Read-a-thon: Bookish Survey

   

Questions:

1. How do you organize your shelves?

There's not much organization to my shelves.  I try to sort by genre, but the only successful shelf that truly follows that are my Contemporaries.  Otherwise the only other thing I do is put a series or trilogies all together.  Oh, my TBR books are all on my top shelf and stacked on the very top.

2. What is one of your favorite book that’s not in one of your favorite genres?

 For this question I'm going to have to go with Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.  I haven't read too much adult fiction, but I adored Outlander.

3. What is the last 5 star book you read?

My last 5 star book was Soaring by Kristen Ashley.  Now, I'm a huge sucker for Romance and KA writes the perfect Alpha and Epilogues that make me giddy.  

4. What book are you most excited to read during the read-a-thon?

Honestly, I'm probably most excited to read The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon.  I read the first one a couple months ago.  I've been putting the second novel off because I read the first paragraph and nearly had a heart attack.  Sometimes I need to take a step back when my excitement level is that high.

5. What book do you recommend the most?

What a question! I'm really not sure how to answer this.  I guess I'll go with a book series that I constantly rave about.  The Throne of Glass book and series by Sarah J. Maas.

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Summary: If you've never heard of this book, well I don't know where you've been. It's about a girl named Hazel Lancaster (Diagnosis: terminal) and a boy named Augustus Waters (Diagnosis: remission) and their star crossed romance. It's about their lives as side effects. It's about cancer. It's about parents who are scared that they won't be parents anymore. It's about a book that brings them together. It's about dying. It's about living.

It's a frightening book. It's a sad book. It's a funny book. It's a cry yourself to sleep book. It's a wake up in the morning book.  It's a book that makes you question.  It's a book that make you feel.

The Good: This book is hope.  Life happens.  We move on.  But... some infinities are bigger than others.  And we should never forget that. 

The Bad: This book is sad.  You have to be in the right mood to read it.  You have to be prepared to read it.  It's not something light.  It's not something to be picked up on a whim. 

The Heartbreaking: Cancer is heartbreaking.  Being a side effect is heartbreaking.  This entire novel is heartbreaking.  I've never cried so hard during a book.  I've never been reminded of things I had thought I had buried so clearly.  This book knocked me down.  This book help me stand up. 

Rating/Reasoning: I'm not sure how to rate this book. At 2 in the morning, there were a lot of things running through my mind. Good things, bad things, awful things, things I've been trying to forget. But anyway.  I'm not going to rate this book.  Honestly, it's a book I probably won't be reading again, at least for a while. It was good, though. Wonderful, in fact. But, I just can't.

Recommend? John Green writes a heartfelt book.  It's not for everyone, but I think everyone should give it a try. 

Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss Series by Stephanie Perkins

Summary: There are three companion novels in this series. Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door, and Isla and the Happily Ever After.  Each novel revolves around a couple as they work through their relationships with each other, family, and friends.

In Anna, you meet Anna and St. Clair (Étienne) as they go through their final year at SOAP (School of America in Paris). This is Anna's first year in Paris as her dad has decided she needs to be more "sophisticated".  She's friendless, lonely, and unsure of what she wants. Until she meets St. Clair. Because she KNOWS she wants him. Unfortunately, he's the one boy she can't have. So, she settles with being his best friend.

In Lola, you meet Lola and Cricket and spend the summer with them in California as they try to reconcile with one another after a disastrous occurrence years ago.  Lola Nolan is perfectly happy with her life. She loves her clothes, she loves her dads, and she loves her rock star boyfriend. But what happens when Calliope and Cricket, the twins from her past, return home and unearth all the hurt that Lola thought she had buried?  Cricket and Lola's story is super sweet. I mean who doesn't wonder about those second chances and if your first was actually the one?  This story is about those second chances. It's also about reinvention, knowing yourself, and of course, love.

In Isla, you meet some familiar faces from Anna, Isla and Josh, and once again we are transported SOAP (and Barcelona!!!!) Josh and Isla begin their relationship with very little drama, but that never lasts long.  Dealing with their crazy families, their senior year, and the fact that their futures may not be together, this is the sizzling and sweet finale to a series that you can most definitely read over and over again.

The Good: Everything.  I could fangirl about this series all day long.  It has everything a feel-good, super sweet, extra lovely, contemporary read needs.  We have cutesy dialogue, quirky and adorable characters, and relatable situations.  The books may seem cheesy from my summaries, but the writing is honest and nothing is over done. 

The Bad: I NEED MORE!  There will never be enough of the awesomeness of these books.  (Some people didn't seem to care as much for Isla as the other two, but I really connected to Isla as a character, so it's really all comes down to you, the reader.)

The Beautiful: Everything in the good section, times ten.  They are easy to read and just make you feel all the feels.  There aren't enough adjectives to describe the love. 

Rating: 5/5 for the entire series and every individual book.

Reasoning: Cutesy dialogue, loveable characters, relatable situations, and just plain awesomeness makes this series one of my favourite contemporary reads!!!!

Recommend? Yes, yes.  A thousand times yes.  If you need something lighthearted and rather beautiful, pick up these books.  If you need to feel better, pick up these books.  If you need some fun, pick up these books.  Falling in love was never so easy. 

Monday Check In

So, I just got back from camping and I'm sneaking this blog post in between the clean up. 

A quick update...

Currently reading: Opal, which is book three in the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I am in love with this series. I got them all in those sparkly, floppy bind ups recently and am so digging the floppy.  Once I finish the series, I will do a series review because that how I like to review series and or/trilogies!

Upcoming reviews: 
 1. Anna and the French Kiss series (which includes Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After) by Stephanie Perkins
2. Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
3. The Fault in our Stars by John Green
4, 5, & 6. Attachments, Eleanor & Park, and Fangirl all by Rainbow Rowell

I know this is short but I've been slacking the book blog department, so I just wanted to post SOMETHING!



Peace & Love

Book Review: Splintered by A.G. Howard

Summary: Alyssa is the great-great-great granddaughter of Alice Liddle (you know that Alice - the Wonderland Alice). Even if her classmates didn't know her history, Alyssa would never be able to escape it anyway. See, Alyssa hears things. Bugs and plants talk to her. It happened to her mother, who is currently residing in an asylum, and it is exactly where Alyssa will end up if she can't ignore the whispers.  Someone visits her in her dreams, connecting her to a childhood that wasn't what it seems. Now, Alyssa must journey down the rabbit hole, fix what her ancestor broke, and try not to go crazy herself. 

The Good: This book is based in one of my favourite worlds. Wonderland. It's pretty much the only reason I picked this book up. I have serious obsession with Wonderland.  Books, movies, TV, video games, you name it, I probably love it.     I also liked the main character. While I may not have agreed with all her choices, I still thought she was spunky, funny, and had a pretty good head on her shoulders.  The book cover is gorgeous!  I love the bright colors and the whole one eye thing is still popular. 

The Bad: There were moments when I really liked Jeb, but that's because I was seeing him through Alyssa's eyes. In all honesty, I didn't care for his character at all.  If I pick up the next one (on a whim like this one was), then I hope to see some growth in his character. 

The Ugly:  The love triangle. Don't get me wrong, I love a good love triangle. I just wonder if this one was really necessary. The adaptations of Alice in Wonderful love to have a romance between Alice and the Mad Hatter character. Not all, but a few.  I really enjoyed the Mad Hatter character, but not in the way the main character enjoyed him (haha). I loved how twisted and confused his story line was and how you're never really sure what his motives are and what he really wants. That being said, I still disliked the love triangle. It really put me off from this book, but I'm glad I finished it. 

Rating: 3.4 out of 5

Reasoning: While I enjoyed the book and appreciated the world, I could have used more... Everything. 

Favourite Series/Trilogies Part 2

The List Part 2

#5: The Inkheart Trilogy by Cornelia Funke - Forget the movie. Now, I have mad love for Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, and Helen Mirren, but ugh, that movie. Anyway, Inkheart is the story of Meggie and her father, Mo.  Have you ever wondered what would happen if you could read the characters right out of your favorite book?  What if you read someone into a book?  This is the plight of Mo, or Silvertongue, if you would.  Anytime he reads aloud from a book, something comes out and something goes in...  Tragedy strikes when Meggie is only 3.  Mo is reading to his family from a story called Inkheart.  In a whirlwind of terror, three people escape from the book, a villian and his sidekick and a fire-breather.  Resa, Meggie's mother, disappears.  Jump nine years into the future, where the evil Capricorn is trying to destroy every copy of Inkheart so he never has to return.  Mo and Meggie are on the run, so Mo's powers cannot be used for evil.  It's up to Meggie to stop Capricorn and save her mother before it's too late.  I LOVE this trilogy.  It really made me think about the dangers of the written word and how you have to be just as careful about what you write as about what you say.  These novels are full of magic, danger, intrigue, romance, and a love of the written word.  They leave you with a sense of breathlessness that never quite goes away.  Even now, my heart beats a little faster.

#4: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer - Of course Twilight is on my list.  How can it not be?  Now, let's get one thing straight.  There is nothing wrong with my love of Twilight.  There is nothing wrong with Stephanie Meyer.  If you think there is, take a look at this article and think about what Twilight did for YA novels and for a generation of kids who didn't think reading was that cool.  Twilight changed the game; it threw open doors and refused to be held back by a legion of "haters".  I can't rant anymore... I know what I feel and what I love.  So, just read that article, because it explains everything and most of the comments are awesome!

I LOVE TWILIGHT.   Gosh, you would think after all this time I would be over this bitterness.

Oh, and if you don't know what Twilight is about... Um, Hi, welcome to the planet, wanna go read books with me?

#3: The Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu - I've only recently picked up this trilogy, like 2 months ago, recently.  That doesn't change the fact that I've fallen so hard, so fast for these characters and their story.  Legend was the first book I picked up after my 4 year reading slump and I'm so grateful for that.  I loved each book more than the last one.  Meaning, yes, Champion was my favourite.  I loved the ending, which is surprising because I should have hated it.  I didn't though, and I think that's why I love this series.  It's action packed.  It's romantic.  It's political.  It's heart-wrenching.  It's a pretty easy read, but my love for it is anything but easy.  The book is told from dual points of view.  June, a 15-year-old child prodigy for the Republic suffers a great tragedy when her brother is murdered.  She is then promoted and takes on the duty to bring her brother's murderer to justice.  The prime suspect?  Day, a 15-year-old boy, who happens to be the Republic's most wanted criminal.  Did he really kill June's brother?  Or is there something bigger going on in the Republic?  Something that brings June and Day together before violently ripping them apart.  I recommend this series to EVERYONE.  If you've never been much of a reader, this series is definitely an excellent starting point.  Pick this series up; you won't regret it.

#2: The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer - I know this series isn't finished, but, it has everything I love!  So, I just know it's going to remain in my favourites for a looong time.  I mean, every book in the series is a fairytale retelling... with a sci-fi twist.  This book series offers cyborgs, emperors, moon colonies, evil evil queens, romance, action, mind control, and a long lost princess. (Etc. Etc.) What more could you want?  So, the first book focuses around Cinder (Cinderella), a mechanical cyborg living in New Beijing after original Beijing was destroyed in like the fifth world war. Unfortunately, cyborgs are not considered to be very human and Cinder has been living with that discrimination since she was 11, when she woke up with her cyborg parts and no previous memories. Suddenly Kai, the prince, soon to be Emperor, enters her life and asks her to fix his android. And her whole life is turned upside down. God. So many awesome parallels! The evil Queen lives on the moon where's she tirades over her people, the Lunars, who have developed special abilities. God, guys she's evil.  Oh, did I mention the disease that has been killing off everyone on Earth? A disease that Cinder may be the answer to? The second book revolves around Scarlet and Wolf (Little Red Riding Hood), but Cinder and Kai's story is intertwined with them.  The third book, revolves around Cress and Captain Thorne (Rapunzel) along with all the previous characters.  It's probably my favourite in the series so far.  EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SERIES IS AWESOME!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE IT.

Okay, now that I've expressed my adoration...

DRUM ROLL PLEASE............

#1: The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling - Duh. My childhood was forever changed the moment I picked up Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.  Now, I wasn't super keen on Harry Potter when it first came out.  In fact, I downright refused to read it.  I was going through a faze where anything cool was something not worth my time.  Thankfully, I outgrew that faze.  The rest is history.  By the time I caught onto the fandom, I believe the fourth book had just come out.  I embraced the craziness.  I stalked Mugglenet.  I wrote (and occasionally still write) fanfiction.  If it was related to Harry Potter, I was all over it.  It was really a special time.  And now that I'm in my 20's, I'm still proud to say I'm a Potterhead.  If you haven't already picked up this series, please do.  You'll never forget the moment the boy-who-lived enters your life.

There's only so much you can say about your favourite series.  In my heart of hearts, Harry Potter will always be at the top of my list.



Honourable Mentions

Divergent trilogy - I loved the first one... the second one was OK... the third one was painful, but I muddled through it.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series - I've only read the first book, but I really liked it, so there are high hopes for this series!

Throne of Glass series - Honestly, this one should have probably been on my top 10.  I adore these novels.  Let's pretend it's on the list OK?  GO READ THESE NOVELS! 


Peace and Love

Favourite Series/Trilogies

So, no review.  How about I go through my all time favourite series and/or trilogies?  These are the series that have left a permanent mark on me; they have shaped my childhood and my way of thinking.  I carry these books in my heart.

THE LIST (Part 1)

#10: Children of the Red King Series by Jenny Nimmo- I read this series back in school and I have to say that it is such a good series!!  The characters were wonderfully portrayed and the plot was interesting and kept me invested for all 8 books.  Trust me, that is NOT an easy feat!  The story revolves around a boy named Charlie Bone, who discovers he has a very particular magical power (unique and awesome power!) and is sent to Bloor's Academy where there are plenty of other children with all sorts of special powers (invisibility, talking to animals, hypnosis, etc.)  In each book, Charlie and his friends must stop the Bloor's and their evil plans.  There are some definite Harry Potter parallels here, but this book series is awesome all on its own.  It's middle grade, but when a book is awesome, it doesn't really matter the category.

#9: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares - These books were all the rage back when I was in middle school.  I thought they were so inspiring and fun, actually, I still think that.  Basically, one summer 4 best friends gather together before they leave for their first summer apart ever and they discover a pair of jeans that fits all 4 of them, despite the fact that they are all different shapes and sizes.  They decide that each girl will get the pants for a week in the summer and then send them along to the next girl.  These magic pants will bring them luck wherever they need it, in love, work, family, etc.  I love the individual journeys these girls go on and how they manage to come back together stronger than ever.  Such a wonderful, wonderful series.

#8: A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket - I remember my grade 5 teacher reading The Austere Academy to my class. Now that I'm a teacher, I want to be able to share books that mean something to me. That matter to me. This book series is LOOOONG. 13 books I believe? (Lucky 13?)  I haven't read it since middle school, but the fact that it is still a prominent force on my bookshelf, says quite a bit about it considering how drastically my shelf likes to change. This series is all about the 3 Baudelaire orphans and how nothing good EVER happens to them.  There's a moment in every book where you think maybe, maybe this time everything will work out, but that hope is soon shattered beyond repair (until the next book). It's actually pretty depressing. But that's the point. Snicket consistently tells us that there is no point, but we read on anyway.  We are Booklions. We always read on. 

#7: The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini - I read the first book in this series, Eragon, probably a dozen times. I poured over every detail, created crackpot theories, and fell in love. By the time the fourth book appeared, I admit, the series had run out of steam for me. That being said, I still care deeply for these books. I love the story, the adventures, and the politics. The characters were a little lackluster, but I adore the world. And that's what keeps this series in my top ten.  The world is simply breathtaking... and I'm still waiting for my dragon egg.

#6: Artemis Fowl by Erin Colfer - If I were a list person, this series would be on my list to reread. The Artemis Fowl series is one of my all-time favourite series when I was growing up. It doesn't quite crack the top 5, but I still love it! Artemis Fowl is a teenage criminal mastermind.  He's cold, cunning, and willing to do anything for his family name. The story also follows Holly Short, an elf and the only female in the LEPrecon unit. She's sassy, intelligent, and doesn't let anyone boss her around. Holly and Artemis's evolving friendship was one of my favorite aspects in the story. Artemis's growth throughout his adventures was also something I loved. His character development was spot on. I could gush about Artemis all day, but there are other books to talk about!



There you go!  The first 5 books in my Top 10.

More to come...


Peace and Love