July Book Wrap Up

Hello everyone it's Nicole Henderson here, and this is my July Book Wrap Up. This month was a good reading month for me, however it kind of ended on a not-so-good note. I read a total of 5 books this month which is not to bad considering I read more books last month. So now let's get into the books I read in the month of July.

The first book I finished in July was Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. I initially started this in June but I managed to finish it this month, and I have to say it was a pretty good book. It made me realize that we take all the simple things we have for granted and that we should be grateful for what we do have and experience in life (like the ability to go outside). I really enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to reading her next book coming out in November 2016. And I highly recommend this book to all of you. I rated it a 4/5 stars.

The second book I finished this month was Through to You by Lauren Barnholdt. When I started this book, I was in a pretty bad reading slump so this was a nice contemporary read to get me out of it. Anyways, I enjoyed this book for its cute romance, and how relatable it is to the teen demographic. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the main characters. They were both irritating and a little over-the-top at times. But other then that, this was a good book that I recommend for you guys. I rated it a 4/5 stars.

The third book I read this month was Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski. This was another contemporary I read in order to balance out another book I was reading (which I did end up finishing this month), and this book was an okay read. It was still entertaining because of its simple concept, but it wasn't the best contemporary I've read. I gave this book a 3/5 stars.

The fourth book I read this month was Entwined by Heather Dixon. This was originally the first book I started this month but I didn't finish it until the end of the month basically. When I started this book I entered a huge reading slump and I had a hard time getting into the book as a result. But I pushed through and read it, and it was surprisingly an enjoyable read. It was one of the best fairytale retellings I have read in a long time and I recommend it to all of you. In case you guys didn't know, the retelling is of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. And I rated this a 4/5 stars.




The final book I read in the month of July, was The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life by Tara Altebrando. Since there was a full week left of this month, I thought I would start another book that would be a short/quick read. So, I obviously picked this one up. I expected this book to be great because of its interesting concept but i didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. This is mainly because of the main characters and how annoying and irritating they all were (especially Mary). The only person I liked out of all of them was Dez. Anyways, if you want something quick and light to read then give this book a chance. I rated this a 2/5 stars.



So that is pretty much it for my book wrap-up, I hoped you all enjoyed reading it. Let me know any of the books you've read this month in the comments below. I have full reviews on 4 out of the 5 books I read, so if you do wanna know more on my thoughts on those books then check them out. Until my next post goodbye for now.

The Ruler of Books Tag

Hello everyone it's Nicole Henderson here and this tag has been everywhere in the book tube community and it was created be book tuber Ariel Bissett. I thought this tag would be fun to do, so without any further ado, let's start the tag.

1. What book would you make everyone read?

Honestly, I would make every one read The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine. I find that this book (plus her other books) are not talked about enough. And I think this book is an amazing but underrated contemporary that I believe everyone should read. Enough said.

2. What would you abolish in book construction?

I would most likely abolish the mass market paperbacks to any book. Everything is so small, like the font and it's extremely difficult to flip through the pages 'cause there so stiff.

3. What author would you commission to write you any book? 

Probably Morgan Matson because she is one of my favourite authors and she always writes amazing summer contemporaries. So I would definitely pay her to write another fantastic book.

4. What book would you demote to the library basement to make room for new books? 

100% Girl Online by Zoe Sugg. It was my least favourite book last year, and it is still my least favourite book ever. As you can probably tell already, I hate this book. I know it was written by a popular Youtuber, but it was just not a good book. It was way to cheesy and unrealistic. And I have a full review on my blog so make sure to check it out for more on my thoughts.

5. What cover artist would you commission to make a mural? 

There are so many beautiful covers, that I can't choose one. But if I had to choose one person, then it would be whoever designed the paperback version for The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord. I just think the cover is gorgeous for its simplicity and light colours. The cover designer is by a woman named Colleen Andrews and I will for sure be checking out more of her work.

6. What characters face would you put on a coin? 

I don't have a character in mind that I would want to put their face on a coin.

7. What book would you award the "Ruler of Books" 2016 Prize to? 

I would have to go with The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson. Like I previously mentioned  she always writes amazing contemporaries for the summer. And this one is definitely my favourite book this year. So yes, the prize would go to Morgan Matson on her incredible book.

So, that is pretty much it for this tag I hope you all enjoyed. This was so much fun to do and I don't tag anyone in particular but if you guys want to do this tag, then go right ahead. Thank you to Ariel Bissett who made this awesome tag. And until my next post, goodbye for now.

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Genre: fantasy, young-adult, romance

Published: March 29 2011

Pages: 472

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Synopsis (from book)

Just when Azalea should feel that everything is before her--beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing--it's taken away. All of it. And Azalea is trapped. The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. So he extends an invitation. 

  Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest, but there is a cost. The Keeper likes to keep things. Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

Thoughts

When I picked up this book, I fell into a bit of a reading slump were I didn't really read anything for about a week. And because of this, I thought that the book was rather slow towards the beginning. 

But by 125 pages or so, that's when the story really started to pick up and I flew threw this book for however many pages I read in one sitting. This book is a fairytale retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. And I thought this book had different elements that made this retelling/story so unique from all the rest (which are family and romance). Once the book picked up, I thought that Entwined was one of the best fairytale retellings I have read and I am looking forward to reading more in the future. I recommend this book if your looking for a good stand alone fairytale retelling. 

For the time period that this book was set in (probably the 17-1800's I'm not too sure its not specified), I thought that the romance between Azalea and Mr Bradford was very slowly developed. But considering the time period, this development was realistic. I enjoyed Mr Bradford and Azalea together, and I loved how happy and joyful Azalea felt when she was with him. It made me giddy while reading. Each of the other romances in the book with Bramble and Clover, were not too cheesy or cliched but they were the perfect kind of romance for the time period. 

I loved the family element to this story and it made me happy to see how close the sisters were to one  another. It was also nice to see how their farther slowly changed his ways towards his daughters during the mourning period. 

Well I don't have other thoughts on this book, so that is pretty much it for this review. I hope you all enjoyed. If you have read this book, then let me know your thoughts in the comments below. 

Rate

4/5

Ten Things We Did (and probably shouldn't have) by Sarah Mlynowski

Genre: young-adult, contemporary, romance, chick-lit, realistic fiction

Published: June 2012

Pages: 354

Publisher: HarperCollins

Synopsis

If given the opportunity, what sixteen year old would jump at the opportunity to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny lie and untruth to make it happen (see #1: Lied to Our Parents). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) is a mystery to them. To get through the year, April will have to struggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart....one thing-she-shouldn't-have-done at a time.  

Thoughts

I originally picked up this book because I needed a contemporary that was a light, quick, and fluffy read and I felt like this book did the trick. However, this novel didn't blow me away as being one of the greatest books ever. But it was still a good read that I recommend during the summer months. It was full of romance, friendships, family, and an slight element of coming-of-age. My main problem with this book, was the main character April. She was really annoying, irritating and naive. There were points throughout the book were I was just like "Really April?" and "I can't believe you didn't figure that out, it was so obvious!" Other then that, this book was a fast read but it was a mediocre one. I still recommend it.

Going into more detail about my main issue, April was a very naive character and she was just irritating to read about. However, I could relate to her on a certain level when it came to her family problems. I have parents who are divorced so I understand the emotional scaring that it can have on your relationships with people. And this is how she feels throughout the majority of the novel. But that doesn't mean I liked her as a character. *Spoiler Alert* It's pretty obvious that Noah has been acting weird (he cheated on her), but she doesn't figure it out until the very end and she doesn't even ask him "Why the f**k are you acting so strange?" It upset me that she couldn't even do the first thing that most people would do if their relationship was in this situation. *shakes head*

What I liked about the novel was that the plot was a very original but simple plot and there were no major twists. And it stayed pretty mellow throughout the novel. So that was a good element to the book. I liked this book, but I didn't love it either, as it was just one of those books that didn't completely blow me away. It was just a nice, and simple read.

So that is it for my book review I hoped you enjoyed. And until my next one, goodbye for now.

Rate

3/5

Currently Reading

Hello everyone it's Nicole Henderson here, and I'm officially out of my reading slump and I am currently reading two books at the moment. The first book I'm reading is Entwined by Heather Dixon. I'm halfway done this book and it was rather difficult getting into it at first, but after about 125 pages or so it starts to pick up. I think it's a really good novel so far and I recommend it. I will explain more of my thoughts in the full review to come.

In terms of its plot, it pretty much follows the same storyline as the fairytale The Twelve Dancing Princess. Since I don't know too much about the fairytale, it was interesting to go into this book with a different perspective than someone who does have a stronger knowledge on the classic story. It's helping me understand more of the fairytale and book in general.

The second book I'm reading is Ten Things We Did (and probably shouldn't have) by Sarah Mlynowski. I originally picked up this book because I was still in the mood for a good contemporary since it's still summer. I read most of this book in one day and I could not put it down. It is a very entertaining read and I'm enjoying it so far. But my only issue with this book is the main character April. I find her to be extremely naive specifically when it comes to her boyfriend Noah. *Spoiler Alert* It became clear that Noah wanted to break up with her, and she sort of figured it out but then ignored it and now there still together. LIKE WHY!?
That is my only complaint about this book, but other than that, it's a really good book.

The book is about this girl named April and she ends up living with her best friend Vi for a semester because, April's family moves to Cleveland and she obviously doesn't want to go. However, to make it happen she has to tell a small white lie to her dad. Now that she's there, she has juggle with a love triangle, do her own laundry, and accept that her "carefully constructed world" is falling apart around her. She now has to accept the consequences from the "shouldn't haves."

So that is pretty much it for this post. There will be full reviews for both of these books soon. But until then, goodbye for now.

Through to You by Lauren Barnholdt

Genre: young-adult, contemporary, romance

Published: July 8th 2014

Pages: 288

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Synopsis (from book jacket)

It starts with a scribbled note in class: I like your sparkle. Harper had casually threaded a piece of blue and green tinsel through her ponytail in honour of school spirit day. And that carefree, corny gesture is what grabs Penn's Mattingly's eye. Penn--resident heartbreaker of the senior class. Reliably unreliable. Trouble with a capital T. And, okay, smolderingly sexy.

     Harper is surprised by Penn's attention--and so is Penn. The last thing he's needs is a girlfriend. Or even a friend-with-benefits. The note is not supposed to lead to anything. 

     But they hang out. They have fun. They talk They make out. And after awhile, it seems like they just click. Except Penn and Harper have very different ideas about what they expect in a relationship. Of course, they could talk about these differences--if Penn knew how to talk about feelings. 

     Harper and Penn understand their attraction is illogical, yet something keeps pulling them together. It's a crazy rollercoaster--exhilarating, terrifying, and amazing all at once. And neither knows how to stop the ride...

Thoughts

When I started this book, I was in a pretty bad reading slump where I didn't read too much in over a week. I initially started reading Entwined by Heather Dixon, but then I began to go into a deeper slump and that's when I knew I needed to pick up a different book that didn't involve so much world-building and fantasy. So obviously I chose this book to read. Overall, I thought this book was an entertaining and fast paced read with a cute romantic element that gave me all the feels. However, I had one issue with this book that caused me not to give this story a full five stars. The main characters were irritating slightly, as they were both acting a little over-the-top at times. But I understood why they were acting the way they did. Other than that, I thought this book was one of her better books that she has written. I recommend this book to you guys if you want a fluffy, light read, and a cute romance.

My only main issue with this book was the two main characters Harper and Penn. Like I previously mentioned they were both annoying and I didn't like how they were acting over-the-top and dramatic. But I do understand the reasons for their way of thinking/acting. For example, I understand why Penn was acting like a bad-boy (read the book to find out) but for certain situations, he took it a tad too far and I didn't think the "bad-boy" attitude was necessary for those moments. And Harper was always self-doubting herself, and having second thoughts about situations and I understand that. It's okay to have those moments of self-doubt, but there comes a point where you have to stop self-doubting yourself and just go with it.

The romance in this book was very realistic in terms of how it was portrayed within the two main characters. The chemistry between Harper and Penn was extremely relatable and their relationship was complicated but it wasn't too complicated. It was nice to read a relationship like that.  I personally believe that Lauren Barnholdt does a good job at relating to the demographic--which in this case is teenagers. This kind of work is what makes me like the author so much. Her writing style is easy to get into, and the characters are relatable to the demographic. But I will say I do have a love-hate relationship with her books because I don't necessarily enjoy all of them, but this particular one was a book that I enjoyed a lot.

That is pretty much all I have to say about this book and I hope you enjoyed. If you have read this book, let me know what your thoughts were in the comment section. So that is it and until my next post goodbye for now.

Rate

4/5

BOOK HAUL (2)

Hello everyone it's Nicole Henderson here and I am finally doing a book haul on this blog. Well, technically I did one on here before but that was a long time ago. Anyways I am so excited because I have some amazing books to show you that I have wanted to buy/read for quite some time now. I have a total of 8 books to show you today, so without any further ado let's get into it. 

The first book I bought is Escape from Asylum by Madeline Roux. This is the prequel to the Asylum trilogy which I have already read last year. I loved the trilogy so much and they were all such entertaining and suspenseful reads that I recommend it to all of you. Anyways, I have been wanting something like this for quite some time and since it is a prequel it will definitely fill up some missing details and further explain how certain events occurred from the trilogy. I am very much looking forward to reading this book during the Halloween season as I love books like this during that time of year. *Note: When I saw this book in the store for the first time, I literally squealed like a little fangirl. I was kind of embarrassed, but really happy at the same time so it was all good.* 

The next book I bought is Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten. This was another anticipating read/buy, as I have been intrigued by this book for awhile now. Also, can we talk about beautiful the cover is?! It's just so simple and it really represents what the book is about so well. It's about these two best friends that were inseparable. However, when Delia burns in flames, many people think it's a suicide. But June doesn't believe that.   She believes that Delia was in fact murdered and June is determined to find out the truth. Anyways, I am so looking forward to reading this and seeing what it has to offer. 

This next book I have to show you is called The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. This is one book that I have been wanting to get my hands on for a really long time now. The movie adaption to this novel is just fantastic, and I always have wanted to read the book. I have heard amazing things about it, so I'm excited to give it a read. It is a darker novel as it talks about the topics of murder and crime. It's mainly about a 14 year old girl named Susie Salmon and she's murdered in December of 1973 by a neighbour of hers. It deals with the tragedy and the surviving family as they try to figure out who murdered Susie. That's all I really know about the plot based off of the movie adaptation, and I'm looking forward to reading it soon. 

This next book is called The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord. I have read Open Road Summer by this same author and I really enjoyed it, so I wanted to read more of her work. I heard some good things about this book and I thought I would give it a chance. And I also want to mention that this book cover is absolutely stunning! I personally think that this is better than the hardcover edition, because it has more of a "summery" feel to it. Anyways, it's about a girl named Paige who lost her boyfriend in a swimming accident a year before the book begins. And she spends the year hiding away, when she suddenly decides that she needs to do something other than sit around. So, she sets up a plan to finally get back out there. She wants to ask out Ryan Chase on a date (who she's had a crush on), and join a club. But the plan turns into a serious loop when Ryan's nerdy but sweet cousin Max arrives into town. This book is about starting over and finding love again after a difficult time and I am looking forward to reading this book soon.

The next book I bought is Dreamolgy by Lucy Keating. This was another anticipated read/buy for me solely because the plot to this book is so original and different it just really intrigued me. It's basically about this girl named Alice and she has been dreaming about this boy named Max since as long as she can remember. In the dreams they are so in love and Max is pretty much the guy of her dreams. Max is kind, sweet, and caring. The problem is, is that they don't know each other and so when Alice walks into class at her new school, she sees Max sitting there right in front of her. But the reality is, is that Max is nothing like dream Max and getting to know one another is not as sweet as Alice hoped. However, when their dreams start to appear in their waking world, they have to put an end to a lifetime of dreaming about each other. So yeah, I'm looking forward to reading this book and seeing how it turns out.

I also bought some classic books that are new editions and they have such beautiful covers. And I wanted to show them you on here but unfortunately I'm having difficulties uploading them from my phone. So I will upload a picture of the books onto my new Instagram account: nicolehendersonreads.

Anyways that is pretty much it for my book haul, if you have read any of these books then let me know what you think of them in the comments below. If I get around to reading them at some point during the rest of this year, then there will be book reviews posted on each individual book. So that is it for this post and until my next one, goodbye for now.