Review: Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

Genre: Memoir
Publication: 04/17/2012 by Putnam
Pages: 318 Pages
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
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Goodreads Summary
Jenny Lawson realized that the most mortifying moments of our lives—the ones we’d like to pretend never happened—are in fact the ones that define us. In the #1 New York Times bestseller, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson takes readers on a hilarious journey recalling her bizarre upbringing in rural Texas, her devastatingly awkward high school years, and her relationship with her long-suffering husband, Victor. Chapters include: “Stanley the Magical, Talking Squirrel”; “A Series of Angry Post-It Notes to My Husband”; “My Vagina Is Fine. Thanks for Asking”; “And Then I Snuck a Dead Cuban Alligator on an Airplane.” Pictures with captions (no one would believe these things without proof) accompany the text.


My Thoughts
I loved Jenny Lawson's second book so I had to pick up the first one. I relate so much to Jenny, it's hilarious. I love the way that she mixes humour with her anxiety. I also have anxiety and I think it's hilarious when she finds the humour even in those situations. Plus, she get's herself into the most ridiculous situations. I can't help but die laughing just listening to this book. She combines heart-felt stories and funny ones so well. I highly recommend both of her books. Especially on audiobook, just hearing Jenny tell her own stories is 100% the way to go. I found myself laughing on public transit and getting looks from the other people on the bus. But I didn't really care because this book was so good.

Review: The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

Genre: Fantasy
Publication: 10/2/2012 by Disney-Hyperion
Series: The Heroes of Olympus #3
Pages: 586
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
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Goodread Summary:
In The Son of Neptune, Percy, Hazel, and Frank met in Camp Jupiter, the Roman equivalent of Camp Halfblood, and traveled to the land beyond the gods to complete a dangerous quest. The third book in the Heroes of Olympus series will unite them with Jason, Piper, and Leo. But they number only six--who will complete the Prophecy of Seven?
The Greek and Roman demigods will have to cooperate in order to defeat the giants released by the Earth Mother, Gaea. Then they will have to sail together to the ancient land--Greece itself--to find the Doors of Death. What exactly are the Doors of Death? Much of the prophecy remains a mystery...

With old friends and new friends joining forces, a marvellous ship, fearsome foes, and an exotic setting, The Mark of Athena promises to be another unforgettable adventure by master storyteller Rick Riordan.

My Thoughts
I have been working on finishing this series and it's been fun so far.  However, this series hasn't blown me away but I reach for it because it's always a super fun adventure that I know I will like it. All of the characters are different and diverse. I feel they are growing through every book and it was awesome to finally have everybody together in this book.

I always want to rate these books higher than I do but for some reason I just can't. They are like a person you really want to fall in love with but just find those feelings. I don't know why I don't love them as much as I want to. Don't get me wrong I have fun when I read them but I just can't make myself fall in love with them. I am still going to finish it because I enjoy the characters and the adventures. I also want to know how this series ends before I continue with Magnus Chase.

If you love Percy Jackson and Rick Riordan's books you'll love this one too. The characters are relatable and the story is always non-stop. I am curious about how this series is going to end and I hope the next two books excite me more than the first 3 have.

Review: Redshirts by John Scalzi

Genre: Science Fiction
Publication: 6/5/2012 by Tor Books
Pages: 320 Pages
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
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Goodreads Summary
Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It’s a prestige posting, and Andrew is thrilled all the more to be assigned to the ship’s Xenobiology laboratory.

Life couldn’t be better…until Andrew begins to pick up on the fact that:
(1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces
(2) the ship’s captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations
(3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.


Not surprisingly, a great deal of energy below decks is expended on avoiding, at all costs, being assigned to an Away Mission. Then Andrew stumbles on information that completely transforms his and his colleagues’ understanding of what the starship Intrepid really is…and offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives.

My Thoughts
This book is ridiculously meta. At some points I absolutely adored it, and at others it left me a bit confused. But in the end I did generally really enjoy this book. I found myself laughing and enjoying the parallels to Star Trek. I am typically not the biggest Science Fiction reader but this one really won me over. What I deducted stars for was the extra codas (which I think just means extra chapters). They followed 3 of the side characters and helped to tie up some loose ends but in the end the book wouldn't have been different without them.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has seen Star Trek (original series or otherwise). If you have no idea what Star Trek is or don't like it at all, stay away from this book. Some background knowledge of Star Trek really makes this book better and without it I even think you may be a bit lost. I give this one a thumbs up, and will be checking out some of John Scalzi's stuff in the future.

DNF Explanation: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publication: 12/31/2012 by Viking Books
Series: Me Before You #1
Pages: 481 Pages
Format: Overdrive eBook
Rating: DNF
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Goodreads Summary
Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that. 

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

My Thoughts:
So I gave up on this book, for now at least. There wasn't anything wrong with this book besides the fact that I got bored. I wasn't in the mood for this kind of story. I thought I should read it now, since there has been so much hype since the movie but I just couldn't get into the story. I got 41% of the way through and hadn't yet been pulled in. I'm just not into this story at the moment, and if I force myself to finish I'll either not enjoy it as much as I could or I'll force myself into a slump (likely both). I can see myself possibly enjoying it more in the future when I'm in the mood. For now, this is going back to the library. 

Lots of people really love this book so if you are interested in reading it, you definitely still should. It's not bad, I'm just not in the mood for contemporary. 

Review: Brian on Fire - My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir
Publication: 11/13/2012 by Free Press
Pages: 261 Pages
Source: Library Audiobook
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
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Goodreads Summary: 
A gripping memoir and medical suspense story about a young New York Post reporter’s struggle with a rare and terrifying disease, opening a new window into the fascinating world of brain science.

One day, Susannah Cahalan woke up in a strange hospital room, strapped to her bed, under guard, and unable to move or speak. Her medical records—from a month-long hospital stay of which she had no memory—showed psychosis, violence, and dangerous instability. Yet, only weeks earlier she had been a healthy, ambitious twenty-four year old, six months into her first serious relationship and a sparkling career as a cub reporter. 

Susannah’s astonishing memoir chronicles the swift path of her illness and the lucky, last-minute intervention led by one of the few doctors capable of saving her life. As weeks ticked by and Susannah moved inexplicably from violence to catatonia, $1 million worth of blood tests and brain scans revealed nothing. The exhausted doctors were ready to commit her to the psychiatric ward, in effect condemning her to a lifetime of institutions, or death, until Dr. Souhel Najjar—nicknamed Dr. House—joined her team. He asked Susannah to draw one simple sketch, which became key to diagnosing her with a newly discovered autoimmune disease in which her body was attacking her brain, an illness now thought to be the cause of “demonic possessions” throughout history. 

With sharp reporting drawn from hospital records, scientific research, and interviews with doctors and family, Brain on Fire is a crackling mystery and an unflinching, gripping personal story that marks the debut of an extraordinary writer.

My Thoughts:
I have had this book on my Goodreads TBR list for years. I am a Biology and Psychology student so this book was right up my alley. It's a story that really makes you think about your health and how to approach it. Not every medical case is cut and dry so it's interesting to see the approach they took with Susannah. It really makes you want to take your health into your own hands and not take the first possible diagnosis as truth. Sometimes you need a second opinion and sometimes you need to explore other options. 

Susannah's story is scary. It's so easy to put yourself in her shoes and think "what if this happened to me?". Luckily for her, she had a good support and eventually a doctor who would give her personalized care to determine her diagnosis. I found this story to be very well written and it felt like you were reading a fictional novel instead of a memoir. If you are into medical mysteries or mental illness, I suggest you check this one out. It's a very accessible nonfiction and I think everyone could take something away from it.

Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Genre: Fantasy, YA
Publication: 05/07/2012 by Bloomsbury
Series: Throne of Glass #1
Pages: 404 Pages
Source: Library Paperback
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
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Goodreads Summary:
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

My Thoughts:
I was honestly very surprised by this book. I went into it knowing the hype around the series and I thought that I was just going to think it was mediocre. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I was really enjoying reading this book.  I understand where people were coming from when they say they love it because it's definitely a fun read. 

I really enjoyed Celaena, she didn't have your typical assassin tropes which was awesome. She could be badass and a girl all at the same time. She made reasonable decision and you can understand where she was coming from. I really enjoyed how she approached the romance aspect, she was realistic and I applaud her for it. 

I am very excited to see where this story goes, because I am so late in the game I know there are so many twists and turns ahead of me. That's what interested me most while reading this first book, I kept thinking about how different the story could end up in the future. I am excited to continue on and experience this world deeper. 

Review: Gilt by Katherine Longshore

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Published: 05/15/12
Series: The Royal Circle   {Companion Series}
Pages: 398 pages
Format: Library Hardback
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
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Goodreads Summary: 

In the court of King Henry VIII, nothing is free--
and love comes at the highest price of all. 

When Kitty Tylney's best friend, Catherine Howard, worms her way into King Henry VIII's heart and brings Kitty to court, she's thrust into a world filled with fabulous gowns, sparkling jewels, and elegant parties. No longer stuck in Cat's shadow, Kitty's now caught between two men--the object of her affection and the object of her desire. But court is also full of secrets, lies, and sordid affairs, and as Kitty witnesses Cat's meteoric rise and fall as queen, she must figure out how to keep being a good friend when the price of telling the truth could literally be her head.

My Thoughts:
I picked up this book because King Henry VIII is my guilty pleasure. I love him and his drama, I find it fascinating. So a few months ago I went on a trip to London and visited a bunch of the royal palaces; these included The Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace. After visiting I wanted to read something that took place there, during Henry's reign. I wanted to know the stories and secrets that those rooms held.

Me at Hampton Court Palace

Gilt fit that bill pretty well. It was told in the perspective of Kitty who was the best friend of Cat, or better known as Catherine Howard. If you know anything about Tudor history you know that Catherine was one of Henry's more "infamous" wives. This story was very guilty pleasure for me. It was easy to get wrapped up in the court lifestyle and gossip. I love all the affairs and flings that are going on and it keeps the story interesting.

However, the story isn't perfect. Cat can be very annoying and extremely self centred. Kitty was very dependant on Cat for everything which also bothered me. One thing I am starting to have a hard time with now is reading about the treatment of women during this era (and many other ones too). It's impossible to imagine how it would feel to be property to some old man twice my age. But this is common in so much of history and even in present day it makes me want to vomit.

Gilt, wasn't an amazing book but it was very interesting. If you are into the rise and fall of Catherine Howard then this book would be awesome to pick up. The characters aren't great but the life in court is so interesting I can't not like it. The one big thing is that I want to know more about Henry. I want to know how he feels and what he is thinking during all these major wife changes. He has a side to the story, and I want to know it so bad. But seriously, who couldn't love this face?

In Conclusion: Very interesting, however not the much "fun" book you will ever read. Definitely watch out for some beheading. I really liked knowing the story behind Catherine Howard, she's a very interesting one of Henry's wives. If you like Historical Fiction and the Tudors check this out.

Review: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Published: 01/03/2013 by Corgi Children's
Pages: 315 pages
Format: Library e-book
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
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Goodreads Summary 
You can't blend in when you were born to stand out.

My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.

August Pullman wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things. He eats ice cream. He plays on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside. But Auggie is far from ordinary. Ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids don't get stared at wherever they go.

Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all? Narrated by Auggie and the people around him whose lives he touches forever, Wonder is a funny, frank, astonishingly moving debut to read in one sitting, pass on to others, and remember long after the final page.

My Thoughts
I cried, and everything is beautiful. This book made me so much happier in with this world. I fell in love with August, he is an amazing human. Everything about this book was really amazing and I can see this book being taught to middle grade children. This book is even great for adults to read because even we need reminders on how not to judge someone based on their appearance.

I really enjoyed how you got to read from multiple different perspectives in this book. It was very interesting to see what other people thought of August and how their opinions change once they get to known him. However, August was still my favourite prospective to read from. He is just a regular kid even if he has a facial deformity.

I hated when people treated him poorly but all my faith was restored in humanity at the end. I definitely cried during this book. I cried from sadness and cried from happiness. You definitely felt the range of emotions and it was awesome.

Conclusions: Wonder is amazing and might be a new favourite of mine (I don't give out that honour lightly). It's incredibly heart warming and I think everyone should read this at least one time. It has an amazing message which is important for everyone to hear. All of the thumbs up.

Combo Review: Destroy Me & Fracture Me by Tahereh Mafi

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Published: 02/10/12 & 17/12/13 by Harper
Series: Shatter Me (novellas)
Format: Library e-books
Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars

These are the 2 novellas in the Shatter Me series. Destroy Me is Warners point of view after Shatter Me and Fracture Me is Adams point of view after Unravel Me.

I didn't enjoy either of these novellas, but that was to be expected. I don't like either of these characters they are both very obsessive of Juliette. I only read them because I heard that they were "mandatory" reading for the series and you get a new perspective for their characters. So I borrowed the ebooks from the library and read them. What bothers me the most in these books is that both of these characters are not good for Juliette. I'd much prefer to see her happy and alone than with either of these too brats. Warner obsesses over Juliette like she is a possession he must have. He at least knows that she is strong and powerful. Adam on the other hand sees Juliette as a fragile child that needs protection. Clearly, she is much more powerful and a stronger person than he is. He should know this by now and treat her with more respect; but nope. Adam thinks of her as a female stereotype that he needs to protect. Adam, news flash, women are just as strong as men. Especially women that that spend years in an asylum and who's touch can kill.

I did get some light into Warners character but you really can figure that out on your own by the end of Unravel Me anyway. If you are not a superfan of this series, these novellas are just annoying. Especially, if you don't like the characters. I makes me sad because I know this series is just going to end like this: 

Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Genre: YA Contemporary 
Published: 03/1/12 by Amulet Books
Pages: 295
Format: Paperback
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
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Goodreads Description: 
Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.

Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.

And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.

My Thoughts

I couldn't resist reading a book that will be a movie that is going to give me more Nick Offerman GIFs. I was so excited to read this book and it's been on my TBR for years now. So I picked this one up on my weekend vacation and was super excited to get into it.

I wasn't let down by Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. It is my perfect kind of humour and I really clicked with Greg, our leading man. He seems like a normal dude, a bit weird, but could be a real person. I feel like we would get along in real life. However, I can see how this type of humour isn't for everyone and you often feel second hand embarrassment for Greg. But Greg isn't perfect, which makes the story feel more realistic. He says dumb things and can be a jackass, but he's also a nice guy and can really care about others. However, this book didn't blow me away. It was very enjoyable but didn't change my life. Definitely worth the read if you love a little humour in your contemporary.  It does have the cancer aspect so if you're a crier expect a few tears. 

Conclusions: 2 thumbs up. Excited to see the movie now. 

Losing It by Cora Carmack Review

Losing It by Cora Carmack is a New Adult Novel about a virgin named Bliss. Bliss is in her senior in college and still hasn't lost her virginity. When she goes out to find a guy to have an exciting one night with, she meets Garrick. Sparks immediately fly but it turns out to not be as easy as she thought it would be. 

I have some major issues with this book, however I was exactly what I expected a very guilty pleasure romance read. What it had going for it was that Garrick could be quite swoon worthy and their relationship was definitly steamy. However, that was all it had going for it. My biggest issue was that I felt like Bliss' friends were virgin shaming her. Which isn't right or fair. Losing your virginity is a very personal thing and everybody should do it when they want to and how they want to. The major culprit of this was her friend Kelsey, whom I hated right from the start, She was the most annoying and selfish character I have read in a very long time. Bliss needs to drop her as a friend ASAP. Another thing that I disliked was the pressure from Bliss' mother to be engaged by the time she graduates. Ummm, girls don't go to university/college to get engaged. This is not the 60's, women don't need men to support them. I did however like that Bliss realizes this herself and didn't take that shit from her mother. 

Conclusions: It was at times an entertaining guilty pleasure book. It followed the "new adult romance" formula to a T and was very predictable. I have some issues with it that really brought down the reading experience for me. Not the worst thing out there but I feel like the author took some tips from Fifty Shades of Grey. Why is biting of the lip thought to be so attractive?  I will never know.

Rating : 2.5 / 5 (Essentially a bad lifetime movie)