Listen up folks! Grab some snacks and refreshments, pull up a chair, and get comfy because I’m about to gush.
This story was intricate, clever, engrossing, and beautifully written. I’m sitting here at my keyboard having an extremely hard time coming up with the right words to do this book justice. I’m hesitant to even label this books as “young adult” fantasy because it’s so much more than that. I adored this book. Continue reading
Spring has finally sprung, friends! And to celebrate this momentous occasion (and fuel our anticipation for summer), I thought I would recommend a couple of my favourite short, summery reads. Continue reading
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Published by: Scholastic Press
Publish Date: September 18th 2012
Paperback, 408 pages
My Rating: ★★★★✩
There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve, Blue. Either you’re his true love…or you killed him.
Every year, in late April, Blue Sargent accompanies her clairvoyant mother, Maura, to a churchyard where they watch the soon-to-be-dead walk past. Usually it’s just her mother that sees the spirits of people who will die within the next twelve months, but this year, Blue herself sees a spirit of a boy. Continue reading
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Published by: Bloomsbury
Publish Date: May 7, 2013
Paperback, 404 pages
My rating: ★★★✩✩
Oh dear, oh dear. This book was painfully mediocre. After reading Maas’ other series, A Court of Thorn and Roses, and hearing all the hype from booktubers, fellow bloggers and friends, I thought this book would be… more. I’m sorry Ms. Maas, but this story fell woefully short of my expectations. Continue reading
I promise I don’t buy this many books every month.
I’m not a big poetry fan, but this book has gotten so popular that I thought I would check and see what all the hype is about. I’ve read a couple of pages and it seems pretty heavy… (not that’s necessarily a bad thing!) What did you guys think?
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
No, I have not read The Catcher in the Rye. And yes, I know it’s embarrassing. So many people have been telling me how great this book is and how I should read it. Well. Now I’ve bought it. That’s the first step right? Now I just have to find the time (and motivation to read it).
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Part of the movie adaptation of this book was filmed at my high school! I’ve also heard good things.
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
I read this one in high school and immediately became obsessed. This book is the epitome of beautiful books. I have so so so much love for this book. I honestly don’t know why I’m only buying by own copy of it now.
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
I really want to be an Isabel Allende fan… But I can’t if I’ve only read one of her books, right?
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
This is the third book in the series. I do not own, nor have I read any of the other books. But it was $2.50 at the thrift store and I hope to purchase the whole series eventually, so why not right?
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Just finished reading this one! You can check out my review here.
And I Darken by Kiersten White
Oh baby. I have heard so many good things about this book. I am hella excited to read this one. The protagonist sounds totally badass. Also let’s talk about that cover though… 100%.
Toodles,
Rebecca xx
Genre: Contemporary, Humor, Chick-Lit
Published by: Harper Collins
Publish Date: May 21, 2013
Paperback, 329 pages
My Rating: ★★★★✩
‘But I’m not good at understanding what other people want.’
‘Tell me something I don’t know,’ said Rosie for no obvious reason.
I quickly searched my mind for an interesting fact.
‘Ahhh…The testicles of drone bees and wasp spiders explode during sex.’
HAHA. This book was so charming. I laughed out loud on so many occasions.
I know, I know. I totally missed the bandwagon on this one. The book was originally published back in 2013 but I recently picked it up at the thrift store, read the back and was like, “why not?” I’m actually surprised how much I enjoyed this light-hearted story.
Our protagonist, Don Tillman, is a quirky genetics professor with a brilliant scientific mind, but is often confounded by social situations. Aged 39, Don embarks upon The Wife Project: a sixteen-page questionnaire to find the perfect non-smoking, punctual, mathematically competent partner. But then he meets Rosie, an always-late, smoking, potty-mouthed bartender in search of her biological father. Soon enough, Don discovers you don’t find love: love finds you.
‘Asperger’s isn’t a fault. It’s a variant. It’s potentially a major advantage.’
In reality, Don would probably be diagnosed as being on the Autism spectrum, but I do appreciate Simsion’s decision to deliberately omit any mention of a diagnosis for Don’s atypical behaviour. Instead, Simsion portrays Don as a very capable, intelligent individual, who simply has challenges understanding and communicating with other people (and this makes for some very LOL-worthy situations).
The point of view and the writing style in this book was so key. I found Don’s narration to be very intriguing (and comical, of course). I do not have much experience with Asperger’s Syndrome, but I thought Don’s perspective was both insightful and refreshing. The book does make you think a little about what it’s like to be a fish out of water, without getting excessively sentimental.
I always enjoy a romantic comedy, but I thought the ending of this one was too unrealistic (no surprise there), especially considering what we learn about Rosie’s personality and attitude towards men in general.
Despite its cheesiness and highly predictable plot line, The Rosie Project was an incredibly charming and heart-warming read that sparked the perfect amount of “feels”.
Until next time, nerds 🙂
Rebecca xx
P.S. Has anyone read the sequel, The Rosie Effect? Was it any good? I’m always so hesitant to read sequels of popular contemporary books… It only got a 3.54 on Goodreads (compared to 4.01)…
Hey fellow nerds!
You know when you’ve been reading a really intense book for hours, you’re all antsy, emotions flying, eyes blurry? You don’t want to stop but know you just got to take a break? For me, that break means blasting the music in my room, doing a little jig to get out the jitters and then settling back in to continue reading. It’s a strange ritual, I know. But it sure works. Here’s a couple of songs I’m digging this month (in no particular order):
My sister introduced me to this song a couple of weeks ago and I am so happy she did. It was released last year and is quite popular now (understandably) so I don’t know how I hadn’t heard it before. Unfortunately, I don’t think much of his other music is as good.
I am in love with Roo Panes. Not only is he an incredibly talented musician/singer, but he’s also one hell of a hottie. And he’s English! Look at me fan-girling. So embarrassing.
Send My Love (To Your New Lover) – Adele
This list wouldn’t be accurate without at least one Adele song. This one is hella catchy.
These girls are amazing. Every year they put together a cover compilation of all the top listing songs of the summer. I’m in love with their French accents. I think their Summer 2015 is my favourite, but Summer 2016 is a great track too.
Look out for the next month’s feature! What songs are you guys liking this month?
See ya, nerds 🙂
Rebecca xx
Genre: Magical Realism, Young Adult, Fiction, Romance
Published by: Candlewick Press
Publish Date: January 1, 2014
Paperback, 301 pages
My Rating:★★★★★
To many, I was myth incarnate, the embodiment of a most superb legend, a fairy tale. Some considered me a monster, a mutation. To my great misfortune, I was once mistaken for an angel. To my mother, I was everything. To my father, nothing at all. To my grandmother, I was a daily reminder of loves long lost. But I knew the truth — deep down, I always did.
I was just a girl.
Oh. My. Goodness. This book.
Me immediately after I finished reading it:
This book wasn’t at all what I was expecting. It was infinitely better. The story, the characters, and the writing are magical.
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, as the title suggests, is a strange and beautiful book that follows generations of a family who repeatedly fall for foolish love. The story begins with a retelling of the protagonist’s past and family tree. Ava Lavender first tells us the story of her great grandmother, Maman, followed by her grandmother’s, her mother’s and finally her own story. The synopsis on the back of the book is a tad misleading: we don’t actually begin reading about Ava’s personal experiences until halfway through the novel. Many readers were upset about this, but I found reading about beautiful tragedy after tragedy was intriguing and helped establish the mood/atmosphere for Ava’s own story.
The following is the story of my young life as I remember it. It is the truth as I know it. Of the stories and the myths that surrounded my family and my life – some of them thoughtfully scattered by you perhaps – let it be said that, in the end, I found all of them to be strangely, even beautifully true.
Our protagonist, Ava Lavender, is in all ways a normal girl, except for one hitch – she was born with the wings of a bird. As Ava recounts her childhood and adolescence, she desperately tries to live the life of a normal teenager. Henry, Ava’s quiet and strange twin brother, begins to give ominous and cryptic warnings soon after the pious Nathaniel Sorrows moves into town. As a reader, we know another tragedy is just around the corner (or page, I should say). The saying, “it runs in the family” is all too true in this book.
For such a short novel, only 300 pages or so, you would think that the world building and character development might be lacking. Quite the contrary. With Walton’s writing, less is always more. She uses a simplistic writing style to both construct the fictional neighbourhood and a large cast of unique, realistic and flawed characters. I loved each and every one of them (ok maybe not Nathaniel Sorrows).
Finally, let’s talk about that book cover. How beautiful? I think it is an extremely fitting cover for the story within.
In the end, this book is…
A refreshing, charming, and horrifyingly beautiful story about a girl with wings who just wanted to be a girl. It left me heartbroken, yet smiling. My emotions were totally screwed up for weeks afterward.
This book deserves nothing less than 5 stars and an honourary spot on my favourites shelf.
Until next time nerds,
Rebecca xx
Becky and Books 