Tuesday, December 22, 2015

To All the Boys I've Loved Before | Review


Series: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Published: April 15th, 2014 by Simon & Schuster

Pages: 368

Date Finished: December 22nd, 2015

Rating: 5/5 stars

Age Recommendation: 12+

This book was so adorable... It follows sixteen year old, sweet and immensely innocent Lara-Jean Song who has loved a total of five boys in her life. Every time a love comes to an end, she writes a farewell letter to the boy as a way of letting go and then she stows it away in the teal hatbox her mother gave her as a gift, never to be seen by anyone but her again. But one day something goes terribly wrong. Lara-Jean's hatbox goes missing along with all her love letters which the boys all secretly receive.

I loved this whole book, which was a surprise to me since I had seen a lot of negativity surrounding it. The characters were so likeable. Lara-Jean was such a sweetheart; I found Kitty to be mature beyond her years and although I didn't connect with Margot all that much, I still liked reading about her. Dr. Covey seemed like such a laidback character and I was rooting for both Josh and Peter to be with Lara-Jean. Josh was very protective of Lara-Jean and I found that to be really heartwarming. I just wanted to cuddle him and whenever him and Laura-Jean had a semi-romantic scene, you'd better believe I was squealing. Especially when the jealous kiss happened. Eep! In the beginning, I didn't like how cocky Peter was but as the book went on, his "tough guy" wall came crashing down and by the end, my heart was mush for him.

This book is just so cute! I can't wait to read the next one. :)

Monday, December 14, 2015

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Revised Edition) | Review


Series: -

Published: April 21st, 2015 by Amulet Books

Pages: 295

Date Finished: December 13th, 2015

Rating: 3/5 stars

Age Recommendation: 13+

I was really hoping to love this book. It has been compared to The <b><i>Fault in Our Stars</i></b> which made me really excited seeing as that book was one of my favourites of 2014 but honestly, <b><i>Me and Earl and the Dying Girl</i></b> was <i>nothing</i> like that book! The only similarity between them was that there was a character with cancer. And to be completely truthful, I don't know if it's just me, but Rachel felt like a side character with not much importance.

The book <i>mainly</i> focuses on Greg and how he refuses to make anything resembling a friend and Greg and Earl making crappy homemade movies. And again... Earl also seems of little importance to the story. Maybe it's just the way Jesse Andrews writes but I felt so disconnected from the story.

The book was also supposedly funny but I didn't laugh once... To me the story was quite bland and although there were very few redeeming qualities and characters that brought this book up to three stars for me (Mr. Mcarthy being one of them...) I wouldn't recommend this book. 

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging | Review


Series: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson

Published: April 11th, 2006 by HarperTeen

Pages: 231

Date Finished: December 12th, 2015

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Age Recommendation: 12+


I remember reading some of the books in this series in late elementary school and the early years of high school and absolutely busting a gut laughing and as I re-read this first installment recently, I was surprised that I almost didn't find it funny at all... There were rare moments when I giggled or cracked a smile but for the most part, I found this story just light and fluffy and even bland at times.

I never realized in the past how much dark humor is used in these books with references to killing, suicide, cutting, incest and perverted guys. All of which I probably had a reason to find funny years ago (being immature and all) but I just didn't anymore. More often than not I actually found myself cringing or rolling my eyes and while it can be entertaining at times --probably enough that I'll continue the series-- a lot of the time it was just really underdeveloped.

Not much more can be said...

Friday, December 11, 2015

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children | Review


Series: Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children

Published: June 7th, 2011 by Quirk

Pages: 352

Date Finished: December 11th, 2015

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Age Recommendation: 12+


What would you do if you realized everything you'd ever known didn't hold the slightest bit of truth no matter how much you wanted to believe otherwise?

Jacob Portman is an awkward and lonesome teenager who believes his life is never going to amount to anything. He grew up breathless at his grandfather's countless tales that seemed to be woven from the most clever of imaginations. But one day, he decides he's too wise for his grandfather's laughable stories and seems to wish they never existed... That is until a tragic family trauma makes Jacob question everything he ever thought possible --the far fetched fables that his grandfather spun as well as his grandfather's marred past included.

<b>Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children</b> is the utterly fascinating first installment to Ransom Riggs' spectacular trilogy <b>Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children.</b> It will leave you craving for more long after the last page is turned. 

The way Riggs' writes is so smooth and flawless, it's like reading a fairytale fit for kings and queens. It's so fluid and detailed. The character's are fleshed out perfectly and each have their own quirks and intricacies.

The worldbuilding is so well thought out and infused that I didn't ever want to stop reading and there was action to boot.

The only flaw I saw within this book was the chapter lengths which could be very tedious to get through and I could get a bit flustered at times but if you want a unique story, I highly recommend this book. It's full of fantasies, horrors, a little bit of romance and just a hint of humor everyone is sure to love.

Friday, December 4, 2015

Flawless (Pretty Little Liars #2) | Review


Series: Pretty Little Liars

Published: February 19th, 2008 by Harper Teen

Pages: 330

Date Finished: December 4th, 2015

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Age Recommendation: 13+

Okay... Let's be real here. That book just blew me away. Honestly. There were even more plot twists and lies and grimy secrets. I couldn't believe it. This series just keeps getting better and better.

Spencer and Hanna did piss me off a little though with the way they treated guys. For example, Andrew Campbell was so adorable and you could tell he really liked Spencer. He was practically giddy over her and when he asked to do karaoke with her, Spencer's reply really rubbed me the wrong way. My heart instantly broke for Andrew. Same with the way Hanna treated Sean. She was just awful to him at times. Especially when he was with Aria at Foxy.

Now... There's something on my mind that is making me feel like a disgusting, putrid human being... I was sympathetic toward Toby and when he took the pills and died, my heart broke just a little. I know what he did to Jenna was horrible and disgusting but it seemed that he had really changed or was at least trying to. The things he did for Emily were just so sweet and I'm so torn over his character.

There's only one thing that I wasn't too fond of in this book... With every new secret/lie/bit of information, it became hard to follow the story at times as there was so much going on. The story itself was amazing but it could be confusing at times which is why I docked half a star.

I can't wait to continue this series and if you don't mind investing a lot of time in a series that has tons of books, then I totally recommend this.






Monday, November 30, 2015

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard | Review


Series: The Pretty Little Liars Series

Published: October 1st, 2006 by HarperCollins Publishers

Pages: 286

Date Finished: November 30th, 2015

Rating: 5/5 stars

Age Recommendation: 13+


Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard captured my attention from the very first breathtaking page to the last. I had previously read most of the Pretty Little Liars series a couple years ago but decided to stop out of boredom and there being too many books but there were so many things I liked about this first installment.

Pretty Little Liars is the first of many books following four teenage girls -Aria, Emily, Spencer and Hanna- after the mysterious disappearance of their friend Alison DiLaurentis.  Ali has been missing for three years and she was the only one who knew her friend's deepest, darkest secrets.

Just when the girls are starting to recover from the loss of their friend, they simultaneously start receiving creepy text messages holding within them all the secrets from the girls' pasts; things only Ali herself would have known. This book definitely keeps you gripping the edge of your seat.

As for the characters... Even though they have some tremendous secrets under wraps and make some really horrible decisions, most of the time you can see their reasoning behind those mistakes.

Aria is probably my favorite character. I just love how out-there and unique she is

There were also some things that I viewed as bonus material in this book. Even though there were 35 chapters, the chapter length ranged from about 5 pages to 12 so the reading experience really breezed along.

Another thing that helped with that was Sara's writing style. It's very simple but it flowed seamlessly and her vocabulary kept you wanting more.

If you haven't read this series yet, I highly recommend it! Now, off to read book two.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Wet Silence by Sweta Srivastava Vikram | Review


Series: World Voices

Published: July 1st, 2015

Pages: 56

Date Finished: September 4th, 2015

Rating: 5/5 stars

Age Recommendation: 16+


I received Wet Silence by Sweta Srivastava Vikram in exchange for an honest review and I was really excited to read it. I haven't read much poetry before and when I got to the final page of this book I was blown away.

Wet Silence is a collection of beautifully crafted poetry based on the true stories and interviews of  Hindu widows in India and how society treats them as well as how they feel after the deaths of their husbands. Each poem was seamlessly written and I was left with a new perspective after each one.

Some of the things depicted in this book had me in shock. I had no idea this type of thing happened in the world and I my heart truly goes out to anyone who has been affected by events like these. The poetry was raw and real and stunning and I couldn't have asked for a more fabulous book to review. It really opened my eyes and made me be grateful for all of the good things in my life.

I highly advise everybody to give it a read if they are looking for something full of amazing strength and courage and something that will make you extremely thankful.

If you have a moment please take a look at this wonderful video of Sweta doing a reading of Wet Silence in Queens. It would be greatly appreciated.


About the Poet

Sweta Srivastava Vikram, featured by Asian Fusion as "One of the most influential Asians of our time," is an award-winning writer, three times Pushcart Prize nominee, Amazon bestselling author of nine books, novelist, poet, essayist, and columnist, who currently lives in New York City with her husband. Her work has appeared in several anthologies, literary journals, and online publications across nine countries in three continents. A graduate of Columbia University, Sweta reads her work, teaches creative writing workshops, and gives talks at universities and schools across the globe.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Sunshine by abstracts | Review


Series: -

Published: April 22nd, 2015 by Wattpad

Pages: Unknown

Date Finished: September 1st, 2015

Rating: 5/5 stars

Age Recommendation: -

Sunshine by abstracts was a wonderful short story. I wasn't expecting much at all going into it but as soon as I dived in, it turned out to be amazing. It was light, fluffy and adorable with all the right points of seriousness thrown in.

It follows the story of Rain and his ex-best friend Sunny as Rain writes unsent letters to her about how she hurt him by just leaving their friendship without a warning. Rain just thinks Sunny left because she wanted to be friends with the popular kids at school and she thought Rain was too lame for her, but it turns out there is a much deeper plot and the reason for Sunny leaving the friendship is not the reason Rain thought of at all.

In the beginning, I really disliked Sunny because I didn't know her true intentions and I felt horrible for Rain but after finding out why Sunny did what she did, I understood her a lot better.

I loved the cute things Rain would say and how deeply in love he was with Sunny even though he doesn't know it.

This short story was amazing and I'd definitely recommend it.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Velvet Vests by xPureChances | Review


Series: The Garments Series

Published: July 29th, 2014 by Wattpad

Pages: 14

Date Finished: August 29th, 2015

Rating: 5/5 stars

Age Recommendation: --


Velvet Vests by xPureChances was just as amazing as the other books in The Garments Series. I was not disappointed at all and was quite pleasantly surprised that the book featured a disabled person since I am disabled myself. I could identify with lot of the situations Reed had to go through on a daily basis because I've dealt with them myself. The author did a great job at approaching things with an open mind and didn't come across as offensive at all, which I really appreciated.

Velvet Vests is the wonderful love story of Reed -who is wheelchair bound after a car accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down- and Leo, also known as Ghost -an able bodied teenage boy who loves Reed with all his heart, much to Reed's dismay. It follows Reed as she tries to overcome the denial that Ghost is just using her and maybe even wanting her for unspoken things and Ghost who, despite being shot down by Reed time and time again, continues to pine after her heart in the most adorable ways. That all gets wrapped up in a short while with an end you definitely don't see coming.

I absolutely loved Reed and -as stated before- could really identify with her. Especially since I've felt the way she felt numerous times about Ghost, just in my personal life with other guys. I admire the author for taking such a brilliant, risky step with Reed as a character and refusing to shy away from reality that, yes, people do stare and many people are not at all comfortable with the fact that there are people with different struggles around in our everyday lives. I also enjoyed how she showed the kindness in Ghost and made me realize that not all people are out to get disabled individuals and sometimes people really do love and care about you. Ghost is such a sweetie. I do wish Velvet Vests was just a little bit longer though... It was sort of short compared to the other books in the series.

I loved Velvet Vests and I will surely be continuing the series with Cotton Cardigans and Hodden Hoodies. 

Friday, August 28, 2015

Lacy Leathers by xPureChances | Review


Series: The Garments Series

Published: July 8th, 2014 by Wattpad

Pages: 23

Date Finished: August 28th, 2015

Rating: 5/5 stars

Age Recommendation: --


This whole series has been amazing so far. The author really has a clear idea of where she wants each story to go which can sometimes be quite difficult. I couldn't wait to dive into Lacy Leathers by xPureChances. The book definitely lived up to my expectations. I honestly couldn't get enough of Valerie and Shar.

Lacy Leathers follows the story of Valerie and Shar and how they deal with the horrible racism thrown at Shar by Valerie's parents and the rest of society because of Shar's ethnicity. He has darker skin while Valerie is white.

Shar and Valerie face unbelievable situations in this book and things that nobody should have to go through, yet they still won't give up on one another and they're determined to prove that the color of your skin means absolutely nothing, especially in terms of love.

I really enjoyed the romance between Shar and Valerie. It was really cute. Also, the love triangle aspect as well as the gang elements were wonderfully executed.

I will definitely be continuing the series with Velvet Vests. It's gonna be great. :)

Friday, August 14, 2015

Satin Shirts by xPureChances | Review


Series: The Garments Series

Published: October 25th, 2014 by Wattpad

Pages: 30

Date Finished: August 14th, 2015

Rating: 5/5 stars

Age Recommendation: 14+

I was so excited to start Satin Shirts by xPureChances. I couldn't wait to continue The Garments Series. After I completed Jeans Jacket I knew I had to get my hands on Satin Shirts. The romance and steamy scenes were spot on in this instalment and I just couldn't get enough or Jon and Andrea.

Satin Shirts is an awe-filled, romantic short story about Andrea who spends her time writing and being socially awkward and Jon who is the cool boy at school who is known as a player. Andrea and Jon spend their nights together in Jon's bed cuddling and talking and sometimes more to escape their not so wonderful lives and it takes something drastic to make them realize their love for each other which neither knew the other felt.

The love and romance in this book felt real and not rushed and I absolutely adored Jon. While other people seemed to hate him, I had a feeling he didn't mean any harm and deep down he was a sweet boy.

In my opinion this short story was perfect and I wouldn't change a thing. I'll definitely be reading the next short story, Lacy Leathers.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Jeans Jacket by xPureChances | Review

 
Series: The Garments Series
 
Published: December 1st, 2014 by Wattpad
 
Pages: 35
 
Date Finished: August 11th, 2015
 
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
 
Age Recommendation: -
 
I wasn't expecting much from Jeans Jacket by xPureChances. In fact, I was expecting quite the opposite of a good book; boring and bland at the most. But, boy was I surprised. Although there's a lot of insta-love, the intensity of that love and all the feels this book gives you is insane. I severely want my own Nate. Too bad fictional characters aren't real. *pouts* I did knock off half a star because the ending made me really sad and I didn't particularly like how the author lead you on but her writing style is flipping amazing and I wish we could be friends. :D
 
Jeans Jacket follows the amazing love story between Ellie Dawson and Nate Lewis. They meet one night under a lamp post and they despise each other in the beginning but over time they develop strong feelings for one another against Ellie's father's wishes. In his mind Ellie shouldn't be wasting her time and love on a poor boy with a deadbeat family which Nate later realizes. There's a ton of ups and downs in this short story and it will definitely leave you speechless.
 
I loved the romance in this book and Nate's cocky yet caring attitude made me swoon so hard. He is such a bad boy and I love it. I wish there were more books surrounding Nate and Ellie.
 
One thing I absolutely hated was the evil demeanour of Ellie's father and how he made it his mission to make sure he controlled every single person in his life, including Ellie, his wife and members of Nate's family. Ellie's father wouldn't let people be who they needed to be and he wouldn't let them live their own lives.
 
I will most definitely be continuing with the series and I think everyone should at least give it a try. It's a stunning series.


Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Before He Jumped by Gilbert Blythe | Review

 
Series: Why He Jumped
 
Published: August 4th, 2015 by Wattpad
 
Pages: 15
 
Date Finished: August 5th, 2015
 
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
 
Age Recommendation: 12+
 
I expected Before He Jumped by Gilbert Blythe to have the same type of writing style as it's sequel Why He Jumped and when I went into it, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the author had changed things up a bit. I really enjoyed Why He Jumped so I was excited to read this book/short story. I knocked off half a star just because the writing didn't leave me breathless but I still enjoyed it very much.
 
Before He Jumped takes place before the events of Why He Jumped. It follows Adam who discovers a site called Wattpad where people write stories and poems and post them for people to read. Throughout the book, Adam appears happy but deep down, you can tell that something isn't right. Adam isn't as happy as he lets on. Through the course of Before He Jumped there are also Wattpad "drafts" and canceled text messages of Adam reaching out for help that he doesn't send or post and people start getting worried about him. They know something's wrong... But unfortunately no one is there to catch Adam when he falls.
 
I loved the raw emotion of this book. I could really connect with Adam because I've been where he was and the author doesn't hold any of that back. I also really liked Adam's sense of humor through his Wattpad posts as well as his bromance with Matt. I wish it could have been a bit longer though.
 
I think everyone should read this series. It really opens your eyes to the harshness of mental illness and more people need to know the consequences certain actions can have on others. 
 
 


Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Why He Jumped by Gilbert Blythe | Review




Series: Why He Jumped

Published: May 9th, 2014 by Wattpad

Pages: 17

Date Finished: August 4th, 2015

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Age Recommendation: 12+

Why He Jumped by Gilbert Blythe was very well written. I had high hopes going into the series and although it wasn't a tear-jerker for me as it appeared to be for everyone else, (which is why I knocked off half a star) I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

It follows the story of a teenager named Matthew and how him and his friends deal with the suicide of someone close to them all. It goes on to show the grieving process that takes place after someone commits suicide, and how certain people are left to think that they could have done more when that's not always possible. It also shows that words really do hurt and something you say could result in a tragedy.

The subject matter really touched me and I appreciated that about the book. I really liked how creative the author was with his words and vocabulary and it didn't feel like any of the characters were "faking it." I also loved the two small plot twists in the story revolving around Oliver and Adam. The author did a great job at making things "believable."

I'll definitely go on to read the prequel.





Friday, July 10, 2015

Roses Are Red... Violet Is Dead by Monica-Marie Vincent | Review


Series: Blood So Violet (Book 1)

Published: March 13th, 2015 by Booktrope Publishing

Pages: 214

Date Finished: July 10th, 2015

Rating: 3/5

Age Recommendation: 12+


Roses Are Red... Violet is Dead by Monica-Marie Vincent is a book about murder and thrilling events that are supposed to keep you engaged and right at the edge of your seat and that's what I was expecting going into this book. It seemed so promising but I was extremely let down and I was surprised when I saw the great ratings it had gotten on Goodreads because I felt like me and everyone else weren't reading the same book. Surely if everyone thinks it's amazing and I don't there must be something wrong with me... This book was a major let-down.

Roses Are Red... Violet Is Dead follows seventeen year old Violet Sumner as she goes about her life trying to be the grown up in the household. After her dad passed away in a terrible accident and her mom is left on disability and turning to alcohol as a coping mechanism, Violet is left to pick up the pieces as well as take care of her mother. One day Violet gets a strange text from a number she's never seen before. This text is the first to come of many. They are made up of the famous Roses Are Red poems except they say things like "Your best friend needs to mind her own business," but in poem form. Violet doesn't think much of it and just brushes it off until weird things start happening in the community such as people dying or going missing. For me though, I had a lot of problems with this book...

The main character is Native American and although I am not Native American myself, I was very offended at how the author stereotyped Native American people. She wrote Violet's mother as a drunk and constantly made offensive references to that culture. Another thing that annoyed me was the use of super excessive swearing. I'm not one of those people who can't handle swearing at all; honestly I don't mind it one bit but with that being said there was way too much of it in this book. There was a swear word on literally almost every page. In my opinion, the author used swearing as a way to cover up for a poorly written book. This book also had horrible teenage dialogue. Monica-Marie creates words and phrases that I've never heard of in my life. One example would be "Are you seriousing me right now?" Nobody says that that I know of and all those made-up words and phrases or things that nobody I know would say really annoyed me.

Even though the writing style wasn't that great at certain points, the story did keep me mildly entertained so I might want to continue the series when the next book comes out if given the chance but this book was just mediocre for me and because of that it gets 3/5 stars.   

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Different Stereotypes and Why I Hate Them

Hey guys! So... I'm currently reading a book that I got off NetGalley and it has me extremely frustrated. As I was reading, the author threw in two stereotypes that I didn't see necessary and they quite honestly ticked me off. That's why I decided to make this post because it got me thinking of all the times authors have thrown in useless stereotypes that not a lot of people can relate to. So here we go!


Race


The first stereotype is one of the most common ones that I've come across. In most of the novels I've read, the main characters are always white. This annoys me because I can't believe the world still sees problems with other races or views interracial/differently raced couples as a "wrong" thing. The world is much more diverse than most authors make it out to be and love is the same way.


LGBTQIA+


This brings me to my next point: LGBTQIA+ relationships in books. More often than not, most of the couples in fictitious novels are straight. Authors need to realize that not everyone in the world is straight and that some of their readers may not be able to connect with their characters. If they were more exploratory with what they wrote, that would be really awesome. Granted there are more books being published about gay and lesbian couples nowadays but there aren't many books for the less well-known sexual orientations and sexual/gender identities.


Physical Attractiveness


More often than not, the female protagonist in a book is super slim, tan, gorgeous, blond, has the perfect body and a bubbly personality. The male protagonist is a hunk with a defined six pack, sexy smile, sometimes he's a jerk or a bad boy, and he's almost always into sports. The majority of society is not like this. We come from all different walks of life; we're all different sizes and body types and most of us don't have the money to buy super expensive cars. The way these characters are built up is especially bad for younger readers because they think they have to be super fit or slim and look and act just how they think society "needs" them to be.




Those are just some of the stereotypes that come hand in hand with fictitious novels that I've read and they really annoy the crap out of me. I hope this post didn't seem too rant-y and I'll see you all next Wednesday. Happy reading! 

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Into A Million Pieces by Angela V. Cook | Review


Series: TBA

Published: January 27th, 2015 by Red Adept Publishing

Pages: 206

Date Finished: July 5th, 2015

Rating: 5/5

Age Recommendation: 14+

Into A Million Pieces by Angela V. Cook sounded so endearing and interesting when I read the synopsis, so going into it, I had really high hopes... Let me just say that I was not at all disappointed! This book had me gripped and invested in the story from the very first word on the page and there were many times when my mind was utterly blown. The author does a lot of foreshadowing so when big events happen, you can definitely see them coming but that does not lessen the impact of them whatsoever.

Into A Million Pieces is the story about Allison and her sister Jade who are teenage succubi. Jade and Allison are complete polar opposites. Jade lives life on the edge just waiting to see how far she can push her curse and Allison is the more careful twin who is always concerned and looking out for Jade. One day after a date with a boy from their school, things are taken much too far and everything ends up in utter tragedy for Jade. With the help of a dreamy and smart boy who Allison meets at the local library named Ren, Allison is able to somehow deal with her world getting turned upside down but will Allison be able to be with Ren the way she wants to as well as being capable of controlling her urges and needs for him? And is everyone in Allison's life who they say they are or have things been hidden from her in ways no one could have ever imagined?

The one thing I really admired about this book was the way Angela created and built her characters. Each of their lives are painted in the reader's mind with such finesse and none of them conform to stereotypes. It's amazing! 

Allison is not your typical main character. She is labeled a "goth chick" and "freak" at her school for dressing in drab, black clothing and combat boots and wearing black lipstick and eyeliner. The leader of the Snob Mob a.k.a the "popular" girl, is not a prissy cheerleader. Instead, her and her friends are part of the high school tennis team. And lastly, although the love interest, Ren is drop dead gorgeous and sexy, he is not a jock but a nerdy, smart, library type who always gets good grades. It was so refreshing to read about these types of characters. I absolutely loved it and huge props to the author!

This book was amazing! There were so many twists and turns and I was always kept guessing. I will definitely be continuing with this series if Angela chooses to make it into one! Into A Million Pieces was by far one of the best books I've read this year.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

My June Wrap Up | 2015

I'm quite pleased with how much I managed to read in June! I ended up reading 5 books and relatively liking - if not loving - most of them.


The first book I completed this month was Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I came to have a lot of issues with this book and pretty much hated it.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars



The second book I read this month was A Work In Progress by Connor Franta. I love this book so much. It was very inspirational and I highly recommend checking it out if you haven't already.

Rating: 5/5 stars



The third book I read this month was Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. This book was just okay for me. It seemed to drag on throughout more than half of the book and I couldn't really connect with the characters.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars


The fourth book I read this month was Bitten by Kelley Armstrong. This book was amazing. So full of action and suspense that I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and there's also a little bit of steamy romance thrown in there.

Rating: 5/5 stars


The fifth and final book I read in June was Correlation by Mia Grace. This book was by far my favourite thing I read in June. It was very short though, so I would've liked a little bit more time with the characters. But if you like time travel books and books with an older feel to them, then I can guarantee you'll like this one.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars





Wednesday, July 1, 2015

The Seven Deadly Sins Book Tag

Thank you so much to Eduardo from Booming Books for tagging me! :)

GREED - WHAT IS YOUR MOST EXPENSIVE BOOK? WHAT IS YOUR MOST INEXPENSIVE BOOK?


My most expensive book is Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. It was over $25.00 from The Book Depository... And then they sent me the wrong book. *facepalm* My most inexpensive books would be anything that I buy from the thrift store in my city. They're never over $3.00.




WRATH - WHAT AUTHOR DO YOU HAVE A LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH?


For this question, I'd have to go with Stephenie Meyer. I'm still waiting on a published version of Midnight Sun but I honestly don't think we're going to get it.


GLUTTONY - WHAT BOOK HAVE YOU DEVOURED OVER AND OVER AGAIN WITH NO SHAME?


Ummm... I don't usually re-read books so I can't really think of an answer for this question.


SLOTH - WHAT BOOK HAVE YOU NEGLECTED DUE TO LAZINESS?


I can't think of a book that I've neglected out of laziness but I series that seems too daunting to me is Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. I know, I know... I need to read them. I promise I will!


PRIDE - WHAT BOOK DO YOU TALK ABOUT IN ORDER TO SOUND LIKE AN INTELLECTUAL READER?


I'm not really that smart whether I'm talking about books or not... xD But I guess I'd talk about a certain classic a lot if there came a time when I needed to appear smarter. Probably something by Jane Austen.


LUST - WHAT ATTRIBUTES DO YOU FIND IN MALE OR FEMALE CHARACTERS?


Usually males are super attractive and fit or rich in a lot of YA books that I read and females are usually quite the same: 115 pounds, tan, blonde etc. The popular female high schoolers are portrayed as bubbly cheerleaders who are scum bags to the main characters...


ENVY - WHAT BOOK WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO RECEIVE AS A GIFT?


I'd really like to receive All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven because the story line seems really intriguing to me and I've heard nothing but good things about it.


I tag:


Erica & Christy at Novel Ink
Andriana at A Love Worth Living For
















Wednesday, June 24, 2015

My TBR For The #CrushYourTBR Readathon

The #CrushYourTBR Readathon is being held this Friday (June 26th) at midnight wherever you are in the world and it goes until midnight the following day (June 27th.) This readathon will be hosted by Raeleen or padfootandprongs07 on YouTube. Here's her channel and her Twitter. It will also be hosted by Jacquelyn who is an avid book blogger and Twitter user. Here's her blog and her Twitter. The #CrushYourTBR Readathon has its own Twitter account here. The readathons usually occur monthly over the span of three days but because of how busy the hosts will be this month, there will be a twenty four hour one instead.


I've decided to post my TBR for this readathon on my blog so that you guys can see what I plan to read and also so that I can update this post as I make progress with my TBR during the readathon.


Here are the books I plan to read:


Bitten by Kelley Armstrong


Correlation by Mia Grace


Into A Million Pieces by Angela V. Cook


The Great Snapping Turtle Adventure by Susan Yarura-Young

Progress:

June 26th:

12 AM - 6 AM:

Reading: Bitten

Pages Read: 0 (sleeping)

Books Completed: 0

6 AM - 12 PM:

Reading: Bitten

Pages Read: 46

Books Completed: 0

12 PM - 6 PM:

Reading: Bitten

Pages Read: 56

Books Completed: 0

6 PM - 12 AM:

Reading: Correlation 

Pages Read: 10%

Books Completed: 1 (Bitten)

I hope you guys join in on this awesome readathon as well and I will see you all next Wednesday. Happy reading! :)




 

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

I'm Back!

I'm sorry that I've been gone for so long! I was in a huge reading slump in May and read less than 30 pages that whole month... *facepalms* I really failed in May. I think it had a lot to do with my mental health since I became severely depressed shortly before May started but the main thing is that I'm back now.


I have barely been using this blog and I really need to step it up and get into a strict routine so that the people who come here after my YouTube videos will have something to read at LEAST once a week... For those of you who don't already know, I have a BookTube channel where I post reviews, tags, hauls, unboxings, wrap ups and TBR's among other things every Monday and occasionally additional days of the week. It would be amazing if you could subscribe to my channel and help me out if you enjoy my videos!


Since I post a new BookTube video every Monday, I thought it would be a great idea if I deemed Wednesday my mandatory blogging day so from now on, I will be posting a new book-related blog post every Wednesday as well as posting a review of all the books I read as I read them. So, if I read ten books in a given month, expect ten blog posts as well as the promised Wednesday book-related posts. From now on, this will be the permanent schedule unless things in my personal life change and I won't be able to post on Wednesdays anymore. But if that happens, I will then allot a new day for blog posts so don't worry. Either way, I will be constantly using this blog from now on for all things bookish. :)


Feel free to follow me on Twitter as well as following this blog to be notified when a new post goes up!


I'll be back next Wednesday! Until then... Happy reading! 

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Booking Into Spring Readathon 2015

Books I Want To Read


Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins



Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins



Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Progress

April 26th:

Reading: Catching Fire
Pages Read: 29
Books Completed: -

April 27th:

Reading: Catching Fire
Pages Read: 6
Books Completed: -

April 28th:

Reading: Catching Fire
Pages Read: 0
Books Completed: -

April 29th:

Reading: Catching Fire
Pages Read: 0
Books Completed: -

April 30th:

Reading: Catching Fire
Pages Read: 73
Books Completed: 1

May 1st:

Reading: Mockingjay
Pages Read: 23
Books Completed: -

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

If I Stay & Where She Went by Gayle Forman | Review



Series: If I Stay

Published: If I Stay: 2009 by Dutton Penguin

Where She Went: 2011 by Dutton Juvenile

Pages: If I Stay: 210 
Where She Went: 304

Date Finished: If I Stay: September 20th, 2014

Where She Went: April 6th, 2015

Rating: If I Stay: 4/5

Where She Went: 4/5

Age Recommendation: -

If I Stay:

This book was absolutely amazing... I was completely dumbfounded at how utterly beautiful this book was. You felt like you were right there with Mia at all times and even though the car accident scene was a bit gory-sounding and the book could be really heartbreaking at times, so much so that it made me cry, I felt like I could really connect with Mia and understand where she was coming from. If I had to choose between my parents and my brother or my friends and my extended family when I had as great of a family as she did, I don't think I could do it.

If I Stay is the first in a series of two books by Gayle Forman about a teenage girl named Mia who gets in a car accident on a snow day. Her mother and father end up getting killed instantly and her brother is severely injured and Mia ends up having an out-of-body experience throughout the book where she can see and hear everything that's happening around her. Towards the end of the book, Mia has to make a life changing decision. Should she stay or should she go?

The thing I liked most about this book was the way Mia and her boyfriend Adam's relationship was portrayed. Gayle writes it in such a way that I'm pretty sure every teenage girl and young adult who has read this book are now setting their expectations higher than ever before in order to find their own little brand of "Adam."

I also loved Mia's grandparents. They seemed like a very homey couple who loved their grandchildren with all their hearts. They were always there whenever Mia or her brother needed them.

And finally the ending... The one that everyone either hates or absolutely loves. In my opinion, I thought it was a pretty genius ending. It certainly left me breathless.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman was definitely one of my favourite books that I read in 2014 and I couldn't wait to start the sequel.

Where She Went:

Where She Went was an amazing finale to the If I Stay series. It takes place three years after If I Stay concludes and Adam is now a big rockstar with multi-platinum albums and a killer record deal but ever since Mia left, Adam hasn't been the same. He's really depressed and angry and just can't stop thinking about Mia. Where She Went gives Adam a second chance. Will he be able to win Mia over or will she slip from his grasp yet again?

You could definitely feel Adam's pain in this novel and I honestly felt bad for him. I was extremely frustrated at Mia for being so ruthless and leaving him so abruptly so I was happy when I finally found out her reasoning. I was angry at the remaining members of Shooting Star for being so clueless to Adam's suffering and for being so insensitive towards him for a very unimportant reason, in my opinion. It's not like Adam asked for it...
I was aching for Adam to go after Mia so I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome of the book. I'm going to miss Adam and Mia so much...

Where She Went is definitely worth the read and if you liked If I Stay, you'll absolutely love this book.


Tuesday, April 14, 2015

The Memory Palace: A Memoir by Mira Bartók | Review


Series: -

Published: August 2011 by Free Press

Pages: 306

Date Finished: April 1st, 2015

Rating: 3/5

Age Recommendation: -

I came across this book a few summers ago in a Vancouver bookstore when I was visiting my friend. At the time I was very heavily depressed so because of that, I was currently interested in reading books of a darker nature. When I read the back of the novel, it seemed like a very promising read and it instantly captured my attention. It only took me a few fleeting seconds to decide to purchase the book. I only began to read it two and a half weeks ago and in the space of about ten to fifteen minutes, I was hooked.

This memoir follows the story of Myra Bartók and her sister Rachel who later change their names to Mira and Natalia. Myra and Rachel grew up in a very crooked home with a schizophrenic mother who paid little attention to the pair when at her worst. Their mother, Norma, had an obsession with Nazis and was certain that they wanted to do her and her family harm. She believed heavily in the Jewish faith which would sometimes be the thing that encouraged her schizophrenic episodes. At one point Norma ends up homeless and it turns out that she has some major health concerns other than her mental illness.

Although Norma was very ill throughout her life, she was probably my favourite character in this memoir because even when faced with such an evil sickness such as schizophrenia, I could feel the love that she had for her daughters above all else. With that being said, my heart didn't sit the same with Mira and Natalia's grandfather. He seemed like a cold, horrible man who was very set in his ways and refused to let go of his past and the way things were done when he was young.

This memoir reads much like a twisted fairy tale. It's almost hard to believe that it's based on a true story. It entranced me from the very first sentence I uttered. The reason I'm giving it three stars lands on one con and one con only. The book was very difficult for me to read at some points because Mira filled the novel with so much detail and information -often presented in long lists of complex objects and the like- that my brain couldn't process it all and I would sometimes find myself having to read portions three or four times over to try to understand and comprehend what was being said.

Overall, this book is a spectacular read and I'd recommend it to anyone who needs to be reminded of the power of strength and love.