Review: Shiver, Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 434
Format: Paperback
Released: October 2009





















Grace and Sam share a kinship so close they could be lovers or siblings. But they also share a problem. When the temperature slips towards freezing, Sam reverts to his wolf identity and must retreat into the woods to protect his pack. He worries that eventually his human side will fade away and he will left howling alone at the lonely moon. A stirring supernatural teen romance.

A beautiful paranormal romance

Maggie Stiefvater has written a haunting, chilling, but above all beautiful novel about love, loss and longing.

When Grace was a little girl, she was attacked by wolves. She survived the attack, and ever since that day she has felt a special bond to the wolf that saved her. When she discovers that her wolf is actually a werewolf, her fight to make him stay human begins.

I have read countless ravings about this book online, and I understand why. Shiver is captivating from the first page on.

The story has some similarities with Twilight: Girl meets boy, eh wolf. Girl discovers that boy is a supernatual creature. Girl and boy longs to be together, but it seems like that is not an option. Girl dreams about becoming a wolf in order to stay with boy/wolf forever.

But if the story is a like, the writing is not. I am no fond of Stephenie Meyer's writing, which I think is pretty poor. Stiefvater on the other hand really knows her way around words. She uses them to make beautiful pictures. Sometimes it feels like your are reading a poem.

I was a leaking womb bulging with the promise of conscious thoughts: the frozen woods far behind me, the girl on the tyre swing, the sound of fingers on metal strings. The future and the past, both the same, snow and then summer and then snow again.

The main focus of this story is the relationship between Sam and Grace, and we hear the character's thoughs as the chapters are divided between them. One chapter is from Sam's point of view, the other from Grace's. This ensures that all the feelings they both experience is well described, and the reader feels for them both.

I loved this story, and can't wait to continue with Linger. If you like great lovestories with a supernatural twist, this is the book for you.


Other reviews:
The Reading Zone
The Book Smugglers
Linus's Blanket

Website for Maggie Stiefvater
Maggie Stiefvater on Goodreads
Fanpage for the trilogy

Watch the book trailer:

Music Monday, Scandinavian Version (2)

This is a new meme I will do weekly here on the blog, where I talk about scandinavian music that I like. It may be new songs, or older ones.

Easter is over, and even though I have been working and not taken all the days off, it's going to be hard to get back to the normal routine. The weather have been so nice, I hope that will last.

Here are some Norwegian songs I like very much:

Susanne Sundfør: The Brothel



I love this beautifil song. Susanne is a Norwegian artist, and the critics love her. She have been compared to artists such as Joni Mitchell and writes beautiful music. Her debut came in 2006 with the single Walls.

Tone Damli: Stuck in my Head



Tone came second in the Norwegian Idol in 2005, and got a record deal. She have made four records, the last one Cocool came in 2010. Tone is considered one of the most beautiful women in Norway, and is an ambassador for exercise and healthy living. She is currently trying to break through internationally.

Tone Damli: Butterflies ( Another catchy tune)



Wishing you all a great week and happy reading.

Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday 22.4 - 24.4

The hop is hosted by Crazy for Books.This weeks question:

"If you find a book you love, do you hunt down other books by the same author?"

Yes I do, sometimes I buy them all. And if possible I tend to read them chronologically.

The Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee.

This week's question:

What is on your current playlist right now?

I always have a long playlist on spotify, which I play on my mobile. The most played songs at the moment are:

Lady Gaga: Judas
Natalia Kills: Mirrors & Wonderland
Nicole Scherzinger: Wet
Within Temptation: Lost
Kanye West: All of the Lights
Britney Spears: 'Till the world ends
Matt Cardle: When We Collide

Here is what I wrote on The Norwegian Book Girl this week:
Music Monday, Scandinavian Version
Waiting on Wednesday
Review: Between Shades of Gray (5 Books)

Happy Easter!

Review: Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys

Publisher: Puffin
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
Released: In the UK April 2011

















One night fifteen-year-old Lina, her mother and young brother are hauled from their home by Soviet guards, thrown into cattle cars and sent away. They are being deported to Siberia.An unimaginable and harrowing journey has begun. Lina doesn’t know if she’ll ever see her father or her friends again. But she refuses to give up hope. Lina hopes for her family.For her country.For her future. For love - first love, with the boy she barely knows but knows she does not want to lose. . ..Will hope keep Lina alive? Set in 1941, Between Shades of Gray is an extraordinary and haunting story based on first-hand family accounts and memories from survivors.

Heartwrenching and full of hope

Between Shades of Gray is a heartwrenching tale of a forgotten part of our world history.

Lina and her family leads an ordinary life in Kaunas, Lithuania. Lina's father teaches at the university, and Lina herself dreams of becoming an artist. She is talented and deeply inspired by the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch. Lina's whole world is torn apart one night in June 1941, when the NKVD ( an earlier name given to the KGB) storms their apartment and take her, her mother and her brother away. They do not know why they have been arrested, and not where the guards are taking them. Together with a lot of people, they are trown into cattle cars and taken to a labourcamp. Lina's days is soon filled with pain, longing and hard work, but admidst it all new friendsships are born and hope is always glowing.
I heard about this book during the London Book Fair, and decided to buy a copy. Once I started reading, I found it hard to put the book down.

They took me in my nightgown. Thinking back, the signs were there...
(Chapter 1, page 3)

Lina's story is so full of horrendous details, that I sometimes felt it hard to continue reading. The fact that the author based her story on eyewitness accounts, makes it even more heartwrenching. Lina is a strong character, and she never loose hope or the will to live. She struggles to keep her dignity and stay sane.

I felt as if I were riding a pendulum. Just as I would swing into the abyss of hopelessness, the pendulum would swing back with some small goodness.
Chapter 21, page 78)

Lina's mother is also a remarkable woman, a symbol of all the brave women who endured the same struggles as her during Hitler's and Stalin's reign. A lot of the things she said and did, made me cry.

I also liked Lina's brother Jonas, and the author have done a great job describing how he transforms from a young and carefree boy to a more mature boy weighed down by the things he has seen and experienced after he got hauled away from home.

Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth? That morning, my brother's was worht a pocket watch.
Chapter 7, page 27

There are many other interesting characters in this book too, Andrius being the most interesting of them all. Like Lina I was not always quite sure about what he meant and what he actually was up to. I also like the fact that the author has not portrayed the Soviets as animals. It is easy to demonize someone who does horrible things, but that is not what happens in this book. Lina do, of course, think of the Soviets as horrible people, but still we are lead to think of them as human beings.

As Lina's story progress, we get small glimpses into her past, revealling some of the things that may have lead to her family' being hauled away. Lina's memories is a stark contrast to what she experience during her hard journey away from home. And the reader is, like Lina, left in the dark about many things until the very end of the book.

We have heard countless tale about the persecution of the Jews during WWII, but I have not heard so much about the attrocities commited by the Soviets. This book opened my eyes to a somewhat forgotten chapter in the history of WWII. It was a heartbreaking read and the book will stay with me for a long time.

The title of this book is very well chosen, and the same is the cover. It describes Lina and her feelings in a very touching way.

Do not read this book on the bus or the subway, because you will cry.

Other reviews:
Wondrous Reads
Bibliophile Brouhaha
The Overflowing Library
Forever Young Adult

Official website for the book

Waiting on Wednesday: Eve

his is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine, where we talk about the books we are eagerly waiting for to be released.

My pick this week: Eve by Anna Carey



The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

I love dystopian novels, and I am looking forward to reading this one. The author has previosly written the Sloane Sisters series.

Music Monday (Scandinavian Version) (1)

This is a new meme I will do weekly here on the blog, where I talk about scandinavian music that I like. It may be new songs, or older ones.

Music is very important to me. The only time I am not listening to music, is when I read or sometimes when I work. My taste is pretty eclectic: I love metal, pop, dance, classical etc. It all depends on my mood and what I am doing at the moment. When I am working out, I love RnB and rock. When I am working, I like to listen to movie soundtracks. I listen to pop or dance music when I am cooking, and on it goes.

Here is some of the songs I listen to at the moment:

Anine Stang: Dominoes




Anine is recording music with Universal Music. This is a new single from her and it is really catchy, and the video is cool too. The hot guy in the video is a famous Norwegian handballplayer called Kristian Kjelling, voted Norway's most sexiest.

Here is Anine's first Norwegian single, Trying you on:




Mo: Dance like a Freak



This talented guy was the favorite througout most of the Norwegian X -Factor 2010, but sadly he had to leave just before the finale. The exit was top news in many newspapers, and the viewers were outraged. Now he has signed with Sony Music Norway, and this is his debut single. I like it, and it gives me happy wibes. Mo is considered a strong performer, that always gives 110 % whilst on stage.

Here from some of the X-factor shows:
Beautiful by Christina Aguilera:


Faith by George Michael: (starts at 0.37)




Bad Romance by Lady Gaga (The performance starts 1.07)




Amaranthe: Amaranthine



I love this song from Swedish metal band Amaranthe. It brings back all the good wibes from the powermetal songs I used to listen to in the late 80's. This song is from their debutalbum, that was just released.

Which of the songs do you like?

Have a great week, everyone!

In my mailbox (12, 13, 14, 15)

This is a weekly meme hosted by the Story Siren,where we talk about the books we got the last week. I have not an IMM post for some weeks, so these are books I got over a few weeks:

First; I had a wonderful surprise waiting for me when I came home from London yesterday. It was a package containing Haven by debutauthor Kristi Cook. The book was sent to me from Pamela, who runs the great blog At Home Between the Pages, through the Random Acts of Kindness. Thank you so much Pamela, I can't wait to read the book. Pamela's review of the book is here.

For review, presented to you by my miniature schnauzer Bogart: Don Calame: Swim the fly ( Got at the London Book Fair, LBF)
Heather Gudenkauf: These things hidden (Got at the LBF)
R.J. Andersson: Ultraviolet (Got at the LBF)
Andy Briggs: Tarzan, The Greystoke Legacy (Got at the LBG)
Diane Chamberlain: The Midwife's Confession (Got at the LBF)
fransesca Simon: The Sleeping Army (Got at the LBF)
Gill Lewis: Sky Hawk (Got at the LBF)
Colin Mulhern: Clash (Got at the LBF)
Margaret Leroy: The Collaborator (Got at the LBF)
Meg Rosoff: There is no dog (Got at the LBF)
Heather Davis: Wherever You Go (Via Netgalley)

Bought:

Gabriella Poole: Darke Academy 1 ( Have heard great things about this from a Norwegian blogger, so that's why I got it)
Frances Hodgson Burnett: The Secret Garden
Christopher Ransom: The Haunting of James Hastings
Andrew Pyper: The Guardians
Jana Oliver: The Demon Trappers: Forsaken
Lisa T. Bergren: Waterfall (Forgot I presented this in my last IMM as well)
Marie Treanor: Blood Sin (Awakened by Blood 2)
M.J. Putney: Dark Mirror
Janice Hardy: Blue Fire ( Loved the first one in this series.)
Melissa de la Cruz: Blue Bloods

And for my kindle I bought:
Lindsey Barraclough: Long Lankin
Clay & Susan Griffith: Greyfriar

And I also bought a trip to New York, and registered for the Book Blogger Con 2011 and for BEA. I have wanted to go there for so long, but I was not sure if I wanted to go all by myself. New York is a big town, so the thought of travelling there all by myself was a bit scary. I have not been to the USA ever before. But then I found out that a friend of mine is going to be in town at the same dates, so that was the trigger. I will still be travelling and attending BEA all alone, but at least there is someone I know in town at the same time. That is a reasurrance to me.

Have a great sunday everyone :)