The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Hey y'all! My summer has kicked off to a crazy start with the wedding of my best friend! Being her maid of honor left little time for posting or reading so I'm currently playing catch-up. I read this book as part of my Brit Lit curriculum and it was really good! It kind of had a Jodi Piccoult meets John Green feel to me. It is told from the perspective of a little boy who has special needs. It is seriously so good that it only took me two days to finish it. There wasn't a whole lot I could find synopsis-wise but here's a little snip-it.

"Christopher Boone is a fifteen and has Asperger's, a form of autism. He knows a great deal about math and very little about human beings. When he finds his neighbor's dog murdered he sets out on a terrifying journey which will turn his world upside down."


This is such an easy read, however I will advise that there is some strong language.


Enjoy!
-Bookworm

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Hey guys! So irony of all ironies, one of the books for my current English class (the very ones I just said I wasn't that psyched to read) turns out to be one of the best post apocalyptic / dystopian-ish novels I have ever read. This book was published in 2006 and it has been on my 'to read' list for a really long time.

The Road.

You must all read this book. Immediately.

I am not going to lie to you and say this book is action packed and super exciting because it really isn't. However, it literally chills you to the bones as you read it. His vivid descriptions have changed the way I look at the world.

"A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.

The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, "each the other's world entire," are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation."

I've heard that the movie is not very good, but I have not seen it myself to tell you. However I think that the father is played by an actor from The Lord of the Rings. Again, not positive.

Anyways! You guys seriously go check this book out!

-Enjoy!
Bookworm

I'm Still Alive and Sending Lots of Love!

Hey y'all! I know its been months since my last posting! My semester is more crazy than I could ever have anticipated! I am reading about two books a week for my three English classes and while they are good in their own rite, they are not the kinds of books I am really itching to read. All semester I have been slowly accumulating books to read over my vacation which is even more slowly approaching. I so far have about 25 books on the official summer reading list, and a few that I may tack on if I have time, which hopefully I will. Last summer I managed to read about 17 books, however I had a job which had a LOT of down time to do said reading. Finals are in a month and if I make it that far without crapping out from exhaustion, then I will try to post my intended reading list so y'all can follow along! Thanks for being patient while my life goes in a million different directions! You guys rock! Stay tuned for a post about my current read!

Bookworm

It's Finally Here! Shutter By Courtney Alameda

Hey all!! A few months back I told you about my amazing friend and her new release SHUTTER. I asked you all to preorder it, partly because she's my friend and partly because I love supporting fledgling authors!  SHUTTER was released on February 3rd in the US. I had the opportunity to go to Courtney's California launch event in Palo Alto and it was so fun! She gave an amazing presentation about her inspirations and her writing/publishing process! She signed my book and gave out awesome bracelets and bookmarks! I just finished SHUTTER last night and I can honestly say (totally unbiased of course) that this book is one of the best things to come out of YA literature in a while! It is so creative and unique! It didn't really remind me of anything which made it that much better! If you don't know anything about SHUTTER, its based around the story of DRACULA. You don't have to have read DRACULA to read this book, but it helps to have some background knowledge because she often refers to it. ANYWAYS, it is about the descendants of the characters in DRACULA who are a part of a present day ghost hunting organization. If you've read the MORTAL INSTRUMENTS by Cassandra Clare, the structure of Courtney's organization is similar to that of the Clave just to give you an idea. This book goes from 0 to 100 in the first page and doesn't slow down at all! It is dripping with action and fight scenes! It has an amazing cast of characters, the main being a strong female protagonist which is definitely nice to see. Courtney just announced yesterday that she has been signed for a separate project and was given a two book deal with Feiwel & Friends. Her first book of this new set is due out next year sometime and based on the theme its going to be just as good!

Seriously guys, give this book a read. It will blow your mind!

Here is the official blurp for SHUTTER:

"Micheline Helsing is a tetrachromat — a girl　who　sees the auras of the undead in a prismatic spectrum. As one of the last descendants of the Van Helsing lineage, she has trained since childhood to destroy monsters both corporeal and spiritual: the corporeal undead go down by the bullet, the spiritual undead by the lens. With　an　analog SLR camera as her best weapon, Micheline exorcises ghosts by capturing their spiritual energy on film. She's aided by her crew: Oliver, a techno-whiz and the boy who developed her camera's technology; Jude, who can predict death; and Ryder, the boy Micheline has known and loved forever.

When a routine ghost hunt goes awry, Micheline and the boys are infected with a curse known as a soulchain.　As the ghostly chains spread through their bodies, Micheline learns that if she doesn't exorcise her entity in seven days or less, she and her friends　will die. Now pursued as a renegade agent by her monster-hunting father, Leonard Helsing, she must track and destroy an entity more powerful than anything she's faced before . . . or die trying.

Lock, stock, and lens, she’s in for one hell of a week."

-Enjoy!

Bookworm

Welcome to 2015!

Happy New Year all! I hope everyone had a great holiday season! I know I did! I have just posted the reading list from 2014! I am currently reading a book called The Cellar by Natasha Preston and it is amazing! Also I am reading Dracula by Bram Stoker. Also Amazing! I will be reading a lot of amazing books this semester as I am taking three English classes at one time! busy but exciting! I also want to point out that my blog has almost reached 10,000 page views! That is incredible! Thank y'all soo much!! I am excited about what this new year is going to bring for me! Lastly, I have a bit of shameless friend promotion I must take care of! My amazing friend Courtney Alameda's book is being released on February 3rd!! It is called Shutter! Go pre-order it NOW!!! You won't be sorry! Ok, now I'm done! I hope you all have an amazing year! Keep checking back for updates!


-Enjoy!
Bookworm

Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman

Hey all! Alright I just finished this book on Thursday and it was fabulous! It is written by Neil Gaiman who is from the UK so it reads a little differently than I am used too. I had to look up a few things, such as "Sticking Plasters" apparently is the equivalent of a band-aid in America.

The book is about a man who returns to his childhood home and remembers a very interesting encounter with his neighbors down the road. The way Gaiman writes about the neighbors is just so fascinating! They were very unique and I was always waiting for the next crazy thing to happen!

Ultimately this is a story of growing up and maturing. Its a story about friendships and loss. Its very interesting to read a book from a child's point of view. It brings a different tone. Overall, I absolutely loved this book!

Highly Recommend!

Enjoy!
Bookworm

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

Alright guys I'm a little behind on my posts! So I'm going to catch up. Recently I finished The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp. This book was really great! If you don't mind the language or the constant teenaged drinking and shenanigans. . . this book is for you!

It is written from the perspective of a teenaged alcoholic named Sutter Keeley. Having lived an unhappy childhood, Sutter turns to alcohol for the comfort he is seeking. During a drunken episode he stumbles upon Amy, a shy girl in his class. Now before you think of this as another Fault in Our Stars, its not really that romantic. Since it is told from Sutter's P.O.V. , the romance aspect is lacking. He has a lively sense of humor mixed with an pessimistic outlook on life. He's such an interesting character and Tharp does an excellent job of making him painfully realistic and honest. Its almost refreshing to read! Anyways, this book is not very long, and has recently been made into a film! (Which I have yet to see)

Check it out!

Enjoy!
Bookworm