My Reading List

It’s becoming ridiculous, really. My book list is huge. The more I check up on other book bloggers, the longer the list gets. There are just so many good books out there. I was hoping to finish my book list this summer, but I know now that it won’t be possible. There’s just not enough time. It’s safe to say that the list will spill into the school year.

Right now I’m reading Tweak by Nic Sheff. It’s a true story about a drug addict. I’m only eighty pages in and there has already been some very disturbing content. It’s to be expected, so I shouldn’t be too surprised.

The next book I’ll be reading is Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. I know, I know, it’s an older book. I just got around to buying it at Changing Hands. It was deep discount, which is mainly why I bought it. I heard some goods things about it and just thought, “What the heck. Why not.”

After that, I plan on buying The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I am most looking forward to this. It looks amazing…

Audrey Niffenegger’s innovative debut, The Time Traveler’s Wife, is the story of Clare, a beautiful art student, and Henry, an adventuresome librarian, who have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-three and Henry thirty-one. Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: periodically his genetic clock resets and he finds himself misplaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity in his life, past and future. His disappearances are spontaneous, his experiences unpredictable, alternately harrowing and amusing.

The Time Traveler’s Wife depicts the effects of time travel on Henry and Clare’s marriage and their passionate love for each other as the story unfolds from both points of view. Clare and Henry attempt to live normal lives, pursuing familiar goals—steady jobs, good friends, children of their own. All of this is threatened by something they can neither prevent nor control, making their story intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

I’m excited to read this. It looks original and fresh.

Anyway, review of Tweak will be coming soon.

Evermore by Alyson Noel

Title: Evermore
Author: Alyson Noel
Number of Pages: 301
Rating: 3.5/5

SummerySince a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, Ever can see auras, hear people's thoughts, and know a person's entire life story by touch. Going out of her way to avoid human contact and suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen.

Damen Auguste is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy. He's the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head—wielding a magic so intense, it's as though he can see straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she's left with more questions than answers. She has no idea just who he really is—or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is she's falling deeply and helplessly in love with him.

ReviewWhen I read the summery of this book, I expected it to be dark, mysterious, and maybe even a little romantic. Although my expectations were not exactly met, it was still a great book. Not as dark as I would have liked, and definitely not as romantic as I initially thought. But the mystique was a totally different story. It exceeded my expectations. Alyson Noel did an amazing job at keeping the mystery in the book until the very last page. Very well written.

Ever was a well developed character. Her thoughts and actions seemed very realistic for the situation she was in. Though towards the end, her selfishness and stubbornness got a little old. One thing that I really loved about her was that she was willing to go against Damen when she thought him to be a vampire. It reminded me of Twilight, when Bella said it didn’t matter if he was a vampire. That it didn’t matter what he ate. Well Ever seemed to be a lot more realistic than Bella and I loved that.

Okay, Damen is a different story. I’m not sure why, but I just didn’t fall for him like Ever did. I’ve been pondering why that is for a while now. Unfortunately, I have come up empty handed. My only guess was that it all seemed very ‘typical high school dating.’ If that makes sense. Of course, that’s what Ever wanted. A normal high school life. Which makes sense for a girl in her situation. But it just wasn’t the sort of thing I could easily fall for.

Other than that, the book was pretty good. The writing was amazing. The flow and speed of the book was flawless.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Title: City of Bones - Book One of Mortal Instruments Series
Author: Cassandra Clare
Number of Pages: 485
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Strongly Recomended


SummeryWhen fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

ReviewCity of Bones was a definite thrill ride for me. From the very first page, I was addicted. Cassandra Clare did an amazing job with making the whole ‘fantasy world’ seem believable. It seemed so very real to me. It pained me whenever I was forced to put the book down. But when I wasn’t reading it, I was definitely thinking about it. My mind was unable to focus on anything else. It simply amazed me.

Clary was such a strong character. I loved that she didn’t give in, that she stayed firm on her decisions. She didn’t seem weak and I loved that about her. She did what she wanted and didn’t let anyone come in the way of that. Keeping her own secrets and not blurting out every little thing she felt or thought made her less susceptible to vulnerability. There’s nothing more frustrating than a weak, vulnerable, push over of a main character. I’m happy to say that Cassandra Clare had the sense to make Clary a fighter.

Another character that I adored was Jace. I doubt that anyone can actually read this book and not love him. Everything about this boy is breath taking. His smart ass remarks, his shield that lets no one see what he was actually feeling, and the way he softened himself for Clary. I could go on and on about all the things I love about him, but you’ll just have to take my word that he’s amazing.

Not only were the characters captivating, but the story line and natural flow to the book was flawless. Unbelievably well balanced. Everything helped to move the story along, making it impossible to find a good place to stop. Stopping is physically painful to do. I always needed to know what happened next. Always.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who likes to be entertained. Which is everyone. This is a magnificent piece of work that should be given a standing ovation. Cassandra Clare is a genius.

Twisted By Laurie Halse Anderson

Title: Twisted
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Number of pages: 250

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Summery: High school senior Tyler Miller used to be the kind of guy who faded into the background—average student, average looks, average dysfunctional family. But since he got busted for doing graffiti on the school, and spent the summer doing outdoor work to pay for it, he stands out like you wouldn’t believe. His new physique attracts the attention of queen bee Bethany Milbury, who just so happens to be his father’s boss’s daughter, the sister of his biggest enemy—and Tyler’s secret crush. And that sets off a string of events and changes that have Tyler questioning his place in the school, in his family, and in the world.

Review: Laurie Halse Anderson did a magnificent job in the character development of Tyler Miller. This was the first thought that came to mind after reading this book. He seemed so real to me. His witty sarcasm, moody attitude, and blunt honesty had me unable to put the book down.

My only problem with the book was the story line. It seemed to lag in some parts. Certain chapters in it did nothing to move along the story line. As if they were there to simply make the book longer. Not that this is such a horribly thing. I love reading from Tyler’s perspective. But if it were from anyone else’s point of view, those extra chapters would have bothered me.

The thing I really liked about this book was that it made me laugh, cringe, and cry. Tyler was such an honest character, and at times, it would catch me off guard and I would laugh out loud. But towards the end, the topic of suicide comes up. Being inside the head of someone who’s thinking of killing himself is definitely emotional. The thoughts that run through his mind had me easily in tears. And the situations he finds himself in are so uncomfortable that you can’t help it but cringe. A book that can make you feel something strong enough to cry, laugh, or cringe is a good book in my opinion.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who would like to look inside a teenaged boy’s mind. It’s an interesting place to be.

Introduction

The first update on these websites are typically meant as an introduction, am I right? Even if I’m wrong, that’s what I’m going for.

My name is Brianne, and I created this website to review books and gush about upcoming book releases. I love, love, love to read and write. I mostly read YA novels, but I do enjoy science fiction whether it’s YA or not.

Writing in general is my life. I love to write reviews, poems, books, short stories, anything. It’s definitely a passion of mine. Now that it’s summer, I have a lot of time on my hands. Which is why I created this website. Here, I can write reviews and meet fellow book lovers. Isn’t the internet amazing? I definitely think so.

Okay, so here’s a little bit about myself:
• I live in a hell hole named Arizona.
• I don’t particularly care for the heat.
• I spent the first seven years of my life living in Washington state.
• I miss it very much.
• I spend most of my free time reading and writing.
• I listen to music while reading and writing.
• I’m a high school student and I take my education seriously.
• My two favorite books are The Hunger Games and The Host.
Not too exciting of a person. ;-)

Leave me a comment if you’d like me to go check out your website. I’d be happy to get to know anyone who stops by. Thanks!

~Brianne