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Monday, June 30, 2014
Jeweled (Book Review)
Author: Tali Nay
Publisher: Corner Chapter Press
Source: From the author for review
Goodreads Summary:
Tali Nay first discovered gemstones while standing with her parents in a grocery store check-out line. The cheap display of birthstone keychains in front of her, each embedded with a single synthetic stone, was captivating. And the best part? Her own birthstone-the diamond-was the most beautiful of all. Since this childhood discovery, Tali's fondness for all things gem has only grown. From her beloved hometown jewelry store to her lifelong crush on Tiffany & Co., this sparkling memoir gives you a glimpse into an industry that touches us all, perhaps more often than we realize. Whether or not jewelry is your passion, you'll be entertained by Tali's stories of selling diamonds in small-town America, learn more than you ever wanted to know about the world of gems, and ultimately be inspired by her quest to pursue a dream.
Thoughts:
I have said this before and the same is true for this book, I love Tali Nay's writing style. She writes like I would talk to a friend. It isn't formal or always grammatically correct, but just how I would picture someone talking. And that makes it fun to read and keeps me moving through the book wanting to read more. Reading her books makes me want to get into reading and writing more myself.
As someone who has never been a jewelry person myself, I was a little worried that there wouldn't be much of interest for me in this memoir. And we obviously have some very different views on the subjects. (For example, I would like to add an additional category to the reasons women wear fake diamond rings - they can't afford a real one! Our budget for my engagement ring was a $25 Amazon gift card and even if we had money, I could never justify letting him spend anything like $239 on something as impractical as a piece of jewelry for me!) But this did not take away from my enjoyment of the book at all.
Her love for the subject and passion for diamonds really shines through. As a person with various obsessions of my own, it was very interesting reading an entire book devoted to hers. It is inspiring to read about someone turning their childhood passion into a career. And her storytelling makes it an incredibly enjoyable read for jewelry lovers and those just being introduced to the subject.
Rating: 4.5/5
Friday, June 27, 2014
Friday 56: Jeweled
Hosted by Freda's Voice
Rules:*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
"My philosophy on wedding rings has become remarkably similar to my philosophy on men, in that you can't select your ideal via a list of must-haves."
(This is actually page 57)
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Harry Potter Moment of the Week
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Hosted by Uncorked Thoughts
Best Hogwarts Secret
So, the house elves may not be an actual secret, but as most people in the wizarding world seem to ignore them, the fact that they have the power to change the outcome of a war can be considered a secret in my opinion.
And while I loved Dobby, I think that Kreacher really makes my point better here. Everyone overlooked the fact that he had power. He found a way to get Sirius killed when he was treated with disrespect. And after Harry learned to treat him with respect, he was the only one that was able to tell the story of the locket.
One of my favorite scenes in the book (and, of course, deleted from the movie, like every other favorite scene) is when Kreacher leads the house elves of Hogwarts in the Battle of Hogwarts.
"That which Voldemort does not value, he takes no trouble to comprehend. Of house-elves and children’’s tales, of love, loyalty, and innocence, Voldemort knows and understands nothing. Nothing. That they all have a power beyond his own, a power beyond the reach of any magic, is a truth he has never grasped."
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
WWW Wednesdays (June 25)
Hosted by Should Be Reading
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?
Just Finished:
(My review)
Currently Reading:
Reading Next:
Identical (Book Review)
Title: Identical
Author: Ellen Hopkins
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: Library
Goodreads Summary:
Kaeleigh and Raeanne are identical down to the dimple. As daughters of a district-court judge father and a politician mother, they are an all-American family -- on the surface. Behind the facade each sister has her own dark secret, and that's where their differences begin.
For Kaeleigh, she's the misplaced focus of Daddy's love, intended for a mother whose presence on the campaign trail means absence at home. All that Raeanne sees is Daddy playing a game of favorites -- and she is losing. If she has to lose, she will do it on her own terms, so she chooses drugs, alcohol, and sex.
Secrets like the ones the twins are harboring are not meant to be kept -- from each other or anyone else. Pretty soon it's obvious that neither sister can handle it alone, and one sister must step up to save the other, but the question is -- who?
Thoughts:
I loved this book from beginning to end. I'm really glad that I didn't flip through the book before picking it up because at first glance, the unique writing style made me think I wouldn't enjoy it, but it actually added to the story once I got into it.
I love books that can surprise me in the end and this book did. There were a few details that I wanted to complain about as I was reading that didn't quite seem to make sense but the ending tied all those little things together in a way that I hadn't even considered.
It was quick and easy to read. I found myself picking the book up every free minute that I got and unable to put it back down. I hadn't heard much about this author or book before getting it out of the library so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved it. I will definitely be checking out Ellen Hopkins's other books as soon as possible.
Rating: 5/5
Author: Ellen Hopkins
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: Library
Goodreads Summary:
Kaeleigh and Raeanne are identical down to the dimple. As daughters of a district-court judge father and a politician mother, they are an all-American family -- on the surface. Behind the facade each sister has her own dark secret, and that's where their differences begin.
For Kaeleigh, she's the misplaced focus of Daddy's love, intended for a mother whose presence on the campaign trail means absence at home. All that Raeanne sees is Daddy playing a game of favorites -- and she is losing. If she has to lose, she will do it on her own terms, so she chooses drugs, alcohol, and sex.
Secrets like the ones the twins are harboring are not meant to be kept -- from each other or anyone else. Pretty soon it's obvious that neither sister can handle it alone, and one sister must step up to save the other, but the question is -- who?
Thoughts:
I loved this book from beginning to end. I'm really glad that I didn't flip through the book before picking it up because at first glance, the unique writing style made me think I wouldn't enjoy it, but it actually added to the story once I got into it.
I love books that can surprise me in the end and this book did. There were a few details that I wanted to complain about as I was reading that didn't quite seem to make sense but the ending tied all those little things together in a way that I hadn't even considered.
It was quick and easy to read. I found myself picking the book up every free minute that I got and unable to put it back down. I hadn't heard much about this author or book before getting it out of the library so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved it. I will definitely be checking out Ellen Hopkins's other books as soon as possible.
Rating: 5/5
Monday, June 23, 2014
What Are You Reading? (June 22)
Hosted by Book Journey
Currently Reading:
Finished This Week:
(My Review)
(Review Coming Soon)
Other Posts This Week:
My Top Ten Summer TBR List
Harry Potter Moment of the Week
Friday 56: The Lost Hero
The Lost Hero (Book Review)
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Source: Library
Goodreads Summary:
Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper and a best friend named Leo. They’re all students at a boarding school for “bad kids.” What did Jason do to end up here? And where is here, exactly?
Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out.
Leo has a way with tools. When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too—like the curse everyone keeps talking about. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them—including Leo—is related to a god.
Thoughts:
I liked this book. Considering how much everyone has told that this series would be perfect for me, I am sort of surprised to say I didn't love it. The plot is very interesting and despite having figured out what the big secret that was revealed at the end was about half way through the book, it kept me entertained and wanting to keep reading to see what happened next.
However, the characters seemed a little one-dimensional to me. And for me, when reading, characters have always been a much bigger part of me falling in love with a book than the plot. There are books that I have loved where the plot made no sense just because the characters were that good.
So there is nothing wrong with this book. The plot makes sense, the story-telling is excellent. I enjoyed reading it. But I didn't rush out to look for the sequel when I was finished and to me, that's an indication that something was missing.
Rating: 3.5/5
Friday, June 20, 2014
Firday 56: The Lost Hero
Hosted by Freda's Voice
Rules:*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
*Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
"Piper, we are not going to turn this into a media circus. I'm sure he's fine. He does take off occasionally. He always comes back."
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Harry Potter Moment of the Week
Hosted by Uncorked Thoughts
Best 'Hermione Moment'
Hermione slid out of her bunk and moved like a sleepwalker towards Ron, her eyes upon his pale face. She stopped right in front of him, her lips slightly parted, her eyes wide. Ron gave a weak, hopeful smile and half-raised his arms.
Hermione launched herself forwards and started punching every inch of him that she could reach.
'Ouch — ow — gerroff! What the — ? Hermione — OW!'
“You — complete — arse — Ronald — Weasley!”
She punctuated every word with a blow: Ron backed away, shielding his head as Hermione advanced.
“You — crawl — back — here — after — weeks — and — weeks — oh, where’s my wand?”
She looked as though ready to wrestle it out of Harry’s hands and he reacted instinctively.
“Protego!”
Hermione launched herself forwards and started punching every inch of him that she could reach.
'Ouch — ow — gerroff! What the — ? Hermione — OW!'
“You — complete — arse — Ronald — Weasley!”
She punctuated every word with a blow: Ron backed away, shielding his head as Hermione advanced.
“You — crawl — back — here — after — weeks — and — weeks — oh, where’s my wand?”
She looked as though ready to wrestle it out of Harry’s hands and he reacted instinctively.
“Protego!”
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
My Top Ten Summer TBR List
Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish
Top Ten Books on My Summer TBR List:
1. The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles, Day 1)
by Patrick Rothfuss
by Patrick Rothfuss
The riveting first-person narrative of a young man who grows to be the most notorious magician his world has ever seen. From his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, to years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime- ridden city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that transports readers into the body and mind of a wizard. It is a high-action novel written with a poet's hand, a powerful coming-of-age story of a magically gifted young man, told through his eyes: to read this book is to be the hero.
2. Identical
by Ellen Hopkins
Kaeleigh and Raeanne are 16-year-old identical twins, the daughters of a district court judge father and politician mother running for US Congress. Everything on the surface seems fine, but underneath run very deep and damaging secrets. What really happened when the girls were 7 years old in that car accident that Daddy caused? And why is Mom never home, always running far away to pursue some new dream? Raeanne goes after painkillers, drugs, alcohol, and sex to dull her pain and anger. Kaeleigh always tries so hard to be the good girl -- her father's perfect little flower. But when the girls were 9, Daddy started to turn to his beloved Kaeleigh in ways a father never should and has been sexually abusing her for years. For Raeanne, she needs to numb the pain of not being Daddy's favorite; for Kaeleigh, she wants to do everything she can to feel something normal, even if it means cutting herself and vomiting after every binge.
How Kaeleigh and Raeanne figure out just what it means to be whole again when their entire world has been torn to shreads is the guts and heart of this powerful, disturbing, and utterly remarkable book.
3. The Stand
by Stephen King
A patient escapes from a biological testing facility, unknowingly carrying a deadly weapon: a mutated strain of super-flu that will wipe out 99 percent of the world’s population within a few weeks. Those who remain are scared, bewildered, and in need of a leader. Two emerge—Mother Abagail, the benevolent 108-year-old woman who urges them to build a peaceful community in Boulder, Colorado; and Randall Flagg, the nefarious “Dark Man,” who delights in chaos and violence. As the dark man and the peaceful woman gather power, the survivors will have to choose between them—and ultimately decide the fate of all humanity.
4. A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini
Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them-in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul-they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival.
5. Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices, Book 1) (The Infernal Devices)
by Cassandra Clare
When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.
Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What’s more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.
Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length . . . everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world. . . . and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.
6. Obsidian (Lux)
by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Starting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.
And then he opened his mouth.
Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.
The hot alien living next door marks me.
You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.
If I don't kill him first, that is.
7. Ender's Game (The Ender Quintet)
by Orson Scott Card
In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut--young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.
Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers, Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.
Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If the world survives, that is.
8. Demons at Deadnight: The Divinicus Nex Chronicles: Book One (Volume 1)
by A & E Kirk
Aurora has the crappiest superpower on the planet. And it's just unleashed a hit squad from hell. Demons are on the hunt, salivating to carve her carcass into confetti.
The Hex Boys--mysterious, hunky, and notorious for their trails of destruction--have the answers Aurora needs to survive. But their overload of deadly secrets and suspicious motives makes trusting them a potentially fatal move.
The battle to save her family, herself, and stop demonic domination may cost Aurora everything worth living for, and force her to reveal her own dark secrets. But no worries. She needs the Hex Boys to pull this off, and, chances are, teaming up with these guys will get her killed anyway.
9. Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, Book 1)
by Susan Ee
It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back. Anything, including making a deal with Raffe, an injured enemy angel. Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco, where Penryn will risk everything to rescue her sister and Raffe will put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.
10. Fangirl
by Rainbow Rowell
by Ellen HopkinsKaeleigh and Raeanne are 16-year-old identical twins, the daughters of a district court judge father and politician mother running for US Congress. Everything on the surface seems fine, but underneath run very deep and damaging secrets. What really happened when the girls were 7 years old in that car accident that Daddy caused? And why is Mom never home, always running far away to pursue some new dream? Raeanne goes after painkillers, drugs, alcohol, and sex to dull her pain and anger. Kaeleigh always tries so hard to be the good girl -- her father's perfect little flower. But when the girls were 9, Daddy started to turn to his beloved Kaeleigh in ways a father never should and has been sexually abusing her for years. For Raeanne, she needs to numb the pain of not being Daddy's favorite; for Kaeleigh, she wants to do everything she can to feel something normal, even if it means cutting herself and vomiting after every binge.
How Kaeleigh and Raeanne figure out just what it means to be whole again when their entire world has been torn to shreads is the guts and heart of this powerful, disturbing, and utterly remarkable book.
3. The Stand
by Stephen KingA patient escapes from a biological testing facility, unknowingly carrying a deadly weapon: a mutated strain of super-flu that will wipe out 99 percent of the world’s population within a few weeks. Those who remain are scared, bewildered, and in need of a leader. Two emerge—Mother Abagail, the benevolent 108-year-old woman who urges them to build a peaceful community in Boulder, Colorado; and Randall Flagg, the nefarious “Dark Man,” who delights in chaos and violence. As the dark man and the peaceful woman gather power, the survivors will have to choose between them—and ultimately decide the fate of all humanity.
4. A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled HosseiniBorn a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them-in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul-they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival.
5. Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices, Book 1) (The Infernal Devices)
by Cassandra ClareWhen sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.
Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What’s more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.
Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length . . . everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world. . . . and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.
6. Obsidian (Lux)
by Jennifer L. ArmentroutStarting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.
And then he opened his mouth.
Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.
The hot alien living next door marks me.
You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.
If I don't kill him first, that is.
7. Ender's Game (The Ender Quintet)
by Orson Scott CardIn order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut--young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.
Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers, Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.
Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If the world survives, that is.
8. Demons at Deadnight: The Divinicus Nex Chronicles: Book One (Volume 1)
by A & E KirkAurora has the crappiest superpower on the planet. And it's just unleashed a hit squad from hell. Demons are on the hunt, salivating to carve her carcass into confetti.
The Hex Boys--mysterious, hunky, and notorious for their trails of destruction--have the answers Aurora needs to survive. But their overload of deadly secrets and suspicious motives makes trusting them a potentially fatal move.
The battle to save her family, herself, and stop demonic domination may cost Aurora everything worth living for, and force her to reveal her own dark secrets. But no worries. She needs the Hex Boys to pull this off, and, chances are, teaming up with these guys will get her killed anyway.
9. Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, Book 1)
by Susan EeIt’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back. Anything, including making a deal with Raffe, an injured enemy angel. Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco, where Penryn will risk everything to rescue her sister and Raffe will put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.
10. Fangirl
by Rainbow Rowell
In Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life--and she's really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it's what got them through their mother leaving.
Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.
Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can't let go. She doesn't want to.
Now that they're going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She's got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone.
For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?
Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?
And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?
Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.
Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can't let go. She doesn't want to.
Now that they're going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She's got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone.
For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?
Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?
And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?
Monday, June 16, 2014
Me Before You (Book Review)
Author: Jojo Moyes
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Source: Library
Goodreads Summary:
Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.
What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.
Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.
What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.
Thoughts:
I am going to keep my thoughts pretty short and sweet for this review because I don't want to include any spoilers and this is one of those books that is hard to talk about without spoiling it.
I loved this book. I makes you really stop and think about issues that you've either never thought about before or had a definite black-and-white opinion on previously. It actually changed my mind a bit on how I saw some of these issues.
And on top of that there is a lovely story of boy meets girl - how they helped each other, how they made each other see the world in a new light, and ultimately how they effected each other's view of life itself.
Rating: 5/5
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