Author: Beth Jones

Blogging about books since 2016

Review: How To Be Bad by Myracle, Lockhart & Mlynowski

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review2 Comments

Book: How To Be Bad
By: Lauren Myracle, E. Lockhart & Sarah Mlynowski
Edition published: 2015
By: Hot Key Books
Goodreads description: Jesse, Vicks and Mel couldn’t be more different. Jesse, a righteous Southern gal who’s as thoughtful as she is uptight, is keeping a secret that she knows will change her life forever. Vicks is a wild child: seemingly cool, calm and collected on the outside, but inside she’s furious at herself for being so anxious about her neglectful boyfriend. And Mel is the new girl in town. She’s already been dismissed as just another rich kid, but all she wants is to get over some of her fears and find some true friends.
My rating: ☽☽☽☽☽/5
Amazon | Book Depository | Wordery

I loved this book.

I think it should actually be renamed to How To Be Freaking-Badass Awesome.

Seriously.

“I can’t believe she actually said, ‘We have a no-violence policy in the Jolly Roger.'” Mel giggles as we get into the elavator.
“We got thrown off a pirate ship!”
“I know!”
“Jack Sparrow, you are my kin!” I cry.
“We are so badass,” says Mel, wiggling.

Jesse, Mel and Vicks are just so amazing.

And E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle & Sarah Mlynowski are so freaking-badass awesome for writing it.

I think freaking-badass awesome is going to be a new couple of words in my dictionary, due to this book.

The girls in this book are so sassy but so lovable, it’s just so amazing. I love the positivity they give to each other, and themselves.

I love their undying, bomb-proof friendship. Yeah, everyone disagrees and everyone has little arguments, but Jesse & Vicks do more than anyone. But they’re also closer than many best friends are.

This is a great, mostly lighthearted easy read with some amazing lessons behind the words. It teaches you how to tolerate other people’s opinions and actually learn from them. It teaches you that not all is bad in the world, but not all is good either, and that’s alright.

And the thing closest to my heart? It teaches you that even though long distance relationships are so freaking tough, they’re definitely not impossible. With enough love and a lot of unbreakable bomb-proof-ness, it’s completely possible.

Especially when you have the right friends by your side.

I could also really relate to Jesse, Vicks & Mel. My friendship with Emma, owner of The Book Crunch, is similar in some ways. It’s sort of like Mel, Jesse & Vicks all mixed up and with less arguments.

Overall, this book is a must-read and must-have for teenage girl readers. It’s fun, lighthearted and very badass, but with more lying beneath the surface than I expected.

It’s actually a life lesson.

And before I go…this book needs to be made into a movie. It would be awesome. Freaking-badass awesome.

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review4 Comments

Book: Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda
By: Becky Albertalli
Edition published: 2015
By: Penguin Books UK
Goodreads description: Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.
My rating: ☽☽☽☽☽/5
Amazon | Book depository | Wordery

I can already tell I’m going to be in a reading slump for the next couple of days, or at least take a while to get into How To Be Bad, the next book on my TBR list.

Because I couldn’t help but love Simon. I know he’s gay, but he’s so freaking awesomly adorable that I can’t help it.

And the way he writes – the way he writes about Blue – was so freaking perfect. And I feel like I have to write the word ‘freaking’ all the time just to portray my love for this book.

 FROM: hourtohour.notetonote@gmail.com
TO: bluegreen118@gmail.com
DATE: Nov 18 at 7:32 PM
SUBJECT: Re. Why why why?
So, I’m a little scared to read what I wrote to you last night. I’m glad I was cute and grammatical. I think you’re cute and grammatical, too. Anyway, I don’t know what the hell that was all about. Too much sugar yesteray, I guess. Sorry sorry sorry.
Yeah. I’m still so totally brain-dead. I don’t even want to think about how I did on my quizzes.
Don’t know much about reality TV? You mean your parents don’t make you watch it? Because mine do. And I bet you think I’m kidding.
You bring up a good point about our voices. I guess we would have to warp them so they sound like Darth Vader. Or we could just do other things instead of talking. I mean, I’m just saying.
-Your Zombie Jacques

I’m not going to lie, I expected this book to be just a little bit childish. Because it’s about bullying (due to sexuality), and I put ‘bullying’ under ‘children’. Because honestly, bullying is just so immature.

But this book really wasn’t childish. And the bullying didn’t remind me of children. In fact, the bullying was portrayed perfectly for that age group, it really was. What Becky wrote about is genuine, gets-under-the-skin bullying that people (apart from those affected) tend to not notice as much.

And the other thing is, this book is laced with the cutest emails I’ve ever read. Literally, the cutest. I love emailing, I love the excitement as if it’s actual mail. And two gay guys emailing who don’t know who each other is in real life? Almost as cute as oreos.

I also love the way this book does not discriminate against anyone. In my opinion, it’s utopia.

If you’re gay and struggling to come out, or if you’re trying to cope with bullying, this book is the one for you. And if you’re not any of the above, you really need to read this anyway. Because it explains how life should be, for us, all of us, all of the time.

Everything, everything about this book was just…perfect. Freaking perfect.

It even nearly forced me to vote for it on the Goodreads Choice Awards…because it is just such an adorably sweet love story…but I stick by my original choice, and went with All The Bright Places all the way.

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review2 Comments

Book: Library of Souls
By: Ransom Riggs
Edition Published: 2015
By: Quirk
Goodreads description: They’ll travel from modern-day London to the labyrinthine alleys of Devil’s Acre, the most wretched slum in all of Victorian England. It’s a place where the fate of peculiar children everywhere will be decided once and for all. Like its predecessors, Library of Souls blends thrilling fantasy with never-before-published vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reading experience.
My rating: ☽☽☽☽☽/5
Amazon UK | Amazon US | Wordery | Book Depository

As I have a lot to say about these books, I’m going to separate this review into two sections, starting with my thoughts on this book, then a bit about the series as a whole.

I loved the first book, I felt the action was severely lacking in the first half of Hollow City, and then I fell in love with Library of Souls.

Completely fell in love. It changed the series for me completely, from love to like to completely besotted.

Library of Souls has got to be my favorite book of this series. Speaking of which…here’s an extract;

One of the gaurds dragged Perplexus out of the crows and up to the door. Since I’d last seen him, his hair and beard had turned albaster white, his spine had curved, and deep wrinkles grooved his face. He’d spent too long away from his loop, and now his true age was beginning to catch up to him. Perplexus seemed about to open the door when he was struck by a fit of coughing. Once he’d regained his breath, he faced caul, drew in a snorting lungful of air, and spat a glistening wad of phlegm onto his cloak.
“You are an ignorant pig!” Perplexus cried.

If words are even enough to explain how much I loved this series, the best way I think to describe it would be to tell you what it proved to me.

It proved that books that have happy endings can still be amazing.

It also proved that it is possible for authors to enter author-dom with a fresh, never been done before, idea, and succeed. Not only succeed, but thrive. Completely thrive.

It mostly proved though, that this type of book can be one of the best series ever. There must have been a reason I purchased all these books with a certain degree of confidence. And I believe I was right to. They are the most strange but most fascinating books I’ve ever read. Definitely up there.

I would normally recommend books of a certain genre to certain people, but I would actually recommend this to any Young Adult readers.

There is a little bit of romance, just enough to keep me happy. There is a lot of action, it just doesn’t stop.

I still don’t have the words for this review, as you can probably tell.

I just can’t explain it with just 26 letters. It’s impossible.

So let’s just finish this review by saying this:

This series is one I am proud to keep on my shelves. And definitely one I will not be removing anytime soon.

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review3 Comments

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Book: Hollow City
By: Ransom Riggs
Edition Published: 2014
By: Quirk Books
Goodreads description: Ten peculiar children flee an army of deadly monsters.
And only one person can help them – but she’s trapped in the body of a bird.
The extraordinary journey that began in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children continues as Jacob Portman and his newfound friends journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. There, they hope to find a cure for their beloved headmistress, Miss Peregrine. But in this war-torn city, hideous surprises lurk around every corner. And before Jacob can deliver the peculiar children to safety, he must make an important decision about his love for Emma Bloom.
Amazon | Wordery | Book Depository

I really am enjoying this series, but I am sorry to say I didn’t like Hollow City quite as much as Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children.

It took me a couple of chapters to get into the first book, but it took me almost half of the book to get into Hollow City.

Now, this could be due to me being too busy to really enjoy the first half, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t. For a start, even when I’m busy, I manage to make time for books I enjoy.

Really, I’d been dreaming of such adventures since I was small. Back then I believed in destiny, and believed in it absolutely, with every inch and strand of my little kid heart. I’d felt it like an itch in my chest while listening to my grandfather’s extraordinary stories. One day that will be me. What felt like an obligation now had been a promise back then – that one day I would escape my little town and live an extraordinary life, as he had done; and that one day, like Grandpa Portman, I would do something that mattered. He used to say to me: “You’re going to be a great man, Yakob. A very great man.”

But I really do love a lot of things about this book. I’ve never read a book like it, and I’m not sure I ever will. It’s a completely unique series, and extremely imaginative.

The pictures really bring this book to life. They portray perfectly the story, and I was shocked to find out that the pictures are chosen to fit the novel, rather than the other way round as it was for Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children.

I love the characters, too. And (I’ve heard a few people say this) I love Emma. In the first book, I didn’t really take a fancy to her. I think it was the simple fact that she loved Jacob’s Grandpa, and now loves Jacob. It a) creeped me out and b) I felt like she was manipulating Jacob, like she loved him because of his Grandpa, not because of who Jacob is.

I’m not sure if it’s meant to come across like that, but it did (and still slightly does) to me. Other than that, I do like Emma as a character. I also love Olive, she’s just so sweet, like a little kid who isn’t so young (which is what she is, really).

But I don’t like any of the characters more than Jacob. He is right to be the main character, and I love seeing everything from his point of view. He’s sweet, but also has some interesting inner battles. I find his character amazingly caring, but his love for Emma is the cutest thing. Because he loves Emma for who she is. And above everything, he really cares about her. And I can tell he would do anything for her.

☽☽☽☽
4 out of 5 moons

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review2 Comments

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Book: Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children

By: Ransom Riggs

Edition published: 2011

By: Quirk Books

Goodreads description: A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.
A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

Purchase on Amazon UK: Link

Purchase on Amazon US: Link

My rating:☽☽☽☽☽/5

Jacob’s grandad has always told him stories. But he never thought those stories were real – just figments of his grandad’s imagination to amuse his young grandson. Now, only now, when a tragedy means Jacob is left alone, does he begin to unravel the mysteries behind the stories and photographs he hasn’t seen since he was little.

I didn’t go far, just around the perimeter of the neat yard in a slow shuffle, watching the sky, clear now, a billion stars spread across it. Stars, too, were time travelers. How many of those ancient points of light were the last echoes of suns now dead? How many had been born but their light not yet come this far? If all the suns but ours collapsed tonight, how many lifetimes would it take us to realize that we were alone? I had always known the sky was full of mysteries – but not until now had I realized how full of them the earth was.

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is now proudly on my list of 5 star books.

I was lucky enough to pick up this book at a bargain £2, which made me read it a lot sooner than I had expected, as it was pretty far down my TBR list! I have to say, I’m extremely glad I got my hands on this book now, instead of next year or later. it was truly beautiful.

Not only is this book intriguing, spectacularly interesting and amazingly spooky, what I loved about it most is its peculiarity.

It is different in so many ways, different from the normal teen-fiction and YA novels. And it is possibly the first dark fantasy and horror book I’ve ever loved.

I don’t know how else to describe this book. It is mind-blowing, original and all round peculiar. And actually, it was a lot better than I expected it to be. I wasn’t really sure what to think of this one, but it was astonishing. Honestly, the perfect book for me. I can’t wait for the movie!

The paragraph italicised in this review is an expert from the book, hand-picked by me. I do this for every review, but this one is special. It is possibly one of the most poetic and beautiful paragraphs I have ever come across, and I’m pretty sure I’m not going to forget it very quickly.

As you can see, I’m a little shell-shocked at just how good this book was. Stars all around, guys.

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Review: True Confessions of Adrian Mole etc. by Sue Townsend

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Book: True Confessions of Adrian Mole etc.

By: Sue Townsend

Edition published: 1989

By: Methuen

Goodreads description: “Between the difficult ages of 16¾ and 21 and four months, Adrian Mole, diarist and intellectual, continues to confide his deepest thoughts and most moving experiences to the page. Against the background of a continuing but uneasy marriage between Mr and Mrs Mole, the young Adrian gets a job as a librarian, while LUSTING after Sharon Bott and pining for Pandora, who is studying Russian, Chinese and Serbo-Croat at Oxford. Later we find him installed at the Department of the Environment, helping to preserve the ozone layer.

Purchase on Amazon UK: Link

Purchase on Amazon US: Link

My rating: ☽☽☽/5

A diary of Adrian Mole’s experiences from the age of 16 3/4 – 21 1/3. Adrian is an undiscovered intellectual trying to make his mark on the world. This book follows his writing, love life, poetry, work and education, and his attempts to preserve the ozone layer.

Something dead strange has happened to Christmas. It’s just not the same as it used to be when I was a kid. In fact I’ve never really got over the trauma of finding out that my parents had been lying to me annually about the existence of Santa Claus.
To be, then, at the age of eleven, Santa Claus was a bit like God, all-seeing, all-knowing, but without the lousy things that God allows to happen: earthquakes, famines, motorway crashes. I would lie in bed under the blankets (how crude the word blankets sounds today when we are all conversant with the Tog rating of continental quilts), my heart pounding and palms sweating in anticipation of the virgin Beano album.

I’m not going to say I didn’t like this book, that would be a lie. There are parts of it that I in fact loved – Sue Townsend’s sense of humor is truly spectacular – but there was the fact that this book is slightly…medicore. I mean, not a lot really happens. It’s just a diary of a teenage boy from the 1980’s.

Aside from that, I did like the writing, and the diary entries. I just wish more had happened, as I have already forgotten some of the characters and events from this book.

I have to say, although at first I found Sue Townsend’s and Margaret Thatcher’s diaries a little pointless at first, I did also enjoy these. They both have some very interesting writing and points of views. I loved Sue’s page about England, and how what we Brit’s are like. Although it’s not necessarily praising our humble little country, it was insightful and, in fact, true.

Overall, this book was pretty good. Not a favorite of mine, nor a breakthrough in writing (for me, anyway), but certainly one I enjoyed.

-Beth

Review: The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review5 Comments

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Book: The Sky is Everywhere

By: Jandy Nelson

Edition published: 2015

By: Walker Books

Goodreads description: Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to centre stage of her own life – and suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two boys. One boy takes Lennie out of her sorrow; the other comforts her in it. But the two can’t collide without Lennie’s world exploding…

Purchase on Amazon UK: Link

Purhcase on Amazon US: Link

My rating: ☽☽☽☽☽/5

There’s not much to say about Lennie Walker.

She’s 17.

Wuthering Heights obsessed.

Clarinet player.

Band geek.

Quel dork.

Hopeless romantic.

Poem writer.

And, as of four weeks ago,

Sisterless.

There were once two sisters,
Who were not afraid of the dark.
Because the dark was full of the others voice across the room,
Because even when the night was thick and starless,
They walked home together from the river,
Seeing who could last the longest without turning on her flashlight,
Not afraid.
Because sometimes in the pitch of the night,
They’d lie on their backs,
In the middle of the psth,
And look up until the stars came back.
And when they did,
They’d reach their arms up to touch them,
And did.

This book is beauty. There is no other way to describe it. It is pure beauty, written in words. Crammed between pages.

I am slightly like Lennie Walker, but mostly in the way that I am a hopeless romantic. So this book was absolute perfection for me. But even though I’m such a romantic that I even enjoy predictable boy meets girl novels, I’d much prefer an exciying, not always joyful rollercoaster of a journey. And that is exactly what this book gave me. A journey.

I got to follow Lennie in the perfect way, I could so easily see inside her mind, and she didn’t hold back with her thoughts. In this book it is is so easy to make a friend with Lennie, and simply because her experiences are so hard to convert into words without knowing Lennie as a person, it makes you feel so close to her.

Now I’ve shared my thoughts on this book, I think there is no better way to describe how special the writing is than sharing some quotes:

I’ve forgotten quite how luminous he is, like another species of human doesn’t have blood but light running through their veins.

I’m full on gawking, wondering what it would be like to be so cool and casual and fearless and passionate and so freaking alive.

That’s exactly it – I am crazy sad and, somewhere deep inside, all I want is to fly.

“That’s a misconception, Lennie, the sky is everywhere, it begins at your feet.”

When he plays all the flowers swap colors and years and decades and centuries of rain pour back into the sky.

You can tell your story any way you dann please. It’s your solo.

As you can see, Jandy Nelson writes like no other human being on this earth. If we lost her, we really would lose a freaking library. Possibly one of the most beautiful libraries on earth.

-Beth

Review: A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

streetcar

Book/Play: A Streetcar Named Desire

Author/Playwright: Tennessee Williams

Edition Published: 1974

By: Signet Books

Goodreads Description: The story of Blanche DuBois and her last grasp at happiness, and of Stanley Kowalski, the one who destroyed her chance.

Purchase on Amazon US: Link

Purchase on Amazon UK: Link

My Rating: ☽☽☽/5

When Blanche goes to stay with her pregnant sister and brother-in-law, it is her last chance at being happy. With no money or relations, Blanche is lonely and relies on drink. But will living with her family save her, or destroy her?

I am sad to say I didn’t enjoy Streetcar very much. I did find the description and depth of setting and character outstanding, it has to be very well written in order to be performed on stage.

Stella: He’s on the road a good deal.
Blanche: Oh. Travels?
Stella: Yes.
Blanche: Good. I mean – isn’t it?
Stella [half to herself]: I can hardly stand it when he is away for a night…
Blanche: Why, Stella!Stella: When he’s away for a week I nearly go wild!
Blanche: Gracious!

To my understanding, Stanley is supposedly the bad guy in Streetcar. But I just felt that honestly, the characters are all just as bad as each other. Yes, Blanche had some bad stuff coming to her, but she did bring them on herself, to a point. I mean, what could she expect after very nearly undressing in front of Stanley, asking him to fasten up her dress, playfully squirting him with perfume and softly touching his thigh?

I honestly didn’t sympathize much with the characters. Although, yes, I would love to know what happened to them after the play, I don’t really care that much for them.

The plot was simple, nothing much really happened. I found the way the characters interacted with each other and how their personalities clashed very interesting, and I did find the book easy to read. But that’s due to the plot just not being very complex.

All in all, I was pretty disappointed with this book. It was like a song that I expected to get better, but never actually did.

-Beth

Review: Night Owls by Jenn Bennett

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Book: Night Owls

By: Jenn Bennett

Edition published: 2015

By: Simon & Schuster

Goodreads description: Feeling alive is always worth the risk.
Meeting Jack on the Owl—San Francisco’s night bus—turns Beatrix’s world upside down. Jack is charming, wildly attractive…and possibly one of San Francisco’s most notorious graffiti artists.
But Jack is hiding a piece of himself. On midnight rides and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who this enigmatic boy really is.

Purchase on Amazon US: Link

Purchase on Amazon UK: Link

My rating: ☽☽☽☽☽/5

When Bex meets Jack on a rare nighttime ride on the Owl, San Fransisco’s night bus, her world turns upside down.

Jack is amazing, beautiful and lights fires in Bex’s heart, but there’s something behind his gorgeous eyes.

As Bex and Jack get to know each other, they learn more about each other – and themselves – than either of them ever expected.

He laughed, stretching out his long legs beneath the squat table. When he did, his thigh bumped against my knee and then stayed there, sending a chain of warm chills through my nervous system that short-circuited my frontal lobe.
“Zen would tell me to embrace the middle pencil,” he said.
“Ah, the HB pencil,” I agreed, nodding.
“So boring, that HB.”
“You’re no HB. You’re like ten Prismacolors all at once.”

This one was a slow starter for me. It was mostly due to the fact that I was still in the world of Simon and Baz, but it definitely improved after the 1/4 mark.

I must have read about 3/4 of this book just today, once I got involved with the characters I couldn’t stop reading. But before I tell you what I loved about this book, I want to tell you about my only annoyance.

There was one, tiny, tiny part of this book when Jenn mentioned the possibility of the couple being in a long distance relationship – and slightly mocking the fact that it could ever work out. Maybe it’s just be (probably) but I just felt like she meant it as a joke – that it would be impossible. I’m no longer in an LDR, but not because of the distance. But to this day, I have this tiny niggle.

Aside from that, and on an entirely different note, this book is so touching and lovely, and actually quickly became one of my favorite books. Yep, it’s up there guys! It’s seriously one of the best books I’ve ever read, the plot is original, and even though it is heavily set around romance, it isn’t…bland, flat and predictable like some books are. Well, saying that, some of this book was predictable, but the little details are so beautiful. The originality is shockingly outstanding, and as you know, I love originality.

And no matter what annoyances I have about one line in this book, it is beautiful. Inside and out.

-Beth

Review: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review4 Comments

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Book: Carry On

By: Rainbow Rowell

Published: 2015

By: Macmillan Children’s books

Goodreads description: Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.
Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story — but far, far more monsters.

Purchase on Amazon US: Link

Purchase on Amazon UK: Link

Rating: ☽☽☽☽☽/5

Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One that has ever been chosen. So how did he end up here, at Watford? The Mage’s Heir? Why was he chosen?

Simon is a magician, apparently the greatest one that has ever lived, but he can’t even cast a spell. He is hopeless, and it doesn’t help that his girlfriend has just left him, there’s a magic eating monster walking around with his face, and his enemy – roomate – hasn’t even bothered showing up this year.

“I can’t just turn it on,” I said.
“Try.
“I can’t, damn it.” I was waving my sword around – I was pretty good with a sword already at 15 – but the chimera wasn’t corporal. (Which is my rough luck, pretty much always. As soon as you start carrying a sword, all your enemies turn out mist and gossamer.)
“Close your eyes and light a match,” Baz told me. We were trying to hide behind a rock. Baz was casting spells one after another; he was practically singing them.
“What?”
“That’s what my mother used to say,” he said. “Light a match inside your heart, then blow on the tinder.”
It’s always fire with Baz. I can’t believe he hasn’t incinerated me yet. Or burned me at the stake.

Carry On is one of those books that gets under your skin and will never leave. It is amazing. It is freaking magical.

And yes, that was a cheesy joke, I know, but if you have read this book, you will understand why I made it.

Simon and Baz…they’re…indescribable. Incredible. All the big words in the world put together.

This book was the first I’ve ever read about magic. And probably not the last, but maybe the one that’ll mean the most to me.

There are so many things I could say about this book, the author and the way it’s written. But I honestly don’t think the words would come out the right way, in the right order. And even if they did, they would never, ever do it justice.

This book is beyond anything I can write, ironically. Rainbow Rowell managed to use our measly 26 letters, to write this book. But using them to describe what she wrote…is impossible. This book IS the sun. The center of my universe right now, and it feels like all of the light is coming from those pages, instead of a ball of fire.

This book, it makes everything feel okay again. It reminds you that there is good – and love – in the world, wherever you go.

It is pure beauty, in ever sense of the word.

And what, exactly, could be better than that?

-Beth