Book Traveling Thursday (#40)|First Love

February 9, 2017February 6, 2017Leave a comment

Hey everyone! It’s time for another Book Traveling Thursday! This weekly meme is hosted by Cátia @ The Girl Who Read Too Much and Danielle @ Danielle’s Book Blog. Go check them out! To find out more information, future themes and more, go visit the meme’s Goodreads group here. This week’s theme is:

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner… Choose a book that deals with first love.

The book I have chosen for this theme is Holding Up The Universe By Jennifer Niven. I recently finished this book and will review it ASAP. For now, I’ll say one word: incredible. Stay tuned for more!

Original Cover/Cover From My Country (US):

This cover is so simple yet beautiful!

Favorite Cover(s):

Most of the covers are a variation of the original. They’re all my favorites.

Serbian

This cover is so colorful and unique. It really stands out.

Least Favorite(s):

None!

That’s a wrap! The covers for the book this week were mainly the same. What do you think of the cover? Have you read this book? Let me know your spoiler free opinions!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more Book Traveling Thursday!

~Makayla the Bookworm 😀

Top 5 Wednesday (#3)|Polarizing Books

January 18, 2017January 16, 20176 Comments

Hey everyone! It’s time for Top 5 Wednesday! Let me know whether or not you’re enjoying this weekly meme! Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by gingerreadslainey and Sam @ Thoughts On Tomes. Both of these lovely ladies have video blogs on YouTube. It’s definitely worth checking out! To find out more information, future topics and more, go visit the meme’s Goodreads group here. This week’s topic is:

These are books that people either tend to love or hate, with no in between. Pick some of your favorites that fall into this category.

Top 5 Polarizing Books:

1. The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

With this series, either you’re a Potterhead or not. To me, there’s no “partial fans”

2. The Fault In Our Stars By John Green

Either you’re against the “romanticized and repetitive cancer theme” or you’re in love with Hazel and Gus’s tear jerking romance.

3. Paper Towns by John Green

Some think the story is boring. Others get drawn into the adventure. To me, there’s no in between.

4. Fans Of The Impossible Life by Kate Scelsa

Some are drawn into the crazy friendship. Others are thrown off by the inappropriate and strange themes. My recent review/rant will tell you where I stand on this.

5. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

I’m cheating the topic a bit by putting this book. I actually haven’t read it. Twilight came to mind anyway when I read this week’s topic. It’s definitely a book that you either deeply hate or a few enjoy. There’s no in between!

That’s a wrap! Do you agree with my picks? What books would be/are on your list?

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more T5W!

~Makayla the Bookworm 😀

Fans Of The Impossible Life Review/Rant

January 14, 2017January 14, 20174 Comments

Hey everyone! I finished Fans Of The Impossible Life by Kate Scelsa a couple of days ago. Now it’s time for me to review/rant about it for you! Let me know your thoughts about this book!

“They rolled up the maps of their bodies until they were two continents of interlocking roads and rivers and dreams, and she thought, ‘This is how I will learn to live again’.”

Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary(?)

My Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Published: September 8th, 2015

Summary:

Mira is starting over at Saint Francis Prep. She promised her parents she would at least try to pretend that she could act like a functioning human this time, not a girl who can’t get out of bed for days on end, who only feels awake when she’s with Sebby.

Jeremy is the painfully shy art nerd at Saint Francis who’s been in self-imposed isolation after an incident that ruined his last year of school. When he sees Sebby for the first time across the school lawn, it’s as if he’s been expecting this blond, lanky boy with mischief glinting in his eye.

Sebby, Mira’s gay best friend, is a boy who seems to carry sunlight around with him. Even as life in his foster home starts to take its toll, Sebby and Mira together craft a world of magic rituals and impromptu road trips, designed to fix the broken parts of their lives.

As Jeremy finds himself drawn into Sebby and Mira’s world, he begins to understand the secrets that they hide in order to protect themselves, to keep each other safe from those who don’t understand their quest to live for the impossible.

“I know what you mean”, she said. “Families can seem so normal and boring from the inside that you don’t know you’re different until someone else makes you feel different.”

Fans Of The Impossible Life is a pretty good book! It has three friends who are pretty close. This book has great adventures and characters. This review focuses a lot on the flaws.That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read it. You definitely should at least try it out. I just decided to focus on the negative for this review. I’m surprised that it has a 3.73/5 stars on Goodreads. People have some serious issues with it. I guess I do too.

The Issues With The Book:

Three Different POVs

One of the reviewers on Goodreads brought up a good point about the POV. The book is told from three points of views. Sebby, Mira and Jeremy. Mira and Jeremy’s POVs made me feel pretty connected to the character. I agreed with the reviewer that Sebby’s point of view was “Jarring”. It was kind of confusing and strange to read.

2. Misleading Synopsis

People are having issues with the synopsis. It claims that the book is about “a bisexual love triangle.” Sadly, that’s not at all what you find within the pages. It does address relatable and real life issues but no bisexual love triangle. I personally didn’t have an issue with it. The synopsis shouldn’t have misleading lines to get the reader to read it.

3. Not Much Romance

If you’re looking for an adorable/steamy romance, you’re not getting that here. Like many reviewers on Goodreads said, there’s not much romance. What is there is “unhealthy” and “skewed” Nothing like the usual Young Adult Contemporary novels.

4. Serious Issues That Were Shown As “Okay”

Hopefully this isn’t too much of a spoiler section. There’s a strange and inappropriate student-teacher relationship. A character who frequently steals and turns to drugs. Underaged drinking. Forced sexual moments while either drunk or on drugs. It’s not okay. These are all serious issues that shouldn’t be messed with. An inappropriate relationship is wrong. Stealing and drug use is/can be illegal. Forcing someone to do sexual things is terrible and totally inappropriate. This was a major issue in the book.

All of these complaints and issues make it seem like I hated this book. I actually enjoyed it a lot. Reading the reviews and thinking about the plot made me realize the flaws in this book. I still recommend reading it. It’s a great story about three friends and their adventures both in and out of school. There’s just some parts that are uncalled for, misleading and/or incorrect.

That’s a wrap! Thanks for letting me rant a bit about this book. Reading through the reviews on Goodreads made me realize some huge issues with this book. What did you think about this book? Let me know!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more book reviews/rants

~Makayla the Bookworm 😀

Top Ten Tuesday| Back To School

August 30, 2016August 30, 20165 Comments

Hey everyone! It’s Tuesday and that means it’s time for another Top Ten Tuesday. This wonderful meme is hosted by the people @The Broke and the Bookish! Go check them out for lists and books 🙂 This week’s topic is:

:Back To School Freebie — anything “back to school” related like 10 favorite books I read in school, books I think should be required reading, Required Reading For All Fantasy Fans, required reading for every college freshman, Books to Pair With Classics or Books To Complement A History Lesson, books that would be on my classroom shelf if I were a teacher

I’m going to do required reading for contemporary fans.

Ten Required Books For Contemporary Fans: (NO ORDER)

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

A book about two teens with very different lives. It’s a must read about a classic teenage romance.

2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

A book about two cancer patients who fall in love. It’s a must read about a unique love story.

3. Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

A book about a girl with mental issues and a gamer boy who fall in love. A must read about a fantastic love story.

4. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

A book about a Starbucks worker and a fanfiction writer. A must read about adorable love.

5. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

The Sky Is Everywhere

A book about a girl who is torn between two very different boys. A must read about a shocking love triangle.

6. I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

A book about two twins who fall in love with very unique people. A must read about a broken relationship.

7. Everything,Everything by Nicola Yoon

A book about a next door neighbor and a girl with a rare disease. A must read about sneaky communication.

8. Simon and the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

A book about a boy and his mystery email lover. A must read about an email relationship.

9. Everyday by David Levithan

A book about an unnamed person who’s in love with one person no matter what. A must read about a mind bending relationship.

10. Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy

A book about a girl who can’t decide who she loves. A must read about an undecided romance.

That’s a wrap! Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Let me know!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more Top Ten Tuesdays.

~Makayla the Bookworm 😀

Top Ten Tuesday: Beach Reads!

May 31, 2016May 28, 20164 Comments

Hey everyone! I didn’t do last week’s TTT topic because I had absolutely no ideas. Once again, I don’t have many ideas. I didn’t want to skip another week though so here I am! Top Ten Tuesday is an awesome meme hosted by the wonderful people at The Broke and the Bookish! You definitely should check them out. This week’s topic is:

Beach Reads Week — top ten great beach reads, ten books I plan to read on the beach, ten beach reads for those who don’t like typical ~beach reads~, ten authors who are my go-to for beach reads, etc.

The problem with this week’s topic is that I don’t read at the beach. I will just do books that I think would be good beach reads. It might end up being a flop. We will just have to see!

Ten Beach Reads:

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon.

I have not stopped raving about this book! It’s a lovely contemporary that kept me smiling. Olly and Madeline are so darn adorable. This would be a great beach read because it would keep you reading and smiling no matter how hot you are.

2. Simon and the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

I have raved a ton about this book too! It’s another contemporary but this time it’s LGBTQ. Simon and Blue’s relationship was so adorable! This would be a great beach read because you could be reading their sweet emails while relaxing near the ocean.

3. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.

This is a children’s book but it’s also a classic. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a book about a boy who gets an exclusive tour of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. This would be a great beach read because it’s an easy read and you could enjoy all the delicious sweets while lounging in the sand.

4. The BFG by Roald Dahl

This isn’t much of a classic but is still a funny and easy read. This book is about a friendly giant who goes on an adventure with a little girl named Sophie. The movie adaption is also going to be in theater this summer! This would be a good beach read because it’s quick and has lots of silly moments that would keep you giggling.

5. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

This is yet another overly raved about book. It’s about a girl who writes fan fiction and a boy who works at Starbucks and their adorable romance. This would be a great beach read because you could enjoy the developing fan fiction and imagine sitting in Starbucks with a nice cold Frappuccino.

6. Divergent by Veronica Roth

This is quite the dystopian book! It’s about factions who are against each other. It centers around a girl named Tris, her family, friends and faction. This would be a great beach read because you could lessen the intense moments and suspense by being by the ocean.

7) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This is quite an intense three book series! It centers around Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark,Gale Hawthorn and so many more. This would be a great beach read because you could be glued to Katniss battle to the death in the Hunger Games while kites soar through the air.

8) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I’ve definitely raved about this book countless times. It’s a book about two cancer patients who fall in love. This would be a good beach read because you could follow Hazel and Gus on their romantic adventures while sitting in the warm sand.

9) Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

This is another beautiful contemporary book. It’s a classic teen romance with an insecure red head and a half Asian who loves comic books. This would be a great beach read because you could remember those tough teen relationships while relaxing on the beach.

10) Paper Towns by John Green

This is list is filled with books I’ve raved about countless times. This is about the crazy friendship/crushing of Quentin and Margo. This would be a great beach read because you could travel across the country while sitting under the beating rays of the sun.

That’s a wrap! This week’s list is filled with a mix of popular YA books and some children’s books. What do you think about these books? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more Top Ten Tuesdays!

~Makayla the Bookworm 😀

Book Review: Everything, Everything

May 16, 2016May 16, 20164 Comments

Hey everyone! It’s Monday and that means back to school and work. Sigh. It’s also time for another book review! This is a YA book review. As you can probably guess by the title, I am reviewing Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. This is Yoon’s debut novel and boy is it a smashing hit.

Name: Everything, Everything

Author: Nicola Yoon

What a wonderful lady!

# of pages: 320 pages

Genres: YA/Contempory/Romance

My Rating: 5/5 stars

Goodreads Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Amazon Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Goodreads/Amazon Summary:

“My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster. “

Credit: http://www.Twitter.com

My Thoughts:

Oh my gosh! This was such an amazing book. I felt so bad for Maddy because she was bored most of the time. All she saw was white walls, fake plants, her mom and her nurse Carla. Maddy and Carla have such an amazing relationship. Everything was pretty normal until the neighbors moved in. Right away, Maddy’s eyes were drawn to Olly. I couldn’t blame her. He sounded so hot!

The best part of the book (one of them) was the plot twist at the end. When it happened I saw like:

I had a hard time believing it. Overall this book was absolutely amazing. I loved from page one and held on tight until the last page. I recommend this 100%. Contemporary lovers especially need to give this a read. I have to warn you there is some parts that get a little inappropriate. Otherwise it’s fine. I honestly hope they make a film adaption of this book.

That’s a wrap! I hope I didn’t drown you in my love for this book. Have you read Everything, Everything? If you have, what did you think about it? If you haven’t did this review make you want to read it? Let me know!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more book reviews!

~Makayla the Bookworm 🙂

Book Review: Eleanor and Park

May 10, 2016May 10, 20168 Comments

Hey everyone! It’s time for a book review! Before we jump into that, I just wanted to apologize. I want to apologize for not doing the Top Ten Tuesday this week. I will definitely do it next week so stay tuned for that! This week I am reviewing Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. This is a popular YA book so I’m sure you guys will enjoy it 😀 Without further ado, let us jump to it.

“Eleanor was right. She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.”

Eleanor and Park is a YA book by Rainbow Rowell. The book is 329 pages. I rate it a 4.5/5 stars. Goodreads rates this book a 4.1/5 stars and Amazon rates it a 4.5/5 stars. A couple of reasons I rated Eleanor and Park 4.5/5 was:

Several times, I questioned their love for each other
Eleanor and Park were pretty harsh with each other at times.
They are so darn cute!

Amazon Summary:

Bono met his wife in high school, Park says.
So did Jerry Lee Lewis, Eleanor answers.
I’m not kidding, he says.
You should be, she says, we’re 16.
What about Romeo and Juliet?
Shallow, confused, then dead.
I love you, Park says.
Wherefore art thou, Eleanor answers.
I’m not kidding, he says.
You should be.

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits-smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love-and just how hard it pulled you under.

Real Reviews:

Sarah Parks- “One of my favorite books! For younger readers, there’s a bunch of language and some sexual stuff and abuse. But for teens and above, it is a great book about dealing with self image issues, dealing with abuse, and finding yourself.” 5 star review

Karen Wright- “This is the 3rd Rowell novel I’ve read and I’m starting to fall in love with her writing. I get why she has a huge fan base now.

The story of Eleanor and Park is about two sixteen year old kids who both start off needing to be rescued in different ways. The narrative flips between the two perspectives but each view is so short there is no time lost going back and forth so the novel flows freely in real time.
I loved and hated the characters appropriately, I liked that although a whole host of secondary characters were introduced, they had poignant but minor roles so they added to instead of detracted from the story.
Intriguing, well-written book. Written for YA crowd but enjoyable to older readers too. I give it 4.5 stars.” 4.5 star review

Sandi K- “I am so conflicted about this book. It is very well written. The characters are well drawn and feel real. The story was just so hard to read. By that I mean, the cruelty that is the base of this book was so troubling. I did not want to finish it because I was so afraid of what was going to happen next. I don’t want to read a book where I fall in love with characters but their life sucks so bad that you ache for them. While the language was probably appropriate for the characters and situation, I got tired of the profanity and the crudeness. I know this type of situation is real but it is not want I want to read about for entertainment. So overall, I commend the writing (this is my fourth Rainbow Rowell book) but the story was just too much for me.” 3 star review

My Thoughts:

This was such a good book! It was an emotional roller coaster and definitely kept me reading. There was some sexual content and definitely some language. Abuse and a bit of violence is also included. I don’t recommend it if you can’t handle any of these. What confused me a bit was how throughout the story, Eleanor and Park seemed to hate then dislike each other a bit throughout the story. I loved seeing other minor characters show up. I felt so bad for Eleanor though. She was treated badly by her step dad, bullied by those at school and even Park’s mom doesn’t accept her at first. I go back and forth with this book but loved it overall. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who loves a good teenage love story.

That’s a wrap! How did you like this slightly different format? Let me know!

Have you read Eleanor and Park? If you have, I’d love to hear what you thought. No spoilers of course!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more book reviews.

~Makayla the Bookworm 😀

WWW Wednesday (#14)

April 6, 2016April 4, 20161 Comment

Hey everyone! It’s halfway through the week and that mean’s it’s time for WWW Wednesday! This weekly meme is currently hosted by Sam. Go check out her amazing blog if you haven’t already 🙂 To participate, all you have to do is answer 3 questions:

What did you recently read?

What are you currently reading?

What are you going to read next?

WWW Wednesday

Recently Read:

I just finished this book last night. It was absolutely amazing and kept me turning the pages till the end. This is basically the second series of the Survivors. The book ended with such a cliffhanger that I want to get my hands on the next book.

Currently Reading:

This book is more culture and racism based. It’s all about this boy named Tyler and his family. They need some extra help on the farm so they hire some Hispanic helpers. This happens when Tyler is away at his Aunt and Uncles in Boston. Tyler first thinks they are “trespassers” and “Native Americans.” I definitely will do a review on this book. I definitely recommend it thus far.

Going to Read:

Like I mentioned above, this is the 2nd book in the second series of the Survivors books. Phew, that was a mouthful.

This will definitely be a bit of a different read. It’s more romance/contemporary based which I don’t normally read. It doesn’t have the best rating on Goodreads so we will have to see how it goes.

What have you been reading this past week? Let me know in the comments or link your own WWW post.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more WWW Wednesdays!

~Makayla the Bookworm 😀

Top Ten Tuesdays: Recently Read

March 29, 2016March 30, 20165 Comments

Hey everyone! I’m so sorry I haven’t been blogging much. I just keep putting it off until it’s too late for me to do a good quality blog. Anyway, it’s Tuesday and that means time for Top Ten Tuesdays. This amazing meme is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. You should definitely check them out!

Top Ten Tuesdays

This week’s topic is:

10 Of My Most Recent 5 Star Reads (Or Ten Of The Best Books I’ve Read Recently if you don’t 5 star stuff…or you could do 5 of my latest five star reads & five of my most disappointing or 1 star reads)

I haven’t done a 1 star yet but I don’t do too many 5 stars. I’ll just do ten books I’ve read recently.

Ten Books I’ve Read Recently:

Me and Miranda Mullaly by Jake Gerhardt

I am currently read this now. It’s not my favorite book but I’ve grown to like it a bit more.

2. The Forget-Me-Not Summer by Leila Howland

This book is so good! It’s more of a tween or children’s book but is so well written. I definitely recommend it.

3.House of Robots Robots Go Wild by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein

This is definitely more of a children’s book. It’s so cute and well written though. I am in love with books written by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein. They are both amazing writers together or apart.

4. Simon v.s The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

I have raved about how adorable Simon and Blue are. You can check out my review here. You definitely need to read this book ASAP.

5. Survivors The Endless Lake by Erin Hunter

Cover art

This book was so amazing! If you know someone who loves animals,fantasy and/or adventure, you definitely need to have them check this series out!

All I could come with was 5! Oh well, At least I tried!

Do you want to read any of these books?

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for next week’s Top Ten Tuesdays!

~Makayla the Bookworm 😀

Top Ten Tuesdays: Valentine’s Day!

February 9, 2016February 9, 20166 Comments

Hey everyone!! I’m so sorry that I’ve been MIA lately. I have finally got my internet issue sorted so hopefully I’ll be posting more soon. It’s time for another Top Ten Tuesdays hosted by the wonderful people @ The Broke and the Bookish. You seriously need to check them out. This week is a Valentine’s Day Freebie! I’ve decided to do Ten Romantic Quotes in no particular order.