August Wrap-Up

It's that sad moment where it's almost the end of September and you still haven't done your August wrap-up. I'm special okay!

1. Struck by Jennifer Bosworth
2. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
3. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
4. What Happened To Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
5. Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult
6. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
7. My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody
8. Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

I'm not going to say anything about the above books as I've already mentioned some stuff in my summer wrap-up (you can view it by clicking here).

If you would like a review for any of these books, please comment below and I will head on that! Happy reading!

Photo Credits: http://youngatheartbookblog.blogspot.ca/2012/10/september-reading-wrap-up.html

Going Vintage Book Review

Title: Going Vntage
Author: Lindsey Leavitt
# of Pages: 320
Series #: Not a part of a series
Reading Span: August 30th - August 31st
Rating: ***/

Going Vintage is a fun, cheesy, contemporary read about a girl named Mallory who gets cheated on by her boyfriend, Jeremy. And not just from any girl. Her boyfriend cheats on her with a cyber-girlfriend. Mallory then decides to go vintage and to de-moderize her life. And when she finds a list from 1962 that her grandmother wrote, she gets the inspiration to follow through.

The plot starts off pretty slow. Mallory is complaining and complaining again about the break-up, and that's pretty much the only thing we see in the first little bit. Sure, we meet her family, which in the long run are important to the story, but really, nothing kicks off until Oliver shows up. I couldn't put it down, simply because it was so easy to get through and I felt that I really liked him. Mallory was alright, although she could be quite annoying sometimes. None-the-less, I found myself growing more attached to her as the story continued on. And Jeremy angered me, right from the start. Leavitt did a good job of him... As far as the relationships go, Oliver and Mallory were so cute together, and I really enjoyed reading about the bond that Mallory had to her sister, Ginnie. Ginnie was actually probably my favourite characters, because I could relate to her the easiest and I loved her endearing thoughts and choices.

Now, the plot-line was very very cheesy (as well as easy-to-get-through). If you are looking for a good romance, this book is not for you. I think that it could have been that book if it was done a bit differently. For one, Mallory had practically no trouble with staying off anything modern, and that seriously bothered me. It would be so hard to stay off things like that, and although she had some sort of difficulty, it is nothing compared to the feelings that I had imagined. Also, I think it almost would have been better without a list, as the story seemed very structured. Very this and very that, so much so I couldn't really imagine any of the "list" part of the story becoming real. It's like those middle grade stories that go through 3 battles. First the scorpions, then the tiger, then the dragon. It just seemed odd and out of place. My favourite part about the list was how it brought Oliver and Mallory together. Going Vintage is not a bad book, don't get me wrong. But if you don't like corny characters and portrayal of plot-line, then I would skip this book and head onto a Nicholas Sparks or something.

Chopsticks Book Review

Title: Chopsticks
Author: Jessica Anthony
# or Pages: 272
Series #: Not a part of a series
Reading Span: One sitting (September 3rd)
Rating: ****


This book is beautiful story about a girl named Glory who is a piano prodigy – raised by her single father. The plot follows Glory as she falls in love and deals with the struggle of having a single dad.

Chopsticks is told in photos, which was a great, unique idea that Anthony pounced on. It was so engaging to study the pictures and figure out for myself what was happening. You know the saying: Show not tell! That being said, the story was sometimes hard to follow and at times I had no idea what was going on.

Glory was a great character that I cheered for through to the end. Since that I play the piano, I could relate to her – especially since I procrastinate and play my favourite songs instead of what I'm supposed to play all the time. Frank was also a good character, and I can't think of anything that I didn't like about him on his own. The romance between the two (Glory and Frank) though, was not my favourite thing. To me, Frank didn't seem good enough for Glory. It's like Frank always needed Glory by his side (Glory also had these "longings" but it was for different purposes. More on that later). Typical. I feel like I would have enjoyed the story more if I cared more about the romance.

The wrestle that Glory had with her father was really awesome – probably my favourite part of the plot line. It was so heart-breaking to hear about how Glory's father was treating her, and how upset he got when Glory messed up. I felt sorry for Glory, in these situations. She was lonely and wanted to see the one that she truly loved, and her father didn't sympathize whatsoever. He was just so stuck in his own thoughts that he never cared to think about how his daughter was feeling. It's so sad, because not only is this a problem for Glory, it is also a very real circumstance in the real world.

So do I recommend that you read this? Yes, I do. No, it's not life-changing. No, it's not the best book that I've ever read. But it is an engaging read that sends out a good message that needs to be addressed. Plus, it won't take very much of your time. Heck, I read this book in one setting. So please, at least borrow this book from your library.

Photo Credits: http://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/10710392-chopsticks

Jonathan Livingston Seagull Book Review

Title: Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Author: Richard Bach
# of Pages: 112
Series #: Not part of a series
Reading Span: One sitting (September 15th)
Rating: ***


Jonathan Livingston Seagull was a sweet, inspirational story about a seagull who longs to fly. He's an outcast, everyone else wanting to find food and shelter.

This book is super short, the actual story only being 91 pages. And some of those pages are photographs. I finished this book in one sitting in less then an hour. That's how short it is. Since it is so short, it is extremely difficult to get to know the characters. There were so many of them, it was hard to even know who each of them were. Jonathan was a little more relatable, as he had the same real-life issues as I did, but it was still hard. Also, when we first meet, Jonathan, he's a young seagull, and by the time we get to the end he is a senior bird. Again, it was hard to follow since it went by so quickly.

This story is a great, unique approach to the topic of hope and inspiration because of the use of seagulls. It was a really interesting and new way to read about it and I'm really glad that the author chose to do it that way. It was a lot more engaging and I found myself wanting to read on, even though the characters were hard to connect to.

As I mentioned before, there are pictures in this book, and prior to starting the book, I thought that I was going to love them. To be honest, though, they didn't seem to have any significance in the story. The only ones that I think added anything were the ones on the "part" pages with the different number of seagulls. It was a huge representation of the plot and storyline. The rest of them were basically the same – seagulls flying, seagulls flying. I think it would have been better if the author included one or two of the "seagulls flying" as well as the "part" birds, and that's it.

Overall, I think that this is a good read that all readers should experience, especially since it doesn't take up much of your time (less than an hour for me). I only gave it 3 stars because of the characters and it being so short, but other then that it is a really encouraging story that you should all discover for yourself.

Photo Credits: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71728.Jonathan_Livingston_Seagull?ac=1

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour Book Review

Title: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
Author: Morgan Matson
# or Pages: 344
Series #: Not a part of a series
Reading Span: September 3rd - 5th, 2013
Rating: *****

This book was so amazing! If you are just here to see whether or not a recommend it, go. Go and get it!

First of all, the characters. I actually really liked all of them. When we first meet Amy, she seems kind of cold, and unlikable, but as the story progresses you really get to liking her. And then there's Roger. Oh, Roger. <3 He was so sweet and funny and nice and I just love him so much! There were times where I found him to be a little insensitive, but those were fairly easy to look over because he was so likeable! And what's a character without flaws, right? My favourite character in the book was probably Bronwyn. I loved her bubbly character and her sweet personality. Lucien was pretty cool too, although he also annoyed me at times SPOILER! This kissing, like. Who? What? Arghhhh! SPOILER OVER, he was also sweet and caring. Charlie was also great, and you really got to liking him... Even his mistakes.

Another one of the things that I really liked was all of the places that they went to. I felt like I was going along with them in their journey, and experiencing all of the diners and meeting all of the people. I really want to go to all of the places for real now!

This book never got boring, and it was super hard to put down. I just wanted to know what was going to happen between Amy and Roger!

Probably one of the biggest problem with contemporary books is insta-love. Well let me tell you, this book is not like that. At least, not until the end. The kissing came out of no where, and it was all really cliche, but again, it's not too much of a bother.

This book was so good, and just what I was in the mood for. I defiantly think that you should all just try it. Happy reading!

Sisters Red Book Review

Title: Sisters Red
Author: Jackson Pearce
# of Pages: 342
Series #: 1
Reading Span: April 2nd-3rd, 2013
Rating: ***/

I read this book such a long time ago, so I don't really remember too much stuff, so I'll just go with point-form notes.

• Concept was so different and unique --> unlike anything I've read before
• Writing style was fantastic!
• I thought that the characters were quite flat in some parts and they often annoyed me
• EXTREMELY repetitive. It's like this: kills Fenris, kills Fenris, FOOD, kills Fenris, kills Fenris...
• At least there is no werewolf, human love triangle thing

Sorry this was really short, but I can't really remember much except that I really enjoyed it, despite the fact that it repeats itself over and over again and the characters annoying-ness. I recommend it to people who like fairytales. Even if you don't, you should get it anyway, if only so that you have a pretty cover on your shelf. :)

Happy reading!

Splintered Book Review

Title: Splintered

Author: A. G. Howard

# of Pages: 371

Series #: 1

Reading Span: March 22nd-25th, 2013

Rating: ****

A solid 4. This book was really good, and would have been 5 stars, if only a couple things...


- I felt like this book was too romance-driven. Take out some of the gushy stuff and focus more on the plot and this book would be simply amazing.- The adventure and plot was so well played out.- Chapters were so long! Annoying and made me a bit reluctant to pick up this book and read.- The writing style was well balanced. Not too much dialogue, not too much description.- Interesting idea to wrap your head around.- Weird and great.- The purple typography was so mesmerizing. You knew it was purple, but it changed black. Such an easy yet magical addition to the book.- The cover is beauts, the dust jacket is beauts, the tyopgraphy is beauts... This book is beauts on the outside (and for the most part on the outside as well.- One of the rare books where I enjoyed the first half better than the end half- The Ending. Seriously? Last chapter wasn't the best, and the perfection of the ending didn't leave any room for the next book to take off.

Photo Creds: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12558285-splintered

September TBR

It's late, okay? But not that late. I hope you'll forgive me.

It's back to school season this month, so I've decided to make a TBR based on school. If you've been following my blog for a while, you would know that I don't like have "genre based" TBR's, because I tend to get bored of it mid-way through and then don't finish the books that I had planned. Instead, I come up with a creative way to incorporate different things. This month, that creative idea is going to be book titles starting with A, B, and C (for school).

• Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
• Between by Jessica Warman
• Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony

Stay tuned for reviews of these books, as well as other fun things that I'm planning. Happy reading!

Photo Creds: http://sevensassysisters.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/