why I picked itIt was time for a new audiobook (because I'm STILL waiting for The Sun is Also a Star…). When I saw this book pop up in the available audiobooks section, I decided I needed to take the time to listen to it. I wanted to see the movie when it came out, but I still haven't gotten around to it, so I thought it would be good to listen to the book first anyway. Plus, I'm traveling a lot from my home to my parent's and my fiance's right now as we prep for our wedding (which is now in just a couple of short weeks…insert AHHHHHHH of both excitement and nervousness here…), and an audiobook is DEFINITELY necessary for the car time and craft time as I do that prep. summaryMeg is different. She doesn't like being different, but she is. So is her little brother, Charles Wallace. He always seems to know exactly what she's thinking. Meg's father disappeared a while back, and everyone around their family thinks they're crazy for thinking that he's going to come back, but Meg will not budge. She knows that something happened to him, but that he will overcome it and come back to them. One day, her brother introduces her to Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which and they go on a crazy adventure with their new friend Calvin to find Meg and Charles Wallace's father. They learn about travel through space and time, almost get captured by "IT," and learn how special they truly are. what I likedIt was a very interesting book. I like Meg quite a bit. She has a lot of development you know she needs to go through from the beginning, and I was eager to see how L'Engle would handle that. Charles Wallace is also my favorite. I just feel like his character is so intriguing. I'm sure that it would be disconcerting, a five-year-old boy that always seems to be able to articulate what you're feeling even when you aren't sure what it is. The idea behind A Wrinkle in Time really intrigued me. I loved the idea that you can "tesser" space (and kind of time?), taking the shortest route possible, therefore, essentially teleporting to anyplace in the entire universe. The idea of a dark thing that is slowly taking over planets is also an interesting idea. "IT" was fun to learn about, and It is kind of a scary idea to me. I definitely love variety and being able to have my opinions (otherwise I probably wouldn't have a blog, would I…?), so the idea of a world where no one is an individual has always freaked me out. what I didn't likeThough I liked Meg's character as a whole, I also had some problems with it. I know she was different, but I felt like she was more immature for her age that I thought she would be. I felt like she had more preteen girl emotions rather than teenage girl emotions, though I could be wrong. Another thing I noticed was that people's emotions seemed to turn on a dime in this book. Sometimes decisions were argued over and argued over and then all of a sudden, the decision was made. It wasn't like the group gradually came to a decision, they just all of sudden gave in and they were just going to go for it. And then there was a moment where Meg was bawling and upset and snapping at everyone and the next thing you know she's calm as possible and saying something along the lines of "I know what I need to do. It's fine. I'll handle it." I know that it even describes this change as a switch going off, but there was literally no reason for it. Our emotions don't change that quickly. Likely, a person won't go from bawling and distraught to calm and ready to go like she did. Especially a teen or preteen girl. I didn't like the audio quality of the book. Most of the time, they sound fine over my car speakers, but this one could really be a struggle to listen to sometimes. I know that doesn't have to do with the book so much, but it was a problem for me at times and made it so I couldn't understand some parts. overall impression 🌟🌟🌟I'll give this book 3/5 stars. I liked it. I think it is a good and interesting YA book. I enjoyed listening to it, and I think there were some very cool and interesting aspects to the book, but it wasn't really my forte either. It's kind of an odd mix of a children's novel, adult book, sci-fi, and fantasy all mixed into one, and I wasn't sure what to think about it at times.
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Hello, bookish friends!
I know that we are now over halfway through May, but today I wanted to give you the wrap up to my April Readathon that I participated in: #OWLsReadathon2019! My goal was to pursue one of three careers and to do that I needed to get through a total of 9 out of 12 books. I may not have made it through all 9 books, but I still got through 7 books, and I was able to complete what I needed to pursue two of the three careers I chose! To be a wand maker I needed to read Runes, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, and Herbology. For a Magizoologist, I needed Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Herbology, and Potions. Luckily, most of these subjects overlapped! Here are the links to the reviews of the books I read in April! Care of Magical Creatures: Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Petersen Charms: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Herbology: Be You. Do Good. By Jonathan David Golden Potions: Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee Arithmancy: The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus Ancient Runes: Stars Above by Marissa Meyer Astronomy: A Star for Mrs. Blake by April Smith I'm very proud with the progress that I made last month! I feel I was very successful, I had a good variety, and I really enjoyed most of the books I read! Did you participate in the OWLs readathon?? What career did you pursue, and did you make it to your goal?? Why I picked itI won a bookstagram giveaway hosted by @saraellawrites back in February, and from that I got the February Owl Crate with the Whimsical Beasts theme! I was SO EXCITED. The theme was perfect for me because it included a couple of Harry Potter merch items (which I love) as well as a short story about tea dragons (how perfect!!) and a BEAUTIFUL custom-covered, sprayed-edges, signed copy of Crown of Feathers. I was so excited to read it, but already had so many books on my TBR that I just added it to the pile. Well, when I was working through the #OWLsReadathon2019, the prompts for Transfiguration were a book with a red cover or sprayed edges. Crown of Feathers (my copy) fit both of those, and I was excited to get started on this new YA Fantasy book! summaryVeronyka and Val are sisters. Both are animages, able to communicate with and control animals, and they both long to be pheonix riders. Before the war years ago, pheonix riders and animages were free to roam the land, but now they're fugitives. Veronyka and Val have a fight and go their separate ways. Veronyka finds that the new secret group of pheonix riders don't accept girls into training, so she disguises herself as Nyk, a stableboy waiting for his chance to be sponsored to train as a pheonix rider what I likedI liked the various characters throughout the book. You can tell right from the beginning that there is an interesting relationship between Val and Nyka. I also love Tristan and the fear that he has to overcome, as well as the pressure that he is under constantly while training. There's a great hate-to-friendship thing that happens between Tristan and Nyk, and watching the characters develop through that is so fun. Seeing in from the outside perspective of one of the soldiers was also a really cool aspect. It gave a whole other spin to the story, and added some interesting plot developments. And wow. The plot twists at the end. I won't say much about them. But I definitely didn't see them coming, and as you know if you read my reviews, there are a good percentage of the books I read that I can find out the ending by halfway through. This was not one of those books. I'm definitely interested in continuing the series what I didn't likeHonestly, most of the way through I was a little worried we'd get an awkward romance thing between Tristan and Nyk like there was between Mulan and Li Shang (you know, when you think of it down the road you start to wonder if Li was questioning his sexuality because by the end he is in love with Mulan, even though she's been posing as a guy the whole time…). That didn't end up being the case. I thought that their relationship developed in an un-awkward way that I appreciated, but it was a real fear in the beginning and middle of the book. I also want to know more about what Val was doing while Veronyka was being a stablehand at the pheonix riders' camp. Toward the end when they cross paths again, you get a little bit of what she was doing, but I'd like to know a little more overall impression 🌟🌟🌟🌟This was a solid book. I enjoyed it, for sure! The plot twist got me, and I'm really happy with how it turned out. Not only that, I'm still waiting for more pheonix rider adventure!!! I can't wait for the next book.
Why I picked it I needed a book with "star" in the title for my astronomy read in April for the #OWLsReadathon2019. I honestly just looked on my Libby app to see what audiobooks were available that had "star" in the title because the one I had hoped for (The Sun is Also a Star) was already checked out. summaryAfter World War I, there were a group of ladies called the Gold Star Mothers whose sons died overseas in the war and were buried in France. These mothers were offered a chance by the government to go on a pilgrimage to France in order to see their sons' final resting place. The book follows a few of these mothers, particularly Mrs. Blake, through her pilgrimage. The mothers all have very different stories and they very much have their differences, but through some tough times, they learn that they are still sisters in a way, and that they are all connected. what I likedI enjoyed the history in this book. It discussed a few social issues, and it helped me learn about the Gold Star Mothers program, which I knew nothing about. It also touched on the racial segregation of the time even though many African Americans fought in the war too. I think the narrator did a good job as well. what I didn't likeThere were a few times I got a bit lost because it jumped to different points of view, and I was listening to it, so sometimes I'd miss the change. I also felt there were a few points that didn't really have a huge impact on the story, so I was confused as to why those storylines were included. Overall impression 🌟🌟🌟This book didn't leave a huge impact on me, but it was still very good. I give it a 3/5 stars, because I enjoyed it, though it wasn't up in my list of favorite books. It was also probably one of my least favorite in April (but I had a good reading month).
Why I Picked ItAnother book on my physical TBR, and a good book choice for my #OWLsReadathon2019 Arithmancy because this book has two authors! I also absolutely LOVED the movie, and I figured if the book was as good or better (as the books typically are), I'd love it too.
What I likedTHAT INTRO THOUGH!!! Wow. I loved it. I literally had to read it out loud because I think it should be an individual acting monologue for a high school speech competition. It was WONDERFUL! The whole introduction set the writing tone for the rest of the book, and it was amazing. It read so quick, quirky, and sassy, and it was perfect for the book. I also love Nanny as a character. And Grayer. And their relationship. They are all so perfect. And the reason they are perfect is because they are imperfect. Nanny is nervous, awkward, yet caring and responsible. Grayer is (I imagine) an ADORABLE little guy. I can't imagine what his life would be like, and you can really see the effects of his family dynamics on him. There is plenty of conflict in this book: between Grayer and Nanny, Nanny and Mrs. X, Harvard Hottie and Nanny, Mr. and Mrs. X. And you can see Nanny's development through those hardships. What I didn't like I don't have a lot that I didn't like about this book. Overall Impression 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟5/5 stars - I loved this fast-paced book. I really enjoyed it, and the writing was just what I needed. I recently heard that there is actually a sequel, and now I'm on a mission to find it!
Why I picked itGo Set a Watchman was my Potions read for #OWLsReadathon2019, as it is the sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird. I really enjoyed listening to the first book, and I was excited for the sequel. This book was also one of many that my future mother-in-law had gotten me for Christmas, and I've been trying to work my way through as much of my own physical TBR as I can this month (and have been doing a pretty good job of it too!). Summary Jean Louise (Scout) Finch has been off on her own in New York City for a few years, but she comes home to visit her dad and (kind of) boyfriend. While visiting, she battles the push from her family and community to come home and her feelings of unbelonging from the small community she used to love. When she comes back, she finds out some things about her community and those closest to her. They disappoint her in ways she feels she cannot overcome, when really, that finally makes her grow up. what I likedOnce again, Lee does a great job of bringing up many social issues of the time, and I loved learning a little more. This is also another novel of growing up, just like To Kill a Mockingbird, just growing up in her twenties instead of throughout childhood. Scout goes through a lot in this book. Disappointment is abundant, and she isn't sure how she's going to get through it. Because of that, she learns more about the civic issues going throughout her hometown as well as the country. Plus, the relationships in this book are just as good (maybe better!) than in the first book. What I didn't LikeAt times the book was a little confusing for me, but that’s just because I pretty much don't know anything about this era in history other than segregation was a thing, and it was bad. Overall Impression 🌟🌟🌟🌟4/5 stars! This was a good book. Not my favorite, but it was still very good!
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AuthorJust sharing my passion of reading through my passion of writing. Archives
May 2020
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