by John Green
Rating: 4/5
I really enjoyed this book. It's not one I would typically pick up but I'm glad I did. At first, the beginning reminded me of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and I was worried as I didn't think I could stand another book about a whiny teenage boy. After about the first 25 pages however, I was pleasantly surprised.
While following Miles to a boarding school he attended in search of his "Great Perhaps" I found myself laughing with the characters and really starting to like them. It felt like a real group of kids with real troubles and not just a dramatic story. Throughout the story you follow Pudge (Miles) and his group of friends through their story of friendship, love, loss, laughter and their clever school pranks that are guaranteed to crack you up.
More than just their story, the author manages to slip in different religious theories about life and the afterlife. These theories end up meaning a lot to the characters of this story as they try and discover for themselves what it all means for them and their life experiences.
In short, it's good. Just read it.
L-
*****
Rating: 4/5
This is our first book in our 50 state challenge and it was a really great read. We picked this book because there were slim pickings for Alabama available on the Kindle (our preferred reading platform) and it had decent reviews. I wasn't sure about it at first, but was quickly drawn into the story. The author does a great job making you really care about the main character, Miles, a shy, socially awkward teenager who decides to start over by leaving home for boarding school. The pacing of the story is perfect. It is funny and poignant and believable. I'm sure I'll be reading it again in the future.
Warning-Although this is a teen book, it is not a sweet innocent book. There is lots of drinking, some drugs, cigarettes and sex. So if your squeamish about those things, this may not be a book for you.
-K
This book is part of our 50 states reading challenge.
State: Alabama
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Always Wanted
by Sarah Tork
Rating: 4/5
Oh man I'm still laughing! Hard to gather my thoughts....okay, I'm good!
So at first this book reminded me a lot of Sarah's book Young Annabelle. Mostly with the crappy mother and family issues. I also felt like the main character was a little immature at first, but once she was away from her family that seemed to change. As it went on however I found it to get more intriguing. Then it started to feel like any other romance novel, but it never progressed in the 'typical' way one might expect it to. And then the good stuff came...ha! I'm still dying and can't get over the shock of Xander asking for her panties!! It almost seemed like the story would take a weird, almost criminal turn there, then of course it didn't. I loved how they ended up at an exclusive club and everything was very realistic as far as the story was concerned.
I don't even know what else to say. I enjoyed it, it made me laugh so many times! After Xander acting so weird and then normal when drunk and then treating Marisa like some kind of princess which confused her because she's not used to any such treatment...what is there to say? It's a fun filled story and I'm excited to see what happens with Xander and Marisa's relationship in the next part of the story. Especially since it wasn't a "love at first sight" thing. Aside from his dashing good looks, their personalities didn't seem very compatible which made everything more interesting.
Oh and the inner dialogue is fantastic! At one point Marisa said she "felt like a nun in heat" so great. Once you get invested in the characters there's definitely some humor in there. Whether it was intended or not...well who cares.
L-
Rating: 4/5
Oh man I'm still laughing! Hard to gather my thoughts....okay, I'm good!
So at first this book reminded me a lot of Sarah's book Young Annabelle. Mostly with the crappy mother and family issues. I also felt like the main character was a little immature at first, but once she was away from her family that seemed to change. As it went on however I found it to get more intriguing. Then it started to feel like any other romance novel, but it never progressed in the 'typical' way one might expect it to. And then the good stuff came...ha! I'm still dying and can't get over the shock of Xander asking for her panties!! It almost seemed like the story would take a weird, almost criminal turn there, then of course it didn't. I loved how they ended up at an exclusive club and everything was very realistic as far as the story was concerned.
I don't even know what else to say. I enjoyed it, it made me laugh so many times! After Xander acting so weird and then normal when drunk and then treating Marisa like some kind of princess which confused her because she's not used to any such treatment...what is there to say? It's a fun filled story and I'm excited to see what happens with Xander and Marisa's relationship in the next part of the story. Especially since it wasn't a "love at first sight" thing. Aside from his dashing good looks, their personalities didn't seem very compatible which made everything more interesting.
Oh and the inner dialogue is fantastic! At one point Marisa said she "felt like a nun in heat" so great. Once you get invested in the characters there's definitely some humor in there. Whether it was intended or not...well who cares.
L-
A Castle of Sand
by Bella Forrest
Rating: 3/5
Hmm, well I thought maybe the series would get better as it went along but this one dropped slightly for me. Definitely a filler novel and very predictable. I also noticed more fairy tale links in this book. I know in the last one they talk about how Sofia resembles Rose Red or whatever but in this one it seemed like Ms. Forrest was inspired by Beauty and the Beast. She talks a lot about 'choosing the beast over prince charming' and little things here and there of the like.
Picture this and you've pretty much read the book:
Ben is Gaston
Derek the Beast (Prince in disguise)
Sofia the undeniable Beauty (Belle)
Beauty leaves sometimes charming boy to be with the beast who becomes soft hearted whenever she's with him and "changes" him for the best. Whatever that is. Boy pines and tries to win her back and Beauty wins over everyone with her passion for human life. Oh, and of course it wouldn't be right if the Beauty didn't need constant saving, which she inevitably does, but don't worry because her prince is always there just in the knick of time.
Story summed.
L-
Rating: 3/5
Hmm, well I thought maybe the series would get better as it went along but this one dropped slightly for me. Definitely a filler novel and very predictable. I also noticed more fairy tale links in this book. I know in the last one they talk about how Sofia resembles Rose Red or whatever but in this one it seemed like Ms. Forrest was inspired by Beauty and the Beast. She talks a lot about 'choosing the beast over prince charming' and little things here and there of the like.
Picture this and you've pretty much read the book:
Ben is Gaston
Derek the Beast (Prince in disguise)
Sofia the undeniable Beauty (Belle)
Beauty leaves sometimes charming boy to be with the beast who becomes soft hearted whenever she's with him and "changes" him for the best. Whatever that is. Boy pines and tries to win her back and Beauty wins over everyone with her passion for human life. Oh, and of course it wouldn't be right if the Beauty didn't need constant saving, which she inevitably does, but don't worry because her prince is always there just in the knick of time.
Story summed.
L-
A Shade of Blood
by Bella Forrest
Rating: 3.5/5
This one was okay but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first. I think once again, if only we could give half stars, I'd rate it a 3.5. I like hearing the story from different points of view and I think how Ms. Forrest wrote this series is interesting, but it was a little too much for me in this book. To switch who's view you're reading from in the first book was actually kind of nice but in this one it was just too much jumping around. I think I would have liked it better if there were say 3-4 chapters in one person's account before switching to another with some exceptions of course.
As for the story line, it was predictable but still a nice read. Short and still captivating. One thing drove me nuts and that's how the author always likes to use first and last names. This is the second book, I think we know by now that Derek's last name is Novak and Sofia's is Claremont. I understand the need to use both at certain times but it was unnecessarily overused so that definitely got old.
Looking forward to the third novel and I hope it has less chaotic jumping around.
L-
Rating: 3.5/5
This one was okay but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first. I think once again, if only we could give half stars, I'd rate it a 3.5. I like hearing the story from different points of view and I think how Ms. Forrest wrote this series is interesting, but it was a little too much for me in this book. To switch who's view you're reading from in the first book was actually kind of nice but in this one it was just too much jumping around. I think I would have liked it better if there were say 3-4 chapters in one person's account before switching to another with some exceptions of course.
As for the story line, it was predictable but still a nice read. Short and still captivating. One thing drove me nuts and that's how the author always likes to use first and last names. This is the second book, I think we know by now that Derek's last name is Novak and Sofia's is Claremont. I understand the need to use both at certain times but it was unnecessarily overused so that definitely got old.
Looking forward to the third novel and I hope it has less chaotic jumping around.
L-
A Shade of Vampire
by Bella Forrest
Rating: 3.5/5
So this book was interesting and fast paced but kind of short. I would have liked more descriptions along the way and maybe more character development. Definitely could have used more "vampirism" type things, but I really loved how the author switched back and forth with who told the story. If it was all written from one perspective I don't think I would have liked it as much, so that was a good way to keep it exciting and not let it drag. Overall it was pretty good so I'll read the next.
L-
This book is part of our 50 states reading challenge.
State: California
Rating: 3.5/5
So this book was interesting and fast paced but kind of short. I would have liked more descriptions along the way and maybe more character development. Definitely could have used more "vampirism" type things, but I really loved how the author switched back and forth with who told the story. If it was all written from one perspective I don't think I would have liked it as much, so that was a good way to keep it exciting and not let it drag. Overall it was pretty good so I'll read the next.
L-
This book is part of our 50 states reading challenge.
State: California
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
Rating: 2/5
Rating: 2/5
| What do I think? Well I'll tell you. I was way too excited to read this book just to find out it's crap. The only reason I gave it two stars is because I think the story had potential to be good and I liked the idea, but it was just bad. There were times when I wanted to like Charlie, I really did, but then he started crying. Where to begin... Well first of all for a fifteen year old boy who is supposedly a good reader and wants to write for a profession, he can't write at all. I've never seen so many repetitive and incomplete sentences in my life! I know he has issues or whatever but the crying was killing me. For a teenager, even an overly emotional one, he cried an awful lot about absolutely nothing. I swear almost every paragraph described how he was sad or crying or how someone else was sad or crying. I just don't think Chbosky did a good job portraying a boy at that age no matter what his problems were. I already touched on how the writing "style" if you will was repetitive and crappy but let me add that it was also inaccurate. This story was of a teenage boy in 1991 and yet the author keeps writing about playing records. I know people still have them and use them but they started to not be popular in the 1980's and CD's were more mainstream. I also recognize that many people like to collect them and some bands put out new ones just for the sake of keeping it alive but what high school kid in '91 plays vinyl and makes mixed tapes still? I certainly didn't. Then he kept writing about the "neighborhood" and his parents like they were out of an old sitcom or something and I had to keep reminding myself that his mom doesn't walk around the house in an apron with perfect hair and they live in a modern world not too far off from our current day, aside from political views. It was just dumb. Like I said, I wanted to like it but the author turned it into crap. It had potential but does that really count in the end? I barely made it through the whole book and almost ditched it several times. Honestly, I only finished it because I paid for it. So if you like crap, read this book! L- |
The Tempest
by William Shakespeare
Rating: 2/5
Ugh, I'll admit that I do enjoy a few of Shakespeare's works but I thought I'd die before I finished this one. It was...okay and no more than that. Mostly I don't like how everyone's name sounds the same, it's so confusing and the story to me was just kind of silly and not worth telling.
CAUTION: Read at own risk...of boredom that is.
L-
Rating: 2/5
Ugh, I'll admit that I do enjoy a few of Shakespeare's works but I thought I'd die before I finished this one. It was...okay and no more than that. Mostly I don't like how everyone's name sounds the same, it's so confusing and the story to me was just kind of silly and not worth telling.
CAUTION: Read at own risk...of boredom that is.
L-
Young Annabelle
by Sarah Tork
Rating: 4/5
First of all I have to say I enjoyed this book even though it's not one I would usually read. Mostly because I think it's more relatable to teens because of the main character's perspective. However, I could also see some adults reading it to better understand their teens at home as you really get an understanding of how Annabelle is feeling and why she acts certain ways to things.
Annabelle's character is a realistic teenager with normal problems and in my opinion very relatable. Poor Annabelle is pressured by her parents to lose weight after they put down her spirits time and time again by telling her how fat she is. The worse part is how they get her siblings to say the same and think it's okay to treat people the way they do. Even though they seem to think their intentions are good, all the good they really end up doing in the end is kicking her while she's down. Needless to say the strict diet plan her mother happily carries out doesn't help anyone.
So with Annabelle's life being complicated and unhappy she of course has a great best friend, Jenna, who is always there for her. I kind of wished Jenna was around more in the book as she lifted up the depression at times, but I understand why she wasn't. You wouldn't be able to truly know how Annabelle is feeling if Jenna kept popping up to fix everything.
Then of course enters a boy, James...aka "Tiger." I love the nicknames by the way. They add a touch of playfulness and are used mostly in tender moments. I thought this character was perfect! At first I felt what Annabelle did about him, he was such a jerk! But then as I kept reading I realized, he's just a teenage boy and is acting like one. He wasn't really a jerk, deep inside he was very sweet which showed at certain moments and I started to think maybe the jerk side was only coming out at times when Annabelle would react badly to something he said and it was his way of acting defensive. Basically, his sometimes bad attitude was a result of a normal teenage relationship and many misunderstandings. Another part of it is that Annabelle seems to be caught so deeply into her parents perspective of her that she starts believing it herself and doesn't think James really likes her because she's not likable. If only she knew...maybe she'll find out in the next book just how beautiful and special she is!
Okay, so the reason this book got 4/5 stars is for one reason that kind of drove me a little crazy. The jumps in time were killing me! I understand that every good story has flash backs and jumps between past and present times at some point in the book, but it was a little much for me. First of all we were jumping days, weeks and months at times and it was confusing. It usually took me a few pages into each chapter to realize where the current chapter fit into the overall timeline. And that's saying something as I tend to have great attention to detail and am very good and keeping the storyline straight in my head. The author did put dates at the appropriate times to let you know where you were in the story, but let's be honest, I don't know about everyone else but I don't often remember dates at the beginning of chapters very well when they appear as often as journal entries.
Other than my one issue, I really liked this book. Not only do I think this will be a beneficial novel to many teens and adults but I was also able to relate to it which made it all the more better. You don't have to have a weight problem to read this kind of book, it's more about the overall cause and effect of the teen/parent relationship and how things are handled. And of course accepting people for who they are. I related because I grew up in a strict household with high expectations that were not always the ones I wanted for myself and my parents didn't care about that, it was all about what they wanted for me. With the good intentions but poor communication and many misunderstandings, I ended up feeling a lot like Annabelle did at times and reading this book brought back those feelings and memories. So I would encourage anyone and everyone to read this book. I think there will be something for everyone to take and learn from Annabelle's story.
Sorry for the novel...sometimes I get carried away.
L-
Rating: 4/5
First of all I have to say I enjoyed this book even though it's not one I would usually read. Mostly because I think it's more relatable to teens because of the main character's perspective. However, I could also see some adults reading it to better understand their teens at home as you really get an understanding of how Annabelle is feeling and why she acts certain ways to things.
Annabelle's character is a realistic teenager with normal problems and in my opinion very relatable. Poor Annabelle is pressured by her parents to lose weight after they put down her spirits time and time again by telling her how fat she is. The worse part is how they get her siblings to say the same and think it's okay to treat people the way they do. Even though they seem to think their intentions are good, all the good they really end up doing in the end is kicking her while she's down. Needless to say the strict diet plan her mother happily carries out doesn't help anyone.
So with Annabelle's life being complicated and unhappy she of course has a great best friend, Jenna, who is always there for her. I kind of wished Jenna was around more in the book as she lifted up the depression at times, but I understand why she wasn't. You wouldn't be able to truly know how Annabelle is feeling if Jenna kept popping up to fix everything.
Then of course enters a boy, James...aka "Tiger." I love the nicknames by the way. They add a touch of playfulness and are used mostly in tender moments. I thought this character was perfect! At first I felt what Annabelle did about him, he was such a jerk! But then as I kept reading I realized, he's just a teenage boy and is acting like one. He wasn't really a jerk, deep inside he was very sweet which showed at certain moments and I started to think maybe the jerk side was only coming out at times when Annabelle would react badly to something he said and it was his way of acting defensive. Basically, his sometimes bad attitude was a result of a normal teenage relationship and many misunderstandings. Another part of it is that Annabelle seems to be caught so deeply into her parents perspective of her that she starts believing it herself and doesn't think James really likes her because she's not likable. If only she knew...maybe she'll find out in the next book just how beautiful and special she is!
Okay, so the reason this book got 4/5 stars is for one reason that kind of drove me a little crazy. The jumps in time were killing me! I understand that every good story has flash backs and jumps between past and present times at some point in the book, but it was a little much for me. First of all we were jumping days, weeks and months at times and it was confusing. It usually took me a few pages into each chapter to realize where the current chapter fit into the overall timeline. And that's saying something as I tend to have great attention to detail and am very good and keeping the storyline straight in my head. The author did put dates at the appropriate times to let you know where you were in the story, but let's be honest, I don't know about everyone else but I don't often remember dates at the beginning of chapters very well when they appear as often as journal entries.
Other than my one issue, I really liked this book. Not only do I think this will be a beneficial novel to many teens and adults but I was also able to relate to it which made it all the more better. You don't have to have a weight problem to read this kind of book, it's more about the overall cause and effect of the teen/parent relationship and how things are handled. And of course accepting people for who they are. I related because I grew up in a strict household with high expectations that were not always the ones I wanted for myself and my parents didn't care about that, it was all about what they wanted for me. With the good intentions but poor communication and many misunderstandings, I ended up feeling a lot like Annabelle did at times and reading this book brought back those feelings and memories. So I would encourage anyone and everyone to read this book. I think there will be something for everyone to take and learn from Annabelle's story.
Sorry for the novel...sometimes I get carried away.
L-
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Flight Behavior
By: Barbara Kingsolver
I've never read a Barbara Kingsolver book I didn't love, and this one is no exception. Flight Behavior is set in southern Appalachia where Dellarobia Turnbow, a young stay-at home mother is just trying to make it through each day and keep it together. When she stumbles upon a forest valley impossibly filled with millions of Monarch butterflies it is the catalyst for her to open up her life. Barbara Kingsolver does a masterful job of commenting on global warming in this book without sounding preachy. Her characters are very real her writing is amazing.I completely recommend this book!- K
Broken Silence
by Natasha Preston
Rating: 4/5
After following Oakley's tragic story in Silence, we're brought to face many obstacles in this book. First of all the trial and then her ever looming "relationship" with Cole. And of course thrown into the mix is her emotional healing and trying to move on as best she can. All the encounters with Cole were...frustrating. It was written perfectly as far as fixing their friendship goes, but seriously? I was about to combust a couple of times while being in Cole's head. Cold shower anyone?
Anyway, this book's not quite as compelling as the first but it's still exciting to read about how everything turns out for them and is the perfect companion novel. I found the big picture things predictable but the details were great so it didn't matter. I loved how she continued changing who told the story and kept everything at a fast pace.
Ms. Preston really managed to wrap things up well with Broken Silence. I don't know what else to say. Just read it!
L-
Rating: 4/5
After following Oakley's tragic story in Silence, we're brought to face many obstacles in this book. First of all the trial and then her ever looming "relationship" with Cole. And of course thrown into the mix is her emotional healing and trying to move on as best she can. All the encounters with Cole were...frustrating. It was written perfectly as far as fixing their friendship goes, but seriously? I was about to combust a couple of times while being in Cole's head. Cold shower anyone?
Anyway, this book's not quite as compelling as the first but it's still exciting to read about how everything turns out for them and is the perfect companion novel. I found the big picture things predictable but the details were great so it didn't matter. I loved how she continued changing who told the story and kept everything at a fast pace.
Ms. Preston really managed to wrap things up well with Broken Silence. I don't know what else to say. Just read it!
L-
Silence
by Natasha Preston
Rating: 4/5
This is a great indie book!
Ms. Preston did a wonderful job with this story and I enjoyed it immensely. What I didn't enjoy was that while it's really great that she self-published, she really needed an editor or maybe just more close friends helping her proof read. There were many instances where she flipped words around or used the wrong tenses. At first I was enjoying the story so much I didn't care, but as I read on it become increasingly annoying.
So, back to the story. This is a powerful tale about a girl who doesn't speak for eleven years and how she overcomes her fears. She's scared, broken and has lost the trust of someone important to her. Not feeling like she could ever tell her tale out of fear, her family pushes her to "get better" as if she's broken. The only one who doesn't try to fix her is her best friend. I just have to say that for a teenager Cole is a rarity. He's so incredibly endearing toward Oakley. He accepts and loves her for who she is and becomes her rock in the story. She's also close with her brother, who I think made me laugh more than I have in a long time. Every once in a while I had to look up some of the British slang used but it just made it so much better.
If you're wondering if you should give this book a try, do! You're sure to get lost in this compelling story and be moved by the ending.
Ms. Preston's next book in this two part series is Broken Silence.
Happy reading!
L-
Rating: 4/5
This is a great indie book!
Ms. Preston did a wonderful job with this story and I enjoyed it immensely. What I didn't enjoy was that while it's really great that she self-published, she really needed an editor or maybe just more close friends helping her proof read. There were many instances where she flipped words around or used the wrong tenses. At first I was enjoying the story so much I didn't care, but as I read on it become increasingly annoying.
So, back to the story. This is a powerful tale about a girl who doesn't speak for eleven years and how she overcomes her fears. She's scared, broken and has lost the trust of someone important to her. Not feeling like she could ever tell her tale out of fear, her family pushes her to "get better" as if she's broken. The only one who doesn't try to fix her is her best friend. I just have to say that for a teenager Cole is a rarity. He's so incredibly endearing toward Oakley. He accepts and loves her for who she is and becomes her rock in the story. She's also close with her brother, who I think made me laugh more than I have in a long time. Every once in a while I had to look up some of the British slang used but it just made it so much better.
If you're wondering if you should give this book a try, do! You're sure to get lost in this compelling story and be moved by the ending.
Ms. Preston's next book in this two part series is Broken Silence.
Happy reading!
L-
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Welcome to Who Picked This Book?
These honest book reviews are brought to you by the Book Bitches.
We'll post reviews for all books that we read and even have challenges that you can participate in with us.
Stay tuned,
The Book Bitches
We'll post reviews for all books that we read and even have challenges that you can participate in with us.
Stay tuned,
The Book Bitches
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