Wonder by R.J. Palacio (a book that made me cry)

I continue to crops challenges off my list by checking off "a book that made me cry". This is the fifth book I have read this year towards my sixty book goal. This book had been recommended to me by so many people that I just had to read it; plus I got a copy of it for my birthday! When I started it I wasn't really sure what to expect besides a story about a boy with a facial deformity and honestly the book didn't go much beyond that. Don't get me wrong the book was beautiful and moving but I felt it was a bit lacking in plot. For example... Have you ever been to see some animated film with your younger sibling or cousin? It's a cute film but the plot goes little beyond the underdog hero saving the day. That's kind of what this book is like. That being said, I did still really enjoy this book but since it was so hyped I went into it expecting to have my mind blown while using up a whole box of tissues. Instead I teared up a bit throughout the book but I didn't really cry until the end. The thing about the copy of the book I got was that it included "The Julian Chapter". This is a novella that the author wrote after Wonder to explain and give a voice to one of the more controversial characters. This chapter was the only point in the book that I truly cried. When Juilian's grandmere is telling him the story of the crippled boy from her school i began to cry for the first time. You have to understand that I am not really a book cryer but this chapter that explained Julian's hatred and his remorse was one of the saddest but also uplifting points in the book. So, if you plan on reading this book read "the Julian chapter"! If you have already read the book but didn't read the novella, read "the Julian chapter"!

My Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Yes Plese by Amy Poehler (a funny book)

I continue my reading challenge of 2015 by crossing off "a funny book". My funny book was Yes Please by Amy Poehler. This hilarious woman can not only play a pretty funny fake pregnant woman but also write an equally funny book. This book is made up a short stories about her road to fame and life lessons that she learned along the way. Her writing was so completely honest and that honesty was one of the most refreshing things about the book. She doesn't sugar-coat the truth but she does like to add a humorous sin. I recommend this book to any woman. If you want to break into an acting career this book has some tips. If you just had kids or went through a divorce, Amy can offer some good advice. Or if you are just looking for something fun and entertaining to read (with lots of pictures!) you should pick up this book. The only reason I gave this book four stars instead of five is because there was just something missing. The book was funny but I couldn't always picture Amy Poehler writing this book. If you want to get the complete experience you should listen to the audio book while looking at the pictures and extras in the actual book.

MY RATING: ****

The Cuckoo's Calling (a book that takes place in a different country)

My third read of the year was The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling). This book counted towards my reading challenge because it took place in a different country.  I was super pumped to read a mystery novel written by the great mind that wrote the Harry Potter series. Unfortunately, I was severely disappointed. The characters were likeable enough but the plot had little going for it. For the first three-quarters of the book all that happened was the main character, Coromon  Strike interviewed all of the people that interacted with Lula. Strike seemed to be getting clues from these meetings but as a reader they didn't offer anything. It wasn't until the last few pages that it all began to come together and then the book was over. To write a successful mystery novel I think the author needs to drop clues that keep the reader interested and this book had none of those. Also the ending (the killer) was very predictable, not because of the clues that were revealed (or lack of) but because the "twist" was something that I have seen in many other movies and books. Overall I was completely disappointed and I will not be continuing on with this serious. I wish I could say that J.K. Rowling could write books other than Harry Potter but sadly this book didn't prove that.

MY RATING: **

New Year, New Me (2015 Reading Challenges)

I know it has been forever since I last posted but I wanted to try and get back into the habit of recording the books I read.

This year I am setting a few challenges for myself. Once again I will be attempting the 100 book challenge! Also I will be attempting another reading challenge. This challenge consists of a list of 43 challenges that I will have to complete. This list can be found on line but I removed some of the more outlandish challenges so that I would still have some freedom to read whatever I wanted. These are the 43 criteria I will have to read books for:
 

- a book with more than 500 pages
- a classic romance
- a book that became a movie
- a book published this year
- a book with a number in the title
- a book written by someone under 30
- a book with non-human characters
- a funny book
- a book written by a female author
- a mystery or thriller
- a book with a one word title
- a book of short stories
- a book set in a different country
- a non-fiction book
- a popular author's first book
- a book from an author that you haven't read yet
- a book a friend recommended
- a Pulitzer Prize-winning book
- a book based on a true story
- a book your mom loves
- a book that scares you
- a book more than 100 years old
- a book based entirely on its cover
- a memoir
- a book you can finish in a day
- a book set somewhere you always wanted to visit
- a book that came out the year you were born
- a book from your childhood
- a trilogy
- a book with a love triangle
- a book set in the future
- a book set in high school
- a book with a color in the title
- a book that made you cry
- a book with magic
- a graphic novel
- a book by an author you've never read before
- a book you own but have never read
- a book that was originally written in a different language
- a book set during Christmas
- a book written by an author with your same initials
- a book based on or turned into a TV show
- a book you started but never finished

I am so excited to begin this challenge and I hope to push myself to be open to reading book I may have overlooked before. I have actually already completed two of these challenges. I read a book that became a movie when I finally finished The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. I also read a book by an author I loved but I had never read when I read (and loved!) Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout. This is the sequel to White Hot Kiss and it left me craving the next book in the series which doesn't even have a cover or a release date yet (the agony). These books were the first two books of my 2015 reading year which leaves me with only 41 more challenges and 98 more books to read. I hope your 2015 reading year is EPIC!!

Maybe Someday (book 60)

You might think I skipped book 59 but I actually read The Diviners by Libba Bray. I just couldn't wait to read Colleen Hoover's newest books and I never wrotet the review for The Diviners. I loved it though and I highly reccomend it!



Title: Maybe Someday
Author: Colleen Hoover
Goodreads Rating: 4.47
My Rating: 5!
Pages: 367
So, obviously Colleen Hoover is one of my favorites. I have read all of her full length books and I have loved every single one of them. The thing that made this book stand out from not only Colleen's past books but also any other book was the fact that this book had its own soundtrack. Both of the main characters were song writters and the soundtrack really tied together the whole book and made reading it even that much better. Going into this book I was expecting a pretty straight forward romancy novel. I was wrong. After I first met Ridge's character I kept having bookish nerd girl fantasies about how sexy his singing voice had to be. My dreams were crushed when I discovered (completely to my surprise) that Ridge was deaf and didn't even talk. The soundtrack lost a bit of its hype then because I oculdn't even pretend that the voice belonged to Ridge. The book picked up quickly and I could immediately sense the humor of the book and the chemistry between Ridge and Sydney. I loved the prank war between the roomates. It reminds me of my family on April Fool's Day. One of my absolute favorite lines from this book had to be the joke Risge made about forgetting that other people could hear his farts because he couldn't. I was dying laughing because it was so truthful and it was also something I had never even thought about. The line happened at the perfect time too because things were getting too serious and I needed a bit of comic relief. I loved the instant connection between Ridge and Sydney and I didn't immediately understand Ridge's inability to leave Maggie. I loved Maggie adn the drunk sleepover she had with Sydney, yet I didn't understand why Ridge wouldn't just decide. He either needed to tell Sydney to move out or leave Maggie. It wasn't until Maggie's hospital encounter that I began to see the whole story. I realized Ridge felt somewhat obligated to take care of Maggie. He wanted to be her hero even if she didn't want to be saved. He was loyal to a fault and it was driving me mad. If he never had any intention of leaving Maggie he shouldn't led Sydney on. At this point I began to accept that Ridge would never leave Maggie. I closed the book in dispair because I loved the bound that Sydeny had formed with Ridge. Just then I about had a breakdown. Looking at the cover I realized how stupid I was. The girl Ridge is kissing in the letters of the title has dark hair! LIKE MAGGIE! I felt a sense of finality that he would never leave her and I almost quit right then. Thankfully I continued to read. Maggie had the sense to see the fault in her relationship with Ridge and she called him on everything. Never has a character so completely addressed all of the thoughts I had been thinking and all the questions I had. She told Ridge that he wasn't in love with her anymore but more in love with the idea of her and his loyalty had kept him from leaving her. After that I just read in bliss. Ridge and Sydney could be together. I was so happy that they didn't get together as soon as Ridge left Maggie. Even though it was a mutual breakup, Ridge needed time to get over the relationship and completely commit to Sydney. When Ridge spoke to Sydney and she signed to him I cryed. It was so beautiful and romantic and everything I expect from the wonderful Colleen Hoover. Even the sex scene was like the most romantic thing I had ever read. I love you Colleen Hoover and I cannot wait to pick up Ugly Love. Signing off now so I can start reading the next wonderful Colleen book. I have a feeling I will need tissues.

Books 49-58

This is a list of the books that I have been reading since my last post weeks ago.
49. Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King
50. Of Triton by Anna Banks
51. Crash Into You by Katie McGarry
52. The Giver by Lois Lowery
53. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (for school)
54. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larson
55. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
56. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
57. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
58. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

My favorites off this list were Crash Into You, We Were Liars, and I Am the Messenger. I will try and post reviews for all the books i will be reading in the upcoming months.

The Book Thing of Baltimore

I know I haven't posted in awhile but it's summer and although I have been reading a fair amount of books I just wasn't up to spending time writing and posting full reviews for them. So to catch up a bit on what I've been doing I want to post about a place that is books heaven. 

Recently, my family and I took a trip to Baltimore and of course we did all the wonderful touristy things but the one thing that I had on my agenda was book related. A used book store just outside of the harbor area. I was expecting the usual used book store that sells half price books and I was hoping to find some books that I have been wanting to add to my collection. When we got there and I got a glimpse of the glorified garage and beaten up sign I had a feeling I would be disappointed. 

But then I looked around at the full parking lot and all of the people constantly going in and out. How could a bad book store get that much business? Simple answer: it wasn't a bad book store it was the best book store. 

The place consisted of about three rooms all stuffed full of bookshelves. I begin by browsing around the first room but I don't really see anything that interests me because it was mostly nonfiction books or textbook type reads. I had just began to browse the worn looking classics when my mom walks up behind me and whispers like its a secret, "all of the books are free". At first I thought I must be dreaming or something but looking around people are just filling boxes or bags with free books. 

I then decide that since they're free I might as well grab some antique looking classics. I then speed walk into the next room and find that it's all fiction. Knowing that I will find a bunch of books I grab a box from the pile in the corner and begin filling it. By the end if my spree I have twelve books. I had to stop there because 1) my box was full 2) my arms were aching from holding the heavy box and 3) everyone else in my family was bored and ready to leave. The only bad thing about the shop was that the books were only organized my genre and weren't alphabetized. I have been dying for a copy of Gone With the Wind and I was unable to find a copy. Here are the books I ended up getting in case you were curious.

(The little one on the end that is hard to see is The Hound of the Baskervilles)

Despite that the book store was easily the highlight of the trip and has to be the coolest bookstore I have ever visited. If you live anywhere near the bookstore I highly recommend a trip. Also if u have visited and enjoyed it or are just feeling generous the store needs money to repair their roof and is accepting donations at their website. 

I also hope to soon be posting a brief list of the books I have read this summer since I haven't been writing reviews.