I just wanted to make a quick announcement to let you know that BookSass has officially moved! I've been playing around with the idea of moving BookSass to WordPress for a while now, and I've finally done it. The new link is booksassbookblog.wordpress.com and I will only be posting there from now on.
So why did I decide to move?
There are a few features WordPress offers that unfortunately, you just don't get with Blogger. And while I've been very pleased with how I've grown on this platform, I'm very excited to see how I continue to grow on WordPress. From what I've noticed, WordPress is more commonly used and, it seems, the more popular blogging host. WordPress also offers a more detailed look at your blog's statistics than Blogger currently does. I have experienced a bit of a learning curve in trying to figure out how to use WordPress, but I'm pleased with the results, and I hope you will all come with me to the new blog!
July 14, 2018
July 11, 2018
Top 5 Wednesday: Future Classics
Top 5 Wednesday (T5W) is a weekly meme created by Lainey (gingerreadslainey) and hosted by Sam (ThoughtsOnTomes). Learn more by checking out the Goodreads group here.
The topic for today is "Future Classics", so here's a handful of books I think will be just as well known in the decades to come.
The topic for today is "Future Classics", so here's a handful of books I think will be just as well known in the decades to come.
July 8, 2018
2018 Bookish Goals 6-Month Check-In
Today I'm doing a post to check-in on my bookish goals for 2018. I never did a post at the beginning of the year to announce what those goals were so this will all be new information to anyone reading this post, but at the end of the year, I'll have this post to refer back to when I wrap up my bookish goals for the entire year.
READING GOALS:
✿ Those are my goals for 2018, do you have any? Subscribe to BookSass for more bookish goodness and thanks for reading!
READING GOALS:
- Read 100 books total - On Goodreads, you can set a reading goal for the number of books you want to read in a calendar year. Goodreads is a pretty handy way to keep track of where you're at in your goal as the goal tracker can calculate how many books ahead or behind your goal you are. I set my goal to 100 and as I'm writing this post I am 25 books ahead of schedule. If I can keep up this momentum, I should end the year well above my goal.
- 100 Women Writers - In order to make sure I'm reading more women writers, I have a list of 100 which I would like to read works from. I don't expect to complete this challenge this year, but I did want to make progress on it. I have a post on this where I track my progress, linked here.
- Continue with series' I've started - I have a pretty bad habit of starting series, but not continuing with them or finishing them. I have a post with the list of series I've started (linked here) and one of my goals this year is to continue with some of the series and possibly finish a few others.
- Decrease number of owned TBR books - While using the KonMari method to purge my book collection, I decided to come up with a way to force myself to finally get through my owned TBR books. I explain this further in my KonMari post (linked here), but basically, my goal is to cut my owned TBR books in at least half. At the start of the year, I had around 60 unread books, so I'm hoping to get that under 30 by the end of 2018.
- Reading women year-long challenge - The Reading Women challenge is similar to the 100 Women Writers Challenge in that both make it a goal to read more women. However, the Reading Women challenge is year-long and has prompts to help you pick which books you'll read. I have an updated post on this as well, linked here.
- BookRiot read harder challenge - I do this challenge every year. It's a fun way to read outside of your comfort zone.
- Read 1 Shakespeare play a month - This goal is fairly self-explanatory. So far, I've kept up with this and I'm really enjoying it.
SOCIAL MEDIA GOALS:
- Start a blog - So obviously I've accomplished this goal. I did have specific things I wanted to do with this blog that I'll get into. Initially, I wanted to post once a week, but this has turned into twice as I've begun doing Top 5 Wednesday posts. Though this will be changing again as I plan to start doing weekly reviews on Fridays.
- Post 1 book review a month - I've followed this for the most part. There was one month I didn't have a review, but I made up for it by posting two the next month. Again, I'm hoping to post weekly reviews soon. I'm also hoping to diversify the types of book I'm reviewing and review books from different genres and at least one book by a woman every month.
- Start a bookstagram - I've also done this (linked here) and post 3-4 times a week, which is what I had hoped to be doing.
- Start a booktube channel - Clearly, I wanted to dive fully into the online book community. This is something I've been wanting to do forever, and I'm currently working on it. When I start my channel, I hope to upload weekly, with one video a month being a review.
✿ Those are my goals for 2018, do you have any? Subscribe to BookSass for more bookish goodness and thanks for reading!
July 4, 2018
Top 5 Wednesday: Best Books You've Read So Far in 2018
Top 5 Wednesday (T5W) is a weekly meme created by Lainey (gingerreadslainey) and hosted by Sam (ThoughtsOnTomes). Learn more by checking out the Goodreads group here.
Today I get to talk about a few of the best books I've read so far this year. I've read so many good books that this was actually a bit of a challenge to narrow them down.
Today I get to talk about a few of the best books I've read so far this year. I've read so many good books that this was actually a bit of a challenge to narrow them down.
July 1, 2018
June Wrap Up
June was an incredibly busy month for me. I'm still prepping for a move and all the craziness that comes with that. I also participated in the cramathon and Book Riot's #riotgram challenge. I read a total of 14 books, published 8 blog posts, and started working on a secret something that you may be seeing soon.
BOOKS WRAP UP:
Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account by Miklos Nyiszli
My Rating: ★★★★★
This is an account of Nyiszli's experience working under Dr. Josef Mengele at Auschwitz. Because of Nyiszli's position at this camp, there isn't much information given about what life was like in the camp for the average prisoner, but this is the only book I've read on the Holocaust that gives a clear description of how the exterminations took place. I think this is a must-read piece of Holocaust literature if you're looking to learn more about how Auschwitz-Birkenau operated and the attitudes of the camp's leaders towards prisoners.
BOOKS WRAP UP:
My Rating: ★★★★★
This is an account of Nyiszli's experience working under Dr. Josef Mengele at Auschwitz. Because of Nyiszli's position at this camp, there isn't much information given about what life was like in the camp for the average prisoner, but this is the only book I've read on the Holocaust that gives a clear description of how the exterminations took place. I think this is a must-read piece of Holocaust literature if you're looking to learn more about how Auschwitz-Birkenau operated and the attitudes of the camp's leaders towards prisoners.
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
My Rating: ★★★★★
Full review for this coming soon. To make a very long story short, I absolutely loved this. I already know this will be one of my top 5 favorite reads from this year and if you've been thinking about reading it, I highly recommend you do so.
Full review for this coming soon. To make a very long story short, I absolutely loved this. I already know this will be one of my top 5 favorite reads from this year and if you've been thinking about reading it, I highly recommend you do so.
June 27, 2018
Top 5 Wednesday: Books You Want to Read Before the End of the Year
Top 5 Wednesday (T5W) is a weekly meme created by Lainey (gingerreadslainey) and hosted by Sam (ThoughtsOnTomes). Learn more by checking out the Goodreads group here.
Today's topic is all about books you want to get to this year. I have so many books I want to finally read, most of which are books I already own, so this was hard for me to narrow down to just five, but I managed it.
BOOKS:
Today's topic is all about books you want to get to this year. I have so many books I want to finally read, most of which are books I already own, so this was hard for me to narrow down to just five, but I managed it.
BOOKS:
1984 by George Orwell
This is incredibly well-known and something I probably should have read by now. I have been slowly working my way through my physical TBR, but focusing on my classics. I've had this for a few years now, and really just want to finally read it.
June 24, 2018
Series I've Started
I was completely inspired to do this by a video by Book Roast (linked here). These are all of the series I've started. I will be letting you know where I'm at with each series, whether or not I'm continuing with it, and why or why not. These are just book series I've started, this doesn't include comic or graphic novel series.
DNF - I did not/ will not continue this series.
Ongoing - I plan to continue with this series.
BOOKS:
DNF - I did not/ will not continue this series.
Ongoing - I plan to continue with this series.
BOOKS:
House of Night Series by P.C Cast (DNF)
I struggled to read through Marked, book 1 of this series. It was so incredibly cheesy and reeked of the authors' I'm-trying-to-appeal-to-the-youths dialogue. I have a bindup of the first two novels in the series, and immediately after finishing this, decided I would not be reading the second book. Not only will I not be continuing with this series, but this has left me wary of the author as well.
Legends of the Goldens Series by S.B.K Burns (DNF)
This was a very strange book. The protagonist is a psychic vampire who got knocked up by a human but has a thing for an android. This novella is only around 100 pages, but it was all over the place and left me very confused by the end of it. There isn't enough introduction to the world in the beginning of the book, so things you feel you should already have known, you don't end up finding out about until it's too late to make sense of the information. I gave this two stars and have DNF'd the series.
Ghostgirl Series by Tonya Hurley (DNF)
I read this when I was about 14 and although I enjoyed it at the time, I never continued with the books. If I wanted to read the other books, I'm sure I would have done it by now, so I'm considering this series DNF'd.
June 20, 2018
Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite LGBTQ+ Books (Non-Cis M/M)
Top 5 Wednesday (T5W) is a weekly meme created by Lainey (gingerreadslainey) and hosted by Sam (ThoughtsOnTomes). Learn more by checking out the Goodreads group here.
The topic for today is one I'm actually super excited about, and it is "Favorite LGBTQ+ Books that do not feature cis M/M relationships". I have a particular beef with the fact that whenever LGBTQ+ books are mentioned, it is almost always books with a cis M/M relationship. Now don't get me wrong, I love that are so many books featuring gay relationships and, of course, I would like to continue seeing more published. I just feel that we should also be promoting and publishing works that focus on other spectrums of the LGBTQ+ community, specifically more books with F/F relationships (Natasha from Cats and Paperbacks has a great post examining F/F relationships in YA. I'll link that here in case you're interested.) However, for this topic, I've tried to find books that represent different aspects of the spectrum. So, below are my Top 5 Favorites fitting this topic.
BOOKS:
George by Alex Gino
This is a really cute MG novel about a young boy who is trying to understand why he doesn't feel comfortable in his body and likes certain things he's told he's not supposed to. I'm using he/him/boy terms because I'm not sure if George is clearly identifying himself as a girl by the end of the book, I think it just indicates that the story is leaning in that direction (correct me in the comments if I'm wrong!). I loved this book and think it's a great way to start a conversation with children about gender identity.
The topic for today is one I'm actually super excited about, and it is "Favorite LGBTQ+ Books that do not feature cis M/M relationships". I have a particular beef with the fact that whenever LGBTQ+ books are mentioned, it is almost always books with a cis M/M relationship. Now don't get me wrong, I love that are so many books featuring gay relationships and, of course, I would like to continue seeing more published. I just feel that we should also be promoting and publishing works that focus on other spectrums of the LGBTQ+ community, specifically more books with F/F relationships (Natasha from Cats and Paperbacks has a great post examining F/F relationships in YA. I'll link that here in case you're interested.) However, for this topic, I've tried to find books that represent different aspects of the spectrum. So, below are my Top 5 Favorites fitting this topic.
BOOKS:
This is a really cute MG novel about a young boy who is trying to understand why he doesn't feel comfortable in his body and likes certain things he's told he's not supposed to. I'm using he/him/boy terms because I'm not sure if George is clearly identifying himself as a girl by the end of the book, I think it just indicates that the story is leaning in that direction (correct me in the comments if I'm wrong!). I loved this book and think it's a great way to start a conversation with children about gender identity.
June 17, 2018
Book Unhaul
June 13, 2018
Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Fathers/ Father Figures
Top 5 Wednesday (T5W) is a weekly meme created by Lainey (gingerreadslainey) and hosted by Sam (ThoughtsOnTomes). Learn more by checking out the Goodreads group here.
In honor of Father's Day, today's topic is Favorite Father/ Father Figures.
1. This is probably no surprise, but my first pick is Luke from the Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. I love the relationship between him and Clary, especially in City of Ashes when I feel he is his most fatherly. And I appreciate the good-stepdad representation this book has because so many YA books have uncaring or cruel step-parents.
2. Choice two is Big Mav from The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. A large part of THUG's story is Starr's family dynamic. I loved how her family was represented in this, especially her father. He is someone she absolutely loves, even though she doesn't always feel close to him or like she can talk to him about anything. At one point, he realizes this and although the situation becomes a bit of a mess for Starr, I thought it was beautifully resolved and I loved the relationship her and her father ended the novel with.
3. Though I wasn't a huge fan of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is one of my favorite fictional father's. He isn't overly strict and allows his children to be curious and to be thoughtful instead of telling them what is right and what is wrong. Encouraging a child to think for themselves and form their own opinions, rather than telling them what their opinions are, is something I will always appreciate in a parental character.
4. In the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Haymitch isn't technically Katniss' father, but I think everyone can agree he's definitely a father figure in her life. I love the dynamic between him and Katniss. He's helpful when he needs to be and shows that he cares for her, even though it's sometimes done in an unusual way, and she proves that she cares for him as well by showing him tough love, which seems to be what Haymitch needs. It's clear from book one that they are important to each other, and I liked that they showed us this rather than expressing it through words.
5. My final pick is Humbert Humbert from Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. I know this one may be a bit confusing but bear with me while I explain. The topic for today is not good fathers/father figures, which Humbert certainly isn't, but he is one of my favorites to discuss and he is a father figure, so he makes this list. Humbert is one of the most interesting and distinct characters I've ever read. The idea of a fictional father figure is a character who acts fatherly. For the most part, Humbert's thoughts are NOT fatherly, but the dynamic between him and Lo often reflects that of a single father with a preteen daughter. When Lo is particularly bratty, he often responds to her behavior in the same way a father would to his daughter, which makes him seem almost relatable. This is then followed up with some reminder to the reader of what a trash person Humbert is. I've always thought it was interesting that as the reader, we are given these relatable moments, before immediately being reminded that Humbert is a pedophile and someone we should absolutely not find relatable. I don't know if this was by accident, or intentional on the writer's part to make the work more jarring. Either way, Humbert remains a very interesting character and one of my favorite father figures in literature.
✿ If you did a Top 5 Wednesday post, link it below in the comments so I can check it out. Subscribe to BookSass for more bookish goodness, and thanks for reading!
In honor of Father's Day, today's topic is Favorite Father/ Father Figures.
1. This is probably no surprise, but my first pick is Luke from the Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. I love the relationship between him and Clary, especially in City of Ashes when I feel he is his most fatherly. And I appreciate the good-stepdad representation this book has because so many YA books have uncaring or cruel step-parents.
2. Choice two is Big Mav from The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. A large part of THUG's story is Starr's family dynamic. I loved how her family was represented in this, especially her father. He is someone she absolutely loves, even though she doesn't always feel close to him or like she can talk to him about anything. At one point, he realizes this and although the situation becomes a bit of a mess for Starr, I thought it was beautifully resolved and I loved the relationship her and her father ended the novel with.
3. Though I wasn't a huge fan of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is one of my favorite fictional father's. He isn't overly strict and allows his children to be curious and to be thoughtful instead of telling them what is right and what is wrong. Encouraging a child to think for themselves and form their own opinions, rather than telling them what their opinions are, is something I will always appreciate in a parental character.
4. In the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Haymitch isn't technically Katniss' father, but I think everyone can agree he's definitely a father figure in her life. I love the dynamic between him and Katniss. He's helpful when he needs to be and shows that he cares for her, even though it's sometimes done in an unusual way, and she proves that she cares for him as well by showing him tough love, which seems to be what Haymitch needs. It's clear from book one that they are important to each other, and I liked that they showed us this rather than expressing it through words.
5. My final pick is Humbert Humbert from Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. I know this one may be a bit confusing but bear with me while I explain. The topic for today is not good fathers/father figures, which Humbert certainly isn't, but he is one of my favorites to discuss and he is a father figure, so he makes this list. Humbert is one of the most interesting and distinct characters I've ever read. The idea of a fictional father figure is a character who acts fatherly. For the most part, Humbert's thoughts are NOT fatherly, but the dynamic between him and Lo often reflects that of a single father with a preteen daughter. When Lo is particularly bratty, he often responds to her behavior in the same way a father would to his daughter, which makes him seem almost relatable. This is then followed up with some reminder to the reader of what a trash person Humbert is. I've always thought it was interesting that as the reader, we are given these relatable moments, before immediately being reminded that Humbert is a pedophile and someone we should absolutely not find relatable. I don't know if this was by accident, or intentional on the writer's part to make the work more jarring. Either way, Humbert remains a very interesting character and one of my favorite father figures in literature.
✿ If you did a Top 5 Wednesday post, link it below in the comments so I can check it out. Subscribe to BookSass for more bookish goodness, and thanks for reading!
June 10, 2018
Reading Women 2018 Reading Challenge Check-In
This is a new-to-me reading challenge I've recently heard of and I've decided to start doing it. I really love reading challenges and how they diversify my reading or introduce me to books I wouldn't otherwise think to read. I'm doing several reading challenges already, but I enjoy them so, why not do another? The page for this reading challenge is linked here.
The prompt for this challenge is to read books by or about women, and under this prompt, there are 24 challenges (with a bonus 2) to help you find different kinds of books by women to read. Below is my anticipated TBR for each challenge. Completed challenges will be in bold.
Challenges:
1. A book by a woman in translation (bonus if also translated by a woman) - The Vegetarian by Han Kang
2. A fantasy novel written by a woman of color - The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh.
3. A book set in the American South - Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.
4. A short story collection - Almost Famous Women: Stories by Megan Mayhew Bergman
5. A graphic novel or memoir - Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
6. A book published by an independent press - Grace by Natashia Deon
7. A book set in Russia or by a Russian author - Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich
8. A book with a viewpoint character who is an immigrant or a refugee - Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
9. A book by an Australian or a Canadian author - The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
10. An essay collection - Nasty Women: Feminism, Resistance, and Revolution in Trump's America by Samhita Mukhopadhyay
11. A book about someone with a chronic illness - Still Alice by Lisa Genova
12. A true crime book - Lizzie Borden by Arnold Brown (This is obviously written by a man, but the subject of the book is a woman)
13. A book by an African American Woman about Civil Rights - Black Girl Dreaming by Jaqueline Woodson
14. A classic novel written by a woman (bonus points if not Austen or a Bronte) - The Awakening by Kate Chopin
15. A poetry collection - Stung with Love: Poems and Fragments by Sappho
16. A book where the characters are traveling somewhere - The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
17. A book with a food item in the title - The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith
18. A book written by a female Nobel Prize winner - Mighty Be Our Powers by Leymah Gbowbee
19. A book from the Reading Women Award 2017 shortlists - Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
20. A memoir by someone who lives in a country different from yours - I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
21. A book inspired by a fairytale - Ash by Malinda Lo
22. A book by a local author or recommended by your local bookstore - Beloved by Toni Morrison
23. The book that has been on your TBR the longest - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
24. A book in a genre you have never read - The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
The prompt for this challenge is to read books by or about women, and under this prompt, there are 24 challenges (with a bonus 2) to help you find different kinds of books by women to read. Below is my anticipated TBR for each challenge. Completed challenges will be in bold.
Challenges:
1. A book by a woman in translation (bonus if also translated by a woman) - The Vegetarian by Han Kang
2. A fantasy novel written by a woman of color - The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh.
3. A book set in the American South - Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.
4. A short story collection - Almost Famous Women: Stories by Megan Mayhew Bergman
5. A graphic novel or memoir - Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
6. A book published by an independent press - Grace by Natashia Deon
7. A book set in Russia or by a Russian author - Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich
8. A book with a viewpoint character who is an immigrant or a refugee - Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
9. A book by an Australian or a Canadian author - The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
10. An essay collection - Nasty Women: Feminism, Resistance, and Revolution in Trump's America by Samhita Mukhopadhyay
11. A book about someone with a chronic illness - Still Alice by Lisa Genova
12. A true crime book - Lizzie Borden by Arnold Brown (This is obviously written by a man, but the subject of the book is a woman)
13. A book by an African American Woman about Civil Rights - Black Girl Dreaming by Jaqueline Woodson
14. A classic novel written by a woman (bonus points if not Austen or a Bronte) - The Awakening by Kate Chopin
15. A poetry collection - Stung with Love: Poems and Fragments by Sappho
16. A book where the characters are traveling somewhere - The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
17. A book with a food item in the title - The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith
18. A book written by a female Nobel Prize winner - Mighty Be Our Powers by Leymah Gbowbee
19. A book from the Reading Women Award 2017 shortlists - Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
20. A memoir by someone who lives in a country different from yours - I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
21. A book inspired by a fairytale - Ash by Malinda Lo
22. A book by a local author or recommended by your local bookstore - Beloved by Toni Morrison
23. The book that has been on your TBR the longest - The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
24. A book in a genre you have never read - The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
Bonus:
25. A book by Virginia Woolf - A Room of One's Own
26. A book by Flannery O'Connor - A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories
June 6, 2018
Top 5 Wednesday: Summer Reads
Top 5 Wednesday (T5W) is a weekly meme created by Lainey (gingerreadslainey) and hosted by Sam (ThoughtsOnTomes). Learn more by checking out the Goodreads group here.
Today's topic is Summer Reads. During the summer I tend to lean towards books that are light and fun, set during the summertime, or have an adventurous aspect to them. Some of these I've already read, and some are ones I've put on my own summer TBR.
BOOKS:
Today's topic is Summer Reads. During the summer I tend to lean towards books that are light and fun, set during the summertime, or have an adventurous aspect to them. Some of these I've already read, and some are ones I've put on my own summer TBR.
BOOKS:
Never Ever by Sara Saedi
This is a reimagining of Peter Pan that I read a few years ago. It's set during the summertime and takes place primarily on an island. I remember this being a very fun and quick read, which I think makes it perfect for summer.
June 3, 2018
Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
*SPOILERS* TW/CW: Suicide, Rape, Sexual Assault, Mental Health (Depression),
Title: Thirteen Reasons Why
Author: Jay Asher
Publication Date: October 18, 2007
Format: Ebook - 288 pages
Rating: ★★★ (2.5)
Goodreads Page
I wasn't planning to review this book because it's been out for so long and I feel like everyone already knows what it's about or has already read it, but while reading it I had such strong feelings that I basically said fuck it, I'm doing a review. So here we go.
*First things first, while reading this I heard of the allegations against the author, Jay Asher. My review is not influenced at all by the author or anything concerning him personally. My review is strictly for the content of the book. Article here if you have no clue what I'm talking about.
When I saw the hype this book got, I thought I would love it. When I actually started reading it though, I realized I was not a fan, and thought for sure I would hate it. I thought it would be a one-star read, which is a very rare rating to come from me. It wasn't until a little over halfway through that it started to pick up and my thoughts on the content became conflicted. I cannot think of another book that has ever left me feeling so divided.
Review:
The short and sweet answer to how I felt about this book? I have mixed feelings, but overall, I strongly disliked it. We'll get to why in a moment, but let's start on a positive note. I did like that this book brought a lot of discussion to the topics of teen suicide (and suicide in general tbh), bullying, and how your actions affect others, however insignificant those actions may seem to you.
Now for why I didn't like it. There were several reasons, but I'll start with the minor annoyances first.
Author: Jay Asher
Publication Date: October 18, 2007
Format: Ebook - 288 pages
Rating: ★★★ (2.5)
Goodreads Page
I wasn't planning to review this book because it's been out for so long and I feel like everyone already knows what it's about or has already read it, but while reading it I had such strong feelings that I basically said fuck it, I'm doing a review. So here we go.
*First things first, while reading this I heard of the allegations against the author, Jay Asher. My review is not influenced at all by the author or anything concerning him personally. My review is strictly for the content of the book. Article here if you have no clue what I'm talking about.
When I saw the hype this book got, I thought I would love it. When I actually started reading it though, I realized I was not a fan, and thought for sure I would hate it. I thought it would be a one-star read, which is a very rare rating to come from me. It wasn't until a little over halfway through that it started to pick up and my thoughts on the content became conflicted. I cannot think of another book that has ever left me feeling so divided.
Review:
The short and sweet answer to how I felt about this book? I have mixed feelings, but overall, I strongly disliked it. We'll get to why in a moment, but let's start on a positive note. I did like that this book brought a lot of discussion to the topics of teen suicide (and suicide in general tbh), bullying, and how your actions affect others, however insignificant those actions may seem to you.
Now for why I didn't like it. There were several reasons, but I'll start with the minor annoyances first.
May 31, 2018
May Wrap Up
I finished a total of 9 books and published as many new blog posts in the month of May, all of which will be listed below.
BOOKS WRAP UP:
The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum
My Rating: ★★★★★
Wow, what can I say about this one? To start, this was a hell of a story to kick off the month with. I had seen a really great review of this and wanted to read it, then I found that it also worked for the buzzwordathon, the buzzword this round being "girl". This story has little plot but is a fantastic character study. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, because of the content. If you're bothered by things like rape, physical abuse, torture, pedophilia, or violence, I would say stay away from this, especially considering the victims and abusers are mostly children.
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
My Rating: ★★★★
This may be the first audiobook I've been able to listen to without losing focus. I've seen a lot of people say they were disappointed in this, but I loved it. I didn't go into this expecting too much from it, and for that reason, it was just a really fun read for me. I loved the role color played in this, and the idea of caraval as a game. I was a bit disappointed in the ending, it felt very
What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton
My Rating: ★★★★
I listened to this on audiobook and really enjoyed it and the fact that it's narrated by Hillary herself. I thought this would be more "Why didn't I win? Also, fuck Trump.", and though there were some digs at Trump here and there, this was primarily about Clinton's campaign and her feelings and experiences during the election. While this mostly focuses on the past US Presidential election, there's a decent amount of Hillary's past given, we get bits about her career as a whole and mentions of things like her emails, and Bill's affair. It felt transparent, or as transparent as a politician can be.
Horns by Joe Hill
My Rating: ★★★★★
I may be doing a special review of this soon-ish...maybe. I absolutely loved this! I had been wanting to read this for a while, and I'm so glad I finally did. I could tell just a few chapters in that this was going to be a new favorite. I loved the concept and the main character, Ig. I also really enjoyed the pop culture references and the parallels between Ig and Satan. This is considered horror, and while it does fit the genre, it reads like more of a thriller/murder mystery type story than it necessarily does horror.
Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud by Anne Helen Petersen
This is a feminist essay collection centering on celebrity women who are criticized for not fitting what society considers to be the 'ideal woman'. This was a decent collection and I think it would be a good book for people who are wanting to get into more books about feminist issues. However, for me, this didn't feature any new ideas and it had a tendency to drone on. I've read other feminist essay collections I would recommend over this one.
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
My Rating: ★★★★★
Unfortunately, I didn't love this one as much as the other plays I've read. It was alright overall, but not one that I would consider rereading. This is largely about Roman politics, which is something I'll admit I don't know much about, but it wasn't done in a way that I found terribly interesting. I was familiar enough with the basics of Caesar's story that there really wasn't anything unique to this to keep me interested, as the story is entirely about Brutus betraying Caesar resulting in his death.
POSTS WRAP UP:
✿ Have you read any of these books? Comment below what you read this month or link your wrap up post if you've made one. Subscribe to BookSass for more bookish goodness and thanks for reading!
BOOKS WRAP UP:
My Rating: ★★★★★
Wow, what can I say about this one? To start, this was a hell of a story to kick off the month with. I had seen a really great review of this and wanted to read it, then I found that it also worked for the buzzwordathon, the buzzword this round being "girl". This story has little plot but is a fantastic character study. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, because of the content. If you're bothered by things like rape, physical abuse, torture, pedophilia, or violence, I would say stay away from this, especially considering the victims and abusers are mostly children.
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
My Rating: ★★★★★
This was my second book for the buzzwordathon. This took me a while to get through, not because I wasn't enjoying it, but because it is about a topic I know very little about. That said, this was really easy to read as the writing is accessible and I did learn a bit about more about Pakistan's general history and the recent politics there.
My Rating: ★★★★
This may be the first audiobook I've been able to listen to without losing focus. I've seen a lot of people say they were disappointed in this, but I loved it. I didn't go into this expecting too much from it, and for that reason, it was just a really fun read for me. I loved the role color played in this, and the idea of caraval as a game. I was a bit disappointed in the ending, it felt very
Dogs Vol. 0 by Shirow Miwa
My Rating: ★★★★
This is the prequel to a manga series about a group of hitmen. This gives some backstory to the characters and shows how they all come together. I don't know if I'll continue with this series. I enjoyed this, but there are so many other books I want to read that this just isn't a priority right now.
My Rating: ★★★★
I listened to this on audiobook and really enjoyed it and the fact that it's narrated by Hillary herself. I thought this would be more "Why didn't I win? Also, fuck Trump.", and though there were some digs at Trump here and there, this was primarily about Clinton's campaign and her feelings and experiences during the election. While this mostly focuses on the past US Presidential election, there's a decent amount of Hillary's past given, we get bits about her career as a whole and mentions of things like her emails, and Bill's affair. It felt transparent, or as transparent as a politician can be.
Gold Shadow by L.C. Perry
My Rating: ★★★★
This was my first read-for-review book, which was really exciting. I read this slowly and really paid attention to the details so I could review it fairly. While I didn't find this to be perfect (what book is??), I did enjoy it. The full review is linked here.
My Rating: ★★★★★
I may be doing a special review of this soon-ish...maybe. I absolutely loved this! I had been wanting to read this for a while, and I'm so glad I finally did. I could tell just a few chapters in that this was going to be a new favorite. I loved the concept and the main character, Ig. I also really enjoyed the pop culture references and the parallels between Ig and Satan. This is considered horror, and while it does fit the genre, it reads like more of a thriller/murder mystery type story than it necessarily does horror.
Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud by Anne Helen Petersen
My Rating: ★★★★
This is a feminist essay collection centering on celebrity women who are criticized for not fitting what society considers to be the 'ideal woman'. This was a decent collection and I think it would be a good book for people who are wanting to get into more books about feminist issues. However, for me, this didn't feature any new ideas and it had a tendency to drone on. I've read other feminist essay collections I would recommend over this one.
My Rating: ★★★★★
Unfortunately, I didn't love this one as much as the other plays I've read. It was alright overall, but not one that I would consider rereading. This is largely about Roman politics, which is something I'll admit I don't know much about, but it wasn't done in a way that I found terribly interesting. I was familiar enough with the basics of Caesar's story that there really wasn't anything unique to this to keep me interested, as the story is entirely about Brutus betraying Caesar resulting in his death.
POSTS WRAP UP:
- Top 5 Wednesday REWIND: Authors You'd Want to Write Like - linked here
- KonMari Method for Book Purging - linked here
- Top 5 Wednesday REWIND: Books I Disliked, But Love to Discuss - linked here
- Review: Love, Hate, and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed - linked here
- Top 5 Wednesday REWIND: Books You've Read Because of Booktube/Bookblogs - linked here
- Books by leynes Tag! - linked here
- Top 5 Wednesday REWIND: Recent Additions to Your Wishlist - linked here
- Review: Gold Shadow by L.C Perry - linked here
- Top 5 Wednesday REWIND: TBR Benchwarmers - linked here
✿ Have you read any of these books? Comment below what you read this month or link your wrap up post if you've made one. Subscribe to BookSass for more bookish goodness and thanks for reading!
May 30, 2018
Top 5 Wednesday REWIND: TBR Benchwarmers
Top 5 Wednesday (T5W) is a weekly meme created by Lainey (gingerreadslainey) and hosted by Sam (ThoughtsOnTomes). Learn more by checking out the Goodreads group here.
Today I chose the topic "TBR Benchwarmers". These are books that have been on your TBR way too long.
BOOKS:
The Wrath & the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh
I really have no excuse for this one. It's been sitting on my since 2015 and I still have not read it. I've heard amazing things about this, and continue to hear about it even though the hype has died down a bit, but for some reason, I just haven't picked this up yet. It even sounds like exactly the kind of thing I would enjoy. I do plan to read this sometime this year as part of my new TBR rule which I briefly mention in this post. Maybe I'll get to it this summer? It seems like it might be a good summer read.
Today I chose the topic "TBR Benchwarmers". These are books that have been on your TBR way too long.
BOOKS:
May 27, 2018
Review: Gold Shadow by L.C Perry
•Disclaimer: This book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review•
Title: Gold Shadow (Bronze Rebellion #1)
Author: L.C Perry
Publication Date: December 2, 2017
Format: Mobi File
Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Page
Synopsis:
In the North American continent, eighteen year old Ebony has been living as a slave for as long as she can remember. The underground cities, the tattoo, the scars and the shackles are a part of the only world she has ever known. She knows that in order to survive, she will have to stay strong. And she will stay strong, cursing those in power, until her very last breath. She waits for a meaningful way to die as she quietly pushes her body to its limit…but that all changes when rebels from the surface drop down right in front of her.
Now, Ebony is challenged to envision a life beyond slavery as she and the other escapees are thrown into the center of a rebellion against the monarchy. She has to embrace this glimmer towards a real life…this glimmer called freedom. But what can she contribute to a rebellion that is doomed to fail like those before it? How can they stop a corrupt monarchy that has lasted for a century? Among the lower class, those with hope are hard to come by, but Ebony has found refuge with people full of it. And through their strong desire, an idea emerges…one that has never been done before. The princess of the country is coming of age and what better way to send a message to the king and queen than to kidnap their only daughter?
Title: Gold Shadow (Bronze Rebellion #1)Author: L.C Perry
Publication Date: December 2, 2017
Format: Mobi File
Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Page
Synopsis:
In the North American continent, eighteen year old Ebony has been living as a slave for as long as she can remember. The underground cities, the tattoo, the scars and the shackles are a part of the only world she has ever known. She knows that in order to survive, she will have to stay strong. And she will stay strong, cursing those in power, until her very last breath. She waits for a meaningful way to die as she quietly pushes her body to its limit…but that all changes when rebels from the surface drop down right in front of her.
Now, Ebony is challenged to envision a life beyond slavery as she and the other escapees are thrown into the center of a rebellion against the monarchy. She has to embrace this glimmer towards a real life…this glimmer called freedom. But what can she contribute to a rebellion that is doomed to fail like those before it? How can they stop a corrupt monarchy that has lasted for a century? Among the lower class, those with hope are hard to come by, but Ebony has found refuge with people full of it. And through their strong desire, an idea emerges…one that has never been done before. The princess of the country is coming of age and what better way to send a message to the king and queen than to kidnap their only daughter?
⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫
May 23, 2018
Top 5 Wednesday REWIND: Recent Additions to Your Wishlist
Top 5 Wednesday (T5W) is a weekly meme created by Lainey (gingerreadslainey) and hosted by Sam (ThoughtsOnTomes). Learn more by checking out the Goodreads group here.
Today for Top 5 Wednesday I chose the topic 'Recent Additions to Your Wishlist'. I thought this seemed like a really fun topic, and might give you some insight into the kinds of books I like to read, but that I might not always find an opportunity to talk about here.
BOOKS:
Today for Top 5 Wednesday I chose the topic 'Recent Additions to Your Wishlist'. I thought this seemed like a really fun topic, and might give you some insight into the kinds of books I like to read, but that I might not always find an opportunity to talk about here.
BOOKS:
The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde
I've mentioned The Picture of Dorian Gray a few times before. It is one of my absolute favorite books, but I haven't gotten to read any of Oscar Wilde's other work, so this collection is a must for me. Wilde's work encompasses plays, essays, letter, and poems in addition to his stories, and this is the complete collection of that.
May 20, 2018
TAG: Books by Leynes Tag!
This is a tag that has been floating around parts of booktube recently. It was created by Adrian from Stripped Cover Lit (channel linked here) about Hélène from books by leynes (channel linked here). This tag looked really fun, and I love both of their channels, so here we go.
Questions:
Question #1 - That Stupid Accent: What is your favorite piece of literature by an author foreign from your country?
Questions:
Question #1 - That Stupid Accent: What is your favorite piece of literature by an author foreign from your country?
Answer:
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
I absolutely adore this book. I think for this tag question, it is especially worth mentioning that Nabokov originally wrote Lolita in English, despite the fact that Russian was his native language. I can't even imagine learning that level of fluency in a second language.
May 16, 2018
Top 5 Wednesday REWIND: Books You've Read Because of Booktube/Bookblogs
Top 5 Wednesday (T5W) is a weekly meme created by Lainey (gingerreadslainey) and hosted by Sam (ThoughtsOnTomes). Learn more by checking out the Goodreads group here.
For today's Top 5 Wednesday topic I'll be talking about something I'm sure we've all had first-hand experience with, and that is 'Books You've Read Because of Booktube/Bookblogs'. I have been suckered into reading a hyped book on more than one occasion and it hasn't always worked out well, so below I'll be sharing some of these books with you.
BOOKS:
Rook by Sharon Cameron
I read this in 2015, around the time it was published, for a booktube book club I participated in at the time. This was a dystopian/historical fiction retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel (which I've never read) and is set in a version of France that has experienced a new revolution and is being controlled by a religious sect. I don't remember much of this now, but I know at the time, I really liked this and gave it 4 or 5 stars. This is a book I hope to reread eventually and after I've read The Scarlet Pimpernel first.
For today's Top 5 Wednesday topic I'll be talking about something I'm sure we've all had first-hand experience with, and that is 'Books You've Read Because of Booktube/Bookblogs'. I have been suckered into reading a hyped book on more than one occasion and it hasn't always worked out well, so below I'll be sharing some of these books with you.
BOOKS:
I read this in 2015, around the time it was published, for a booktube book club I participated in at the time. This was a dystopian/historical fiction retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel (which I've never read) and is set in a version of France that has experienced a new revolution and is being controlled by a religious sect. I don't remember much of this now, but I know at the time, I really liked this and gave it 4 or 5 stars. This is a book I hope to reread eventually and after I've read The Scarlet Pimpernel first.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
This was soooo hyped up on booktube around the time of its release. Like many other people, I fell into the trap and bought and read this just because a bunch of people online told me to. I read this in one sitting and absolutely loved it after. However, in the three years since reading this, I still haven't continued with the sequel and no longer necessarily plan to. The world was fairly interesting but fell into quite a few of the YA dystopian/fantasy tropes that were common at the time. Since reading this, I no longer feel this is a 5 star read, and honestly don't know how much I'd like it if I reread this now.
Bitch Planet Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick
Bitch Planet is a comic book series where unruly women or women who do not fit the idea of femininity are sent to, and imprisoned on, another planet for their crimes. I was so excited to start this when I first got it. The idea of women committing a crime by not being what men want them to be was such a cool idea, and I was sure I was going to love it. The artwork was well done, and the story was interesting, but it did have a few issues. I felt that parts of the story were confusing or poorly explained, and it seemed to jump around a bit too much and covered too many things and characters for it to be considered a 5 star read. I know other people have noticed these same issues, and although I haven't read the next volume in this, these issues may or may not be resolved in the continuations.
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
I saw this recommended quite a bit on youtube between various booktubers. I know the Sookie Stackhouse series is fairly popular and spawned an even more popular show, but I did not understand the hype for this. I liked the first book enough to read it, but the concept as a whole felt pretty basic and I have absolutely no intention of continuing with this series. If you like generic characters and plots this is the book for you. If not, I would say pass on this.
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
This series follows our main character, Amy Gumm, as she is thrown into Oz and finds herself joining an organization working to dethrone the now-evil Dorothy. This series did not disappoint me. I really enjoyed reading about a version of Oz I've never seen before. In this, Oz has been twisted into something darker than the world presented to us in the original series and movie, good is wicked and wicked is good, and I found the concept to be creative and interestingly done. This is a series I continued reading and I highly recommend this to anyone who might be interested.
✿ Have you read any of these? What are some books you read because they were hyped up on booktube or in the book blogging community? Comment below, or subscribe to BookSass. Thanks for reading!
May 13, 2018
Review: Love, Hate, and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed
Title: Love, Hate & Other FiltersAuthor: Samira Ahmed
Publication Date: January 16, 2018
Format: Ebook - 288 pages
Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Page
Summary:
American-born seventeen-year-old Maya Aziz is torn between worlds. There’s the proper one her parents expect for their good Indian daughter: attending a college close to their suburban Chicago home, and being paired off with an older Muslim boy who’s “suitable” to her mother. And then there is the world of her dreams: going to film school and living in New York City—and maybe, just maybe, pursuing a boy she’s known from afar her entire life who’s suddenly falling into her orbit at school.
But unbeknownst to Maya, there is a danger looming beyond her control. When a terrorist attack occurs in another Midwestern city, the prime suspect happens to share her last name. In an instant, Maya’s community, consumed by fear and hatred, becomes unrecognizable, and her life changes forever.
⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫⧫
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)