Thursday, March 27, 2014

#4.4: Read 25 New Books, #6.2 Read BuzzFeed's 21 Best YA Books of 2013 – Rose Under Fire

ZINGGGGGG I FOUND MY MISSING LIBRARY BOOK PRAISE JESUS LOLOLOL WHAT ARE LIBRARY FINES

It was under my television. Where it has been for over a month. Like I said, what are library fines?


"Rose Justice is a young pilot with the Air Transport Auxiliary during the Second World War. On her way back from a semi-secret flight in the waning days of the war, Rose is captured by the Germans and ends up in Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi women's concentration camp. There, she meets an unforgettable group of women, including a once glamorous and celebrated French detective novelist whose Jewish husband and three young sons have been killed; a resilient young girl who was a human guinea pig for Nazi doctors trying to learn how to treat German war wounds; and a Nachthexen, or Night Witch, a female fighter pilot and military ace for the Soviet air force. These damaged women must bond together to help each other survive.

In this companion volume to the critically acclaimed novel Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein continues to explore themes of friendship and loyalty, right and wrong, and unwavering bravery in the face of indescribable evil."


Two thumbs up. I'm dying to play Rose in a movie (if any movie producers are reading this … hi). When I picked this up I had no idea it was a companion novel to another book, so I'm definitely planning on reading that one. Weeee.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

#4.2, #4.3: Read 25 New Books, #6.1: Read BuzzFeed's 21 Best YA Books of 2013 – Fact of Life #31, This is What Happy Looks Like

Like I said in my last post, I've read a few books the past several weeks, and I'm happy that I'm one step closer to completing my 101 in 1001 challenge!

This post has been a long time coming, even longer because I've temporarily misplaced (lost) the book I'm currently reading, and I was originally planning to include it in this post. I've spent hours looking for it, and I haven't located it yet, which is frustrating because I was in the middle of an exceptionally exciting part. Also frustrating because it's a library book and I can only renew it two more times. Lolz.

Anywaaaaay, back to the two books I have read.

Fact of Life #31 by Denise Vega was the first book I picked off the library shelves, and consequently the first book I ended up reading.


(I forgot to take pictures before I took it back to the library, so here's a fuzzy, pixelated image I stole from the Internet)

(Fact of Life #129: Some people put you where they want you to be, not where you actually are.16-year-old Kat Flynn believes in going with the flow. She practices yoga, works with her mom at Abra’s Midwifery, and watches the Perfect Couple in the hall at school. But when she finds herself in the middle of the Perfect Couple’s drama and some drama of her own (including an unexpected romance), Kat has to decide whether going with the flow is really the best way to come back to herself.)

This book was cute, written like typical high school/teenager girl novels (I quite these kinds of books, sue me), but unlike typical high school/teenage girl novels, this one had a setting and plot that was unlike any I'd ever read before. You don't typically think of teenagers and midwiferies belonging together. Regardless, it worked, and I really enjoyed reading this.

The second book I read was This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith.


(Again, I forgot to take pictures, so here's another stolen-Internet picture for you.)


(If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds. 

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?)


I thought this was decent. The plot was slow-going, and it honestly felt like nothing was really happening the entire book. One thing just sort of evolved into another, and there weren't any definite, clear, crisp changes (did that even make sense? Lol, crisp?). I did like the general plot though, and I think this could have been amazing if it were written a little differently.

Fun fact: I wrote a play several months ago, and my main characters where named Graham and Ella. So. There's that. 

Once I find the library book I've temporarily misplaced (lol, I should just say lost), I'll be back with another book post. Until then, I'm hoping to find a few recipes from Pinterest to make, so hopefully I'll have those up soon. 

Thanks for reading!

Autumn