January in Review

The first month of 2016 is already ending and I am very happy with my reading this month. I think I did an awesome job (for me) keeping my blog updated and I was on top of my reading. A new semester of school began and everything seems to be going well. Reading is something I do for fun, and I definitely had a lot of fun this month.

  
  
  

Seconds - Bryan Lee O'Malley {5 out of 5 Stars}
The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan {3 out of 5 Stars}
Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Maas {4 out of 5 Stars}
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness - Susannah Cahalan {4 out of 5 Stars}
Modern Romance - Aziz Ansari {5 out of 5 Stars}
Seed - Liza Heathfield {2 out of 5 Stars}
Chew Vol 3: Just Desserts {4 out of 5 Stars}
Captain Marvel Vol 2: Stay Fly {2 out of 5 Stars} 

 


   
I am excited for February, it's my birthday month and I can't wait to read lots more books. My plan is to star The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, and read through the short stories slowly. My copy of Why Not Mw? just arrived from the library so I will be listening to that soon as well. 



Short and Sweet Reviews: Graphic Novel Edition {3}

Saga: Volume One
By: Brian K.Vaughan and Fiona Staples

This was a really good graphic novel. The world is interesting and the characters were great. I really like the forbidden romance and the banter between characters. It is definitely a bit weird, but I got used to it pretty quick. Weird is cool. It is kind of graphic but I'm an adult and I can appreciate it. I accidentally was reading this in public at the library so I had to like hide in the corner to not expose any graphic content to any unsuspecting individuals. I will be picking up the next volume soon.

4 out of 5 Stars

Chew Volume 3: Just Desserts
By: John Layman and Robert Guillory

I am obsessed with this series. It's just so cleaver and unique. I really enjoy the arch in this volume and there were certainly some surprises! I can't wait to see what kind of role some of the new characters introduced play in future volumes.  I highly recommend this series. If you are looking for an awesome comic book series, check out Chew!

4 out of 5 Stars


Captain Marvel Volume 2: Stay Fly
By. Kelly Sue DeConnick, Marcio Takara and David Lopez

This was just super weird. I really wasn't into the plot, it kept taking super strange turns and I wasn't feeling it. Captain Marvel is an interesting character and I really want to love her but I am not enjoying this run. However, at the moment there is only 1 more volume and I am pretty certain that it's the last one for this run so I am planning to finish it, maybe. I really really want to like these. Sigh.

2 out of 5 Stars


Review: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

Genre: YA Fantasy
Series: Hero's of Olympus #1
Publication: 10/12/2010 by Disney Hyperion
Pages: 557 Pages
Source: Overdrive
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary
Jason has a problem.
He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper, and a best friend named Leo. They’re all students at a boarding school for “bad kids.” What did Jason do to end up here? And where is here, exactly?

Piper has a secret.
Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare about his being in trouble. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits during the school trip, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out.

Leo has a way with tools.
When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too—like the curse everyone keeps talking about, and some camper who;s gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them—including Leo—is related to a god. Does this have anything to do with Jason's amnesia, or the fact that Leo keeps seeing ghosts?


My Thoughts: 
Rick Riordan is always super fun to read but I have never been blown away by any of his books. Does this mean I am getting old? The Lost Hero is another series in the Percy Jackson universe and just like Percy Jackson it's packed full of adventure. That's what I like most about Riordan's books is that there is always something new going on. They're full on adventure books and I wish I had read these when I was younger. 

Since I am older now, I find these books to be very formulaic. They're is always a quest, followed by madness and adventure. But I always gravitate to these books when I need something fun and easy to read. I have never had a bad time with Riordan and he's always a safe bet for a fun book and an interesting story. I know I would have enjoyed this more when I was younger, and I highly recommend this to young teens everywhere. But if you're like me and not a young teenager this is still a fun book but it's not going to be ground breaking. 

TTT: Top 10 Favourite OTP's

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
This week is a freebee week, so I decided to talk about my top 10 favourite couples from books, movies and TV. I have said it before, I love love and there are certain couples that melt my heart. Let's get into it: 

10. America Singer and Prince Maxon
The Selection Series
This one is very guilty pleasure for me. I had so many feelings while reading The Selection series and I just wanted this to happen so badly it hurt me. Normally I not invested in a couple during a book series that passionately but these 2 gave me the feels.


9. Haley Dunphy and Andy
Modern Family
I have been invested in this series since the beginning and Andy only recently came onto the scene. At first, they hated each other and then they fell in love. But when they tried to tell each other how they felt something always got in the way and the feels were real. Now, finally it happened :)


8. Ron and Hermione
Harry Potter
I have always liked them together. Through the whole series you saw signs that they they loved each other, and I have always been on board. Opposites attract right? If you have any doubt about them just check out Tumblr and they'll tell you why they're perfect.


7. Robbie Hart and Julia Sutherland
The Wedding Singer
This may be a cheesy Adam Sandler movie but I love it to bits. Julia and Robbie are adorable and if you have any doubt go and listen to "Grow Old With You". Its the song that Robbie wrote to sing to Julia during the movie. Magic.


6. Eilis and Tony
Brooklyn
This is a very new OTP. I went to see this movie a couple of weeks ago and I feel so deeply in love with this couple. I couldn't get enough. I am so strongly team Tony it's painful. I picked up the book recently so I could re-experience this couple again.


5. Buttercup and Wesley/Dread Pirate Roberts
The Princess Bride
I can never hear the words "As You Wish" the same way again. This movie/book just makes me smile and I love them. Wesley is the dream, and I love a lot of his quotes during this movie.


4. Han Solo and Princess Leia
Star Wars
I have been watching Star Wars since before I can remember so these 2 have always been one of my OTPs. I love their banter and their arguments. Han is a dreamy character and I am pretty sure only Princess Leia is the only one in the galaxy that could balance him out.


3. Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt
Parks and Recreation
I love these 2 so much I don't even know what to say. Their wedding episode most definitely made me cry and I couldn't get enough. Park and Recreation was my favourite show of last year and these 2 quickly became one of my favourite couples. And an honourable mention to April and Andy <3 p="">


2. Jim and Pam Helpert
The Office
Jim is the dream. I couldn't help fall in love with them falling in love. It felt so real. Jim's teary confessionals and declarations of love literally melted me. I love that it wasn't easy for them all the time and I couldn't get enough of their looks across The Office. I don't even know how many times these 2 made me cry. So many feels and I might be crying now just thinking of it. 


1. Harry Burns and Sally Albright
When Harry Met Sally
This is my favourite movie of all time by far so Harry and Sally are my favourite couple. I put this movie on anytime I need a pick me up and it makes me feel better instantly. Harry and Sally have a friendship that turns into romance which is one of my favourite tropes because I many have happened to me. But Harry and Sally, they are the dream. And a bonus honourable mention for all the old people during the interviews in the movie.


Did this lost take way to long to make because I was on Tumblr looking of GIF sets of every couple. Yup, pretty much. Let me know some of your favourite couples. Thanks for reading my fangirling. 



















Review: Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Genre: Graphic Novel
Publication: 07/14/2015 by Ballantine Books
Pages: 323 Pages
Source: Library Hardback
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Goodreads Summary:
Katie’s got it pretty good. She’s a talented young chef, she runs a successful restaurant, and she has big plans to open an even better one. Then, all at once, progress on the new location bogs down, her charming ex-boyfriend pops up, her fling with another chef goes sour, and her best waitress gets badly hurt. And just like that, Katie’s life goes from pretty good to not so much. What she needs is a second chance. Everybody deserves one, after all—but they don’t come easy. Luckily for Katie, a mysterious girl appears in the middle of the night with simple instructions for a do-it-yourself do-over: 
1. Write your mistake
2. Ingest one mushroom
3. Go to sleep
4. Wake anew

And just like that, all the bad stuff never happened, and Katie is given another chance to get things right. She’s also got a dresser drawer full of magical mushrooms—and an irresistible urge to make her life not just good, but perfect. Too bad it’s against the rules. But Katie doesn’t care about the rules—and she’s about to discover the unintended consequences of the best intentions.

My Thoughts
This was a perfect way to begin this year. It was amazing and quickly became one of my favourite all time graphic novels. I found Katie's story very relatable because at one point or another we all wish that we could go back and change something in our life. I had a hard time putting it down every time I picked it up and I was just engrossed in the story.

My only one criticism is that I feel like I've heard this story before. This isn't the first story that shows the perils of going back to change something in your life. However, I think that this was a new refreshing take on that story line. Bryan Lee O'Malley is fantastic and I am definitely going to check out his other stories in the future. I highly recommend!

Stacking the Shevles 10: I Like to Buy Books and I Cannot Lie

STS is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Review.
Over the past few weeks I have collected a few new books. Woohoo! I have a combination of physical, eBooks and eArcs. Here we go: 

Physical


eBooks
 

eArc

Let me know if you've read any of these book and let me know if I should put some of these higher on my TBR. I am very excited for all of these and can't wait to get into them. 









Review: Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch

Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication: 10/13/2015 by Balzer + Bray
Series: Snow Like Ashes #2
Pages: 479 Pages
Source: eBook
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary:
It’s been three months since the Winterians were freed and Spring’s king, Angra, disappeared—thanks largely to the help of Cordell.
Meira just wants her people to be safe. When Cordellan debt forces the Winterians to dig their mines for payment, they unearth something powerful and possibly dangerous: Primoria’s lost chasm of magic. Theron sees this find as an opportunity—with this much magic, the world can finally stand against threats like Angra. But Meira fears the danger the chasm poses—the last time the world had access to so much magic, it spawned the Decay. So when the king of Cordell orders the two on a mission across the kingdoms of Primoria to discover the chasm’s secrets, Meira plans to use the trip to garner support to keep the chasm shut and Winter safe—even if it means clashing with Theron. But can she do so without endangering the people she loves?
Mather just wants to be free. The horrors inflicted on the Winterians hang fresh and raw in Januari—leaving Winter vulnerable to Cordell’s growing oppression. When Meira leaves to search for allies, he decides to take Winter’s security into his own hands. Can he rebuild his broken kingdom and protect them from new threats?
As the web of power and deception weaves tighter, Theron fights for magic, Mather fights for freedom—and Meira starts to wonder if she should be fighting not just for Winter, but for the world.

My Thoughts:
I was so excited for this this book to come out. I absolutely loved Snow Like Ashes and I actually pre-ordered Ice Like Fire. However, I don't want to say I was disappointed by this book but I was definitely a bit underwhelmed. I think Ice Like Fire does suffer a bit from second book syndrome and I found the beginning of this book to be quite slow. Meira is struggling with her new role, her new powers and how to best serve the Winterians. I think this is way I wasn't was thrilled with this novel, Meira wasn't the main character I remembered. I completely understand her feelings but I just wanted her to realize that even though she's now a leader, she can still be who she always was. I understand why this was a plot point, but it just fell flat for me. 

What I did enjoy about this book was the romance plot. I really liked that the romance in this series does take a backseat but it does have a different role in this book than it did in Snow Like Ashes. Like many people, I definitely jumped "ships" during this book which I don't think I've ever done while reading. Theron's actions during this story definitely turned me off and I am now a big Mather supporter. However, I wasn't super thrilled with this POV in this book. It was more interested in Meria's POV than Mather's but I do understand why his POV was also necessary.

Ice Like Fire did definitely pick up speed as you went along and I was on the edge of my seat by the end of the book. I also really love some of the new characters and I am very excited for the last book in this series. I had a hard time rating this book, I debated between 3 and 4 stars. I decided on 3 stars because I feel like that's a more honest rating. I must say am still VERY excited for the 3rd book. I think this book set it up very well to be a very intense and exciting finale.  I still highly recommend this series, let's hope that Frost Like Night doesn't make me change my mind. 





Review: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

Genre: Nonfiction, Science
Publication: 04/17/2003 by W.W. Norton & Company
Pages: 303 Pages
Source: Library Audiobook
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Goodreads Summary:
Stiff is an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers—some willingly, some unwittingly—have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. In this fascinating account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries and tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.



My Thoughts:
I am going to start off by saying, this book isn't for everyone. It is about all the awesome things that our bodies can do after we die so if thinking about that makes you uncomfortable I would advise you skip this book. I picked it up because I am a Forensic Science student and this novel sounded like interesting . I learn a lot about what happens to us after we die in my courses so this was a natural progression. 

I found some sections of this book incredibly interesting, while others were more dry. It reminded me of assigned reading sometimes which took away from my enjoyment of the book. However, I did find a lot of it very interesting. I was interested in seeing different approaches to mortuary sciences and what kind of choices you have after you die. In addition, I have a Bachelor's of Science where I encountered a cadaver once during my studies so I could really appreciate the sections on donating your body to science. 

Our bodies are amazing things, even after death. If you are interested in science nonfiction, I think this is an interesting one to add to your collection. It provides a different prospective on death which is very interesting. It's often a taboo topic that shouldn't be. We all die and this book can tell you how awesome you are when you do. 

Most Disappointing Books of 2015

Now that we've talked about all our favourite books from 2015, the time has come to talk about the books that I least enjoyed this past year. There are less books than I thought there would be, which is awesome. Most of these books weren't necessarily bad, they just didn't live up to my expectations and they have the lowest ratings from this past year.


The Scorch Trails by James Dashner
Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars 

I was so confused while reading this book. I actually had no idea what was going on most of the time. This series just seems to be creating even more questions than answers. I finally decided to quit it a few weeks ago and passed my box set along to my cousin who will enjoy it so much more than me. 




The 100 by Kass Morgan
Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars

This was actually the first book I read in 2015 and it was the first review I ever put on my blog. However, I was disappointed by the story. I was just not interested in the story and I struggled to get through it. I thought with the success of the TV series this book would be good but I just wasn't into it.




Losing It by Cora Carmack
Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars 

This was my first adventure into New Adult but clearly it didn't blow me away. I had some problems with the romance in this book. It wasn't surprising and I really disliked the side characters. I was super annoyed by the "virgin shaming" aspect of the book as well. I am going to try more new adult this year hopefully but I can see myself finding a lot of these stories problematic.  




Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James 
Rating: 1 out of 5 Stars 

I just can't with this book. This is the only one that I honestly think is a terrible book. I absolutely cannot stand the tropes in this book and I honestly don't know why I read it. Christian is controlling and abusive. Anastasia is so naive it's painful. I honestly don't think you can go through university and be that naive. I don't even want to go on with this. 





That's everything! I have lots of 3 star books that could almost make the list but these are the only ones that I honestly feel that I was disappointed by. Let me know what books disappointed you this year. 



Review: Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Ed Tarkington

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication: 01/05/2016 by Algonquin Books
Pages: 320 Pages
Source: eARC
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary
Welcome to Spencerville, Virginia, 1977. Eight-year-old Rocky worships his older brother, Paul. Sixteen and full of rebel cool, Paul spends his days cruising in his Chevy Nova blasting Neil Young, cigarette dangling from his lips, arm slung around his beautiful, troubled girlfriend. Paul is happy to have his younger brother as his sidekick. Then one day, in an act of vengeance against their father, Paul picks up Rocky from school and nearly abandons him in the woods. Afterward, Paul disappears.

Seven years later, Rocky is a teenager himself. He hasn’t forgotten being abandoned by his boyhood hero, but he’s getting over it, with the help of the wealthy neighbours’ daughter, ten years his senior, who has taken him as her lover. Unbeknownst to both of them, their affair will set in motion a course of events that rains catastrophe on both their families. After a mysterious double murder brings terror and suspicion to their small town, Rocky and his family must reckon with the past and find out how much forgiveness their hearts can hold.

My Thoughts:
I had a VERY hard time rating this book. I enjoyed my time in this story but I found it slow going. The story follows Rocky as he grows up from the age of 8 until he is in late teens and adulthood. His life took some interesting turns which gives you a new persecutive on how you see our life and your family. 

The biggest reason that I couldn't rate this book higher was that I had trouble connecting to the characters. Most of them just felt distant and I didn't have the feelings that I feel like I should have when bad things were happening to them. I felt like I was looking into the story rather than being immersed in it. However, I got more invested in the story when it took on more of a mystery tone in the second half. I went into this story not knowing a whole lot about the plot and I think I was more enjoyable that way. I feel like the synopsis gives a lot away instead of allowing you to discover it for yourself. 

This is a good book, and it does make you think about many things. I really do think the title suits the book very well and I am adding it to some of my favourite quotes. The big thing for was was that the story just didn't wow me or hit me as emotionally as I thought it should have. If the story intrigues you I definitely recommend it. It's well written and touches on a lot of important topics. It is a good story about family and growing up, and if that's up your alley check it out.