Thoughts on Pretty Girl - 13

Pretty Girl - 13
Liz Coley
Published March 19th 2013 by Katherine Tegen Books

When thirteen-year-old Angela Gracie Chapman looks in the mirror, someone else looks back--a thin, pale stranger, a sixteen-year-old with haunted eyes. Angie has no memory of the past three years, years in which she was lost to the authorities, lost to her family and friends, lost even to herself. Where has she been, who has been living her life, and what is hiding behind the terrible blankness? There are secrets you can’t even tell yourself.

With a tremendous amount of courage and support from unexpected friends, Angie embarks on a journey into the darkest corners of her mind. As she unearths more and more about her past, she discovers a terrifying secret and must decide: when you remember things you wish you could forget, do you destroy the people responsible, or is there another way to feel whole again?






Pretty Girl - 13 is different than most Young Adult that I have read. There are similar Adult books that I have read, but Young Adult? No way.
As a matter of fact, there are not many thrillers and mystery's in the Young Adult genre in general....So when I heard about a new(ish) one, I jumped at the chance of reading it.

-The writing wasn't that great. It got better as the book went on, but as a whole...The writing could have been better.
-The main character is not very realistic in her journey.
-The last hundred pages or so and what happened? A little weird. But I could see where it tied in.

I can see what the author was trying to accomplish, and if not for the writing quality and the unrealistic plot points....I thought that this one was quite well done.  After I got through the first hundred pages, the writing did get better, and Pretty Girl - 13 kept me interested till the end.

Bookish Halloween Costumes Day 8 (Wings Series)

Bookish Halloween Costumes Day 8

 

My goal for these Bookish Halloween Costumes is giving you ideas that you already have in your closet. Some of the things that I put up there might be far fetched as to what you have around, but who knows?

 

Laurel loves loose and flowing clothes, (preferably with an open back because of her wings :-)

I found these that I thought would be something like Laurel wearing....

 

Laurel:

 

 

 

 

 

Let me know in the comments below what you would add to this look, or if you decide to be one of these characters, shoot me a picture on twitter @embookbutterfly I would love to see it!

 

***Note*** All of these bookish costumes are to my best memory what the character would wear in the book (or what I imagine they were wearing).....I don't claim to be an expert of the characters different fashion tastes. I am just here to offer cheap and sensible options for an awesome costume that will celebrate all of your bookishness (and mine!)

 

Bookish Halloween Costumes Day 7 (The Selection Series)

 Bookish Halloween Costumes Day 7

 

My goal for these Bookish Halloween Costumes is giving you ideas that you already have in your closet. Some of the things that I put up there might be far fetched as to what you have around, but who knows?

 

These are a little far fetched as to things you might have around the house......But still, the dresses are GORGEOUS!

 

 

 

Let me know in the comments below what you would add to this look, or if you decide to be one of these characters, shoot me a picture on twitter @embookbutterfly I would love to see it!

 

 

***Note*** All of these bookish costumes are to my best memory what the character would wear in the book (or what I imagine they were wearing).....I don't claim to be an expert of the characters different fashion tastes. I am just here to offer cheap and sensible options for an awesome costume that will celebrate all of your bookishness (and mine!)

Bookish Halloween Costumes Day 6 (Anne of Green Gables)

Bookish Halloween Costumes Day 6

 

My goal for these Bookish Halloween Costumes is giving you ideas that you already have in your closet. Some of the things that I put up there might be far fetched as to what you have around, but who knows?

 

Anne would especially work if you have red hair.....This one would also be pretty simple since you most likely have a maxi skirt and a button down shirt.

 

Puffed sleeves :-)

 

 

 

Let me know in the comments below what you would add to this look, or if you decide to be one of these characters, shoot me a picture on twitter @embookbutterfly I would love to see it!

 

 

***Note*** All of these bookish costumes are to my best memory what the character would wear in the book (or what I imagine they were wearing).....I don't claim to be an expert of the characters different fashion tastes. I am just here to offer cheap and sensible options for an awesome costume that will celebrate all of your bookishness (and mine!)

 

Bookish Halloween Costumes Day 5 (Rites of Passage)

Bookish Halloween Costumes Day 5

 

My goal for these Bookish Halloween Costumes is giving you ideas that you already have in your closet. Some of the things that I put up there might be far fetched as to what you have around, but who knows?

 

I really enjoyed Rites of Passage, and recreating what (I imagine) Sam was wearing in the book shouldn't be that hard....

This was my idea:

 

 

 

Let me know in the comments below what you would add to this look, or if you decide to be one of these characters, shoot me a picture on twitter @embookbutterfly I would love to see it!

 

 

***Note*** All of these bookish costumes are to my best memory what the character would wear in the book (or what I imagine they were wearing).....I don't claim to be an expert of the characters different fashion tastes. I am just here to offer cheap and sensible options for an awesome costume that will celebrate all of your bookishness (and mine!)

Bookish Halloween Costumes Day 4 (Heist Society)

Bookish Halloween Costumes Day 4

 

My goal for these Bookish Halloween Costumes is giving you ideas that you already have in your closet. Some of the things that I put up there might be far fetched as to what you have around, but who knows?

 

Heist Society can be done pretty much any way you want.....But you MUST have the signature sunglasses.

 

Kat:

 

 

Gabrielle:

 

 

Let me know in the comments below what you would add to this look, or if you decide to be one of these characters, shoot me a picture on twitter @embookbutterfly I would love to see it!

 

 

***Note*** All of these bookish costumes are to my best memory what the character would wear in the book (or what I imagine they were wearing).....I don't claim to be an expert of the characters different fashion tastes. I am just here to offer cheap and sensible options for an awesome costume that will celebrate all of your bookishness (and mine!)

 

 

Top Ten New Series I Want To Start

Hosted by http://www.brokeandbookish.com/

 

Top Ten New(ish) Series I Want To Start

These are all series that have had their first book come out in the past 1-2 years....

1. The Ring and the Crown

 

2. After the End

 

 

3. The 5th Wave

 

4. Just One Day

 

5. Charlotte Westing Chronicles

 

6. Unbound

 

7. The Winners Trilogy

 

8. Bowler University

 

9. The Fine Art of Pretending

 

10. Landry Park

 

Have you read any of these series? Would you recommend any of them to me?

 

 

Bookish Halloween Costumes Day 3 (Throne of Glass)

Bookish Halloween Costumes Day 3

 

My goal for these Bookish Halloween Costumes is giving you ideas that you already have in your closet. Some of the things that I put up there might be far fetched as to what you have around, but who knows?

 

If you have read Throne of Glass, then you know that Celaena is awesome. She just is....And if you haven't read Throne of Glass, then I suggest you do immediately (and then come back here and tell me what you thought!)

 

(Celaena is probably hiding something behind that hairclip no?)

 

 

 

This is what I imagined Celaena would wear while at the court of the king....

 

 

Let me know in the comments below what you would add to this look, or if you decide to be one of these characters, shoot me a picture on twitter @embookbutterfly I would love to see it!

 

 

***Note*** All of these bookish costumes are to my best memory what the character would wear in the book (or what I imagine they were wearing).....I don't claim to be an expert of the characters different fashion tastes. I am just here to offer cheap and sensible options for an awesome costume that will celebrate all of your bookishness (and mine!)

 

Bookish Halloween Costumes Day 2 (Gallagher Girls)

Bookish Halloween Costumes Day 2

My goal for these Bookish Halloween Costumes is giving you ideas that you already have in your closet. Some of the things that I put up there might be far fetched as to what you have around, but who knows?

 

What better way to celebrate Halloween than being your favorite spy? Believe me, most people have a plaid skirt lying around somewere, and pair it with a sweater, a blazer, or just a button down shirt you have a Gallagher Girl.

Better yet, if you have a red strapless dress around, you can go as Cammie in a certain scene :-)

 

Below are some costume suggestions for different ways to be Cammie, but if you customize just a few simple different ways, you could definitely change these to be a different Gallagher Girl!

 

 

 

 

 

Let me know in the comments below what you would add to this look, or if you decide to be one of these characters, shoot me a picture on twitter @embookbutterfly I would love to see it!

 

***Note*** All of these bookish costumes are to my best memory what the character would wear in the book (or what I imagine they were wearing).....I don't claim to be an expert of the characters different fashion tastes. I am just here to offer cheap and sensible options for an awesome costume that will celebrate all of your bookishness (and mine!)

 

 

Bookish Halloween Costumes Day 1 (The Lunar Chronicles)

Bookish Halloween Costumes Day 1

My goal for these Bookish Halloween Costumes is giving you ideas that you already have in your closet. Some of the things that I put up there might be far fetched as to what you have around, but who knows?

 

I LOVE the Lunar Chronicles....The series is AMAZING.

So, what better costume could I have in mind, but dressing up like on of each of The Lunar Chronicles characters?

 

Cinder:

 

Scarlet:

 

Cress:

 

Winter:

Winter is complete guesswork on my side since I have yet to read the book....But this is what I would imagine a princess of the moon wearing.

 

 

Let me know in the comments below what you would add to this look, or if you decide to be one of these characters, shoot me a picture on twitter @embookbutterfly I would love to see it!

 

 

***Note*** All of these bookish costumes are to my best memory what the character would wear in the book (or what I imagine they were wearing).....I don't claim to be an expert of the characters different fashion tastes. I am just here to offer cheap and sensible options for an awesome costume that will celebrate all of your bookishness (and mine!)

Up and Coming on the Blog - - -

Up and Coming on the Blog - - -

 

Sorry my reviews have been few and far apart....I hope to change that pretty soon!

But while I am working on reviews, here are some things that you can expect to be in my reading life and up on the blog both these past weeks and the coming weeks......

 

 I did post a review on Ignite Me (and why you should read it) here.

This month I also reviewed Girl With Guitar (which is a freebie on Amazon last time I noticed so do check that!) You can check out my review here.

 

I want to read some audio books....And I am looking for some great ones. If you are an audio bookie(???) Please, Please, PLEASE recommend some to me (post is here.)

 

I talked about why you should read New Adult here hope you will check it out and tell me what you think!

 

I am doing Book Bingo (which is hosted over at Great Imaginations) Which is a lot of fun! Hope you will join!

 

I am going to have an ENTIRE week of Bookish Halloween Costumes starting tomorrow! Hope you will check back and see what books I will be covering!

Audio Book Suggestions Wanted!

I am looking to break into the audio book world.
And to all of you people who love to listen to audio books, I was wondering if you could give me a few suggestions?
YA books only please!

Thanks a million :-)

New Adult

Today I am going to talk about the New Adult genre. Recently I have read quite a few very disappointing New Adult books. And I have read reviews by others about their disappointments in this genre.
And it made me think......Why is there now a "new adult" stereotype. New Adult is now often said to be only romance, no character development, no plot, just two people who fall in love (usually a good girl and a bad boy). I too have made these stereotypes.  And have opinions on the entire genre based on these books that happen to not have character development, a good plot, or more than the usual good girl/bad boy thin going on........Put a name for ALL New Adult. Not just that book. But for the entire genre.

I realized......Doesn't this sound familiar? Haven't I heard this before?

And then I remembered.....Remember Twilight? Vampires? Werewolves?
Ringing a bell at all? (I have never read Twilight myself, so I don't claim to be an expert at all on that subject) However......Twilight has been the thing that people who have not read Young Adult often judge Young Adult about. By reading Twilight. As if one, or two, or three, or even FOUR books can show you the beauty or horror of an entire genre?

If one Young Adult book is bad....Do you assume all Young Adult books are bad?
If one Adult Mystery is bad.....Do you assume all Adult Mystery's are bad?
If one Adult Romance is bad....Do you assume all Adult Romance is bad?

After my speculation I realized how much New Adult has been judged recently.
One bad New Adult book (or bad in your eyes) should not be your judge for the entire genre. And should not be MY judge of the entire genre. 

I have recently read a few great New Adult books that showed me that every genre has its own gems. So do yourself a favor. Don't quit after only one book. Find your right pick. You might be surprised.

Ignite Me (Book Review)

Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3)

Tahereh Mafi
Published February 4th 2014 by HarperCollins

With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn’t know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won’t keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world . . . but that’s not all he wants with her.






I have a confession to make. I didn't enjoy Shatter Me or Unravel Me.

(Cue shocked gasps/looks)

And I know why. When I read Shatter Me and Unravel Me, I had read a ton of dystopian lately (and when I mean a ton, I mean A TON!)

Shatter Me and Unravel Me just sort of blended in with all of the others.....And I wasn't that impressed. Thankfully, I was gifted Ignite Me recently, which made me actually pick it up to finish the series.

And I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, enjoyed it. No, REALLY!
For one, I actually enjoyed Juliette's character, which was one of my big problems with the first two books.....And I actually LIKED the plot.

Now, I know. The people who read this book are going to be split into two groups....Depending on which guy you liked better (but don't worry! No spoilers here :-)

So, if you have read Shatter Me and Unravel Me, and even if you didn't like them AT ALL.....Give Ignite Me a chance....Just a chance. You might be pleasingly surprised.

And on a side note.....Aren't the covers gorgeous!

Waiting On Wednesday (23) Waterfall

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is-

 

Waterfall (Teardrop #2)

by Lauren Kate

Expected publication: October 28th 2014 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

 

**Note** I am not actually sure of the expected publication, seeing as I found 2 different dates. One in October 2014, and on in November 2014.

 

I really enjoyed Teardrop by Lauren Kate, and am looking forward to what comes next!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previous book in series:

 

Have you read Teardrop? Did you enjoy it? What do you think of the covers?

 

Autumn Book Tag

The Autumn Book Tag!

Not sure where this tag originated, but thank you Ashly from Book 'n' Go for tagging me!
 

1) What is your favorite thing about Autumn? Ummmm the end? Just kidding....The weather and the smell  :-)

 2) What book on your shelves reminds you of going back to school/your school days? 

I know of one that I WISHED reminded me of my school days.......The Gallagher Girls series.

 3) Find a book on your shelf which has something Autumn related on the cover.
Not really autumn related, but the color scheme does remind me of this time of year.

4) What is your favorite horror/Halloween story? I don't read horror, so I will choose a thriller instead......The most recent YA thriller I read that I enjoyed was Blackbird by Anna Carey....So there you go :-)

5) What is your favorite horror film?

Frozen?

6) Which book release are you most looking forward to this Autumn?

Breaking the Rules by Katie McGarry....Because (if you don't know why I suggest you look around my blog) Hardcore Katie McGarry fan right here.

7) Which film release are you most looking forward to this Autumn? 

Mockingjay Part 1
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8) Show three books that you are hoping to read this season. 

 

 

 

I tag YOU (if you want to do it)
If you do this tag, please come back and leave me a lin

September Real Book Challenge Wrap Up

Sign Up Post

And I am going for the 50+ - Real Book Queen/King 

 

I read 14 books in September and 10 were "Real Books"!

That brings my total so far of "Real Books" in 2014 is 113!

 

September Real Books: