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2012-08-03

Juniper Berry

Author: M. P. Kozlowski
Title: Juniper Berry
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 978-0-06-199870-6
Rating: 6/10

Blurb: Young Juniper Berry knows her mother and father aren't the same paople they used to be. Of course, they're no longer struggling actors - they're now the most famous movie stars in the world. But it's more than that. She can't shake the feeling that something isn't quite right with them. And one rainy night, in the shadowy and sinister woods behind their mansion, she discovers she's right. Now it's up to Juniper to overcome her own demons in order to save the ones who couldn't.
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Book-Berserk-July


I went totally book-berserk this month. I've read 23 books with a total of 8508 pages - This is about 5 times as much as any other month in 2012 so far. Thank God for holidays. My pile of unread books also got some newbies, there was a sale on amazon I couldn't resist, one of the bookstores in the surrounding area upgraded their "English Book Corner" and of course there were books I just HAD TO HAVE this month: Pictures below!

Then there was Potterthon... it was an amazing idea and so much fun to participate in, I managed to read up to book 4 of the series and I'm determined to read the other ones until the end of the year, providing that my new job leaves enough time for reading at all. Starting August 20th, yay....

Enough with the talk, here goes the list - this is what I've read in July:
  • Riordan, Rick - The Battle of the Labyrinth (361)
  • Gaiman, Neil - Smoke and Mirrors (384)
  • Preußler, Otfried - Die kleine Hexe (127)
  • Tolkien, J.R.R. - The Two Towers (439) 
  • Pullman, Philip - Der Goldene Kompass (410) 
  • King, Stephen - Salem's Lot (653)
  • Rowling, J.K. - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (332) 
  • Nuyen, Jenny-Mai - Nocturna: die Nacht der gestohlenen Schatten (542)
  • Carroll, Lewis - Through the Looking Glass (173) 
  • Rowling, J.K. - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (366) 
  • Blake, Kendare - Anna Dressed in Blood (316) 
  • Gaiman, Neil - Fragile Things (433)
  • Rowling, J.K. - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (468)
  • Boyne, John - The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (216)
  • Rowling, J.K. - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (796)
  • Hodkin, Michelle - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (452)
  • Terry, Teri - Slated (439)
  • Hemmingway, Ernest - The Old Man and the Sea (99)
  • Carroll, Lewis - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (152)
  • Oliver, Lauren - Pandemonium (375)
  • Adler-Olsen, Jussi - Schändung (460)
  • Aiken, Joan - Die Lady aus Cornwall (127)
  • Murakami, Haruki - Norwegian Wood (388)
A total of 23 books, 8508 pages, 7 reviews.
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---> 19 Newbies in July <--


  • Pratchett, Terry - I Shall Wear Midnight
  • Hill, Susan - The Woman in Black
  • Rossi, Veronica - Under the Never Sky
  • Boyne, John - The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
  • Hemmingway, Ernest - The Old Man and the Sea
  • Lee, Harper - To Kill a Mockingbird
  • Niffenegger, Audrey - The Time Traveler's Wife
  • Oliver, Lauren - Pandemonium
  • Murakami, Haruki - Norwegian Wood
These were the books on sale at amazon.de - 3 for 15€! 'Under the Never Sky' was a book I found while surfing on youtube - Some girl talked about it in a video and dubbed it as her one and only must-read-before-you-die and when I found it on sale, well, what can I say.... 'Pandemonium' was on sale, too, which is extremely fortunate because I've been dying to read on after 'Delirium'. The other books can be categorized as curiosity purchases - yes, I confess, I've never read either 'To Kill a Mockingbird' or The Old Man and the Sea, at least until this month.


  • Kozlowski, M.P. - Juniper Berry
  • Blake, Kendare - Anna Dressed in Blood
  • Terry, Teri - Slated
  • Hodkin, Michelle - The Umbecoming of Mara Dyer
These are my must-have-purchases in july. 'Slated', 'Anna Dressed in Blood' and 'The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer' are books I ordered because of blog reviews while 'Juniper Berry' is supposed to be one of those wickedly altered childrens books I love so much. I'm reading it right now and enjoying it so far - beautiful artwork.



  • Gerber, Michael - Barry Trotter and the Shameless Parody
  • Gerber, Michael - Barry Trotter and the Unnecessary Sequel
  • Gerber, Michael - Barry Trotter and the Dead Horse
Yeah, well, what can I say... After reading so much of Potter lately I ordered them from one of those second hand websites you can access over amazon. I was always curious about this parody and what the heck, the only cost 30 cent a piece.


  • Carroll, Lewis - Through the Looking Glass
  • Gaiman, Neil - Fragile Things
  • Lindsay, Jeff - Darkly Dreaming Dexter
You probably all know the feeling - whenever you set foot in a bookshop you HAVE to buy SOMETHING. It just doesn't feel right without it. So I'm trying to keep my visits to bookshops at a minimum because, let's face it, internet purchases are less expensive, but once a month there's just no getting around it. These were my purchases that one time in July. This month there will be more bookshop visits for me though, they give 15 % off all english paperbacks in august!

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Top of the month

Yes, I am an incurable Potterhead. Yes, I a proud of it. For me there is probably no better book in the series than Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The plot is great, the characters start to gain certain expiriences and develop during the story, it's full of surprising twists and turns and it starts to get really serious here. I'm surprised that I've read this book not nearly as much as the other ones when this is the one I enjoy most of all whenever I read it. Thanks to Potterthon though, I experienced this once again and hopefully not forget about it. A review of this book is in progress although I am currently working on a review of 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' and 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban', too, so it may take a while for me to finish with it. But I intend to review all of the books until the end of this year if I find the time between adjusting to the new job and finishing my papers for school on time.

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Flop of the month

I actually rated some books even lower than 'The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer' this month, but this book totally crushed my expectations and even ruined my mood to read any YA-novel for a long time. It simply sucked. I couldn't warm up to Mara or any of her behaviour, half of the time I didn't even understand if she was dreaming, having hallucinations or if that was actually real and If I would have known that there was this supernatural theme in it I'm not sure if I would have bought it at all. I can't explain it rationally but this book just didn't fit in any way. Actually there were a lot of books I wanted to choose for this months flop, 'Pandemonium' also among them because WTF was up with that new boy? And could someone please explain to me why every cliffhanger I read in the last few YA-novels seems to consist of someone coming back from the dead? Individualism is dying, my friends.......... Too many authors jumped on the YA-train, now we have to bear the mess.

2012-07-22

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Author: J. K. Rowling
Titel: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's                                Stone
Publisher: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 9-780747-549550
Rating: 8/10

Blurb: Harry Potter thinks he's an ordinary boy - until he is rescued by a beetle-eyed giant of a man, enrols at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learns to play Quidditch and does battle in a deadly duel. The Reason: HARRY POTTER IS A WIZARD!
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Inspired by Potterthon and all posts revolving around it both here and on ll-lit I decided to finally making an attempt on reviewing Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (and the following books, but I think that's going to take some time), even though I will never do this book any justice whatsoever. This review will probably be full of spoilers, quotes, mindless babbling about how I love the series and childhood memories, so don't read it if you're not interested or haven't read the book (your loss...), I just thought I'd give you a fair warning.

2012-07-21

Slated

Author: Teri Terry
Title: Slated
Publisher: Orchard
ISBN: 978-1-40831-946-8
Rating: 7/10

Blurb: Kyla's memory has been erased, her personality wiped blank, her memories lost for ever. She's been Slated. The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla's mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is at it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?
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2012-07-17

Fragile Things

Author: Neil Gaiman
Title: Fragile Things
Publisher: Hodder Headline
ISBN: 978-0-7553-3415-5
Rating: 5/10

Blurb: Let me tell you stories of the months of the year, of ghosts and heartbreak, of dread and desire. Of after-hours drinking and unanswered phones, of good deeds and bad days, of trusting wolves and how to talk to girls There are stories within stories, whispered in the quiet of the night, shouted above the roar of the day, and played out between lovers and enemies, strangers and friends. But all, all are fragile things made of just 26 letters arranged and rearranged to form tales and imaginings which will dazzle your senses, haunt your imagination and move you to the very depths of your soul.
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2012-07-16

Anna Dressed in Blood

Author: Kendare Blake
Title: Anna Dressed in Blood
Publisher: TOR Teen
ISBN: 978-0-7653-2867-0
Rating: 7/10

Blurb: Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: he kills the dead. So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead - keeping peksy things like the future and friends at bay.
When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal burder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home. And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.
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2012-07-12

Potter Quotes #2

And once again in Pottermode! I actually read the book completely this week, couldn't hold myself back, but I decided that I wanted to share my favorite quotes of the individual chapters with you anyway, so here goes part 2 including chapters 5 to 8 - have fun and feel free to post your own favorites!


2012-07-11

Salem's Lot

Author: Stephen King
Title: Salem's Lot
Publisher: Anchor Books
ISBN: 978-0-307-74367-1
Rating: 8/10

Blurb: Ben Mears has returned to Jerusalem's Lot in the hopes that living in an old mansion, long the subject of town lore, will help him cast out his own devils and provide inspiration for his new book. But when two young boys venture into the woods and only one comes out alive, Mears begins to realize that there maybe something sinister at work and that his hometown is under siege by forces of darkness far beyond his control.
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2012-07-10

Der Goldene Kompass

Autor: Philip Pullman
Titel: Der Goldene Kompass
Verlag: Heyne
ISBN: 978-3-453-40548-6
Bewertung: 3/10

Klappentext: Der Auftakt der sagenhaften Fantasy-Trilogie:
In einer Welt, die der unseren sehr ähnlich ist, lebt das Mädchen Lyra. Wie jeder Mensch hat es einen Dæmon, eine Art zweites Ich, von dem es sich nie trennen würde. Doch immer wieder verschwinden Kinder aus der Gegend und man hört gräßliche Geschichten: Die Entführer entreißen diesen Kindern ihre Dæmonen! Lyra macht sich auf in den Norden, um ihren Freund Roger zu retten. Auf ihrer Reise trifft sie gefährliche Panzereisbären und fliegende Hexen und findet schließlich hinter dem Polarlicht eine ganz neue Welt.
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2012-07-09

Ukulele POWER!!

Today UPS FINALLY delivered my Ukulele :D I've been waiting for it for about a week now and I was sooooo excited, so I will make all of you suffer from some pictures I shot just now! Bear it!




She's sooooo beautiful (yes, it's a girl)... AND she's turquoise, now who could resist that? I think I'll name her Luna :D


They even sent me a bag with the Ukulele and it's color-coordinated, isn't that nice :3 ?


There's no use for an Ukulele if you can't tune it, so here goes the Tuner....


And finally my mother made this gift for me yesterday so I can pin it on my Ukulele-Bag... she's so cute. It's a turquoise Jack-Skellington-Flower !!

There's one last thing though... You all know it's Potterthon-Month and as I just got the Ukulele today and couldn't keep my hands off of it until now, I learned a little something that fits perfectly in this months' theme.... Here you go and forgive me if it's not that good, I'm only starting ;)


2012-07-05

Potter Quotes #1

This weeks Potterthon on Lauren's Loquacious Literature/saz101 has me totally captured and as I already read the 4 chapters for this weeks readalong THRICE and still can't get enough I had the fabulous idea (haha) to post some  of my favorite quotes from these first few chapters - feel free to share yours!


2012-07-04

Smoke and Mirrors

Author: Neil Gaiman
Title: Smoke and Mirrors
Publisher: Hodder Headline
ISBN: 978-0-7472-63685
Rating: 8/10

Blurb: In Gaiman's richly imagined fictions, anything is possible - an elderly widow finds the Holy Grail beneath an old fur coat in a second-hand store; under a bridge, a frightened little boy bargains for his life with a very persistent troll; a stray cat fights and refights a terrible nightly battle to protect his unsuspecting adoptive family
                                                           from unimaginable evil...
                                                           these miraculous inventions and many more
                                                           await in this extraordinary book, revealing
                                                           one of your most gifted storytellers at the
                                                           height of his powers.
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The first thing I ever read by Neil Gaiman was 'Coraline', and only because I adored the movie so much, I wanted to know if the story the book told was identical. I really enjoyed the story and the authors style of writing, so when I saw this book in the 'English Books' area in my local bookstore I just thought: 'GO FOR IT!' And I did.

2012-07-03

Potterthon

Okay, this post comes sooner than I promised it to, but I just found something surfing on the web and I thought it would be great to share a little bit of Potterlove for all you fellow Harry Potter Maniacs out there....



We're starting with the "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" Readalong and there's also an option to participate in a poll with the following questions...
  • "What Does Harry Potter Mean To You"
  • "What's Your Favourite Harry Potter Quote"
If you want to join the fun, simply click HERE or HERE and sign yourself up!

Neuer Anfang, Neues Glück!!

Da ich mit meinem letzten Blog und den generellen Funktionen nicht allzu zufrieden war, hab ich beschlossen das Ganze noch einmal auf Anfang zu setzen und es in einer anderen Umgebung nochmal zu versuchen.

Hier werde ich es wahrscheinlich auch so handhaben, den englischen und deutschen Bücher auch sprachlich unterschiedliche Rezensionen zu geben: die Deutschen in deutsch, die Enlischen in englisch, man lernt ja nie aus. Die bisherigen Rezensionen von meinem alten Blog sind immer noch bei Lovelybooks vorhanden falls da Interesse bei euch besteht, ihr findet sie auf der Seite "Rezensionen" und werdet von dort aus weitergeleitet.

Ich werde wahrscheinlich direkt morgen anfangen, wieder ein bisschen was zu posten, damit das hier etwas voller wird. Viel Spaß beim Stöbern!