In My Mailbox #13

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren, inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

Library:
Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken
The Hunger Games (Hunger Games, #1) by Suzanne Collins

I love The Hunger Games. I didn't check it out for myself though. I'm going to make my sister read it. Then I'm going to force ask her if she could possibly draw Katniss/Peeta fanart. hehe Yes, I know I already said that I wanted her to draw Taylor/Jonah from Jellicoe Road. (Read more at this post.) I couldn't help but to ask her for both couples though! She still has a few pictures she has to draw for other people though, so when she's done with those, I'll try to convince her some more. If you're interested in looking at her drawings, then go here. :)
As for Brightly Woven, I actually ordered it a few weeks ago, but I won't be receiving it until August. Decided to order it because the local library didn't have it, but guess what happened after I placed my order? The library decided to order it as well. lol So I figure I could read it first, and then decide if I really want to keep my order or not. ;) Hopefully I don't change my mind though!

CN-197695 and D.C.

Yesterday I received a postcard from China: CN-197695! It's the 8th official postcard I've received from the China and the 214th official postcard I received through Postcrossing. The postcard traveled 14 days and 7,710 miles. I just really love this view, especially the colors! :D

And a few days ago, a buddy of mine sent me a postcard while he was visiting Washington, D.C. I've only been to there once, two summers ago. It's really nice over there. I would love to go again someday. :)

Jellicoe Road Fanart?

I love Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.

My sister draws.

So...

I want her to draw Taylor/Jonah fanart! :D

She hasn't exactly said yes to me yet, but I'm working on it. When she's drawing, though, she likes to have references (like an image) of the characters. However, I don't believe their looks were described that much in the book. I think I can convince her to draw Taylor and Jonah fanart if she had a better idea of what the characters look like.

What I remember about Taylor: wavy golden-brown hair, blue/green eyes, tall & lanky.

What I remember about Jonah: cropped hair, 10 centimeters taller than Taylor, a tank.

I might have missed or incorrectly remembered a detail though. If I did, I would really appreciate it if you let me know. Anyway, there could possibly be a reference out there! Melina Marchetta's profile picture on GoodReads:

The boy in the tree and Taylor? I think it's them! I mean, none of her other books have a scene like this, and I don't believe it's just a random picture. What do you think? :)

You all might be wondering why I don't just ask Melina Marchetta for more descriptions of Taylor and Jonah. Well... The thing is... I'm too nervous! And I don't want to ask her if I'm not entirely sure my sister will even draw them. (I know, I'm a wimp. :p) So far now, while I try to gain the courage to go through with sending her an e-mail, I wanted to ask those who liked Jellicoe Road some questions:

- What is your favorite Taylor and Jonah moment?
- Are there actors or anybody that you believe could look like Jonah and Taylor?

Any answers, comments, and advice will be greatly appreciated! Or if you have any questions for me regarding anything I mentioned, then let me know. Thank you! :D

Linger Trailer

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

My Reading Habits

Found this meme through Smitten With Books. Felt like posting something different. :)

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack:
Yes, because I get so hungry when I read! I just eat whatever snack I can find. It's usually something with sugar.

What is your favorite drink while reading?
Water with ice. That's usually what's available, but I would drink juice or soda if I had it.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
No way! I guess since I'm poor, the thought of marking in my books horrifies me.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
Bookmark! Although, sometimes I have to use a scrap piece of paper because I tend to lose the bookmark while reading. Don't know how that happens.

Fiction, nonfiction, or both?
Definitely fiction. Nonfiction...makes me think of school.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
I like stopping at the end of a chapter, but if I just can't read any longer, I can stop anywhere.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
No... But if something in the book annoys me, I stop reading, roll my eyes, and rant about it to my sisters. They honestly don't care, but they still listen. It's amazing, really. haha

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
No, I just keep moving right along. But maybe I should start doing that. Because sometimes I'm a bit clueless.

What are you currently reading?
The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima and The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen.

What is the last book you bought?
Well, I won't be receiving these books until August, but I ordered Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, The Broken Lake by Shelena Shorts, and Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken.

Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?
I prefer to focus on one book; however, I can read up to two books at a time, especially if one of the books is boring me. I'm doing that now, actually.

Do you have a favorite time/place to read?
I find that I can read more at night. In my bed or on the couch in my room. But when I'm in bed, it gets so comfy... I end up falling asleep. I wish I could read more in the morning or afternoon.

Do you prefer series books or stand alones?
As long as the story is good and isn't dragging, it doesn't matter to me.

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
Melina Marchetta! Especially her book Jellicoe Road! As well as Finnikin of the Rock and Saving Francesca. OMG read her books!

How do you organize your books?(by genre, title, author’s last name, etc.)
At first I organized the books in the order I bought them, but now I arrange them by the author's last name.

That is all. >:)

DE-583073

Today I received a postcard from Germany: DE-583073! It's the 27th official postcard I've received from the Germany & the 213th official postcard I received through Postcrossing. The postcard traveled 7 days and 4,412 miles. Really cute design on the postcard, and it came with two different stamps I don't believe I've received on a postcard before. :)

Trade - Turkey

Back in April, I had a postcard trade with someone living in the country of Turkey. The other day I received their postcard, including an extra postcard they decided to send me. :) Thought that was really nice of them. I've only received one postcard from Turkey through Postcrossing before, so it was cool being able to have more view postcards of this particular country. It looks really beautiful over there, doesn't it? :D The first postcard features the town of Çanakkale, a Clock Tower, Kilitbahir Castle, and Troy, the wooden horse. The second postcard shows the Ortaköy Mosque and the Bosphorus Bridge at night. Both postcards have the same stamp, and the stamp has an art piece that I think is called Çocuğunu Emziren Kadın Heykelciği.

In My Mailbox #12

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren, inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

Library:
The Awakening (Darkest Powers, #2) by Kelley Armstrong
Frostbite (Vampire Academy, #2) by Richelle Mead
Nightkeepers (Final Prophecy, #1) by Jessica Andersen

Won:
Panthan's Crucible by Meredith Wood
Demonkeepers (Final Prophecy, #4) by Jessica Andersen

Bought:
Angel Star by Jennifer Murgia
Black & White (Noughts & Crosses, #1) by Malorie Blackman
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Knight Angels: Book of Love by Abra Ebner
Rules of Attraction (Perfect Chemistry Trilogy, #2) by Simone Elkeles
Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
Tiger's Curse (Tiger Series, #1) by Colleen Houck

I'm really excited to read the second books in the Vampire Academy series and Darkest Powers series. I really enjoyed both of the first books. :D Also from the library, I got the first book in the Final Prophecy series, which I checked out because I won the fourth book in that series from GoodReads. Another book I won and received this week was Panthan's Crucible. I actually finished reading it, and it was very good. It's the first book in a new series, so I can't wait for the next one! I would recommend it to YA-paranormal fans who are looking for something other than vampires and werewolves. It's about the Panthans, creatures created by God. They look human, and although it wasn't exactly stated, I'm assuming they are kind of like panthers. I just thought it was unique and really interesting, and hey, looks like there might be some romance. ;)

Now for the books I bought. Melina Marchetta is my favorite author, so I'm extremely happy I finally have my own copies of Jellicoe Road and Saving Francesca. Jellicoe Road is my favorite book EVER! Seriously, if you haven't read it, you need to! And read her others books! All her books are awesome. :D Okay, I also bought Rules of Attraction, which I really need to start soon, and Black & White (aka Noughts & Crosses), which I read a few weeks ago and had to buy my own copy because I loved it. Finally, I received three other books I've been really interested in reading: Knight Angels, Angel Star, and Tiger's Curse. Those three have good reviews on GoodReads, so I'm hoping I like them as well. :D

Anyway, I wasn't expecting this many books this week, but it seems everything just wanted to come in at once. So, I got a lot of reading to do. :)