Faking Normal

Faking Normal
Courtney C. Stevens
321 pages

Summary: Direct from Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Faking-Normal-Courtney-C-Stevens/dp/0062245384)

An edgy, realistic debut novel praised by the New York Times bestselling author of Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys, as “a beautiful reminder that amid our broken pieces we can truly find ourselves.”
Alexi Littrell hasn’t told anyone what happened to her over the summer by her backyard pool. Instead, she hides in her closet, counts the slats in the air vent, and compulsively scratches the back of her neck, trying to make the outside hurt more than the inside does—and deal with the trauma.
When Bodee Lennox—“the Kool-Aid Kid”—moves in with the Littrells after a family tragedy, Alexi discovers an unlikely friend in this quiet, awkward boy who has secrets of his own. As their friendship grows, Alexi gives him the strength to deal with his past, and Bodee helps her summon the courage to find her voice and speak up about the rape that has changed the course of her life.

Opinion:

Stars: 4/5
One-sentence summary: Two broken victims of circumstances out of their control come together to help each other heals

This book just brought some plot twists, right out of the woodwork. I didnt expect the ending that i got, but that made the book much better. I liked both the main characters: Bodee and Alexi. Bodee's, Kool-aid colored hair, was my favorite part of the book. Its ingenious. It involves the benefits of dyeing your hair but without the hair color damage associated with it. And if you dont like the color, then you can easily change it. Sadly though, somebody could have drank that Kool-aid. Also, i wish i knew the songs Captain Lyric and Lexi exchanged. I had never heard of them before, but i sorta consider myself a music connoisseur. This was one of my favorite reading bowl books. It had a good message, though albeit a predictable plot (excluding the last couple chapters). I recommend you guys read it. Enjoy!


P.S. Two weeks ago,My Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl Team won 1st place in the Regional level competition. Today we compete in District we go!!

The Map

The Map
William Ritter
60 pages

Jackaby: Short Story

Summary:

My Opinion:

Stars: 5/5 stars
One-sentence summary: A combination of magic and good only treasure hunting makes a great book.

This was such a cute story about Abigail's birthday. Jackaby is sweet in an oblivious Sherlock show type way. I could see them becoming a couple.

Now back to the book. I liked this short story. It was really cute and lighthearted. I wonder  if any of the names used in the book were real. Because history is one of my weaknesses. The map's challenges were really cute too. Combining Abigail and Jackaby's way of thinking makes everything so clear. Overall i really enjoyed this book and i think everyone else will too. I recommend reading the main book: Jackaby too. Ima read the second book in the series soon.

Girls Like Us

Girls like us
Gail Giles
210 pages

My Opinion:
Stars: 3.5 out of 5
1 sentence summary: Two girls with special disorders (dys) graduate high school & leave the world they knew behind and go on to enter a world of uncertainty and friendship.

Its such a cute book. Like it is stated in the book, the two main characters Biddy and Quincy balance each other out. Biddy was like a teddy bear, always ready when you needed her. Though she was "stupid" in the eyes of society, Biddy had a heart of gold and everything else that counted. Quincy was like a rose with sharp thorns. Once you get past the thorns, she is a sweet individual.  I really liked this book. It was a cute read. The ending was not a fairytale but one of realistic proportions. And there was no romance, which reinforces my belief that you dont need romance to have an awesome book The personal past histories of both characters was revealed about midway through the book. Even though portions of it were obvious, it was still interesting and important that as the reader, we learned it from the character's own voices.It was good, but aint that good. Its a reading bowl book. Also i wonder what prompted the author to write about kids with special needs. I hope she did them justice and didnt downplay or overplay any of their issues (because we are all human beings, not matter how we look or how our brain works).

A Death Struck Year

A Death Struck Year
Makiia Lucier
279 pages

Genre: Historical ficition
Stars: 4.5 ****.5
1 sentence summary: Coming-of-age story in flu-torn 1918
Recommend: Yes!

Summary:

Opinion:

I love historical fiction books so this is a treat. Tis a Helen Ruffin Reading Book. Ironically last year, there was book on the Spanish Influenza as well. The book is a fast read, i read it through the school day. It had hooked me in really bad. I couldn't seem to put it down. The whole story happens over the course of about two months, but it felt so much shorter. Though the book has a sad theme, it was really welcoming and open. Twas a welcome change to what i have been reading lately. I haven't read a good historical fiction book in a good while.

I really liked the main character Cleo and her independence.  She had a lot of guts. Though the last chapters had me seeing her Independence and confidence falter, i still loved Cleo. Those last chapters made her seem more human and realistic. If Cleo was me, i would have just stayed in my dorms. I never would thought to help out the Red Cross. In real life if a lot of people hadn't decided the risk the flu, then some of us wouldn't be here today. Heroic people are what this world needs.

I definitely recommend this book to ppl who like historical fiction books set around world war 2.

P.S. Please leave a comment below and well wishes to my Helen Ruffin Reading bowl team in the competition tomorrow.

Jackaby

Jackaby
William Ritter
299 pages
Jackaby

Summary:

“Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion--and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.”
A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of 2014
Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job,Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--deny.
Doctor Who meets Sherlock in a debut novel, the first in a series, brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre.
“The rich world of this debut demands sequels.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

My Opinion:
FYI: I had been wanting to read this book for a while and have now just gotten around to reading it.

Wow. As I told people all day, this book is a mix of Sherlock Holmes and fairytales, plus a dash of Doctor Who in charisma and follow-ship of Jackaby. As a fan of all three things listed above, this was an enjoyable read for me. The time just seemed to float by. I very much didn't want to be disturbed while reading the book. Jackaby's equivalent to the Doctor's companions are his assistants. Both want to do everything for their detective or spaceman.  I love Doctor Who, so the similar eccentricity of Jacakby was really cool and interesting to read about. Abigail Rook was a great heroine.  No matter what happened, she wanted to try things her own way and experience the world. I admire that quality. Reminds me a little of Rose Tyler. Her love interest was so sweet and his big secret was an nice, pleasant twist. Chief inspector reminded me so much of the inspector from Sherlock. It was uncanny.

The surrounding mystery of the book definitely pulled me in. I had no idea who the killer was until the very end. The clues were most definitely there, but it just didn't click for me. And that is great, i don't want to be able to predict the whole plot of a book. I want to be surprised. Well if you like surprises and quirky, eccentric characters, then this is the book for you. My fellow fans of Wholock definitely should read it.

P.S. Please leave a comment below, at minimum something like this.

The Dream Thieves

The Dream Thieves
Maggie Stiefvater
439 pages
The Raven Cycle

Summary: Maggie Stiefvater's website (http://maggiestiefvater.com/the-raven-boys/the-dream-thieves/)

“No one but Ronan knew the terrors that lived in his mind.
Plagues and devils, conquerors and beasts."

The second installment in the all-new series from the masterful, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater!
Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after…

My Opinion: 

Interestingly, this book was about the struggles of Ronan and Adam. Adam just infuriated me. He had that hero-complex that he needs to do everything for himself. And well, that never works out. Life is bearable and travel-worthy due to family and friends, or family-like friends. I'm glad Adam finally got better at the end of the book, because I was starting to worry. He was becoming super violent.  Ronan's story was heavily interesting. A dream walker/ maker. He is more than he appears to be. And his home-life was just jaw-dropping. In my opinion, Blue and Ganesy need to get their love life together.  We all know as readers that they will eventually hook up and kiss. I want it sooner than later. This book includes several moments where Blue's jealousy flare up. Also, Glendower needs to hurry up and be found. The quest is just soo drab. I'm talking about Glendwoer himself, plus their clues and Gansey's British friend consultant.  The actual actions of the characters in their quest are page-worthy.

My new favorite characters for this book are Maura, Calla, Persephone, and The Gray Man. All the adults just took on a comedic and light-heartening tone in the novel, since the main characters are so depressing. Lastly, i need more scenes with just Blue and Noah. They are like best friends and its so cute. I recommend you read this book, if you like a huge dose of magic, dead languages, and a little bit of mystery confusion.


P.S. Stiefvater has a playlist together for reading the book. And here it is:

P.S. Please leave a comment below.

Far From You

Far From You
Tess Sharpe
341 pages

Summary: Tess Sharpe's website (http://www.tess-sharpe.com/books/)

“It doesn’t start here.You’d think it would, two terrified girls in the middle of nowhere, cowering together, eyes bulging at the gun in his hand.But it doesn’t start here.It starts the first time I almost die.”
Sophie Winters nearly died. Twice.
The first time, she’s fourteen, and escapes a near-fatal car accident with scars, a bad leg, and an addiction to Oxy that’ll take years to kick.
The second time, she’s seventeen, and it’s no accident. Sophie and her best friend Mina are confronted by a masked man in the woods. Sophie survives, but Mina is not so lucky. When the cops deem Mina’s murder a drug deal gone wrong, casting partial blame on Sophie, no one will believe the truth: Sophie has been clean for months, and it was Mina who led her into the woods that night for a meeting shrouded in mystery.
After a forced stint in rehab, Sophie returns home to a chilly new reality. Mina’s brother won’t speak to her, her parents fear she’ll relapse, old friends have become enemies, and Sophie has to learn how to live without her other half. To make matters worse, no one is looking in the right places, and Sophie must search for Mina’s murderer on her own. But with every step, Sophie comes closer to revealing all: about herself, Mina, and the secret they shared.

Opinion:

Warning: This book involves bisexuality and lesbianism. If you aren't comfortable with that, then don't read the book.

This book was a page turner. I'm a big fan of mysteries. With a little dash of romance on the side, this was the perfect book for me. I loved the characters-Sophie and Mina. Their "friendship" was one of love and semi-understanding. Mina seemed to remind me of myself in a way. It was interesting hearing about Sophie's several accidents and her life before Mina's death. The flashbacks helped me, as the reader, see the characters before all the hardships (Sophie's first accident) and when Sophie started her down spiral, and just the love of the whole friend group. You always hear about accidents occuring to people across the world, but you the aftermath, how they survive afterward, is never included. The mystery surrounding Mina's death was one of twists, barbs, and tangles. I did not predict the killer at all. Its crazy! (Spoiler: Its a character you only see about 3 times). Sophie's confession at the end of the book gave me life. The last two chapters were wonderful ends. Everything was wrapped up with a little bow and that beautiful. I have one question though: how much older is Tre than Sophie? Because that was never stated and i think thats a little weird. But besides that main question, I loved this book and all its flawful characters. I hope you chose to read it and love it too

P.S. Please leave a comment below. How am I doing, i really wanna know.
P.P.S.

The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne
250 pages

Summary: Direct from Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/The-Scarlet-Letter-Nathaniel-Hawthorne/dp/1500759120)

When Hester Prynne bears an illegitimate child she is introduced to the ugliness, complexity, and ultimately the strength of the human spirit. Though set in Puritan community centuries ago, the moral dilemmas of personal responsibility, and consuming emotions of guilt, anger, loyalty and revenge are timeless.

My Opinion:
Old books, ones from before the past 50 years, are wild, especially books set in Puritan society. Puritans were not as pure and close to god as they thought. They were some of the most hypocritical people i have ever heard about. The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is wild from start to finish. I can see why it is called a classic but many chapters were just a chore to read. This might be because it was a book i had to read for school. I liked Hester and how she grew more knowledgeable during her seclusion time. She became a nihilistic feminist.  Pearl was a joy, as well due to her shady comments and actions. Hester's belief that Pearl was the devil reminded me of the Poltergeist and the possessed children. Chillingworth was everyone's least favorite character. He was so unnecessary. He could have just gone somewhere else and lived a better life without Hester and the crazy Puritans.  He could have returned to England. I firmly believe Dimmesdale is a damsel-in-distress. He basically did nothing but whine about his guilt and let it consume him. The whole book wouldn't have happened if Hester had just left the town and started over. Honestly, the book was just crazy. I enjoyed certain parts and dragged through others. My enjoyment waxed and waned on how much homework (essays, response logs, and rhetorical analysis) I had to do on the book. You can read it if you want. It is something that you can join a club saying you have read it. Happy old American romanticism literary  period book reading!



P.s. Puritans suck
P.p.s. Puritans believed in a pure Church of England with strict, laws and doctrine. They were also followers of the simple life. They were the people around who condoned the Salem Witch Trials.  Truly crazy people that several writers feel it is necessary to dedicate books to. Blegh
P.P.S Please leave a comment below.
P.P.S There is a modern movie adaptation of the book called Easy A. I haven't watched it, but I heard it was good.

The City's Son

Sorry I havent posted in so long. It has been a couple busy weeks with school, finals, and family. Luckily, I have read a couple books and pre-did a few reviews. So here you go:

The City's Son
Tom Pollock
422 pages
The Skyscraper Throne Trilogy

Summary: Direct from Amazon.com ( http://www.amazon.com/The-Citys-Son-Skyscraper-Throne/dp/0738734306)

Running away from her traitorous best friend and her distant father, teenage graffiti artist Beth Bradley is looking for a new home. What she finds is Filius, the ragged crown prince of London’s underworld—a place where glassy spiders steal voices on telephone wires, railwraiths terrorize the train tubes, and deadly scaffwolves stalk the shadows.
Reach, the malign god of demolition, is on a rampage, destroying the creatures of hidden London to lay claim to the skyscraper throne. Caught up in helping Filius raise an alleyway army to battle Reach, Beth soon forgets her old life. But when the enemy claims her best friend, Beth must choose between the acceptance she finds in the streets and the life she left behind.

My Opinion

Wow! This book was so original. The author had wonderful world building. Pollux was able to create a fully functional world right beneath London Society. The world was very dark too. As my lit class is learning about American Gothic romanticism works, this book reminded me of those, especially works by Washington Irving.  It was just as dark with a slight part of romance, but the major theme was family and relationships. My favorite character was Pen, due to the author's use of diversity. More POC in Books is my cry.  BOOK DIVERSITY PLEASE! ! Also, Pen was a strong friend and an even stronger person for going through what she did. All the characters were interesting.  I hope more backstories are included in the story. The true lives of spiders and statues was interesting, but i want to know how they get there. Also, what happened to the Fleet? What happened to the Railwaith? The one thing that i disliked is how the story opened with unanswered questions.  The first chapters with Filius had me confused, because i could not picture the monsters/creatures. The scenes were just fights with not enough description on the creatures. That's the only thing i was displeased on, but once i got past that i loved the book. It was definitely refreshing and interesting to read. I could not put it down. Lol, the British slang is a favorite. I recommend you guys to read this book. I very much want to know what happens next.

P.S. Please leave a comment below. How am I doing? Did you miss my reviews? Do you enjoy my blog? Leave a message please!

P.P.S: I'm going to another great skyscraper city this holidays: New York! Happy Holiday's Everyone!!

Insanity

Insanity
Cameron Jace
226 pages
Mad in Wonderland

Summary (Direct from Cameron Jace's website) http://cameronjace.com/books/insanity/

After accidentally killing everyone in her class, Alice Wonder is now a patient in the Radcliffe Lunatic Asylum. No one doubts her insanity. Only a hookah-smoking professor believes otherwise; that he can prove her sanity by decoding Lewis Carroll's paintings, photographs, and find Wonderland's real whereabouts. Professor Caterpillar persuades the asylum that Alice can save lives and catch the wonderland monsters now reincarnated in modern day criminals. In order to do so, Alice leads a double life: an Oxford university student by day, a mad girl in an asylum by night. The line between sanity and insanity thins when she meets Jack Diamonds, an arrogant college student who believes that nonsense is an actual science.

Opinion:
We are in a mad world.  It is a fast-paced, semi-confusing book.The structure of the book is reflective on how mad Alice truly is, as well as the truths she uncovers every second. The whole book is over a period of about three days, but with as much stuff as Alice is doing it seems so much longer. The characters were definitely interesting, especially each Wonderlander's backstory. If the facts and places said in the book are true, then the world just gets crazier everyday. I want to see if there are little cat statues pasted on those churches around England. I have heard of a similar thing in York, England:

 

Cats are all the rage these days, but in the town of York, England they have been celebrating felines with a tradition of public cat statues for over a century.
With a strong concentration in the city center, the cat statues of York are scattered on eaves, rooftops, and chimneys all around the town. The original pair of metal felines date roughly to the turn of the century, and it is believed - though it's likely apocryphal - that they were designed to scare the rats from the nearby river.
Then, in the 1980's, architect Tom Adams commissioned sculptor Johnathan Newdick to create several new cat sculptures, and use the historic originals as inspiration for a new town tradition. Adams placed a cat sculpture somewhere on each of the buildings he designed in the area and soon other business and building owners started following suit, creating a new identity for the town and a small cottage industry of cat-related tourist shops.
There are now 22 cat sculptures throughout the city and many businesses offer maps of the "York Cat Walk." However due to constant theft and new additions to the public collection, many of the mousers listed on the maps prove as elusive as any real cat.

 http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cat-statues-of-york


There is mystery is who put up those cat statues, definitely not Lewis Carroll. Besides the book being really wild and a little scatter-brained, I think it was an interesting one. If you are ready for some deep thinking, then I recommend this book to you, But i don't think its a good idea to multi-task while reading this one, because you will be in for quite a headache. Be ready for a lot of questions and a series full of answers.

P.S. Please leave a comment below. How am I doing with these reviews or what do you think about this book?  Language is not a barrier.
P.P.S. If you want to know more about the York Cat Walk, here is their  official website: http://catsinyork.com/

Magyk

Magyk
Angie Sage
564 pages
Septimus Heap Series

Overview: From Amazon. com (http://www.amazon.com/Magyk-Septimus-Heap-Book-1/dp/006223692X)

The Magyk Begins Here
Septimus Heap, the seventh son of the seventh son, disappears the night he is born, pronounced dead by the midwife. That same night, the baby's father, Silas Heap, comes across an abandoned child in the snow—a newborn girl with violet eyes. Who is this mysterious baby girl, and what really happened to the Heaps' beloved son Septimus?

My Opinion:

Magyk was cute. It was the epitome of fairy tale books.It had different switching points of view. All the characters were interesting as well. Its a great book for kids of the maximum age of 12. I just wish the book spent more on this royalty. That was the part that truly hooked me.

P.S. Leave a comment por favor.

Free to Fall

So sorry that it has been 3 long weeks since my last post. School has picked up, causing me to not have a chance to read books and review them. Luckily, I have some free time today! :)

Free to Fall
Lauren Miller
473 pages 

Summary: From Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Free-Fall-Lauren-Miller/dp/0062199811)

From the author of Parallel comes a high-stakes drama set in the near-future.  Imaginative and thrilling, this "intricately plotted, intellectually rich thriller...will please a range of readers, from those searching for a page-turner to those wishing to thoroughly engage the mind." (Publishers' Weekly, starred review)Fast-forward to a time when Apple and Google have been replaced by Gnosis, a monolith corporation that has developed the most life-changing technology to ever hit the market: Lux, an app that flawlessly optimizes decision-making for the best personal results. Just like everyone else, sixteen-year-old Rory Vaughn knows the key to a happy, healthy life is to follow what the app recommends. When she's accepted to the elite boarding school Theden Academy, her future happiness seems all the more assured. But once on campus, something feels wrong beneath the polished surface of her prestigious dream school. Then she meets North, a handsome townie who doesn't use Lux, and begins to fall for him and his outsider way of life. Soon, Rory is going her own way, questioning Lux and listening instead to the inner voice she's been taught to ignore--a choice that leads her to uncover a truth neither she nor the world ever saw coming.

My Opinion:
This book made me free to fall into my feelings. Anticipation, worry, and satisfaction were my top 3 feelings. I was in love with Rory and North. Sure she was difficult at times but when you life begins to tilt upside with no warning i think you are allowed to have several messed-up days. North was her calm in the storm and his other persona is sooo cool. Why cant I have that type of super smart bad boy imaginary boyfriend? I always knew Hazel was a little too much; but when her truth was revealed, I loved seeing this other Hazel. Dr. Taurus was interesting as well. Also, i noticed mid-through the book that she was given an ethnicity. Interesting right? Liam was okay. He was pretty much just filler to me.  As you can tell, i had a deep love or hate for all the characters

Overall, this book was good. It drew me in and wouldn't let me put it down. I liked this world the author built. My question though is if it is supposed to parallel ours, because it is only in 2030, why were event in 2013 off a little bit. Some of the timeline seemed a little off-kilter. Besides my interest in dates,i really enjoyed this book and i recommend for you to read it as well.

P.S. Please leave a comment below. Comments tell me what I'm doing right and need to change.
P.P.S This is a Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl Book.

Sorry no review this week

No review this week. I haven't read any books. I will definitely have one next week!

The Darkest Part of the Forest

Darkest Part of the Forest
Holly Black
239 pages

Direct from Holly Black's website: http://blackholly.com/books/darkest-part-forest/

Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.
Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.
At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointy as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.
Until one day, he does…
As the world turns upside down and a hero is needed to save them all, Hazel tries to remember her years spent pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?

My Opinion:
This book just hooked me in and didn't let me go until the last page. Hazel and Ben are amazing. Jack is wonderful. And Serevin is the perfect fairy prince. There is a mystery but it slowly and surely unfolds. I can relate with Hazel: wanting to save her town and protect her loved ones at all cost. Even the point about boys. Relationships aren't something i am good at. Hook up and leave.
Fairy tales and mysteries are my favorite types of stories. Fairies are known for their  good and bad deeds and well this town knows them both. The blessing of a fairy sounds wonderful, but magic always come with a price. I would love to be able to play music like Ben, but the price of the music being too strong seems like too much. This world is wonderful and pulls me in so much. I was deeply affected by each page and i couldn't turn the pages fast enough. At the end tears of joy were brimming up about to fall over, all of the characters got a happy ever after. And that's all i ever ask for.
I recommend you read this story. It was GREAT! Now do you think there will be a sequel?

P.S. Please leave a comment <3

We were Liars

We were Liars
E. Lockhart
225 pages

Direct from E.Lockhart's website :  http://www.emilylockhart.com/books/we-were-liars

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate,
political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

My Opinion: 
This book was amazing. Each new part of the book revealed more and more. The revelations got me. I never would have gotten the ending when i first opened the book, but after going through this journey with Cadence i see the puzzle pieces connecting more and more. Andddd itttssss soooo sad. I finished the book during my lunch and i just wanted to cryyyy. I recommend this book to others. Its wonderful. We were liars is very short. It took me only a couple of hours over the course of two days to finish it. When i had a chance to read,i just wouldn't put it down. I loved all the characters and all the assumptions i had about them in the beginning were thrown out at the end. I see each character a little differently after both Cadence and I found out the truth. Please read this wonderful book and expect the unexpected. The bonds surrounding the Sinclair family are hard to break. Its crazy as we unravel them one by one into a glorious finish. I'm telling you now that E. Lockhart has an interesting mind to come up with this intricate of a plot. Its like a bowl on ice cream with sprinkles. You consume the story quickly until the last scoop is there. And once you have consumed that scoop as well, then the mystery is unraveled  bare before you and you wish you had savored that innocence  and ice cream a little more.

P.S. Please leave a comment behind.
P.P.S. This is a Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl book.

Say what you will

Say what you will

 Cammie McGovern 

343 pages

Summary:Direct from: Cammie McGovern's website
 http://www.cammiemcgovern.com/my-books/

Amy and Matthew didn’t know each other, really. They weren’t friends. Matthew remembered her, sure, but he remembered a lot of people from elementary school that he wasn’t friends with now. Matthew never planned to tell Amy what he thought of her cheerful façade, but after he does, Amy realize she needs someone like him in her life.

As they begin to spend more time with each other, Amy learns that Matthew has his own secrets and she decides to try to help in the same way he’s helped her. And when what started out as a friendship turns into something neither of them expected, they realize that they tell each other everything—except what matter most.

My Opinion

I dont know, but this book resonates with me. This romance seems more probable to me than other romance novels. Sometimes those see so unrealistic. I could see the romance happening in McGovern's book.Amy and Matthew were so humanlike. I was hooked. I started reading early that morning and a good 3-4 hours later, i had finished. And i actually felt satisfied. Actually the main theme of the book might have been, besides romance, destroying stereotypes. I felt like the stereotypes/ predictions I had about people just didnt come through. McGovern's characters were fleshed out too.I lovee that she talkeed about mental illnesses. They are all around us, but not a part of dsily conversation which is sad. Cerebral palsy and OCD are out there and they aren't bad things nor do bad people have them. That's another lesson you will learn. Very nice. Overall, i can see why this is a Helen Ruffin Reading bowl book. It twas very very good and i recommend it to you

P.s. Please leave a comment below.

Native Son

Native Son
Richard Wright
502 pages

Summary: Direct from Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Native-Son-Richard-Wright/dp/0062357255

Right from the start, Bigger Thomas had been headed for jail. It could have been for assault or petty larceny; by chance, it was for murder and rape. Native Son tells the story of this young black man caught in a downward spiral after he kills a young white woman in a brief moment of panic. Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Richard Wright’s powerful novel is an unsparing reflection on the poverty and feelings of hopelessness experienced by people in inner cities across the country and of what it means to be black in America.

Opinion:
(Sigh) This book. I just couldn't deal. The outcome of the book was laid out before me right after Bigger Thomas first committed his crime. After that scene, I was done with the entire book, but since it is summer required reading I had to complete it.[Spoiler] It truly was sad about Bessie, especially how the court showcased her. Death should be respected. Her body didn't need to be shown to the world. That irked me. Especially how nobody seemed to care and just viewed her as a thing. [End Spoiler] Overall, the entire court scenes weren't my favorites. It was completely unnecessary to have almost 100 pages on his days in court and for Mr. Max's speech to be 20 pages of it. I didn't want to read all of that. It was interesting, especially since Max brought many issues to light that affect blacks today. He brought up oppression and how it was/ is something America is having difficulty with. I especially liked his words of black America being a nation inside a nation.

All of Max's words were so thought provoking. He was my favorite character truthfully.Its so true in that fictional 1930's and even now (the news and the increasing black body count are testaments to that). It was a wonderful speech and one that somebody should say in real life to the mass someday, but for a courtroom I felt like it was too long and a little unnecessary. That could just be my opinion. I see how Native Son could be revered as a classic due to Wright's progressiveness in bringing light to the plight of my people, but the story overall was just uninteresting and a little unrealistic to me. Certain parts of Bigger's personality seemed realistic to me, while others seemed stretched thin and forced to fit the new stereotype that Wright wanted to portray. Overall, I think the introduction and analysis to the story attached in the copy I have was the most interesting.  It actually spoiled a little of the story for me, but I didn't mind. I don't really recommend reading the book. My father has read it and truthfully, he didn't even remember the plot. In the analysis, that author compared Native Son to the Invisible Man and said the Invisible Man was a much better book in terms of plot and message undertone about the lives of blacks. The Invisible Man is actually my father's favorite book. If you decide to read Native Son, please be over the age of 16 or at least very mature (the book deals with serious issues like rape, murder, public masturbation, and gore) and have wonderful reading comprehension, as well as overall understanding where Richard Wright was coming from when he wrote this book (a different time, but where in some aspects we can relate).


P.S. Please leave a message/comment below. What do you think?
P.P.P.S. Bigger Thomas did not rape Mary, but Bessie was raped since she didn't truly give consent in her last scene.
P.P.S #BLACK LIVES MATTER

The message:

Ferdinand and Isabella

Ferdinand & Isabella
Paul Stevens 
(Introductory essay "On Leadership" by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.)
111 pages
World Leaders Past & Present Series

Summary: Direct from Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Ferdinand-Isabella-World-Leaders-Present/dp/0877545235

A biography of the king and queen whose marriage led to the unification of Spain and who increased the country's power by conquering the Moors and sending Columbus to America.

Opinion:
This was a very informative book. Its a non-ficition book about the lives of Ferdinand and Isabella, the King of Aragon and Queen of Castile (Spain regions). You might know of them as the people who funded Columbus's excursion. They did much more than that though, these monarchs helped as well as hindered their country at the same time. It starts with Columbus asking the monarchs for funding for his new trade route. The first thing I learned was that Columbus was 40 years old at the time of the trip, as well as being a very arrogant person. I visited Spain in the summer of 2014 and noticed that the actions of these monarchs really did affect Spain, from then to now. The facts in the book are so interesting. In AP World History, I learned about King Henry the 8th, who had 6 wives and actually created a new branch of Christianity in order to be allowed to have a divorce. "Divorce, Beheaded, and Died. Divorced, Beheaded, Survived."

World History is such an interesting topic, since its so very hard to fathom sometimes that while one very fabulous event is happening in one country, halfway over the world something else noteworthy is occurring. You have to look at the times and just be amazed. Maybe its just me. I do get weird notions. Overall, I really liked this book. It reminds me of my younger days where I would read tons of historical fiction or just historical books in general (usually biographies). I am a history buff, so this book is recommended to other history buffs, people who like Spanish history, or just people who want to one-up your friends on cool/interesting/fun facts. FYI, the book is in the reading level of a 5th grader, or at least I was able to read this in the 5th grade. Its very easy to understand, though there are a few technical terms.

P.S. Please leave a comment below. I want to know how I'm doing. Like or nah?

Rings of Enchantment

Rings of Enchantment
Alicia Rivoli
759 pages
The Enchantment Series


Overview: Direct from Amazon.com  http://www.amazon.com/Rings-Enchantment-The-Series-Book-ebook/dp/B00C79JREM

Everything is About to Change...
The enchantments protecting the kingdom of Mere are growing weaker. Jacan, recognizing the change, sends his army of Umbra through the shadow portals to wreak havoc on the cities outside Mere’s walls of protection. He feels his own powers have begun to weaken. That could only mean one thing, the heir of Nebula has returned.
As Preston approaches Mere he is discovering more of his father’s stories are coming to life around him. He is struggling with the thought that he will be the King, and that one day he is expected to marry the Princess of Mere. When Preston takes a wrong step and finds himself alone, he uncovers something that his father never told him. Will he discover all the pieces of the puzzle in time with danger around every corner and Jacan and the Umbra getting closer?
Chloe’s magic builds with each challenge from The Master Puzzler and the evil creatures that inhabit Mere. She quickly becomes a skilled sorceress as she fights alongside an unlikely companion. Can Chloe learn to control her magic before it consumes her life source? Will she accept what is yet to come?
Follow the epic journey of Preston, Megan, Chloe and Jason in their quest for victory and their struggle to take their rightful places in the kingdom of Mere.

Opinion:

Wow this book was long. The readers knew the eventual predictable outcome. It was obvious from the start who the Princes and Princesses were. I liked the road to the ending. It was creative. Excellent worldbuilding if i do say so myself. But besides that, this was a cute read. I suggest reading the first book in the doulogy as without it you will be kinda lost. Its been a while since i read the first book so it took a while before i caught up with the storyline and remembered the characters. Fair warning: the book is reallly long.



P.S. Please leave a comment behind.

Broken Spirits

Broken Spirits

S.A.Hunter

424 pages

Scary Mary Series

Overview: Direct from S.A. Hunter's website http://www.sahunter.net/p/scary-mary.html

Mary has been through a lot recently. She defeated a Shadowman, saved Vicky from a coma, and got a date to homecoming. She's ready for life to settle down and be a bit boring so she can catch her breath and process everything that she's been through. But she isn't going to get any downtime.
She may have defeated the Shadowman, but it isn't done with Mary, and it has her number. Literally. Now a scary monster is calling her house and Mary can't block its number. What does it want? How can she get rid of it? And what will she do when it decides to come visit?

Opinion:

This time the series’ title really embodies the storyline. Mary is scary. This girl has gone through so much. I am amazed she can still function after killing Mr. White and seeing the Shadowman. However, stuff just got worse from there in my opinion. A couple of surprises come in the relationships of her friends: Rachel, Kyle, and even Vicky. I think they need to stop mentioning Cys in a boyfriend potential type of way; that is crazy. Let the girl experience relationships please. The antagonist in this book scared everyone. The phone calls were the creepiest. If I got creepy phone calls following me all the time, I would have called the police. The antagonist's "apprentice" was the real curveball. I did not expect it; truly, I did not expect most of the stuff in the book. Now the remaining mystery is who exactly this mystery caller savior is. I recommend reading this series. Its highly original and one that I enjoy and will continue to support.

P.S. This book cover is beautiful.
P.P.S. Please leave a comment below or the ghosts will come for you.