Beth: My Favourite Book of 2015

My Favourite Book of 2015 | All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

 

On this very special day, the first of many Christmases I will hopefully be spending on this blog, I am here to write about my favourite book of the year 2015.

All The Bright Places.

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. Book. Is. Outstanding.

There is no other way to describe it simply.

An amazing contemporary romance, this book combines well written romance and contemporary, creating some beautiful quotes. And I cannot go without telling you some of these beauties. Because sometimes, it's best to let the book tell the story, rather than the fan.

WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW!

“You are all the colors in one, at full brightness.”

“You make me lovely, and it’s so lovely to be lovely to the one I love.…”
 
“You have been in every way all that anyone could be.… If anybody could have saved me it would have been you.”

“sometimes there’s beauty in the tough words—it’s all in how you read them.”

“I learned that there is good in this world, if you look hard enough for it. I learned that not everyone is disappointing, including me, and that a 1,257-foot bump in the ground can feel higher than a bell tower if you’re standing next to the right person.”

“She is oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. The same elements that are inside the rest of us, but I can’t help thinking she’s more than that and she’s got other elements going on that no one’s ever heard of, ones that make her stand apart from everybody else. I feel this brief panic as I think, What would happen if one of those elements malfunctioned or just stopped working altogether? I make myself push this aside and concentrate on the feel of her skin until I no longer see molecules but Violet.”

“No more winter at all. Finch, you brought me spring.”

“Stars in the sky, stars on the ground. It’s hard to tell where the sky ends and the earth begins. I feel the need to say something grand and poetic, but the only thing I come up with is “It’s lovely.”

“I am on the highest branch.
We are written in paint.
I believe in signs.
The glow of Ultraviolet.
A lake. A prayer. It's so lovely to be lovely in Private.”

Honestly...I could go on forever.

-Beth
May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

One of the Guys

Hi, again! We're gearing up for Christmas, how about you? I think I love the food the best (other than the company of course!). Some of my favorite foods are made, like my mom's amazing pecan pie! So this post will be a review for On the Fence by Kasie West. I love Kasie West's writing and a previous review for The Fill-In Boyfriend is right here if you were curious about that one.

Here's a general description:
Charlotte, better known as Charlie, is the youngest of four. Her three older brothers are there to support and protect her, not to mention her fourth honorary brother Braden. Growing up with all four of the guys, Charlie's learned to fight for herself and how to tear up any kind of sport you can think of. After her 4th (or 5th?) ticket, her dad makes her get a job to pay it off. The worst part is that she works in the girliest store - and she has no idea how to handle it. This is new territory for her. She even meets a cute guy who has never seen her be the tough, sporty girl she knows she is. To destress, she has nightly chats with Braden between the fence that separates their backyards. What she doesn't expect are the sudden feeling she has for him. How can she pull off her double life? Or can she reconcile the girl she was and the girl she's becoming?

Alrighty, now for my opinion! This was a really quick read. I read it when I needed something light and quick to pick up my spirits. I was trying to destress myself and what better way to do that than read?! Charlie is pretty funny and her inner struggle is relatable. A lot of us find that we're becoming people that are new and different from the people we used to be. Sometimes that can be really scary and I felt like I could understand her best on this point. I liked her relationships with her brothers. Each of them seem to be pretty in-tune with what she needs and they go to great lengths to protect her. There was a bit of a twist toward the end that I wasn't expecting. It is really surprising and I like how it takes what you thought you knew was going on and turns it on its head. It was a little bit of depth that I wasn't expecting from a little bit of literary fluff. Kasie West's books are great for sitting on the beach or dreaming about that in these cold winter months ahead!

I hope this review helped you on your literary adventure! Happy reading!
Sophie

Mango Cheese

Hello!! Wow, so sorry for being so behind on posts! I am trying my best to get them all caught up, I even have a list! Don't worry, I will get them all done over Christmas break. I have a few to go after this, and I'm thinking about doing a weekly posting at least, even if it's just some bookish chat. Okay, so here's a review for Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan. I read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series as well as the follow up and have loved that whole 10 book series, so of course I had to give Magnus a chance. (Side note, I have also read book one of the Kane Chronicles.)

So here's an overview:
Magnus is a bit of a troubled kid. He's had a rough life - mother murdered when he was 12 and he's been living on the streets since then. He's had to find a way to survive along with trying to mourn her death. Don't worry, he can take care of himself. One day, he's tracked down by his estranged Uncle Randolph who tells him his father is a Norse god. He doesn't know what to think and suddenly his whole life is turned upside down.


Okay, so this was a good one. I didn't particularly love it - Percy has my heart forever and always - but it wasn't poorly written either. Rick you're a writing god or something, I love his writing every time. It's funny and sweet. (I'm kind of into slapstick humor.) Anyway, while it wasn't awful, it wasn't my favorite from him. I like that he's tied in Annabeth in the mix with Magnus, too.
"What you say, there's ANNABETH?!"
Yes, I do say, there is a few Annabeth cameos. (Let's be real, Annabeth is Annabae.) I love her and it was so cool to see how the stories are intertwining. I don't know how much you keep up with Riordan or the fandom that follows him, but I definitely vote for him to tie in all his characters. I would love that.
Anyway, back to Magnus! The plot is a bit surprising, especially that first chapter, but it was cool to learn all the new Norse myths. I think it'd be awesome to live in that sort of world. One where the myths are real and to be a demigod that would be FREAKING AWESOME. Personally, I'd like to be one of Athena's children. I feel like my personality fits the best with hers. I also think it would be neat to be a Hunter of Artemis. Artemis is an awesome goddess, too.

Okay, all in all, Magnus Chase was a good book. I'd read it if you like any of his other works or if you're a newbie dipping your toes into the world of Rick Riordan. (Welcome, we've been expecting you ;)

Happy reading!
Sophie :)

A New Me

Hello, guys!! So this book I read in two days. I didn't even realize it only took that amount of time, it felt like a week! Ah, it was super good, too! This review is for Every Day by David Levithan. Previous to this I had read Will Grayson, Will Grayson co-authored with John Green, but I don't think I've read anything else by him. Anywho, I had picked this book up after having a bad day so I bought it 'cause I wanted to treat myself.

Here's a summary:
Every day a new person. Every day A must learn how to adjust to the new body it is placed in. A's soul travels body to body every day. One day A spends a day in the body of a boy named Justin. This day A finds her. A finds Rhiannon. And nothing is the same again. It's hard because A knows but she doesn't know. A wants to put roots down now. It's hard travelling day by day, nothing constant.

Okay, I don't know what else to say in the overview without giving too much away so I'm going to leave it there. This was super interesting to read. It is hard to describe A because the soul travels to a new body irregardless of gender but always around the same age. I flew through this though and it was well written. I enjoyed the many bits of wisdom A had to offer because of it's unique point of view on life. I felt that although A kept moving around in different situations I could still relate to some of the things A felt.

One thing I always wondered was how Rhiannon felt the entire time. It must have been odd to have someone come up to you and say that they change bodies every day. I suppose I won't have to wonder too much because good ol' David Levithan wrote Another Day which is a companion to it written in her point of view. I want to read it but I don't know what I'll think. I hope it's as good.

Okay, I'll keep it short and sweet! Happy reading!
Sophie :)

I am Mim Malone

Hello! I was recently asked to read Mosqitoland by David Arnold by my boss and I FREAKING LOVE IT. It was one of the best books I have read in all of my reading career. I could not help but laugh and cry and smile the entire time I read this.

A quick synopsis here:
Mary Iris Malone, better known as Mim, has been dragged from her beloved Ashland, Ohio to Mississippi by her father and his new-found wife. Her parents recently split and her father dropped Breaking News on her head then dragged her to Mississippi to start a new, "perfect" family. Her mom remains in Ohio but moves to Cleveland. When Mim catches word that her beautiful, Brit mother is sick someone and in need she hops a Greyhound bus north, toward her mom and toward her past. Through the detours and the odd ball characters that board the bus, Mim rides anxiously, awaiting the moment for her reunion with her mother so that she can be there when it is most needed.

First off, Mim is HILARIOUS. Oh my gosh, she made me laugh so hard sometimes. The way she perceives life and the way she analogizes it is hilarious. The story is splashed with letters to an Isabel, providing an outlet for Mim to tell her story to another person and as a sort of journal/stress reliever. I love the way everything comes full circle in the end. There are definitely some moments that horrified me but I loved the way Mim's character was sassy and didn't take crap from anyone. She is Mim Malone and she is not okay. But that's okay. Admitting that we're not okay is the first step toward trying to get better. We need to acknowledge that we can't do it all on our own sometimes and that we need help. There are many life lessons that I learned from Mim, too. This was a very quotable book.

Like this right here. I mean, she is so funny but she finds herself throughout this trip. I'm just going to have to let this book marinate a little bit. (Yeah that was a reference, read the book if you want to understand it!!)

David Arnold is some sort of writing god I swear. He is already one of my favorite authors. I hope he continues to write because honestly, this is definitely one of my favorites. It has you on edge the entire time. This book is also nominated to be one of the best YA books of the year on Goodreads. So if you're have an account there, you should definitely check it out.

Happy reading!
Sophie

Bringing Humanity Back

Hey, again! I have also recently finished Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. She was selected as a finalist for the Pen Faulkner Award and as the Michigan read by the Michigan Humanities Council (or something like that, I can't remember the exact names). I also had the chance to meet her in person and go to a reading for this book. It was wonderful and I was super awkward but she was the first author I met in person and I got my first book signed!

Here's my overview:
Jeevan Chaudhary is a EMT in training. He has his whole life ahead of him with his cranky girlfriend and a quiet life in Toronto, Canada. He is quietly sitting in the audience of a performance of King Lear when the famous actor Arthur Leander collapses on stage of a heart attack. Wanting to help, Jeevan rushes on stage and attempts to save Arthur's life but to no avail. That night the flu swept through the city and the rest of the world, causing civilization to come to a grinding halt within a matter of weeks.

Twenty-six years later, pockets of humanity remain alive and functioning. A troupe of musicians and actors move through what was formerly northern Michigan and Canada performing Shakespeare's treasured works. They are called the Traveling Symphony and they bring happiness and distraction to the cities they visit, providing a brief respite from the harsh world they now live in. When the Symphony arrives in St. Deborah by the Water, a city they had been hitting in their route for years, they find that it has changed drastically. A man who claims he is a prophet runs the city now and threatens the way of life for the small band of travelers.

Alright! I really liked this novel and am glad I got to experience so much along with it. Unlike other dystopian novels, Station Eleven focuses more on the recuperation of civilization and the factor of the live/performing arts. It's a great twist on something that has been quite hot in the past couple of years (oh, hey, The Hunger Games and Divergent). There are three different stories that go on within the novel; one takes place pre-plague and two post-plague. I really liked Jeevan's story though I wish I had gotten more of it to read about it. I also liked all that had to do with the Symphony. I love the idea that someone would keep going on with music and acting and that not everything would die out. I do wonder what would stay and what would go in the event that humans were pretty much wiped out. Another good aspect of this novel is that Mandel doesn't dive into any political theories or environmental stances, I think that would take a lot away from what the main focus of the novel. It is a very hopeful novel, especially the ending. I thought it was an okay ending, but many other people that I've spoken with thought it fit it perfectly. I can definitely see that because it's an extremely positive note it ends on. Overall, it was well written and I loved seeing how all three stories intertwined. That was my favorite part, I think.

Okay, happy reading!
Sophie