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11/06/2016

Stacking The Shelves - 3


Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where bloggers share what books they got throughout the week!



Reviewed:


This week I finished 3 books on the day I wrote the last Stacking The Shelves. I finished Santorini Sunset by Anita Hughes and wrote the review. I also read The New Guy (And Other Senior Year Distractions) by Amy Spalding. Review Pending! As well as Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell




As For Update:


All The Bright Places has been going slow. I think I read like five or ten pages. With We Are Still Tornadoes by Michael Kun & Susan Mullen I've done 42 pages and I really like it so far.
I did try to start another of the books that I borrowed, A Week of Monday by Jessica Brody. And I'm 81 pages in so far and I'm liking it too. 


(Click on the covers to visit their individual goodreads)







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11/02/2016

Santorini Sunsets by Anita Hughes | Book Review

Book Review:
Santorini Sunsets by Anita Hughes

Spoilers?
Yes!

Title - Santorini Sunsets By - Anita Hughes
Publication - August 2nd 2016 by St. Martin's Griffin
Format - Paperback, 304 pages
Genre - Chick Lit, Romance

The seventh intoxicating love story by Anita Hughes, set in beautiful Santorini, Greece. When a Hollywood superstar and a NYC society girl fall in love, sparks fly and secrets are revealed.
Brigit Palmer is thrilled to be on the Greek Island of Santorini. She's here for her wedding to Hollywood heart-throb Blake Crawford, one of America's most eligible bachelors. Brigit's parents have rented a villa, and soon guests will arrive from all over the world for the intimate ceremony.
Brigit is a New York socialite, and she's just given up her position at a Manhattan law firm to run her father's philanthropic foundation. Things are finally falling into place. Love, career, family. Everything is going so well...until she steps into the garden and sees her ex-husband Nathaniel hiding in the rose bushes. 
Nathaniel, a failed novelist, announces that Blake sold the rights to the wedding to HELLO! Magazine for two million dollars (donated to charity), and he is the reporter assigned to write the story. Everyone expects Brigit to have her happily ever after, including her mother who taught her how to lead the perfect lifestyle, her younger sister Daisy who impatiently wishes for her own love story, and of course, her fiancé. Things are supposed to work out for them. But when Brigit discovers an unsettling secret about Blake, she questions everything she's ever believed about love, and wonders if she's better off alone.
Told in Anita Hughes' spectacularly descriptive prose, SANTORINI SUNSETS is a story about family bonds, first loves, and the question of when to let go and when to hang on as tight as you can. 


The Rating :


My Review:

My review in a gif. Which equals 3 stars.
Okay. I feel like I have to give my reason for this gif. And its that there were some dramatic moments when I was just sitting there being like "I knew this was going to happen". So it makes sense.

The Cover:
Although they say never judge a book by it's cover I believe the cover should represent what the book is going to be like or at least some aspect of it.
This cover is very pretty with the gradient in the background and the hills of Santorini but the model made it creepy. She looked like she was possessed or something. I don't know, I guess I would have preferred her to hut be standing there looking at the sunset instead of posing like she was at a high fashion photography session.


The Story:
I did not relate to this story many of the characters. Not one bit. 
Truthfully, I just thought that it was too pretentious. All the characters were rich or knew what it was like, or they were famous actors and that is unknown to me.So when in the story they would mention brand names, or other places I was reading and being totally clueless which made me hate the story. But of course I did like some things about this book.


Relationships:
This book had a bunch of relationships both in family and in couples.

Bridgit X Blake. 
I knew from the beginning that their relationship was either not going to end up in marriage or they were going to end up resenting each other or something similar. I could tell that they did like each other but in a surface kind or way.I mean, that they didn't really know each other. She only ever said when someone asked that he was a smart, handsome and charitable man. She never said that he liked certain things, or hated certain things. She probably didn't know if he was allergic to anything. And he didn't know anything about her either. For him he loved her because she was beautiful blond with blue eyes that was smart and belonged to the “New York Society”. Whatever that means. 

Brigit x Nathaniel
They knew each other since they were kinds, that alone makes them a better match than her and Blake. They shared history, they knew what the other liked or hated. And yes they did get married and then divorce but it was because they were too young when they got married. They needed to learn and grow up in order to understand the other. And they did and they still loved each other in the end.  

Daisy x Robbie
They were the only coupe I actually rooted for during the entire story. I wanted them to be together and be happy. Daisy is such an amazing person but she's too concerned with being an equal to Brigit, who was an attorney and about to marry an famous, handsome actor. She was talented and creative in many ways that made her and Robbie perfect for each other. He was a photographer and she was a pastry chef turned fashion designer.


Family Dynamics:
As for Bridgit and Daisie’s parents, Sydney and Francis
They had their issues which were the lack of communication. After years of marriage they forgot that if they didn't say the important things than the other might feel alienated or even not loved. And that is what happened to them. Not to mention the affair Sydney had and Francic always being at work, or traveling and him not telling her that they might lose the house they had in Summerhill. All of that created a time bomb but they talked and worked it out.


Settings:
This book was filled with descriptions of Santorini and other settings. Making it easy to picture the scenery and the flowers. It was beautifully described and it made me want to be there. See the flowers and the blue waters, the architecture and especially eat the food. 


Overall:
I enjoyed reading this book . The way it was written was beautiful. Full of descriptions of the settings and the people and it was a quick read for me. I think I would have finished it much sooner if it was not or the loads homework I had to do this past two weeks. The last 100 and a half pages I read in two sittings. I had made a rule of giving myself an hour to read whenever I wasn't doing anything and it helped a lot.  

The only thing I didn't like about this story was, like I mentioned earlier in this review, that I did not find myself feeling attached tote characters. I actually came to dislike them at times. Whenever they talked about money and clothes and they many houses they owned I just felt horrible. But I guess the whole point of this book is to be an easy beach read and to make you fantasize of being in these characters shoes. It's just that for me, personally,  it didn't do that. 

A to will I re-read this book again?
 Probably, probably not. I don't know I guess it depends on my mood or whether it's been a long time since I first read it. 

Will I read other books by Anita Hughes?
 Definitely. I loved her writing and the way she made the paces and the character come to life.

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11/01/2016

My True Love Gave To Me by Stephanie Perkins | Book Review

Book Review:
My True Love Gave To Me by Stephanie Perkins

Spoilers?
No.


Title - My True Love Gave To Me  
Edited by - Stephanie Perkins
Authors - Holly Black, Ally Carter, Matt de la Pena, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Myra McEntire, Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor, Kiersten White

Publication - October 14th 2014 by St. Martin’s Press
Format - Hardcover, 321 pages
Genre - Young Adult, Short Stories, Contemporary, Romance


If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. Whether you enjoy celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or New Year's there's something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love. 


The Rating :





My Review:

My review in a gif. Which equals 4 stars.



The Cover:
Although they say never judge a book by it's cover I believe the cover should represent what the book is going to be like or at least some aspect of it.
With this cover it’s easy to love it and just buy it because it's beautiful. Well, that and the fact that's it's by a group of very talented writers. You could also see the couples of each short story skating in the frozen lake.


The Short Stories:
I prefer to do separate reviews of each short story then an overall review.

"Midnights" by Rainbow Rowell > 5 stars.
I was so in love with Midnights that I legit cried more than once. I identified so much with the main character without knowing it. It was so fluffy and adorable.



"The Lady and the Fox" by Kelly Link > 2 stars.
Although I did like this story I found it hard to finish and it was confusing  in some parts. And after reading Midnights which was really good it just didn't fit.



"Angels in the Snow" by Matt de la Peña > 4 stars.
I really liked it! it was so adorable and there were kitties and the guys name was Shy. I enjoyed this story.


"It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown" by Stephanie Perkins > 5 stars
One of my favorites from this book. I adored the connection the characters had. Loved their names, Marigold and North. Beautiful!


"Polaris is where you'll find me" by Jenny Han > 5 stars
I really, really loved this one. I kinda want this to be a book on its own with more to it.


"Your Temporary Santa" by David Levithan > 3 stars
It was cute and I could tell they really liked each other but for some reason I didn't quite like it. There were parts that just didn't get to me like they should have, I don't know.


"Krampuslauf" by Holly Black > 3.5 stars
Very interesting but I got lost a few times and the ending confused me. Still it was fun to read.



"What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth?" by Gayle Forman >  2 stars
 I couldn't connect with the characters. The writing was beautiful, but I just didn't like Sophie.


"Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus" by Myra Mcentire > 4.5 stars
I love this story! It was so cute and funny. The characters were adorable. It felt like something that I would gladly watch on tv or something similar.


"Welcome to Christmas, CA" by Kiersten White > 4 stars
Just like Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus this one felt like it could be a movie, but this one gave me a Hallmark movie type of feel. The guy was perfect partly because he could make good food. 


"Star of Bethlehem" by Ally Carter > 4 stars
I wish this story was longer because I actually liked it. It was heart warming and the family in this was loving. I liked this one too.



"The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor > 3 stars.
This one kinda didn't fit in with the others but I liked it. It was a bit weird in someparts but yeah. It was magical and the ending was something different. Okay, so I'm still confused about the whole thing.


Overall Review:

It was a fun book to read. I took my time reading each story. Like some took me longer than others but with homework and stuff it made sense. The cover was adorable depicting all the couples skating.I loved it.

I would like to say that my favorite stories were:
"Midnights" by Rainbow Rowell
"It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown" by Stephanie Perkins
"Polaris is where you'll find me" by Jenny Han
"Star of Bethlehem" by Ally Carter
"Welcome to Christmas, CA" by Kiersten White





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10/30/2016

Stacking The Shelves - 2


Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where bloggers share what books they got throughout the week!


So this week I only got one book in the mail. I've also been busy wit exams and my blog, but I've managed to fit in some reading tie. I've started giving myself an hour just to read. Like, I actually use a timer and everything and it's been helping me a lot.


For Review:


This week I got a book from the lovely publishers over at St Martins Press. It is a Christmas book called Oliver, the Cat Who Saved Christmas by Sheila Norton. It is from the point of view of Oliver himself. I mean, if that doesn't sound cute then what does, right? Here are the links to the photo I took of the book on my instagram.


As for Update:
This week, much like last week is homework and studying for test, driven. But by giving myself an hour just to read I've managed to get a bit of reading done.
I have just the other night finished reading Santorini Sunset by Anita Hughes. Which was sent to me for review. I will definitely do a review of it in the near future.

I've also read a bit more of The New Guy (and Other Senior Year Distractions) by Amy Spalding. I’m on page 154.
And also All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. With 70 pages.
Then as soon as I finished Santorini Sunset I decided to pick Kindred Spirit by Rainbow Rowell up and finished it an hour or so later. I will also review this in the future.  Because it was a short book and I managed to finished it in one sitting. I was quite proud of myself for finishing two books in one night. This is also one of those books my friend has lend me.

(Click on the covers to visit their individual goodreads)












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10/28/2016

Blog Tour | We Are Still Tornadoes by Michael Kun & Susan Mullen -Excerpt-


Today I have the honor to be a part of We Are Still Tornadoes by Michael Kun & Susan Mullen Blog Tour. Which will be on the shelves on the November 1st.
So please read this, and I hope it gets you excited for the release of this book as I am honestly.


We Are Still Tornadoes
by Michael Kun & Susan Mullen
Expected publication: November 1st 2016 by St. Martin's Griffin
352 pages
Click to get more info + extras >> Griffin Teen
Growing up across the street from each other, Scott and Cath have been best friends their entire lives. Cath would help Scott with his English homework, he would make her mix tapes (it's the 80's after all), and any fight they had would be forgotten over TV and cookies. But now they've graduated high school and Cath is off to college while Scott is at home pursuing his musical dreams.

During their first year apart, Scott and Cath's letters help them understand heartache, annoying roommates, family drama and the pressure to figure out what to do with the rest of their lives. And through it all, they realize that the only person they want to turn to is each other. But does that mean they should be more than friends? The only thing that's clear is that change is an inescapable part of growing up. And the friends who help us navigate it share an unshakable bond.

This funny yet deeply moving book--set to an awesome 80's soundtrack--captures all the beautiful confusion and emotional intensity we find on the verge of adulthood...and first love.


-Authors Info-
MICHAEL KUN lives in Los Angeles, California, with his wife Amy and their daughter Paige. He is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University and the University Of Virginia School Of Law. He is a partner in Epstein Becker & Green, P.C., specializing in labor and employment law. He is the author of The Locklear Letters and You Poor Monster, among other works of fiction and non-fiction.

We Are Still Tornadoes is SUSAN MULLEN’S first novel and first collaboration with Michael.  She is a graduate of Duke University, where she studied English literature, and the University Of Virginia School Of Law.  She practices law and lives in Northern Virginia.  Sue has been married to her law school classmate Kevin Mullen for 25 years, and they have two daughters.




-Excerpt-


SEPTEMBER



AGEE’S MEN’S CLOTHING

Where Men and Boys Shop

EAST BLOOMFIELD, MARYLAND

September 2, 1982

Dear Cath,

I’m appauled that you would accuse me of going through your panties when I left that heartwarming note in your suitcase. Appauled, I tell you. (Did I spell “appauled” correctly? If not, please correct it for me.) Just so we’re clear, are you talking about the yellow bikini ones with the stars on the hip that were packed right beneath your running shoes? Or the light blue bikini ones with the white polka dots? Or the hot pink ones? Or the orange-and-red ones? Or that really big beige pair that you must have stolen from your grandmother?

Seriously, though, your stupid dog knocked over the entire suitcase when I was trying to stick the note inside. I had to scramble to put everything back into the suitcase. And that’s the story I’ll tell the police!



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10/23/2016

Stacking The Shelves - 1


Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where bloggers share what books they got throughout the week!


Okay, so I follow this really cool girl, Jessica from Peace Love Books, and she has been doing these weekly posts where she talks about the books she has gotten during that week and some update on her reading and I wanted to do something like that. I found out that it's some meme that a book blog created, Tynga's Reviews. And decided why not try it out and share my somewhat weekly book hauls and update you on my readings and stuff. It will be fun.


For Review:

I first got How to Keep A Boy From Kissing You in the mail a couple of days back and when I saw it I was so excited. I wanted to just forget everything and read it but of course I have two exams to study for and lots of homework to go through to I couldn't read it this week. Then I got We Are Still Tornadoes like three or so days ago and quickly posted a photo of the unopened packages on my instagram and  as soon as I got home I opened it to see the beautiful blue and yellow cover. And Again I wanted to read it but that'll wait until next week, preferably on tuesday.



As for Update:


This week, even though it has been jam packed with homework, I have managed to sneak in tiny slivers of book reading. I’ve managed to update my reading in Santorini Sunsets by Anita Hughes. Which was sent to me for review. I'm in page 69 which is really good for just starting it three days ago and the fact that I've only managed a few minutes of reading.
I’ve also read some of the book I borrowed from a friend; The New Guy (and Other Senior Year Distractions) by Amy Spalding. I’m on page 142. And I have to say I'm really liking this book, yeah there are some boring bits and it's predictable but I like it.


(Click on the covers to visit their individual goodreads)






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What Happens Now by Jennifer Castle | Book Review

Book Review:
What Happens Now by 

Spoilers?
Yes!!


Title - What Happens Now
Authors - Jennifer Castle

Publication - June 7th 2016 by HarperTeen
Format - Hardcover, 384 pages
Genre - Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Mental Illness Source - borrowed

"I know what it is to want something so badly, you feel like your cells aren’t properly bonded together without it. I also know what it’s like to get that something. And honestly, I’m still not sure which is worse..." Ari Logan is battling to win her war against depression and the dark night she hurt herself on purpose. It’s not easy: her best friend is drifting away, her mom’s emotionally checked out, and she spends her days playing caregiver to her handful of a half-sister, Danielle. But it’s summer, and anything is possible... That’s when Camden Armstrong steps onto the beach of Ari’s local swimming lake. At first, Ari quietly longs for Camden from afar, seeing in him everything she wants to be. When the two discover a true connection the following summer, Ari lets herself fall not just for the quirky and self-assured Camden but also his friends, tumbling into their world of independence, adventure, and shared sci-fi fandom. As Ari’s romantic dreams come true, she must unlock the mysteries of the very real and troubled boy behind her infatuation, while also struggling with her own demons, obligations, and loyalties.

The Rating :


My Review:

My review in a gif. Which equals 4 stars.





The Cover:
I want to start reviewing the covers as well. Because although they say never judge a book by its cover I believe the cover should represent what the bool is going to be like or at least some aspect of it.
As for this particular cover, I think it was perfect. It's a scene that looks like it was made out of clay and it is of the lake and Ari and Camden on the dock. I love it.


The Story:
The first half of this book, the half  were Ari is infatuated with Camden, this half was perfect.
The way she talked about her feelings for him, and how she just described how she felt was so relatable. How to her, he wasn't just a crush, he was Camden. He was the Possible.

After they did get together as a couple it didn't have the same flame. Yes, I was happy for her but then it was just all too boring, too normal.


Relationships:
This book had a bunch of relationships both in family and in couples.
Like Ari x Camden. Eliza x Max. Kendall x James (though they didn't get together, it did hint at something). Then the families. Like Ari and her family. And how her little sister was more of a daughter. And how Camden could never say no to his mom. Then there was the way the  friendship between Camden, Eliza and Max was a sort of mess. They were friends, but also Eliza used to date Camden, and now she's with Max.


Family Dynamics:
Ari's Family. The whole problem with Ari's family was that her mother was always away working. And even if Ari had an awesome step dad, Richard, who was kind to them both. She still had to take care of thing around the house and be a big sister/mom to her little sis, Danielle (Dani), who was so adorable and cute and smart. 

During the whole book I was so hoping that they would just sit down and settle things. Tell each other what they feel and figure things out because the lack of communication between them was ruining their family. I was glad they settled things in the end.

As for Camden and his family. Well, he never knew his dad, and I don't think even his mom knew who he was. His mom was always traveling, moving them around. Even if this created a unique bond between them of understanding and love, it also made it hard for Camden to feel like he belonged anywhere. Which made him think of Eliza and Max as his family. And that later on in the story created a conflict between them and Ari.


Settings:
I adored the lake. During the time when I was reading this I just wished there was a place like that in my town because the heat was so unbearable. Sadly there is no such thing. But I still, imagined what it would be like and that was fun. And then there was the hidden waterfall place that was also awesome.

I also liked Millie's. I just wanted it to exist near me so I could visit and shop for materials and such.

I think another place that I liked, and this is weird, but I secretly wanted to go to Camden's house, and go to is room to see the skylight, because I thought that was just so cool. 


Overall:
I liked it! I truly liked how real the characters were. Specially Ari and her family because those things actually happen. How raw it was too. Because it did talk about depression and self-harm, and tough stuff that happen in families that could scar you for the rest of your life.

I want to say that I liked the ending and even though I didn't want it to happen, the way it did happen was lovely and adorable. And also just before that was way adorable and made me feel happy for the family.

I also liked the whole Silver Arrow ting. how they got together and got dressed up to go to the con and take photos in costume. Viva la Nerd!

The weird thing was that if you're a fan of something for so long how do you not look them up on your computer or sneak out to the library and search for all things Silver Arrow and know about conventions and cosplaying or even fangirling. That to me was weird because the first thing I do when I like something is to find out more about it.




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9/26/2016

Insanity by Cameron Jace | Book Review

Book Review:
Insanity by Cameron Jace

I haven't been writing much here on this blog or on my social media because I took a book reading break, I didn't read much, and recently my classes started again, or I didn't have much time or energy to talk about books. But in between I would read a few pages here, and there of this wonderful book about a retelling of Alice in Wonderland and I have just finished it and thought I should start blogging again wit this review.



Title - Insanity  
Author - Cameron Jace

Publication - December 19th 2013 by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Format - Paperback, 254 pages
Genre - Young Adult, Fantasy, Horror, Retelling, Mystery
Source - Borrowed
After accidentally killing everyone in her class, Alice Wonder is now a patient in the Radcliffe Lunatic Asylum. No one doubts her insanity. Only a hookah-smoking professor believes otherwise; that he can prove her sanity by decoding Lewis Carroll's paintings, photographs, and find Wonderland's real whereabouts. Professor Caterpillar persuades the asylum that Alice can save lives and catch the wonderland monsters now reincarnated in modern day criminals. In order to do so, Alice leads a double life: an Oxford university student by day, a mad girl in an asylum by night. The line between sanity and insanity thins when she meets Jack Diamond, an arrogant college student who believes that nonsense is an actual science.

My Review:
First of all, the whole reason I started reading this book was because I was looking at it and telling my friend I had read Alice in Wonderland and hours later when I left it got throw it at me, so I took it home with me. 



from tumblr

Reading it I did got confusing at the beginning but I got back on track immediately. I quickly knew who was supposed to be who and started getting the references. Like Alice’s flower is supposed to represent the talking flowers like in the movies and Pillar and his hookah addiction. It was really fun reading it.
I think that I hadn't been on a break from book reading I would have read it all in under a week but it took me months because I didn't want to get stressed of the headaches I was getting because I felt like I was obligated to finish the books I was reading fast and that wasn't healthy. So I would read this book five of ten pages at a time, which was much better.

I loved the characters, especially this version of Alice. She was very interesting because she was going tough the trauma of thinking she killed her classmates, and boyfriend and being in an Asylum, going through electroshock and stuff. 
I think I would have loved to be able to keep it but sadly it was not mine. But my friend said they might give me the second one to borrow, since this is a series.

All in all, I think I would keep reading the other books in the series and maybe someday I would like to have them in my collection but for now I'll just borrow them.

Get a copy at:
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Rating








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