Reading is Inevitable

Title:  Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe Author:  Benjamin Alire Sáenz Genre: Realistic Fiction, YA Fiction Rating:  5 out of 5 stars ★★★★★ Reviewer:  Julia Dante can swim. Ari can't. Dante is articulate and self-assured. Ari has a hard time with words and suffers from self-doubt. Dante gets lost in poetry and art. Ari gets lost in thoughts of his older brother who is in prison. Dante is fair skinned. Ari's features are much darker. It seems that a boy like Dante, with his open and unique perspective on life, would be the last person to break down the walls that Ari has built around himself.  But against all odds, when Ari and Dante meet, they develop a special bond that will teach them the most important truths of their lives, and help define the people they want to be. But there are big hurdles in their way, and only by believing in each other — and the power of their friendship — can Ari and Dante emerge stronger on th...

Back in early July, I published a post titled  "Summer 2017 Challenge - Reading Popular YA Books" , in which I explained that, this summer, I wanted to challenge myself to read some books I don't typically read. Actually, these books are what a lot of bookstagrammers read — the more popular young adult fiction books that tend to be of the fantasy genre. These books include well-known series such as Harry Potter , The Hunger Games , and The Mortal Instruments series, as well as stand-alone titles such as Thirteen Reasons Why  (a controversial one, however, due to the Netflix series adaptation) and Anna and the French Kiss . And it's not that I hate all young adult books. I just tend to not read ones more centered around fantasy and romance. But I wanted to read some of these books and give them another shot. Because every book is different, right? And I know that everyone has their own preferences, and that's perfectly okay! Like I said in my last post, ...

Title:  We Are Okay Author:  Nina LaCour Genre:  Realistic Fiction Rating:  5 out of 5 ★★★★★ Reviewer:  Julia A quick yet powerful read, Nina LaCour's We Are Okay  was just what I needed when I was drowning in a reading slump and aching for... something. Was the writing extremely detailed? No, no it wasn't. Was there much action? No, not really. But was it real? Was it raw? Was it beautiful ? Yes, yes, a million times yes. There was a beautiful stillness to it that I loved; pauses in between conversation that I could feel ; a certain realness and attention to human nature that made it so amazing. So: what is this beautiful book about, you ask? We Are Okay 's main character, Marin, has shut herself away, quite literally as well as metaphorically, having chosen to stay alone in a college dormitory during winter break. She's cut out everyone from her old life in a failing attempt to escape what happened. No one even knows what happened those last...

This summer I am challenging myself to read some popular young adult books. Why would I do this? And why would this even be a challenge? Well, if you know me or have paid attention to the types of books I read through the blog or bookstagram, you would know that I typically don't like the popular young adult or teen books. The books that are popular these days tend to lean towards the fantasy or dystopian genre. Series such as Harry Potter or Divergent or The Mortal Instruments are examples of these fantasy/dystopian popular books. And, personally, I'm not as interested in these genres. Other popular books include those with romance in them, and I've never been too fond of these books as well. For instance, The Fault in Our Stars ? Eh, not much of a fan. And, sure: Having different preferences in books is perfectly okay. I just thought that it might be a good idea to read some of these books because I am completely lost when going on bookstagram. What's a shadow...

Hello everyone! How fitting it is that this year's anniversary of same-sex marriage being legalized in the U.S. falls on Monday, one of my posting days! (And if you didn't know that it was the two-year anniversary, well I guess you know now!) Last year I made a list of some good books with LGBTQ representation, and I will include a list at the end of this post, but to shake things up a bit I thought I'd quickly discuss why representation is important in the media, specifically in books. After all, this is a mainly bookish blog. (If you would like to view last year's post, click here .) First of all, what is  representation? Well, it's exactly what it sounds like. It's the inclusion of people with sexualities and/or genders outside of heterosexuality and the gender binary. It's having a gay character or a trans* character and showing readers that, "hey, LGBTQ people do exist" and "hey, not being cisgender or 'straight' is okay...

On the fourth of February, Em and I made another trip to Barnes & Noble, and I thought I would share what we got! Together, we got a total of three books and two little blind boxes! Looking around the store, it was a bit difficult to pick exactly what it was I wanted. I mean, there’s such a large selection! Sure, I’ve seen most of the books before, but there’s always ones that I’m thinking about reading later. And then there’s the question of if I want to buy the book, or give it a try first with my library’s copy of it. (If they even have it!) There were some sections I knew I could skip over. That’s the first step towards progress. For me, that was skipping the usual fantasy-action-“I must save the world” type of teen book. (Sorry. They’re just not my thing.) I also could pass by this table of popular teen books, which mostly had those type of books. On my book-searching journey, there was also books that I have read, such as The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. W...

Series: Wake Trilogy  Author: Lisa McMann  Genre: YA fiction, romance, crime, mystery, suspense Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Reviewer: Em Wake. Fade. Gone. I. Don’t. Know. What. To. Say. This trilogy was somehow amazing and disappointing all in one? I have very mixed feelings about this trilogy. First off, I finished it in two days over my spring break, and it was a great read. Took me about 4-5 hours to finish each book, which is not too bad. It kept me interested and made me go into a rut of reading after not reading for the longest time! First, I will share my individual feelings on each the book and then my evaluation on the whole series, in which I have huge opinions and conflicting thoughts. ,0[This is going to be long, so stay with me. There’s going to be quite a rant at the end. NO MAJOR SPOILERS (only what it says in the book description) Wake Wake was a great book! I thought it introduced the topic very well. It started off my explaining...

Title: Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children Author: Ransom Riggs Genre: Fantasy & Action ("Horror"?) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Reviewer:  Julia Maybe this title isn't that familiar to you, but what about  Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children ? Yeah? Well, this is the action-packed, emotion-filled, much better sequel to that book, and the second book out of the trilogy. Not that Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is bad, this one's just simply better (in my opinion), but if you haven't read it yet check out my book review on it and pick it up soon. Moving on, Hollow City is a great teen book. (Note: teen, not that teen books are less, I just don't think it compares to some amazing adult books, of course. But I did give it 5 stars, so it's still great, if that's not too confusing.) It's got a good amount of friendship, character development, and plot action to exceed expectation...

Title: When Marnie Was There Author: Joan G. Robinson Genre: Fiction Rating: 3 out of 5 Reviewer: Julia Anna is using her "ordinary face" more and more often, and is told by her teachers at school that she is not-even-trying. She doesn't have any friends, and is on the outside of an imaginary social circle. Her foster parents, worried about her, send her away to the Peggs, some family friends, to get better. There, she is free to wander about the land around her, and starts to feel a strange connection with the old marsh house that seems to be empty. Or is it? Soon she meets Marnie, who lives at the house, and the two become friends, bonding and sharing their secrets. But soon Marnie vanishes and a new family is at the house, and Anna begins to question what's real and what's not.

Whether you want to admit or not, summer is coming to a close. Well, at least the summer vacation part, which is what I'm referring to. (School's going to begin only just around now for us, for anyone who was confused because they started earlier.) That means that I really don't have any more time left to cover my summer TBR list. If anyone doesn't remember or didn't see it, towards the beginning of my summer vacation, I had composed a TBR (to-be-read) list of books that I hoped to possibly read over the summer. Now, dd I completely tackle my TBR list? Partially? Barely? Not even at all? Well...

Title: Infinite in Between Author: Genre: YA/teen fiction Rating: 4.25 Reviewer: Em This book was really good. It's about 5 teenagers and their journey throughout high school. They all meet at freshmen orientation. There, they are all placed into the same group, and their group decides to write letters to their future selves. They then make plans to meet at graduation. This book is over their four years of high school.

This past Friday, I shared with you the top shelf of my little bookshelf and gave you some information on the books pictured. But that was only my top shelf. Now I am going to show you the rest of my bookcase. For now, my bottom shelf is where I keep a lot of my series together. As you can probably see, every book in my bottom shelf, save one on the bottom of my Nancy Drew stack, is a part of a series or group of companion novels.

Hello! In the book-loving community, I have noticed a lot of videos of bookshelf tours uploaded to YouTube or posted on social media accounts. Now, while this is not a video, it is still a bookshelf tour! I thought I might as well do this so that I can share with you my shelves and some of my favorite books! Unlike some people where they have several huge bookcases, I have one bookcase with two shelves. In this post, I will be sharing with you my top shelf, which contains my most liked books that I own. Also, a good number of the books mentioned have a book review up on the blog, so I created links to these posts when you click on them. With that all said, let's get started!

Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Author: Ransom Riggs Genre: Dark Fantasy; possibly horror fiction Rating: 5 out of 5 Reviewer: Julia I hesitated to read this book for a long time. I would see it in the bookstore and consider getting it, but something always held me back. Sometimes I was worried that it was too "scary", and would end up being some sort of horror story. Other times I was worried that it would be too much action for me. Luckily, I was convinced to get it because 1) I had waited long enough, and 2) everyone was so excited for the movie on bookstagram that I figured it must be good. And it is. It was wonderful. I really did enjoy it. The story is told from Jacob Portman's point of view. As the book opens, a family incident (won't spoil it so that it is more interesting for you) leads Jacob to travel to a little known island. There he digs into the past at the ruins of Miss Peregrine's home for children, searching for...

Title: Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts Author: Susan Cain, with the assistance of Gregory Mone and Erica Moroz Genre: Nonfiction Rating: 3 out of 5 Reviewer: Julia Back in 2012, specifically the 24th of January, Susan Cain published her book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking . This book shook the world, and was listed as a bestseller and opened the minds of many. This book was for adults. But then, earlier this year (2016), Cain, along with the help of Gregory Mone and Erica Moroz, published another book on being quiet, only this time for teens and children. This book is a guide for kids on how to navigate life - at school, home, in social groups, and activities - using and recognizing their quiet nature. With stories of real introverted kids, the book is designed to help teens and kids to take advantage of their quiet ways, and teaches them to be proud and to embrace it. There is also a section in the back for teachers and o...

Title: Gena/Finn Authors:   Kat Helgeson and Hannah Moskowitz Genre: Teen/YA realistic fiction Rating: 4 Reviewer: Em This book is way different then I thought it would be. When I picked it up at my local book store, I chose it because, first of all, I liked how it was all in emails and texts and stuff like that; not in the usual format you read a book in. I like books like that. Anyway, I read this book in a day. It was a fairly quick read, but it was interesting - very interesting. I thought it'd just be a cute book on two people meeting, and then becoming great friends (or more, maybe). It was so much more than that. It wasn't like my new favorite book, but still. Like Finn said (I think it was Finn) about the TV show they both love, it's about how the characters change more than the plot. And I found that to be kind of true with this book. You really get to know the characters in this book.

Happy Pride Month, everyone! (That is, if you are in the United States.) Yes, that's right: in the US, it is pride month. Yesterday, it was officially one year since gay marriage was legalized in the United States, making it one year and one day today. In celebration of this, I have formed this post: a post on some good LGBT+ books. I have also made a list of LGBT+ books that I have not read but look good, so you may check that out, too. (Note: I apologize for all of these list posts and such - "filler posts", as I sometimes call them. Don't worry, for next Monday there should be a book review up on the blog; can't do it this Friday because that'll be our monthly reflection. If you have any suggestions for posts, feel free to tell me. I am always looking for post ideas!)

Title: This is Where it Ends Author: Marieke Nijkamp Rating: 4.15 out of 5 Genre:  YA Realistic Fiction Reviewer: Em "Everyone has a reason to fear the boy with the gun." This book is incredibly interesting. After you read the title and the inside cover, you already want to sit down and read it all they way through. Why else would I read it for five hours on a weekday, and then read another hour the next day to finish it? This story is told from four different perspectives, and the story happens over fifty-four minutes. It is about four seniors starting a new semester when a familiar face becomes a school shooter.

Title: Wink Poppy Midnight Author: April Genevieve Tucholke Genre: Mystery Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Reviewer: Julia "Every story needs a hero. Every story needs a villain. Every story needs a secret....Two girls. One boy. One summer. One bad thing. What really happened? Someone knows. Someone is lying."                                                                            [from the Synopsis of Wink Poppy Midnight ] Wink Poppy Midnight is very interesting to read, and while you may think that you know what is going on in the book, trust me: you don't. There is more going on then you'll think.

Title:  Bud, Not Buddy Author:  Christopher Paul Curtis Genre:  Historical Fiction/Drama Rating: 3 out of 5 Reviewer:  Julia When I read the first few pages of this book, I had to hold back a moan. The text in the book was much larger than I was used to. It also appeared to be too easy to read, and I was able to breeze through the first few chapters quite quickly. The plan was to read it within a week or so and then to ditch it so that I could move on to another book. I kept this attitude for the first few parts. And then-- wooop, zoop, sloop!-- it changed.