September Wrap Up…

Welcome to my September Wrap Up. I had a terrible reading month in September, finishing 1 book (1 book off my TBR). I also received 2 ARC’s this month. I have reviews up or coming up for these books so as usual this is just going to be a brief rundown on each book I read.

Without further ado, let’s get into my September Wrap Up:

The Lost Song Of Paris by Sarah Steele: I loved this book. As a fan of Historical Fiction; especially WWII Historical Fiction, this book was everything I wanted it to be. The story was fascinating and emotional, the characters were flawed and relatable, and the writing was utterly stunning. This is the first time I have read something by Sarah Steele but after reading this book I know it won’t be the last.

---

That’s it for my September Wrap Up. I hope you all had a great reading month. Let me know what you guys read this month in the comments section.

GEM

Frostbite by Richelle Mead

‘Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose…

It’s winter break at St. Vladimir’s, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy’s crawling with Guardians—including Rose’s hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn’t bad enough, Rose’s tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason’s got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa’s head while she’s making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy’s not taking any risks…. This year, St. Vlad’s annual holiday ski trip is mandatory.

But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price…’

I loved this book.

After reading Vampire Academy, I was very excited to pick this book up. I went into it with high hopes and I am happy to say that it not only lived up to my high expectations it well and truly surpassed them.

One of the things I loved most about this book was that it picked up where the last book ended. There was no large time jump that needed to be explained, as a reader you just jumped right into the story. I also loved that the drama and emotion of this book felt the same as its predecessor.

With readers already familiar with the main characters of this story, it was time to introduce some new faces. Getting to meet these new characters and see how they interacted with the old characters was really interesting. I also loved how the new characters added an extra layer to the story being told.

Richelle Mead has done a fantastic job with this book. The way she built on the world and characters she created in Vampire Academy was truly wonderful to see. After reading this book I am excited to dive into the next book in this wonderful series.

Frostbite by Richelle Mead is the perfect sequel to Vampire Academy.

Bookish Buzzwords Tag…

Welcome one and all to another Wacky Wednesday post. Today I am partaking in the Bookish Buzzwords Tag. I hope you all enjoy this quick little tag.

So without further ado, let’s jump straight in:

YOUR GO-TO GENRE OR FAVORITE TYPE OF BOOK

Historical Fiction

RETELLINGS YOU ARE DRAWN TO

Fairy Tale retellings

LIFESTYLES OR CAREERS OF THE BOOK CHARACTERS

Booksellers or Librarians

PLACES OR SETTINGS YOU ARE DRAWN TO

Real places and historic settings

RELATIONSHIPS YOU ENJOY READING ABOUT

Sibling and other family relationships

BUZZWORDS IN THE TITLE OF THE BOOK

History

THINGS ON BOOK COVERS THAT DRAW YOU IN

Historic photographs or weird cartoonish illustrations

NONFICTION BUZZWORDS OR NONFICTION YOU ARE DRAWN TO

Holocaust and Memoirs

MEDICAL OR PHYSICAL CONDITIONS OF CHARACTERS

Medical Conditions

---

Well, that’s it for me. I hope you guys enjoyed this tag. As usual, hit me up with your answers in the comment section.

Until next time…

Happy Reading… 

GEM

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

‘Only a true best friend can protect you from your immortal enemies…

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth’s magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest vampires—the ones who never die. The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa’s best friend, makes her a dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making Lissa one of them.

After two years of freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir’s Academy, a school for vampire royalty and their guardians-to-be, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. But inside the iron gates, life is even more fraught with danger… and the Strigoi are always close by.

Rose and Lissa must navigate their dangerous world, confront the temptations of forbidden love, and never once let their guard down, lest the evil undead make Lissa one of them forever…’

I loved this book.

Having read many vampire novels; especially YA novels, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It is easily one of my favourite vampire stories. It had everything I wanted and so much more.

I loved the fact that while there was romance in the story, the main relationship ship was that of two best friends rather than romance. The dynamic between Rose and Lissa was fascinating and believable. The way they interacted with each other, their arguments, and even their jealousy was something that could be seen in friendship around the world.

The plot of this novel was really interesting, and as we got to see more of the world, magic, and laws that the characters were governed by the plot became more intricate which made for a great reading experience. The way that the story evolved felt really natural; there wasn’t a lot of information just dumped on the reader, and given that the characters had things to learn, the readers got to learn along with them.

Richelle Mead has done a wonderful job with this book. The story was compelling and fresh, the characters were flawed and believable, and the world-building was stunning. All of this was perfectly highlighted by fantastic writing. The pacing of this book made it easy to get swept away in the story and the way the emotions radiated off the pages draws the reader into the lives of these characters.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead will surprise and entertain in multiple ways.

Pointless Facts 41!

As I am really enjoying compiling Pointless Facts, I am going to stick with my plan of posting a new list every month; at least until it stops being fun for me. So I hope you all enjoy this month’s installment of Pointless Facts.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester was sold to Bill Gates for the equivalent of today’s $50.2 million.

Australia is the twelfth largest economy in the world.

There are “human libraries” around the world where you can check out humans as living books and listen to their unique life stories.

Australia has the world’s tenth-largest per capita income.

In some libraries, you can check out animal skeletons, Santa suits, prom dresses, and dogs, among many others.

From 2010 to 2016, Australia was ranked as the most livable city in the world.

In ancient Egypt, all ships visiting Alexandria were obliged to surrender their books to the Royal Library and be copied. The original would be kept in the library and the copy given back to the owner.

‘No worries’ is the most common phrase which is uttered by approximately 75% of Australians.

There are more public libraries than McDonald’s restaurants in the United States.

2 out of every 3 Australians are vulnerable to skin cancer.

---

I hope you all enjoyed today’s pointless facts. Let me know in the comments if these pointless facts were new to you or if you had already come across them.

GEM

Tex by S.E. Hinton

‘Easygoing, thoughtless, and direct, Tex at fifteen likes everyone and everything, especially his horse, Negrito, and Johnny Collins’s blue-eyed sister, Jamie. He thinks life with his seventeen-year-old brother, Mason, in their ramshackle house would be just about perfect if only Mace would stop complaining about Pop. Pop hasn’t been home in five months. Mace wants to get out of Oklahoma. Tex just seems to attract trouble and danger… Suddenly everything’s falling apart. Can Tex keep it all together?’

I wish I loved this book.

I have read many books by S.E. Hinton so I went into this book knowing I already liked her novel and her writing style. I also knew that this wouldn’t be a difficult read as it is a young adult novel that I was already somewhat familiar with.

As with all of S.E. Hinton’s novels, Tex is a coming-of-age tale that draws you in quickly and carries you through a fast-paced plot with characters that are flawed and believable. I also really love the fact that this book is told in first-person narration.

One of the things that surprised me with this novel was the introduction of a fairly prominent female character; Jamie. This is the first time that a female character has played an important part in one of S.E. Hinton’s novels.

Jamie as a character is both interesting and intelligent. She is not just one of the boys, nor is she a shallow female character for the boys to either chase or harass. She is a thoughtful character who is influenced by her place in life and the events of her time which was really refreshing to read about.

Tex is deemed by many critics to be S.E. Hinton’s best work, and while I don’t have an issue with the writing or artistic choices made in this novel, I just didn’t love it as much as some of her other novels.

Tex by S.E. Hinton is a quick and surprising read.

Spring Has Sprung Book Tag…

Welcome one and all to another Wacky Wednesday post. Today I am partaking in the Spring Has Sprung Book Tag. I hope you all enjoy this quick little tag.

So without further ado, let’s jump straight in:

FLOWERS

LOOK ON YOUR BOOKSHELVES. WHAT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK INSIDE AND OUT?

Old Pig by Margaret Wild

GRASS

WHAT IS A BOOK THAT YOU FIND THAT OTHERS LIKE WAY MORE THAN YOU DO?

A Mad Zombie Party by Gena Showalter

RAIN

WHAT IS A GREAT BOOK THAT LIFTS YOUR SPIRITS WHEN YOU’RE DOWN?

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

DEW

WHAT’S A BOOK THAT MADE YOU FEEL ALIVE?

The Book of Wondrous Possibilities by Deborah Abela

STORMS

WHAT’S A BOOK THAT YOU FOUND UNPREDICTABLE?

Still Life with Bones by Alexa Hagerty

RAINBOW

WHAT WAS A BOOK THAT YOU STRUGGLED WITH, ONLY TO BE HAPPY THAT YOU READ IT IN THE END?

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

CHILLY WEATHER

WHAT’S A BOOK THAT YOU COULDN’T FINISH OR DIDN’T ENJOY?

Pea Pod Lullaby by Glenda Millard

WARM WEATHER

WHAT’S A BOOK THAT YOU LOVED AND WANTED MORE OF?

The Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons

GREEN

WHAT’S A BOOK THAT YOU HAVEN’T READ YET, BUT REALLY WANT TO?

The Life of P.T. Barnum by P.T. Barnum

PINK

WHAT’S A BOOK IN WHICH YOU FELT A STRONG CONNECTION TO THE CHARACTERS?

My Special Christmas Adventure by Julia Wilson

PURPLE

WHAT’S A BOOK THAT WHEN YOU READ IT, YOU FELT SAFE?

Milli, Jack, and the Dancing Cat by Stephen Michael King

ORANGE

WHAT BOOK DO YOU FEEL IS INTELLIGENTLY WRITTEN?

The Truth Detective by Tim Harford

YELLOW

WHAT BOOK PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE?

Mim and the Disastrous Dog Show by Katrina Nannestad

---

Well, that’s it for me. I hope you guys enjoyed this tag. As usual, hit me up with your answers in the comment section.

Until next time…

Happy Reading… 

GEM

Taming The Star Runner by S.E. Hinton

‘Travis is the epitome of cool, especially when he’s in trouble. But when he’s sent to stay on his uncle’s ranch, he finds that his tough attitude doesn’t make him any friends, and his city survival skills are no match for the unforgiving land. He does find friendship of a sort with Casey, who runs a riding school. She’s the bravest person Travis has ever met, and crazy enough to try to tame the Star Runner, her beautiful and dangerous horse, always on edge and about to explode–like Travis himself.’

I have mixed feelings about this book.

I am a fan of S.E. Hinton and have read most if not all of her books so I went into this one expecting to really enjoy my reading experience like I usually do with her books; The Outsiders is one of my all-time favourite novels, unfortunately, this on didn’t feel like the other Hinton books I have read.

As with all of S.E. Hinston’s books, this one started off slow, the story didn’t really pick up until after the first chapter. This didn’t bother me as I am used to this by now and once the story really gets going you forget that it had a slow start at all.

This book had everything I had hoped to see; wonderful characters that felt authentic, interactions and conversations that were believable, and beautiful descriptions to draw the reader in and transport them to another place and time.

I know that a lot of people don’t like the ending of this book but I really enjoyed it. It felt like it could happen in real life, there was no drama added for effect which is something I really appreciated as a reader. The only thing I can think of that is different from this book is the style of narration.

Over the years I have come to realize I am a first-person point-of-view kind of girl, and unfortunately, this book is written from the second-person perspective. I think this may be the only one of S.E. Hinton’s books not written in first person and it just didn’t work for me.

Not having the story told in first person made it feel less emotional and made the characters feel more distant from the reader. I also found elements just confusing and I had to re-read sections of the books as I wasn’t sure what was happening.

If you are someone who doesn’t have an issue with the second-person point of view then I don’t think you will have a problem with this book as the characters are strong and real, and the story is both fast-paced; after the first chapter, and compelling.

Taming The Star Runner by S.E. Hinton is a quick read that shouldn’t be missed.

Uni Update 38!

It’s that time again…

Uni Update!

I have had a really great month at Uni. I finished and submitted my first Assessment. While it took me a little while to figure out my topic and how I was going to approach the Essay, once I knew where I wanted it to go and what I wanted it to say I really enjoyed researching and writing it.

I am happy with how it turned out and even happier that I didn’t feel rushed and overworked; I actually submitted it two days early, which is something I have never done before. Now I just have to wait for it to be marked and returned to me.

Now that I have a few weeks before I have to start planning for my next Assessment, I am hoping to get ahead on my weekly work and spend some more time on the discussion board reading my classmate’s thoughts and ideas about the topics we are learning.

---

That’s it from me today. I will catch you all in my next Uni Update.

GEM

Rumble Fish by S.E. Hinton

‘Rusty-James is the toughest guy in the group of high-school kids who hang out and shoot pool down at Benny’s, and he enjoys keeping up his reputation. What he wants most of all is to be just like his older brother, the Motorcycle Boy. He wants to stay calm and laughing when things get dangerous, to be the toughest street fighter and the most respected guy on their side of the river. Rusty-James isn’t book-smart, and he knows it. He relies on his fists instead of his brains. Until now he’s gotten along all right because whenever he gets into trouble, the Motorcycle Boy bails him out. But Rusty-James’ drive to be like his brother eats away at his world–until it all comes apart in an explosive chain of events. And this time the Motorcycle Boy isn’t around to pick up the pieces.’

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I have read a few S.E. Hinton books over the years so I was very excited to read this one. While I will admit that it is not my favourite; The Outsiders still holds the top spot, I really enjoyed this book and I loved getting to experience S.E. Hinton’s wonderful writing yet again.

S.E. Hinton always does a great job of creating flawed, human characters and this book is no exception. I loved that we got to watch the characters grow and learn as the story unfolded. I also loved that each of the characters had their own unique voice and place in the story.

Every time I pick up a book written by S.E. Hinton I am excited to get swept up in her beautiful writing. Reading this book was like coming home and getting a warm hug. The structure and pacing were perfect and the emotions of the characters radiated off the pages.

This is on of those books that I will be re-reading many times in the future.

Rumble Fish by S.E. Hinton is a quick read that packs a punch.