March 2013 Reading Update

March was another good month for books. I found I had more free time to read than February, and got to make it through many books. My overall reading list remains infinite, but I'm happy with my progress. Every month should be like this.

If February was the month of new beginnings, I'm not quite sure what March is. I continued 3 series (Gone, Delirium, Ruby Oliver), and returned to adored authors (Austen, Green, Valente). Maybe it'll be the month of comfort and familiarity.
Instead of new beginnings it's like an old friend.

As usual, I'll list the books in the order finished, followed by a few sentences on my feelings toward each book. I won't summarize all of them, since that will take up a lot of time. So, instead, I provided links for you to read the summaries yourself in you're interested.

And without further ado, here is my reading update for March!

NOTD: OPI "Metallic 4 Life"

I recently picked up OPI's "Metallic 4 Life" from the Nicki Minaj collection. It was one of those polishes that I regretted passing up so I was very happy that Transdesign still had it. "Metallic 4 Life" is a chunky silver glitter in a jelly black base.

NOTD: Blue Ombre Nails

When ombre nails became a trend (last spring?), like most trends (shatter, matte, those weird outlined ones, even the simple, yet very popular, "accent" fingers), I didn't really go for it. I like my crazy brights and I enjoy doing special manicures for holidays, but on a day-to-day basis I'm very traditional with my manicures. However, when I couldn't decide which blue to wear, I thought it'd be a chance to go out of my comfort zone and do something more fun.

Fly On the Wall: A Book Review

This book review contains NO SPOILERS. Enjoy! (:

Today's book review is for a book I discovered while reading E. Lockhart's The Boy Book, the second installment in the Ruby Oliver Quartet. I got to the end and saw the cover for Fly On the Wall (the cover depicted below), with the headline that this was a "hilarious novel." I like hilarious novels. I turned the page, and as if I wasn't already sold from the comic-book style drawn cover and the notion of the book's hilarity, there was a blurb written by John Green on the following page essentially saying that the novel was brilliant, smart, hilarious, and amazing. I like hilarious novels. I trust John's opinion on books. Why not? So I picked up my copy (unfortunately I didn't get a copy with the same cover, but I was looking to buy the cheapest copy from the cheapest seller and didn't have room to be picky). Keep reading for my thoughts and see how it met my high expectations!

(photo source)

Title: Fly On the Wall
Author: E. Lockhart
Genre: YA (w/ a slight hint of fantasy)
Pages: 192
Release date: November 13, 2007
Links: Amazon | Goodreads





"I don't have a social life. I've got to have reading material." -Gretchen Yee










Back-cover description: 

"At the Manhattan High School for the Arts, where everyone is "different" and everyone is "special," Gretchen Yee feels ordinary. She's the kind of girl who sits alone at lunch, drawing pictures of Spider-Man, so that she won't have to talk to anyone; who has a crush on Titus but won't do anything about it; who has no one to hang out with when her best (and only real) friend, Katya, is busy.

One day, Gretchen wishes that she could be a fly on the wall in the boys' locker room-just to learn more about guys. What are they really like? What do they really talk about? Are they really cretins most of the time?

Fly on the Wall is the story of how that wish comes true. "

NOTD: OPI "Eurso Euro"

Today's notd was one of my must-have purchases from the OPI Euro Centrale Collection. "Eurso Euro" is a deep blue cream that looks ever-so-slightly indigo.

NOTD: China Glaze "Glittering Garland"

Today's notd for China Glaze "Glittering Garland" from China Glaze's 2011 Holiday collection, I picked out because I am going to see the new Oz release today. [If I had passed up China Glaze "Emerald Sparkle" long ago (one of my polish regrets) I would have worn that.] But this polish isn't far off.

NOTD: China Glaze "Re-fresh Mint" + China Glaze "It's a Trap-eze!"

For today's notd I will be combining China Glaze's "Re-fresh Mint" with China Glaze's "It's a Trap-eze!" for a fun Spring manicure.

The Host: A Book Review

This book review contains NO SPOILERS. Enjoy! (:

Let me just start off by saying I am neither a Twilight lover or hater. From what I know (I've read about half of the first novel and have seen only the first film) some of it seems slightly ridiculous and the characters unlikable, but I don't have any tendency to swoon or throw a fit when I hear Edward's name.

In regards to The Host, I didn't have any particular incline towards this book for the past few years since it's been out. It wasn't until I went to see a movie in the threatre and saw the trailer that I became interested. The trailer depicted such a sweet, tragic love story that I decided to just take the plunge and read it.

(photo credit)

Title: The Host
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Series: Book #1 of The Host (?) Series
Followed by: The Seeker (no news on release)
Genre: Teen paranormal/apocalyptic fiction
Pages: 617
Release date: May 6, 2008
Links: Amazon | B&N | Goodreads










Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

"Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. Earth has been invaded by a species that takes over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.

Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves - Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, The Host is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time."

NOTD: China Glaze "Fast Track"

Today's notd is one from China Glaze's Capitol Colors (Hunger Games) collection last year. This polish, "Fast Track," is a tan, with a slightly purple tint, with gold shimmers. It's a fairly unique color. However, I mostly picked it up because I loved The Hunger Games Trilogy and wanted more from this collection.

(China Glaze "Fast Track")

NOTD: Rimmel "Steel Grey"

Today's notd is an old one I probably purchased 2+ years ago. I got this around the same time I purchased Sephora by OPI's "Metro Chic." The two polishes are very similar so I'm not sure why I got both. However, I found the brush of this polish frustrating to use to I gravitated towards "Metro Chic." I finished that polish off about a year ago, so unfortunately, I don't have it to do comparisons with, but I do remember them being very, very similar- possibly even dupes.

(Rimmel "Steel Grey")

Requiem: A Book Review

There will be NO SPOILERS in this review.* Enjoy! (:

*Though there will be no spoilers for Requiem, there WILL BE SPOILERS FOR DELIRIUM (BOOK 1) AND PANDEMONIUM (BOOK 2).

If you are completely unfamiliar with this series, I recommend you read my review for the first installment, Delirium, here.

I finished Pandemonium (Delirium Book 2) a little less than a month ago. At that point, I wasn't sure if I would read Requiem immediately upon release. My main reason for doing so anyway was because I didn't want to forget everything I had read previously. So, I picked up Requiem soon after it's release. In addition to my thoughts on Requiem I will summarize my thoughts on the whole Delirium trilogy as well. 

(taken from Kindle iPhone app)

Title: Requiem
Author: Lauren Oliver
Series: Book #3 in Delirium Trilogy
Preceded by: Pandemonium
Genre: YA dystopian
Pages: 432
Release date: March 5, 2013
Links: Amazon | B&N | Goodreads














First, here's the synopsis straight from Amazon:

"Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has transformed. The nascent rebellion that was underway in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven. Pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels.

As Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain of the Wilds, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor. Requiem is told from both Lena and Hana's points of view. They live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

With lyrical writing, Lauren Oliver seamlessly interweaves the peril that Lena faces with the inner tumult she experiences after the reappearance of her first love, Alex, the boy she thought was dead. Sophisticated and wide-ranging, Requiem brings the Delirium trilogy to a thrilling conclusion."

NOTD: Lucky Nails for St. Patty's Day

Today's notd is another manicure targeted towards St. Patrick's Day with a short how-to at the end.

I knew about a month ago that I wanted to do a manicure involving a four-leaf clover and decided to go with an incredibly basic look. If you want to make it more festive you can combine this manicure with the Green Gradient manicure I did earlier this week, or maybe do an ombre manicure (that's what I did last year).

Either way, I hope you enjoy this manicure and that the how-to is instructive and useful!

NOTD: Blue Glitter Jelly Sandwich

Today's nail of the day is another new experimentation for me.

If you haven't heard of a jelly sandwich manicure, it is commonly comprised of painting a layer of glitter polish in between two other polishes. The top layer is typically a jelly finish so the glitter layer can remain visible once it's painted. 

I was inspired to try doing a jelly sandwich manicure, specifically by the one I saw by PackAPunch Polish. You can find her original post here. I was incredibly happy when I saw her post because I had bought China Glaze's "Ride the Waves" last summer and was immensely disappointed in the formula. I could not get that polish to be opaque even when I did 5 coats. It was my biggest polish purchase regret. So when I saw her use this polish in a glitter jelly sandwich, my reaction was "FINALLY! I can get some use out of this polish!"

I switched up the base polish but kept the rest consistent with what PackAPunch polish did.

NOTD: Green Gradient Nails for St. Patty's Day

In today's nail post, I will tell the story of my messy, nearly-failed attempt at doing gradient nails. I went with a basic white to green gradient in the spirit of Saint Patty's Day. Enjoy!

There are many ways to achieve gradient nails, most methods you can find on youtube. I watched several of these youtube videos (long ago, so I can't remember which ones exactly) and just did what I felt would work best.

Every Day: A Book Review

There will be NO SPOILERS in this review. Enjoy! (:

For today's post, I will be reviewing my first novel written entirely by David Levithan. Ever since I read Will Grayson, Will Grayson years ago I have been meaning to read some more of David's works (similar with Maureen Johnson- I will get there eventually!), and I'm excited to review this piece.

I had no real reason for selecting Every Day. I simply put David's name into the Amazon search engine and this book was the first to come up so I picked it. (I know. I'm so amazingly decisive.) But as luck would have it, I'm very happy this was the book to come up. However, before I completely spoil how much I enjoyed this book, let's get into the review!

(photo taken from Kindle app on my phone)

Title: Every Day
Author: David Levithan
Genre: YA, contemporary
Pages: 336
Release date: August 28, 2012
Links: Amazon | B&N | Goodreads



"Everybody wants to believe in a higher power. Everybody wants to belong to something bigger than themselves, and everybody wants company in doing that. They want there to be a force of god on earth, and they want an incentive to be a part of that force. They want to be able to prove their belief and their belonging, through rituals and devotion. They want to touch the enormity."





First, here's the back-cover description taken from Amazon:

"Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl. 

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day."

NOTD: Essie "Da Bush" + OPI "Pirouette My Whistle"

Today's notd is a combination that I felt like trying for a while. It combines Essie's "Da Bush," a grey-toned military green, and a silver glitter in a clear base, OPI's "Pirouette My Whistle."