Day 21 (30-Day Challenge)

The First Novel You Remember Reading

Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene

I used to read these books every day at my Grandma's house during the summer.

Review: Isla and the Happily Ever After

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the third novel of the sries, we return to enchanting Paris. Isla, who we were introduced to in the fist novel now takes centre stage. Familiar characters like John and Rashmi's younger sister Sanjita join her. We didn't know much about the artistic Josh beyond his love of snogging and frequent altercations with his girlfriend Rashmi. I am pleased to be able to watch his character develop.

The banter, or lack thereof, between Isla and Josh just makes you smile. They're both endearingly awkward and adorable together. When they go to the comic book store and Josh finds out Kurt isn't her boyfriend, the interaction is very authentic. You can almost feel his dismay turn to confusion and then happy relief.

Despite the fact that Isla has had a crush on Josh for three years, its nice to see that it doesn't come between her and her best friend, Kurt. (Well, most of the time.) Loyalty is very impotant and she won't let anyone treat him badly. Her only other relationship ended because the boy she was dating couldn't get along with Kurt. She's not the best at confronting people and speaking up, but she never lets people take advantage of her best friend or mistreat him. That person will no longer be a part of her life.

Unlike Anna, when I read about Isla and Josh they feel like the shy, exhuberant high schoolers that they are. They experience the awkwardness of first live and the misunderstandings or insecurities that come with not being entirely confortable in a relationship yet. Falling so hard and so fast, but faced with the crippling fear that the rug is going to be pulle out from under you. Isla and Josh experience it all.

Just as I hoped, the Olympics brought the gang back to Paris - plus their new additions. The inseperable Anna and St. Clair, Meredith, lovebirds Lola and Cricket, and Josh. They claim they're back for the Olympics, but something even more important and magical happens. A proposal, in Paris, on the famed bronze marker. It was a return to the city where Anna and Etienne found their other halves and officially began their happily every after. It was a simple, yet touching scene.

I'm glad we find out how Calliope does in the Olympics, although there is very little detail given. I think her story would lend itself well to a novella. But, I'll be happy with what we were given even if that does not happen.

Despite all of the struggles and heartbreak, insecurities and mistakes - Isla and Josh still find their own happily ever after. The story and sweet and heart-warming. J'adore mon petit chou... mon livre - I fell in love with the series "the good parts and the ugly parts" and I hope you do as well.




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Day 20 (30-Day Challenge)

Favourite Romance Book

To All The Boys I've Loved Before - Jenny Han

Day 19 (30-Day Challenge)

Favourite Book Turned Into A Movie

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

True, they changed some scenes or left some out that I loved - but I've watched this movie so many times and tend to quote it during viewings. 

Day 18 (30-Day Challenge)

A Book That Disappointed You

Endgame: The Calling by James Frey

There was just so much hype about this book that I wanted to read it so badly, then I did and it was.. eh. I enjoyed myself, but it was a little difficult to get into and didn't live up to the hype. At least for me. I do know that if I had been able to read a physical copy, I would have enjoyed it more than the ebook I read.

Day 17 (30-Day Challenge)

Favourite Quote From Your Favourite Book

“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” 

Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second book in the series follow anna to San Francisco, but tells the story of Lola. Lola is a unique girl with a penchant for fashion and boy troubles. Mainly, an older boy(friend) that her parents don't approve of. After falling in love with Anna and the French Kiss, I was excited to immediately begin Lola and the Boy Next Door. While it is still a good book, I didn't connect with the main character as much as I did the first book. It takes a while for you to fall in love with the book and Lola grows on you as the story progresses.

I was happy to see more of ANna and St. Clair, as theirs was the story that I fell in love with. Anna reads as older than she is, in my opinons. Where she seemed like a twenty-year-old college student in the first novel, she now feels older even though its only been a few months. Her relationship with Etienne, as well as her demeanor, make them feel like theyre now in their mid-twenties... or maybe they're just starting to feel like a happy, married couple.

Lola is faced with one of those typical YA love triangles - she's in a relationship but she's faced with unresolved feelings for another boy. Its obvious and you know who she's going to end up with at the end. A relationship isn't right if you are uncomfortable imagining a future with them - or if you fall for someone else. Love and committment don't lead to considering other people.

All that being said, I much prefer Cricket as her suitor than Max (so I shant complain that Lola questions her feelings). He doesn't have a fiery temper, he's kind and thoughtful, plus he's creative and smart in the way that inventors are. Max is angsty and although he's there for Lola, its more superficial and forced than it should be. He once said, "Do you have any idea what I've put up with to be with you?" You shouldn't have to put up with things. You do them because you love the person and it makes them happy.

Anna sums up the dilemma beautifully, "Sometimes a mistake isn't a what. It's a who." Her mistake is Max, but it will take her time to discover that. Even her friendship with Cricket is more healthy and full of love, than the lustful one she has with Max. Let's be honest when she says, "I care about you. I want to be connected to you." even though it's only in her head, you know who she's going to end up with. She just hasn't admitted it yet.

While I haven't fallen in love with Lola like I did Anna, there are still characters that I've fallen for in this novel. Cricket, the boy next door, is lovable because he's kind, a little unsure of himself and so self-less. He's an architect, an inventor, a creator and must learn to take pride in what he's good at. I'm fond of her best friend, Lindsey, although I find her woefully underdeveloped. (But who can't fall in love with the introverted, studious best friend with a Nancy Drew book collection, detective obsession, and desire to be a spy? That was my entire childhood.)

Calliope is the golden child, who is too possessive over her brother and takes on the role of mean girl in this novel. Late in the book there's a moment that gives much-needed depth to her character when Lola fixes her costume and she realizes that her family needs to appreciate Cricket more. Overall, the characters seemed more developed in the first book so I'm a little disappointed by the new ones.

"You have to do the hard thing... you have to be honest with yourself." You should not stay in a relationship, the wrong relationship, because you are only delaying the time until you find yourself in the right one. Why be unhappy longer than you need to be? The author portrays this wonderfully and maybe readers can learn from Lola's missteps. She also shows you how to be the person they deserve to love. If you feel that you don't yet deserve them, earn it. It's a good lesson for anyone to learn.

The author description of Calliope's ice skating actually gave me chills. Although I don't know what all the technically terms translate to visually, I could still imagine her routine and the emotion of the arena.

The ending was great, as the author leaves the reader satisfied but wanting to hear more of the story. There are no glaring cliff-hangers or unresolved plot points. Of course, you want to know if Calliope goes to the Olympics and does well - but maybe that will be addressed in Isla's book.

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Day 16 (30-Day Challenge)

Favourite Female Character

Hermione Granger

My entire childhood (once I read HP in the second grade) was spent in love with Hermione Granger. I was (and am) a total nerd who loved school, books, and was a bit of a know-it-all. Hermione was my spirit animal.

Day 15 (30-Day Challenge)

Favourite Male Character

I'm not sure that I have a favourite, so here are a few of my favourites:

Sherlock Holmes



Sirius Black













Jace Herondale

Review: Anna and the French Kiss

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What happens when your nouveau-riche father decides that his daughter needs to be more cultures? Your entire world is flipped upside-down as you're sent to a boarding school in a country where you don't speak the language. That's exactly what happens to Anna when she's sent to the School of America, in Paris. She now must make new friends, try to stay in touch with her old ones and the most terrifying ordeal of all? Ordering her meals in French. She might want some nice fresh pain (bread) but ends up saying paon (peacock). Yum, paon and fromage for breakfast.

It may seem strange, but I enjoy the use of language in this book. I think accents, like St. Clair's are written very authentically. Bridge's love of words is a great way to introduce readers to new worlds. (And seriously inspires me to see if I can find a set of Oxford English Dictionaries for my personal library.) The use of foreign languages in books can be tricky to do well, but I think the author struck a balance brilliantly.

I find Anna very relatable - it doesn't hurt that she's a fellow lefty. But I also feel like she reads older than she is. Throughout the novel, I feel like she is at University (aged 19-20) rather than still in high school. Her desire to be a film ritic is how I feel about books and reviewing. She says, "I just like... expressing my opinion. That possiblity of turning someone on to something really great." Reading is my passion and I wan to share that with people. If I can introduce them to a book I've fallen in love with and it touches them in some way - I'm happy.

When I read the novel, I can feel myself walking along the Seine or admiring Notre Dame. Paris is a beautiful setting adn the author represents it wonderfully. It is one of those novels that gives you wanderlust and an undeniable urge to visit the places that Anna does.

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Day 14 (30-Day Challenge)

Book Turned Movie and Completely Desecrated

Insurgent - Veronica Roth 

(and I'm sad to say, probably Allegiant even more so)

Day 13 (30-Day Challenge)

Your Favourite Writer

J.K. Rowling

She just writes the best books with incredible world building, character development and anything else you can dream of.

Day 12 (30-Day Challenge)

A Book You Love But Hate at the Same Time

Allegiant - Veronica Roth

I just wanted to love the conclusion of this series and yet it also let me down so much... 

Review: The It Girl (Series)

The It Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

The It Girl series follows Gossip Girl character, Jenny Humphries at her new boarding school, Waverly. The sophomore must navigate an entirely new set of social rules in her attempt to become New Jenny - an it-girl. But life at Waverly isn't always what Jenny dreamed for herself and sometimes it's so much better.

Overall, the book is enjoyable in a simple, YA, guilty read way. It's not going to win any literary awards, but if you enjoy books about privileged kids, boarding schools or volatile relationship dynamics you will like this read. Although it is fiction, sometimes I am astounded by the level of debauchery surrounding these students.

The first book, It Girl, introduces us to the large cast of characters. New girl, Jenny, who is looking to reinvent herself. Junior class prefect, Brett, who seems to have it all together. Privileged princess, Callie, who thinks appearances are everything. True it-girl, Tinsley, who is the puppet-master of Waverly. As well as all their girlfriends and the rotating batch of potential boyfriends.

School seems perfect - the guy she has her eye on seems to be crushing back, her roommates seem great and she's been invited to join the advanced art class. What could go wrong? Tinsley returns to school and is none too happy about the new girl in her bed.

The subsequent books deal with romance, break-ups and make-ups, cheating, affairs, disciplinary hearings, arson, exploring sexuality and everything else you might expect to see in some crazy reality television program. It is a bit unbelievable at times - but that's why its fiction.

One criticism I have for the book is that the author at times will neglect to explain events. (This seems to happen at the end of every book.) The book will end on a type of cliffhanger then the next section will just say - oh x happened. For example, a student breaks the rules and returns to campus to see an angry Dean. The next book is months later, the student was kicked out and sent to some remote location, maybe the Dean has also been replaced - and NOTHING is explained. How did it happen? What was said? Why did this occur? Where did y go? What has this affected in the last two weeks, two days, or two months since we last saw the characters? Bombshells and resolutions are very abrupt without giving the reader any information, time to absorb them, or substantial satisfaction.

There are also continuity errors like: a girl loses a promise ring, in the snow, with another guy. Later in the book it says, "when Callie handed him back the promise ring he'd given her." Uh no. Please, at the very least keep your facts accurate. Later in the same book, the author writes, "and she'd lost the promise ring he'd given her." So we've changed our minds about what happened again?

As long as you don't expect a life-changing book, you'll enjoy this series.

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Day 11 (30-Day Challenge)

A Book You Hated

Wicked - Gregory Maguire

I don't hate this book, I just couldn't finish it. Hate is much too strong a word.

Day 10 (30-Day Challenge)

A Book That Reminds You of Home

Goodnight Moon

My mom used to read this to me as a kid, so of course I think of home when I see it.

Review: The Progeny

The Progeny by Tosca Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What do you do when an ancestor's actions threaten your very existence? You disappear. Emily, or at least that's what her name is now, must begin a quiet, hidden, new life in Maine. It's one of those small towns with a couple of hundred residents, some shops/eating establishments, an unexplained interest to tourists and not much else. The sign must say Greenville, population: a handful of moose.

The beginning just reminds me of home, with the gorgeous trees, lake, the phrase "wicked cool" and Emily's Red Sox cap. The action quickly takes over the plot, as Emily must flee Maine with a man she doesn't know if she can trust.... from a guy who had been following her for years with one goal - to kill her. With her memories gone Emily, or Audra as she finds out, doesn't know who she can trust. Is Luka the one who wants her dead? Or did Rolan lie and he's the real threat?

The unique plot is intriguing and the mystery won't let you put the book down. Danger lurks around every corner and Audra must rediscover what she forced herself to forget, at all costs.

The characters are intriguing and develop over the course of the novel. The Progeny are secretive and with good reason, any knowledge they have of their brethren can be taken upon their deaths. Their minds put countless others at risk unless they keep themselves isolated. While her comrades are decently well described, they don't quite feel like fully realized people. We need to now more of their dreams and fears, history, relationships and motivation.

The "big-bads" are sort of a generic evil villain type that I wished was developed more. What turned him into a zealot? What is his history with Audra's mother? How did he rise in the Court? I know Audra lost her memories, so we're in the dark like her but it just makes the novel feel less realized than it could.

The one relationship that feels authentic is between Audra and Luka. Even though she's not initially sure she can trust him and questions herlself throughout the novel - she still can't imagine going through everything without him/ I'm glad to learn that it isn't one long-running deception. The end of the novel is still completely unexpected in regards to the two of them.

Claudia and Piotrek are so close but he feels like such a mystery. We get to experience some of Claudia's emotions, like her confusion and hurt at being left or her anger about Ivan's death. Piotrek just seems flat in comparison. He's very protective of Claudia and painted a picture once. For all we know, he could have been an artist and it was just one of his many works. Its just as likely that it was the one and only time he attempted to be creative. I wish Piotrek was more develop as I"m very interested to learn more about him.

Audra travels to a number of foreign locations and they are described well enough that you can imagine them beautifully. They may not be the most glamorous villas or rich cities but you want to learn more about them nonetheless.

The book ends with a lot of revelations and so many more questions. Traitors are unmasked. Confessed or accused killers may not have been the murderers after all. Lovers are in peril. And time is running out. I know I can't wait to read the next book and find out what happens.

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Review: Winter

Winter by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read the entire series over the course of four days, novellas included. That is how wonderful it is. As a fan of fairytale retellings, like Beastly by Alex Flinn, I had high hopes for this series and it did not disappoint. It gave the reader wonderful little omages to the classic fairytales, while weaving the story through a world and characters all its own.

The world building in this novel was wonderfully done. As a reader, I could imagine the Lunar Palace as a place of opulance while those in the lower districts lived in poverty. There were a number of important characters and none of them were overlooked. You were able to learn about their personalities, histories, or relationships in a way that gave each depth. Each character had a unique personality and strength in the group. from fiery Scarlet to shy Cress and from flirty Thorn to tortured Wolf.

Sometimes conclusions to series just don't stand up to their legacy, but this was not one of those books. The author gave the reader everything they desired, climactic action scenes, wrapping up story threads while opening the door to future adventures, and leaving the reader satisfied. There's nothing worse than reading an amazing series that you become wholly invested in and then being utterly disappointed by the conclusion.

Recommended for anyone who liked YA, romance, fairytales, sci-fi, or really good books/series that you won't regret reading.

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Day 9 (30-Day Challenge)

A Book You Thought You Wouldn't Like But Ended Up Loving

Clockwork Prince - Cassandra Clare

This is a weird one because I adore the Mortal Instruments series. For some reason I read Clockwork Angel (probably in the midst of many other books) and I guess it just wasn't incredibly memorable to me. I just loved TMI so much and also didn't own TID. As a result, I never ended up reading the rest of the series until a month ago. It's ridiculous. But, I know better now and I adore the books. 

Day 8 (30-Day Challenge)

Most Overrated Book

Twilight - Stephenie Meyer

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book but there are others that I enjoyed more that haven't experienced even a modicum of the success that the Twilight franchise has.

Day 7 (30-Day Book Challenge)

A Book That Makes You Laugh

City of Bones - Cassandra Clare

I love Cassandra Clare's style of writing and I find myself laughing out loud (looking like a complete crazy person) whilst reading her books.

Review: Cinder

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of the books that I saw on display at my local library and completely judged the book by it's cover. I didn't know what it was about, but it looked interesting and I put it on my mental TBR list. Many years later, I have finally gotten a chance to read it (and the rest of the series.) This book was completely worth the wait. As a fan of fairytale retellings, like Beastly by Alex Flinn, I had high hopes for this book. It gave the reader wonderful little omages to the classic fairytale, while weaving the story through a world and characters all its own.

The world building in this novel, while not expansive was wonderfully done. As a reader, I could imagine Cinder meandering down the dingy, packed streets of New Beijing while Kai fretted over his father in the ornate, sprawling palace. There were a number of important characters and none of them were overlooked. You were able to learn about their personalities, histories, or relationships in a way that gave each depth.

Recommended for anyone who liked YA, romance, fairytales, sci-fi, or good books.

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Day 6 (30-Day Book Challenge)

A Book That Makes You Sad

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - JK Rowling

This book was devastating. I remember reading it on the couch at my Grandmother's house and legitimately crying when Dumbledore died. There has never been a more traumatizing book. But I love it.

Day 5 (30-Day Book Challenge)

A Book That Makes You Happy

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods - Rick Riordan

I just love Rick Riordan's style of writing. He's quippy, hilarious and makes the Greek mythology that I already love that much more enjoyable to read.

Day 4 (30-Day Book Challenge)

Favourite Book of Your Favourite Series

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (or Sorcerer's Stone, ahhhh I can't pick!)