In the month of January I read 14 books in total, they will be reviewed in the order they were read, beginning January 3rd through until January 30th.
“The decisions she makes reflect her tenacity and compassion, as she bravely journeys to restore the heart of Te Fiti.”
I was lucky enough to receive the absolutely gorgeous copy of Disney Princess A Treasury of Enchanting Tales from Scholastic AU for review.
This book is presented in a beautiful hardcover edition with metallic embellishments on the cover, as well as the hard sleeve it comes in.
It contains 12 tales based on twelve Disney princesses including Moana, Mulan, Jasmine, Merida, Aurora, Snow White, Pochahontas, Rapunzel, Ariel, Belle, Cinderella and Tiana. This is the perfect addition to any Disney collecter’s bookshelves.
Continue reading “Review – Disney Princess A Treasury of Enchanting Tales”
“You are who the other kids say you are. But I’m not okay with that. I’ll say who I am.”
– Cynthia L. Copeland, Cub
Twelve-year-old Cindy has just dipped a toe into seventh-grade drama—with its complicated friendships, bullies, and cute boys—when she earns an internship as a cub reporter at a local newspaper in the early 1970s. A (rare) young female reporter takes Cindy under her wing, and Cindy soon learns not only how to write a lede, but also how to respectfully question authority, how to assert herself in a world run by men, and—as the Watergate scandal unfolds—how brave reporting and writing can topple a corrupt world leader. Searching for her own scoops, Cindy doesn’t always get it right, on paper or in real life. But whether she’s writing features about ghost hunters, falling off her bicycle and into her first crush, or navigating shifting friendships, Cindy grows wiser and more confident through every awkward and hilarious mistake.
A mother’s chance decision leads to a twist of fate that is every parent’s worst nightmare.
I had the pleasure of receiving this title from NetGalley through SOURCEBOOKS Landmark in exchange for my honest review. Little Lovely Things was published on the 2nd of April.
As per usual I have to put in a disclaimer to let you know that this review does contain thoughts and opinions that explore parts of this book considered spoilers. If you wish to avoid spoilers, I will post an abridged version of it on Goodreads.
This story follows Claire, the mother of two young girls who have gone missing along with the car they were in, after she makes an emergency pit stop at a gas station one morning.
My overall rating for Little Lovely Things is 2.5 out of 5 stars. Unfortunately I had a difficult time getting into this book and was delayed in finishing it, however I did pick up the audio edition on Scribd and ended up finishing the book in a day.
“The clock is driving itself insane, going around in circles”
I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Rituals, released on the 31st of May this year, from NetGalley and the publisher April Gloaming Publishing in exchange for my honest review.
I want to begin as always, by saying that this review may contain thoughts and opinions that could spoil the book for you.
The blurb for this collection states that “Black’s poetry illuminates the wonder in all of us.”…”this collection fortifies our nature to hunt for a life worth living.” Which pretty much perfectly sums up how I felt about this work.
“I Just hoped you would love me
in the way dry earth loves the rain”
I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Pillow Thoughts III from NetGalley and the publisher Andrews McMeel Publishing in exchange for my honest review. This poetry collection comes out on the 6th of August this year and is the third part to Courtney Peppernell’s Pillow Thoughts collections.
Alright friends, please bear with me here I have never written a critical review for poetry. It’s not like I’ve never read poetry before, I just feel as though it’s incredibly difficult to choose a rating on a collection of poems. For example, Pillow Thoughts III includes poems that I loved and related to 100% but it also included poems that I had absolutely no interest in.
So how do I rate the collection as a whole without it reflecting an opinion that doesn’t fully represent how I felt?
The answer, is to try my damn best at explaining my thoughts I guess. So please don’t take the star rating at face value. It really doesn’t represent how I feel about this collection, it is just a rough average of my ratings for each poem. Anyway, enough prattling on let us get to the juicy stuff.
“Music is what makes up the single soul we share. I don’t think I’ll ever find another person in the entire world who understands me the way Lea does. “
I received this title from NetGalley through Ink Road Books prior to it’s release in exchange for my honest review.
Summer Bird Blue was published on the 4th of April, unfortunately I was unable to get this review out until now.
My overall rating for this book is that it deserves a strong 4/5 stars. I found it both heart breaking and heart warming. For the majority of my reading experience I was completely wrapped up in the story. In my opinion there are only two downfalls to this book, and even then they are minor and did not affect my general enjoyment.
To be clear, this review may contain thoughts and opinions that talk about spoiler-ish material. I will do my best to keep it spoiler free.
Rumi is the protagonist of the story. She spends her time writing and playing music with her younger sister, Lea. In the beginning of the story they are involved in a serious car accident that results in her younger sister dying. After the accident Lea is sent to Hawaii to stay with her Aunt Ani and is left feeling betrayed by her mother. This is where she meets and develops friendships with her Aunt’s neighbours – Kai and Mr. Watanabe – who attempt to help her come to terms with everything that has happened.
February always seems like a very slow reading month for me. I only managed to read a total of 5 books this month, but they have all been fantastic so that’s a plus!
I did however start 2 more books that will be finished in March (if all goes to plan), but before I get ahead of myself here are February’s reading stats.
“This time round, despite what will inevitably come after, I will be honest. It’s the only hope I have.”
I requested this book from Net Galley to review, it was one of my very first advance reader copies, the cover art alone peaked my interest. Then I read the synopsis and thought it would be a interesting and easy read.
THIS BOOK HAS SHAKEN ME TO THE CORE!
I have taken a week to gather my thoughts since finishing it and will try and explain them as coherently as possible.
Before I begin, I’d just like to say that this review contains thoughts and opinions that may spoil the plot. There are topics covered in this story that may be triggering to you such as: PTSD, grief, suicide and survivors guilt.
As a preface to the main story, the main character Cara survives a horrific car accident on New Years Eve, but her best friend Georgina does not.
The story begins nine months after the accident, Cara is struggling, she is consumed by guilt and grief. Her mum has sent her to a Swiss boarding school in the hopes that it will be a fresh start.
“Most people just have to live their lives the best they can, doing the things that are great for them, having great friends, trying to make their lives better, loving people properly. All the while knowing that the world makes no sense but trying to find a way to be happy anyway.”
– Patrick Ness, The Rest of Us Just Live Here
I started listening to the audio book of The Rest of Us Just Live Here without knowing anything about it. I knew the author, and I had heard the title but other than that it was a complete mystery to me.
