Tag: bibliophile

Review: Scarlett Epstein Hates it Here by Anna Breslaw

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

25982869

Goodreads | Amazon

Meet Scarlett Epstein, BNF (Big Name Fan) in her online community of fanfiction writers, world-class nobody at Melville High. Her best (read: only) IRL friends are Avery, a painfully shy and annoyingly attractive bookworm, and Ruth, her weed-smoking, possibly insane seventy-three-year-old neighbor.
When Scarlett’s beloved TV show is canceled and her longtime crush, Gideon, is sucked out of her orbit and into the dark and distant world of Populars, Scarlett turns to the fanfic message boards for comfort. This time, though, her subjects aren’t the swoon-worthy stars of her fave series—they’re the real-life kids from her high school. And if they ever find out what Scarlett truly thinks about them, she’ll be thrust into a situation far more dramatic than anything she’s ever seen on TV…

This book has left me with very mixed feelings. I loved it, and I was bored. It was easy to read, but I didn’t find it exciting or entertaining.

I wouldn’t say I disliked Scarlett as such, but I didn’t have much of a connection with her either. I don’t know how to describe this, but I found her…young. She was just so naive. Although I did like parts of her, I felt her character wasn’t developed that well. I also felt she could be a little nasty to some of the other characters for no reason. And her fascination with her crush?

  1. You’ve barely talked in 4 years
  2. He’s not, like…yours?
  3. Why do you like him? Again, I want more character development. I want to know more about who is as a person (other than he likes comedy).

“The best parts of life aren’t clear-cut or obvious—they don’t have neat endings”

I unfortunately felt similar feelings for all of the characters. I love that this book had a variety of different characters, but I couldn’t help but be confused among some. Take Ruth and Dawn for example. It took me like half the book to realise which was which.

I have to say, I found this one really easy to read. I literally read 80 pages in about 45 minutes. I got through this one so quickly and I loved it because of that.

“I know it’s your inclination to skip to the end, but you can’t just focus on how it’s all gonna turn out.”

I also actually thought the fanfiction was done pretty well and I enjoyed the story within the story.

And one last criticism is the ending. I can’t remember much about it, but I wish more things were tied up. It just felt a little…empty.

So there’s plenty of negatives, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it.

★★★

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

| Goodreads |Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Redbubble |

Review: Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review5 Comments

22509768

Goodreads | Amazon

A sexy, funny roller coaster of a story about one date over one very long night in New York. Nick and Norah are both suffering from broken hearts. So when Nick sees the girl who dumped him walk in with a new guy he asks the strange girl next to him to be his girlfriend for the next five minutes. Norah would do anything to avoid conversation with the not-friend girl who dumped Nick, and get over the Evil Ex whom Norah never quite broke up with. And so she agrees. What follows is an epic first date between two people who are just trying to figure out who they want to be – and where the next great band is playing.

Before I start: You may be interested to know my Week 1 of Mental Health Month is now up on Tumblr! You can read it here.

This book is definitely sexy! I love the easy feel of this book. It’s definitely one to read if you love contemporary YA and romance!

You may remember me reading Naomi & Ely’s No Kiss List and finding it a little confusing, but this one was definitely better. In both books there appear to be many different characters, but I liked how Nick & Norah had only, well, Nick & Norah.

That’s something I’d like to mention in this all-over-the-place review. I really liked the two characters. It was good to have the two viewpoints, but not confusing. I don’t think this book could work any other way!

I liked a lot about this book. The plot was good, and I liked the idea of it being panned over just a night, with all the detail included!

I also liked the writing, it was simple, and it made me feel like I knew exactly what both characters were thinking. The only downside about this book would be the actual love. This book is definitely insta-love, but maybe I should have expected that. I am definitely one to prefer people falling in love over a longer period of time, so if you do too, make sure you expect insta-love!

Overall, I liked this book. It was an easy, quick, casual and sexy read, but it wasn’t incredible. Definitely worth the read, but not one of my absolute favourites.

☽ ☽ ☽
3 out of 5 moons

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

|Goodreads|Instagram|Tumblr|Twitter|YouTube|Facebook|Pinterest|Redbubble|

ARC Review: All the Good Things by Clare Fisher

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review10 Comments

32792758
Goodreads | Amazon

Twenty-one year old Beth is in prison. The thing she did is so bad she doesn’t deserve to ever feel good again.
But her counsellor, Erika, won’t give up on her. She asks Beth to make a list of all the good things in her life. So Beth starts to write down her story, from sharing silences with Foster Dad No. 1, to flirting in the Odeon on Orange Wednesdays, to the very first time she sniffed her baby’s head.
But at the end of her story, Beth must confront the bad thing.
What is the truth hiding behind her crime? And does anyone-even a 100% bad person-deserve a chance to be good?

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Penguin UK in exchange for an honest review. This has not changed my views in any way.

Note: This review will also be published on June 23rd as part of the All the Good Things blog tour.

The easiest way I can describe All the Good Things is raw. This is pure, honest feelings. There is absolutely no filter, and I loved it.

Beth is the perfect protagonist. She tells her story in a great way – and I loved the use of flashbacks to all the different parts of her life. The cast of characters is large, and I actually enjoyed that. Most of the time I find it easier to focus on just a couple or small group of main characters, but this time, it worked. I knew who everyone was, why they were there and what they added to the story. And that’s the other great thing – all of the characters fitted. All of them worked well together, and they were all needed to complete the story.

The story Beth tells is one of the most difficult I have ever read – but at the same time, I couldn’t stop reading. I became very attached to Beth, the damaged soul she is, and I wanted to know she would be okay.

The writing is extremely clever, in that we get to know Beth before finding out about this ‘bad thing’. In fact, we know everything about her and her life before this ‘bad thing’, and it works so well.

This stopped the judgement surrounding people in prison. It stopped the way we feel towards people who have committed crimes this serious, because we, strangely, were forced to understand. We were forced to relate. The fact that Fisher could do this in words baffles me. I look up to her and respect her as an author, because she did something beyond belief.

I love the lead up to the big ending in the story. The book follows a series of sessions Beth has with her counselor, Erika, in which she writes a list of all the good things in her life. With each point on this list, another part is added to the story.

So…did I guess the ending? I have to admit, I did. Not completely, but it was like this thing in my head was nudging me, going ‘it could be this, it could be this’, and it was right. But, the same as Beth, I didn’t want to accept the fate. And, the same as Beth, I ignored the nudging. This means the book works whether you guess the ending or not – because you still don’t want to face it, and you still want to find out what really happened.

Overall, this book was harrowing, but it needed to be. It was real. It was human. It showed a very important thing – we are complicate creatures. We are all different, and we are not defined by one single thing.

A beautifully written debut, and one I would thoroughly recommend to all readers.

☽ ☽ ☽ ☽ ☽
5 out of 5 moons

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

|Goodreads|Instagram|Tumblr|Twitter|YouTube|Facebook|Pinterest|Redbubble|

Save

Review: Ink by Alice Broadway

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review3 Comments

32827036

Goodreads | Amazon

Every action, every deed, every significant moment is tattooed on your skin for ever. When Leora’s father dies, she is determined to see her father remembered forever. She knows he deserves to have all his tattoos removed and made into a Skin Book to stand as a record of his good life. But when she discovers that his ink has been edited and his book is incomplete, she wonders whether she ever knew him at all.

I know I’m a bookworm and this shouldn’t be a big deal – but I finished another book! I’ve had less college work to do recently, so it’s been a good time to delve into a few new reads.

To sum up Ink in 3 words, it would be: I liked it. I didn’t love it and I’m not going to rave about it, but it was a good, solid debut that may bring me back to reading Broadway’s other novels!

I’ll take you through a few things I liked and didn’t, probably in sections as I found a lot to talk about with this one.

To start with, the setting was…weird. It felt really mixed up. I imagined the people to be living in old-style houses, almost Tudor. But then I imagined some of the public buildings as extremely modern. It just fit – and it’s not the only thing that felt off.

Image result for tudor street

A lot of this book felt mixed up. For a start, there was no media (TV, radio, or even a newspaper) mentioned, but they had advanced methods of tattooing and a phone-line). Literally all of the information we heard about was through other people.

The clothes seemed to change a lot, too. Our main character would be wearing gray, baggy outfits while her best friend would be adorning smart business clothes.

The writing was good, but didn’t feel quite mature enough for a YA read. You could tell this book was a debut – but it wasn’t a bad read because of it.

I liked the characters – but something felt strange about them too. It’s clear our main character, Leora, is very naive about the world, yet she still felt very ‘censored’. I feel this a lot with YA novels that don’t include swearing – and I definitely felt it with this one. For me, if you’re going to target a book at teenagers, you shouldn’t refrain from swearing and using bad language.

The best thing by far about this novel was the plot. It felt extremely complex but simple in another way. I felt the confusion for and with Leora, but I didn’t feel confused about the backstory or anything similar. The only complaint I have is that all the action came towards the end of the novel, and the middle felt a bit…flat. Literally, Leora just thinks for the majority of the book. But carry on if you’re reading, because the ending does make up for it!

Talking about the ending – that was another thing I loved. Once I got to around page 280, I couldn’t put this book down. I felt so much tension portrayed through the words, I just needed to know what was happening.

So overall, a good read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I just wish we had a little more explanation in some areas!

☽ ☽ ☽
3 out of 5 moons

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

| Goodreads | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter | YouTube |

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review4 Comments

11235712

Goodreads | Amazon

Sixteen-year-old Cinder is considered a technological mistake by most of society and a burden by her stepmother. Being cyborg does have its benefits, though: Cinder’s brain interference has given her an uncanny ability to fix things (robots, hovers, her own malfunctioning parts), making her the best mechanic in New Beijing. This reputation brings Prince Kai himself to her weekly market booth, needing her to repair a broken android before the annual ball. He jokingly calls it “a matter of national security,” but Cinder suspects it’s more serious than he’s letting on.
Although eager to impress the prince, Cinder’s intentions are derailed when her younger stepsister, and only human friend, is infected with the fatal plague that’s been devastating Earth for a decade. Blaming Cinder for her daughter’s illness, Cinder’s stepmother volunteers her body for plague research, an “honor” that no one has survived.
But it doesn’t take long for the scientists to discover something unusual about their new guinea pig. Something others would kill for.

Has anyone noticed anything unusual recently? Yes, there hasn’t been a book review for over a month. Because I have been reading Cinder for over a month. A month and two days, to be exact.

I went through most of this book thinking it was slow and boring. Hence the 4 week time-log. But I found it’s one of those books that I like a lot more looking back on. It’s definitely a mixed bag – and I’ll try my best to explain why! Let’s go through the things I didn’t like about this book.

  • It was sooooo slowww…or at least I felt like it was! For me, the story was pretty focused around a certain VIP. And that guy just wasn’t in the book for most of the story!
  • Cinder seemed a little…flat? I just couldn’t sympathise with her. I mean, we all know how it feels when we don’t belong somewhere. But I felt like that’s all I knew about her. Her whole character just seemed to be this ‘I don’t know who I am and I don’t belong here and I don’t know what to do about it’ bubble. Like, that was it.
  • I found it confusing. I didn’t know about the characters, so to put it bluntly I didn’t care either. I found Peony and Iko more props than people, more support for the storyline than actual characters.

Okay, so that is me being very critical and extremely brutal. So to finish off, let’s talk about what I enjoyed!

  • The ending! I loved the dramatic parts of this book – and that only seemed to come towards the end of the novel.
  • Prince Kai! Even though we don’t see much of him, I actually sympathised with him the most.
  • The intrigue and mystery. I loved not knowing what was happening with Cinder, and it was so exciting towards the end of the book to find out what was going to happen.

So overall, it was definitely mixed opinions about this book. I liked it and wanted to stop reading at the same time! But I have to admit…I did completely fall in love with the end of this book. To balance it out, it’ll have to be…

☽ ☽ ☽ ☽
3.5 out of 5 moons

P.S. Thank you for 400 followers on this blog!

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

| Goodreads | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook |

Review: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review10 Comments

23395680

Goodreads | Amazon

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.
This afternoon, her planet was invaded.
The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.
But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it’s clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.

I was so hesitant to read this book for two reasons:

★ It’s SO HYPED! Literally, at the start of the year I was seeing this EVERYWHERE.
★ I hardly ever read sci-fi! Seriously, I think I’ve only read Across the Universe & Hitchhikers.

So for both of those reasons, I was so hesitant to finally pick this one up. But when it was suggested for our last month book-club choice I was very intrigued!

“You have me.

I’m not sure where to even start with this novel, but I’m going to try and describe it the best I can. Let’s start with the characters.

One of the most amazing things about Illuminae is the way the authors completely manipulated us into thinking what we basically shouldn’t be thinking. We shouldn’t like an AI who has killed 2000 people. In fact, we do go through most of the book with AIDAN as our enemy. So why, oh why, could we possibly suddenly like it? But that’s the thing with really good books – they surprise you into suddenly thinking things you never thought you would.

Another point I’d like to make is the very believable sci-fi! I love how this book was so modern and centered around only a few main characters – it actually made the book have a contemporary realistic vibe as well as very science-y.

Until ever last star in the galaxy dies.

I could go on and on about how amazing this book is and why I loved so much of it, but I’m going to just make a few random pointers before I go!

★ There was some amazing poetic parts in this very scientific book! I’d love to quote it over and over, hence the quoting throughout this review (what do you think of it, by the way?).
★ I liked the second half of this book so much more than the first. I think it was the fact that there was so much more to keep track of in the first half that I just found it very overwhelming. I preferred it a lot when it was just Kady and AIDAN to focus on.

And one last thing…Amie and Jay did an amazing thing with this book that many YA novels don’t. They dumped the rule book. They burned it, and held it up for all to see. That is such a refreshing and brave idea, and I admire them so much for it.

You have me.”

Bookworm out.

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

youtubetwitterbloglovintumblrinstagram

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Review: Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

428263

Goodreads | Amazon

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob – knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

I have a feeling my review for Eclipse is going to be similar for my review to New Moon. I still adore Twilight, but my love for this franchise is being lowered by the pure length of these books. Honestly, I kind of understand why they’re so long – the movies are obvious evidence of what happens when they are shortened…but there does appear to be a lot of back and forth.

In the end, Bella seems very confused. I know that’s the point of the book, but it can get a little drawn out and frustrating when she simply can’t decide in her own head what even SHE wants to happen.

The thing I’ve always admired about these books is the ability for the reader to feel close to Bella – and I still did in this book…just not quite as much as I have before. So unfortunately, I’m going to have to give this book…

☽ ☽ ☽
3 out of 5 moons

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

youtubetwitterbloglovintumblrinstagram

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review8 Comments

23437156

Goodreads | Amazon

Edition: Hardcover, 465 pages, published September 29th 2015 by Henry Holt and Company

Synopsis: Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…

Kaz’s crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

I have read this book with the Book Bloggers Unite! Book club, run by me, Emma and Sophie. Want to join? Find out more here!

The plot…at first, was really, really confusing. I didn’t understand the characters or the plot. But after around the first half, it really picked up. It was extremely thrilling and full of intriguing plot twists!

The characters…as I said above, were at first, extremely confusing. The book is written in alternate chapters, written from the viewpoint of 6 different people. But Leigh has got skills, and she pulls this off (eventually).

The writing…is very good. Not outstanding, and a little confusing, but still amazing. I love the world Leigh managed to create, a world of intruiging heists and interesting people. Beautiful, in a way.

Something I liked…is actually the alternating character viewpoints. It was really nice to see inside the minds of not only one or two people, but six. And not only that, but to be able to pull it off! I really look up to Leigh for that.

Something I didn’t like…was the entire first half of the book. Unfortunately, I just didn’t see the…point. I suppose it was needed for character building, but the first half is told without the characters actually being together, which just doesn’t really make sense. Luckily, the second half – surprisingly but very impressively – completely made up for this.

The book as an object…wow. This is not something I’d normally talk about, sometimes I’ll mention a cover, but this entire book is…so beautiful. I just can’t not mention it!

For a start, the cover is amazing. But not just that, the slipcover feels really weird. Weird in a good way, it’s sort of…soft but rough – and unlike any other book I own. Under the slipcover, the hardcover is really soft, and has a little crow on it.

Also, the spine is beautiful – the dark red lettering against the smooth black is just so lovely. But not just these things…the book is just…really something. It is bigger than normal paperbacks, but there is something really special about that. You are forced to hold it in your lap, and really feel the weight and size of the book as a whole. It makes it an experience.

As well as all of this, the book has black tinted pages on the edges, which softens into the white on the edge of every single page.

But the thing that really got me? Something so unique, it actually surpised me. The font. It’s the same as the cover, but smaller. And I didn’t expect to like it, but I loved it.

My rating is…

☽ ☽ ☽ ☽

4 of 5 moons

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

youtubetwitterbloglovintumblrinstagram

You may also be interested in: Crooked Kingdom Review

Review: The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review2 Comments

21064007

Goodreads | Amazon

Edition: Hardcover, 304 pages, published April 10th 2014 by Picador
Synopsis: For thirty-eight years, Bartholomew Neil has lived with his mother. When she gets sick and dies, he has no idea how to be on his own. His redheaded grief counselor, Wendy, says he needs to find his flock and leave the nest. But how does a man whose whole life has been grounded in his mom, Saturday mass, and the library learn how to fly?

The plot…was solid and effective. It provided a good base for the story, but didn’t involve a great deal of action or other extraordinary feats to make it unique or exquisite.

The characters…were simple. Unfortunately, I found the characters didn’t have much depth or character building of any sort. They did the job, but I think I would have preferred the book with better (and more in depth) descriptions.

The writing…was also simple. Maybe I’m missing something here, but I can’t find much to say about the writing. It did the job for the book, and I found it easy to read, but there was nothing to make it… exciting.

Something I liked…it’s hard to pick out one thing – maybe the settings? I have to admit, Quick did describe beauty quite well, and the settings are quite easy to picture.

Something I didn’t like…the simplicity. It just didn’t show great depths in any areas, something I believe is quite important for a novel. I also didn’t like the way Bartholomew, as the main character, wrote and came across as a child. Yes, even I feel like I’m missing the point here, but I just found him…immature. Especially for the main character of an adult book.

Overall…I was really disappointed. Although I hadn’t read any other writing by Matthew Quick, I have heard great things about The Silver Linings Playbook – so I have to admit I had high expectations. The entire book was just pretty mediocre. Yes, there were a few little things I enjoyed, and I’m still glad I read it, but this is definitely not one of the best books I’ve read.

My rating is…

☽ ☽
2.5 out of 5 moons

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Email: thebooksareeverywhere@hotmail.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxTaRxPaXCXsgXs2xC4CIg
Instagram: @thebooksareeverywhere
Twitter: @tbaeblog
Tumblr: The Books Are Everywhere

Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

16101128

Goodreads | Amazon

Edition: 457 pages, published May 7th 2013 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Synopsis: After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother–or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

This has been sat on my shelf for a while. And by a while, I mean since September. Oops.

To tell the truth, I was putting it off. Not only is it of a genre I normally don’t read, it’s also 457 pages long. I’ve read longer, but it does still seem quite daunting – right?

But then, it always seems to be the ones that you put off for so long that end up being the best…

The plot…has so many twists and turns. I was actually shocked I could keep on my toes and follow the entire time. I guess that depends on the writing and character building. I felt like I could see what was happening, to the point of almost gagging and a couple of gruesome parts!

The characters…are very well built. Honestly, I felt so close to Cassie and I really felt her pain, her happiness, her sadness. But mostly, her pain. It was extremely vivid.

The writing…is extraordinary. I know, I know – I say this a lot. But this one put other books to shame – even one’s I’ve also rated 5 moons.

I have to really admire Rick for the amazing creation of this…parallel universe, I guess. One identical to the one we know today, but completely different is so many ways. The writing really makes that vivid, and understandable.

Something I liked…is the short chapters. Not only did it make the book more managable, but it also made the pages seem like they were turning themselves. This is a rating on the back of the book (about the turning pages thing), which at first I didn’t understand. Pages turning themselves? What?

Well, this was explained as soon as I started reading. It takes so little time to read just a chapter, you just want to keep carrying on reading. And there really is no other way to describe it – the pages really do turn themselves.

Something I disliked…has to be the sudden character changes by section. Every 10-50 pages (or so) there was a change in POV, and suddenly the book was being written by another character. There wasn’t any issues with this – it gave the book a good edge – it just took a page (or 5) to realise who had started telling the next part, and then get into the new writing.

My rating is…

☽ ☽ ☽ ☽ ☽
5 out of 5 moons

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

Email: thebooksareeverywhere@hotmail.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxTaRxPaXCXsgXs2xC4CIg
Instagram: @thebooksareeverywhere
Twitter: @tbaeblog
Tumblr: The Books Are Everywhere