I've been nominated for the Liebster Award!

Hey guys!

Some of you might have heard of this unofficial award going around the blogosphere recently, and that is the Liebster Award! Liebster, in German, means my beloved or my dearest <3

The award is given to nominees with less than 200 followers and it helps to give them some exposure!

Without further ado, let me begin by thanking Bayan Basri from The Booklicker, Andrea Geist from Andrea Reads and Reviews and Kelli Wheelright from Bobbins and Books for nominating me for this award! I cannot thank you all enough for it! :))

Here are the rules!

1. Link back the blogger who tagged you. (DONE!)
2. Nominate 10 others and answer the questions of the blogger who tagged you.
3. Ask 10 questions for the bloggers you nominate
4.Let the nominees know of their award.

WOW okay it seems like quite a lot to do! :O

Since I was nominated thrice, I will be picking 10 out of Kelli's, Andrea's and Bayan's 30 questions to answer!

Q1: Which do you prefer, Paper copy or ebook?

Paper copy, hands down! I dont have the habit of buying/ reading E-books because of my upbringing and influences from my friends and family! More importantly, I love the papery touch and musty smell of a physically bound book and ebooks can never replace that feeling. 

Q2: Who's your first fictional crush?

Haku from Spirited Away. When I watched Spirited Away for the first time at the tender age of 7, I was simply swept off my feet by his heroic deeds and lovely personality.

Have you fallen in love as well?

Q3: What's your opinion on fanfiction?

Hmm, I read a fair bit of fan fiction, but I am rarely walk away feeling impressed. Perhaps this is due to my innate bias against e-fiction...

Q4: Young Adult or New Adult?

Young Adult! :))

Q5: Favorite reading snack?

Seedless Grapes! They are healthy, juicy, plump, sweet and bursting with flavour! They complement my reading experience perfectly :)

Q6: Do you have an animal companion? What type of animal and name?
A great white wolf named Shira

Take a leap of faith into the twisting eternity of time and space.

Q7: What do you want for Christmas?

A good book, my happy family and lots of merry and cheer in the house

Q8: What is your all time favorite book?

The Giver

Q9: What are the next three books in your TBR pile?

This collation of photographs teaches me that there is more than meets the eye
(and that homeless vagrants are the wisest and most talented people).

"Believe the Unbelievable" 

The movie, Lore (2012), was a moving masterpiece so
I'm really looking forward to the book!

Q10: What is your favorite genre?

Dystopian- Fantasy reads FTW! (For The Win!) Nothing captures my attention like complex world building and subtle dystopian elements.

For this Liebster Award, I will be nominating the following amazing blogs!

1. Andrienne Reiter from http://adriennereiter.blogspot.sg/
2. Anastacia Zittel from http://anastaciareviews.blogspot.com/
3. Julie Whitely from http://www.cluereview.blogspot.sg/
4. J. Woods from http://jwoodsauthor.wordpress.com/
5. Egbuline Wisdom from http://egbulineblog.wordpress.com/
6. Mary Maddox from http://www.ancientchildren.com/
7. Megan Nicole from http://booksiview.com/
8. Laura from http://a-reader-lives-a-thousand-lives.blogspot.co.uk/
9. Laura Agnella from http://www.thebooknerd2013.blogspot.sg/
10. Sakinah D. Rasheed from http://sdrasheed.blogspot.com/

Whewww... =.= now I'm half way through! 

My questions for my dear nominees!

1. What is your favourite genre and why?

2. Who is your favourite author?

3. How would you describe your writing style?

4. What is one book that you would ask from Santa for Christmas?

5. Coffee, tea, beer or wine with your books?

6. Do you have an animal reading companion?

7. Is your family supportive of your blogging and writing lifestyle?

8. In 5 years time, where do you envision your blog to be?

9. Do you prefer ebooks or paperback copies?

10. What is your favourite book series?

Fortunately for me (and you!), this long blogpost has drawn to a close. :P

Remember to check back for updates!

Love, 

Crystal

Japanese Movies and their Equivalent Books: Part 3

Hello again! :)

This is Part 3, to my blog post named: Japanese Movies and their Equivalent Books! Here are the links to Part 1 and Part 2, be sure to check them out! :)

Okay! So to jazz things up a little, I have decided that the final book and Japanese movie pair will be from a genre that I have (almost!) never posted about before on this blog... and that is, horror.

This time, the book-movie pair is: BREATHE (A GHOST STORY) and The Ring (2002)

Movie: The Ring (1998)

 That's a tall glass of nope.nope.nope.

Plot:
In this psychological horror story from Japan, a legend circulates among teenagers that if one watches a certain video at a certain time of the night, the telephone will ring right afterward, and one week later, you will die. When Masami tells her friend Imako this story, she scoffs -- but a week later, Imako dies.

Imako's aunt, a television journalist named Reiko, hears that not long before she died, Imako was watching a strange video with her friends -- all of whom have turned up dead. Reiko tracks down a copy of the video, and as she watches its strange, spectral images, the telephone begins to ring....The next morning, Reiko begins a desperate search to solve the mystery of the video, convinced she has only seven days to live; assisting her is Ryuji, a mathematics expert and her former husband.

And here's the trailer... if you dare >< I could only find the American version (2002), but the plot is roughly the same as the original Japanese movie,

Book: BREATHE (A GHOST STORY) by Neal Shusterman

Looks a lot like the movie poster for the
Woman in Black (2012), don't you think?

Plot:
Jack and his mom Sarah move to a new house after his father's death. Jack starts seeing ghosts that only he can hear or talk to. There is mother ghost and four child ghosts. The children warn him about mother ghost and he starts to worry....

Similarities

OKAY. The most obvious similarity is the fact that both the movie and the book involve hauntings and unrest spirits.

In the case of the Ring, the ghostly main antagonist, Samara, is a spirit with a complicated human past involving demon possessions, hermaphroditism and adoptions. As a human, she had been thrown into a well to drown  but her vengeful spirit lived on in a video tape long after her body rotted away.

Similarly, in BREATHE (A GHOST STORY), "Mother" is a vengeful ghost that also has unresolved issues and emotions that bind her spirit to the human world. Feeding off the spirit energy of the younger child-ghosts, she uses them as a form of sustenance to haunt humans.

In addition, the tense atmosphere for both The Ring and BREATHE is palpable, but admittedly the atmosphere for the movie is more intense and moving. Some parts of the movie really got me screaming desperately and shutting my eyes tightly! >.<

Well then, that's all folks! Remember to read Part 1 and Part 2 if you haven't and check back for Part 4!

Love,
Crystal

Dog Eared YAs: Breathe (A Ghost Story)

Hey guys!

The school holidays just started so I'm FINALLY FREE to start reading all the books that I want again! The one that I just finished was a book from the horror genre that a friend recommended to me! And its title is....

BREATHE: A GHOST STORY by Cliff McNish

If I saw this house, I would maintain a 30000 mile
distance between me and the house. 

Summary

Jack and his mom Sarah move to a new house after his father's death. Jack starts seeing ghosts that only he can hear or talk to. There is mother ghost and four child ghosts. The children warn him about mother ghost and he starts to worry....

^Short and sweet blurbs are my favourite kinds! :)

Review

Without a doubt, I absolutely CANNOT stand horror movies and books because they scare the living daylights out of me and I would rather spend that time blogging.

Yet, BREATHE: A GHOST STORY was an exceptionally inviting book simply because of the brilliant writer's craft.

I was hooked in by the premise of the book and each chapter seemed to offer a insighful new perspective into the entire mystery and haunting of Ghost Mother.

I found the storyline of this book fairly unique but then again, perhaps that was due to the fact that i rarely read horror books (with the exception of I Am Legend, if you consider that as horror :P).

McNish was also excellent at describing Jack's feelings when he had asthma attacks. At some points in time, I was so drawn into his descriptive paragraphs that it seemed as if I was the one having asthma attacks. 

The tone was set well early in the book with Jack's father's death being a lead-in into further hauntings and near-death encounters. The haunted house, while being very cliched, helped to create the creepy atmosphere and stretched readers out of their comfort zone.

In essence, BREATHE: A GHOST STORY was a refreshing, intense read which taught me that love never dies and that humans (or ghosts, in this context!) may resort to terrible means in order to achieve their goals.

It's tragic, but true :(

Love,
Crystal

Japanese Movies and their Equivalent Books: Part 2

Hello there!

This is Part 2 to my post: Japanese Movies and their Equivalent Books. You can read Part 1 here :)

Okay, so the next book-movie pair is.... Spirited Away and Everlost!

Movie: Spirited Away (2001)

By my all-time favorite director, Hayao Miyazaki!

Plot: In the middle of her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl, Chihiro, wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and monsters; where humans are changed into animals; and a bathhouse exists for these creatures. Chihiro becomes enslaved by the bathhouse mistress but eventually becomes close friends with a mysterious young boy, Haku. Together, they seek to find their true identities and to earn back their own freedom and rights.

Here is the awesome trailer to the awesome movie!!

Book: EVERLOST by Neal Shusterman

The award winning trilogy that
kept me up all night :P

Plot:
It begins with an accident.

Nick and Allie don't survive the crash, and now their souls are stuck halfway between life and death in a sort of limbo called Everlost. It's a magical yet dangerous place, where bands of lost souls run wild and anyone who stands in the same spot too long sinks to the center of the Earth. Frightened and determined, Nick and Allie aren't ready to rest in peace just yet. They want their lives back, and their search for a way home will take them deep into the uncharted areas of Everlost. But the longer they stay, the more they forget about their pasts. And if all memory of home is lost, they may never escape this strange, terrible world.

Similarities

Even if you simply skim through the plot overview of the EVERLOST and Spirited Away, you still can decipher the rough gist of their themes. Both are set in the land of spirits (or limbo!) and have strikingly similar themes of discovering one's identity, learning to live independently and eventually, trying to find their way back home.

In Spirited Away, the two young protagonists, Haku and Chihiro, are initially uncooperative but eventually learn to trust and rely on each other. While the Skinjacker trilogy spans across a much longer journey and involves more characters, the character development of Nick and Allie are still akin to that of Haku and Chihiro in Spirited Away. 

I would say that Spirited Away is a more concise version for lazy bums and potato couches that have no patience to read EVERLOST. However, they are both equally outstanding in their own rights and shine in each of their genres :)

Till next time! Remember to read Part 1 and check back again for Part 3 and Part 4!

Love, 

Crystal

Japanese Movies and Their Equivalent Books: Part 1

HEY! :D

Recently, I watched yet another touching Japanese movie, Like Father Like Son, in my local cinemas and it made me CRYYY so bad! :,( My eyes were swollen shut and I couldn't get rid of the choking feeling in my chest :(

Ooohh, it's award winning!

It was SO EMBARRASSING since I still had to take the public transport home, but this experience did make me realize that Japanese movies are severely underrated and people really need to know more about them! Also, I realized that there are similar plot lines and themes in Japanese movies to mainstream YA fiction, so today, I will be drawing parallels between both genres.

Hopefully, all of you blog readers can learn of the "movie equivalent" of your favourite book!

Movie: Oshin おしん (2013)

Kokone Hamada beat 2000 other
auditionees for the role of Oshin! :O

Plot: A young girl named Oshin is sent to work for another family, because of her own family's financial condition. Abused and accused of being a thief in the new household, the fragile girl becomes hurt and discouraged. Nevertheless, she lives strongly and her spirited personality eventually leads her into an adventure of courage, sacrifice and love.

And here is Oshin's trailer:

Book: DRAGONKEEPER by Carole Wilkinson

A truly imaginative book that captures
the essence of storytelling

Plot: In the time of the Han Dynasty in ancient China, the last remaining dragon is in danger of being killed by the cruel Emperor. A nameless orphan with no past and an uncertain future becomes his unlikely ally. The young orphan soon discovers that it is her destiny to protect the aging dragon and his mysterious purple stone. Chased by an evil dragon hunter and a powerful sorcerer, their adventure is not easy. Each must learn to help and understand the other if they are to survive. No longer can she be the timid, shy orphan she once was. She is now the one, true Dragon Keeper.

Similarities

Both plots are centred on a headstrong female main protagonist and how they each embark of life changing adventures of their own. They are initially reluctant to leave their comfort zone, even if it means living in abject poverty or leading the life of a slave girl. However, they are eventually forced by external circumstances to be brave and embark on their personal journeys. 

When the going gets tough, both Ping (the young orphan) and Oshin rely on their inner strength and peserverance to push through difficult times and they eventually emerge as stronger, braver heroines. 

That's all for today! Keep checking back for Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4!

Love, 

Crystal

Dog Eared YAs: Full Tilt

Hello there :)

Im back again after a long two week break from blogging and after the Deepavali Public Holiday, I went to the library to pick up yet another one of Neal Shusterman's paranormal thrillers! Presenting to you....

FULL TILT by Neal Shusterman

Look at those demonic eyes... *shivers*

Summary

Sixteen-year-old Blake has always been the responsible one in his dysfunctional family -- the one who drives safely, gets good grades, and looks after his wild younger brother, Quinn. Quinn is his brother's opposite -- a thrill-seeker who's always chasing the next scary rush, no matter what the cost. But Quinn and Blake are in for the surprise of their lives when they're thrust into the world of a bizarre phantom carnival -- and their souls are the price of admission.

In order to save his brother, and himself, Blake must survive seven different carnival rides before dawn. Seven rides...it sounds easy. But each ride is full of unexpected dangers, because each ride is a reflection of one of Blake's deepest fears. And the last ride is the worst one of all. Because that's the one that confronts Blake with a terrifying secret from his past -- a secret he's been running from for years.

Full of roller-coaster twists and turns, Neal Shusterman's latest page-turner is an Orpheus-like adventure into one boy's psyche.

Review

Overall, FULL TILT was an exciting read, but I felt that the book cover was rather gaudy and inappropriate. At first look, I thought the book was about demons possessing people in an amusement park (however strange it might seem). Also, the book cover looks like its been randomly splashed with acrylic red paint, making it eye-catching, yet displeasing to the eye.

Cover aside, the plot got off to a slow and draggy start, but it eventually accelerated towards the later chapters when Blake and his companions finally entered the theme park. The back story and transition into the main crux of the plot was pretty average but things became more exciting later on. After they entered the park, the three friends accidentally split up and they were left to face each ride alone. Each of the rides were uniquely crafted and involved the main characters in different ways and roles. In some rides, there were animals, cars and boats; in other rides, there were pyramids, mirrors and giant whales. 

Either way, each ride offered a refreshing new challenge that seemed to bring the suspense up a notch.

The symbols were clear-cut and repetitive, making it easier for me to understand its significance and predict where it would next appear. For example, the turnstile had a large role throughout the entire book as it represented the entrance in the physical theme park, the pathway between two rides and eventually, the nebula exit the final ride.

The turnstile nebula at the final ride!

Finally, the theme of the book was pretty unique for the YA genre which earned it a big thumbs up! It focused on how the main protagonist was the "balance" while the main antagonist was the "imbalance". The evil antagonist was never able to triumph over Blake because he had an innate sense of balance. As long as he remained true to himself and accepted his tragic past, he would never succumb to the evil deeds and tricks of the antagonist. Such well-integrated and unique themes are rare gems in the YA genre and I would gladly choose them over any other love-revolution-dystopian themes any day!

To conclude, while FULL TILT is not the most outstanding book I have read so far, it still has its merits and is worth a read if you are interested in paranormal plot lines.

Till next time!

-Crystal

Dog Eared YAs: The Unspoken

HELLO THERE :)

Today has been an unusually gloomy day here in the sunny tropics... :( But that's alright because it completely set the mood for a horror YA book that I picked up at the library today!

THE UNSPOKEN by Thomas Fahy

In five years' time, your greatest fear will consume you.
It will rob you of your last breath.

Summary

Five years ago, six children who lived with their families in Jacob Crawley's Divine Path religious cult escaped by burning the compound to the ground. They are reunited at the funeral of Jacob's son, Harold. Harold died of drowning -- his worst fear -- even though his body was found miles from any water. And it seems that each of the teens is marked for murder -- as Crawley had predicted years earlier. Can any of these teens save themselves?

Review

Alright! So basically, THE UNSPOKEN is a story centred around a cult prophecy. In my country, cults are outlawed, which made this read especially interesting for me. The incorporation of a cult concept gave an original, fresh setting as opposed to the predictable, overrated urban fantasies and futuristic dystopias of average Young Adult novels. UGHH D: 

Aside from the setting, the plot was also riveting as it was full of twists and turns. As the protagonists tried to figure out the identity of the person behind the murders, it reminded me greatly of a who-dun-it story. They searched libraries, uncovered physical clues and worked their way through the mystery with logic and common sense. Being a largely logical person myself, I found the process of detective work by the main characters enjoyable and convincing. :)

Who exactly was behind the murders?
Read the THE UNSPOKEN to find out!

The author, Thomas Fahy, also successfully managed to keep me riveted by enticing me with a promising back story. While each character lead seemingly normal lives, they were constantly haunted by a dark past. Suspense was built throughout the story as each character was systematically murdered in a gruesome and horrifying manner. 

In essence, the mounting tension was almost palpable and it compelled me to read through the entire book at one shot.

A highly suspenseful read with great characterization, I give THE UNSPOKEN a thumbs up for making my gloomy day into a more-suspenseful-and-thankful-that-cults-are-outlawed-in-my-country kind of day :)

Stay tuned for more reviews and recommendations kay! :)

-Crystal

The Juvie Piles: Fearless

Hello there!

So today, I'll be recommending cum reviewing my first book to juvenile readers (readers aged between 7-11), that is.... *drumroll please!*

FEARLESS by Tim Lott

Isn't the cover eye-catching?

Summary

FEARLESS, like most other stories in mainstream fiction,  is set in a not-too-distant dystopian future where offenders and outlaws are sent to reform schools. The protagonist of the story, Little Fearless, is one of those unfortunate juvenile offenders. She had been sent to City Community Faith Schools when she was a young child (god knows what crime she committed) and has been locked up in the compound since then.

Little Fearless goes into juvie jail :(

In the compound, she is stripped of her name and rights, hence causing her to lose her individuality.  Though she makes friends in the school, and learns to adapt to the internal caste system, she can't help but wonder how her life might be outside the compound. Determined to make a change, she relies on her wit and silver tongue to escape the compound and to tell her oppressed story to her community. Yet, as each attempt fails, Little Fearless becomes more desperate and begins to fear for the safety of her friends and her own life.

Ultimately, FEARLESS offers a haunting story that questions the courage and sacrifice that one must make in order to expose the truth to the public.   

Review

The first thing that caught my attention was, (obviously), the cover of the book. In my opinion, it is one of the most eye catching book covers I have seen so far. Heterochromia, the trait of having differently colored irises, is featured on the cover and it is also the most defining characteristic of Little Fearless. In addition, this characteristic is a main plot point of the story, so it is extremely apt for it to be portrayed on the book cover! :D

Another plus point for this book is its relatable characters. Despite having a great number of supporting characters, namely, Beauty, Tattletale, Soap Dish and Star Gazer, I felt that I could understand the personalities of each individual character. I could almost imagine their tone of voice, facial expressions and even habitual actions because Tim Lott did a splendid job in characterization.

Thank you Tim Lott! :)

However, no book is without sin! A downside was the lack of consistent usage of symbols, which left me a tad bit confused  towards the end. What did the white rose, as pictured on the cover, symbolize? Don't ask me, because up till now, I still dont have a clue :<

Also, the plot began to become a bit mechanical and repetitive towards the end, because Little Fearless escaped out of the compound three times and returned three times with no visible progress in plot development. This may bore more experienced, older readers as the plot becomes predictable and boring. But the structured plot may  also help younger readers to understand the flow of events easier.

To conclude, I felt that it was an interesting read. The plot flowed smoothly and there wasn't a bombardment of difficult terminologies that would turn off young readers. I was able to relate to the book and could feel Little Fearless' fiery determination as the plot progressed.

FEARLESS is definitely a book that I would recommend to juvenile readers with a thirst for dystopian fiction!

Stay tuned for more reviews and recommendations! :DDD

-Crystal

Hmmm... A First Post!

Hello there! :)

As a new blogger, I admit that all this - meaning, Blogger, the social media site- is pretty foreign to me. But I'm sure everything from basecodes to template will begin to fall in place as I go blogging away :)

Alright! The reason why I started this blog is because I wanted to share my passion for books and also to share some of my musings with other enlightened blogreaders.

In where I live, there are very very few people who adopt the "reading is for life" attitude. Perhaps it's because they never had the habit to read when they were young? Or perhaps its because newer, more technologically advanced gadgets are occupying all their time, whether they are relaxing or simply stuck in the toilet.

Either way, its a very sad trend to see more and more children and young people picking up their smart phones instead of picking up a hardcopy book to read. So I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that though this blog, more people (of all ages!) will once again, find a place for a book in their lives.

Reading is, most definitely, for life :)

Check back regularly for updates! :)

-Crystal