September Wrap Up

Hello everyone it's Nicole Henderson here, and it is that time of the month were I show you the books I read in September. I read total of 7 books this month, more than I thought I would actually, but it was still a pretty good reading month. Most of the books I read were pretty amazing as well and I would recommend them for you guys to read. So lets get into this wrap-up. 

The first book I finished this month was It Gets Worse: A Collection of Essays by Shane Dawson. I have been a huge fan of his since 2008, and so when he came out with this book, I knew I had to get it. I also read his previous book (same style) and it was pretty good. This book is definitely a lot darker in terms of content than his first book, but it was still a very entertaining read. I still watch his Youtube videos on a regular basis and they always make me laugh on some level. I rated this book a 4/5 stars. 

The second book I read in the month of September was Away We Go by Emil Ostroviski. This was an anticipated release for me, for quite a bit, and I had such high expectations for this book. However, when I sat down to read the book, I started to realize that my expectations were not being met. I was upset that this book was not to my liking because I really wanted to enjoy it. If you want to know more details on my thoughts, I have a full review on this blog that you can check out. I rated this a 2/5 stars. 

The third book I read this month was A Step Toward Falling by Cammie McGovern. This is definitely one of my favourite books this year. It was such an enjoyable but realistic read. I thought the author did such an amazing job at portraying kids/young adults who have disabilities in a realistic and authentic way. And I believe that disabilities should be expressed more in books, and this was a great one to read. I loved the characters, and I loved how you got to see both sides of the story. I rated this a 5/5 stars. 

The fourth book I read was The Giver by Lois Lowry. This was a book that I didn't expect to read this month, but I'm glad I read it. I had to read this for one of my classes, and I really enjoyed it. I have a full review if you want to know my full thoughts on this story. I loved the world-building and all the different characters in it. I tired to read this when I was a freshman in high school, but I put it down. I must have not appreciated its themes at the time. Anyways, I rated this a 4/5 stars. 





The next book I read was The Accident Season by Moria Fowely-Doyle. This was the perfect book to get me in the mood for fall and October. I enjoyed this book for its thrilling, suspenseful, gripping and addicting qualities. However, there were some elements to this book that I didn't like. An example of that was the weird relationship between all the main characters and the somewhat odd writing style. Other than that, this book was really enjoyable and I recommend it. I just couldn't get past the creepy relationships so that's why it's a lower rating. I rated this a 3.5/5 stars. By the way, there is a full review if you want to know more of my thoughts. 

The sixth book I read this month was My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga. This was such a dark and mysterious story that deals with serious issues.  This is another one of my favourite books this year, as it was an amazing read. Pius it was so realistic and beautifully written. I also loved how authentic the main character was, and how she was able to find hope again. And I really liked how things ended on a positive note between Aysel and Roman, it just made the whole story better. I rated this book a 5/5 stars. 

The last book I managed to read this month was Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry. This is the second book to the Giver's quartet, and it's a companion novel to The Giver. I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did with first book, but it was still okay. It wasn't the greatest book I read. I will have full review on this book soon, but it was my least favourite book I read this month. The main character was not that interesting, and there was a lack of character development with the supporting characters. I rated this a 2/5 stars.




That is it for this monthly wrap-up I hope you all enjoyed. How many books did you read this month? Let me know in the comments below. I will be back with another post soon. Happy reading, and until my next post. Goodbye for now. 

Fall/Winter Book Recommendations!

Hello everyone it's Nicole Henderson here. Since it's almost October, and we are in the fall and winter months I thought I would give you guys 10 book recommendations that are perfect to read during this time of year. Now, these are books that I personally recommend, so if you don't agree with this list then that's okay. So without any further ado, let's get into it. 

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1. The top books that I would recommend for fall/winter (especially during Halloween) is the entire Asylum trilogy by Madeline Roux. The first book is, of course Asylum, the second book is Sanctum and the final book is Catacomb. I read this series last year when I was in desperate need of a supernatural/thriller, and I'm so glad I picked this up when I did. This is such an amazing trilogy, it is one of my favourites for sure. I have no favourite individual book in this trilogy, I just love them all equally. By the way, there are also the novellas and the prequel that I have yet to read. I will read them next month for sure. 

2. The next trilogy that I would recommend for the fall/winter months is the I Hunt Killers trilogy by Barry Lyga. I came across this trilogy very unexpectedly during class when I was in high school, and I was intrigued by the plot. I read the first book (I Hunt Killers) and I was immediately hooked. I read the second book (Game) sometime later and it was even more addicting than the first one. Now, I thought it was going to end there, but then I found out there was going to be a third book, and I was the happiest girl on the planet. *literally* And the third book (Blood of My Blood), was just as great as the previous book. I find that this trilogy just gets better and better with each book, and it is a highly addictive series. 

3. The next book I recommend is The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle. I just read this book in September, so if you do want to read my full thoughts on this book, there is a full review on this blog. I loved this book because it was so gripping and addicting. And there were points where I just couldn't put the book down. It is also a great book to read in the fall, because it does take place in October and I think this book really got me in the mood for fall and Halloween. However, there were some elements that I didn't like, but that doesn't mean I hated the book. It was a great book for its suspenseful elements. 

4. The fourth book I recommend is A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro. From the cover to the storyline, it all just screams fall. Even though I read this in the spring, it is still great to read it during this time of year, or you could even read it anytime. I also have a full review on this book if you want to read more of my thoughts. I enjoyed this book so much. It was very mysterious, and gripping. Since this is the first book to a trilogy, I'm excited to see what the rest of the series has to offer. 

*These next three books, are Christmas books that I recommend you guys to read during the holidays* 

5. This next book is Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Leviathan. I love it when this duo writes books together because they always come up with cutesy, lighthearted contemporaries that make your heart swoon. I think this is the perfect book to read during the holidays, because hello, Christmas in New York?! And it really gets me in the Christmas mood which I love. Plus, the fact that there is indeed a second book coming out in October, I will for sure get my hands on it quite soon, and reread this book. 

6. The next book is Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnston and Lauren Myracle. This is another perfect holiday read to get you in the Christmas spirit. I like this one because there are three different stories to read, so you get a variety of stories in one book. And each story is written by one of the three authors. Three stories=three authors (if that makes any sense). In each story, it focuses on different characters that all somehow intertwine with another one, and I swear it is such a good read.  

7. The last book I recommend you read during the holidays is My True Love Gave to Me edited by Stephanie Perkins and twelve different authors (too many to name). This book has a collection of twelve different short stories that vary in characters and story lines. All of the individual stories have (of course) a lot to do with the holidays, and some of them have more of an fantastical element than others. I liked most of the stories within this book, but there are some that will surprise you. 

8. This next book I recommend you guys to read, is A Step Toward Falling by Cammie McGovern. I recently read this in September and it was such an amazing book. This book is definitely perfect for fall, and it really got me in the mood. It does deal with more serious issues, but it ends on a very positive note and it gave me all the feels. This author's previous book Say What You Will, is just as amazing, and I recommend that one as well. 

9. The second last book I recommend for fall is The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine. I read this a long time ago, but from what I remember, it was such a incredible read. This is one of my favourite contemporaries of all time and yet it is perfect for fall. But you could also read it during any other time in the year as well. It truly gave me all the feels and it made me smile at some points. If you want a cutesy, fluffy, light read, then this is the book for you. This author also has other books out like The Secrets of Attraction and The Season of You and Me and they are both just as good. 

10. The final book I am recommending for fall/winter is the House of Night Series by P.C and Kristin Cast. I have the first book, which is Marked, pictured here but there are also eleven other books in the series that you must check out. The books (in order) are: Marked, Betrayed, Chosen, Untamed, Hunted, Tempted, Burned, Awakened, Destined, Hidden, Revealed, and Redeemed. I know that this series is a hit or miss for most people (including me), but I still think this is a series worth reading. And despite the hate that it gets, I still cherish it as I have matured and grown with the series. It is a perfect read for Halloween and autumn for its paranormal, creepy and thrilling elements. 

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So that is it for my top 10 book recommendations for fall/winter I hope you enjoyed. If you are interested in any of these books and want to find out more, then I will leave a link right 

here: https://www.goodreads.com so you guys can check out the summaries on what each of the books are about. If you want more posts like this, then let me know in the comments below. Happy reading, and until my next post goodbye for now. 

Currently Reading

Hello everyone it's Nicole Henderson here and I'm currently reading two books at the moment (despite me working on schoolwork and have a bunch of assignments coming up). Anyways, one book was already on my TBR list and another is the second book to a series that I thought I would pick up. I really enjoy both books individually and I will have reviews on them both as soon as I have the time to post one. (Hopefully it's soon).

The first book I started reading was Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry. This is the second book to the Giver's quartet. Since I read the first book The Giver (for educational purposes), I was genuinely curious in what the other books had to offer. So, I picked this one up from the library and gave it a read. I am less than halfway done the book, and so far it's not too bad. I'm enjoying it, but not as much as The Giver. But I'm still looking forward to reading the last two books in the quartet. I also don't really like Kira as a character, as she's very dull and overall, not interesting to read about. Personally,  I like Jonas better from the first book.
*SPOILERS ARE AHEAD* *YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED*
I'm assuming this book takes place in the same world as The Giver, but this time it's about when the weak are not accepted. Kira is recently orphaned, and is physically flawed. So they originally plan to place her in "The Field" (which is a place to die). But they discover that instead of eliminating her from the society, they decide to use her as someone who restores the Singer's robe because she has great skills with her hands. But despite all of this, she is still left with an uncertain future (for what happens after) and goes on a quest to find out the truth.

I'm not sure if that plot made sense, but I hope it helps. Oh! and I'm sorry for the spoilers. *sad face*  
Anyways, a full review will be up soon after I finish this book.

The next book I'm reading is My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga. This was on my TBR for this month, and I'm so glad I picked it up when I did. This book is amazing, you guys! It is so beautifully written, and it is breathtakingly fantastic. This is one of my favourite books I've read this year hands down. This is a book that I cannot put down, and I will be finishing it tonight for sure! I like Asyel as a character, and I also like Roman as well. They are both great characters that are both going through extremely difficult times in their lives resulting in depression. I highly recommend this book, if you want something more dark, mysterious, and it deals with serious issues.

This book is mainly about Asyel who's obsessed with death and she is trying to find ways to end her life. When she comes across this site called Smooth Passages, and looks into a section of it called Suicide Partners, she meets FrozenRobot known as Roman. They end up becoming partners and will die together on the same day. But the more she gets to know Roman, the more desire she has to live her life and (maybe) not want to go through with it. However, maybe she can convince Roman to do the same.

I seriously think this is an amazing book, and hopefully I will do a full review with all of my thoughts soon.

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So that is it for this blog I hoped you enjoyed it. If you have read any of these books than let me know your thoughts in the comments below. I do apologize for my big spoiler for the first book I'm reading, as I do think it's best to go into the book without knowing much. However, I'm anticipating that I didn't spoil major parts of the book and if I did, then I'm so sorry. Anyways, happy reading and until my next post, goodbye for now.

The Accident Season by Moria Fowley-Doyle

Genre: young-adult, fantasy, mystery

Published: August 18th 2015

Pages: 304

Publisher: Kathy Dawson Books

Synopsis

Every October Cara and her family become inexplicably and unavoidably accident-prone. Some years it's bad, like the season when her father died, and some years it's just a lot of cuts and scrapes. This accident season—when Cara, her ex-stepbrother, Sam, and her best friend, Bea, are 17—is going to be a bad one. But not for the reasons they think. 

Cara is about to learn that not all the scars left by the accident season are physical: There's a long-hidden family secret underneath the bumps and bruises. This is the year Cara will finally fall desperately in love, when she'll start discovering the painful truth about the adults in her life, and when she'll uncover the dark origins of the accident season—whether she's ready or not. (source)

Thoughts

This book was one of my anticipated releases last year (for the summer), and I was so excited to finally get my hands on this bad boy. But seriously, I was looking forward to reading this. So, when I finally got around to reading it, I had very high hopes that I would enjoy this book. And those expectations were met. I really enjoyed this book, for its suspenseful and thrilling qualities. But my only complaint was that all the main characters had a weird relationship with one another and I found it to be kind of creepy at times. But despite my low rating (3.5/5 stars), I still enjoyed it and I recommend that you read it during the fall/winter months. 

I love reading thriller/mystery type books because they always keep me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. And this book was definitely one of them. It was so gripping, thrilling, and suspenseful that I didn't want to put the book down at certain points. However, I did find some of the plot twists to be quite predictable and because of that, I was a little disappointed. But it was still an awesome read. 

My only HUGE complaint with this book, was that all the main characters (Cara, Sam, Bea, and Alice) had a really weird relationship with one another. And at times it sort of creeped me out. I also found the writing style to be rather odd, and I sometimes had a hard time getting into it. But for the most part, it matched the tone of the story, and the book overall was really good. 

So, those are all my main thoughts on this book I hope you all enjoyed. And if you have read this book, then let me know your thoughts in the comments below. I know this review was slightly shorter than my previous ones, and that's because I just haven't had a lot of thoughts on the books I've been reading. But I promise I will post longer reviews for you guys soon. Happy reading and until my next post, goodbye for now. 

Rate 

3.5/5

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Genre: children's, young-adult, science-fiction, dystopian

Published: (first published April 26th 1993) July 1st 2014

Pages: 225

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Synopsis 

 The haunting story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community. (source)

Thoughts 

When I first tried to read this book during my freshman year in high school, I put it down because I thought it was boring and dull. Now that I've read it for school (in university), I have gained more of an appreciation for this book that I lacked before. If you're in your early teens or younger, I highly suggest you do not read this until you are slightly older. I say this because you will appreciate the themes that are discussed in this book a little more than you would if you're 12 or 13. I surprisingly enjoyed this book, more than I thought I would. I enjoyed the world building, and some of the "rules" that go on in this book world were very intriguing. Anyways, if you guys haven't read this then I highly recommend that you read it. 

The number one thing I enjoyed about this book was the world building. I thought it was so different from anything I've read, and at the time it was published (originally) it was considered to be unique. I say this because now there are all these other dystopian books that all sound the same (to me). Anyways, it was great to see it develop and evolve as the story went on, and I really got to see how amazing this world truly is. 

I liked Jonas as character and I really enjoyed watching him grow up throughout the book. And you really get to see what a difference a year makes. At the start of the book, Jonas is just an eleven year old having fun with friends and living by rules. But towards the end, you really get to see how much being a Receiver of Memory has really affected him as a person.   Another quality I enjoyed, was seeing the relationship between Jonas and the Giver evolve into a wonderful friendship. 

Those are all my thoughts on this book, I hope you all enjoyed. I also hope I didn't spoil this book for you guys. Anyways, if you have read it then let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Happy reading and until my next post goodbye for now. 

Rate 

4/5

Currently Reading

Hello everyone it's Nicole Henderson here, and I am back again with another book I'm currently reading. It is called The Accident Season by Moria Fowley-Doyle. I apologize for not blogging to much in the past week or so, it was my first week back at school and I was just adjusting with getting back into the school routine. But I have been reading this book since the end of August and I do want to get this one done soon.

I am more than halfway done this book and it's pretty good for a thriller-type book. But my only issue, is that the characters have a really weird relationship with one another and it kinda freaks me out at times throughout the novel. Also, the authors writing style and the imagery are something that I have (somewhat of a) hard time getting into. Despite those issues, I still think it is a pretty captivating book that keeps me reading.

For the most part, this book is about Cara and her family as they endure the accident season every October. Sometimes they are just couple of scrapes and bruises. Sometimes it's bad, even resulting in death. But in this accident season, there are questions that Cara is determined to get the answers to.

That's the best way I can share the synopsis without spoiling anything, because it's best to go into this book without knowing a lot about it. Anyways, like I previously mentioned, I hope to finish this book soon so I can post a review for you guys once I'm done. Happy reading and until then, goodbye for now.

Currently Reading

Hello everyone it's Nicole Henderson here and I wanted to update you guys on what I'm currently reading at the moment. The book is called A Step Toward Falling by Cammie McGovern. She is also the author of Say What You Will (which I have already read), and it was such an amazing read. And this book is just as fantastic. I love it so far, and a full review will be up sometime tomorrow.

The author has written books about people with disabilities because she actually works with them through a company she co-founded called "Whole Children." The characters are very realistic and she does an incredible job at portraying kids/young-adults with disabilities in the most realistic and authentic way possible.

This book is mainly about two teens, Emily and Lucas as they both witness an attack that has happened with another student Belinda (who happens to have learning and developmental disabilities). But both Lucas and Emily don't do anything. So as a result, they are sentenced to do community service and they volunteer at a learning centre for children with disabilities like Belinda. They both now feel that they should make a difference to not only help Belinda, but to also help other kids with special needs.

So that is about it for this update, I hope you all enjoyed. If you have read this book, then let me know your thoughts in the comments below (no spoilers please). Happy reading and until my next post, goodbye for now.

Away We Go by Emil Ostrovski

Genre: young-adult, contemporary, GLBT

Published: April 5th 2016

Pages: 270

Publisher: GreenWillow Books

Synopsis 

Westing is not your typical school. For starters, you have to have one very important quality in order to be admitted—you have to be dying. Every student at Westing has been diagnosed with PPV, or the Peter Pan Virus. No one is expected to live to graduation.

What do you do when you go to a school where no one has a future? Noah Falls, his girlfriend Alice, and his best friend Marty spend their time drinking, making out, and playing video games on awaywego.com. But when an older boy named Zach (who Noah may or may not be in love with) invites Noah and Marty to join his secret Polo Club, the lives of both boys change as they struggle to find meaning in their shortened existence. (source)

Thoughts

I was originally drawn to this book because, of its unique concept with kids going to a high school where they don't live up to graduation. I have never heard of such a cool premise. And so because of that, I thought it was going to be an awesome book. But that's not how it was for me and I was very disappointed by that. I had very high expectations going into this book and I didn't like how it turned out. For me, this book had so much potential to be a fantastic novel. And I also had different expectations within this book, but it turned out to be way different than I thought. Am I saying this is a bad book? No, I'm not. I'm just saying that this was an okay book. I didn't like it but I didn't hate it either. 

Like I previously mentioned, there were a lot of specific expectations that I had for this book, but unfortunately, those were not met. The first one being, that I really wished this had the perspectives of the six different kids that were mentioned instead of with just one. It would have been interesting to see how PPV (Peter Pan Virus) affected the different characters and not just with one person. And another expectation that I would've enjoyed was that, I wished it was more of an uplifting and inspiring novel. Instead, it was a very sad and depressing read. I understand that people are dying and they feel hopeless, but I would've liked there to be more of a positive message (like a live your life while you can sort of thing). 

Other than that, I really had no other issues that made me dislike this book. And I don't have any other thoughts on this book either. So that is it for this review I hope you guys enjoyed, and if you have read this book than let me know in the comments below. Happy reading and until my next post, goodbye for now. 

Rate

2.5/5

Currently Reading

Hello everyone it's Nicole Henderson here, and I'm currently reading Away We Go by Emil Ostroviski. I was drawn to buy this book because of its unique concept but also because the cover is just stunning! But, I was in the mood to read a book like this because I am going back to school soon, so I gotta get into the "back to school" mood. 

This book is about these six kids who are all diagnosed with PPV (Peter Pan Virus) and since it's fatal, all teens go to this high school called Westing Academy. It's in the perspective of Noah and it's about his adventures at this high school from his relationships to friendships. And there all counting down the days until they die. That's really all I understand from the synopsis. 

I had very high expectations going into this book, and I thought it was going to be an inspiring, uplifting read. But in fact, it's the complete opposite. I find it to be very depressing and dreary. I understand that kids are dying and they feel hopeless about living, but when your dying, you should want to remain positive and live out your life while you can (like The Fault in Our Stars). I was expecting the book to have the six different perspectives from all the teens. But it was only from Noah's perspective. Not that he's a terrible character, but I just wish that I would've gotten POV's from the other teens that have the same disease in order to truly understand how it affects each kid differently. Anyways, since I am about halfway done I hope the book gets better and maybe I'll like it just a tad more. 

That is it on all my thoughts so far, I hope you all enjoyed. Let me know your thoughts on this book if you have read it (but no spoilers please). A full review for this book will go up once I finish the book. Happy reading, and until my next post goodbye for now. 

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Genre: young-adult, romance, science-fiction

Published: November 4th 2014

Pages: 360

Publisher: HaperTeen

Synopsis

Marguerite Caine's physicist parents are known for their groundbreaking achievements. Their most astonishing invention, called the Firebird, allows users to jump into multiple universes—and promises to revolutionize science forever. But then Marguerite's father is murdered, and the killer—her parent's handsome, enigmatic assistant Paul— escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite refuses to let the man who destroyed her family go free. So she races after Paul through different universes, always leaping into another version of herself. But she also meets alternate versions of the people she knows—including Paul, whose life entangles with hers in increasingly familiar ways. Before long she begins to question Paul's guilt—as well as her own heart. And soon she discovers the truth behind her father's death is far more sinister than she expected. (source) 

Thoughts

I remember about a year or two ago, I bought this book mainly because of how beautiful the cover was. I don't even think I read the premise. But I'm so glad I picked it up when I did because I realized how amazing this book actually was. This is the first book to the Firebird trilogy, and I'm excited to read the second and third book soon. I loved the world building, and the romances and how action-packed it was. There were so many unpredictable plot twists but they made sense within the story. Anyways, all the characters were great  to read about as well, and I'm looking forward to reading more about them. I highly recommend this book if you guys want a young-adult sci-fi, with some action and romance thrown in the mix. 

My favourite part about this book was the world building. I was able to envision what the world looked like, (obviously because it takes place in our world), but I was also able to imagine what the alternate universes looked like as well. It really set the tone for the rest of the trilogy and I'm excited to see how it all plays out. 

Both Marguerite and Paul were great characters. And I felt that I could relate to her on a certain level. I say that because we both don't have dads in our lives (my dad's not dead, I just don't see them that often). While I just liked Paul because he was mysterious and I wanted to know more about him. With Theo on the other hand, I didn't like him so much. I him found to be cocky, and a little self-absorbed at times.

In terms of the romances (and who I shipped), I sort of shipped Theo and Marguerite at first. But then as the book progressed I started to ship Marguerite with Paul. And I love them both so much! Their romance is so complicated but you can tell that they really love each other. It's quite a beautiful romance. Hopefully they will stay together until the end of the trilogy.  

 Anyways, like I previously mentioned I'm very excited to read the rest of the trilogy and I highly recommend this book if you guys want to start reading science fiction. 

Rate 

5/5