HAPPY NEW YEAR! It's 2016!

Well hello people of 2016!!

I can't believe it. 2015 has gone by so quickly it feels like yesterday that I was celebrating New Years 2015 with my family.

So many life changing things have happened in 2015. I "survived" my first year of high school at a whole new unfamiliar place, made some new friends, got my tonsils removed, went overseas for the first time (that was amazing), watched The Breakfast Club for the first time (that changed my life drastically)and overall had a great time.

Some not so great things happened to me as well this year, but I do not want to dwell on that.

I have learned and experienced lots of new things this year, and I feel so lucky to be able to do things with my family and friends; also having opportunities to try new things (snails taste... Okay I guess) and push myself.

Sure, I am a little sad that another year has gone by so quickly. I am sure 2016 will as well.  But, it's a chance to start over and new.

I just wanted to say thankyou to whoever has read this blog. I love being able to share my thoughts about a passion of mine. THANKS!

Let's see what the new year brings!

Zobo!

Books I got for Xmas 2015

Hello!

I hope you all had a great Christmas. Before we know it, it will be 2016 :-0!!!

I don't want to sound like I am bragging. Please do not get the wrong message that I am showing off.

Okay, here we go:

1. Girl Online by Zoe Sugg. I have read this book previously at school and I liked how sweet it was. I am a fan of Zoella as well, so I am glad i have this book.

2. Soon by Morris Gleitzman. I love the Once series by this author, and I discovered this one, the latest in the series, at the library. I quite liked it; it was different to the other books because it focuses on after the war. I learnt a lot of things.

3. Ruby Redfort- Pick Your Poison by Lauren Child. The second last in the Ruby Redfort series. It looks great!

4. Findng Audrey by Sophie Kinsella. I finished this book today (and I only got it yesterday) and I LOVED. IT. It was comical and relatable.

5. The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey. The second book of The 5th Wave. I am hoping this book is as good as the first one.

That is just the contemporary/sci-fi/romance/historical fiction/mystery/drama.

 These are just some of the covers. Aren't they cool?!

Next is all of the cool classics I got, published my Scholastic. The covers I kind of made to look like YA book covers, and they are just the coolest.

6. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

7. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

8. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

9. Frankenstein by Marry Shelley

10. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

11. The Raven and Other Tales by Edgar Allan Poe

12. White Fang by Jack London

13. Dracula by Bram Stoker.

Those are all the books that I got this Christmas.

Zobo!

Christmas Day!!

Yay!

It's one o'clock in the morning and I can't sleep.

But it is CHRISTMAS!!!!

Very excited for today.

Just wanted to say have a happy Christmas and I will post maybe on Boxing Day.

Zobo!

Nearly Christmas!!! + 'Tis the Season Book Tag

Hey there!

I can't believe Christmas Eve is tomorrow (well for me it is,if you live somewhere else it may be different.) OH MY GAH!

Onto the book tag. This tag I think originated on BookTube, but I'm not sure who created it so credit to the person who created this tag. Anyway, the real point is to have fun with this tag. So, I hope you like this tag and I invite anyone reading this to do it!

Also, I have to explain- where I live, at Christmas time, we are in the Summer season not Winter, so when it is supposed to say 'Winter', I'll probably change it to 'Holiday' or 'Summer'. So, if you see those words, know that it was originally the word Winter.

Questions!

*Do you have a favourite holiday read?
I guess I don't really have a favourite book to read over the Christmas holidays, since I don't re-read books very often, I read a wide range of books. But around the festive time of the holidays, I like to read something generally a)short so I can read all of the books I get for Xmas and b) something light hearted. One example of a book like this is Hating Alison Ashley. It's a funny, quick read.

*Find a book with blue on the cover:
The book I am going to choose is The Icicle Illuminarium because not only is the cover blue, it has a fitting name for a Wintry Christmas.

*Find a book you'd use as a star on the Christmas Tree:
This is really hard because I honestly do not have a bad book sitting on my bookshelf, so that can make it hard to make books stand out. I will have four answers to this question- Divergent, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, The Ask and the Answer and To Kill a Mockingbird. All books that I have loved but honestly I would rotate all of my books to be a star :)

*Pick one fictional place that would be perfect for a Summer/Christmas Holiday vacation:
Hmmm. Hogwarts. That would be magical. Also, Pemberly, in Pride and Prejudice, because it's all fancy.

*Pick one fictional character you'd take with you on this vacation:

I'm kinda gonna cheat and say some multiple people- The Famous Five. I mean, come on, how fun would that be hanging out with all of them and Timmy the dog.

*Name one book on your wishlist this year:

A book on my list this year is The Outsiders by S.E Hinton. I want to read this book partly because it is kind of hailed as a 'modern classic' (or am I just crazy) but I also want to read it because I want to watch the 1983 film adaption. I love my 80s movies.

*Favourite Holiday drink, treat and movie:

My favourite holiday drink... I don't really have one. Since it isn't cold at Christmas time in my country, I don't have a warm drink, but I'm gonna say hot chocolate anyway, because it is the bomb. My favourite treat is basically any sweet biscuits, jelly slice or pecan pie. Now I'm hungry.
My favourite movies include Elf, The Polar Express, Home Alone and A Christmas Carol (the animated one and the Muppets one).

And that's a wrap! Get it? Like wrapping presents? No? Ok.

Zobo!

Christmas Song Book Tag!

This tag is a tag that mostly only BookTubers would do. I watched Jessethereader (a BookTuber) do it and it looked liked fun so I thought I might just do it on this blog. I wasn't actually tagged to do this, but I'm doing it anyway, so YOU CAN'T STOP ME!

*Warning- may contain non-obvious spoilers.*

Questions:
1. "You're a Mean One Mr.Grinch"
Name a villainous character you couldn't help but love:

For this song I don't really have a definite answer, but I'm going to have to say Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series. Most people absolutely abhor Snape, but I just think he's really funny. He doesn't mean to be funny, it's just the way he talks and does things is kind of peculiar. And in the end, he isn't actually that bad. Another one for this song would be Draco Malfoy. I don't know. I guess his meanness gives me a reason to hate him, and for some reason I like to hate him.

2."All I Want for Christmas is You"
Which book do you most hope to see under your Christmas Tree?:

I have so many books on my Christmas list this year, but in all honesty, the most anticipated one I was so excited for ever since I finished reading Hollow City, and that is The Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs. I am so excited to read this book. It looks awesome!

3."Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"
Name a character who overcomes major obstacles and learns to believe in themselves:

The first person who comes to mind when I think of this question is Katniss Everdeen. Although she doesn't change much confidence and kindness wise, she does overcome heaps of major obstacles and has dealt with so many things. But then I think of someone like Liesel from The Book Thief and how she had learnt so much and seen so much horror during that period of her life in Germany.

4."Santa Claus is Coming to Town"
a)Which character do you think would go on the top of the naughty list?
b)Which character do you think would go on the top of the nice list?

a)-Without a doubt one of the most horrible characters I have come across is Dorothy from Dorothy Must Die. In this book, Dorothy isn't the innocent, sweet girl we all know- she's a mean, power-hungry trickster turned evil from her time spent in Oz. This girl will be at the top of the naughty list.
b)- The top of the nice list for this year goes to..... Tyson from the Percy Jackson series (specifically Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse and The Battle of the Labyrinth. I haven't read The Last Olympian yet). Tyson is such a nice cyclops and is just an optimistic character at the best of times. He makes stuff for Percy and helps his friends out of trouble and goes with Grover in search for Pan so he wouldn't be alone and he is just a good character. Congratulations Tyson!

5."Frosty the Snowman"
Which book just melts your heart?:

Every time I am going to say this and it is The Fault In Our Stars. Every time I will read this book I will cry. Every time I will love it. It pretty much melts my heart.

6."Feliz Navidad"
Choose a book that takes place in a country other than your own:

I am going to choose The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It is set in England/Narnia. It's safe to say that no, I don't live in Narnia. And yes, I kind of wish I did.

7."It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"
Which holiday themed book do you use to spread the Christmas joy?:

I don't really use a book to 'spread the joy' but I am going to go with a picture book and say The Polar Express. This book and movie has always reminded me of Christmas and I watch the movie every year and I will read the book (if I can find it).

8."Sleigh Ride"
Which fictional character would you choose to spend the holidays with (doesn't have to be a love interest):
I would choose Elizabeth Bennet. She is a lively character and I guess we would be doing a lot of things like picnics and going to the beach and reading together. Also, she could bring along Mr Darcy too so that would be a bonus. :)

9,"Baby it's Cold Outside"
Which book that you didn't like would you sacrifice to a fire to warm yourself up in the cold?:
I think, for those of you who have read my blog previously, that this is obvious- The Edge of Nowhere by Elizabeth George. You can head to my review to see what I most passionately thought about it.

10."Do You Hear What I Hear?"
Which book do you think everyone should read?:

There are so many choices but at the moment I would recommend Hiding Edith by Kathy Kacer. Love this book. I have read it so many times and whenever I have run out of anything to read, this is my go to book. You can find a review for Hiding Edith on this blog.

Lastly, I made up this one myself:

11."Last Christmas"
A book you received last Christmas that you loved to bits:
I received quite a few books last Christmas, but one that stands out to me is Catching Fire in the Hunger Games box set I received. This is my FAVOURITE Hunger Games book.

Thank you for reading this long post. I tag everyone!

Zobo!

5 Days + Blogmas #5

Hey. I am sorry about missing out of Blogmas # 11,10,9,8,7 and 6. Just so busy.

Here is Blogmas quote #5-

'The town was paper, but the memories were not.'- Paper Towns.

This quote is from the book Paper Towns by John Green. A great book.

Zobo!

12 Days + Blogmas #12

Hiiiiiii!

I can't believe Christmas is just 12 days away! I am so excited! It has come around so quickly, I still feel like it is about a month or two away. Oh my goodness.

#12 (the numbers are getting lower!!) 

*Sorry, I'm doing this on my iPad, and whenever I try to make the text bold, italics or a larger font it just freaks out and doesn't write anything, so I'm just doing it normally today*

'Everybody deserves something good in their life... at least once.'- Once

This quote is from the book Once by Morris Gleitzman. This is a great little series about WWII.

Zobo!

PS- I've just realised. I can sing the song!

One the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me.... *carries on singing until I tell myself to shut up*

13 Days+ Blogmas #13

Hello.

#13-

 'Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.'- The Fault In Our Stars.

This quote is from TFIOS, written by John Green. Need I say more?

Zobo!

Kindle Collection.

Greetings!

Today I thought I would share with you the books that I have on my Kindle Paperwhite! These books I do not have in physical form, although in the future I may get them if they are in a series. 

Let's begin!

Classics:

Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen (actually do have this in book form)

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz- L.Frank Baum

As you can tell I don't have many classics. That's not because I don't like classics, I just don't have a lot of time to read them because some of them can be long and painful :)

Other books:
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief- Rick Riordan
Invisible- Cecily Anne Paterson
The Door That Led to Where- Sally Gardner
Island of Fog-Keith Robinson
Throne of Glass- Sarah J.Maas
Wonder- R.J Palacio

So I don't have a lot of books on my Kindle at the moment. I usually just download books if I am travelling or free books that interest me.

Zobo!

14 days + Blogmas #15 & #14

Hey there!

Finally my tonsils are G.O.N.E!

So this is the quote that was due yesterday but I was at the hospital:

#15-

'Her heart threw itself backward and clung to the bars of her ribcage.'- Throne of Glass.

This quote is from the book The Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. This quote may not be a memorable and inspirational one from the book, but I had highlighted it on my Kindle because I really loved the imagery and description.

Today's quote:

#14-

'And this is the way it's always been for me, for the little universe of us. But this year there seems to be a shift in the cosmos. The galaxy is changing. Planets are falling out of alignment.'- Wonder.

This really interesting quote is from the book Wonder by R.J Palacio. This quote is spoken by the main character Auggie. I could read this book over and over again because it is just such a good book (and I have read it over and over again!)


My throat hurts and goodbye,

Zobo!

Tonsils

Hello.

It's me.

I was wondering if after all these years you like to meet..... KIDDING.

Tomorrow I am getting my tonsils removed so that will be a very interesting experience.

So depending whether or not I  have time, I may be writing tomorrow's blogmas quote on Friday's one, just because I probably won't have my laptop with me at the hospital and I will be be asleep.

So yay. That's going to happen.

I'm thinking of taking Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth with me because it is fun and funny to read and also pretty entertaining.

ZOBO FROM THE OTHER SIIIIIIIIIIIDE!

16 Days + Blogmas #16

Hey.

Blogmas #16-

' "Fire is catching! And if we burn, you burn with us!"'- Mockingjay.

This quote is from the last book in the fabulous Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay. It is written by Suzanne Collins. This quote is spoken by Katniss Everdeen.


Zobo!

17 Days + Blogmas #17

Yay! Christmas is getting closer... and we haven't done any shopping :P.

#17-

' "Maia!" he yelled, but the magic word seemed to have no effect. "Maia, already! 911! Help!" ' - Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

This quote is from the first book in the Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan. This series is so funny!!! It is spoken Grover.

Zobo!

Th Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

Hi!

Today I will be discussing the book The Ask and The Answer by Patrick Ness. This is the second book in the Chaos Walking trilogy. I have discussed the first book on this blog- The Knife of Never Letting Go- so be sure to check that out before you read this and then come back. However, there aren't any spoilers in this discussion so feel free to hang around if you want to.

Okay, let's roll.

This book follows Todd and Viola's mission to conquer Mayor Prentiss and set the world right once again- free of Noise and fear and conflict. Todd and Viola are separated a number of times throughout this book, and, while trying to find each other again have to beat the Mayor and resist being tricked by his polite façade and games. This book is so intense and is a fantastic second book to the series.

This book had a little bit of a slower start. It does start off really suspenseful- Todd is being interrogated in a room by Mayor Prentiss, but I just feel like first part of this book could have been condensed a bit and included more action. It does set the scope for the plot and the rest of the book really well though  and builds a great image of New Prentisstown and its inhabitants. There is a lot of mystery built up in this part but at the same time a lot of talking that I think could have been improved with more action.

Other than that, the rest of the book is brilliant.

Patrick Ness has used some really clever writing techniques in this book. He actually made me feel what the characters were feeling. When the characters were tired, I was tired; when the characters were confused and not sure about something, I was confused and not sure. It is such a great tool. I felt a great deal of empathy for the characters in bad situations.

Mayor Prentiss and a new introduced character Mistress Coyle are mysterious and, while reading, much like Viola and Todd, I was not sure about whether I could trust them or whether they were actually good or evil. I really loved this feature of the book.

Around the last 11 chapters of the book is where stuff goes down. It is so action packed, suspenseful, gripping and powerful that I could not stop reading. Some shocking stuff happens in this part of the book.

I really love Patrick Ness's writing style. It is very unique and I enjoy reading it.

Lastly, this book is very different from the first. The Knife of Never Letting Go was really
about Viola and Todd running from the evil clutches of Mayor Prentiss and Aaron the quite messed up priest and finding a new and safe town to live in. The first book was fantastic.

The Ask and The Answer was just a totally different story- loads of new characters, twists, situations and the plot was really thorough.

Overall, as you can probably tell, The Ask and the Answer is an awesome book, and I would highly recommend it to any teen or adult looking for a shocking thrill.

Zobo!

18 Days+ Blogmas #18

Hello all!

#18-

'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.' -To Kill a Mockingbird.

This quote is from the book To Kill a Mockingbird (one of my favourite 'modern classics'), written by Harper Lee. The quote is spoken by Atticus Finch.

Zobo!

19 Days + Blogmas #19

 Hello!

Wow. 19 days.

I also got a new cat yesterday. Her name is Chips.

#19-

' I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything but a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.'- Pride and Prejudice.

This quote is from the book Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen. It is said by the character Miss Caroline Bingley.

Zobo!

20 Days + Blogmas #20

Hello there!

#20-

' The only thing worse than a boy who hates you:a boy that loves you'- The Book Thief 

This quote is from the book The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak. It is said, spoken or told by Death, the narrator of the whole book. By the way, I love that it is narrated by Death. It is a very interesting choice for a narrator and suits the story perfectly.

Zobo!

21 Days + Blogmas #21

Hi! I just finished a really amazing book, The Ask and The Answer, by Patrick Ness. It is the second book in the Chaos Walking trilogy.

#21-

'We cling to our fairy tales until the price for believing in them becomes too high.' - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

This quotes is from the book Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, written by Ransom Riggs. The quote is spoken by Jacob Portman.  


Zobo!

22 days until CHRISTMAS!! + Blogmas

I can't believe it is only 22 days until Christmas.

What.

So, in honour of this, everyday from now on I will be posting some of my favourite book quotes that will hopefully relate to some of you and inspire you to read. I will call it my 2015 'Blogmas'.

I have a lot of books on my Christmas list, let me tell you that.

I actually meant to start this on Dec 1, but I was just so busy at the time that I didn't get around to it until now.

Quote #22-

'Fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up.' - Divergent

This quotes is from Divergent, written by Veronica Roth. The quote is spoken by Four.

Zobo!

Doctor Who-Face the Raven

Okay, this isn't a book review, but the latest Doctor Who episode, Face the Raven, WHAT.

Oh wow. I'm not gonna spoil the episode, but it was Amy, Rory (but not as much as Rose) all over again. But, I didn't cry.

Look- I honestly say that Clara was not my favourite companion, but I really admired her wittiness and 'sure' way of handling things.

Okay, that's all.

Zobo!

The Princess Bride-William Goldman

Don't freak out. Even though this book is abridged, it still stays true to the classic tale. You see, William Goldman's father used to read this book to him. But William Goldman only heard the 'good parts', not the 'boring ones.' So, he rewrote it, just leaving the exciting and hilarious parts in.

Personally, I'd rather that than the 'boring' version.

Hands up if you've seen the movie! If you haven't seen the movie, I strongly recommend it.

Alas, this is not about the movie.

The Princess Bride is about Buttercup, who falls in love with the farm boy, Westley, but Westley goes away and he is presumed dead, captured by the Dread Pirate Roberts.

So fancy pants Prince Humperdinck decides that Buttercup will be his 'bride-to-be' and they are set to be married. Prince Humperdinck is a nasty person though.

Mean while, the book explains all of these backgrounds of the main characters in the story- Prince Humperdinck and how he is the sharpest shooter and hunter. Inigo Montoya, a Spanish fencer who tells of  his childhood and trying to find the man who killed his father. Fezzik, a giant who likes to rhyme, and Vizzini, a snivelling, arrogant little man who bought together a gang with Fezzik and Inigo, who eventually capture the princess.

This story is so much fun! It's funny, witty, action packed, devastating and terrifying. It has a little romance, but it balances it out with the rest of the attributes.

This book really brings a background to the characters and why they do the things they do in the movie. The movie is really only a basic part of the whole story.

In between some chapters are commentary by William Goldman. True or not true, they can give you a bit of a laugh and add a personal feel to the story.

My favourite character (apart from Westley, because who doesn't like Westley?) is probably Inigo. He is a character with a lot of humour, yet he is serious about a lot of things. His tendency to get drunk when he sad or depressed brings out the weaker, not so feisty side in him.

This book is a great book, and I think everyone should read it. I think it swears maybe twice in the book, but other than that, a great book for all ages. It does have some tricky language, though, so it would be a great book to be read aloud.

Zobo!

Old books, new books: Oxford

Oxford is a very, very pretty place. It is very nice with lots of old buildings and things to explore.

There are also a few little book shops.

I went to an old bookshop that was tucked away among cafes. It had a a decent amount of old and rare books in it, some classics, a lot of them based on religion, and some of them were biographies and about Shakespeare. That's also another thing- in all the book shops I have been to during my holiday, there seem to be quite a few books about Shakespeare and about his insults and plays.

I then went to an Oxfam book shop where I got The Catcher In The Rye. I'm up to chapter...5? I can't remember at the moment. It's humorous so far.

In Oxford, (although I didn't go in) there is a Waterstones.

Tip: go travelling if you want to find rare, interesting and antique books.

Zobo!

Book Memories

Hello!

I was just thinking about the times I have read books or started books and it has bought back a certain memory. It's kinda a weird post. Just the things I felt at the that time and where I was and that sort of thing.

THE HUNGER GAMES:
When I started the first Hunger Games book, It was, like, the middle of summer. I was lying in my hammock and I just felt so.... Summery. Do you know that feeling that you get when you are so at ease and happy and you are like "I'm so chilled but excited for the future"? No....? Ah. I'm weird.
I guess this memory reminds me how much I love summer and not having to go to school and just doing what I want to do.

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS:
This book reminds me of staying up late and reading, with no disturbance and just disappearing into my own little world. Just me, the bed, the light and the book. I don't worry about the time or about how tired I will be the next day. I just like the moments when I just go with it. Meh, it's 2am, but I'mma keep reading. I tend to really stress when I can't sleep or anything like that. That's why I like it so much when I relax with a book more. The reason this book evokes such a feeling and memory is when I was up really late because.... Because.... You probably know.

ALLEGIANT:

This book made me abuse a paperback for probably the first time ever. Literally, when the impossible happened (well, not impossible, but you get the gist), I threw the book into the air, it landed on my bed, then I hit it quite hard with a pillow. Even if I had been spoiled before with the tragedy, I was still kind of shocked actually reading it with my own eyes. It was a school library book as well, so yeah. Sorry school copy of Allegiant.

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS:

This memory is about the first book that made me cry a little bit. It was so,so sad. I have reviewed it on my blog- I think it's the second or third review I ever did on On The Spine. I only cried a little bit, but it is horrific-the concentration camps were awful during WWII. I read this book probably before Iwas supposed to, but being quite a mature reader for my age, I enjoyed it quite thoroughly. I have looked at websites that have said that the age the book is appropriate for is about 11-12+ but I think I read it when I was about 8 or 9 years old. Since then, many book crying memories include
TFIOS, Allegiant,  Mockingjay and The Book Thief.

These are just some book memories that I have. Feel free to share your own in the comments.

Zobo!

1000 Pageviews!

On this day, I have hit 1000 Pageviews. Although I think the majority of these views were by myself, I don't think I have viewed this blog 1000 times- I don't have the time! So to the rest of the people who may have viewed this blog, thank you.

Zobo!

Going to the British Library

Today I went to the British Library. The shop. Is . So. Good. 

I SAW THE LIBRARY OF SOULS IN HARDCOVER IT WAS BEAUTIFUL but I didn't want to wreck it in my bag. It was also big. So I bought To Kill a Mockingbird instead. I am really enjoying it so far.

I am going to see if I can buy The Library of Souls before I go on the airplane. 

The British Library is very big with a cafe and escalator stairs. I would definitely study there if I was going to university. It is very good.

Zobo!

Relatable book quotes

I have smellingbooks disease

                                                      Even though this post needs a ?

Hunger Games. Just Hunger Games.

One thing I hate is whole class reading. I had to read Bridge to Terabithia for the third time in two years. I love the book, but still. WHOLE. CLASS. READING. UGH.

New Blog Look + What I think of Throne of Glass

Hello. Do you like the new look? I felt like I needed to change it. If you didn't know, I like books and cats, so this background was PERFECT. 

Throne of Glass. I didn't love it. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!!! It was so so so good I can't wait for Crown of Midnight. I loved how action packed it was, and how detailed and how cool and brave Celaena is. Yeah. 

I just love GIFs. I could use them all the time.

Zobo!

What I Like in a Good Book

Hi! I am still on my holiday at the moment. It has been so so busy, you wouldn't believe it!

This post was inspired by a post I saw on a great YA book blog called Read, Breathe, Relax. It's really good.

So... What do you like in a good book? I'm going to list the different things I like in books and maybe give examples of books I have found these in:

- A smart, strong protagonist/main character. As you may know, I dislike dumb minded characters a lot. I like a witty, brave character with a strong personality, such as characters like Katniss Everdeen, Tris Prior and Hermione Granger.

-A smidge of romance. I don't really like a lot of romance, but I like a little bit. It adds a lot to a story, and I don't think that many people realise this. I donit really fancy whole books based on romance. There have been rare exceptions. A dash of sweet romance is just the ticket. An example of a book that has this element is Ruby Red.

-An non-boring, fantastic plot. Who doesn't want an epic plot in their book? I mean, that is what gets a book published and read! I also like plots that are mysterious and also modern. Examples of this element include The Hunger Games & Divergent trilogies.

-I like a book with some sort of competition. I like to have a) a character that I really like in b) a competition of some sort. Like the Hunger Games or the Kings Champion in Throne of Glass. ( TOG is a really good book by the way. I am quite enjoying it.) I just like the competitiveness and
something about competitions.... I just like them.

-A nice cover. It doesn't nescessarily have to be anything glitzy and glamorous. It can be simple like some of the Paper Towns covers. I like spooky ones like the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children novels. I like pretty ones like Shatter Me (I haven't read that by the way. It was just using it because I know it's pretty. It's the one with the eye on the front, bty).

-Books with a first person POV. For some reason I prefer this more than books with a second or third person POV. I think I just like seeing a character developing and reading their thoughts and emotions, rather than someone telling me. A great example of a first person point of view is in The Fault in Our Stars. It makes perfect sense that the story would be told from Hazel's POV. Another example is of a book called Wonder by R J. Palacio. It comes from lots of people's POVs- the main character's, his sister and his sister's boyfriend.

-Books that fall into the historical fiction genre. I love this book genre so much. I love exploring different time periods, especially in the 80s, 60s, 40s, and 1800s. A great book that I have read is A Spy in the House by Y.S Lee. It is set in the late 1850s. I have reviewed it in this blog.

So there you go! This is what I look for in a book. I also love happy endings, but I don't like it being really cliche so everyone has a happy ending. I mean, some characters have to,like, die or something, don't they?

Thanks for reading if you have,

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Going on a Holiday

I am going on a holiday for a month. I won't be blogging then until I get back.

I bought Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas and The Door That Led To Where by Sally Gardner on my fabulous kindle.

Bon voyage,
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PAPER TOWNS REVIEW IS HERE!!! + brief movie review

Hi!

This review... I have been waiting such a long time to do.

Paper Towns by John Green is a book about Quentin- or Q. He is madly in love with a girl he grew up next door to- Margo Roth Spiegelman. One night, Margo appears inside Quentin's room and takes him out to do a series of revenge plots. They ride off in Quentin's van all night. Quentin returns home as does Margo.

The next day, Margo has gone missing. It is not the first time she has run away. Quentin wants to get to the bottom of this mystery. With the help of his friends Radar and Ben, along with the popular girl in school, Lacey, they go on a hunt and road trip to find Margo.             

I loved this book so so much. I read it more quickly than I. Expected I would. It is suspenseful, scary, funny, heartwarming and just.... AWESOMENESS. 

So.... I know that no one reads this blog. But just comment if you see it- TFIOS or PT???? If a band of pirates attacked your house, and you could only take The Fault In Our Stars or Paper Towns, which would you choose?? I don't know.

Onto the characters:
Quentin is adorable and smart and funny. 

Margo is mysterious and highly quotable. I just love how her character is so quirky and she loves vintage records and stuff. She's cool. I guess I fall into her trap of being classed as 'cool'.

Ben is funny but weird. 

Radar is smart and I love the fact that he doesn't want to invite his girlfriend over because his parents are trying to collect the worlds biggest collection of black Santas.

I don't like Margo's parents. They just give up on her completely.

Overall, a fantastic book. Definitely 5/5 stars. I love the unique story, characters, as especially the humour.

Onto the movie review:
I have to say, I was disappointed with how the movie turned out. I mean, for someone who hadn't read the book it would've been good, but more the thousands of people in the world who have, they might be disappointed.

I'm not gonna spoil anything about the movie, but just point out a few flaws a few changes they made:
-Angela (Radar's girlfriend) goes on the road trip with them. In the book she doesn't, but in the movie she does. This didn't bug me AS much because it meant that Lacey would have another girl to hang out with.
-Omnictionary is only mentioned once in the movie. Dude, Omnictionary was mentioned 300 million times in the book. Omnictionary is basically what they use to decode stuff and figure out that Margo is in a 'paper town'. And maybe the directors and script writers thought that they didn't need to add it. But it also adds to Radar's personality. He is obsessed with it.
-Quentin and Ben and Radar go to prom. They don't make it to prom in the book. Quentin doesn't even care about prom. And suddenly it's just like ,'I've travelled 24 hours straight in a van and now I'm gonna go to prom and still have the energy to dance and jump up and down etc.' I mean, Quentin may be a 'tough YOLO' kind of character but he really isn't.
- THEY SKIP BREAKING INTO SEAWORLD. Enough said.
-Finally, the ending was the crappiest ending to a movie (based on a book) I have ever seen. It just didn't satisfy me at all. It was so so different to the book.

Onto the good things:
-I liked Nat Wolff as Quentin. That's probably because I liked him as Isaac in TFIOS.
- I can't really think of anything else that I particularly really liked. It is just an all round fine movie.

It may sound like I really hated the movie, but these are only little picky things that because I have read and love the book, I picked out. Do not let this review deter you! Do go ahead and watch it. It isn't terrible, but it isn't the best movie ever, in my opinion.

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Lorde-Your Heroine

Lorde-Your Heroine is an authorised biography by Marc Shapiro. It gives an insight into the life of Lorde- before and during her success. Lorde, being a very successful young artist, was very interesting to read about.

However, Marc Shapiro, I feel, has not actually spoken or met Lorde. He adds nothing about ,'When I spoke to her during da dada da da....' or something like that. He quotes radio and television interviews she has had, and uses her speech through that.

Although, this biography helped me to understand what it may be like to grow up in the spotlight and the effect it had on Lorde, her family, her school and the world. I liked reading about her. She is one of my favourite artists.

This is only a short discussion. I liked this book. This is probably the first ever biography I have actually read all of.

If you wish to know more about this book, click the following link.
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AllenandUnwin Lorde Your Heroine link

The Word Vicious

How do you spell 'vicious'?

V-I-C-I-O-U-S.

Not

V-I-S-C-I-O-U-S
........

Okay. Don't ask me why I posted that.

Zobo.

The Edge of Nowhere by Elizabeth George *Contains Spoilers*

Hello. If you are reading this discussion because you are looking for a happy, joyful, 5/5 star rating book to read, I advise that you quickly scroll down.

The Edge of Nowhere by Elizabeth George is about a girl named Becca King. Becca King has a semi-supernatural power: she can hear other peoples' thoughts. On the run from her murderous step-father, she comes to Whidbey Island in search of a safe refuge. Instead, she finds herself wrapped up inside a mystery and realises she might not be safe after all.

This book started out fine. Really well. It was luring me in, it was curious, and then it just slowly got boring, then more boring, and more and more boring until I fell into the pit of boringness.

The real mystery doesn't even start until halfway through the book, and I was just plain bored. Boring characters. It was just too ordinary. Still, I soldiered on and finished it.

Okay, this part contains spoilers, so if you want to read the book, please look away.

Okay, I HATE DUMB CHARACTERS SO MUCH. Becca was THE DUMBEST PERSON. EVER. She was such a clueless character. Why wouldn't you tell the sheriff that you mysteriously appeared on the island because your step-father was trying to murder you and your mother? That would have saved SO MUCH time. I'm not even kidding. And then, when her step-father appears again at the end, that wouldn't have happened BECCA if you had only told SOMEONE about your problem other than Seth.

The characters were not developed enough. I know that in order for the characters to appear mysterious that we couldn't know everything they were feeling. It's just I wanted to know what they were feeling. I wanted to know exactly what they looked like. This book is the first in a series, so I hope that the characters are developed more thoroughly than in this one. I'm not reading the second one though.

Also, another thing that bugged me was George's comments on Becca's weight. I know that during adolescence that weight can be a subject that is approached and that it is a problem for many people, but seriously? Teenagers already have enough on their minds, and then George just keeps mentioning how overweight or thin Becca is/was. Even the line 'In through the lips and into the hips' makes me feel kinda bad about what I am eating. I had one chocolate today. Give me a break. I feel that these mentions were unnecessary and added nothing to the story.

Her 'mind reading' abilities did absolutely nothing to the story.

The ending though.... IT WAS THE STUPID DOG WHO PUSHED DERRIC OFF THE CLIFF??!!! When I figured that out (bty, I figured it before they did in the book) I was like oh my gosh, that was what it was? The DOG. After all that lying and protecting and accusing and everything that took up more than half of the book, it was the dog. Seth's stupid dog. Ugh.

I wouldn't read this book again. I enjoyed it at the start, but then it just plunged into boringness.

I would give it 2/5 stars on account for it's interesting beginning. It is by Elizabeth George and this is her first YA book.

Zobo!

Can I just stop for a moment.

Okay, I am going to get this off my chest. I have A WHOLE LOTTA BOOKS TO DISCUSS. Ones that you will probably be reading:

The Edge of Nowhere by Elizabeth George.
White Cat by Holly Black
Paper Towns by John Green
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Four by Veronica Roth
Hunger Games Video Review for Hunger Games and Mockingjay (written by Susan Collins, video created by me)
Divergent Video Review for all books (written by Veronica Roth, video created by me)
Lorde-Your Heroine by Marc Shapiro.

There you go. I hope you have a lot to look forward to.

It will be a pain trying to write all of these discussions as fast as I can so I don't keep myself (in a way) and others waiting.

This is what my expression is right now. Except I'm not staring at an artwork, I'm staring at my bookshelf. Trust me, I love books and reading, but writing all of those reviews!



Trust me though, they will be written! :)

Oh, and I thought I'd pop this one in for good measure (me when I finish all of them):





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Girl Online by Zoe Sugg (aka you tuber Zoella)

Man oh man oh man. I have not written on this blog for a super long time.

I just finished this really great book called Girl Online. It was written by Zoe Sugg, also known as you tube sensation, Zoella.

This book was really great. I loved it and it was just a cute, light read. I loved the characters and the storyline. Very cute.

It is about a girl named Penny Porter, who writes on a blog, anonymously, and she calls herself Girl Online. She is 16 years old and suffers from anxiety, the result of a car accident. Her parents design themed weddings, and they were asked to create a Downton Abbey themed wedding in New York, so Penny, her parents and Penny's best friend Elliot (male) travel to NYC.

While they are staying in a grand hotel, Penny comes across a mysterious young man playing a the guitar. The 18 year olds' name is Noah, and he shows Penny around New York, as well as places like Brooklyn. They  start to fall in love.

However, Noah has a huge secret he has been hiding from Penny. And when Penny finds, out, she is absolutely devastated.....

I am not going to spoil anything in this discussion.

I loved Penny. She was such a relatable character. She's funny, socially awkward and peer pressured immensely by her ex-best friend Megan, you typical 'I'm so popular and perfect and everyone loves me' girl. Penny gets panic attacks when she gets nervous or she does something she is not comfortable doing.
I loved how she didn't have a group of girlfriends. I think, with a lot of stories like these, the main character has a girl as her bestie, but I liked how she just had Elliot.

Moving on. I also loved Elliot, Penny's best friend. He is quirky, funny, but insecure at times because he hates his homelife and has come to terms with being gay. His parents do not accept/notice this, and he is not loved as much as he should be. He wears unusual clothes, and is a very stylish person.

Lastly, Noah was not my favourite character, I have to admit. I really liked him, and I liked how nice and sensitive and generous he was, it's just I don't know. Something was not quite right about him. For those who have read the book, he turns out fine, but I still feel a bit off about him.

But, as hard as I tried, I could not stop imagining the main characters as Youtubers. I kept seeing Penny as Zoe Sugg, her brother as a mix of Joe Sugg and someone that my brain conjured up, Elliot as Connor Franta and Noah as, like, a mixture between Dan Howell and a punk dude. I dunno.

*Skink!* (AmazingPhil reference. Just ignore that if you don't know what that means.) This book has been confirmed that it was partly ghostwritten. There is some speculation about whether a massive part of the book was ghostwritten or just small parts. Anyway, DO NOT WORRY AND IGNORE THAT. This book is fantastic anyway and overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.



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Ze Problem with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

There is this book, I'm not sure if you've heard about it, called Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Lemme say that P&P does not really fit with the whole zombie slayer thing.

You see, the Bennets are zombie slayers, they have been trained to kill and slaughter zombies that attack them. They keep daggers and knives and guns with them at all times. Basically, there's this plague going around that turns people into zombies. 

The book still has original text from the original P&P book, but also has contribution from Seth -Grahame-Smith, who added all the bits about the zombies and the attacks and stuff like that. 

I get where he was coming from. Who doesn't like parodies of beloved classics? (Most people probably do, but I am kind of a 50/50, I could go either way.) It was a cool idea to do, and it probably would have worked, if it weren't for these things:

-We are talking about this set in the late 1700s or the early 1810s. Now that's all fine and dandy, except that we are talking about women in a time period where- yes, ladies were respected- but not treated as equal. So, how come, five young ladies (two a little sillier than the rest) are trained to be zombie slayers, and trusted with weapons? Men  of this time were sure to be against this idea, thinking that women were weak in the face of danger, or anywhere for that fact. I think the idea that the Bennet girls were trained to slay zombies in a time when men were considered superior, it just doesn't fit. I am not saying that I am against feminism, because I am not, and I believe that women are equal to men. It's just that the time period did not fit with what the characters where doing. That is all.

-I admit, I got this book as a sample, and I may not have read the whole book, so if it does get better, please let me know in the comments, but the zombies were not mentioned very much in the chapters I have so far read. They attacked when there was a ball, they attacked Lizzy when she was going to see her unwell sister, but, apart from a few mentions of daggers hidden under sleeves, there was nothing else. Basically, it was a condensed version of the original Pride and Prejudice with only two zombie attacks at predictable moments (again, this is in the sample I have read). 

These were just some things that so far I felt were not suited for this book and didn't match. If you liked the book, that's good. I have my own opinions, and they are nothing but my own opinions.

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Library of Souls (MPHFPC book three) book cover

Obviously, seeing the cover for this book is exciting. For starters, I really wanted it to match and be just as creepy as the other covers. And, I am not sure for how long the cover for  Library of Souls has been released, but I just discovered it, and I must say, it does live up to my expectations-

Oh wow. who is this boy? Why does he have wings? Is he some sort of ymbryne who can keep human form but has wings too? I DON'T KNOW.

In case the picture decides to not load AGAIN, here is a link to goodreads, where you can see the cover.

 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24120519-library-of-souls


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I have finished PAPER TOWNS

Paper Towns is such a great book. It's by a great author. The characters are great. The story is great. I love everything about it.

I will write a discussion for it later. I need to think of what to say. But, I will say in advance that I would give it 5/5 for sure!

Books I am Currently Reading

Here are three books that I am reading at the moment. I have also included books I have yet to read, and that are on my book 'list'. I check these books off as I read them.

I am currently reading:

The Edge of Nowhere by Elizabeth George

Paper Towns by John Green

Lorde- Your Heroine by Marc Shapiro

I have yet to read:

White Cat by Holly Black

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

Also, I apologise if I have been posting pictures of things in posts and they haven't been showing. I don't know if it's just my iPad and computer or on other ones too. Sorry about that.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews*updated

I'm not going to have a big long discussion about this book.

The movie for this book has has come out, and I watched on an airplane. The movie is really good so if you haven't seen it, you should go and watch it.

MAEATDY is about two friends, Greg and Earl, who make home made movies based on other movies they have seen. When Gregs old girlfriend, Rachel, is diagnosed with leukaemia, Greg has to become friends with her again (they used to go out once upon a time)

But the book was-

-Too sweary. Swear words were definitely not needed.

-A bit boring.

- I didn't really like Greg's self centredness.

I did like how the story was unique. It was a cool idea- having two 'friends' who make home movies with each other. It creatively explores high school life. It was pretty funny in some parts, and goofy.

This book wasn't horrible. I just think it was a bit over-hyped. It was no John Green masterpiece, but it was okay for me.

Sorry if this is negative. If you liked this book, that's really cool, because it is very good in some aspects. It just wasn't for me.

Zobo!

PS- Wins prize for best cover! So cool!

Butterfly by Sonya Hartnett

Butterfly by Sinya Hartnett. Hmmm. I have mixed feelings about this book. It was really good, I'm not denying that, there's just a few problems I have with it.

Butterfly is about a girl named "Plum" Coyle.  Her real name is Ariella, but she doesn't like that name. She's soon turning fourteen, and she is the youngest of her siblings- there's Justin, Cydar and herself. She's going through some changes. She thinks she is fat and ugly. She doesn't have a lot of true friends. She finds herself lost at high school, and at home a bit too. She is struggling to find her place in the world.

When she is crying, (one evening?) her neighbour, who she has never talked to or bothered much about, invites her over to her sons birthday party. Plum accepts, as as she sneaks to Maureen's (the neighbour) house, Maureen becomes somewhat of a role model for Plum. Maureen 'renames' Plum as Aria. Maureen gives advice about growing up. Plum and Maureen decide they are friends, even with the age gap - Plum is soon turning fourteen and Maureen is in her thirties.

Plum also makes a connection with Maureen's son, David, who is four years old. Plum enjoys taking care of David when Maureen is away. David is very quiet most of the time, and is not quite sure what to think of his home life. His father is away quite a lot.

Plum's interests include horror movies, and collecting items. Underneath her bed, so keeps an old suitcase stuffed with cotton balls, and inside are items- a crystal lamb, a Fanta hobo, an antique watch,  an old coin and an ABBA badge. She uses them as kind of totemic treasures, which she speaks to and chants to. Ever heard of a fourteen year old doing that? Didn't think so.

Which comes to the points which were a bit errh in the book: (Warning: May contain mild spoilers. Will not destroy the book though).

- Plum is dumb for a fourteen year old. She let her 'kind of but not really friends' pierce her ears at home. Why..... At nearly fourteen years old, wouldn't you know that ears get infected if not treated properly. And it hurts like crazy. Not that I have had them done at home. I just learnt that from Grease.







Maureen also tells Plum to lose weight by throwing her lunch in the bin. That's stupid! And Plum
believed her, because Maureen was go gentle and always right about EVERYTHING. When you go through adolescence, you shouldn't not eat. Eating is beneficial. It just is. No more explaining needed. She didn't even lose any weight anyway.
Plum also steals from her friends. Why would you do that? I know she is struggling to accept herself. But she is just really pushing herself further away from her 'friends'.

-I just didn't like Justin. Plum says he's sweet and funny and cool. But I think he is too proud. He takes advantage of way too many things, and he lies about things. I think the character was supposed to be likeable, but he just didn't appeal to me the way I think it was supposed to.

- The ending was little disappointing. It ended with David in bed with his Maureen sitting beside him. David kept saying "I want Daddy," and that sort of thing. I was hoping for a better ending.


So there you go. I did like how the story was very unique. I don't think any other book about growing up that I have read is quite like it. I like its honesty. I liked its portrayal of teenage life. I liked how Plum's house was just so antique, with ancient furniture. I loved how her brother Cydar had literally a wall of fish tanks, housing heaps of interesting and colourful fish. I think I liked Cydar the best in this whole story.                                                    

Zobo!