Peeps (Book Review)

Title: Peeps
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Penguin
Source: Library

Goodreads Summary:
 Last year as college freshman, narrator Cal was infected by exotic goth Morgan with a parasite that caused following girlfriends to become vampire-like ghouls he calls parasite-positives "Peeps". A carrier without symptoms, he hunts his progeny for the centuries old bureaucratic Night Watch. But victims are showing more sanity, pretty human Lacey is pushing his buttons, and her apartment building basement houses fierce hordes of ravening rats, red-eyed cats, and monstrous worms that threaten all. Morgan has the secret to a centuries-old conspiracy and upcoming battle to save the human race.

Thoughts:
I have loved everything I have read by Scott Westerfeld and this is no exception. I am usually so sick of the vampire/werewolf/zombie genre that if I had known that that's what this book is about, I'm not sure I would have picked it up, but I'm glad I did. It is such a refreshing twist on the vampire idea that I loved it.

I really enjoyed the science facts about parasites spread out through the book and how these were used to explain the disease. A bit of science always makes fantasy more interesting in my opinion and there were a lot of interesting facts in the books as well as a great story.

It was a quick read as I didn't want to put it down after I picked it up and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good twist on the young-adult vampire tale.

Rating: 4.5/5 
 

Chasing Shackleton (Book Review)

Title: Chasing Shackleton: Re-creating the World's Greatest Journey of Survival
Author: Tim Jarvis
Publisher: William Morrow
Source: Library

Goodreads Summary:
In this extraordinary adventure memoir and tie-in to the PBS documentary, Tim Jarvis, one of the world's leading explorers, describes his modern-day journey to retrace, for the first time ever—and in period clothing and gear—the legendary 1914 expedition of Sir Ernest Shackleton.

In early 1914, British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his team sailed for Antarctica, attempting to be the first to reach the South Pole. Instead of glory, Shackleton and his crew found themselves in an epic struggle for survival: a three-year odyssey on the ice and oceans of the Antarctic that endures as one of the world’s most famous tales of adventure, endurance, and leadership ever recorded.

In the winter of 2013, celebrated explorer Tim Jarvis, a veteran of multiple polar expeditions, set out to recreate Sir Ernest Shackleton’s treacherous voyage over sea and mountain, outfitted solely with authentic equipment—clothing, boots, food, and tools—from Shackleton’s time, a feat that has never been successfully accomplished.

Shackleton's Epic is the remarkable record of Jarvis and his team’s epic journey. Beautifully designed and illustrated with dozens of photographs from the original voyage and its modern reenactment, it is a visual feast for readers and historians alike, and an essential new chapter in the story that has inspired adventurers across every continent for a century.

Thoughts:
I hadn't heard a thing about this book when I picked it up. The title and cover drew me in because I love Antarctica ever since my study abroad there in 2008. I used to know quite a lot about Shackleton although I had forgotten most of it, fortunately this book does a great job of telling his adventure story as well so I wasn't behind.

Actually I found that the parts about Shackleton and the quotes by him and his crew to be the most interesting part of the book, making me think that I would have actually enjoyed a biography of Shackleton more. This book has beautiful pictures and a great story of adventure although I get the feeling that the documentary would be a lot better than the book as it is lacking a little in the writing department.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, but only if you are into this sort of thing. If you are new to the subject of Antarctic adventure, I have certainly read better and would start with something else.

Rating: 3/5

Jeweled (Book Review)

Title: Jeweled
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

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

The Lost Hero (Book Review)

Title: The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus, Book 1)
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

Me Before You (Book Review)

Title: Me Before You
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