[REVIEW] Veronika Decides to Die

Series: N/A
Author: Paulo Coelho
Genre: adult, contemporary, philosophy, drama, psychology, romance
Published: July 31, 2005 (first published 1998)
Publisher: HarperTorch (HarperCollins)
Purchase: Amazon

Twenty-four-year-old Veronika seems to have everything - you and beauty, boyfriends and a loving family, a fulfilling job. But something is missing in her life. So, one cold November morning, Veronika decides to die. She takes a handful of sleeping pills, expecting never to wake up. But she does - at a mental hospital where she is told that she has only days to live.

This poignant international bestseller by the author of The Alchemist and Eleven Minutes  takes readers on a quest to find the meaning in a culture overshadowed by angst, soulless routine, and perverse conformity. Based on events in Coelho's own life, Veronika Decides to Die questions the meaning of madness and celebrates individuals who do not fit into patterns society considers to be normal. Bold and illuminating, it is a dazzling portrait of a young woman at the crossroads of despair and liberation, and a poetic, exuberant appreciation of each day as a renewed opportunity.

[REVIEW] Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai. Movie

English Title: We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day. Movie
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Genre: drama, slice of life, supernatural
Episodes: 1
Anime Director: Nagai Tatsuyuki (Honey and Clover II, Toradora!)
Adaptation: original
Prequel: AnoHana (TV Series)
Purchase: Amazon | Aniplex USA

Jinta Yadomi and his group of childhood friends have become estranged after a tragic accident split them apart. Now in their high school years, a sudden surprise forces each of them to confront their guilt over what happened that day and come to terms with the ghosts of their past. 

A year has passed since Menma's ghostly return to the Super Peace Busters. Although the time they spent together during that summer was short, the five members reminisce about what happened as they each write a letter to their lost friend.   

Source: MAL-AnoHana (TV Series) + ANN

[WAITING ON WEDNESDAY] Every Last Promise

Series: N/A
Author: Kristin Halbrook
Genre: young adult, contemporary, realistic fiction, death, suspense, chick lit, drama
Expected Publication: April 21, 2015

Perfect for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson and Gayle Forman, Every Last Promise is a provocative and emotional novel about a girl who must decide between keeping quiet and speaking up after witnessing a classmate's sexual assault.

Kayla saw something at the party that she wasn't supposed to. But she hasn't told anyone. No one knows the real story about what happened that night—about why Kayla was driving the car that ran into a ditch after the party, about what she saw in the hours leading up to the accident, and about the promise she made to her friend Bean before she left for the summer.

Now Kayla's coming home for her senior year. If Kayla keeps quiet, she might be able to get her old life back. If she tells the truth, she risks losing everything—and everyone—she ever cared about.

[Flashback Friday] Chihayafuru

Flashback Friday is a weekly post where I talk about a book, manga, or anime series I’ve finished. This is more like me reminiscing on stuff I come across back then.

English Title: Chihayafull
Studio: Madhouse
Genre: josei, game, sports, drama, slice of life, romance
Episodes: 25 (S1); 25 (S2)
Anime Director: Asaka Morio (Card Captor Sakura, Nana)

Chihaya is a lighthearted tomboy, who's not especially good at anything in particular. Her dream has always been for her sister (an aspiring model) to become the number one beauty of Japan, or perhaps of the world. But then one day she meets someone who tells her that a dream is something that should concern only herself—and something she has to work hard for as well. 

At the same time, Chihaya discovers a passion for the old Japanese game hyakunin isshu, also called "karuta".

[REVIEW] Life Interrupted

full tour schedule can be found at CBB Book Promotions

Series: N/A
Author: Kristen Kehoe
Genre: young adult, new adult, romance, realistic fiction, drama
Published: January 30, 2014
Buy Links: Amazon

Rachel Reynolds isn't running from her past, but she wouldn't mind if it stopped chasing her, either. A senior in high school getting ready to graduate, Rachel is trying to look ahead toward her future, while forgetting the one night two years ago that set events in motion which altered the course of her entire life. Part of the future she's looking for includes falling out of love with her best friend, an act she seems incapable of, especially when it appears he might just love her, too. As Rachel tries to find her footing in a relationship that has baggage before it starts, a nightmare from her past reappears, upsetting the tenuous balance of Rachel's life and threatening the one person she loves most.

[REVIEW] License to Spill

Series: Pretenders #2 | REVIEW of #1
Author: Lisi Harrison
Genre: young adult, contemporary, realistic fiction, romance, drama
Published: June 24, 2014
Publisher: Poppy

Five Noble High freshmen fell to the bottom of the high school food chain and decided to claw their way to the top. They wrote in their journals the secrets to their success 

Now one of their own is exposing the private entries as if granted a license to spill. 

There’s no Delete button on the Internet. What kind of future do we have if we can’t escape our embarrassing pasts? I must come off as quite the hypocrite, complaining about our overexposed lives in a book of secret journals I’ve leaked. But these pages hold proof of how this pressure affects the “best” of us… So until the heat’s turned down, keep reading. –X

[Flashback Friday] Kimi to Boku.

Flashback Friday is a weekly post where I talk about a book, manga, or anime series I’ve finished. This is more like me reminiscing on stuff I come across back then.

English Title: You and Me.
Studio: J.C. Staff
Genre: shounen, slice of life, comedy, drama, romance, school
Episodes: 13 (S1); 13 (S2)
Anime Director: Kanbe Mamoru

The story revolves around four teens — the good-looking twins Yuuta and Yuuki Asaba, the effeminate Shun Matsuoka, and the class head Kaname Tsukahara — who have known each other since early childhood. While they are not necessarily good or bad friends, they continue to hang out well into high school. The half-Japanese transfer student Chizuru Tachibana joins the circle of friends in this comedy about the everyday life of adolescence.

*             *             *

Kimi to Boku. was one of the first anime I wrote about when I started anime blogging. It’s just one of those shows that involve beautiful sceneries, pastel colors, laidback characters, plain everyday life, and a bunch of guys with nothing really special to do in life.

[Waiting on Wednesday] License to Spill

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming can't wait to read.

Series: Pretenders #2 | review of #1
Author: Lisi Harrison
Genre: young adult, contemporary, realistic fiction, romance, drama
Expected Publication: June 24, 2014

Three girls, two guys, five secret journals. 

The five most popular students at Noble High have secrets to hide; secrets they wrote down in their journals. Now one of their own exposes the private entries... 

When our parents were growing up they were encouraged to make mistakes. That's how they learned. But us? Our mistakes go viral. There is no delete button on the Internet. What kind of future do we have if we can't escape our embarrassing pasts? I must come off as quite the hypocrite; complaining about our overexposed lives in a book of secret journals I have leaked. But these pages hold proof of how this pressure affects the "best" of us... so until the heat's turned down, keep reading.

[REVIEW] Pretenders

Series: Pretenders #1
Author: Lisi Harrison
Genre: young adult, contemporary, realistic fiction, romance, drama
Published: October 1, 2013
Publisher: Poppy
ISBN: 978-0-316-22244-0

My picture is on page eighteen of Noble High's Phoenix yearbook. I am one of the PHOENIX FIVE. You nominated me. You thought I was one of the most outstanding students in our freshman class. You were wrong. 

Still, I accepted my award. I acted special. But I couldn't help wondering what it was like to be that way for real. So I broke into Ms. Silver's safe in the faculty lounge and stole all five of our journals. I'm not exposing them out of jealousy or anger. I'm doing this because I am tired of the lies. The bar is too high, and cheating is the only way to reach it. Instagrams are filtered, Facebook profiles are embellished, photos are shopped, Manti T'eo's girlfriend was a fake...is anything real anymore? 

I found the answer in our journals. These are 100 percent real and 100 percent unedited. The proof is in the pages. 

We're all pretenders.