Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Monday, June 30, 2014
June Challenges Wrap Up
June:
85. Crash Into You
86. Take Me On
87. The Rules For Breaking
88. The Liar Society
89. Open Road Summer
90. The Truth About Alice
91. Since You've Been Gone
92. Mansfield Park
93. The Half Life Of Molly Pierce
June:
17. The Secrets of Lily Graves (review to come)
Friday, June 20, 2014
The Sound (Book Review)
 The Sound Sarah Alderson
Kindle Edition, 320 pages
Published May 13th 2014 by Simon Pulse
Synopsis via Goodreads: British nanny looking for a low-key summer finds buried secrets, murderous attention, and unexpected romance when she visits the Nantucket Sound. The Nantucket Sound is a beachfront playground for the privileged and elite, where the sunny days are filled with scenic bike rides, backyard picnics, and bonfire parties. But all Ren Kingston - a visiting Brit still reeling from heartbreak - really wants is a quiet summer as a nanny for one of Nantucket's wealthy families. Getting acquainted with handsome Jeremy and his young group of trust fund, private school kids was not part of the plan. Neither was befriending the local bad boy whose reputation is more dangerous than charming. After a dead body is found next to The Sound's postcard-perfect view, Ren starts to wonder where the real threat lies. Because it's becoming clear that her newfound 'friends' are much more than they seem. They're hiding secrets. Secrets that Ren wants no part of. But once The Sound has you in its current, it won't want to let you go. Review: Things to know before reading the book: The main character is very annoying. Her love interests are cliché. One of them the "rich boy". The other the troubled "bad boy". Every single other character in this book is cliché. The mystery doesn't get introduced until after the half way point of the book. The love triangle in this book is one of the most annoying I have ever read. Ren doesn't make up her mind about anything. She goes from Jesse to Jeremy to Jesse to Jeremy to Jesse to Jeremy (etc). I did enjoy Jesse's character. His is probably the only one that I actually enjoyed. And he is also the only reason I finished this book. I wanted to know his past. In all fairness. Lots of other books that I have enjoyed have clichés. So that isn't the huge thing about this book. What is a huge thing for me is that I wasn't expecting a typical contemporary summer romance. I was expecting an edge-of-your-seat mystery. And that is something I didn't get at all. So this was a disappointment. Another thing is that this plot is BORING! In the first 1/2 of the book NOTHING happens. And then the mystery is introduced....And then we go back to NOTHING HAPPENING! If I had changed my expectations. The characters would have still been annoying. But I would have at least been prepared for them. I know I rambled a bit in this review.....But overall, if you are looking for a serious mystery/thriller. This is definitely not for you Have you read The Sound? What did you think? Leave me a link to your blog! I would love to visit! |
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Waiting On Wednesday (18) Remember Me
"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-
I really enjoy YA thrillers. And Find Me was a really good one! I can't wait to read some more about Wick and Griff!
Remember Me has a planned release of September 23rd 2014 by HarperTeen.
Remember Me has a planned release of September 23rd 2014 by HarperTeen.
Friday, June 13, 2014
What I Thought Was True (Book Review)
 What I Thought Was TrueHuntley Fitzpatrick
Hardcover, 416 pages
Published April 15th 2014 by Dial Books for Young Readers
Gwen Castle's Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, is slumming it as a yard boy on her Nantucket-esque island this summer. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is. Review: I enjoyed My Life Next Door....One of the things I remember most about it was the beautiful writing. And Huntley Fitzpatrick definitely brings that back with What I Thought Was True. The Characters: CASSIDY's CHARACTER! Yes, Cassidy was my favorite part of this book. He was sweet, caring, and so loving the entire book (a nice refreshing "good boy" after reading so many romances with "bad boys"). But at the same time, he does have problems throughout the book. And he isn't perfect. Gwen was a great character to read about, she struggles with wanting to "get off" of the island, and not wanting to "get stuck" doing her mothers cleaning service and her fathers ice cream place her entire life. All of the secondary characters are very deep (for lack of a better word). Gwen's parents are divorced, her father isn't a huge part of the book....But the part he is in he gives Gwen some very bad advice. He mother loves reading romance novels, but at the same time is trying hard to keep her family afloat.....Her grandfather is doing his fair share by fishing....And her brother is the sweetest. One of the biggest things I didn't like in this is that it sometimes gets confusing....With Gwen thinking back and then jumping back to the present. This wasn't enough for me to not like the plot, but it was a negative element. There were some other things with the plot (and characters) that I wasn't too crazy about, but the confusion is the biggest thing. This book is written in Huntley Fitzpatrick's (now) trademark beautiful writing....There are some wonderful quotes in here. The characters are done great. And I really enjoyed this. Will definitely be reading everything else by this author! |
Monday, June 9, 2014
Top Ten Books I've Read So Far This Year
Hosted by http://www.brokeandbookish.com/
Top Ten Books I've Read So Far This Year
Young Adult:
One of the most touching and one of the best books I have ever read. This is something everyone should read.
Take Me On:
Two words....Katie McGarry.
Amazing story about friendship.
The DUFF:
Can't believe I didn't read this sooner!
Vitro:
I don't like sci-fi. But I really enjoyed this book.
52 Reasons to Hate My Father:
Hilarious book. Just hilarious.
Rose Under Fire:
Code Name Verity was really good. Rose Under Fire was even better.
Adult/Classics:
Madame Tussaud:
I don't read a lot of adult books, but I really enjoyed this one.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall:
Anne Bronte is one of my favorite classic authors.
And Then There Were None:
One of the best mystery's I have ever read!
Friday, June 6, 2014
We Were Liars (Book Review)
We Were LiarsE. Lockhart
Kindle Edition, 240 pages
Published May 13th 2014 by Delacorte Press
A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.
Review:
Things to know before you read this review/the book....
1. The main character has amnesia. So the narration is unreliable and confusing.
2. This book is pretty short. So if you are wondering whether to read this or not, it doesn't require a big investment of your time.
3. I guessed the end surprise really early on.
4. Even if you are not enjoying this, you will probably keep on reading it just because you want to know what the end surprise is.
5. Be aware the word I am going to use the most in this review is confusing.
The Characters:
The main character Cadence annoyed me. And her narration is extremely confusing. But I did feel sympathetic about her character.
The Plot/Writing:
The plot is (again) confusing. Half the time I didn't know what was going on, because it seemed to me that the character was sometimes in the present and sometimes looking back. And I sometimes had a hard time distinguishing which was which.
The writing in We Were Liars is very poetic....At points I actually felt like I was reading poetry.
I wasn't crazy about how the plot turned out. I think I was expecting something a little less like dramatic Pretty Little Liars and a little more suspenseful.
Altogether there was a lot of positive hype going around about this book. And I think that I was expecting something better.
It is pretty short, and I know a lot of people loved it.
I wish that there had been more to the plot.
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