Lauren Blogs About Books

The Nest - Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

2016-07-25T20:53:00.001-04:00

I really really wanted to love this book. I mean, Amy Poehler blurbed it. If Amy Poehler couldn't stop reading or caring about the Plumb family, then sure I wouldn't be able to stop reading or caring about them, right? I'm not saying I'd do anything Amy Poehler says, but I'm also not saying I wouldn't take her reading suggestions.

The Nest is a story about the Plumb family, and how they have come to rely on their long awaited inheritance. The four Plumb siblings, Leo, Melody, Beatrice, and Jack, have all created these new fictional lives for themselves after they've received their inheritance (which they've taken to calling "The Nest"), and in these fictional lives all their problems are solved. But what happens when The Nest becomes endangered due to Leo's carelessness? They are forced to forget these fictional lives and live with the realities they've created for themselves.

One of my biggest problems with this book was the number of characters. There were just too many to get to know and to start to care about. There were four Plumb siblings, two of whom are married, one couple has twin daughters, and there's a deceased husband who is mentioned a few times. There's the waitress from the beginning of the story, a landlord, a few friends (some turn into more than just friends), and a few others. The narrater changed each chapter, so at times you'd start to get really into one character's story, but then it would abruptly shift to someone else. But sometimes I'd find I just didn't care about a character or a storyline and would rush through the chapter just to get to the end.

This book wasn't the worst book I've ever read, but it wasn't the best book I've read. I read the majority of the book while I was camping, and it was probably the best book I've read camping for a few years. I couldn't really get into it, but I wanted to know how it ended so I also couldn't put the book down. I probably wouldn't read it again.

Overall, I'd give the book 3.5/5 stars. Not fantastic, not horrible, somewhere in the middle.

Have you read this book? Did you have a favourite character? Let me know!

I'm also on the new Indigo app called reco! You can find me there under the username lbaker67!

Finding Audrey - Sophie Kinsella

2015-06-25T19:50:00.000-04:00

Finding Audrey

Sophie Kinsella

2015

I didn't know this book was happening. How I didn't know one of my favourite authors was releasing a book is something I can't figure out, but I was at the store the other day, saw the book, and immediately bought it without reading the synopsis or anything. I mean, I texted my mom all excitedly and then snapchatted some people who I thought might be as excited as me, and then bought the book. I quickly realized this is a young adult book, which made it a little different from her other books, but a good kind of different.

Finding Audrey is about a girl with Social Anxiety Disorder. She hints about what has happened to her, but never flat out states it. She hasn't really left her house in months except to go to therapy. Until she meets Linus. And things start to change for the better. I'd give more of a synopsis, but I don't want to give anything away!

I really liked this book! It was a good combination of happy and sad, but in all the right places. Parts of the book are downright hilarious. Everything felt resolved, which is a good way to end a book (unlike Shopaholic to the Stars...but I'll get to that another time). I liked all the characters (which is unusual for me) and every character had something to add, and nobody felt like they were just put in there. The mother was probably one of my favourite characters. She means so well, but her execution is a little questionable at some points. She is always trying to do what she believes is best for her and for her family, but her source of information could use some work. There was one part of the book that I didn't totally agree with, but it was just a small part, and didn't have too much of an impact on the overall story.

Sophie Kinsella's books are always incredibly well written, and have incredible re-read potential. This book will probably sit on my shelf for a little while until one day when I just want a quick read where I know nothing bad happens.

I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Have you read this book? Do you have a favourite Sophie Kinsella novel? Mine is probably Can You Keep A Secret? or The Undomestic Goddess. And of course, the Shopaholic series.

Does having the mother as a favourite character officially make me old?

All The Right Stuff - Walter Dean Meyers

2013-01-17T15:38:00.001-05:00

All The Right Stuff

Walter Dean Meyers

2012

I really liked this book's cover. I downloaded it for my ereader from my library's website solely because I liked the orange and the blue in the cover. I should have probably read a little bit about it first, but I was just looking for some books to read on my vacation. I read this book in about two days, and it was an alright book, just not what I'm used to.

All The Right Stuff is about Paul DuPree who lives in Harlem and is working at a soup kitchen four days a week and tutoring a girl one day a week during the summer. Elijah, the old man who owns the soup kitchen, teaches Paul how to make soup, but more importantly, he won't shut up about something called the 'social contract'. That's the basis of this novel. A lot of other things happen (he befriends Keisha, the girl he is tutoring in basketball, he meets up with a very well known drug dealer/big shot named Sly, etc).

The book is all about deep thinking and Elijah asks Paul a lot of questions about the social contract. If that was a concept I was interested in, I might have enjoyed the book more. Or maybe if I wasn't looking for something fun to read while I was on holidays.

The novel was well written, and you can see a change in the character of Paul from the beginning of the book to the end, especially in how he talks to people such as Keisha or Sly. There was very little plot though. The majority of the book was spent discussing the social contract and a lot of the book was told in conversations between Elijah and Paul, or just Paul thinking. While some things did happen and I wanted to know how they were resolved, I didn't feel like there was a lot of action.

I give this book 2.5 out of 5 stars. Had I been in the mood for a more philosophical novel I may have enjoyed this more. More plot would have been nice.

You can buy this book from Amazon here: All The Right Stuff

Have you read this book? Have you read anything else by Walter Dean Meyers? If you have, which book would you recommend?
Don't forget you can subscribe to this blog to be notified of more book reviews!

Latkes and Applesauce - Fran Manushkin

2012-12-04T18:33:00.001-05:00

Latkes and Applesauce

Fran Manushkin, Illustrated by Robin Spowart

1993

With Hanukkah coming up, I thought I'd share one of my favourite childhood books about the holiday. I've had this book forever, and it is probably one of my favourite holiday stories.

Latkes and Applesauce is a story about Hanukkah. A nasty blizzard comes and leaves a family without potatoes for latkes or apples for applesauce at Hanukkah. The potatoes are buried outside, and there are no apples due to a poor harvest. Nonetheless, the family takes in a stray cat and a stray dog. They don't name the animals, because a name "must fit like a glove." On the eighth and final night of Hanukkah, the storm clears. The family goes outside and, through the magic of a Hanukkah miracle, the dog digs up the potatoes and the cat climbs up an apple tree where there are no apples. The family then makes themselves a little feast out of what they found, and the animals getting their fitting names.

The book also has a latke recipe in the back, as well as instructions on how to play the dreidel. There is also a brief retelling of the story of Hanukkah.

Latkes and Applesauce is one of my favourite holiday books. It's a very cute story and the illustrations are beautiful.

If you're looking for a cute little story about Hanukkah, this might be the book for you! I know there's lots more stories out there (especially nowadays), but you can't go wrong with Latkes and Applesauce.

This book is available for purchase from Amazon here: Latkes and Applesauce

Have you ever read Latkes and Applesauce? Or any other good Hanukkah books? Let me know in the comments!

Books & More Books

2012-11-28T00:49:00.000-05:00

I have a book buying addiction. I think admitting you have an addiction to something is stage 1 of coming to a solution or something, but so far nothing has happened. These books weren't purchased all at one time or anything (and this list doesn't include books purchased as gifts), but rather, they were purchase over the past three months.
I should also mention that I love my school, and I love how my school enables me to better my book collection with the help of the More Than A Book Sale. This is an annual event held each year to raise money for The Circle, which hosts a variety of talks called the Sophia Series throughout the year. Through the Sophia Series I've had the chance to see Evanna Lynch and Emma Donoghue, as well as a gold medal Canadian hockey player. The talks are always inspirational, usually funny, and you always walk away feeling like you've learned something. So of course combining raising money to have more great speakers at my school as well as adding books to my ever growing book collection is one of the best things a girl like me could ask for.
I would like to note that not all these books were purchased at the book sale. In fact, only 3 of them were. I purchased 3 at the Goodwill store that I discovered last week with my former roommate. And the other two are from Chapters.

My New Books :)

Starting from top and proceeding down to the bottom. Clicking on the title of the book will take you to the Amazon page for it.

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

I bought this one at the book sale at school. The Reader is about a boy who is on his way home from school and becomes ill and a woman takes him home. Eventually the two become lovers. I haven't read this book yet, and I've never watched the movie, so this description is based solely on the back of the book. I have never seen the movie, and I'm not sure if I have any interest in the movie, but I thought the book sounded interesting and I'd heard good things about it from other people. I will have a review of this book eventually.

Atonement by Ian McEwan
I bought this book at Goodwill. Again, I have never watched the movie version or anything, so I don't really know what the book is about, but I've been told it is really good. I think it was my former roommate who told me I should read it. Atonement is about a young girl who attempts to put on a production of her new drama to welcome home her older brother. Eventually she discovers that her cousins aren't up to the task of putting on the production. I'm quite excited to read this one, and then if I like it (and maybe even if I don't) I will watch the movie. I will also write a review of it.

Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland
This book is another one from my school's book sale. I'm not sure what compelled me to buy it, other than it sounded interesting and I'd heard good things about Douglas Coupland's work. Eleanor Rigby is about Liz Dunn who is one of the world's lonely people. One night she sees a comet, and this creates a radical change in her life, and wants to seek peace rather than control. I think part of the reason I picked up this book was because I liked the title.

Beatrice & Virgil by Yann Martel
This cover had always intrigued me, and I'd picked up this book at bookstores many times over the years and read the little insert and decided to maybe save it for another time. I ended up seeing his copy at Goodwill, and I figured for $3, I might as well stop looking at it and just buy it to read. Also the movie adaptation of Life of Pi has recently come out, and I'd heard good things about it (I've never read the book), and I decided maybe I should read some of his other things as well. I'm still not entirely sure what this book is about, but I will find out when I read it.

The Book Of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
I was told to read this book after finishing The Book Thief this summer. The person who told me to read this book has never given me a bad book suggestion before, so when I saw this book at Goodwill, I decided to add it to my collection. The Book of Negroes is about an 11 year old child who is abducted and forced to walk for months to sea in a string of salves. She is then sent to live as a slave in South Carolina. It doesn't sound like the most uplifting read, so it might take some time to convince myself to read it, but I've heard such good things that it might be the kind of book where once you start reading you can't stop.

An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin
This was one of the books I purchased at a real bookstore. Somebody had mentioned it in a video on youtube and it looked pretty and sounded interesting. I'm about a third of the way through and it is both pretty and interesting. The narration is a little strange sometimes, but the story is about Lacey Yeager who is young, ambitious, and working at Sotheby's. The book contains many reproductions of art pieces and they are tied beautifully into the story. And the book is written by Steve Martin, who I know best from The Pink Panther and Cheaper By The Dozen. I'm going to post a review of this book once I'm done reading it.

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
I was so excited for this book to be released, and then school happened, and then I left it at home for a few weeks, so I haven't had the chance to give it the time and attention it deserves. It has been sitting on the shelf above my bed mocking me. The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling's first post-Potter book, and it is very very different. I've read the first few chapters and it is no happy-go-lucky children's book. The language is different and the story is different. I heard a lot of people comparing this to Harry Potter when it was released, and they all had a little bit of Potter bias in them, so I'm going to try and read this book without comparing it to her other works.

and finally...

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
I got this book at the book sale at school. Honestly, I picked it up because I liked the cover, and I have a secret love for the company that publishes it (This is the same company that published The Casual Vacancy. My love of it is that my initials are imprinted on the actual cover of the book and I like to pretend that the books were made just for me). This book is nonfiction, and is an investigation on what it means to eat meat in today's world. I'm not a vegetarian, and although I've sometimes thought about maybe becoming one, I don't think it will ever happen. I have read (almost all) of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by this author and have loved it so far, so I decided to get this book as well. And for $3, how could I go wrong!

That's it! That's my book haul from September to now.
Have you read any of these books? Do you have a suggestion for which book I should read first?

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Brief Hiatus

2012-11-27T01:22:00.000-05:00

This blog has been on a brief hiatus lately. I've been busy with schoolwork so I haven't had much of a chance to read for fun. I have recently purchase a whole bunch of new books (maybe I'll do a 'book haul' blog post this tomorrow/this weekend).
The best way to be informed of new book reviews is to subscribe/follow this blog! There's a button on the right hand side.

As well, if you would like to write a book review for me, just email me right here. I'm always up for people to write book reviews, especially if it is for a genre I'm not familiar with!

The Descendants - Kaui Hart Hemmings

2012-09-25T14:02:00.001-04:00

The Descendants

Kaui Hart Hemmings

2007

I first heard about this from this video by Kayley. I mean, I'd heard the title of the movie, but I didn't know anything about it. Her review made the book sound interesting, and so I put it on hold at the library.

The Descendants is about the King family. They are descendants of Hawaiian royalty. Matthew King is married to Joanie and they have two daughters, 10-year old Scottie and 17-year old Alex, who is a recovering drug addict and wild-child. Joanie is in a boating accident and is now in a coma. Without giving too much more away, Joanie has a living will and does not want to be on life support, so the King Family has to start telling family and friends. This is made difficult by the fact that Joanie was seeing someone else, and Matt and his daughters must come together to find the man and tell him the news.

While there is a very good storyline in the novel, there's not much action in the plot. There is a lot of talking to various relatives and reminiscing about the good times, but it isn't a super-action-packed-lotsa-stuff-happening kind of novel. Despite this, or maybe even because of this, the book is intriguing. The characters have great growth, especially Alex. At first she's an unruly wild child with a boyfriend that Matt doesn't exactly like. Throughout the novel we learn more about her, more about this boy, and we see the relationship between Matt and Alex grow. Scottie also grows a little bit as a character. She's so young and has to deal with peer pressure at school and trying to fit in, but Alex, her boyfriend, and Matt all come together to help her.

I really enjoyed this novel. Once I got into it a little ways into the book I couldn't put it down. It moved slowly at times, but I was constantly learning new facts about the characters and Joanie's life, so it didn't feel like nothing was happening. I'm going to have to see the movie at some point, though I've heard mixed reviews about it.

The book is available for purchase from Amazon here: The Descendants: A Novel, or from your local bookseller or library.

I give this book 3.8 out of 5 stars. I did enjoy the book, but a little bit more action might have been nice.

Don't forget that you follow this blog to be informed of more book reviews!

Have you read this book or watched the movie? What did you think about it?

Room - Emma Donoghue

2012-09-21T23:09:00.001-04:00

Room

Emma Donoghue

2010

My darling mother read this book a few summers ago (in 2010) and then proceeded to tell me almost everything that happened in the book. I was still interested in reading it, however she leant it to someone and so I never had a chance. I then kind of forgot about this book until May of 2011 when Emma Donoghue did a talk at my school. My mom and I went to it and this made me want to read this book again. I still never had a chance, so when I saw it on a very good sale at Costco, I had to buy it. I started reading it, but then moved to school and then kind of just put it off for a while. Anyways, the moral of the story is that I probably shouldn't have waited this long to read this book because it's fantastic.

Room is the story of 5-year old Jack and Ma. Ma was kidnapped by Old Nick when she was nineteen and forced to live in an eleven-by-eleven room (which is really a garden shed). He had kidnapped Ma for the purpose of having sex with her, which is what led to Jack. Ma is the only person Jack has really ever known, and he has only ever known this little living space. Despite the small living quarters, Ma teaches Jack everything he needs to know. When he turns 5, Ma decides that they need to escape. She devises a very clever plan that heavily relies on Jack's ability to remember instructions. I am not going to give away any more of the story.

This book was extremely well written. The book is told from Jack's perspective, and Donoghue writes this very well. Jack speaks and acts like a five year old, and has the same understanding of the world as a five year old (well, as much of the world as he knows). When he is referring to the bed, he simply calls it Bed. There's Wardrobe and Duvet and Shelf. Everything has its own little name. When I heard Donoghue speak, she said she spent a lot of time listening to how her children spoke and modelled Jack's speech after that. She also talked about the part involving the carpet and how it was tested out on her children to see if it was even possible.

The character development in this book is incredible. Jack goes from knowing nothing about Outside to being forced to go there to try and help he and his mother escape. The plot is also gripping. I stayed up until 4 in the morning two nights in a row to finish this book. I kept telling myself I'd read just one more chapter. The only problem with that was the fact the book doesn't really have chapters. It is divided into four sections, but each section is continuous with small breaks during major scene or time changes.
One thing that I liked/didn't like about this book is how it ended. It ended perfectly in the right place which was excellent, but I really really want to know what happens after. However, ending it any later would ruin the effect of the last scene. So I think I'm just going to have to use my imagination.

I would very highly recommend reading this book.

It is available for purchase from Amazon here: Room, or you can get it from your local library or any other bookseller.

I give this book 4.9 stars out of 5. It was a very very excellent book, and would be great for book club discussions or anything.

Have you read Room? What did you think of it?

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick - Joe Schreiber

2012-09-08T22:45:00.000-04:00

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick

Joe Schreiber

2011

I mostly picked this book at the library because of the title. It had potential to be hilarious, and it lived up to that (eventually). I also recognized the author's name, although when I looked up what else he had written I didn't know any of the titles.

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick (from here on in, referred to as Au Revoir), has one of the most interesting narrative styles that I have read lately. Each chapter was based on a different college essay admissions question. I never had to write an admissions essay (because I'm from Canada), but it was very interesting to see all the different questions. I also really liked how each question directly led to what was happening in that chapter. And it never seemed like the chapters were forced into fitting with the question*. The chapters were all varying lengths which was nice.
Au Revoir is about a young man named Perry who is in his senior year of high school and is in a band. He really wants to play this one really big gig, but it happens to fall on the night of his prom. This wouldn't be an issue if there wasn't a (rather strange) foreign exchange student, Gobi, staying with him. Perry's mother forces him to take her to the prom, against both their wishes. What Perry thinks is going to be a boring, quiet night at his prom takes a turn for the interesting when he finds out that Gobi has other, more interesting, plans for the evening.
I had a hard time getting into this book at first. I didn't really like Perry. I thought he was whiny and annoying and I wasn't too fond of Gobi either. But once the action started the book was near impossible to put down. It really is a fast moving page-turner. I really liked the plot, though it is occasionally extremely unrealistic. There are several times when you're reading that you just have to put the book down and say to yourself "What on Earth did I just read?" because of the events, but it's the kind of book where you have to find out what's next. The end is rather open-ended which is good for your imagination, or for a sequel sometime in the future.
The characters are interesting. You find out bits of information about Gobi in very small amounts, except for right near the end. Perry really grows as a character, and his family becomes less two-dimensional as the novel progresses.

This book can be purchased from Amazon here: Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick or from your local bookseller/library.

I give this book 3.8 stars out of 5. I really liked the plot and characters, but it wasn't my favourite book (but it was still fantastic). I really liked the way the chapters were laid out.

Have you read Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick? Did you like it? Have you read anything else by this author? What books would you recommend?

*though I'm pretty sure the questions were all fictional

Bumped - Megan McCafferty

2012-09-03T21:19:00.000-04:00

Bumped

Megan McCafferty

2009

I only recently learned about this novel, but I loved the Jessica Darling books by this author, so I figured I'd give it a shot. And though I didn't like it as much as that series, it was still very good.

Bumped takes place in a future where there is a virus that makes everyone over the age of 18 unable to have children. So, as you can imagine, adults who want to have children pay teenagers thousands of dollars to have babies for them. The book focuses on Melody and Harmony who are twin sisters separated at birth. Melody lives in Otherside is a RePro (reproductive professional) and has landed herself an amazing deal with a couple. She is also in love with her friend Zen who is deemed "too short" to be a RePro. Harmony lives in Goodside; a very religious community. She has grown up preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes that "pregging" for profit is a sin, and has decided to try and convince her sister otherwise.

In a case of mistaken identity, Harmony ends up in a rather precarious situation regarding Melody's sperm donor, the incredibly aesthetically pleasing Jondoe.

It took me a while to get into the storyline. At the beginning I confused the two main characters, but once the novel got a little bit more into the plot, it was easier to tell them apart. I really liked how the novel changed perspectives from Melody to Harmony. It helped to let us get into the heads of the characters and read what they are thinking about everything that is going on. I really liked the dystopia party of the novel. I've been reading a whole bunch of other dystopian books lately and they all seem to follow the same general type of dystopia. This was different, not to mention original. I also really liked the slang used in the novel.

The ending of Bumped really leaves it open for the sequel, Thumped. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I'm eagerly awaiting when I can sit down and find out what happens with Melody, Harmony, Jondoe and Zen.

The book is available for purchase from Amazon here: Bumped, as well as from your local bookstore or you can borrow it from a library!

I give this book 3.7 stars out of 5. I did really enjoy the story and am excited to read the sequel. The characters were interesting and well written.

Have you read Bumped? What did you think about it? Have you read the sequel?

Sisterhood Everlasting - Ann Brashares

2012-07-04T12:36:00.001-04:00

Sisterhood Everlasting

Ann Brashares

2011

I read the entire Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series when I was younger. I loved the books (and the movies) and was so excited when this book was released last summer. And it didn't disappoint.

Sisterhood Everlasting starts a while after the ending of the last book. Tibby, Lena, Carmen and Bridget are grown up and have their own jobs and lives and boys. Carmen is an actress in New York and is engaged. Lena is teaching art in Rhode Island and still longing for Kostos. Bridget is still with Eric, but she can't seem to settle down. And Tibby is still Tibby. The girls haven't seen each other for a long time, and Tibby orchestrates a meeting in Santorini, but this trip doesn't go as planned. After certain events, their lives are all changed forever and they have to figure out what to do and how to get through it.

Sisterhood Everlasting is not as light-hearted as the previous books. It's as if Ann Brashares has made the book grow up to match the age of the readers. I had fallen in love with the characters throughout the first four novels, and this book just continued that love. There are some new characters, but they add so much to the story. The story was amazing; sad, but amazing. The plot nicely wraps up everything that had been started in the first four novels.

I'd recommend reading this book only after you've read the first four. But I also highly recommend the first four. Once I get through my large stack of books to read this summer I think I'm going to reread the whole series.

I don't know which part of the book is my favourite. I think it's the excitement about them all getting together in Greece again, to a place where they lost so much. Once I reread it, I might change my mind. My other favourite part was how this book just snuck up on me. I hadn't heard anything about it, and then all of a sudden it was being released.

This book is available for purchase from Amazon here: Sisterhood Everlasting

I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5. I loved the characters and the story and how it brought an ending to a very good series. I highly recommend this entire series.

Have you read this book? Have you read the series? What did you think?
And, don't forget you can follow this blog to see the new book reviews when they're posted!

Divergent - Veronica Roth

2012-06-22T16:19:00.000-04:00

Divergent

Veronica Roth

2011

I only really heard about this book recently when the sequel, Insurgent, was released. I'd read a lot of futuristic dystopian type novels lately, and this one just seemed to blend in with the others I'd read. That's not to say that it wasn't good or enjoyable, but it just seemed like the others.

Divergent is about a dystopian society (apparently Chicago, but I only know that from the internet) which is divided into five different factions. Each faction believes strongly in one virtue. The factions are Abnegation (selflessness), Candor (honesty), Erudite (intelligence), Dauntless (bravery) and Amity (peace). Each year, every sixteen year olds in each faction have to take an aptitude test to see which faction they belong to. Then they have a ceremony where each person chooses which faction they will be with for the rest of their lives. They can either stay with their family, or choose a new faction. Then there is the initiation process.

Divergent is about Beatrice Prior, who is sixteen years old. She takes the aptitude test, gets her results and then chooses her faction. Her choice is surprising. She then has to go through the very competitive and intense initiation process. She renames herself Tris. She also meets a boy. Tris also has a secret that she has been hiding from everyone. It's about her aptitude test results, and it is the kind of secret that can either help her and those she loves, or be very dangerous.

I did really enjoy this novel, but only once I got into it (so after the first 50 or so pages). The part that bothered me the most was that you didn't really find out what Divergent meant until really late in the novel, and even then it isn't entirely clear. But I loved the characters and the story. I'm excited to read Insurgent (although I'm number 138 on the waiting list at the library so that won't be for a while). The part of the book I enjoyed the most was a conversation late in the novel between Tris and her mother. It tied some things together. Another thing I loved was Four and his fears and the fear simulation. I hope that doesn't give away anything in the novel. I also loved how descriptive certain parts of the book were. There was such detail that I didn't feel like I was reading the book so much as watching it. I love when that happens with books.
Divergent kind of starts off slowly plot-wise, but that's just to establish the world and the characters and the story. Don't be put off by that, because the ending is amazing and well worth getting to.

This book is available for purchase from Amazon here: Divergent

I give this book 4.1 stars out of 5. I loved the characters and the interactions between the different factions. I highly suggest this novel for people who like this kind of book (the whole dystopia thing).

Have you read either Divergent or Insurgent? What did you think?
Don't forget that you can follow this blog so you're always informed of new book reviews!

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - Jesse Andrews

2012-06-14T13:33:00.001-04:00

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Jesse Andrews

2012

I read a review on Amazon that claimed this book was "better than The Fault in Our Stars". And since I really enjoyed that book, I figured I might like this one too. They are very different books.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is narrated by a boy named Greg. He has spent his time in high school belonging to no particular crowd and being friendly towards everyone. Greg only has one real friend, Earl. They spend their free time making pretty bad films and playing video games. They only show Greg's parents their films, until they start hanging out with Rachel. Rachel is the 'dying girl'. She has leukaemia, and Greg's mom insists that he starts hanging out with her, even though he doesn't really want to. They end up becoming friends and he makes her a film. There's more to the plot than just that.

The characters were mostly believable. You could feel Greg growing into more of a three-dimensional character by the end. But because it is narrated by him, you don't really get to know the other characters as well until later on.

I really liked a couple things about this book. First being the parts told in script. And while it isn't 'real' scriptwriting, it adds to the story. I also loved the chapter titles and a lot of the character names. The chapter titles were funny and they were pleasing to look at. The whole book was just nice to look at. I love the cover.

This book differs greatly from The Fault in Our Stars though. Firstly, the narration is different. This book is narrated by a boy who does not have cancer. The Fault in Our Stars is narrated by a girl who does have cancer. Both books are good though. But I wouldn't say that one is better than the other. There are tons of other differences as well.

The book is available for purchase from Amazon here: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5. It was an enjoyable read, but not my absolute favourite book I have read lately.

Have you read Me and Earl and the Dying Girl? Have you read the Fault in Our Stars? What did you think about the two of them?

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

2012-06-10T22:54:00.000-04:00

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak

2007

Oh my goodness. I had been waiting for this book from the library for a very long time. When I first started reading it I wasn't really a fan. I didn't like the narration style and it just wasn't my kind of story. So I read a couple other books I had borrowed, but since this has to be returned this week I thought that maybe I should finish it. And I am so glad that I did.

The Book Thief takes place in Germany during Hitler's reign. It's told from the perspective of Death, but the story is mainly about a young girl name Liesel. She and her brother get taken to a foster home, but her brother passes away on the train ride. He is taken off the train and is buried at a cemetery at the next station. That's where Liesel steals her first book (although she cannot read it). She makes it to her foster home and that's where the story gets interesting. Her foster father, Hans, plays the accordion and also teaches her to read in the middle of the night when her nightmares wake her up. Her foster mother Rosa does the laundry for several families in the town, including the mayor and his wife. This fact becomes important later on in the novel. Rudy is one of the next door neighbours and he is in love with Liesel, and obsessed with an American athlete named Jesse Owens.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but there are some things that just go along with being in Germany in the second world war. Liesel learns to read by candlelight, and eventually shares these stolen stories with her neighbours in the air raid shelters. Her family also hides a Jewish man in their basement, and Liesel shares her stories with him and vice versa.

Once you get past the strange narration voice, the story is fantastic. It is by no means a happy-feel-good book (in fact I was a little bit upset by the end), but it is a story worth reading. The characters are well described and you start to really feel for them, and want only the best for them. Once you find out more about the man hidden in the basement, you really want to know a lot more about his story.

I think I had heard this book from YouTube (probably in a John Green video). I usually take his recommendations because he hasn't ever really steered me wrong. The author, Markus Zusak has also written about why he wrote the novel.

The book is available for purchase from Amazon here: The Book Thief

I give this book 4.7 stars out of 5. Wait, maybe I give it 4.8. I don't know. I give it a lot of stars because that's just how good it was. I think this book is even going to go on my birthday book list. I highly recommend this book.

Have you read The Book Thief? Do you happen to know in which video John Green talks about this book?

Sister Wife - Shelley Hrdlitschka

2012-06-06T14:28:00.000-04:00

Sister Wife

Shelley Hrdlitschka

2008

I picked this book up at the library because the author's last name absolutely fascinated me. I had also watched the Sister Wives show on tv, and that whole culture and lifestyle seems very interesting and very different from what I'm used to.

Sister Wife is told from the perspectives of three different girls living in the community. Celeste and Nanette are sisters and Taviana is an outsider who has come to live with their family. Celeste is the oldest and she questions the lifestyle that she is forced to live with. She falls in love, which ends up badly. Nanette is excited and eager to become a sister wife. She knows who she wants the Prophet to choose to be her husband. Taviana comes to the community because she had nowhere else to go. She tells Celeste about life outside Unity.

This book isn't exactly light-hearted and fun. Some parts of it are rather hard to read, just because they are so different from what I am used to. One part in particular stands out and that is when the mother is having her baby. That entire section of the book is so different from how I grew up.

The characters are very well written. Even though some characters are only in the novel for a few pages or so, you get to know them and you can form opinions about them and how the community is run. The plot is also very well written. It's very believable, even though I have very little knowledge about how polygamous lifestyles work.

My favourite part of the book is the ending. I can't say anything without giving it away, but it just makes the book both strange and excellent.

I'm glad that the author's last name caught my eye and I think I might read some of her other books in the future.

This book is available for purchase from Amazon here: Sister Wife

I give this book 3.7 stars out of 5. It was a very enjoyable and quick read, and had very good characters and plot.

Have you read this book? Have you read any other books about sister wives?

Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

2012-05-24T11:41:00.004-04:00

Uglies

Scott Westerfeld

2005

I had been waiting forever for this book from the library. At one point I was the first person on the waiting list and then the book got delivered to the library, but I was still at school so I couldn't pick it up. So I had to go back to waiting. But it's okay, because this book was fantastic. I had also heard a lot about this book from various people on the internet, but I can't think of which videos talked about this book.

Uglies takes place in the future, and like a lot of teen books set in the future, it's kind of post-apocalyptic and dystopian. Tally, the main character, lives in a society where at the age of 16 everyone undergoes an operation to make them pretty. They then live in a place called New Pretty Town where they get to party all the time. Before being turned pretty, they are called Uglies, and live in dorms with all of the other uglies. Sometimes for fun they do tricks, usually involving sneaking out at night and using hoverboards. During one of Tally's tricks she meets another ugly named Shay. Shay has questions about being turned pretty, and doesn't want to go through with it. She tries to get Tally to run away with her. And that's where my little synopsis ends.

The characters are well written, and there is some pretty good character development throughout the novel. You start to get attached to certain characters and hope that everything turns out okay for them.

My absolute favourite part of the novel is the opening line, "The early summers sky was the colour of cat vomit." Actually, there are quite a few references to cats and cat vomit throughout the novel.

Uglies is the first book in a trilogy that has four books. I'm very excited to read the next book, Pretties, because Uglies kind of ends with a cliffhanger. Okay, it definitely ends with a cliffhanger. Hopefully I will get it from the library soon!

This book is available for purchase from Amazon here: Uglies

I give this book 4.6 stars out of 5. It was a fantastic book with an interesting plot and really good characters. I definitely suggest this book to anyone who likes futuristic novels.

Have you read Uglies? Did you enjoy it? Have you read the series? Do you know any books like Uglies?

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - Jennifer E. Smith

2012-05-13T22:24:00.002-04:00

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Jennifer E. Smith

2012

I was on the waiting list at my local library for quite a while for this book, and it was worth the wait. I had heard mixed reviews from different people on youtube, but I figured I should just read it for myself. And I'm glad I did.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight takes place over a 24 hour period. Hadley is going to England for her father's second wedding even though she doesn't really want to go. For a variety of very small (almost insignificant) reasons, she misses her flight by four minutes. And that's where the story starts. Hadley manages to get a seat on the next flight to England, although she will barely make the wedding by the time she gets there. She meets a very attractive British boy, Oliver, at the airport who becomes her friend for the wait and then again on the airplane (She is seat 18A and he is in seat 18C). And that's where my brief synopsis is going to end.

While the largest (and most exciting) portion of the actual plot happens towards the end of the book, the beginning isn't boring. The characters are very well written, and they act their age. There's frustration with parents and life in general.

My favourite part of the book was probably the very end. I can't say exactly what it is other than it happens at the wedding reception. It was adorable. Or all the times when Hadley asks what Oliver is studying at school and he makes it up.

The book also has a very attractive cover. Even if I hadn't heard about this book on youtube I probably would have picked it up.

I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5. It was a fantastic book and I highly suggest picking it up.

Have you read this book?

The Future of Us - Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

2012-05-09T22:31:00.000-04:00

The Future of Us

Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

2011

I was so excited to read this book. I loved Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, and I had been eying this book at the bookstore for quite a while. I ended up borrowing it from the library and I'm kind of glad I did.

The Future of Us is the story of Emma and Josh and their future. The story takes place in 1996. Emma has just received her first computer from her dad as a guilt gift. Josh shows up at her door with an AOL cd for 100 free hours of internet. She installs the program and does what she has seen her friend Kellan do many times; she goes to 'Favourite Places'. But there is a new site there called Facebook. She clicks on it, enters her email address and password and suddenly she can see 15 years into the future. Over the course of the novel she discovers that the smallest change in the present day can change her future entirely and sometimes she uses this to her advantage. Josh uses it to his advantage as well.

It was an interesting premise for a novel, and while it wasn't unenjoyable, I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped I would. I found that there really wasn't too much of a plot. I kept waiting for something truly exciting to happen. You got to know the characters really well, and they were well written and the main characters all had some dimension to them. They were believable to the reader.

One thing that I didn't really enjoy is the fact that the chapters went from being told by Emma to being told by Josh. This kind of narration is good for a novel written by two authors, but the two characters had very similar voices and sometimes it took a while to remember who was narrating.

I think my favourite part was that it took place in 1996. There were so many references to things from that time, such as walkmans and cassette tapes. I also really enjoyed the kind of obvious references to things nowadays (watching Glee on Netflix).

I give this book 3.6 stars out of 5. It wasn't a fantastic read, but it was a fun summer read. It does bring up some good points regarding knowing the future, but it leaves quite a few really good plot lines unexplored.

Have you read The Future of Us? Did you enjoy it?

The Help - Kathryn Stockett

2012-04-18T17:26:00.002-04:00

The Help

Kathryn Stockett

2009

My mom made me read this book. Well, she didn't force me to, but she spent an entire car ride talking about it and pretty much spoiling all the good parts for me. But she made it sound so good, so I ended up reading it myself. And it was good.

The Help is set in Mississippi in 1962, where maids are hired and white women think they're all that. It is the story of three different women, told from each of their perspectives. There's Aibileen, a maid, who is raising her seventeenth white child; Minny, who is Aibileen's best friend, a maid, and also one of the sassiest women in Mississippi; and Skeeter, who has just graduated from college and her mother wants her to marry. The three women, as well as a few others, team up on a project which changes their town and the people in it. There's a lot more to the story than that little bit I've just written, but I don't want to do what my mother did and give the plot away.

The characters are very well written. You fall in love with them right at the beginning and then you just want the best for them throughout the novel. The plot was carefully crafted and was unlike and book I had read before. Having not grown up in the 1960's, I had only heard about things like this, but reading about them was entirely different. Some of the things that happen make me question what people were thinking in that time*.

I will tell you that my favourite part involved chocolate pie. Chocolate pie is my favourite type of pie, and the book kind of made me have a different perspective on that. You'll see why if you've read the book. My other favourite part involved a lot of toilets. But that's all I'll say on the matter.

The Help has also been made into a movie, and it's also very good, but it leaves a few things out. I highly suggest reading the book first and then watching the movie.
The Book Club at my school also read this book first term. It was such a good reading experience because you got to have everyone's different perspectives on the events, and we ended up having some very good discussions. Our leader even looked up Sugar Ditch and told us about what she found. We also watched the movie together at the end of book club, but I wasn't able to make it that day. If you are in a book club, this is a very good book to read!

I give this book 4.4 stars out of 5. I loved the characters and the plot. Everything was believable (even though you may want it to seem like it's totally fictional). Just don't let your mom tell you everything that's happening ;)

*They let them cook their food, but not use their toilets because of germs.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake - Aimee Bender

2012-04-16T16:00:00.000-04:00

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

Aimee Bender

2010

I was drawn to this book for two reasons. The first being the colour of the cover (which is one of my favourite colours I think) and the second is the piece of cake on the cover. I know. I judged a book by its cover (again), but this time I was wrong.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is about a nine year old girl, Rose Edelstein, who has a magical gift. She can taste emotions. The magical gift is discovered on her ninth birthday, and the cake that her cheerful mother makes her tastes of despair and desperation. The story is about how as she grows older, she learns more about this gift, and learns secrets about her family members and others.

I was not a fan of this book. I had such high hopes for it, and it was just kind of a disappointment. The writing was simple, which was alright, but I never felt like the plot was fully explained or developed. I'm still not entirely sure of how this novel ended. The characters were alright, but I wasn't drawn to them, nor did I really care about their plot lines.

The premise of the story is interesting, but I felt like the author could have done something more with it. I have read several other reviews online that feel the same way I do. All of the reviews have given it a lukewarm reception. If you're looking for a book that's alright, doesn't take too long to read and doesn't really have much of plot, then give this book a chance. Otherwise, it's just a pretty cover.

I don't think I have a favourite part of this book. I really really do like the cover though. I think the cover was my favourite part.

I give this book 2 stars out of 5. I liked the characters and the cover, but that was about it.

Have you read this book? Did you like it?

The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick

2012-04-15T12:53:00.002-04:00

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Brian Selznick

2007

I was on the waiting list at the library for about a month and a half for this book, but it was worth it. It didn't take very long to read, because a large part of the story is told through pictures, but it was fantastic. I had seen the movie in February, around Academy Awards time, because it was nominated for so many things. I would have liked to have read the book first, but I didn't have access to a copy and I really wanted to see the movie.

They are both excellent, and the movie is such a good recreation of the story. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is about a young boy named Hugo who lives in the walls of a Paris train station fixing the clocks and trying to fix something his father had shown him. He meets Georges and Isabelle and the adventure takes off from there.

There wasn't much actual text in this novel, despite it being 533 pages (including acknowledgements), but there didn't need to be much writing. The illustrations told such a good story, and they were entirely necessary. I don't think this story could be told as effectively in just words. Even just flipping through and looking at the pictures you get a good sense of the story.

My absolute favourite part is page 378, when Hugo and Isabella are looking out from behind the clock at all of Paris. Not so coincidentally, it was probably one of my favourite parts of the movie as well.

Speaking of the movie, the adaptation was very true to the story, with just a few things changed (i.e., there were some more action sequences and stuff like that), but the actors they chose fit the illustrations in the book so well.

I have this book from the library until the 5th of May, so I'll probably read it again before then. I did read most of it in the car ride from my house to my school yesterday (it's about an hour and a half drive), so it doesn't take very long to read.

I would highly recommend this book to people who don't have a lot of time to read and who liked the movie, as long as they can get over the fact that it's so long.

I give this book 4.3 stars out of 5. I just really really liked it.

Have you read Hugo? Did you see the movie? Did you like either of them? Leave your answer in the comments!

Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins

2012-04-12T22:41:00.002-04:00

Anna and the French Kiss

Stephanie Perkins

2010

I have read this book so many times, and every time I read it it just gets better and better. I think I first heard about this book from someone on youtube (probably John Green). I had only heard good things about it, so I figured I'd give it a chance. And it was so good

Anna and the French Kiss is about Anna, an American, who goes to the School of America in Paris. She meets a boy, sees Paris and grows as a person. I really don't want to give plot spoilers of any books.

It's kind of a romance novel, but it's not a romance novel in the way that there is just constant kissing and other stuff. It's a romance novel in the way that people meet, fall in love, and then have adventures.
I really liked this book. The characters were witty, funny and realistic, the plot was well written (and unlike Lola and the Boy Next Door, it was a little bit unpredictable!) and the overall story was just a fun read. I think I've borrowed this from the library six or so times since I first read it.
The characters are what make this book as good as it is. I felt myself rooting for the different characters at different times. They are created so realistically that you feel as though they're just some friends you have (or people you know). Their lives aren't perfect and they aren't perfect, but they're wonderfully written.
I'm not too sure what my favourite part of the novel is. Usually there's one clear part that stands out as my favourite, but in this book I actually liked pretty much everything. St. Clair was probably one of my favourite parts. And then the part with all the stairs. If you've read the book you probably know this part. And Anna's dad. His occupation was fantastic.
The author is also fantastic, and wrote an additional scene. Her whole website is fantastic. There's also information about her third novel which comes out in 2013 I think. She has created playlists to go with this book. There's the version without spoilers (and here's a link right to the 8track page) and then she also has the same list, but she has explained why the most important songs are on the playlist.

I give this book 4.3 stars out of 5. I think this may have to be a book I purchase and not just continually borrow from the library every two months or so.

Have you read Anna and the French Kiss? What did you think about it?

Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins

2012-04-09T19:12:00.000-04:00

Lola and the Boy Next Door

Stephanie Perkins

2011

Well, that didn't take too long. I wrote about this book yesterday in my April Reads blog post, and since then have finished the novel. It was good.

Lola and the Boy Next Door is a sort of romance novel, but also just a fun novel. It's the kind of romance novel where a girl (Lola) is dating a guy (Max) and then a mysterious new guy (Cricket, who isn't so mysterious in this case) comes into the picture. Lola is just minding her own business with her (much) older guitar playing boyfriend when there's a moving truck at the house next door. She's worried that it could be someone, and sure enough ... well, I don't want to ruin the plot.

One of my absolute favourite parts of this novel is how she brought in two characters, and their associating plots, from her previous novel, Anna and the French Kiss. This just linked everything together in a very Emily Giffin kind of way. I also loved how Lola goes through so many different characters and costumes and personas. I also really enjoyed the character's names. Lola, who's real name is Delores, Cricket, Calliope. They're unique which is reflected in the character's attitudes and beliefs.

This book is in no way an unpredictable novel. The book mostly follows the path you think it's going to take at the beginning of the story, but there are a few little things that happen here and there that are a surprise. I didn't mind the predictability aspect too much, because I wasn't expecting it to be some unpredictable-fantasy-and-wild-adventures novel like Harry Potter or the Hobbit.

I really enjoyed this book, however I think I may have been more of a fan of the author's first novel. I may give this one another read before I have to return it to the library at the end of the month though. So that opinion may change.

I give this book 3.4 stars out of 5. Interesting and unique characters, but a rather predictable plot line.

Have you read this book? What did you think?

April Reads

2012-04-08T20:23:00.000-04:00

I know this is really late, but this is my April Reads list! It's finals time around here, so therefore textbooks are probably my top priority. I'll put the most exciting ones on this list. And then there's really only one novel I hope to finish this month.
I got Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins from the library yesterday. It's her second novel (her first was Anna and the French Kiss). I'm about 40 pages in so far, and it's pretty good.
Here are the covers for this month's reads:

Okay, so that last one isn't so exciting. But I'm hoping if I tell myself it is, maybe I'll be able to get through it. One of my textbooks is all online (which means it was free - bonus!) and another is a 'custom course pack' so those don't have exciting covers. The other one is a statistics book which is so boring to read.

What are your April reads? Are they more exciting than mine? I'm not going to post reviews of the textbooks (probably), but I will review Lola and the Boy Next Door once I finish with it.

March Reads - The Results

2012-04-01T16:54:00.002-04:00

Well, March is over and so it's time to look back over the books I wanted to read during the month. I think I may have been a little bit ambitious with my choices.
But I did manage to read Charmed Thirds. I also read Fourth Comings, which is the fourth book in that series.
I also read Pick Me Up by Samantha Hunter which was romance novel. I don't normally read these, but the main female character and I shared a first and last name, so I had to. I'm thinking I might do a review of this book.
I didn't manage to read any of the other three novels (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, We Bought a Zoo and Eragon) this month. Oh well, there's always next month to do it!