10 Books I Procrastinate Reading

Hello bookworms! 

I know, I haven't been posting for the most of this month.. It was my birthday on the 21st (I turned eighteen), and I was at my grandma's, therefore no internet. Sorry about that lovies! 

I was inspired to write this post by Cait @ Paper Fury, check her out! She's one of my favorites <3 
These books I've been meaning to read for the longest time and I KNOW I'll love them, but I have been pushing them off .. I just get distracted, but it will happen soon. I promise. 

1. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this exhilarating and heart-wrenching love story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Elle Fanning!

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.

2. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (# 1) 

Mara Dyer believes life can't get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can. 

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed. 
There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. 
She's wrong.





3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (HP #6)

I won't write a synposis for this one so I don't spoil it since it isn't the first in the series, but I'm probably the only one who isn't done with this series yet. SOON though! 
















4. Cinder by Marissa Meyer 

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. 


Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. 





5. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson #1)

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse-Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends -- one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena -- Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.


6. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. 

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. 

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. 


Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined. 

7. A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Grey

Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure. 

8. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called "Le Cirque des Reves," and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway--a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love - a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per-formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead. 

9. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doehrr 

Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When Marie-Laure is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris, and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.


In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge. 

10. Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover 

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.

Love gets ugly. 


Those are all the books! If you have read any of them (I'm sure you have) leave your opinions down below, I'd love to read through them :) 

Update: I have read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and currently reading Ugly Love. 

Have an amazing day everybody! 

THOUGHTS: The Maze Runner by James Dashner - The MOVIE

Hello guys!

I'm sorry I haven't blogged in a while, I'm doing NaNoWriMo 2014 :)

I recently seen the Maze Runner movie and I LOVED IT, so I thought I'd fill you in on my thoughts.

 

This book is a great adaptation, they made us feel the characters and understand the plot; you can easily fall in love with the movie even if you haven't read the book. 

Teresa and Thomas were greatly portrayed, Alby, Chuck and even Minho look just like how I envisioned them. They picked out great actors to play the characters, and they did well.

One thing I disliked was that they didn't show the Tomas and Teresa connection more, like the mind telepathy thing. That would've been interesting, they only gave a hint when Thomas was reminiscing on the past when he got stung; therefore only the ones who read the book would understand. 

I agree that some scenes were different from the book, but I loved it. I'm ashamed to say that I loved it even more than the book; it got me more excited to read The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure :) 

I would totally recommend reading the book first though, and giving it a chance and to be patient with it, it's boring at first but then it's a good book! 

Have YOU seen the Maze Runner? Comment down below what you thought!

Have an amazing day! :)

-Jay 

Book Review: Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

 Goodreads:

At twenty-two years old, aspiring musician Sydney Blake has a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her good friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers Hunter cheating on her with Tori—and she is left trying to decide what to do next.

Sydney becomes captivated by her mysterious neighbor, Ridge Lawson. She can’t take her eyes off him or stop listening to the daily guitar playing he does out on his balcony. She can feel the harmony and vibrations in his music. And there’s something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either: He seems to have finally found his muse. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one…


From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance—and the enchanting music that inspires one young woman to put her life back together.

Includes a free original soundtrack by musician Griffin Peterson.

Hello bookworms, sorry I haven’t been posting, I currently barely have any access to the internet because I’m not home. I hope you understand :) .

Maybe someday by Colleen Hoover is a truly compelling story, I couldn’t put it down. It tells a story that fate is inevitable and you cannot deny the inevitable. Sydney and Ridge met through the love of music, he used to play the guitar on his balcony and opposite to him, she would sit and listen. Sydney had a boyfriend (Hunter) and so did Ridge (Maggie), but with Hunter being a jerk of a boyfriend, she ended up breaking up with him and leaving her slut of a roommate Tori because they were both cheating on her for two years. She found herself homeless and in the mercy of Ridge, her cute neighbor with amazing guitar playing skills. She didn’t realize then that they were both falling in love..

This is a perfect story of forbidden love, trying to avoid something such as fate is definitely impossible. I’ve never read anything by Colleen Hoover before, but I felt her words in my heart; her beautiful combination of words makes you understand the characters and feel for them. The descriptions are accurate, it makes you have a clear image of them in your head even more than any author does. The two characters’ point of views were corresponding , the similar POVs (since it’s the same author) was perfect, but I guess she intentionally made them more compatible by creating similar POVs. Ridge completed Sydney’s words most of the time and they both had similar mindsets which made them even more perfect for each other.

I recommend this book to EVERYONE! It’s truly an amazing love story. So cute and will make your heart swell besides, it definitely made me cry.

Have you read Maybe Someday? Comment below your thoughts and continue reading this post for a discussion of the book aka SPOILERS.

-J

SPOILERS START HERE. Continue ONLY if you've read the book. Highlight the paragraph below to read spoilers.

Okay everything about this book was perfect, the way they both feel about music, the fact that they appreciated music and felt it, even though Ridge was DEAF. They both realized the severe attraction they felt for each other and tried to deny it and fight every urge they had not to surrender to themselves and to their feelings. They had to remind themselves of the routine.. Ridge kept reminding himself of Maggie, that he loved her because his heart cannot belong to two. They tried to find flaws to repel them from each other, but failed.

 The feelings development in this book is super cute; you could tell that the love story will be a great one from the very beginning. Ridge and Sydney cannot help but fall in love with one another, their chemistry is great and the intimacy they feel is natural. They were meant for each other.
They felt the pain of desire, wanting someone but even the thought of being with them is wrong. They both tried their very bests not to turn into another Tori and Hunter, they didn’twant to do that to Maggie too because she was sweet and no one deserves that.

 The way both of them described their kiss as relief was beyond me, this is another technique Colleen used to emphasis on them being soul mates. Their trail of thoughts followed one another and they think alike throughout the book.

The difficulty of keeping yourself focused and not straying away with your thoughts and feelings towards someone is shown in both Ridge and Sydney, they are good people and they feel guilty by even thinking about each other inappropriately, thinking and NOT even acting on the thoughts.
When I knew that Maggie was sick, everything in me collapsed, in Sydney too. We now know what Ridge is going through and how much of a terrible person he would be if he left her for Sydney. The realization hit me instantly-even before it hit Maggie-, Ridge was hanging on due to her disease, he loved her disease and loved being her hero and he didn’t love HER. Life wasn’t fair to both of them. Love isn’t fair.

I loved Maggie’s character, she was a strong independent woman and she loved Ridge too much that she wanted him to be happy. Her reaction to their betrayal just proves how big her heart is. If I was in her place and saw Sydney after kissing my boyfriend, I would’ve punched her right in the face, but Maggie collected her anger and went. She was the bigger, more mature person. Maggie actually gave up Ridge because she knew deep inside that he loved Sydney as much as he loved her.
As much as I knew what Ridge and Sydney were doing was wrong but I couldn’t help but support it, their love is real and genuine and once you find something as amazing as that, you simply can’t let it go.

Ridge is a great guy, he made me believe that good guys really do exist, he kept his faithfulness towards Maggie even though he was torn and tortured, his heart broke into two and so did he. He also gave Sydney up for Maggie, he did the right thing even though everything inside him told him not to let her go.

I can shamelessly say I cried when he was letting Sydney go, he SPOKE for the very first time in 15 years so he could properly say goodbye.. this is incredible and if that’s not true love, I don’t know what is. Syd loved his voice, she loved him and she compensated his father’s love with her own.. She loved his voice and I loved the way she described his voice, even though his dad hated it and hated him for speaking. It was enough for him, she made him happy and so did he. She learned how to sign so she would communicate with him and he worked on his talking so he would be better at it.
In the end, I was taught that sometimes the moment of epiphany comes late. As late as five years.. it’s okay to realize you don’t love someone even after being with them for 5 complete years. It’s okay to wait for love and you should accept that things change, even if you don’t plan for them to. Love always finds its way of reuniting those who should be reunited even with something as simple as music.

Book Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Goodreads:

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Let’s just start off by saying that I really hated the fanfiction in this book, I skipped all the fanfiction parts and I know that I shouldn’t have, but I did. It really annoyed me more than anything else. I can’t tolerate the idea of fanfiction and it’s totally not my thing. I haven’t read HP yet (I’m ashamed, yes.) and some reviewers mentioned that the fanfiction in the book [Simon and Baz] represents HP in real life, and I tried to read it but I honestly don’t get it. I guess that the fanfiction part can either make or break the book and for me it totally downgraded it to 4 stars instead of 5.

It was a slow-paced book; it took me around 200 pages to really get into it. Dear Levi, thank you for being the main factor that made me fall in love with Fangirl. Another factor was Rainbow Rowell’s writing, it’s so easy and light. 

On a personal note, I related to the characters and the situations, I felt like this is a real story, and not fiction. Wren and Cath remind me of my sister and I, we fight A Lot and she’s out of control most of the times and I’m the one who gets to talk some sense into her. 

This book branches into many things; relationships, friendships and family relationships. Rainbow Rowell  conveys the beauty of loving someone and loving what they love and trying to better yourself for them. I loved it so much and I recommend it to anyone!

Did the fanfiction make or break the book for you? Comment down below your thoughts, I’d love to discuss this with you all and if you HAVE READ the book, continue reading the post for spoilers.

Have a great day guys. x

-J 

SPOILERS START HERE. Continue ONLY if you've read the book. Highlight the paragraph below to read spoilers.

Cath’s character developed from the start of the novel till the end, she was the shy one, the antisocial, the one who had a guy-friend boyfriend and also the one who never liked partying. With Levi, she stepped out of her comfort zone; she went to a party for his sake. She liked him and he changed her, he made her a more courageous character and their love story blossomed into something beautiful... with their love for fanfiction, something he never thought he’d like.  

I loved that Levi always smiled “like it cost him nothing”, I’m an always smiling person and it annoys people sometimes, but I’d rather be happy and spread positivity than become a grumpy source of negativity. It made me smile just by thinking of Levi’s smile.

I disliked Wren throughout the book, I thought she was a total bitch.  I understand that she’s trying to be someone different and experiment with new things, but her past and not what she is right now is what she’ll always be. That is proof that one can’t change even if they wanted to. Rainbow Rowell juxtaposes Cath and Wren, fraternal twins but completely opposite mentalities.  I loved that in the end, they both came to terms that they’ll never act like frenemies again. I loved that Wren still read Carry On and kept that part of her intact and untouched even when she thought she was changing.

I loved loved loved Cath and Levi.  Their relationship just clicks, they remind me of a lock and a key. They both were made for each other, he accepts her and loves her even though people think she’s weird.. He saw the beauty in her weirdness.

Another thing I’ve loved is when the book started with Cath sitting in her dorm room and said “there’s a guy in my room.”  which was Levi.. Later on in the book, Cath also said “there’s a guy in my room”. When she and Levi were a couple. I LOVED THAT DETAIL, it made me nostalgic and it linked everything together beautifully. 

THOUGHTS: Delirium Pilot (The TV Show)

Hello bookworms, I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long, I'm having a reading slump lately.. I don't know why. It's annoying and I hate it. I've been taking baby steps with my reading since I've read 9 books last month, which is crazy to even think about. I've been watching some TV shows lately and I've discovered something horrendous. A DELIRIUM TV SHOW.

At first I was extremely excited and I had extremely high expectations of it, I've only found the pilot so I thought I'd give it a try. You know that Delirium is actually my favorite trilogy of all time, so I thought that the show would be as amazing.. I've also heard that the TV show has been cancelled.

I KNOW WHY. It sucked, they literally crammed up the whole delirium book in one episode and they introduced us to Julian and I've only seen 3 or 4 Alex and Lena scenes. COME ON, I want to see more of their romance (it's the reason why Delirium is my favorite book out of the 3). I hated it so much omg, such a disappointment.

I saw NOTHING of Lena and Hana's friendship. Only at the begining of the episode when they were running, the party and when they fought over Alex. Seriously?

Apart from the terrible showcasing of the book, THE CHARACTERS?! They absolutely ruined the characters.

Julian, Lena and Alex

That's Hana, yes, sorry guys

Alex is fine (Daren Kagskoff) .. Julian (Gregg Sulkin) is okay. LENA AS EMMA ROBERTS? No.
Hana as whatever her name is? NOOOOO. Hana is a blonde for God's sake.

I give Delirium the TV show half a star for how hot Alex was, only. (Daren Kagskoff)

Have you guys seen Delirium? What was your opinion on it? And who do you think should play the characters? :) I'd love to discuss this with you.

Much love,
-J 

Book TAG: The Doctor Who Tag

I was tagged to do this tag by Glora Lo @ Gloria The Violinist . Thank you for tagging me <3
I really don't get what exactly is "Doctor Who" I think it's a TV show of some sort. I'll be doing this tag anyways.. hahaha

First doctor : what is your favorite first book in a series ?

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Surely.. or Delirium because I simply love Alex and Lena beyond words

Second doctor : What is your favorite sequel ? 

Insurgent by Veronica Roth.

Third doctor : What is your favorite trilogy ?

DELIRIUM. Hands down.

Fourth doctor : What is your most colourful book ?

I'm thinking Arms and the Man by Bernard Shaw. This one's a classic and I've read it for school 3 years ago. LOVED IT.

Fifth doctor : What is a book about sports that you've read ?

I couldn't think of anything since I actually despise sports, but something came to mind. In Nicholas Sparks' The Last Song, Will played volley ball. that counts right? haha

Sixth doctor : What is a book with a really powerfull villain that you've read ?

PRESIDENT SNOW from The Hunger Games. I hate him omg

Seventh doctor : What is your favorite adult or dark book ?

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. It's an amazing thriller.

Eighth doctor : What is your favorite romance novel ?

That's very weird, I know, but I used to be a huge Nicholas Sparks fan, I've read most of his books and my favorite was Safe Haven. I'm sorry all you romance fanatics out there.. I'm just blank and I can't think of anything.

War doctor : What is a book you wish you could forget you've ever read ?

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I hated that book.

Ninth doctor : What is a book that made you pick up a genre again ?

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey, it made me fall in love with Sci-fi/ fantasy.

Tenth : What is your favourite super-hyped book ?

Sorry guys, it's The Fault in our Stars by John Green. I know this is SUPER-HYPED, but I loved it before everyone on Earth loved it. It's so unfair, I know people who read it before it was famous can relate..

Eleventh doctor : What is your favorite children's or middle grade book ?

This is easy. Matilda by Roald Dahl. My ultimate favorite childhood book. Next to that is The Witches, also by Roald Dahl.

Twelfth doctor : what new release are you anticipating ? 

This book has already been released, but I'm dying to get my hands on The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey, which is the 5th Wave book #2. Aghh can't wait for it to hit Egypt already..

I hope you liked that tag everyone :)
Have an awesome day

-J 

Book Review: Since You've Been Gone by Mary Jennifer Payne

Goodreads:

Is it possible to outrun your past? Fifteen-year-old Edie Fraser and her mother, Sydney, have been trying to do just that for five years. Now, things have gone from bad to worse. Not only has Edie had to move to another new school she's in a different country. 
Sydney promises her that that this is their chance at a fresh start, and Edie does her best to adjust to life in London, England, despite being targeted by the school bully. But when Sydney goes out to work the night shift and doesn't come home, Edie is terrified that the past has finally caught up with them. Alone in a strange country, Edie is afraid to call the police for fear that she ll be sent back to her abusive father. Determined to find her mother, but with no idea where to start, she must now face the most difficult decision of her life."

I would start of this review by mentioning that I was given this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

I hurt while reading this book, I hurt for Edie and her mother. I hurt for Jermaine who you get to encounter later on in the book. It was a beautiful tragedy.

This book is about a girl who is living with her mother and they're on the run because her abusive father is on the hunt for them. She gets to go to a new school in London, a new city and everything is just so new to get used to. She starts her first day by being terribly bullied and what really annoyed me was that she was a bully herself to another 10th grader in her homeroom.. Imogen.

It's a good book, I love experiencing characters' pain and struggle, Edie suffers a lot and there was one person she actually opened up to and it makes me feel so warm inside to actually witness her opening up to someone, which actually proves a theory of mine; if you love someone beyond boundaries you automatically feel attached to them and your wall will immediately be knocked out so you can let them in. It's beautiful.

One thing I didn't like about this book is that it was too short, I really wanted to live in Edie's world more and experience it, I wanted to feel her mom's character more and to see Edie and her mom bond on another level. That is a very minor step-back that not everyone will experience though. I just love getting deeply connected to a character.

Since You've Been Gone is an extremely fast-paced book, I've conquered it in a day or even less. Mary Jennifer Payne's writing is so beautiful and you will just fly through it..

I recommend this book to everybody, I guarantee that you'll love it! :)x

Have a great day bookworms.

- J

Book Review: Requiem by Lauren Oliver (Delirium #3)

Warning: I don't recommend you read this 
review if you haven't read Delirium and Pandemonium as this review contains spoilers of the first two books.



Goodreads: 

 Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed. The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight. Of Pandemonium, ALA Booklist noted that "like all successful second volumes, this expands the world and ups the stakes, setting us up for the big finale." After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds. But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven-pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids. Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fianc e of the young mayor. Requiem is told from both Lena's and Hana's points of view. The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

I will simply start out by saying that this is the ending to my favorite trilogy. The suffering is real..

You get to witness the story from two point of views, Hana's and Lena's in this book, I liked that because you got to see the how the life of Lena, the invalid develops in the Wilds vs. Hana, the cured, how her life turns out to be in Portland. Lauren Oliver does a perfect job in juxtaposing the two characters so that we could see the difference between Hana and Lena; who were former best friends.

As you all know, Alex supposedly re-appeared from the dead (in Pandemonium) and his voice had a bitter tone in it. I know some people would have mixed views about Alex and Julian, but I'm actually team Alex ALL THE WAY. It sucked that he didn't make any appearances in Pandemonium, but Lauren Oliver makes us experience Lena with Alex in Delirium and Julian in Pandemonium, so that she can put us (especially me) in agony in Requiem. It was a hard task watching Julian and Lena together.

If you have been on my blog for a while, you'd know that I'm a strong believer in love, I think it's a beautiful and a powerful emotion so I really took this trilogy as a challenge at first. I thought that a book that convinces me that love is a disease is a must read. I soon came to the realization that Delirium wasn't about proving that love is a disease, but the total opposite, it tries to prove that the world is diseased without love and that's what really got me hooked on the series, it echoes my views on love. Of course, my words don't simply apply to the love of a spouse or a bf/gf, my words apply to every one you love, whether it's a cousin, a sister, your parents, a friend.. anyone. The urge that you must sacrifice your being to save someone is just beyond me. Love is the reason they survive in this book. Look closely at the characters and you'll realize that the only shield that is protecting them isn't their weapons, not their skills to fight.. it's love.

I love Lauren Oliver's writing, it flows beautifully, the book is fast paced, it took me a day to get through it. I love how Lena develops from a girl who is afraid of a prickle and a drop of blood [As Hana described her] to such a bad-ass character. Same goes to Julian, he has developed and grown so much stronger by the help of Lena and it simply amazes me how people change under tough circumstances such as surviving and fighting for your life.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel like I've got full closure to the trilogy, I still feel that there's something missing. The ending is abrupt .. only because of one thing, the thing that I've been waiting to know throughout the whole book.

CONTINUE TO READ IF YOU'VE READ REQUIEM ONLY. SPOILERS.

PS: Highlight the black sentences below to view spoilers. Do this at your own responsibility.

It really pissed me off that Lena didn't get to properly choose who she will end up with.

It killed me that she and Alex were treating each other that way and I held back the tears at the end and was waiting for another Delirium moment, but the freaking book ended. Just like that. IT REALLY PISSED ME OFF. Who did she choose? I'm guessing Alex since she confessed her love towards him, but what about Julian? I still like him, he's a sweet character. Another thing that annoyed me, I've done to myself, I've read the last sentence in the book by mistake and I knew that they would bring down the walls, all throughout the book I was trying to convince myself that they won't and there will be a plot twist so I don't spoil it for myself, but it didn't help. 

I was really bummed when Raven died too, unless they honored her death by conquering the system and making the world a better place filled with love. The ending was tooo happy for my taste, but it's a good ending. No one died, thankfully. 

Please comment below if you've read the book and feel my frustration. I'd love to discuss the book with you guys :)! 

Have a lovely day everyone x

- J 

TAG: The Ten Book Challenge

Hello everyone!

So I've been tagged to do this challenge by Gloria Lo, check out her amazing answers.. thanks for tagging me x

You will list 10 books that have stayed with you and have affected you in some way.

   1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I've read this book before it was popular and it's what really got me into reading again, I was lagging A LOT since I was busy with school work and it encouraged me to read again. 

 2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I cannot talk about this book enough, it's my favorite. why you ask? because it opened my eyes to things that I've never been fully aware of before, it made me 'experience' how the Jews were being treated, with utmost cruelty from Hitler and it made me sympathize with them even more.. I cried when I watched the movie.. it also made me fall in love with Leisel Meminger, she loves book even though she couldn't read them, it makes you believe in the power of words, and that everything can be healed by a book.

3. Silas Marner by George Eliot

This is a classic, I read this book and I've fallen in love with it. It made me have hope in the future and to never give up. It teaches you that what goes around comes back around and that God is fair.

4. Matilda by Roald Dahl

I will never be ashamed of my liking of this book, I read this when I was 9 -I'm almost 18 now- and I LOVED IT SO MUCH. I still love it to this day. The story behind my liking of this book is that I was a nerd back then, I used to read and my friends would make fun of me for reading but I never cared.

Once I was done with this book I felt invincible. Something about it made me love it and not care what people thought of me, it made me want to be Matilda and be half as smart as she is.. My favorite childhood book and come on.. it's Roald Dahl.

5. Before I die by Jenny Downham 

This is another cliche book about cancer patients, similar to TFIOS but it inspired me to live in the moment because the future is never guaranteed and to really appreciate life more because some people are struggling to live for another hour.

6. Malice by Danielle Steel

Malice is about a girl who has been treated terribly, and her luck goes absolutely wrong for decades then everything changes, this gives me hope and makes me have faith in humanity. (As you can see I'm big on inspirational books)

7. Animal Farm by George Orwell

A classic. A simple novel about a bunch of animals in a farm, but carries a HUGE meaning behind it. I hate politics and I don't like going there but with what has been going on in my country, it speaks to me. It's about dictators and overthrowing the system and it will forever stay in my heart.

8. Romeo and Juliet by Shakespear

Most of the books on here are classics.. I mean Shakespear is a huge deal. I only put this book on here because of the love story. I'm a huge fan of love stories and romance and there's nothing more romantic than Shakespear's Romeo and Juliet.

9. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Ranking 3rd on my favorite books category comes The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It's a perfect combination of romance, friendship and maybe.. (whatever happens to you as a child scars you when you're older?) You would get me if you read it and I wouldn't want to spoil it for you if you didn't.

10. Looking for Alaska by John Green

This comes second on my favorite books category. Looking for Alaska is my favorite John Green book, and NOT The Fault in our Stars contrary to half of the Earth's population.

I hope you enjoyed this challenge, 
I tag: 
M. @ The Life of Little Me :)


Tweet me! 
Check out my Goodreads

Have an amazing day! x
- J

Tag: WOULD YOU RATHER..

Hello guys! I've seen this awesome tag going around on booktube but I really don't know who it was created by.. I'm sorry for not giving you credit, whoever you are. Anyways, here are my answers! Enjoy :)

Would you rather..

1. Read only trilogies or stand-alones?

I would rather read only trilogies, although this was a hard question but I enjoy living in the story more, and connecting with the characters on a more personal level. Don't get me wrong, I do love stand-alone novels, BUT I just fly through them too quickly..

2. Read only female or male authors?

I hate this question. Seriously though, why the discrimination? That's so mean. I must say that one should never pick his books by the author's gender but, most of my favorite books are by female authors so I'm going along with female.. it really aches me that I left out some good books by male authors but I had to choose. Sorry..

3. Shop at Barnes & Noble or Amazon?

Actually neither because I live in Egypt and it's like living in Narnia. I get to pay A LOT of money for shipping, therefore I get to buy my books from actual bookstores and online book shopping stores here in Egypt.

4. All books become movies or t.v. shows?

This one's also tough. I'd rather have all books become movies because I feel that tv shows can ruin a book for me, the longer the show gets the more off track you go from the book script so I'll go with movies BUT STICK WITH THE BOOK. ALWAYS.

5. Read 5 pages per day or 5 books per week?

Honestly, who would pick 5 pages a day? This would kill me. My curiosity won't allow this, I would rather make it through 5 books a week and I would actually LOVE that.


6. Be a professional reviewer or author?

My dream is to become a professional author, it's something I really aspire to become someday. At this very moment though, I'm content with reviewing books, I love doing that. It's a hard thing to do guys, leaving out the spoilers kill me every time.

7. Only read your top 20 favorite books over and over or always read new ones that you haven't read before?

I won't limit myself therefore I'd definitely only read new books that I haven't read before because honestly, I haven't read my favorite books more than once. I remember doing that once or twice but I don't like that. What if I reread it and hated it? I'd be too scared.

8. Be a librarian or book seller?

I'd rather be a bookseller. Imagine owning your own bookstore.. wow a dream come true

9. Only read your favorite genre, or every genre except your favorite?

Again with limiting myself, I hate it so I'd rather read every other genre except my favorite. Sorry YA, but I actually would experiment with more genres maybe then I'll fall in love with another genre that I didn't know I loved so much. Maybe? I'd like to think that. That question hurts.

10. Only read physical books or eBooks?


I shamefully read less physical books than ebooks. I know I'm bad, but they're just MUCH MORE CONVENIENT.. I'd hate for my book to be tossed around and to be taken everywhere I go and I love always having a book on me so ebooks are my main. Physical books are the bomb to own, imagine having a million physical books. That's the dream.. BUT the question says "read" not "own", so I'd own the physical copy and read the ebook. Yup, I'm sly.


So these are the questions to the tag, I hope you've enjoyed reading my answers and I'd like you to leave in the comments bellow your answers as well! I would love to read them and discuss them with you :)

Have a great day bookworms x

Book Review: Whisper by Stacey R. Campbell (Lakeview #2)

Goodreads:

It's Halle Henry’s first year at Lakeview Academy . . .

On a snowy January night, just days after a fire that nearly destroyed the school’s library, Elsie Stewart, daughter of the headmaster and founder of Lakeview Academy, dies slipping beneath the ice of frozen Clearwater Lake. Unable to right the wrongs she committed before her tragic death, Elsie’s spirit walks the halls of her father’s school, waiting for someone who can.
One hundred years later, while joining her sister’s friend Leigh to help clean out the school’s administration building before the big remodel, Halle stumbles upon Elsie’s hidden journal.
Obsessed with what she finds, Halle searches the school for clues that may lead to solving a century-old mystery. The only problem is that Halle also talks Calum Stewart, Leigh’s worst nightmare, into helping them.
Once Leigh and Calum are forced work together, sparks fly and no one around them, alive or dead, is left unaffected.



I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley, all opinions are my own- honest-.

I would like to clarify that this is the second book in the duology but this book can be read as a stand-alone novel, that's what I did.

I found this book compelling for many reasons, 1. I wanted an easy, quick read. 2. I love ghosts. 3. I love me some high school romance. 4. I LOVE the cover. It took me a day to get through this book, you couldn't simply just let it down.. or I wouldn't be writing this review at 3 am.

I've never ready anything by Stacey R. Campbell before, but I'm intrigued by her writing style, her words made me feel everything going on in the book. She also perfectly portrayed Leigh and Calum's love story. The ending of this book made me so emotional, it's the happiest ending ever. I usually don't like happy endings because they're unrealistic, but this one made me smile.

Whisper is the perfect mix of high-school cutesy romance to a hair-raising experience with a ghost to friendship and happiness.

I recommend this to everyone, if you're looking for a quick, happy book, choose this one. Besides, have you looked at the cover? It's the perfect cover for the story and the title is mysterious.

Please comment if you've read Whisper or have any book recommendations for me. Have an awesome day everyone! :)

Book Review: Seriously, I'm Kidding by Ellen Degeneres

Goodreads:

"Sometimes the greatest things are the most embarrassing." Ellen Degeneres' winning, upbeat candor has made her show one of the most popular, resilient and honored daytime shows on the air. (To date, it has won no fewer than 31 Emmys.) Seriously... I'm Kidding, Degeneres' first book in eight years, brings us up to date about the life of a kindhearted woman who bowed out of American Idol because she didn't want to be mean. Lively; hilarious; often sweetly poignant. 








I loved this book, the only problem I had with it is that when I read it around my family members and laughed out loud, they looked at me as if I lost it. Pfft. Seriously though, this book is hilarious and inspiring at the very same time. Ellen is such a kind hearted person and you can tell that she is more than a comedian through her writing. She loves her wife and her life and is at a happy place and most people strive to accomplish that. "Happiness is a journey, not a destination."

Ellen takes us through her journey to become who she is now through comedy and satire. She highlights some serious topics as well, she believes in honesty and hard-work. 

One of my favorite quotes that she mentioned in the book is :

"You have the power to change your own mind-set so that all the negative, horrible thoughts that try to invade your psyche are replaced with happy, positive thoughts." 

which is true, happiness is a state of mind and you get to control your own mood. It doesn't depend on anyone but yourself.

This was a truly inspiring read and I recommend it to everyone.

Have a great day everyone! :)