Hello! I haven't been on posting lately, but here I am!
I feel so behind in posting because I've read like 2 or 3 books since this...yes, 3 books. I realllllly liked them. More to come on those though. (Btw the title of this is The Moon and More.)
Okay, so Sarah Dessen is like the Debbie Macomber of teen chick lit. And I've read most of her books, but you know they'd started to get a little too predictable and I got a little bored. I only bought the book because I was in the mood for some good female teen drama, just you know, binge on that stupid stuff. I bought it and thought "Oh well, it'll end the same, boy gets the girl, teenage angst, yadda yadda yadda." But I actually got really into it and it definitely took me surprised.
Here's my summary:
Emaline has just finished her senior year of high school. She's coasting in her seemingly perfect life into college - all she has to do is get through the summer. She has a wonderful boyfriend, a loving family, and a job at the family business - a rental business in her tiny, coastal town of Colby. Then, as she's doing runs for said job, she runs into these particular out-of-towners. They're New Yorkers and are there shooting a documentary about a former artist-turned-recluse who lives in the town. The director, Ivy Mendelson is a force to be reckoned with, and her assistant, Theo is unique and different and has that not-from-here air about him. Emaline is skeptic but sympathetic of Theo, but a tentative friendship develops.
So yeah. That's all I'm going to say about that in a summary.
*CAUTION REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
I honestly didn't expect the ending that I got and I really liked that it surprised me. The turn of events that led Emaline to end up the way she did. I thought her dad problems would get resolved. Like that she and her dad would have a moment and that they would actually you know, have a good relationship. I thought that she would get a) get back together with Luke or b) stay with Theo. Yet Theo turned out to be a big jerkhole and I'm glad they broke up and that he didn't get the job with Clyde. I'm glad that she didn't end up with either guy and that she was given the chance to stand on her own two feet for college. It's good to know that Sarah Dessen still has some tricks up her sleeve and isn't as predictable as I thought.
Alright, happy reading!!
Sophie :)
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Friday, July 10, 2015
Two Best Friends That Anyone Can Have
Hi!! I'm glad to see someone is viewing these, so I don't write in vain.
Today I finished Oliver and Althea by Cristina Moracho. I like this book especially because of all the twists and turns it takes the reader on. I honestly did not expect the ending I got.
Here's my summary:
Best friends since they were six, Oliver and Althea know each other frontwards, backwards, inside, out. Their friendship has held strong for ten years, and lately Althea has grown to realize what her relationship to Oliver means to her - something a little bit more than that. This regrettably coincides with Oliver's new, strange disease; he has episodes where he falls asleep for weeks on end, broken up only by bouts of wakefulness in a zombie-like state. It's Oliver, but not Oliver. After his third incident right at the close of his junior year in high school, all he wants is things to go back to normal. But things have rapidly changed in the two months that he was asleep, even Althea is different. There is something that she isn't telling him, a decision that she knows will cost her his friendship. After her secret gets out, their relationship is predictably shattered. Without so much as a goodbye, Oliver heads north to New York City for a sleep study that will hopefully help him with his disease. Althea gets into her car to follow him and try to repair their relationship.
Okay, that was super long. But I hope it was good enough to catch your eye.
I really liked this book. I didn't quite know what to make of it but I had picked it up from the library on audiobook. After I started I tried to guess what would ruin their friendship but I was wrong, but partly right. (If you read it, I you will understand what I mean because you will get the characters.) I was really surprised at the ending. I really thought there would be something more definitive but it kind of left you hanging. I honestly liked the style of writing. It was light, but Althea wasn't perfect. And it's irritating when the main characters are perfect and the plot it super predictable. I was sad to get to the end. I really wanted more of the story. Does Althea go to school again? What about Ethan? (I totally ship them.) What about Kentucky/Will? I hope I haven't spoiled the book. Which I hope this has been vague enough.
Happy reading!
Sophie :)
Today I finished Oliver and Althea by Cristina Moracho. I like this book especially because of all the twists and turns it takes the reader on. I honestly did not expect the ending I got.
Here's my summary:
Best friends since they were six, Oliver and Althea know each other frontwards, backwards, inside, out. Their friendship has held strong for ten years, and lately Althea has grown to realize what her relationship to Oliver means to her - something a little bit more than that. This regrettably coincides with Oliver's new, strange disease; he has episodes where he falls asleep for weeks on end, broken up only by bouts of wakefulness in a zombie-like state. It's Oliver, but not Oliver. After his third incident right at the close of his junior year in high school, all he wants is things to go back to normal. But things have rapidly changed in the two months that he was asleep, even Althea is different. There is something that she isn't telling him, a decision that she knows will cost her his friendship. After her secret gets out, their relationship is predictably shattered. Without so much as a goodbye, Oliver heads north to New York City for a sleep study that will hopefully help him with his disease. Althea gets into her car to follow him and try to repair their relationship.
Okay, that was super long. But I hope it was good enough to catch your eye.
I really liked this book. I didn't quite know what to make of it but I had picked it up from the library on audiobook. After I started I tried to guess what would ruin their friendship but I was wrong, but partly right. (If you read it, I you will understand what I mean because you will get the characters.) I was really surprised at the ending. I really thought there would be something more definitive but it kind of left you hanging. I honestly liked the style of writing. It was light, but Althea wasn't perfect. And it's irritating when the main characters are perfect and the plot it super predictable. I was sad to get to the end. I really wanted more of the story. Does Althea go to school again? What about Ethan? (I totally ship them.) What about Kentucky/Will? I hope I haven't spoiled the book. Which I hope this has been vague enough.
Happy reading!
Sophie :)
Friday, July 3, 2015
A List
Hello, hello! I just finished Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. It was pretty good, to say the least. So I started this a while ago, but I never got the chance to actually finish it so I finally checked it out from the library (on audiobook).
My brief(-ish) rundown of it all:
Clay Jensen is in love. Okay, maybe not love, but totally crushing from a distance. But there is a slight problem - his crush, Hannah Baker, committed suicide about two weeks ago. He and Hannah weren't exactly friends or even acquaintances, but her death hits him deep. One day after school, a few weeks after her suicide, Clay finds a brown paper package on his front steps. Inside are 7 tapes, 13 tracks in total - the final words of Hannah Baker. Each track is addressed to a person and tells him/her why he/she is one of the 13 reasons she killed herself. Bewildered and intrigued, Clay follows Hannah's final wishes with the tapes and desperate to know how he had a hand in her death.
Alright, I hope that was pretty decent.
I genuinely liked the story. It was a bit confusing at parts (probably because I was multitasking while I listened to it so part of my mind was elsewhere). Anyway, I really liked the concept. But let me be clear, I don't precisely think it was fair of Hannah to blame all these people for her death. That is a heavy weight to bear and it's really easy to not take any responsibility in situations that are serious and tough. Grief really changes people in different ways, really different ways and putting this sort of responsibility on people it could have really spiraled out of control.
One thing I really wanted to know were the different reactions of the other people. I was kind of surprised of Clay's reason, but I promise I won't give any spoilers. We do get a glimpse of Marcus but I wanted to know what Courtney Crimson or Jessica Davis thought or reacted. Although, I thought it was a good book I wasn't terribly impressed with it. Out of five stars on Goodreads, I gave it 4 I think. I don't know, it was just okay to me.
Anyway, happy reading!!
Sophie :)
My brief(-ish) rundown of it all:
Clay Jensen is in love. Okay, maybe not love, but totally crushing from a distance. But there is a slight problem - his crush, Hannah Baker, committed suicide about two weeks ago. He and Hannah weren't exactly friends or even acquaintances, but her death hits him deep. One day after school, a few weeks after her suicide, Clay finds a brown paper package on his front steps. Inside are 7 tapes, 13 tracks in total - the final words of Hannah Baker. Each track is addressed to a person and tells him/her why he/she is one of the 13 reasons she killed herself. Bewildered and intrigued, Clay follows Hannah's final wishes with the tapes and desperate to know how he had a hand in her death.
Alright, I hope that was pretty decent.
I genuinely liked the story. It was a bit confusing at parts (probably because I was multitasking while I listened to it so part of my mind was elsewhere). Anyway, I really liked the concept. But let me be clear, I don't precisely think it was fair of Hannah to blame all these people for her death. That is a heavy weight to bear and it's really easy to not take any responsibility in situations that are serious and tough. Grief really changes people in different ways, really different ways and putting this sort of responsibility on people it could have really spiraled out of control.
One thing I really wanted to know were the different reactions of the other people. I was kind of surprised of Clay's reason, but I promise I won't give any spoilers. We do get a glimpse of Marcus but I wanted to know what Courtney Crimson or Jessica Davis thought or reacted. Although, I thought it was a good book I wasn't terribly impressed with it. Out of five stars on Goodreads, I gave it 4 I think. I don't know, it was just okay to me.
Anyway, happy reading!!
Sophie :)
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Matchmaking Advice
Hello there!!
Today I will be writing about Emma by Jane Austen. I have recently just finished reading/listening to it (via my awesome Discman, I don't care what you think!). My favorite classic author, besides Harper Lee, is Jane Austen and the first book of hers I read was Pride and Prejudice, though I am determined to read it again because I didn't quite understand the whole thing.
Here is my summary of Emma:
Emma Woodhouse is 21 years-old and has determined never, ever to marry anyone and leave her father in a deplorable state because of his unease to change. After her governess-turned-friend, Miss Taylor, had recently been married to a neighbor and settled in Randalls, Emma was happy to have her companion so near, but found her world to be changing quite rapidly. In needing a confidante that could occupy her time that the new Mrs. Weston could not, Emma sought out Harriet Smith. By taking in Harriet, who had little claims to good society because of the mystery of her birth parents, Emma contrived to play matchmaker. Through this she encounters many miscommunications, hurt feelings, and good humor in it all. Yet in spite of her swearing off men, Emma accidentally finds herself in some quagmires herself with this thing called love.
Alright, all in all, it was a well written novel. I didn't quite like it at first. Emma was too narcissistic for my taste but as she evolved as the book progressed and I found myself kind of rooting for her. She sees her own faults and does her best to make up for her follies, especially where she unintentionally hurt her friends feelings. I loathed Mrs. Elton. She was very stuck up and vain and I abhorred her. Please note the story is set in 1800s rural England, so there's a reason that Emma and all the women characters are so confined to their homes and other things that are supposed to amuse them. Until I read the SparkNotes on this, I wasn't sure what to really make of the book. I now understand the main themes and it makes a lot more sense than it did before. It is tougher to read, for me, because classics are harder to digest for me. I really enjoy them, though, and it helps a lot for me to hear them to understand them better. (I read a little too fast I think.) Anywhoo! during the story, I could totally tell something was going on between Jane and Frank, but I wasn't quite sure the degree of their acquaintance. I will say that the foreshadowing of this is not terribly obvious but does indicate many things, so keep an eye out for that. OH! One last thing, I found Miss Bates a bit of a bore, but she is a sweet woman. Like wine, she is an acquired taste. It was a bit difficult to make up my own mind about the characters with the narrator spouting his/her own judgments, but it allowed for many multidimensional characters.
Okay, I'll stop blabbing. Happy reading!!
Sophie :)
Today I will be writing about Emma by Jane Austen. I have recently just finished reading/listening to it (via my awesome Discman, I don't care what you think!). My favorite classic author, besides Harper Lee, is Jane Austen and the first book of hers I read was Pride and Prejudice, though I am determined to read it again because I didn't quite understand the whole thing.
Here is my summary of Emma:
Emma Woodhouse is 21 years-old and has determined never, ever to marry anyone and leave her father in a deplorable state because of his unease to change. After her governess-turned-friend, Miss Taylor, had recently been married to a neighbor and settled in Randalls, Emma was happy to have her companion so near, but found her world to be changing quite rapidly. In needing a confidante that could occupy her time that the new Mrs. Weston could not, Emma sought out Harriet Smith. By taking in Harriet, who had little claims to good society because of the mystery of her birth parents, Emma contrived to play matchmaker. Through this she encounters many miscommunications, hurt feelings, and good humor in it all. Yet in spite of her swearing off men, Emma accidentally finds herself in some quagmires herself with this thing called love.
Alright, all in all, it was a well written novel. I didn't quite like it at first. Emma was too narcissistic for my taste but as she evolved as the book progressed and I found myself kind of rooting for her. She sees her own faults and does her best to make up for her follies, especially where she unintentionally hurt her friends feelings. I loathed Mrs. Elton. She was very stuck up and vain and I abhorred her. Please note the story is set in 1800s rural England, so there's a reason that Emma and all the women characters are so confined to their homes and other things that are supposed to amuse them. Until I read the SparkNotes on this, I wasn't sure what to really make of the book. I now understand the main themes and it makes a lot more sense than it did before. It is tougher to read, for me, because classics are harder to digest for me. I really enjoy them, though, and it helps a lot for me to hear them to understand them better. (I read a little too fast I think.) Anywhoo! during the story, I could totally tell something was going on between Jane and Frank, but I wasn't quite sure the degree of their acquaintance. I will say that the foreshadowing of this is not terribly obvious but does indicate many things, so keep an eye out for that. OH! One last thing, I found Miss Bates a bit of a bore, but she is a sweet woman. Like wine, she is an acquired taste. It was a bit difficult to make up my own mind about the characters with the narrator spouting his/her own judgments, but it allowed for many multidimensional characters.
Okay, I'll stop blabbing. Happy reading!!
Sophie :)
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