book discussion

Fallen Book Discussion Schedule

Monday, April 02, 2012


Ready to get this party started?  The Bucket List is having its annual book discussion soon and you are all invited.  I am celebrating the release of Rapture which is coming out in June.  So set your calendars and make sure to join me on April 3.

For the whole month of April, we will be kicking off this party right with Fallen Book Discussion all the time.  Regular scheduling will start back up in May.   

If you have missed any discussion post, then you have come to the right place.  Below are the dates and post links of all the things of the discussion.  Thanks for joining me for this great party!

Enter for a chance to win a copy of one of the books in the Fallen series and some other goodies HERE.  Then participate in the discussion posts for extra entries.

4/1/12
Fallen Book Discussion Contest
4/2/12
Fallen Book Discussion Schedule
4/3/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Week 1)
In the Beginning
One: Perfect Strangers
4/7/12
Guest Post: Casey Dean (http://www.caseyscrew.blogspot.com/)
4/9/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Luce)
4/10/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Week 2)
Two: Fit to be Tied
Three: Drawing Dark
4/14/12
Guest Post:
4/16/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Daniel)
4/17/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Week 3)
Four: Graveyard Shift
Five: The Inner Circle
4/21/12
Guest Post: Kendra (http://inmybooknook.blogspot.com/)
4/23/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Cam)
4/24/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Week 4)
Six: No Salvation
Seven: Shedding Light
4/28/12
Guest Post: Margie (http://bumblesandfairytales.blogspot.com/)
4/30/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Arriane)
5/1/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Week 5)
Eight: A Dive too Deep
Nine: State of Innocence
5/5/12
Guest Post: Brooke (http://brooke-reports.blogspot.com)
5/7/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Roland)
5/8/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Week 6)
Ten: Where’s there’s Smoke
Eleven: Rude Awakening
5/12/12
Guest Post: Erin (http://talesoftheinnerbookfanatic.blogspot.com/)
5/14/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Penn)
5/15/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Week 7)
Twelve: Into Dust
Thirteen: Touched at the Roots
5/19/12
Guest Post:
5/21/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Gabbe)
5/22/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Week 8)
Fourteen: Idle Hands
Fifteen: The Lions’ Den
5/26/12
Guest Post: Erika (http://www.moonlightbookreviews.com) 
5/28/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Ms. Sophia)
5/29/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Week 9)
Sixteen: Hanging in the Balance
Seventeen: An Open Book
6/2/12
Guest Post:
6/4/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Randy, Molly, Mr. Cole)
6/5/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Week 10)
Eighteen: The Buried War
Nineteen: Out of Sight
6/12/12
Fallen Book Discussion (Week 11)
Twenty: Daybreak
Epilogue: Two Great Lights

Other Important Dates:
Week of 6/3/12
BEA conference
6/10/12
IMM (BEA edition)
6/13/12
Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate
Contest ends
6/14/12
Review: Torment by Lauren Kate
6/15/12
Review: Passion by Lauren Kate

book discussion

5 Essentials to Participate in a Book Discussion (+ An Announcement)

Thursday, January 25, 2018

The Bucket List Hosts Its 4th Annual Book Discussion

I am so excited for this announcement. It's been approximately 4 years since The Bucket List has hosted a site-wide book discussion. And I'm finally ready to bring it back! 

I know you're probably jumping up and down with tons of questions. Let me answer them for you:

How does The Bucket List conduct a book discussion?

I'm so glad you asked! Just like previous years, I had you choose which book you wanted to discuss. Then when the book is announced (stay tuned!), a schedule of the discussion is posted soon after. In book discussions, we read two to three chapters a week. Each week, there will be a small recap of the chapters (with some hilarious commentary) and a few questions to get a comment party started. In addition to that, The Bucket List also hosts an amazing giveaway of the book in question and other goodies! Plus, sometimes, the author of the book even gets involved!  This year, I hope to add some things to the discussion so people on Twitter and Instagram can get involved too. It's going to be one big party and you're invited!

If you want to know more, check out the previous book discussions:






What book will you be discussing this year?

This is the fun part, the announcement. In the past week, on Twitter, you've all had the chance to weigh in to what book you want to read for this year's book discussion. The choices were The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab, and The Diviners by Libba Bray.


And the results are in! I am so happy to announce that for this year's book discussion, our book will be:

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date: 2/24/15
Pages: 400

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. 

Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

How can I get involved?

The book discussion will begin in March or April. During that time, read along with us and discuss the book in the comments section each week. If you absolutely adore the book and can't fit everything you want to say in the comments, there are several opportunities to write a guest post about your thoughts on the book. If you're interested in guest posting, contact me at bucketlist.gina(at)yahoo(dot)com

5 Essentials to Participate in a Book Discussion

Who's excited for the 2018 Book Discussion? It's definitely going to be lots of fun! To get ready for the discussion, there's just a few things you may need.

Book

What's a book discussion without the book you'll be discussing? Make sure to grab a copy and start reading to join in on each week's discussion.

baby book story reading GIF

Mobile Device

Look at you, you already have this one! If you're reading this right now, I would say you definitely have a mobile device to keep up on each week's book discussion post.

Pen and Paper

Don't you hate it when you have a thought about what you're reading and you can't find your pen anywhere? Keep those things at the ready. With a book discussion, you never know when a new thought about the book may come to you.

Tissues (Just in Case)

Some books just give you way too many feels.

feelings crying so much now GIF

Do Not Disturb Sign

Frankly, these signs rarely work. Most people will just bypass the sign and come right in without permission. But, really, no one should dare interrupting you when you're reading your book. Make sure to give everyone the heads up you're participating in a book discussion so you can have some time to read the book in peace. 

read suicide squad GIF

Are you excited for the book discussion? Have you read A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab?

book discussion

Fallen Book Discussion Giveaway

Sunday, April 01, 2012

Are you ready for this?  Tuesday is a big day!  That's the day, I will be hosting the first Fallen book discussion.

To kick it off, today I am giving away some special stuff.  Lauren Kate has offered to give some signed copies of her books, so that is exciting. Thank you so much, Lauren Kate for some awesome signed books!   I will be giving away a copy of one of the Fallen books to two lucky winners.  That's right!  Two winners.

All you have to do is fill in the form below.  But first let me tell you about what you might be winning.  I had a lot of fun trying to pick out what best fit each guy, according to certain scenes in Fallen.  Check it out:

Daniel's Pack:

Signed copy of Fallen by Lauren Kate
Nice, warm red scarf
Some awesome feather earrings

Cam's Pack:

Signed copy of Torment by Lauren Kate
Snake necklace
Pretty picnic earrings

Those things sound awesome, right?  I am sort of jealous of the winners, actually because everything is gorgeous!  That’s right, each winner will either win Daniel or Cam's pack. Here’s what you have to do:
  • Comment! That’s basically all the work you have to put into this. Every comment you post on our discussion posts (and no, it can’t be a comment about something off topic- you must stay with the discussion) will add you an extra entry in the giveaway.  For each comment, you receive +1 as an extra entry.
  • You don't have to be a follower, but how else will you keep up with this awesome discussion? 
  • Due to money issues, I cannot make this contest international. However, if you, international folks, have USA friends, we could always send the gift to them who then could pass it on to you or if you are willing to pay for shipping and handling, we would gladly send the gift to you.
Those who are up for this contest—the deadline is 6/13/12.  On 6/15/11 we will post the winner of the book. (You will have 48 hours to claim your prize from that date.) Just fill in the form below, if you qualify, and don’t forget to comment.


Other things to remember: This is how the book discussion will run: Each week we will go over the plot of that week's two chapters.  Tomorrow, I will be posting the schedule to the discussion, so you will never miss a post.  We will reflect and discuss favorite scenes, random thoughts, and other awesome stuff. At the end of each post, there will be discussion questions for anyone who would like to join in on the fun. What are we asking you to do? Read along with us and comment every week! This book discussion is going to be so much fun and it would be even more so if you'd join us!


So stay tuned! (Every discussion post will take place on Tuesday.) Since every Monday is Movie Monday and this book, Fallen by Lauren Kate, has already been optioned for film: we will be giving you our dream cast every Monday with a new character for even more awesome discussion!  So bring on the comment love and don't forget your copy of Fallen.

City of Bones Book Discussion

Results are in!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Over the past three weeks, we've given you the chance to determine which book we should focus on in our big book discussion.  Nora and I have been planning a book discussion for a while and we wanted to know what book you would be willing to read with us.  And the results are in! 

It was a close call between Nightshade and City of Bones.  Drumroll, please... City of Bones won your approval.

Do you know what that means?  Great things are in store for The Bucket List!  In celebration of the City of Fallen Angels release, we will begin this great book discussion next week.  That means this week, we'll have a whole lot to plan. 

This is how our book discussion will run (Hopefully... *cross your fingers* we've never done anything like this before.)  Each week we will go over the plot of that week's two chapters.  We will reflect and discuss favorite scenes, random thoughts, and other awesome stuff.  At the end of each post, there will be discussion questions for anyone who would like to join in on the fun.  What are we asking you to do?  Read along with us and comment every week!  This book discussion is going to be so much fun and it would be even more so if you'd join us!

So stay tuned for our official book discussion (where we will begin discussing Chapter 1 and 2 of City of Bones by Cassandra Clare) post on April 4.  (Every discussion post will take place on Monday.)  We will post, every Sunday, a recap of that week's comments to showcase the awesome readers and keep the discussion moving.  So bring on the comment love and don't forget your copy of City of Bones.

All you have to do to get ready for this HUGE event is read the first two chapters of City of Bones and be ready to spill your thoughts on April 4.

Calling all mundanes: book bloggers, authors, and readers of The Mortal Instruments!  Throughout our book discussion we would love to have a weekly guest posts to encourage even a bigger discussion.  If you are interested in writing a guest post about your thoughts on The Mortal Instruments series (plot, characters, writing style, anything), then please fill out the form below.  Thank you for your support!  See you on April 4!


book discussion

Fallen Book Discussion (Week 11)

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Hey, people from Earth and other people who are not from here, we will be giving you the awesomeness that is Fallen by Lauren Kate.  This is our last post for the Fallen Book Discussion.  Do you have a great book in mind for next year's discussion?  Make sure to email me any suggestions.  Stay tuned for this week's reviews, where I will be reviewing all the Fallen books up to the release of Rapture, which I will be reviewing shortly.  Hope you all enjoyed the discussion!  Be sure to show up, because we are giving away some great stuff, check it out HERE.  If you missed a post and want to check out the schedule, go HERE.  Come and join us in our quest of discussing FALLEN.


Chapter 20: Daybreak

We are closing to the end and Luce must say goodbye to everyone she holds dear to journey to “the unknown” with (of all people) Mr. Cole.  Luce won’t be around for the burial of Penn so she mutters her goodbyes on the alter of the church.  Daniel promises to bury her as soon as possible.  Luce wants to make sure he knows where to bury her so they sneak into the cemetary, which is crawling with policeman trying to figure out what actually went down in the battle the night before.  All that remains as evidence is a thick layer of dust.  Luce shows Daniel the stone where Penn’s father is buried and tells him to bury her there.  She is upset about the tragic turn of events.  Daniel does’t want to upset her further, but it is time to set off to another beginning.  He flies her to the lake (yes, angels have wings), where they kiss and sadly, say their goodbyes (and until next times).  They eventually make their way over to a small plane where Mr. Cole will be taking her to an island to keep her safe.


Think about it:
What is Cam’s certain type of warfare that leaves such a thick cloud of dust everywhere?
Mr. Cole surprises us by being the one to take Luce away; how much does he know (has he been on it from the beginning or someone who just figured it all out)?

Epilogue: Two Great Lights

The epilogue is almost as short as the prologue, starting off with just shapes and descriptions before we can’t put names to the characters.  Daniel sits on the rafters of a cabin, watching Luce sleep below.  He invites Cam in for a chat and the two strike up a truce.  They shake hands, while Luce slumbers.

Think about it:
Why does Cam want Luce?

As a whole, how did you like Fallen?

book discussion

Guest Post by Casey

Saturday, April 07, 2012


There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

What if the person you were meant to be with could never be yours?  That question is one of many I encountered while reading Fallen by Lauren Kate.  After reading Fallen numerous times, I have come to the conclusion that this problem is presented quite often in young-adult literature, especially in the paranormal romance sub-genre.  However, never in my literary journey have I ever experienced a love story quite like the one crafted by Lauren Kate.

Fallen tells the story of seventeen-year-old Luce Price, an average teenage girl shipped off to a reform school in Savannah, Georgia after the questionable death of her late ex-boyfriend, Trevor.  I found the mystery behind Trevor’s mysterious untimely demise to be one of the threads that make up the story, and the question “What really happened to Trevor?” made me want to read faster and faster, to finally reach a conclusion.

Fallen is a titanic love story at the core, and the romance between Luce and Daniel, which spans across so many centuries, is one of the most honest and authentic fictional love stories that I have ever encountered.

Fallen starts off with a prologue, a scene between Luce and Daniel in Helston, England.  Seems normal enough, right?  Well, did I mention that the prologue takes place in the year 1854?  Yeah, not so seemingly normal after all, is it?  As much as I enjoyed the romantic aspect of Fallen¸ the mythology incorporated piqued my interest.  As I was reading Fallen, the ideas of reincarnation, soul mates, and fallen angels were encountered, and it all weaved together to create a haunting love story.

I loved the dark, Gothic setting of Fallen: Savannah, Georgia.  I felt as if the deep South with its murky swamps; old, crumbling graveyards filled with the corpses of deceased historical figures; and haunted history made for the perfect fear factor.

The characters of Fallen were one of my favorite parts of the book.  I felt as if each character had his/her own distinct personality and characteristics, and they could all stand firmly on their own as characters.  I loved Luce, Daniel, Arriane, Penny, and Roland the most and felt myself growing closer with them as the story progressed.  I enjoyed the third person perspective of the novel because it allowed the thorough reflection of main characters Daniel and Luce, as well as the supporting characters.

One of my favorite scenes in Fallen is chapter eleven, pages 219-221.  In this particular scene, Daniel rescues Luce from mortal danger and imminent death by whisking her away from a threatening, monstrous fire and soars a thousand feet into the sky with her in his protective, guarded arms.

The last topic I want to talk about is the climatic fight scene towards the end of the book where the fallen angels have a final showdown-type of battle and all hell breaks loose…literally.  I loved how Lauren Kate ended the first book of the four-book series with an exciting, fast-paced cliffhanger.

Lauren Kate writes with such a rich, driven passion that it’s difficult not to succumb to the spell that is Fallen, which is why it is branded one of my favorite books and such an inspiration in my own writing.
You have just had the lovely time reading Casey's guest post for my Fallen Book Discussion.  Loved her insight and awesome-ness, well you can check her out HERE.  Have you written something about Fallen by Lauren Kate?  I would love to see it mentioned in the comments!  Thank you, Casey, for joining us today!  If anyone else is interested in guest posting something about the Fallen series, please fill out this form HERE.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  On Monday, I will bringing you my dream cast for the Fallen movie.  Grab a copy of Fallen, some snacks, and stay tuned!

A Darker Shade of Magic book discussion

Book Discussion: A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab (Schedule + Giveaway)

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Starting in just one week, we will be discussing A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. The Bucket List has done a few discussions through the years (Fallen by Lauren Kate, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, and Divergent by Veronica Roth). This will be the first discussed where both, my friend (Jackie) and I have not yet read the book before the discussion. Thus, it will be a blast reading/discussing our first impressions with all of you.


Come join us in all the fun! After each post, there will be a few questions to get the conversation started in the comments. I can’t wait to hear all of your thoughts on the book.


Further Reading: 5 Essentials to Participate in a Book Discussion

The discussion will last a total of 13 weeks from March 1st to May 24th, reading about 30 pages per week. Each week's post will go live on Thursday. So go grab a copy of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab and read along with us! Let's talk about the book together; the schedule is below:


I do know the schedule looks a bit overwhelming. However, since page numbers sometimes differ between editions, I thought it best to give you chapters instead. If you have questions about the schedule or anything book discussion-related, feel free to message me on Twitter, Instagram or right here.

If you miss a post, this schedule post will be updated each week to have the most current link of each discussion post:

 Week 1: Part 1, Chapter 1 - 3

Giveaway!

And it wouldn’t be an official The Bucket List book discussion without a giveaway. I will be giving away a copy of the paperback edition of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. US mailing addresses only. The deadline to enter the contest is May 25, 2018.  On May 25th, I will email the winner of the book. (The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize from that date.)

Please see the giveaway policy for more details. To enter to win, fill out the Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

book discussion

Guest Post by Kendra

Saturday, April 21, 2012


Hey, book blogging world! My name is Kendra, and I'm the friendly blogger over at In My Book Nook. I'm so honored to be a part of this event, and so excited to share my opinion on Fallen. For my guest post, I'm going to be focusing on some of the relationships within the story; particularly, the way that Lauren Kate weaved the different characters and emotions together so well. 

Let's start with the most important, and most controversial relationship: That between Luce, the main female, and her "soul mate", Daniel. We are introduced to Daniel at the beginning of the book, however his connection to Luce is not clear until the end of Fallen. Daniel was mysterious, with an intimidating outer shell for most of the book. I often questioned Luce's attraction to him, while understanding that there was a greater force at play here. I didn't guess the whole story behind their connection, either; which I truly enjoyed. The dark, mysterious, unexplainable connection between Daniel and Luce made their back-story much more convincing, which was impressive. 

Next up is the relationship between Luce and Cam, who turns out to be the very opposite of Daniel. At first, I fell in love with Cam; he was confident, sweet and appeared to be genuinely interested in Luce with no strings attached. I found myself rooting for him throughout the book. Convincing the reader that Luce was better off with Cam, that Daniel was in fact evil, was a very effective tactic used by Lauren Kate. Because of this, the ending was even more gripping and surprising. In fact, the relationship between Daniel and Cam, which is explained more in Torment, is very perplexing and allows the reader to use their imagination to understand particular parts of the book by asking their own questions.

I also loved the relationships between Luce and her friends at Sword and Cross, Arriane and Penn. Each of the two girls had a very distinct character and it was always easy to distinguish between the two. Also, the relationship between Luce and her friends was scarcely over-shadowed by her interest in Daniel or Cam, so I was able to feel Luce's pain when Penn was hurt. 

However, not all of the relationships within Fallen were positive, as in every book. Lauren Kate did a phenomenal job of keeping me guessing who was good or bad. While I won't give away any more spoilers, I was completely shocked when some of my characters turned out to be horrible and villainous. 

Overall, Lauren Kate does an incredible job of developing character relationships. The constant conflict and confusion between them was handled skillfully and did not cause me to feel lost of confused within the plot. The writing is also driven and to-the-point, something that is not always found in Young Adult romance.

You have just had the lovely time reading Kendra's guest post for my Fallen Book Discussion.  Loved her critique on Fallen and some of the characters.  You can check her out HERE.  Have you written something about Fallen by Lauren Kate?  I would love to see it mentioned in the comments!  Thank you, Kendra, for joining us today!  If anyone else is interested in guest posting something about the Fallen series, please fill out this form HERE.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  On Monday, I will bringing you my dream cast for the Fallen movie.  Grab a copy of Fallen, some snacks, and stay tuned!

book discussion

2012 Book Discussion

Thursday, March 22, 2012


Starting in April of 2012, I would like have another book discussion.  This time on the book, Fallen by Lauren Kate.  The Cityof Bones book discussion went really well last spring and this time around it will be even better. 

I will be reading the novel with two of my best friends, Jackie and Emma, and each week we will be discussing a chapter.  We will chat about things that freaked us out, bothered us, and even awed us.  And at the end of each post, there will be a question that you guys could answer if you are following along with us.  Not only are we discussing the books, but I will be giving away a few signed copies of the books as well: thank you, Lauren Kate.  It will be loads of fun and I hope you all join us.
There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori. 
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move. 
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her. --Goodreads

To get you all in the mood, over on the left sidebar is a poll that you guys can participate in.  This is sure to come up in the discussion, so this is definitely time to start thinking about what team you are going to be on. 

Also, if you are a lover or hater of Fallen and would love to participate by writing a guest post for the discussion, please fill out the form below.  We need all the help we can get.  And if you do not have the time to do a guest post, but still want to participate, be sure to grab of copy of Fallen and don’t forget to grab one of those discussion pictures on this post to share with your audience and be ready to jump into it on April 3.



book discussion

Hurricane Sandy and Book Discussions

Wednesday, November 07, 2012

I am fully aware that a lot of you cannot even read this post right now due to the hurricane that passed through here earlier last week.  I wouldn't have been able to write this if I wasn't at a college campus that must have a force field around campus so it will never cancel classes, not even for the pending hurricane coming our way.  As much as I wanted them to cancel classes, our area was very lucky with this storm.  We had a few trees down but nothing too serious.  I know some of you are less lucky.  I wish you well on getting back to normal.  Hurricane Sandy wrecked a lot of lives and burned a lot of homes.  My house is still out of power and who knows when everything will go back to normal.

I just wanted to wish all of you well.  Be safe in all your travels.

But, on the bright side, with all this rainy weather, I am sure a lot of you got to read lots of books.  Me, since I still had class, I wasn't reading anything except homework.

I did get to thinking about next year because it finally hit me that we are now in November.  That's right, almost the end of the year.  So I am trying to plan how much reading I will get done over break and what I want to plan for next year.  On top of talking about the hurricane, I wanted to touch upon The Bucket List's annual book discussion.

I got it down to two books that I would really love to discuss with you.  In one corner, we have THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin and DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth.  Both of those are fantastic books and both have sequels releasing sometime in 2013.  There is a poll in the sidebar for you to vote on your favorite.

My goal is to have the annual book discussion get better with age.  I plan on getting even more book bloggers involved this year (and if you are interested in doing something for the discussion, you can contact me HERE.)  It is an automatic given that I have the book up as a giveaway during this but maybe I will make the contest even more bigger.  Every year the book discussion is going to be bigger than the last and hopefully, this year it will be even better.  If you want to check the previous year's book discussions, in 2012, The Bucket List discussed Fallen by Lauren Kate and in 2011, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare took over.

I have awesome things planned for the next few weeks and hope you stay tuned to see them all.  I apologize for the lack of posts.  A college kid does have priorities and homework always comes first.  Since the next few weeks are Thanksgiving break and Winter break, we will definitely be getting back to normal speed with posting.  I have some awesome giveaways lined up for you.

Happy reading, everyone!  And hope life gets back to normal, for those affected by the hurricane, soon!

Which book discussion would you want The Bucket List to do?

book discussion

Guest Post by Margie C

Sunday, April 29, 2012


Hi there! My name is Margie, from Bumbles and Fairy-Tales. I'm so happy and honored to be a guest at the Bucket List today for their Fallen Discussion event - thank you, Gina! I am a huge fan and follower of the Fallen series by Lauren Kate. Here is my review to Fallen, the first book to the series.

At the very start of the story we get a peek of a couple, where one is trying to stay away from the other and the other is trying just as hard to be with that one... but I'll come back to the first chapter in a bit. 

Luce Price has arrives at Sword & Cross, a reform school for troublesome teens, and instantly knows that this school isn't like any other school, reform or not, this is a school that she could never have imagined existing. Such a dark, unwelcoming and prison-like place, where contact with the outside world is only allowed in 5 minute weekly phone calls, their uniform is to wear all black and there are security cameras everywhere to monitor your every move. Everything seems hopeless and depressing to Luce until she sees Daniel. The moment her eyes land on Daniel, she is instantly drawn to him and wants to run to him, but why the instant connection? Why does Daniel seem so familiar and comforting to her... and when Daniel wants nothing to do with her and goes out of his way to make sure that she knows he has no interest it only increases Luce's curiosity to find out why he pushes her away and what secrets Daniel may be hiding. 

The mystery surrounding Luce and Daniel's pasts is consuming. A page-turner right from the start. We meet other students, Luce's new friends, Daniel's old friends, and at first I just wanted to dismiss them and wished that the story would just concentrate on their relationship. But as time goes on, these other characters play major roles in both of their lives. Not one person can be dismissed nor forgotten. Little by little, we find out why Luce was sent to Sword & Cross, what she can see, what her story is. We also find out why Daniel is so desperate to stay away from Luce. Daniel's story is heart breaking and you cannot help fall for for Daniel and want to hug him too. In the end, we finally hear the whole story that connects Daniel and Luce together... forever! because true love cannot be denied!

I did find that the book was a bit choppy at times because it doesn't go into great details that I would have liked to have seen. But it doesn't keep the story from flowing. We are learning and experiencing everything as Luce is and I really liked that the author followed through with that.

Now, let's get back to that first chapter! It's titled, In The Beginning and takes place in England, 1854. There are no names, the characters are referred to as "He" and "She".

She is drawn to him everyday. He tries to stay away, but has a hard time doing so. He comforts himself by drawing pictures of her, it's obvious that he cares for her deeply. She doesn't know how or why, but she knows that she loves him and wants to be with him and makes it impossible for him to not cave in to her. And then he doesn't... They have their moment and we are left with a huge, oh my god! What just happened?! and of course, you need to know why. I really loved how the first chapter just draws you in by giving us a sort of tease... I have a huge soft spot for forbidden love.
You have just had the lovely time reading Margie's guest post for my Fallen Book Discussion.  Loved her critique on Fallen and some of the characters.  You can check her out HERE.  Have you written something about Fallen by Lauren Kate?  I would love to see it mentioned in the comments!  Thank you, Margie, for joining us today!  If anyone else is interested in guest posting something about the Fallen series, please fill out this form HERE.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  On Monday, I will bringing you my dream cast for the Fallen movie.  Grab a copy of Fallen, some snacks, and stay tuned!

book discussion

Fallen Book Discussion (Week 9)

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Hey, people from Earth and other people who are not from here, for the next 2 weeks we will be giving you the awesomeness that is Fallen by Lauren Kate.  Be sure to show up, because we are giving away some great stuff, check it out HERE.  Just a BIG side note, I am changing the structure of these posts from here on out.  Due to life happening: finals week is next week and everyone is going to be going back to their own houses, therefore I am switching up things a bit.  I hope you don't mind.  I will still be asking two questions, but for each chapter now.  Be sure to follow the discussion and don’t be scared to join in on our discussion/ questions.  Those who entered the contest will receive extra entries for answering a question.  Every week on Tuesday, we will discuss two chapters of the book, and ask you two questions for each chapter about what we have all read.  Look for our answers in the comments as well.  If you missed a post and want to check out the schedule, go HERE.  Come and join us in our quest of discussing FALLEN.

Chapter 16: Hanging in the Balance

Luce has some choices to make.  Cam sent her an apology, telling her to meet up with him once more to make it up.  Daniel just sent a command, telling her to meet him by their place.  Which one will she choose?  She reminisces about last night’s hot kisses with Daniel.  However, when he drops her off at her room and tucks her in bed, open-eyes kissing ensues, which usually is a red flag but ended up making Luce feel all sweet inside.  In the end, she chose to meet with Cam to let him down easy. Cam doesn’t want to give up and really doesn’t want to take no for an answer.  (No wonder, he is called Chester the Molester.)  He steals a kiss in the deal and, Gabbe and Daniel save the day.  Gabbe goes to beat up Cam, while Daniel spills some of his guts to Luce.  Luce is confused about most of it but it does answer some questions for the readers.

Think about it:
Which letter would you follow: Cam’s apology or Daniel’s one-liner?

Is Daniel making all this up just to “let her down easy?”

Chapter 17: An Open Book

Luce’s in her room, trying to process all Daniel just told her.  She finds his book, lying on the floor and flips it open.  On the page is a picture of a man who looks surprisingly like Daniel and a woman who looks exactly like her.  Weird.  Luce has to find Penn, to see what she thinks of this.  In her search, she found Arriane and Roland playing chess.  They both wanted an update on Luce’s love life.  However, Luce was on a mission and couldn’t stay long.  She ran into Ms. Sophia, who also felt the need to know about Daniel and Luce.  The noisy woman seemed to know more than Luce did and that made Luce want to find Daniel right away.  Ms. Sophia insisted on helping to find him. On their search for Daniel, they found Penn by the cemetery.  Something was going down in the cemetery, the only question was what?

Think about it:
Is the picture of Luce and Daniel proof enough for the reader that Daniel was telling the truth?
Why is Ms. Sophia so interested in Luce and Daniel?

book discussion

Fallen Dream Cast (Luce)

Monday, April 09, 2012

Since the Fallen Book Discussion has taken over The Bucket List until I survive finals in May, every Monday (instead of the normal: Movie Monday), I will be giving you a taste of what our (Jackie, Emma, and I) dream cast would look like if they were to make a movie.  For those of you who may not know, Fallen by Lauren Kate has actually been optioned for film.  You can check out more about that HERE.  If there are any updates from now and until the discussion ends (or even after that) I will definitely let you know about any awesome news about the movie.


Each Monday, will be a new character that we will be casting.  To start off, today we are casting our own Luce.  I would love to hear who you would like to play the role.  To see who we are casting next week, check out the schedule HERE.  Also I am giving away some awesome signed Fallen books and other goodies HERE.  Casting Luce:

Gina's Pick: Lily Collins
If Fallen was the most perfect book-to-film adaptation ever, I would want Lily Collins as my Luce.  I know she is going to be playing Clary in the upcoming film for City of Bones by Cassandra Clare and I can't wait for that but I have seen Collins in so many things that the character Luce would be a stand-out role for her if she played her.  Recently, she has been in the new film, Mirror Mirror, which I have not seen but also has been in Abduction and The Priest (both films, she shined and can be seen as the girly damsel-in-distress, which I've often seen Luce being in some scenes of the Fallen series.  
Emma's Pick: Chloe Moretz
For Luce’s actress I chose Chloe Moretz.  I believe that she would portray Luce’s character well, a quiet intelligent girl with a big heart.  Chloe is the best physical form for Luce that I could find in an actress that is a teenager in 2012.  Gina told me I could not take people out of time to put them in “my” movie. . . I wanted to choose Wionna Rider from Edward Scissorhands.


Jackie's Pick: Lucy Hale

Lucy Hale would be a good candidate for playing Luce in the Fallen movie series.  This is because in Pretty Little Liars, where Lucy plays Aria Montgomery, she does a good job of keeping herself mysterious because of all her secrets that build up throughout her search for finding out who murdered her former friend, Allison.  Lucy also pretty much fits the physical features I imagine Luce having, with the exception of darker hair, but that could easily be changed.  My vote goes to Lucy Hale!
Jackie's Honorable Mention: Meg from Hercules 


Who would you pick as Luce for your Fallen movie?