Hi everyone, it’s that time again!

Thank you to everyone who participated in KYBB numero uno last week! I didn’t publicise it too much, and you guys jumping on board made me smile. I read all your answers, and I think you all had some excellent answers! I didn’t think about the line up at rides! So true!

What is Know Your Book Blogger?

I noticed there’s not really a blog hop out there that tells people much about YOU the blogger! When I started Book Nerd Reviews, it was for myself primarily to show my love for reading. It was also an outlet to help me make more friends online who also shared my love of books. And so far, I have met some amazing bloggers! But do our readers ever really know that much about us?

So in the spirit of trying something new… I am starting my own weekly meme. Each Sunday (Australian time!) I will be posting a random question - thanks to Plinky and I’ll answer it here. If you want to answer it as well, simply link back to us here and answer the question on your blog. Leave your link here too and then visit others who have participated! It’s a quick way to make new blogger friends!

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This weeks question is:

Q. Name the most recent movie that disappointed you.
Why didn’t it fulfill your expectations?

Oh, a few weeks ago I watched “The Last Exorcism” with my boyfriend (I have a love for scary movies!) and I was into it, and I was loving it… until the very end. No spoilers here, but basically I was prepared for another 20 minutes of movie where I expected it to climax, and instead this quick, rushed ending came left of field and BAM over. With a major twist. I haaaaaate that. *sigh*

Probably also to a lesser extent “The Hangover”. Everyone talked it up and it had some major hype. I watched it on my own when it came out and whilst I laughed a little it was a little lackluster for me. I thought I would give it another chance and watched it with my boyfriend who hadn’t yet seen it, and he also felt the same way. And then it was my fault for recommending it. lol

Once you answer this weeks question, leave your link below!

“How many books are currently in your To-Be-Read (TBR) Pile?”

Oh I like this question. I also hate it because everytime I think about my TBR pile I get anxious. lol

In my MUST read TBR pile, there’s currently about 20 books, give or take. That number could be more actually. But that’s all I care to think of! haha

In my “would like to read” TBR pile, there is like maybe 200 in my Goodreads list right now. Realistically I won’t read them all, but if I could clone myself and have 5 sets of eyes, it would be much more achievable!

Readers, how about you?

Q. Genre Wars! What’s your favorite genre and which book in that genre made it your favorite?

Dystopian is my current favourite genre - which is so obvious to you all with the amount of books I am going through at the moment! lol

It all started with The Hunger Games…. it was the FIRST book in this genre that I read… I was so ignorant before thinking I wouldn’t like “sci fi” books (because I really didn’t know how to class it other than sci fi). Loved is an understatement! I wanted more.

Books that have sealed the deal on how amazing this genre is, would be Divergent, Enclave, Wither, Deliruium to name a few! I am currently reading The Knife of Never Letting Go which is shaping up to be pretty good also!

Synopsis: Amber’s life is spinning out of control. All she wants is to turn up the volume on her iPod until all of the demands of family and friends fade away. So she sneaks off to the beach to spend a day by herself.

Then Amber meets Cade. Their attraction is instant, and Amber can tell he’s also looking for an escape. Together they decide to share a perfect day: no pasts, no fears, no regrets.

The more time that Amber spends with Cade, the more she’s drawn to him. And the more she’s troubled by his darkness. Because Cade’s not just living in the now—he’s living each moment like it’s his last.

Review: Hrm.Perhaps with this book what I will do is start of with what I liked about the book. I hate having to give negative reviews, and I am not entirely negative about this book. Simply put there was aspects I loved about it, and aspects I really didn’t like and didn’t connect with. But I am going to be as fair and constructive as possible.

There is absolute no dispute that Lisa Schroeder is a wonderful writer. I will admit I don’t like prose and I don’t have a lot of time for poetry. But she won me over with her writing style, it was so descriptive, it flowed and the imagry was beautiful in it. She can definitely write. And I really enjoyed reading a book with this type of style for something different. It was definitely easy to digest, I read this in one sitting.

What didn’t sit well with me, is the naivity of the character in this book. She meets a boy whilst she is at the beach and really, in the space of 8-12 hours of meeting him, this girl is pretty well in love with this boy saying things like she “cares deeply” about him. As a reader, this lost me. This is where the book and I didn’t connect. I understand love, I understand lust, and I understand what it is to care, and I realise this will be different from person to person, but to be acting like a love sick girl over someone she’s known half a day - I really couldn’t get past that hurdle (which is why I’ve spent a whole paragraph on it). Understanding the main character is a teenager, but she just seemed extremely juvinile at times.

So that’s how I felt… there’s no way of talking around that really is there? Unfortunately it wasn’t for me. That being said, as with all my reviews I would always openly encourage people to make their own decisions by reading the book themselves. You may not agree with me, and that is quite alright too!

Rating: 2 out of 5

credit to Geeks Are Sexy:

A brilliant mashup of Britney Spears’ “I Wanna Go” with Suzanne Collins’ awesome post-apocalyptic novel The Hunger Games.

The nerd in me enjoyed this video, and so I hope you do too out there!

Synopsis: From bestselling, Printz Award-winning author Libba Bray, the story of a plane of beauty pageant contestants that crashes on a desert island.
Teen beauty queens. A “Lost”-like island. Mysteries and dangers. No access to email. And the spirit of fierce, feral competition that lives underground in girls, a savage brutality that can only be revealed by a journey into the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Oh, the horror, the horror! Only funnier. With evening gowns. And a body count.

Review: This book needs to be made into a movie. Immediately! I mean, Libba Bray has already written out the script with interjections from the Corporation advertisements all the way through - it is HILARIOUS!

This is the first book of Libba’s that I have read and definitely will not be the last. Her sense of humour and sarcasm in this satire reigned supreme and just made me smile right the way through. And because it WAS so funny I actually was a bit disappointed when the story is over.

The characters are hilarious, Miss Teen Dream New Mexico with half of an areoplane dinner tray stuck in her forehead the whole book, Shanti and Nicole fighting it out over which “minority” will make it to the top 10, Miss Nebraska who is a virgin and when not wearing her “purity ring” ends up being a bit of a wild child who can’t contain herself! There may be some girl love, as well as some other action going on!

There are SERIOUSLY so many sub-storylines going on in the background, but I promise you it was written in such a fluid way I was not once confused with who was who and what story belonged where… and this is something I was initially concerned about thinking about 12 girls on the island… I was like… “Am I going to need a pen and paper here to keep track?”. lol But seriously, gripping story - it’s all just in the name of fun, and it was probably the MOST fun book I remember reading in a long long time.

Definitely read it - especially you folks in the US where it’s nice and sunny right now. This is a PERFECT Summer read!

Rating: 5 out of 5

Hi everyone!

So week after week, I jump aboard the blog hops and answer questions about my favourite books, authors and characters. And I really enjoy these! I love being able to share my thoughts with you all, and then go to all your blogs and check out your answers as well!

But I noticed there’s not really a blog hop out there that tells people much about YOU the blogger! When I started Book Nerd Reviews, it was for myself primarily to show my love for reading. It was also an outlet to help me make more friends online who also shared my love of books. And so far, I have met some amazing bloggers! But do our readers ever really know that much about us?

So in the spirit of trying something new… I am starting my own weekly meme. Each Sunday (Australian time!) I will be posting a random question - thanks to Plinky and I’ll answer it here. If you want to answer it as well, simply link back to us here and answer the question on your blog. Leave your link here too and then visit others who have participated! It’s a quick way to make new blogger friends!

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This weeks question is:

Q. Name three things that are worth waiting in long lines for.
What’s the longest amount of time you’ve ever waited in line?

1. Meeting a celebrity or author - it’s times like these where you go *expecting* to have to wait in a queue. So I don’t mind waiting around.

2. Lining up for merchandise at a concert - which let’s face it, is never really a clear cut line. It’s just a bunch of people pushing and shoving trying to get in front of you, combined with having your toes stepped on. It’s never a fun experience. Longest I waited was at Pink’s concert, half an hour to get a program, tote bag and lanyard.

3. The line to go to the ladies room at sports events… it’s always out the door, but I will wait as long as necessary, since it’s better than the alternative! lol The longest I have waited in these lines is probably 20 minutes? Which when you’re about to burst is massive!

Once you answer this weeks question, leave your link below!

Q. Who is the one author you are dying to meet?

Really.. just one? lol We don’t get a LOT of international authors visiting Melbourne, but when we do it’s a big deal. Which is why I was so devastated when I couldn’t go to the Cassandra Clare tour last month! She was in Melbourne but I couldn’t make the times she was here due to work and not being able to get out of it. Crushed!!

So to answer, yes Cassandra Clare would have been one of them. And probably right this second Libba Bray since I am reading Beauty Queens which is hilarious, and I hear she is just as funny in person! I’d also like to meet Veronica Roth (Divergent) and just to be a massive fan girl Stephenie Meyer one day.

Really…. out here.. I would count my blessings to meet ANY authors. :P

Synopsis: WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE

In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.

As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.

Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first she thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace.

As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known.

Review: Enclave… another dystopian novel, but I have to say, SUCH an outstanding plot. It really sets itself apart from the other books with the world that Ann Aguirre builds for us. What is not to love? Apocalypse, zombies, major fight action scenes, heavy dystopian themes and zombies?!

Deuce lives underground in an enclave with Fade. Their enclave is segregated, so people are given a role in the society, and they don’t break away from this. There are builders, breeders and hunters. Deuce and Fade are hunters, so love is forbidden for them.

They primarily hunt and gather food, and also kill off the Freaks, which are Aguirre’s AWESOME version of zombies (Seriously, I loved the concept of them, and how they became smarter and more capable. It was great!).

Due to a series of events, they find themselves exiled from the enclave and are forced to Topside, which is basically Earth as we know it, but set far far into the future, when we’re all gone and basically the skyscrapers are remaining but disheveled and falling apart. Gangs remain and the streets are dangerous. They need to survive.

I absolutely adored these characters… I was made to CARE about these characters. I felt pangs of sadness and jealousy for Deuce, and annoyance at Fade at certain parts of the book. I even started to come around and start liking Stalker, who is a gang member we are introduced to. And I loved Tegan’s vulnerability throughout, and admired her growing courage.

There was just so many aspects of this book I loved, but I really was just so drawn in that when the book ended I was like “Oh.” and actually felt disappointed… only that I have to wait now for the second book in the series! Talk about leaving you hanging!

Absolutely fantastic book, amazing dystopian novel, and I think for lovers of The Hunger Games (and side note anyone who loves zombies), you will truly enjoy the Razorland series!

Rating: 5 out of 5

Q. The magic book fairy pops out of your cereal box and says “you and your favorite character (from a book of course) can switch places!” Who are you going to switch with?

Okay so I am going to go with Sookie Stackhouse - Sure she makes sure she always finds herself in the worst trouble possible, but she always manages to get by, and let’s face it…. Bill…. Eric…. I mean really she’s probably one of the luckiest characters I can think of! Mmmm Eric!

Runners up but didn’t quite make it:

Clary (Mortal Instruments) - Mmmmm Jace. But really.. it’s her brother. So gross.

Bella (Twilight) - Edward & Jacob.. enough said. Almost getting killed all the time pretty much would suck though.

Trice (Divergent) - She is so kick ass and strong, which I LOVE! But I am scared of heights so the whole Dauntless thing wouldn’t work for me. Plus the whole fearing for your life thing constantly.

Hi everyone - hope you’re all having a good night, wherever you are around the world. :)

You will have seen a lot of my recent reviews have had a dystopian flavour to them, and I am honestly in love with this genre of book right now, so I thought what better way to celebrate my love of a good dystopian, than to participate in a challenge! I am not going to be “pushing” myself to read solely dystopian books, because sometimes you just need a break from it all. But I do have some good ones coming up like the Chaos Walking series and The Forest of Hands and Teeth series, of course as well as the ones I have read.

Here is a link to the challenge for all of you out there who might be interested!

I am aiming for about 15 books before the end of the year. I have easily already read 9 this year:

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
Wither - Lauren De Stefano
Matched - Ally Condie
Delirium - Lauren Oliver
Divergent - Veronica Roth
Tomorrow When The War Began - John Marsden
Warm Bodies - Isaac Marion
Enclave - Ann Aguire *current read*

Sign up at the website if you’re interested! :)

All things being equal (money, space, etc), would you rather own copies of the books you read? Or borrow them?

Oh who am I to deny it? I am greedy. I love owning books. I think because of my location - I live in Australia, YA fiction isn’t an overly dominant type of fiction here. I have a library a few blocks from me, and they don’t even have a YA or Teens section… simply Childrens & Adult. Whilst the library might every now and then stock the really popular YA books, honestly, I can’t be bothered waiting for them to get them in, and if it’s very popular even go in a queue to read it.

If my library had a YA section and books were there, I’d probably borrow the ones I wanted to read but not necessarily show off on my shelf!

But for now I’d rather go to Dymocks, or a local book store or even Book Depository and purchase it then and there!

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

Currently I am juggling a few…. Enclave by Ann Aguire, and I am reading and reviewing Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz, Misfit by Jon Skovron and The Inquisitor’s Apprentice by Chris Moriarty.

• What did you recently finish reading?

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

• What do you think you’ll read next?

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray & Chaos Walking Series by Patrick Ness