't Forget blog tour that will run from Feb 26th to March 19th! You will find my review below, and then a pretty fab giveaway that you cannot miss!

Things I Can't Forget

Miranda Kenneally

Series: Hundred Oaks, #3
Genre:YA Contemporary
Publication date: March 1st 2013
by Sourcebooks Fire

Companion to Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker.

Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different…

This summer she’s a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He’s the first guy she ever kissed, and he’s gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt…with her.

Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn’t that easy…

-A copy was provided by Raincoast Books for review-

Being a big fan of Miranda's books since I read and fell in love with Catching Jordan I was only a little weary when I was told this one involved some religion-which I usually quickly turn away from in books. I must say, however, that as usual, Miranda used her magic and turned this into an immensely sweet read, making the religion aspect a simple fact of the story like anything else. Every protagonist has passions and dreams that we get to see as a part of them, this is how religion plays a part in this novel and nothing else. It's not preached or forced, it's just a part of Kate's upbringing. It is what makes her who she is.

As for liking who she is, though, it is not always easy. Kate comes off as a prude and judgmental bitch. She makes it very difficult for others to approach her, let alone understand her. But she does grow a lot throughout the book where she begins to understand her friends a little more--especially her best friend who she's on the outs with--as well and accept that not everyone shares her views. Even though some times I wanted to slap her senseless, I kind of felt bad for her as well; for her closed up personality, the way she shuts herself off from others, using her faith as a shield. Luckily she discovers new friendship and even love that opens her up a bit. She begins to accept that not everyone sees and believes the same way, and that is still ok!

The first of these friendships and main secondary character is Parker from the previous companion, Stealing Parker. While you don't need to have read the others to get the full meaning of this novel, it's great to see our old beloved characters back. Characters that we grew to love, we saw their romance bloom and come to life, are now a super cute couple in this novel. We're also introduced to a new character and love interest, Matt. Matt is in a frat in college, he respects religion but he doesn't get buckled down by his faith like Kate, so the relationship is a little rocky for a while. Like usual in Miranda's books, the chemistry that exists between thees two made my heart soar. They were a perfectly imperfect pair!

Love, friendship, heartbreak, everything a fun summer at camp can bring, Things I Can't Forget has! Even those who are weary of the religion aspect in the mix shouldn't worry. We're made to understand it's meaning in the book, it becomes part of Kate, like any other character trait. These books are a must read for anyone who calls themselves a fan of contemporary reads!

4 Hot Espressos

Companions to Things I Can't Forget:

 

About the Author

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Miranda's Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Growing up in Tennessee, Miranda Kenneally dreamed of becoming an Atlanta Brave, a country singer (cliché!), or a UN interpreter. Instead she writes, and works for the State Department in Washington, D.C., where George W. Bush once used her shoulder as an armrest. Miranda loves Twitter, Star Trek and her husband.

Review: White Crow by Marcus Sedgwick

White Crow
Marcus Sedgwick

Genre: YA Horror
Publication date: September 18th 2012
by Square Fish (Macmillan)

You or your Alt? Only one will survive.

Some secrets are better left buried; some secrets are so frightening they might make angels weep and the devil crow.

Thought provoking as well as intensely scary, White Crow unfolds in three voices. There’s Rebecca, who has come to a small seaside village to spend the summer, and there’s Ferelith, who offers to show Rebecca the secrets of the town . . . but at a price. Finally, there’s a priest whose descent into darkness illuminates the girls’ frightening story. White Crow is as beautifully written as it is horrifically gripping.

-A copy was provided by Macmillan for review-

With its creepy cover and synopsis, I was sure White Crow would be the perfect read for my creepy loving taste. When creepy turned to odd, and by odd I mean barf-on-some-pages-and-call-it-a-book odd, I knew I was wrong. *sigh*

A very spooky setting, White Crow lands us inside an eerie little town that is being slowly decimated by the ocean. This town inhabits only a small population and a lot of run down or abandoned dwellings. I thought right then it was going to be a fantastically creepy novel, and for the most part it was. Talk of the devil, mysterious room with a bolted down chair and mysterious visitors who never leave? Yeah I'd say that's pretty freaky. But the execution, holy mother of weird! Told in alternative point of views, we get a sinister history of one of these buildings from a past perspective. This perspective, however, immediately put my guard up when the voice of the character showed little appeal. Albeit part of it was due to it being set in such a long-ago time, and by long ago I mean the 1700s, making the language very hard to get into, but it was also due to the odd way those parts were told. They were mostly glimpses, full chapters that consisted of one paragraph, or even one single sentence, and these glimpses were truly weird, especially at first when you have no idea what's supposed to be happening. They were random passages from the past involving thoughts of the devil and God. Thoughts that derived of a mad man making little to no sense, not even interesting in a cryptic way--some parts I had to reread and still couldn't decipher what was happening. It was literally like gibberish. Even though at times it did give me the creeps, I didn't fully get the hang of this part of the story until past halfway.

The other two perspectives were much more compelling and easier to read. We have Rebecca who is the main protagonist and the first character we're introduced to. She's an average girl who just moved to this unfortunate town where she meets out other perspective, Ferelith who is an especially strange person--in looks and in personality. While I did find their story actually fairly intriguing, especially Ferelith's bizarre ways, there was something off from the whole writing style. The perspectives did not flow well together at all. Made worst by how Ferelith's was in first person, and Rebecca's in third. Although it can work sometimes, the alternating persons threw me off in his case, creating an unfortunate disassociation with them both. It was also so short that every perspective seemed to pass and shift in a blur, making it difficult to make sense of anything that was happening. On one side we have the past where we get ominous vague events thrown at us, on the other we get what basically feels like a story with no plot at all, just all this weird… weirdness. I quite honestly don't know what the point behind the plot was. There were these random elements thrown into it as well, like her father being accused of a murder, or Ferelith's foster home situation, these were spewed out and not explored in the slightest. It was all super odd!

In short, this book was just a big bucket of weird. I can't even think of who I would recommend it to. I think it does have its niche of readers would enjoy it, it would definitely need to be readers who like very ambiguous stories, but then again, I'm a big fan of cryptic reads. *shrugs* At least it was short.

2 Espressos

 

Xpresso Weekly: Stacking the Shelves (44)

Xpresso Weekly is my edition of Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews featuring the books I got this week, and I also mention blog news/happenings of the past week.

This week at Xpresso Reads

Is anyone else buried in the snow? Gah it won't stop! This is the Ice age! *mean face* Ok so this week I will be going on a short leave for a few days (nothing serious no worries!) but just so you know I won't be online much in case you think I'm ignoring you if I don't reply to tweets etc. I have posts scheduled so the blog will still have content. I also have trained Jenni to be me for the week so when you see tweets from me it's actually her being an imposter (though for real she's taking care of my tours ;)--big thanks, muffin). Anywho! I will probably go into online withdrawal mode and figure out how to make an appearance or two. ;)

Reviews on the blog this week:

New at Xpresso Book Tours

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-- Tour Sign Up: Blood and Snow by RaShelle Workman

-- Tour Sign Up: The Photo Traveler by Arthur J. Gonzalez

-- Cover Reveal Sign Up: Pretty When They Collide by Rhiannon Frater  

-- Book Blitz Sign Up: Frailties of the Bond by Angela Brown
-- Book Blitz Sign Up: Blood and Snow by RaShelle Workman 
-- Tour Sign Up: Shadow of Wrath by L.W. Patricks 
-- Tour Sign Up: Project Five Fifteen Series by Samantha Summers 
-- Book Trailer Reveal: The Fallen Stars by Stephanie Keyes
-- Cover Reveal Sign Up: Awakened by Kriston Johnson 
-- Cover Reveal Sign Up: Hell's Hollow by Summer Stone 
-- Tour: Twisted Tales Trilogy by Stephanie Fowers 
-- Tour Sign Up: Deadly Kisses by Kerri Cuevas

Stacking the Shelves

 (Click on covers or title links for Goodreads)
I received for review:

 

 -Neferet's Curse by PC Cast + Kristin Cast (not sure why I got this O_O)
-Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons (Loved it! Review here)


*Big thanks to Hachette Book Group Canada, Random House UK, Penguin Group, St Martin's Press, Tor Teen, and Macmillan for the pretties!*
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I also got these below gifted for my birthday which I tried so hard to keep quiet but then a little birdy, and another little birdie, told the world >.<

I got these from Amypoo at Book Loving Mom. These look so good! I'm really loving contemps lately so I was super excited to get these! Thanks so much, dollface!

And these from Jenni Peepee at Alluring Reads (plus the epic card). Eek! I'm so excited to finally get my hands on these--though she did have to twist my arm for Easy so I guess I have no choice now! :P Thanks, love muffin!

-Easy by Tammara Webber

-Flawed by Kate Avelynn

And inside it says "The stiffer the better" Bwahahaha. It's so us in our past life!

That's all for me this week!
Ciao, pretty people!

XOXO!

Fresh Batch (February 24th - March 2nd)

Exclusively titled for Xpresso Reads, Fresh Batch features the hottest releases of this upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

Things I Can't Forget

Miranda Kenneally

Series: Hundred Oaks #3
Genre:YA Contemporary
Publication date: March 1st 2013
by Sourcebooks Fire

Companion to Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker.

Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different…

This summer she’s a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He’s the first guy she ever kissed, and he’s gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt…with her.

Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn’t that easy…

Click here for an excerpt!

The Hundred Oaks series:

Miranda's Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Growing up in Tennessee, Miranda Kenneally dreamed of becoming an Atlanta Brave, a country singer (cliché!), or a UN interpreter. Instead she writes, and works for the State Department in Washington, D.C., where George W. Bush once used her shoulder as an armrest. Miranda loves Twitter, Star Trek and her husband.