Books and Literature

Those Girls by Lauren Saft

March 30, 2017

See what I mean about the cover? Could be considered a bit cliche. Still a great book though!

When I first saw the cover, I was skeptical. I am not gonna lie. I was just intrigued by the title, because my immediate thought was “what girls?”. I read the summary on the back. I was captivated further. I read the comments other people had made on the book. I remember one that made me buy it. “Thought provoking.” I don’t know who said it, I just remember seeing it. Of course I was buying this with a gift card, so money was limited. I could only technically afford one book, but I managed a second. It just involved the cashier having to count a whole lot of quarters. :)

I began to read the first sentence of it as soon as I got back in the car with my brother. I remember the first sentence went to the first paragraph, which wasn’t good enough for me. I had to keep reading. That was the entire journey that went along with this book. I would read it before bed, but it never ended well. I would end up staying up later than anticipated because I wanted to keep reading. I would tell myself, “okay, after this last section. You need to sleep.” Yeah, every time I said that, I lied to myself. I would continue to read until I fell asleep.

This is because this book is utterly riveting. Yes I prefer books that make me think, rather than having the information handed to me. Although this book wasn’t so much thought provoking, it was still extremely good. The author balanced it out well. It was humorous, all while being serious. Lauren Saft did an amazing job portraying the thoughts that goes through a teenager’s mind, and not only that, but also problems that they face. She expressed the feeling of betrayal through words. They portrayed the emotion of anger through ink. She conveyed the feeling of blind infatuation on paper.

All in all, the author did an astonishing job on this novel. It was extremely well-written. Props to you, Lauren Saft. I would strongly recommend.

Book Review 4: Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

February 8, 2017

I remember as soon as I saw the cover of this book, I was intrigued. I read what it said on the inside, because it's a hard cover, and I was curious as to how it would turn out. I'll give the synopsis of the novel that was uploaded by Goodreads.com, which is also the same as the one I read on the inside of the book.

Summary: Celestine North lives a perfect life. She’s a model daughter and sister, she’s well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she’s dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.
But then Celestine encounters a situation where she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule and now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found flawed.
In her breathtaking young adult debut, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society where perfection is paramount and flaws lead to punishment. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her everything.

When I started out reading it, I thought it was a typical young adult fiction book. That ended up changing as the journey of the book progressed. I started getting really into the book. I started thinking about how it's almost a dystopian or utopian genre. They emphasized this idea of "perfection," which is where the utopian genre comes into play. But their efforts to make it as perfect and ideal as possible, makes it a hard place for the protagonist to live in, which is where the dystopian genre is represented.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I loved all of the twists and turns it took me through. There was a point where it had me yelling out in anger at one of the characters. There wasn't a moment where I was bored with it. It was one of those books that I just wanted to sit and read and not put it down. It wasn't my favorite book, but it was extremely good and well-written.

Rate: 4/5

Book Review 3: Out of my Mind

December 11, 2016

Initially, I just liked the cover of this book. I will show this down below. I liked the cover because it stood out. As soon as I saw the cover, I decided I wanted to look at what this book is about. I read its summary on the back, and I thought it sounded intriguing. It had a different plot from most books I typically read, so I thought I would give it a shot.

Then the actual reading of the novel took place. It began with a truthful discussion on the power of words. I immediately got interested. Sharon M. Draper, the author's, hook strategy was extremely successful. I wouldn't necessarily say I couldn't put the book down. It was a very good book, especially the morals behind it, but it wasn't my favorite. That has not much to do with the book, but to do with me and my interests.

I think the biggest part of the book for me was the aftermath. After I read it, my perspective on people with mental illness changed. I'm not talking anxiety, schizophrenia or depression. I mean autism, down syndrome and cerebral palsy, what the protagonist form Out of my Mind has. They have voices, even if they can't speak. They could be incredibly smart and we don't acknowledge that. It changed my thoughts on them immensely. I now know that there is so much more to each and every one of them and we all need to realize that. I strongly suggest it. It is extremely eye-opening.

Rate: 3/5

Book Review 2: Side Effects May Vary

December 7, 2016

When I went to my favorite book store, Copperfield's, I didn't know what book I wanted. I just knew I wanted a book. I was scavenging for the right book. I then saw the cover of this one, The Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy. The cover was eye-catching, at least to me. I got intrigued and decided I wanted to see what it was about. I read its synopsis and I immediately fell in love with what it was about. Notice I said what the book was about, not the book itself.

I began reading it, and at first, I was really enjoying it. I liked the plot points and their development, I liked how it was progressing, I liked the characters, but as I kept reading, it started to get boring. I found myself dazing off while reading, not as interested in the book and all around not looking forward to reading it. I was so bummed out, though. When I read its summary on the back, which I will put a picture of below this, I was so excited. They made it sound so good. I think that they had a good and genuine idea, but the author, Ms. Murphy, didn't write it to its full potential. I was really looking forward to it, but it was a major let down. I wouldn't necessarily suggest it. It wasn't at all horrible, but it also wasn't amazing. If you decide to read it, keep that in mind.

Rate: 2/5

Book Review 1: The Problem with Forever

December 1, 2016

The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout is my absolute favorite novel. I'll give you a slight summary of it, but just because that's how much I love it.

It's about a teenage girl named Mallory Dodge, otherwise known as "Mouse" by her childhood friend, Rider Stark. She was previously a foster child, but she got adopted by two loving people after a horrible incident (something you will have to read to know more about. I am not spoiling that.) with her not-so-loving foster parents. She was under the care of these people with Rider, who I mentioned called her "Mouse." They lost touch after the occurrence that got her her adoptive parents. She got adopted and hadn't spoken to him in years. That was until the day of her first day in public school, and from that point on it was a bunch of unforgettable adventures they shared together. To know the rest you must read this breathtakingly beautiful book.

I want to say the main reason I liked this book so much was because of the way it's written, or because of the plot, or maybe even because of the ending, but that technically wouldn't be true. It isn't just one thing that made this book seem so praiseworthy to me. It was every small detail that it possessed. To me, it was one of those books I hated putting down. After I finished it, I cried. Literally. Tears were streaming down my face. Please keep in mind, I hardly cry and I am sixteen years old. Also, when I finished it, I ran downstairs to my mother and grandmother that were seated on my couch and ranted to them for an hour. It was one of those books that I just kept reading and reading, and once I was done I felt empty. Like I said, it was everything that made it so amazing. The author did an amazing job with the writing, character development, plot line, plot points, plot development, and so much more. If you're interested, I strongly suggest reading The Problem with Forever.

Rate: 5/5

Books I Have Read, and You Might Enjoy

Title	Author	Cover
All the Bright Places	Jennifer Niven
Paper Towns	John Green
Eleanor and Park	Rainbow Rowell
The Beginning of Everything	Robyn Schneider
Looking for Alaska	John Green
The Last Time We Say Goodbye	Cynthia Hand
The Fault in Our Stars	John Green
We All Looked Up	Tommy Wallach
Elena Vanishing: A Memoir	Clare B. Dunkle, Elena Dunkle
Extraordinary Means	Robyn Schneider
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl	Jesse Andrews
Thirteen Reasons Why	Jay Asher
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before	Jenny Han
Of Mice and Men	John Steinbeck
Lord of the Flies	William Golding
The House on Mango Street	Sandra Cisneros
Where She Went	Gayle Forman
Side Effects May Vary	Julie Murphy
Out of my Mind	Sharon M. Draper
It’s Kind of a Funny Story	Ned Vizzini
Othello	William Shakespeare
Pride and Prejudice	Jane Austen
The Princess Bride	William Goldman
Flawed	Cecilia Ahern
The Problem with Forever	Jennifer L. Armentrout
Holding up the Universe	Jennifer Niven
My Heart and Other Black Holes	Jasmine Warga
Before I Fall	Lauren Oliver