Saturday 28 February 2015

March TBR

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February Wrap Up!!

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Jennifer Lawrence Book Tag!

1. Growing up in Kentucky- Your favorite book set in a rural area?
Safe Haven? I think that was a rural beach community...I might be wrong thought.

2. Discovery on the streets of NY- A little known book you found while browsing and 
ended up loving?
Towards the beginning of 2014 when I started my reading obsession I didn't know about goodreads, so all I did was read the backs of the book and if it was something I thought I'd like, I picked it up. And this was a 5 star awesome find.

3. Swearing off social media- A book you refuse to read?
Harry Potter....I know I know, but I won't ever read it. I've seen almost all the movies first, and Harry Potter was always my sisters thing, I always hated it.

4. Beginnings on TV into film- A series that gets better with each installment?
The Darkest Minds! I really had a hard time with the first book, had too much world building and character development (as with most series') but it just got better from there.




5. The Oscar trip- A book/series that hit a snag?
Throne of Glass. Don't get me wrong I've really enjoyed the books, not as much as the hype had made me think I would but they're still good. But I love Chaol and Celaena, so knowing that they will be apart in Heir of Hire has totally eliminated my desire to read it. (I know I probably will, Maybe once the Paperback edition is out, but otherwise, not a top priority right now)

6. Jlaw and Chris Martin- Favorite book by a collaboration of authors?
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I've actually never read anything by a Collaboration of authors, but I soon will when I read Never Never Part 1 by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher.

7. Work with David O. Russel- Dysfunctional character you can't help but love?
Emma from the Reason to Breathe series by Rebecca Donovan. She has her moments throughout the series as being out of control, depressed, and all around an emotional basketcase, but with what she's going through you can't help but love the person she is despite her life issues.

8. Mystique- A villain who thinks they're doing what's right?
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Teren Santoro from The Young Elites. He's been mislead so badly by the kings daughter into believing that he will save his own soul by killing those like him. 

9. The Hunger Games- Favorite high profile series?
LUX by Jennifer L Armentrout!! Best series EVER

10. Everything she's ever said- Favorite comedic/snarky character?
Just finished this book and I just fell in love with Finch and his sarcastic whit, even with all his problems I couldn't help but love him.

Thursday 26 February 2015

Review: Playing in the Rain by Jane Harvey-Berrick

22591966Edition: ebook
Pages: 182
Publish Date: July 1, 2014
Publisher: Haravey Berrick Publishing (Self)
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Series: No
Goodreads Rating: 4.05 (585 ratings)

Why do I do this to myself? I was hoping for a book with a adorable love story to mend my broken heart from All The Bright Places but this just shattered my heart even more! 
Needless to say I loved it anyway.
This book is so short and sweet, following Ava, a recent graduate who moved across the country to prove to her overachieving family that she can make it on her own. After only a month at her new job, her boss "propositions" her, and because she says no to his offer he fires her on the spot.
If the day can't get any worse she's stuck in traffic, almost out of gas, and it's pouring rain out. But when an attractive stranger just walks up to her car and gives her a note that simply says "you're beautiful" life seems a little bit brighter.
The next day, with no job to go to, she decides to go to the park she saw the kind stranger at and finds him there yet again. There's an instant connection, just by a simple touch. 
While still strangers they compile a list of wishes - Jumping out of a plane, swimming with dolphins, etc - and after exchanging numbers they go to work on the list. As they check off more and more from the list, the attraction grows. A few kisses here, hand holding all the time, and all the smiles. Ava knows something's up, he's hot and cold, one minute he has her up against the wall breathless, and the next he's apologizing and distancing himself from her.
He has his secrets, and after their perfect day, the list is completed, the both profess their love for eachother, while there's sort of A Walk to Remember moment where he says "you weren't supposed to fall in love with me". This leaves her confused but ultimately the happiest she's ever been.
Until she goes to his house the next morning on his 19th birthday to find an ambulance and police cars. His mom and a note is left to explain that he had cancer, and after battling it for 5 years, told he wouldn't make it to 19, he chose to go out at his happiest. He may have taken his own life, but it was to spare her having to watch him die. He knew it was coming anyway, so after his perfect day he knew there was no topping it. 
This book broke my heart but I absolutely loved it. It could have been 5 stars if only one of these books would have a miraculous happy ending like in The Edge of Never by J.A Redmerski or Ruin by Rachel Van Dyken. I just love a happily ever after. 
Going to go read some Stephanie Perkins now to cheer me up.


Wednesday 25 February 2015

Review: All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

22747247Edition: ebook
Pages: 400
Publish Date: January 6, 2015
Publisher: Knopf Books
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Series: No
Goodreads Rating: 4.22 (8,231 ratings)

This book shattered my heart. I have a love/hate relationship with beautifully written contemporary books with no HEA (spoiler alert). But I think it's more of hate, cause now I'm going to spend the next week or two rewriting the ending in my head in which Violet and Finch are together, and that Finch is okay and that he decided to stay because she was enough. 
It was a magical and moving story, I always love being in the mind of someone with a disorder of some kind, in this case BPD. It really gives you some perspective as to how they feel about life. 
Overall this book left me broken hearted and in a complete mess of tears and tissues, but I can't say I didn't love every moment before.

“You are all the colors in one, at full brightness.” 


Sunday 22 February 2015

The Social Media Book Tag

I know this is so late and I was never tagged but I can't help it I've watched too many book tag videos and this is a favourite.

Twitter: Your favourite shortest book
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Just finished this one, read it in 3 and half hours strait. It has so much amazing in 124 pages

Facebook: A book everyone pressured you into reading
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I never wanted to read this, people kept saying that the girl was a huge fan of characters similar to Harry Potter, so I thought my sister would like it, but with so much pressure I figured I'd pre-read it for my sister. And I loved it.
Tumblr: A book you read before it was cool
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I read this SOOOO long ago, I picked it up on a whim because I liked the cover and had to reread it before the movie came out last year. 
Myspace: A book you don't remember whether you liked or not
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I borrowed this from a friend back in grade 9, almost 7 years ago and I just can't remember....
Instagram: A book that was so beautiful you had to instagram it

"Such a gorgeous cover, hope the book lives up to all the hype. If not at least it will look pretty on my shelf."


Youtube: A book you wish would be turned into a movie
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I can't believe they chose The DUFF over this amazing contemporary to make into a movie. This book has been out for years and has such a huge following it doesn't make sense that it's not a movie yet.
Goodreads: A book you would recommend to everyone
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Well Duh. This is my favourite book of all time so obviously I recommend it to everyone





Review: My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

18336965Edition: ebook
Pages: 320
Publish Date: February 10, 2015
Publisher: Harper Collins
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Series: No
Goodreads Rating: 4.12 (901 ratings)

Such an adorable book. I'm just on some reading marathon not even bothering to put the book down. My Heart and Other Black Holes follows Aysel, a teenager who's been dealt a tough hand in life. After her Father went crazy and murdered a young outstanding member of their small town community, she was ostracized by all her former friends, stopped talking to people, living with her mother and her replacement family. 
After scouting a popular online page for suicidal people looking for a partner to off themselves with, Aysel meets FrozenRobot AKA Roman, a boy her age who, after believing to have caused his younger sisters accidental drowning, wants to off himself on the 1 year anniversary of her death, but he needs a partner. 
Living only 15 minutes from her, they meet and come up with a plan. 
The first meeting is odd, Aysel sees Frozen Robot as what he used to be, the popular highschool jock, good looking, with plenty of ex-girlfriends. While Aysel is the quiet ignored, awkward girl, she can't seem to understand how or why he'd ever want to off himself. Especially after meeting his mother who fondles over him and worries constantly about him, where as her family and everyone in the town she lived in her whole life wouldn't blink an eye at her death.
She quickly learns that they aren't so different, he's just better at hiding how depressed he is. 
Needless to say in the month they spend planning their deaths, learning the underlying reasons for eachothers lack of interest in living, Aysel falls head over heals for him, and it may be mutual, despite his insistence after kissing her that it doesn't change anything, it does...for her.
With her final confession as to why she wants to die...blaming herself for what her father did to the towns hero, Roman takes matters into his own hands. Pushing up the suicide date as to keep her from being a part of it. 
She finds him, in the garage, in his mothers car filled with exhaust....

Love. Love. LOVE this book.

Review: Puddle Jumping by Amber L Johnson

24701980Edition: ebook
Pages: 124
Publish Date: June 29, 2014
Publisher: Self Pub
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Series: No
Goodreads Rating: 4.38 (4,282 ratings)
This was one of those books that I sat and read for a strait 3 and a half hours, only pausing to make a pot of tea.
Yet another book that made me cry, this romance is so stunningly beautiful and imperfect in its own magical way. 

This was just sheer perfection. It left me wanting more and more for these two spectacular characters.

Saturday 21 February 2015

Review: Stolen - A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher

6408862Edition: ebook
Pages: 177
Publish Date: May 4, 2009
Publisher: Scholastic Inc
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Series: No
Goodreads Rating: 3.94 (39,343 ratings)

Going into the mind of a young girl suffering from Stockholm was honestly infuriating. I understand the whole thing about Stockholm syndrome and tricking yourself into believing what's happening is right, that your captor is a good person, but as a reader it didn't capture me the way I had expected. After reading Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma which is a book about incest, through that book and their love story I ended up wanting them to be together despite how wrong it was. I thought this would bring the same reaction, being able to identify with the character and how she fell for her captor, but in the end I was just frustrated. Maybe it's just one of those scenarios that I don't have an understanding for, or the fact that after watching so much crime TV I've learned to understand who's evil and who's good. I could not find any sympathy or understanding, and especially not respect for Ty. It may have also been the writing style, as it sort of places the reader as the recipient of Gemma's letter, Ty. The last person I wanted to read as. 
Over all I see why people have some love for this story, It's one of those hauntingly sad stories that's meant to teach you something, but in the end for me I just truly did not enjoy this book.

Thursday 19 February 2015

Review: Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy #1) by Wendy Higgins

13621479Edition: ebook
Pages: 304
Publish Date: May 1, 2012
Publisher: Harper Teen
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Series: The Sweet Trilogy
Goodreads Rating: 4.16 (43,565 ratings)

So I had seen this series around before but honestly, with those covers and my previous lack of experience with fantasy books I had no interest in reading them. Until I read the Lux series by Jennifer L Armentrout. If she loved it enough to mention it in one of her books then it has to be good. And I'll be honest I did enjoy it, the whole concept was a bit different and hard to grasp, but once you get into it it's pretty awesome. But the romance!! I mean come on! It was hot and forbidden, but it was one of those instantaneous infatuation/love...I mean come on he met her once and then they go on a road trip together? Ya son of lust and all but that was just weird. But either way when they started the whole lust or love, love or hate sort of debate it was pretty damn sexy.
Aside from the plot, the corny parts, and the romance, I absolutely loved Anna Whitt. She's so tough and loving, such a total badass southern belle with a whole lot of spunk. 
Over all, I'm not super inclined to immediately read the next installment, mainly because Kaidan and Anna are separated and that just sucks. I mean who wants to read a book when the love interests won't even be together?? But I will get to it eventually.